Buffalo, July 2012

We made 2 trips to Buffalo this summer, which was unusual for us.  We already had our late May/early June trip planned when we decided to go up for Eric's Mom's 60th Birthday.  We got there late Wednesday night, and spent all day Thursday on party prep.  Friday morning we finished up party prep, and headed to the cottage!  Land of relaxation!!!  The party weekend was of particular importance not just b/c of the birthday, but also because all of the aunts/uncles/cousins came from Ohio.  We were super excited to see everyone, and for all of the cousins to reunite!  Here are some fun pictures from that Friday!

Tessa quickly made herself at home in a chair around the campfire.

 Eli quickly remembered his way to the beach.  And stood at the path to wait!

 Oma got a golf cart for her birthday, and the grandkids were beyond thrilled.

 Cousin Gwen is a happy girl!

 Cousin Sara arrived, and Tessa was super excited to meet her cousins!

 Checking out what big girl earrings look like.

 We decided it was beach time!  Cousins Sara and Taylor brought down Miss Sassafrass.

 Drake dragged Opa for a swim.

 Monkey see, Monkey do...
Tessa put her head in...

 So Lacey put her head in...

 And then they both roared like tigers as they climbed out.  Go figure.

 Big boy Gavin.

 Cousin Sara was like paparazzi.

 Sweet and happy Nora!

 They loved all the teeny shells on the beach.

 Big girl Lacey heading in with a purpose!

Thanksgiving 2011- Buffalo!

We made it to NY for Thanksgiving this year! We do a late lunch /early dinner with about 25-30 people, and use a local bar/restaurant that is closed for the day. It's perfect for such a large crowd, and the kids love it since they have room to run. Thanks to Aunt Lindsay for taking all these pics!

My turkeys:

Nora is the happiest and sweetest baby!

Oma and baby Gwen!

Could these two look any more alike?
We had a great trip!

Buffalo trip August 2011

Eric and I traveled to Buffalo last weekend for his cousin's wedding. Congrats Chas and Nina!!! Flights are out of control expensive, so we decided to drive. 11 hours. Oh. My.

So, the decision was made to leave the boys in SC with my parents, and drive up for 3 nights. We left Thursday, and spent the night in Pittsburgh. Drove the rest of the way Friday morning, and had the wedding reception Friday night. Saturday was relaxing, exploring parts of Buffalo, and dinner out with Eric's brother Joe, and his wife Dianna. While we missed our sweet boys like crazy, it was so good to get away. We've only left them like that once before, and that was for one night in Asheville.

The boys had more fun than you can imagine! I'm working on another blog post about their trip to Grandma and Grandpa's.

The bride and groom:-)

Eric, his BIL, and Dad. They cleaned up nicely!
Beautiful sunset during the reception.
The whole Kirsch crew
Our immediate Kirsch family, minus the 7 grandchildren!
My sweet niece Gwen. I got some good snuggles on this trip!
Sweetie pie Nora who has the most lovable thighs on earth.
Gavin, my only nephew. We need some more boys! He would've loved to had Drake and Eli to pal around with.
Lacey; who was not so sure about this "Aunt Nikki" character. She'll love me one day, as soon as she realized what a cool aunt I am;-)
My honey! Happy 4 years!

Lost Photos

That truck was a gas truck for the planes, and a big hit with Drake!

Here comes our plane!


I found these on another camera, from our May trip to Buffalo. The boys loved the airport, especially in Buffalo. They could see more there!

Trip to New York (Canada)

Over Memorial Day weekend, we headed to see Eric's family. We actually spent the entire trip up in Canada, at his parent's cottage. We had lots of fun visiting with everyone, and the boys loved playing with their cousins! On that Sunday, their was a big party for his Dad's 60th Birthday. The boys partied it up!

Drake and Lacey went for a ride in the bike trailer.

Such a sweet smile!

Oma was in heaven with everyone there!

Eli was by far the sandiest kid there.
A fun afternoon! Oma hung with the kids, the boys chilled in the grass, and the girls chilled on the porch.
Blurry, but heart be still! I love these boys!!!!!!
Drake really wanted to hold Nora. He also kept taking her food while she was in the exercauser, so we had to watch him closely!


An early morning walk down to the beach was amazing. Perfect temperature, and the water was so calm and pretty to look at. The older kids had a blast running down the dunes, while Eli contently sat and chewed on a sandy stick. (Mommy ruined his fun).




Birthday Boy!
During Denny's party, all the ladies took a walk to the beach. Drake wanted to go, and did until he realized I wasn't coming. Someone had to walk him back:-)

The boys had on precious matching outfits for Memorial Day.

Look! One of the cottage neighbors (Hi Linda!) has a cup from our reception a few years ago.
Drake was SO EXCITED about the wheelbarrow of sand.
Serious Eli
This is one of my favorite pictures from the weekend. Drake and Gavin were having a ball swinging.

Drake learned to play disc golf. It was serious business!

Lacey and Drake were in a serious conversation.
Lacey slept in a tent, in the closet. She LOVED it!
Played hard, slept hard
All the boys headed for a wagon ride. There are three boys, and by the end of July we'll have three girls!