Whirlwind trip

My brother, Jer, graduated from a university in South Carolina on Friday. We drove up on Thursday and came home late Friday night. Normally it's a 5 1/2 - 6 hour trip, but with three little ones it took us a good bit longer. We took our time and stopped several times so Lily and Levi could run around and stretch their legs.

The kids actually did really well on the drive! I was so thankful for that!

We stopped at McAllister's Deli for lunch on Thursday.

On Thursday afternoon we visited with some family.

Jer, Mom, and Asher.

We met all the rest of my family, a bunch of Jer's college friends, and some of his girlfriend's family at 5 Guys for supper. Then we headed to the bowling lanes.

It was Lily's first time to bowl. She liked it for her first two turns then she accidentally went too far down the lane and slipped and fell hard on her bottom. After that she was done. She took off her shoes and was ready to leave. 

I was thankful to have Myra and Mom's help with the kids. Let's just say, it's not the brightest idea to take tired little ones who have been riding in the car all day to a {ahem} smoke-filled, creepy-people filled place. Yep, it was...interesting.

Jacob finished bowling one game, then we headed back to our hotel. The kids slept pretty well, it just took awhile to get them to sleep.

Friday morning I took the kids over to a friend's house to visit with her and another friend who was in town. Between the three of us, we had 6 kids under the age of three! Fun and crazy for sure! Of course I forgot to take any pictures.

During the graduation ceremony we visited some more friends...and of course, no pictures.

After graduation, we met up with my family and Jer to get pictures. Of course, I didn't take any pictures. My hands were full of tired, out of routine, grumpy children. Oh well.

I am super proud of Jer though! He got the top academic honors and he got chosen to give a testimony during the ceremony! So thankful for the talents God has blessed him with!

We started the trip home around 5pm and stopped near Atlanta for supper. Lily and Levi enjoyed splitting a Chick-Fil-A kid's meal and playing on the indoor playground. 

We were so thankful to finally make it home late that night! Thankfully all the kids stayed asleep while we transferred them from their carseats to their beds! Jacob and I unloaded a few necessary things and then we crashed into bed completely worn out. 

What a trip! Completely exhausting, but totally worth the memories that were made! :-)