Welcome home Matt and Joe

We traveled to N.C. on Friday for a much needed long weekend together with family. The plan was for everyone to meet up on Friday when Joe was due home. Well, get this tale of our trip!!! First of all, Addy is a little tyrant on the airplane - she screamed and became every air travelers nightmare :) Joe was delayed time after time and didn't get in until Sunday morning sometime. Taryn had to have emergency surgery on Friday to get her appendix removed! Matt, Taryn, and Gabe shocked us all by still managing to get to N.C. on Sunday! On Monday Melissa and mom were pretty sick with flu like symptoms. Melissa didn't get out of bed once! Then on Monday night/Tuesday morning, every single other adult in the house (except me - so dad, Matt, Joe, Abbie, and Taryn) were all sick as dogs. There wasn't an available bathroom in the house. On our last day there, which was Tuesday, everyone stayed in bed or on couches all day long. Guess who wasn't sick? Moi and 4 babies :) So everyone was debating the reasons for the ailment - blaming everything from the pork chops to the tap water. Well on Wed morning I found out the real truth - Joe had on a shirt that said 'I survived the blue bottle". Guess what he did? While delayed in Spain Joe drank an unknown substance from a blue bottle just to win a free tee shirt. I'm convinced that he brought the plague back with him...

As a positive, however, it was fabulous to see everyone even if it wasn't under the best of circumstances. I hate that we can't get together more often now that everyone lives so far away! Everyone is doing great - even Melissa and Taryn were doing really well in their respective states of discomfort :) Joe and Melissa's house is beautiful. My little nephews are just as cute as the little girls - and that's a tough feat!!! 4 of the worlds most adorable children just happen to be cousins. Plus, we did manage 2 quick trips to the beach, which was FABULOUS. Lily and Addy thought the beach was the coolest thing this side of the Atlantic! On a side note - I've noticed that I no longer take pictures of grown ups unless they just happen to be in pictures with babies. So I never have pictures of anyone except cute little kids! Sorry - I'm going to try to improve on that, but my camera is drawn to adorableness :)