Weekend with the Hahn Family

The internet can be a very cool place. Two and a half years ago (?) I started reading blogs and through that experience met Beth and her family. Beth and I met before a while ago.

So while we met, we decided to tempt fate and have all of our family meet. (What would be the odds that no one was sick?!) But it worked out! What a ride! We had a blast!

We left our home in PA around 10:30 and pulled into her drive way around 2 on a gorgeous Friday afternoon. We tried to do nap for the kids. Wyeth slept but Seren's eyes were as wide as saucers looking at all of the toys. We rested a bit until they came home around 5:15 with big pizzas. In between we played on the community playground. Seren said to me, "Can you imagine mom? Having a playground right near your house!!?" Awesome!

Beth is so gracious and fun. It is the weirdest thing to email with someone everyday and read about their lives and then actually meet them. I always forget that she is from the south (email doesn't have a 'tone') and by the end of the weekend I found myself using 'ya'll' in almost every sentence. She is laid back and warm- just a genuine person. And she is an amazing mom. (But I already knew that.)

They have the cutest family. First there is upbeat William. Oh my gosh. He waved at us for a good 2-3 minutes when we arrived. And if you ask William how he is, he would say things like, "I'm GREAT!". (Like Tony the tiger!) William, like Seren, loved to chat about things. At one point both four year olds were hysterical thinking of things that could come out of their ears. "I have a noddle ear!" HA-HA-HA "Oh yeah, I have a plant coming out of my ear!" HA-HA-HA. And on and on.

Keep in mind that these four kids never have really met before. (Ok, William and Seren met when they were 20 months old but that doesn't really count.). And William and Seth were AMAZING about sharing their toys. Seren would not have been that laid back if she came home from school and two other kids were messing with her 'stuff'. The kids, just like their parents, welcomed us with open arms. I was really impressed by how well they all got along. Wyeth was definitely the little man with all of the big kids but held his own.

Saturday we packed up the team early and headed to the National Cherry Blossom Parade! I found myself SO excited to see marching bands, big Elmo balloons and the floats, etc. We got there early to get a seat on the curb.



Seth and Wyeth felt that the landscaping around the parade wasn't well done so they took it upon themselves to help out. Dirt removal and dirt moving was a big hit.



And Seth! Oh my gosh, what a love bug. He had so many fun things to say. And he was an excellent cuddlebug. And both kids were so polite. I made many a mental note about continuing our please and thank yous. Seren goes through phases of it but isn't consistent. We work on it daily but the more I want her to say or do something, the less she wants to do it. Grr! Seth is hysterical. He knows a lot of music and will just sing along.

The parade was a hit! They weren't too antsy at all. All four loved it when there was something to see but as is the case with most parades, there is a lag between groups. We then had to herd the cats a bit. We didn't stay for the whole thing but got a good share of the parade. Then we rode a carousel! Then we had a picnic lunch in a green park before packing back up in the minivan, listening to some tunes and headed back home. All 8 of us in one car- what a riot. After nap, we all just hung out in the back patio, we played in the sandbox and Beth grilled up some amazing chicken. Wine, brie and great conversation rounded up the Saturday night. I also had the pleasure of reading to three of the four kids before we all went to bed. (Seth was already asleep).

Ed and Sam are quite similar- both a bit reserved and both funny. We actually have a lot in common. We talked about 'adult' things like quality of schools, home purchases, etc. in the evening. Again, they are both so warm and welcoming. We hope we can return the favor of welcoming them to our home later this summer.

Sunday morning Beth made amazing homemade waffles. Yum. However, it seemed as if the weekend all together was wearing on the kids. Seren started screaming and getting really ornery. A 'proud' moment for me came when she yelled, "I CAN DO WHATEVER I WANT!". Hmm. Yeah right. So we rolled up the team, attempted group photos, (which I hope are on Beth's blog since I got a grand total of 8 pics before my camera batteries died), cleaned up as best we could and hit the road. Seren who really had a good time playing the whole weekend, did not want to leave. She felt better when I told her that William and Seth might come to our house. And this morning at breakfast she mentioned it again.

The ride home was easy. Sam and I found a great state park in Delaware on the way home and let the kids run, run, run while we enjoyed a picnic lunch. It was another amazing day and spending time as a family felt good too.

Just what the doctor ordered- a day off from work, time with my family, time with good friends and sunshine. Perfect.

A BIG thank you to Beth and her family for making it all happen. Let's do it again some time soon! We had a wonderful, awesome time!

(I wonder how our two versions of the weekend will be similiar or different...and I feel strangely vulnerable about reading her take on our family. I try to keep it 'real' on my blog but of course I include the cute stuff and some of the not so cute stuff doesn't make it in! Blogging about your life and actually being with us are two different things! :))

Regardless, we were very grateful for the lovely time!

**Edited: For GOOD pictures, click to Beth's review.**