Derby day in Kentucky

We went to Kentucky to visit family and to show off little Caroline this past weekend. My cousins, Frankie and Margaret, usually have a Derby party and we were excited to go this year.  I so wish I had taken a picture of the car all packed up...we took so much stuff including the pack 'n play, travel swing, newborn lounger pillow, Boppy, umbrella stroller, 2 sound machines and 2 monitors...just to name a few! We went to Clarksville on Thursday night to break up the trip and headed to Bardstown on Friday morning. We got there late afternoon, after a visit to Dinosaur World. We stayed at Margaret and Frankie's house...they had a great set up for us with a crib for Caroline and our own bathroom. We brought our pack 'n play and put it in the bathroom, so Tyler could sleep without interruption. He is almost too long for it now!!

Frankie and Margaret have a great outdoor space and we had big plans to roast marshmallows and go on a hayride. But, unfortunately it rained the entire day on Saturday and Sunday! We brought Tyler's rain boots and Frankie took him out to see the big tractors and cows. He also saw some baby birds in a nest and jumped in a lot of puddles.

Almost all of the family came out for the Derby party that afternoon and it was so much fun visiting. Because of the rain, we set up tables in the garage so there was enough room for everyone to eat. It worked out great! There were babies galore - in addition to Caroline, there were 3 other new cousins under one year old! And Tyler had so much fun playing with sweet cousin Abigail, who is just a few months younger than  him. We had lots of fun with Derby hats, too. I brought one to wear, but in between chasing after Tyler and feeding Caroline, it never made it on my head! For the race itself, we all gathered around the TV to cheer on our favorite horses. We do a little friendly family wagering so we were cheering for "It's My Lucky Day", who did not end up finishing in the top 3. Oh well! Tyler sat patiently in Russ' lap and loved watching the actual race. After it was over, he just stared and pointed at the TV saying, "horse race!" over and over! Ha! I did not get nearly as many pictures as I wanted...it is just hard to do when we are busy with 2 little ones!

John Franklin (6 months)

John Franklin and Caroline (3 months) 
hanging out on their Boppys.

Love these sweet nuzzles with Caroline!
And check out her major bald spot on the back of her head!

Trying on Matthew's raccoon hat!

Swiping Granna's hat...

He will hate me for this picture one day! 

Hat swap with Granna!

Tyler and Daddy in their matching hats!

Frankie with grandson, John Franklin

Backwards hat styling.

Pauline, Margaret, Kim, Jack.
Fagan and baby Addison (2 months) are in the background.

Tyler is glued to the TV watching the horse racing.

Obsessed even after the race was over!

Little Caroline getting a bath in the sink after the day's events!

I'm so thankful for a fun, large family and wish we lived closer to visit more often! We hope to make the trip to Kentucky for Thanksgiving and now maybe the Derby each year.

Here are a couple funny videos I got of Granna and Tyler dancing in the garage. He is "moon walking" in the second one. Ha! This boy has moves!