Seth Turns 14 and Coming Home

The kids let us sleep in a bit (not as much as I'd have liked, but that's typical), but then it was time to wake up and celebrate Seth turning 14!!! 

Celebrating with Wii games at Grandma's house.

Not a bad way to start off your birthday!

Ready to open some gifts

Catherine won favorite gift:

Journal 3 from Gravity Falls!

(She saw it in a Walmart while we were shopping during our trip and had to get it).

Grandma Sara was awesome and accommodated all Seth's birthday wishes.

Like Maryland chicken supper for lunch.

And ice cream cake! 

Out goes the candle!

After lunch we said goodbye to Grandma on got back on the road for our last day of driving!

Before we left, I told the kids to pay attention to how the scenery shifted as we drove from Maryland to Nevada. I pointed out how lush and green it was as we were leaving, and tried to explain that the scene out west would look very, very different. They were a bit shocked when we hit Wyoming and things started looking like a desert. So the drive home was the reverse: watching things slowly change from this:

To this:

I'd like to see those hills just TRY to catch on fire!

It's good to be home.

Back to our own toys and our own couches and our own beds!

This was such a wonderful trip. When we started planning it I was worried about all the logistics. Plus I wasn't sure how everyone would do on a camping trip. But despite some of the discomforts, we had a lovely trip. Getting to see so much of our family and visit so many cool places? Worth it. But we are definitely NOT camping again until next spring!