Elizabeth & Henry On The Move
With the nation's airlines looking for every way possible
to make a buck off the traveling public, the Dupree Family
went on the road this year fully ready to circumvent those
new charges.
Here, Henry shows us how he was able to avoid buying a plane ticket by concealing himself in Mom's carry on bag. It worked like a charm! At least until the X-ray machines...
On the right, we posed for pictures at the Wichita Zoo, which we
again say beats the tar out of the National Zoo in DC any day.
Yes, it was that time of year, as we jetted to Kansas to visit Aunt
Christine, Uncle Jay and Cousins Tilly and Will,
who put us up in their spacious digs. As you can imagine, everyone
enjoyed getting out of the heat by jumping in the backyard pool!
Uncle Jay also cemented his spot in the family forever by helping Elizabeth and Henry jump off the diving board. Equipped with their flotation suits, both of them jumped in and then shot back up above water like a depth charge.
One thing that Elizabeth was really ready to visit again was the
local amusement park, which gave Henry his first chance to ride
on some real kiddie rides.
Henry wasn't quite sure at first what he was getting into, but
once he was on the helicopter on the right, you could tell that
he wanted to do more than just bumble around at 5 mph!
Aunt Christine and Cousin Will also joined in the fun,
taking the kids on the Merry Go Round.
While Henry seemed to list to the side a bit more each time the Merry Go Round made another circuit, Elizabeth was more than happy to be waving at the hundreds who showed up to hail her visit.
Then we hit the arcade afterward, as everyone
joined to play Skee-Ball!
That wasn't the only indoor fun in Kansas, as Aunt Christine told
The Fair Emily Dupree about a kiddie gym that started July 4th
out with a bang!
There is nothing like a bunch of Moon Bounces and inflatible slides
to keep the blood moving for kids and parents alike!
On the left, Henry is demonstrating his new ability to try
to a headstand in every state in the Union.
Over on the right, Elizabeth shows off her ability to rocket down the slide. She was going so fast everytime, that the camera never got her in focus once. Sorry Elizabeth!!
We certainly can tell you that she had fun, in between
asking local patrons about their Presidential Preferences.
Meanwhile, our yearly trip to the Wichita Zoo gave us the
ability to show off how much the Little Pumpkin has grown
in the past year.
You can see on the right where she was in 2007, and on the left in 2008, as someone is now taller than the second penguin on the wall there!
(Observant web page viewers will also note that in both photos, Elizabeth looks out of sorts. Your Webmaster will testify to that!)
Tillie had a very good time at the Zoo, as here she makes sure
her father understands that she wants him to buy her a horse!
As usual, the kids enjoyed seeing the gorillas, who put on
a good show for all of us.
Henry did not seem too worried
that one of them seemed to be sticking his tongue out at him
in the middle photo! All in all, it was yet another fun
day at the Zoo. Thanks Uncle Jay!
Back at home, the Dupree Kids have been keeping up a busy
social schedule as well, entertaining relatives and enjoying
the warmth of Summer.
On the left, Henry snuggles in with Papa Tay on Father's Day, as they watched Rocco and Tiger duel.
A few days later, it was time for ice cream! We will tell you that when served a cone the other night, Dad scooped the last of the ice cream out for the kids, prompting gobs of tears from Elizabeth who asked him to go to the store immediately to buy more!
Otherwise, it's been a pretty normal summer for the Dupree Clan,
as Emily drags the kids in and out of the car seats about
19 times a day, usually kicking and screaming, until they
realize that they have arrived at the pool!
Elizabeth took some swimming lessons this summer and thoroughly enjoyed them. Henry hasn't taken any lessons, but thinks he can swim....
Our final stop on this SOLD OUT tour is up in New Jersey,
where Elizabeth and Henry got to party with The Laffin Clan
on a gorgeous summer weekend.
As you can see, the kids enjoyed the pool, and Henry and Seamus enjoyed seeing how much water they could toss out of the pool!
The kids hit it off swimmingly again, as they had a few
months earlier, giving the two ole college friends
time to sit back, have a few adult beverages and try
to remember what it was like to be Before Kids!
One highlight was the kids seeing a bunch of snails at
a park! Here Nina and Elizabeth see what the heck is
coming out of that shell!
Meanwhile, Sean gets a little Sunday morning relaxation with Seamus while the girls run around and scream like little girls! (Hey Sean - what's under your shirt??)