Bitter-Sweet

Titi Desi and Uncle Jimmy. The kids LOVE them!

Desi and me. People have asked us if we are twins before. Seriously?

Today my sister and her husband Jimmy left Washington to make the long drive to their new home- Atlanta:( They are moving there from California so Jimmy can get his PHD from Emory University. We are very proud of Jimmy and his schooling and are behind him 100%. However, we wish they didn't have to live so far away:( They came home in early June for 10 days and then left to do a 6 week mission trip to Africa. They've been home for 2 weeks before they left this morning. I love having them in town, we had a lot of fun. We played at the lake, went out to Indochine for Desi's birthday, we went for walks, we had a pizza and game night, we got to hear stories about their Africa trip, they made my whole family a fun dinner, they came and babysat the kids for me, and we had a fun goodbye dinner for them last night at BJ's. The kids LOVE their Titi Desi and uncle Jimmy!! They will be sad when they realize they won't be around for awhile:( They plan to at least be in Atlanta for 3 years so we'll get used to this hello/goodbye thing again. Desi and Jimmy we love you and miss you already! You'll be in our prayers as you start your new life in Georgia. Can't wait to see you soon!

Our summer camping trip

Peyton coloring at the beach

In the water!

Brayden and his cousin Tanner

Daddy and Peyton hanging out

All the boys shooting their bows

Peyton playing with the trucks

Our cool new tent!

This last weekend we went up to mountains to Travis' parents property and went camping for one night. I got Travis a large tent for Father's day (because we only had a small 4 person tent from when we first got married:). Along with his tent I told him we could go camping anywhere he wanted sometime this summer. He picked this spot with his parents and Brayden's cousin Tanner. Their property is beautiful with a pretty creek running through it. They have a little trailer there with electricity and an outhouse and that's about it. So no showers, or running water:( We got there on Friday around 1:30 and set up the tent, which was a really nice 2 room one. Peyton took a nap and the rest of us relaxed in the sun. We had turkey tacos for dinner which were yummy! Travis was scheduled to talk a Pleasant Valley Camp to the 4th-6th graders that night so we took a little drive 5 minutes down the road for his talk.
We went to bed and were all really tired. The night started out great with the kids falling immediately asleep. However from there, it just got worse! Brayden had to pee three times during the night which is tough when it's freezing and you have to put on your shoes. Then I think he got an allergy attack so he was sneezing all night. Peyton woke up a few times and was cold so I had to get out of my warm sleeping bag to wrap her up again. To make matters worse Emma kept barking and growling at something through the night and Travis had to keep yelling at her to stop:) Needless to say we all didn't sleep that good! Hahaha...
Saturday was a nice day. The weather was beautiful. We had pancakes and bacon for breakfast. Then the guys went and shot their bows while us ladies read. We then went to Riffe Lake and had a picnic lunch and went swimming, which was so refreshing in the heat. We went back to the property and gave the kids naps and then packed up and came home. The biggest complaint of the weekend were the bugs. The black flies were ruthless!! By the time we left Saturday they were just swarming over you wherever you went. Gross! Travis had a great time camping, and I actually enjoyed it (but just a little bit:). Stay tuned to see where the Metcalfe's go next:)

Cacun Mexico

The view from my lounge chair

The view from our balcony

Out to dinner at the fancy Italian Restaurant

Me on the zip line. I did it!

Travis driving the golf cart

Travis swimming in the bathtub

Seriously this is our view!

Couple shot!

Travis and I returned this last week from Cancun, Mexico. We had a great time!!!! This was a special trip for us because for once (since Brayden's been born) we were alone on a vacation. The hotel we stayed at- The Sun Palace- has one of the most beautiful beaches in Cancun. The sand is so soft and white and the water aqua blue just can't be beat. We were pampered at our all-inclusive hotel. You step out on the beach and immediately someone comes to set up lounge chairs and an umbrella. Then a waitress comes and takes our drink orders and any food we want. We could pretty much eat and drink all day if we wanted. Room service was included and even free calls to the USA. There were four restaurants at the hotel plus numerous bars and snack bars. We LOVED the Mexican restaurant (go figure), and The Steak where you could order any steak you wanted (Travis loved this!).
Also included in this hotel was free tours. One day we took a trip to the Isla Mujeres which is a small island about a 45 minute boat ride from Cancun. The boat ride was fun, but our favorite part was renting the golf cart on the island and checking out all the sites. That was fun, relaxing and adventurous! We finished off the day shopping in the market and bought presents to bring home for the kids. Another tour we did was a Zip line tour! That was so fun and something I'm so proud of myself for doing. We were up very high with a jungle scenery down below. The swamp even had crocodiles in it:)
Our favorite thing to do was sit on the beach and read and relax. Travis always had a Pina Colada in his hand, and I couldn't get enough chips and salsa. When we got hot we just jumped in to the ocean (which felt like a bathtub) and cooled off. This was definitely a trip we will never forget. We were able to relax, spend some time bonding with God, and reconnect as a couple too. We are so thankful to our parents for taking the kids while we were gone. We missed the kids like crazy, but it was so good to get away. I've really appreciated them a lot more since we've been home. Although we loved Mexico, we can't wait to see where life will take us next!