GusAndLula

We bought a farm

2012-05-23T09:59:00.000-07:00

Well, not exactly. But my parents did. Or are.

They stumbled on the real estate listing for this gorgeous old (mid-1800's!) farm house a while back and decided to take the plunge. They plan on fixing it up over the course of a few years, and then retiring there.

The inside needs some love, but the house - and the grounds - are so cool. Almost all of the walls and ceilings in the house are planked, and it's got quite a bit of quirky old house character. Love.

There are gorgeous old trees, a pond, a barn.

I can't wait to help with the fixing up.

Mom and Dad, here's what I had in mind:

Lots of warm whites and neutrals, natural wood floors, and classic furnishings with a few quirky, rustic touches thrown in. Can't wait to see what they do - and share updates with y'all!

All photos via my farm house Pinterest board. (And many more there, too!)

To do, doing, done

2012-05-17T08:31:00.000-07:00

I have an incredible backlog of projects I've been dreaming about doing lately. I've managed to start several, and even to finish a few. Here's what I hope to start working on soon, what I'm in the middle of doing now, and what I've done recently:

To do:

*I mentioned here that we're on the lookout for some old doors to do this:

Our door situation in our master bedroom/bathroom could really use some work. Pocket doors would have been ideal to prevent too many doors opening into one another, but this could look really cool, too. I've seen so many different ways of doing this on different blogs and pinterest, but this seems pretty simple & inexpensive and allows for the door casings to remain on. Now to find those doors...

*I have been dying to recreate this in our house since I first saw it a few weeks ago. It would be so nice to be able to wash the red Georgia dirt off of little feet and doggy paws on our way in the house. I'm trying to convince Keith it would be easy to do. (And that we have room for it in our laundry room.)

In progress:

*Organizing. There's a lot of inspiration here, and I've been on a cleaning out/organizing kick lately. Almost every closet in our house has been ransacked and put back together, minus a lot of unneeded junk.

*Adding a shelf behind the washer/dryer so stuff doesn't fall behind. So simple, but genius. We've bought the board and brackets, now we just need to install it.

Done:

*Mosquito traps. I was skeptical of this at first, but these have been amazing at keeping the mosquitoes away. With such a mild winter, I'm sure the bugs will be out in full force this summer, so we're definitely going to maintain these.

*I have been wanting to go "green" with our household cleaning products, and with this recipe floating all over Pinterest, I knew I had to try it.

Just Dawn and vinegar. Works amazingly well.

The progression of gorgeous and exciting to dull and practical as the list goes on is a little sad. Obviously the smaller, more practical projects have been a little easier for us lately. But we do have a three day weekend coming up, so who knows what could happen?

What's on your list? Anything I might want to try? :)

Mama's Day

2012-05-14T08:38:00.000-07:00

I hope all you mamas out there (and all those who have mamas) had a wonderful Mother's day yesterday. I know -- I remember very well -- that this is a really tough holiday for some. I think Noel said it best here.

We had a great weekend here. I had teased Keith that Mother's Day last year wouldn't be too difficult to beat (I had malaria, out-of-town guests, and two babies who hadn't learned to sleep through the night yet). He did an amazing job of making the day special and relaxing. On Saturday, he let me sleep in while the babies colored some pictures for me.

Then he surprised me with a trip to Fresh Market to pick out some flowers. (I worked at a florist through high school and college, and he knew how much fun I would have arranging them.)

I love how cheery the colors are.

We spent Sunday afternoon lunch with my parents, and managed to sneak in a little cleaning out/organizing time (which may not sound like fun, but was wonderful!). It was relaxing, sweet time with the man that I love and our little family. Just about perfect.

What's Happening

2012-05-08T08:58:00.000-07:00

*We kept our nieces for a few days last week. We adore those sweet girls, but let me tell you - 4 kids aged 4 and under sure did keep us on our toes! While we had the girls, we decided to go ahead and take them on their birthday outing. Their birthdays are in April and June, so we generally do something for both in between. This year we found a great deal on kids' baking classes and knew they would love it.

We thought the aprons and hats were a must.

The head chef, who did an amazing job teaching a group of energetic little ones to make Sopapilla, also had a trick to make the girls' aprons fit a little better. She pulled the neck tie down in the back and slipped one of the waist ties through it. Much better!

*I ran by ReStore this morning looking for some vintage doors to do this. I thought we had struck out completely, but then I spotted this guy:

Not exactly a pair of old doors, but doesn't he look handsome standing by our front entry?

I love that the bottom is signed. And that apparently owls were 'in' in '79, too.

*This one is quite the daredevil. She tends to rush headfirst into things, and as a result:

She's now missing half a tooth. (And of course, it would be her top front one!) The dentist said it should be fine for now, and once she's a little older (read: can sit still for more than 2 minutes) we can have it fixed if we want.

*There are a few more new prints in the shop this week:

Isaiah 43, A quote from The Notebook, and a list of "Do's" for your sweetheart.

I've really been enjoying my little creative outlet lately!

*The babies had their first popsicles yesterday. After reading the ingredients labels on a bunch in the store, I decided to make my own with a mold and some strawberry yogurt. The babies weren't so sure at first....

But then they loved it!

*Otherwise, we're just settling into summer around here and enjoying the gorgeous weather. Hope it's nice where you are, too!

30 Before 30...Ideas?

2012-05-02T06:35:00.002-07:00

A fact recently dawned on me which has rocked my world a little. Keith will be 29 next month, and I will be 27 just two weeks later. When did we get so old?! Don't get me wrong, we're definitely happy at this stage in life - it's one of the best yet. But when someone asks how old I am, I generally have to pause for some calculation. The past few years just snuck up on us somehow.

Yummy ice cream cake I made for the babies' birthdays.

So with 30 just right around the corner (I can't believe I just wrote that!), I thought it was about time we make lists of all the things we want to accomplish in the next few years. I'm struggling to come up with things that are realistic, but also adventurous and new. So what's on your list? Any ideas you don't mind sharing that might help us get a start on ours? I'd love to hear them!

P.S. Keith didn't seem too interested in making his list, so I took the liberty of starting it for him. Item #1: Hang 10 light fixtures. :)

Their favorite game

2012-04-26T19:00:00.000-07:00

We have a house full of toys to play with. Gus and Lula choose instead to do this:

I'm OK with it :)

Winners

2012-04-23T18:47:00.000-07:00

Thanks for all the wonderful feedback on the prints - it was so much fun to hear what everyone's favorite was.

Thanks to my handy dandy random number generator (AKA Keith), the two winners are......

Meg Mullineaux and Kit!

Please email me to let me know which print you' like and where to send it. Congratulations!

For everyone else, the coupon code will be good for 20% off through May 1, so feel free to take advantage!

P.S. I did a little redecorating around here. As much as I loved the birch trees, they just weren't springy enough. Hope y'all are liking it as much as I am :)

One year ago today...

2012-04-19T20:09:00.000-07:00

Overjoyed to be home

After nearly 30 hours of sleepless travel, we came home to ecstatic family, a home-cooked meal, hot showers, and our own wonderful, wonderful bed. We laid Gus and Lula to sleep in their very own cribs in their very own room for the very first time, and enjoyed a much-needed night of sleep as my amazing sister and brother-in-law stayed up all night with our two malnourished, jetlagged babies.

Today we celebrated the amazing, wonderful gift that the past year has been. It's been a year brimming with firsts and milestones and changes. A year filled with more blessings than we could have imagined. We serve an amazing, loving, glorious God.

Celebrating the big day at the zoo.

Tonight, we laid two healthy, energetic toddlers to sleep in their cribs and gave thanks for their little lives and the joy they have brought us this year. God is so good.

New prints, a coupon code, and a giveaway

2012-04-17T10:28:00.000-07:00

I've been in a bit of a creative mood lately, and recently added more than a dozen new designs to the shop.

A few of the new prints

Since I may have been a bit of a neglectful blogger during my creative binge, I figured my readers should benefit from it in some way. So I set up a coupon code just for y'all :

For 20% off

And to top it off, I'll be giving away a print to two readers. To enter the giveaway, stop by the shop and let me know which print is your favorite in the comments below. I'll choose the winners on Monday. Good luck!

Easter

2012-04-10T20:10:00.000-07:00

My amazing parents hosted Easter lunch, complete with Sister Schubert rolls (the best!) and three kinds of pie. They also hosted an egg hunt for these little ones:

My amazing mom made Lula's dress. I showed her a photo of this dress that I liked, but that was more than I could bring myself to spend (even on ebay). Her rendering is far prettier, and much more special.

This little girl was all about opening her eggs to see what was inside. She didn't pick up nearly as many as the other kiddos, but she was more than happy to sit and open egg after egg.

This one was all about quantity.

My sweet Gus carried his basket around all by himself.

This one was, as usual, all over the place.

Seersucker + bowtie + saddle oxfords = perfect southern boy's Easter outfit

My amazing mom also made the Easter baskets. The night before. She's crazy. And wonderful.

I found Lu's adorable hat at Old Navy. It makes me smile.

Little redhead angel.

Sweet cousins.

He is Risen!

2012-04-07T20:52:00.000-07:00

In the midst of new Sunday clothes and big family lunches and baking, it's been very easy for me to focus on the temporal things surrounding Easter, and not on the eternal reality that He is risen!

Easter Cookies

I came across this post today, which did a wonderful job of exposing my tendency to live like the disciples did after Jesus' death, in fear of rejection by the world. Easter is a wonderful reminder that Christ is alive, and that He is far greater than the world. May we live in light of that truth and proclaim Him boldly today and everyday. Happy Easter!

P.S. Has anyone made resurrection cookies like the ones above? Gus and Lula are too young to understand the Easter story this year, but this might be a good way to explain it to them next year?

A short tutorial

2012-04-03T08:33:00.000-07:00

As promised, the shower cornice step-by-step. This was a pretty easy, drama-free project. (Other than the initial planning. Yes, I do realize it's a shower curtain. Yes, Pinterest has turned me into a crazy person. Yes, I recognize that I have a problem.)

Anyway, the how-to:

Measure the space where you plan to hang your cornice. (Walls aren't always square, so don't measure halfway down if you plan to install it at ceiling level.)
Cut quarter-inch plywood to size. (Mine is 16" at the tallest.)
Sketch out a decorative shape for the bottom (if you want). I kept mine simple, knowing I would be adding ribbon trim later. Cut out the shape with a jig saw.
Cover what will become the back side of the cornice. I used drop cloth fabric - it's cheap, and it won't show very much, so no need to use something more expensive. Pull tight over the edges, and staple on the front. Try to be neat, since the staples will be on the front side (underneath the front fabric, but still).
We screwed straight through the uncovered front to add a few 2x4 supports to the back at this point. You may be able to skip this step, but we wanted to make sure our cornice was nice and sturdy, and that we would have a good surface to attach our brackets to.
Cover the front. (I used a shower curtain - of all things - from Target for fabric. I was also able to cut a roman shade from it, and still have a bit left over.) Staple the fabric about a quarter inch in from the edge. Trim any bits of fabric that overhang the edges.
Add your ribbon trim. I used tacky glue, and opted to do 2 rows of inch-wide ribbon (it's what I had on hand).
Attach L-brackets to the 2x4 supports on the back. Use drywall anchors (or drill into studs) to hang the cornice.

I'm hoping to find an extra-long waterproof shower curtain to hang on a separate rod inside of the outer curtain, so it can be pulled closed while the outer curtains stay open to let light in. Anyone have a great (inexpensive) source?

There's something new....

2012-03-29T12:34:00.000-07:00

....on Lula's head:

Can you see them?

They're little, but they're there....

Pigtails!

Just in time for spring :)

Hi, my name is Britt, and I'm addicted to Pinterest.

2012-03-26T19:35:00.001-07:00

Pinterest is amazing. Brilliant. Full of wonderful, beautiful ideas. But Pinterest, it would seem, does have its pitfalls. Case in point: We're currently redoing our guest bathroom. Nothing major, just a few very minor changes to spruce up a previously untouched space. I decided that we needed some sort of shower curtain (other than the white plastic one we had hanging), and decided to go to Pinterest for some inspiration. This is where my world was rocked. Shower curtains were never very important to me. In fact, I had always either found a cheap-o one at Ross, or had used an extra curtain (shower or otherwise) or two I had lying around. Pick up a few simple shower curtain rings, hang it, and done.

My pre-Pinterest notion of what a shower curtain was.

But in searching Pinterest for shower curtains, the myriad of options overwhelmed and excited me. Ruffled ones, flowered ones, paint-you-own ones, grommeted, ombre, ikat........Suddenly something that didn't matter all that much to me, and that had been purely functional in my mind, something that I would have casually picked up at the store without much thought was now a decision. With options. Oh, pinterest. I love to hate you.
My current Pinterest-induced shower curtain fixation is this:

Split-curtained with a valance or cornice. I love how it looks very un-shower curtain-ish. More like a window dressing.

My rendering of the concept:

Thankfully, the project* itself didn't take too much time. Unlike the pre-project Pinteresting. I don't have a problem. I can quit anytime.**

*Step-by-step project post coming soon.
**I really am trying to cut back, but am horrified by my weakness. Cold turkey, maybe?

Gus and Lula go to school.....Eeek!

2012-03-20T19:14:00.000-07:00

I cannot believe that my sweet babies are all grown up and are now backpack-toting school-goers.....kind of.
It's all fairly new, but one day a week from 9 to noon, one of the babies now goes to a local church pre-school. They learn to play with other kids and gain a little independence, while the other one gets some much-needed one-on-one bonding time with Mama. The next week we switch, and the other one goes off to "school".

Ready to go with their backpacks (handmade Christmas gifts from my talented sister).

I am so excited for the sweet time I get to spend alone with them. They're always together, which is wonderful and fun, but it's so good to interact with them one-on-one and be able to give them my undivided attention. We're only two weeks in, but we've had so much fun getting to spend quality time together. Gus and I spent most of our time together feeding ducks at the park and reading books at the library - one of his very favorite things to do. Lula and I played at the park (she is all energy!) and paid a visit to my mom and sister-in-law (some of her favorite people).

I am so thankful for the opportunity to do this, as the one-on-one time is so good for us, and I hope that they will feel even more loved and valued through it. The time spent at school is also really good for helping them gain some independence and learning to get along without each other -- even if it is a little hard on this mama's heart to drop them off :)

Two random projects and how ribbon saved them both

2012-03-15T09:34:00.001-07:00

As is normally the case, whenever we find ourselves in the thick of an insanely busy stretch, I have this crazy urge to heap a home project or two (or three) on top of our already hefty to-do list. (Sorry, honey!) This time around, in the midst of our Zulilly event, out of town guests, mission week at church, and all our normal "stuff", I decided that we must tackle : a guest bathroom re-do, planting a hedge, and recovering our new living room chairs:

For some reason (maybe it was the pressure-induced frenzy) I found these chairs a bit difficult to cover. Something about the way that the legs cut into the seat made fitting the fabric a little....messy. Thank goodness for ribbon. Though I wasn't originally intending to add ribbon trim, it worked beautifully to cover up some less-than-perfect upholstery. And I kinda like how it turned out.

Ribbon also did wonders for my shower curtain-turned-roman shade for the guest bathroom. I have plans for the rest of the fabric, so I ended up cutting the shade just a hair too short. Once again, a little ribbon added to the bottom, and problem solved:

I'll have to share the rest of the room soon. (Once it's finished!)

On a completely unrelated note, all of our Zulily prints are shipped, and I once again have my dining room back! It's so nice to be able to see the table again.

One year ago today...

2012-03-14T06:59:00.000-07:00

...I held, hugged, and kissed my tiny babies for the very first time.

It's so difficult to wrap my mind around our first meeting, even now. Or to take in the fact that it's been an entire year since. And at the same time, that it's been just a year. So much has changed about our family, our home, the babies themselves....

Photos from our very first meeting. Sweet Lula was so, so sick.

At the beach over Christmas. Those beautiful eyes and chubby cheeks!

That grief and loss marked their little lives (and mine) just a year ago, and that our family has flourished in the year since amazes me. Humbles me. Causes me to cry out:

Praise the LORD! Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever! Amen!

Zulily

2012-03-07T10:02:00.001-08:00

I promised to let y'all know what's been keeping us so busy lately (or one of the things anyway).......Well, I am so excited to tell you that my prints are being featured on Zulily today through Saturday.
I wanted to give y'all a head's up, but apparently the sale started today, not tomorrow like I thought (told you I've been busy - I can't even keep my days straight!). The prints have been discounted quite a bit, so I wanted to pass the sale on!

I'm so excited and humbled to be featured, but I'll be excited for it all to be over so I can get my dining room back, too :)

5 Random things I'm digging lately

2012-03-05T08:21:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the random list. We've got a busy week ahead with out-of-town guests coming next weekend (which means it's project time around here) and we've got a major event going (I'll fill you in later this week). All that to say : sorry for the brain dump. Hope you find it useful!

1. This hardware. Erika pinned it a few days ago, and if Erika likes it, it must be good. But seriously, the lines, the finish, the price -- all amazing.

2. Downton Abbey. I'm so glad we watched this show as it aired, or there's no way I would have been able to cut it off between episodes. Seasons 1 is available on netflix and season 2 is on PBS now. Watch it!

3. This fabric. Doesn't it look a little....familiar? Imperial trellis lookalike for just $8.98 a yard!

4. Maxi skirts. I love how flowy, cool, and modest these are. I found a fuchsia chiffon maxi at Old Navy last week on sale for way less than the Anthro one above. It's disappeared from their site, but might still be available in stores......

5. Lost Type Co-Op. This site has amazing fonts (my fav., Nelma, is above). Described as a "Pay-What-You-Want type foundry", Lost Type offers the fonts of designers from around the world for whatever price you'd like to pay. (Please do pay something as these fonts are gorgeous and definitely worth it!)

Now off to work! Have a great Monday!

Melts my heart.

2012-02-28T05:31:00.000-08:00

One day I was walking through the store, pushing the babies along in the stroller, not paying much attention to anything in particular. Then from nowhere, I heard sweet, happy baby laughter. I looked down to see the cause:

They discovered that they could hold hands and were so tickled by it that they couldn't help but laugh. I love these sweet little ones.

Good mommy hair

2012-02-23T07:39:00.001-08:00

I realize that the term "Mommy hair" generally conjures up images of 'dos like this one, or maybe a messy, unkempt ponytail (nowhere near as stylish as this one):

via.

I am beyond thankful that in my first months as a new mom I suppressed the urge to run to my hair stylist and beg for a pageboy cut. Somehow I made it through months of unwashed, unstyled hair before I discovered a few secrets to having good mommy hair:

*If you consistently go three days between washing, your hair will adjust. I slowly built up to five days between washes, which sounds really gross, but I'm not running any marathons or digging in the dirt on a regular basis, and my hair is just as clean on day 4 as it used to be on day 2.

*I dry and straighten my hair right after washing. Then I'm good for the next five days. A huge time saver.

*I wash my bangs more often than the rest of my hair. They sit against my face, so they tend to get oily faster, and it's pretty quick to wash them in the sink once or twice a week.

*I start out wearing my hair down, then gradually move to a half-up 'do, then a ponytail (see above photo), then a bun by the end of the week.

*Which brings me to my two favorite "tools" for good "Day 5 hair":

via.

*Dry shampoo has been around for a while, but it always seemed like it was only available in more expensive brands. Suave recently came out with their own, which I think works fabulously. It's wonderful for getting rid of oily hair by day 4 or 5.

*The sock bun. Oh, how I love my sock bun. You can buy a donut (normally at dance supply companies) or you can just make one out of a sock. How-to here.

*As an added bonus, the sock bun leaves some pretty amazing curls behind:

via.

What's Happening

2012-02-16T13:13:00.004-08:00

These past two weeks have been a blur - I kept meaning to post, but this little thing called life kept getting in the way. Here's what's happening:

*Gus went in for a little procedure last week. Nothing major, but I was still a little nervous about it. We're so thankful that he did very well and that he's almost completely recovered.

*I've added a few new prints to the shop, like this one that's perfect for a nursery:

(The gray and yellow option is here.)

*Keith took me on an ice skating date last week. It was so much fun and pretty romantic, too. :)

If you're in the Atlanta area, this makes a great date night.

*This was one of my Christmas gifts, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.

If you're a mama of little ones, it's very easy to lose perspective sometimes. This was exactly what I needed to hear as the babies were going through a rough patch. Highly recommend!

*My newest craiglist find:

A set of 4 chairs, stashed in our room right now, but waiting to be recovered and moved into the living room. ($80 for all 4!)
I love this look.....

*Another of my Christmas gifts from Keith, these little fiddle leaf figs are still alive nearly two months later -- a major feat for me!

*I recently decided to start tracking what I eat and was shocked and appalled to find out I was eating nearly 2,500 calories a day! I had no idea. Needless to say, I'm planning to continue tracking and maybe cut back on the chocolate a bit. This is a great site for easily keeping track of what you eat.

*I've also been trying to eat healthier, and these have been satisfying my sweet tooth:

*We swallowed our pride and bought a new (to us) minivan. While it's definitely not my dream car (and it's not nearly as sweet as my first ride), we're very blessed to have it.

I'm a minivan mom now.

What They Wore

2012-02-14T10:17:00.000-08:00

We have been crazy busy around here lately. I feel like I say that a lot, but this time I really mean it :) I'll hopefully get around to blogging about all of it soon, but in the meantime, I bring you the first ever installment of "What They Wore".

(Note: 95% of Gus and Lula's clothes are hand-me-downs or from consignment. If I know where pieces came from, I listed it below the photos. Otherwise, your guess is as good as mine!)

We went into Atlanta to have lunch with Keith on this day. They thought chucks would be appropriate. I agreed :)

Lula's shirt is Old Navy, Gus's is from Target.

It's been really warm here.....until a few days ago. Thus the short sleeves. The funny faces are the result of making animal noises.

Gus's pants and shoes are Gap.

Church on Sunday. Vintage shoes. Suspenders. 'Nuf said.

Lula's dress is Gap.

Excuse the phone picture.

Lula's mocs and shirt are Old Navy.

Apparently I like Gus's shirt - sorry for the repeat. (P.S. They're showing what the lizard says!)

Lula's sweater is Gap, Gus's shirt is from Target.

I'm enjoying having another excuse to document their sweet little day-to-day changes. Hopefully more to come soon!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Homesick

2012-02-06T12:41:00.000-08:00

A typical street scene. Donkeys, people, cars.....

When we first arrived in Addis Ababa last March, and I took my first deep breath of smog-filled air, and squeezed into the back seat of a 1980's Toyota Corolla - so tiny that our luggage left only one spot for both Keith and I to sit - as we wove through the most crowded, dirtiest streets I had ever seen, filled with goats and donkeys and beggars and street vendors, me sitting on Keith's lap with my carry-on on top of me and the hot African sun beating down on us through the window, I felt that my brain might explode from the sensory overload and the strangeness of it all. And I wondered about the coming weeks. How could we live in this place with our new babies? Nothing was familiar - everything smelled different, sounded different. It was so foreign and strange and if my babies weren't there waiting for me, I might not have been able to fight the urge to turn around and get on a plane headed for home.

Our first breakfast in Ethiopia.

But just five weeks later as we hopped into a van with all our luggage and set out for Bole International, I suddenly felt my eyes fill up with tears. I was, of course, happy to be going home. To see my family and sleep in my bed and eat comfort food and place my children in their very own cribs for the first time. But I was inexplicably sad. Sad to leave all the beautiful, warm people we had come to love. Sad to walk away from a simpler way of life, of sweet weeks spent with our babies with very little else to do but to get to know them, with far fewer cares and distractions than at home. Sad to be taking my beautiful children from their wonderful birthplace. And something else. Somehow, in the weeks spent in Ethiopia, it became a second home to me. All of the strange, foreign tastes and smells became comforting. The big smiles of the millions of people crowding the streets, the welcoming "Selam-no's", the generous and hospitable people made their way into my heart.

The view from our second guest house.

It's been sneaking up on me since April, this homesickness.......(to be continued)

Cousins Weekend

2012-02-01T09:08:00.000-08:00

One 3 year-old + one 2 year-old + two 1 year-olds = insanity. Fun, crazy, busy, tiring, awesome insanity.

This past weekend we celebrated our first ever (hopefully soon-to-be monthly) Cousins Weekend. We had so much fun with these sweet girls and loved seeing them interact with Gus and Lula. On Saturday we loaded up the (borrowed) minivan and headed to Callaway Gardens. (If you're in the area, admission is free through the end of February.) The big hit was the butterfly house:

The girls wanted so badly for a butterfly to land on their fingers.

They settled for catching lady bugs and feeding fish instead.

Then we headed over to Taste of Lemon in Lagrange for lunch. It's a sweet restaurant run by two little ladies in an old church building with some seriously yummy southern food. Again, if you're anywhere nearby, I would highly recommend it!

They were very accommodating of our party of eight (four of which were kids).

We had a fantastic, exhausting, fun first-ever cousins week, with many more to come. (Next time it's our turn to get a little kid-free time while my sister and brother-in-law take the kids :)