Does anyone else hang-out with their Family outside home just for fun?  

That sounds so nice, it must have been a fun day, and these are the days that add up to wonderful memories later in life, Andrew truly will cherish it not just now but always, I remember my time with Grandpa and Grandma as some of the best memories of my childhood. I wish you many more such days to build up wonderful memories and treasuring the feeling of being a family.

Actually nothing like spontaneity to really get things on a more fun level, but we guys schedule it for we know if we left it to time we'll never be able to manage it. It is so difficult for everyone to have a free day unless it is scheduled.
I live with my family, but the charm of our day-outs is incomparable to any other family time. There is something wonderful about being out together that does alter the whole mood, somehow it is lighter and more fun. We do as a family talk at dinner table and breakfast is a fun meal with everyone trying to beat others at being first to solve Sudoku, but charming as those times are they simply don't give the sense of bonding and connection we have on a day out.
It's just a different kind of bonding so we all enjoy it, it helps us stay cued in on each others lives. I hope you too have couple of these day outs every now and then. It is one of the most stress relieving things I can think of :)

That must be hard, I can't imagine that kind of distance. I'm glad for all the advances in the field of communication though, it does help stay connected. I'm sure you have the best vacation every time you meet them. Wishing you more family time together :)

That sounds like a fun thing, nothing like meeting up outside and just having a good time. I hope you have many more opportunities for this kind of time-out. Lol

By the way... your day sounds wonderful and for a group of guys to go out like that is awesome!

That sounds so good, you know to just hear that people are so close, you don't get to hear it so often in a world that keeps harping about families not being what they used to be.

You seem to be close to your family, just like I am. The bonding part is fun, I hope I shall be able to carry forward this habit with my children too when they are in the picture, like you have done. Just reading about your day made me feel good, and I hope you'd always stay close. Lol

Yeah! it is real fun. Though we do live together, still hanging out always puts us in a different kind of harmony, I'm sure you know what it feels like. Wishing you great times together. Lol

Yes, the drawbacks of modern life, if you just let it be responsibilities just take up and run your life. That is why we have the once a month thing scheduled and everyone clears out their schedules for the day and switches off the mobiles, once we are together, nothing to intrude on the family time out. There are times I when something pressing comes up and I consider bailing out but I do a reality check as to what is really important to me, unless any of us has a unscheduled trip out of town we all make it. Helps keep the spirit of family alive.

Though it is the case of more the merrier, still just being out with any of them is thrilling, I make it a point to catch at least 1 movie a month with my Brother, he is a sweetheart and the relationship we siblings share is crazy, we have a deal, he's OK with me shopping endlessly for hours provided I feed him. He is a good ol' Jughead if you've ever read 'The Archies'.

So for me it is like I have the best buddy for shopping, and he really doesn't get irritated with the hours I take browsing shop to shop as long as he gets treated to a hearty lunch. I love that time, it is a privilege to have such a indulgent Brother and it is fun too for he's younger to me so I bully him a bit with the 'I'm older than you, you have to listen to me card'!

I can so relate to the insane part of it. When I'm with my siblings I'm a brat. The relationship my Elder Sis & I share is the only relationship where I don't behave like an adult at all, I'm a smart alec brat and she Has to take care of me. She's always been a parent figure and somehow she is the only person with whom I behave like a brat. I love her to bits and my Brother is another ray of sunshine. When we are together, all the passage of time falls apart and we are kids again.

We behave the way we used to when we were 7-8 years old, all sense flies out, we are totally juvenile, my Brother & I are constantly squabbling and complaining about each other, my Sis is like the den mother keeping us in line. It is The Most Insane accusations flying around, constant teasing, preening and bragging about our accomplishments, and just being a brat, eventually my Sis would end up telling us both to shut up!! We are so crazy together that we don't need anything else to keep us entertained, the only thing I have learned during our time together is never have anything to drink when together you are totally liable to splutter it all over when one of us comes with a 'statement'. We laugh so much that our bellies hurt and my Brother actually rolls on the floor and laughs.

If I had a choice then I'd choose them only for my family. My nieces or nephews will be the luckiest children in the world for they'd have my Sis for their mom. She is The most amazingly fun person, I'm in awe of her and she is the only person to whose advice I follow even if I disagree. I know she knows best what is right for me. When we kids are together it never is like 3 people, it seems as if we are one for we are so in tune with each other, we can read each other's thought, glances and smiles. Oh dear if I don't stop now I'd never finish. So I'll fold. Thanks for the response dear and wishing you more merry times with your loved ones. Lol