Just returned from an extremely complicated vacation that turned out beautifully, involved all 5 Grandparents, a wedding, driving, flying, swimming, kayaking, etc. and on which I took exactly zero pictures. Oops.
So, I'll record the happenings for posterity...
Jim's mom flew up to MN and drove the kids and the dog back to her house in KS by herself (!) last week. On Friday, Jim and I flew to Pittsburgh for the wedding of the younger brother of a good college friend. Well, we were friends with the groom too, but the poor guy was definitely treated as the younger brother. It was tough when I realized he was over 30 now. How old does that make me?? Anyway, Jim and I had a blast together and remembered how much we like each other. Can't wait till the kids are gone and we retire! Oh, and it was great to see the groom and his family too. They have taken good care of us throughout our college lives and after. When we lived in San Diego, they were just north in LA, so if we couldn't make it home for a holiday, we went there. It was great to catch up.
On Sunday, Jim and I flew down to Wichita and spent one night with the kids at his parents. It sounds like they had a great visit. They went to the county fair, rode a little train, played mini-golf, went to a rodeo, drove vehicles like 4 wheelers and lawn mowers, and rode horses at Aunt Rosemary's. I don't think it gets much better than that!
Then the kids, dog, Jim and I drove to my parents in OK about 3 hours away. Ava the dog sits at Laura's feet when we are all together, but that's not going to work for ever. At some point, Laura's going to need the legroom! I really don't want to buy a car just to fit the dog, but I'm not sure what other option we have? Anyway, we had a great time at my parents' house too. They got wet every day by playing at the splash pad, swimming, and something else I forgot? We also saw my Grandma and Aunt Maureen and Uncle Kenny, went to the
Pioneer Woman Museum (has nothing to do with
Ree Drummond), played with minnows, tried out my dad's kayak, played a lot of cards and Cadoo, and just had a grand ole time.
After a few days, we drove back to KS and dropped Jim off with his parents. He hung out with them until Sunday and then flew to NYC for work. This worked out nicely for us because now we have more room in the car :) but we do miss Jim. The kids, dog and I went up to my Aunt Kathy's just south of Kansas City and stayed with her a night. That was so fun. She has 3 dogs, 4 cats, and 5 horses. Needless to say, we were all in heaven!
After pancakes and bacon breakfast (yum!), we left and drove up to Jim's brother's house in Iowa. He and his wife also live out in the country (all 4 places we stayed were out of city limits) in a gorgeous dome home that reminds me so much of my grandparents' dome they built when I was a little kid. Bob and Kate set up a slip and slide (our first success with this! the kids did great), drove the 4 wheeler, flew kites, chased the dogs around, had a fire with smores, and rode the dumbwaiter.
So relaxed and fun.
After church the next morning, we loaded up one last time and headed home. I'm so glad I decided to stop at Kathy & Troy's and Bob & Kate's instead of our normal hotel + pool. That is fun too, but this was way better. But now, we are all exhausted and glad to be back home! I left both kids' special lovey's at my aunt's house in KS, so we are looking forward to that delivery sometime this week. Oops! I think its the first time in 7 years that Laura slept without blankie. But Kate saved the day with some stuffed bears and they were so tired they did just fine. But trust me, we are looking forward to that delivery!
The dog is so depressed to be back in the suburbs.
