We'd never had a family vacation. The last time any of the six of us vacationed, Peach (who is nearly 5) was 9 months old, I was 5 months pregnant with Brownie, and Matt was still teaching. 'Nuff said!
So we packed up the car and headed to the land where it looks like you can jump among the clouds. We had a nice time on the ride there--we left at 2 am--- but the ride home was a different story. More on that in a moment.
We did several fun activities, but we did not do any activities I set out to do. Instead of kayaking, hiking, white water rafting, or horseback riding we decided on more family-friendly activities.
There was a BBQ. This gal chowed on an entire smoked chicken. I knew she liked food, but this chicken was as big as her belly. No doubt she could have eaten it all had it not been for the fact that she had to share with sisters.
At the BBQ were several kid-friendly activities such as this obstacle course that ended with a giant slide. I was proud of my Peach for climbing it all, all by herself. She did love that slide!
And of course they had pig races. That was fun to watch. I'm sure those pigs felt awfully welcome at a BBQ!
This Bug talked a gentleman into giving her a strawberry covered in chocolate. Yes, I did indulge in one too.
We really did several activities the same way we do them at home. We napped, changed diapers, did dishes, washed laundry and even visited parks. These two were quite pleased with this particular teeter-totter.
To me, the whole dang town was like a giant park. It was quite a beauty! We had to watch out for wildlife---bears, not my kids. This bear proved to be quite friendly, though!
We did do a little hiking in the mountains. Yeah, even I'm jealous looking at this picture.
We went trout fishing one day. I do not have squeamish girls to my amazement. This one was ready, net in hand. Daddy would catch the fish, and his girls would help bring them in.
These two loved to participate as well. I just happened to ask them to "freeze and pose" while Daddy was working on catching one.
In fact, here's Bug touching the fish. Every time Daddy caught one, this little girl asked to touch it. Each and every one of them. I don't even touch fish. I can hardly stand to touch it when I marinate salmon for our dinner (which is why Matt usually does it).
And here's the end prize. I believe there were 7 in all. Maybe 6, I really can't remember. We went on to cook these bad boys, but I had already vowed not to eat any. I discovered a problem I have that involves seeing my dinner alive a few hours before I plan to eat it. Not to mention I'm not much of a trout fan--usually tastes too fishy to me. But Matt said these wouldn't, still I could not muster the courage. So I got some Chipotle while the hooligans and Matt dined on fish. I have to admit, I tried it and it wasn't horrible. Matt was right--not terribly fishy.
The whole family visited an old mining town and rode an old train. It's a great trip around the mountains and the girls really enjoyed it. Here we are in front of something old. I think it was an old train car.
And of course we snapped some photos while the train was in motion. I was in charge of the two "big" girls.
And Matt was in charge of the two "little" girls.
And, yeay, another family picture. Merry Christmas, this just may show up on your card this year!
Or should it be this one? Do you think that giant fossil looks anything like Matt?
I didn't think so. This was at the Natural History Museum. The older girls are way into dinosaurs right now, so this was a great find after the planned zoo trip was rained out.
But I'm much more of a natural history museum gal than a zoo girl. I still avoid the zoo--yeah, not a good mom, I know. I take them, just not often. How many times can you see the same animals in the awful humid heat of Kansas? Not my idea of a blast!
But dead animals that look real, behind glass, in an air-conditioned building.... okay by me! The youngest speaker of our family, Bug, swore up and down these were Jesse dogs. Yes, our dog is part huskie and could easily be confused for a wolf by a two-year-old.
There were several different rooms in that wonderful museum, but I think the kids' favorite was the discovery area. It was KIDZONE! These are two of my future musicians.
And since I managed to sneak in a museum stop, you can rest assured I sneaked in a history tour as well. This is a very old house, and it was certainly cute and quaint. Of course it was staged with historically accurate details and furniture, but I found it quite charming. I was ready to have Matt build a duplicate for us to move into. It was simple, functional, and brought on a sense of nostalgia. Yes, I yearn for simpler times-- often fantasizing about decades before I was even born--- and this house fit the bill for this particular fantasy.
Just look at this little attic bedroom/play room. Excuse the blurriness, not the best lighting, photographer or camera!
And here's part of the gathering room with a family picture--not my family of course, but of the pretend people who live here. Actually, I think these may have been the real people who once lived there.
And just look at this old kitchen stuff. We were actually on city property that had a ton of old buildings open for tours. In all the ones that had "food" in them, there was always a White King container. Is it just me, or would anybody else like to have an old kitchen, with old kitchen stuff in it? This would be adjacent to my modern looking/functioning kitchen, of course.
And check out this big daddy. Not sure I'd like to trade in my modern stove for this one, but in that adjacent old-fashioned kitchen I've imagined, I would certainly have one of these things. Can you imagine using this everyday?
So, as you see, we did do quite a bit. We also swam a few times and shopped quite a bit. And we did a good amount of eating out. Breakfast was everybody's favorite. There were two places that I wish I had gotten pictures of. They both had delicious pastries, fresh coffee, organic produce, and friendly service. Specials included trout and eggs with home-fries, and an eggs benedict with a pesto hollandase twist. Yes, delicious indeed.
And so was this little diner we stopped at on our way home. It was odd because Matt and I were just talking about how we wish our part of the country had diners, and then BAM! we come across this place. Thank goodness it was lunch time because I insisted we stop. It too, was quite yummy.
And after we finished our lunch, we headed back to the car to finish our trip home. It took us 12 hours to complete an 8 hour trip; I'll let your imagination wonder what happened in those extra four hours. Overall, though, we really did have a great time. Now Matt and I would like to take a couple's vacation. HA!
1 comment:
looks like a very needed and fun vacation! love the shot of the mountains!
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