Cali or Bust!

 The girls had been begging us to take them to California to visit the Thompsons, so we knew we were going to have to take the plunge and buy 5 plane tickets (ouch)!  The girls were stoked and had been telling everyone all summer about their upcoming vacation, but of course the usual response was, "So are you going to Disney Land?"  After lots of explaining the breadth of California, they were content with our plans.

We left Wednesday a.m. almost taking up an entire row.  Wow!

 They are ready!  They were all so good on the flight, and the only entertainment needed was a coloring book.  

 Once we deplaned Ady was complaining she couldn't walk (story of "the baby") so Chandler offered to carry her if she took Chandler's bag.  Too funny!

 Thursday morning we decided to take it easy and went to the local aquatic center.  The kids enjoyed the slides and swimming until they were exhausted.

 Friday morning we all headed to Monterey for the night.  Our first stop - the aquarium.  I hadn't been there in almost 20 years, but I remembered it was a fun place, and it surely didn't disappoint.  The kids loved the interactive exhibits and were mesmerized by the large aquarium of sharks and tuna.

All the kids watching the tide observation area

 Beautiful weather on the bay

 Ady explaining to Callen how the tide pools work

 Brooklynn testing the adaptations the starfish and anemones

 Saturday morning was our much-anticipated whale-watching tour.  The girls had been waiting months for this, and we couldn't wait to see their excitement.  The tour started out beautifully - just a nice cool day on the bay.  The girls loved standing at the bow of the boat.

 We spotted some dolphins early, and they were so playful.  Brooklynn was in heaven watching them swim with the front of the boat while she dangled over.

 We actually were able to see a few blue whales, which is pretty rare.  

And some humpbacks!

 The sea lions as we left shore

 First rate view!

 Towards the middle of the ride the water became super choppy.  The little kids just wanted to stay inside, but that made us adults seasick, so luckily we had Josh to take the them inside while we tried not to gag outside.  I've never wanted off a boat so bad!

After we got our sea legs back we drove back to Carrie and Josh's and headed to Gilroy Gardens on Sunday.  It's a cute amusement park catering to the younger kids, so it was perfect for us!  The weather was beautiful and the girls had a blast.  We even taught Ady how to stand on her tippy toes so she could ride everything.

Ady driving - watch out!

 Chandler played it cool in her classic car

 Ferris Wheel

She had to ride everything - even if she seemed too big!

 Big swings!

 One of our favorite memories was just hanging out at night with the Thompson clan.  They built this outdoor kitchen, so we'd prepare meals and eat out there every night while the kids played.  It made it feel more like vacation!

Reading with the girls

 Snow cone time on the deck!

Our last full day in Cali was spent at Capitola Beach.  It's a quaint town with a beautiful beach, and Mondays are a good day to hang there!  Our girls would be beach bums if they lived anywhere near a beach, because they love it!  We had a great time building sand castles, dipping in the water, and burying ourselves.

 Callen was tough making sure to not get washed away

 This girl.....seriously!

 Ady had to get the ceremonial burial - her first ever!

 Beach Family

We stole a boy.....finally!

On our way home I was insistent on picking some strawberries.  There's nothing better than picking and eating the freshest fruits and veggies.  They were delicious!

Although family vacations trips are not relaxing and easy, they are the best!  Just to see the excitement from the girls makes all the money and work worth it!  It's always sad saying goodbye to our family, but we are so lucky they visit often, so until next time.....we will miss you Thompsons!

South Dakota or Bust!

 The past few years we've been hearing some buzz about South Dakota and its kid-friendly attractions.  So as we planned out our summer we had to put S.D. on the list - an easy 5-hour road trip with the camper was a no-brainer.  Luckily our great friends, the Deegans, were up for a fun trip as well.

So we packed in (literally) Thursday morning and headed out, stopping in Wyoming for lunch and arriving at our Flintstones campground late afternoon.  The kid-friendly campground was equipped with a pool, playground, and even mini-golf to entertain the kids during our downtime.

Not even an hour out and Ady's already passed out!

The campground was close to Custer State Park, so we drove over there for a light evening hike, which ended up being one of my favorite hikes EVER!  The wildlife was abundant - buffalo, pronghorn, snakes, birds, and lots of deer.  I never believed South Dakota actually had some beautiful scenery!

The kids loved all the makeshift bridges

 Herd of kids

 This big guy was right on the trail and wasn't happy with us!  After carefully examining him from a distance we concluded it was just a bull snake, but he was super aggressive!

 Landscape of Custer State Park

Friday morning we woke up and made the short drive to Mount Rushmore.  Definitely an amazing monument and we all enjoyed learning the history of the mountain.

 Whole group

On our way back we spotted a rock climbing area, and we knew Chandler would get a kick out of it.  Turns out even Brooklynn hiked up.  

 Saturday morning we drove to the "tourist trap road" to Reptile Gardens.  They had some great shows, including gator wrestling and some angry venomous snakes amidst beautiful grounds.

Petting a viper

 Chandler petting a 105 year-old tortoise

 Brooklynn petting a baby gator

 Worn-out kids

 That evening we went back to the park for another hike - this one up a mountain.  The kids were real troopers with all the hiking!

 Finally a buffalo!

 Mini-golf at the campground

Sunday morning it was back to the park for yet, another hike - an easy one around the lake.

Brooklynn with the "Needle" 

 She's at it again....climbing as high as she can!

 Finally some swimming time before heading home!

 Of course the drive home seemed to last forever with our many bathroom breaks and food stops.  I was astonished at how much fun is to be had in South Dakota, and we even started making a list of what we'll do next time.

More Camping

Our summer-o-camping just continued through the next 2 weekends as well.  For Father's Day weekend we met up with dad, Andy, and Kenz for a hot weekend in the southern mountains outside Bailey.  I couldn't think of a better way to celebrate these 3 dads than some good old-fashioned camping!

Since camping has become so popular in Colorado I left early Friday morning with the girls and the camper to find a spot.  We arrived to the campground at noon and there were only a few spots left.  I was proud of myself for getting 3 kids and a camper up there, but backing the thing up was a whole different story.  I actually had to ask our neighbor to throw it in reverse and secure our spot.

Saturday morning we woke up and did a little hiking on the Colorado trail.  The girls did a good job despite the heat and disappearing shade.  Apparently if you just keeping loading them up on banana chips they'll keep going.

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 Cousin Love

Later that day Andy, Steve, and I were on a mission to hike to the top of the rock mountain near the campsite.  As we lurked by we noticed it was private property, but that doesn't stop these burly men.  After a few hairy jumps we made it as far as we could and called it good!  Ok, maybe I called it quits because I was a little scared.  Anyway, the views were beautiful.

 The next morning Kenz and Chandler were on a mission to do the same, so the guys took them up.  Thankfully they got just as far and didn't show me up.  What a bunch of troopers though!  Chandler is definitely our rock climber.

 Success!

The next weekend we went north to camp outside Fort Collins on the Poudre River with Mark and Char.  It's one of our favorite spots with the soothing river closeby to make sleeping more enjoyable.

Papa showing Brooklynn how to roast a hot dog

 Magra and the girls

Saturday morning we went on a hike (the same one we did last year) that goes up Mt. McConnell in a 2 or 4 mile loop, depending on your desire.  It's a difficult hike, because it's a burned area with little shade and intense sun.  We made it to the same stopping point as last year, but Chandler was determined, yet again, to get to the top and continue, so Steve took her further.

 Family selfie 

 Low and behold she made it to the top!  The summit sits at over 8,000 feet, so she did a 1,600 ft. climb - not bad for a 5 year-old.  Her athleticism and determination amazes me!

 Who's your daddy?

 We spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing by the river.  With all our melt-off and rain the river was raging, but there were a few wading areas, even a beachy area we could sit, have a cold one, and dip our feet in.  It almost felt like Mexico........almost.

It's been a lot of work camping - fixing the camper, planning, packing, and lots of laundry, but it's been worth every minute to spend this quality time with the kids.  They're having a blast and learning some good life skills (more to come on that later).

3 Little Swimmers

We've been telling the girls we'd get them back in swim lessons once summer started.  There's just something refreshing about outdoor lessons.  Since it had been awhile for Chandler since her last bout with the crying lessons, I dumbfounded at which level to put her in.  Just last summer she was scared to death of the water and wouldn't trust her floaties.  So her and Ady were grouped together in the 3-5 years level 1, and it was clear from day 1 that Chandler didn't belong.  To make matters worse I misplaced Brooklynn and put her in an easy class.  Oops!

Needless to say the girls were awesome (even Ady for her 1st time taking lessons).  Chandler completely overcame her fear of the water (so now we're down to no fears for that girl), Brooklynn improved even more in the water (I can't wait to see her start practicing different strokes), and Ady learned how to listen to a teacher, do bobs, and somewhat jump into the pool.  Overall lessons were a success, and now I can breathe a little easier when these little ones are next to the pool.

Ady and her teacher

Chandler even jumped off the high dive - such an accomplishment for her!