Ahhh, Vacation!

Kids start school this week. 83 days of summer vacation vanished in a flash! We were so blessed to spend the last couple of weeks of summer enjoying the sunshine in Central Oregon. We rode bikes/scooters, golfed, played games, and hung out with family and friends. I tried to capture most of the highlights:

Board Games and Bed Head

Time in the pool

Golf (in miniature)

Wildlife viewing in the back yard

Crazy games in the front yard

Including direct-aim at the camera!

Lots of yummy food, including s'mores

Disney Character Overload!

I could break this down into several posts-o-cuteness, but I am over 5 weeks late in getting these to the blog so I thought I'd just give you most of the Disney Character photos in one big post. B is definitely more into rides than getting character photos and autographs these days, so G is in more photos. But I did manage to get him to smile a real smile with a few the characters during our stay. I must admit, I felt a little sad when he whispered to me one day, "Do you want to know the biggest secret at Disneyland? There are people inside those costumes!" Maybe that is why they lost their luster for his this year. That or he really just loves roller coasters!

Lego Land

Our first major excursion when we arrived in sunny southern California was a trip to Lego Land. GREAT place for anyone with little kids. Big kids can enjoy the rides, too, but this place was designed with little ones in mind.

Yes folks, that is a lego replica of Mt. Rushmore. We also saw the Taj Mahal, Vegas Strip, New York City, Sydney Opera House, elephants, dinosaurs, etc. I know several adults who would LOVE to work there.

This may be my favorite restroom sign of all times. No better illustration, especially with a newly potty trained family member!

The Place Formerly Known as the Happiest Place on Earth

We had a great vacation. Seriously. However, the magic of years past has been altered a bit. I will post all of the happy faces and great poses later, but I wanted to keep it real. Our week started with a bit of the grumps. We saw much more of this face than in years past.

Someone forgot that you must be patient when waiting in line for rides.

Or when waiting in line to see favorite characters.

Or waiting for food to be served.

Or waiting for grown-ups to put on swim suits to go to the pool. (No photos of that, thank goodness!)

Or that LOOOONG wait (maybe 2 minutes) while a ride operator checks all the riders so a ride can start.

Rough life. A week at Disneyland with his parents and both sets of grandparents. Our annual family trip may be altered a bit next year. (T and I had some serious discussions about going w/o the kids next year.)

Family Vacation - Water Addition

These photos are a month old. I have been a major blog slacker. My apologies. We took the kids to a local water park/hotel for the 4th of July. Neither of them like fireworks and our local weather was still pretty cold and wet, so the idea of a constant 84 degree water park experience was very appealing. The kids LOVED it. T and I didn't hate it. I think we'll plan to go back once G is potty trained and B is tall enough to enjoy the largest water slides. The area for the little tikes was very entertaining - with their own slides and pretend jet skis.

Recipe for Relaxation

1. Take 2 lovely children and leave them at home with their doting grandparents.

2. Add one quick flight out of the state.

3. Sprinkle a quick ride over to the coast.

4. Stir in some beautiful weather, a luxurious hotel, decent work out facility, relaxing spa treatments, all inclusive food and alcohol and a round of golf with no one else on the course.

5. If possible, repeat on a regular basis.

I feel a twinge of guilt when we travel to an area close to our friends, but don't stop to say hello. However, this was a trip for just the two of us. Four days devoted to no one but each other. Those who are married (and especially those with little kids at home) should really understand.

A little comparison

B's a bit more comfortable around strangers.

And his hair is a lot longer.

He's grown several inches, too.

I was having so much fun reflecting on the changes in B since our last trip to Disney, that I almost missed a more important change. I know that T continues his journey toward living a healthier life. He is at the gym (at 4:30 am) 3 days each week. He makes healthy food choices every day, including Thanksgiving, Christmas, etc. I know his clothes are a smaller size. But in my eyes, he's always been the most beautiful person, so I have a hard time noticing the physical change he's made. These photos, however, are a great reminder.