St. Louis Gateway Arch

E got a close up look at the arch today, incredible!

Ocean Shores 2011

I've visited Ocean Shores a few memorable times in my life, but not quite like this:

Eileen and I reserved a site for 2 nights at Ocean City State Park, it came highly recommended by my trusty camping in Washington book. We expertly packed our van with all the necessities and drove to the coast with our 4 children, and 2 canines...it was a tight fit but I'm happy we could all squeeze in together. You'll remember, our first overnight camping trip went so well 3 years ago, we decided to add another kid and pups to the mix to make it more interesting/challenging...

We set up camp, ate a few snacks (fished N out of the fire pit - no it wasn't lit) then set out to find the sand and waves!

 

After a nice long walk, we were ready for supper, a climb in our tree and of course a fire with s'mores!

When we woke the next morning, it was a quick bite to eat while we dodged mosquito's then loaded up the van again for a drive onto the beach where we parked next to a tiny stream and set up our spot for the day.

Complete with lots of playing in the water, food, sandcastle building, food, kite flying, food, naps, hot coffee and loads of smiles.

The next morning was spent trying to keep the kids occupied while we packed everything up; not an easy task. But we were all rewarded with another quick lunch/playtime and popcorn roast on the sand before the long drive home (but not before fishing N out of the fire pit, again - WTF?).

Thanks so much dear Eileen, here's to many more trips with the kids and dogs!

Grand Canyon

We made a family trip to the Grand Canyon National Park.

It was a chilly view, with snow on the ground and a bit breezy.  I accidentally left my good camera at the hotel, so had to rely on Auntie Rochelle and my iphone...but you get the idea, we'll definitely make the trip out again, hopefully in the spring when the weather is warmer.

Vacationing Quote

"I like vacationing better than homing."
-E

Madison & Milwaukee

We just got home from a whirlwind trip to Wisconsin for our friend's Ben and Danika's marriage celebration.  We were thrilled to be a part of the festivities, and spend time with our dear friends, who we love and miss so much.  They were full days of travel for our family, but the kids were great and took everything in stride.  N loved all the airplane talk and seeing the real things up close.  E had the time of her life with her new good friend Grace, and of course Oliver (Ben's son).  The weather was hot and the humidity so thick you could cut it with a knife.  E was practically eaten alive by mosquito's but so enjoyed the awesome public pool, and dressing up in her new fancy dress and sparkly flip-flops for the elegant occasion at the Milwaukee Art Museum.