Vacation!

I know, I know. The four people who read this are SO disappointed that I haven't written in a while. You've been waiting in eager anticipation of my stimulating writing and thought provoking comments. I just know it!




The kids and I got back from vacation a couple of days ago and it was wonderful! My mom was fabulous and helped me drive to the Sacramento area. I never could have made the trip on my own, and Scott is too busy with his job and thesis to take the time off. The kids were amazingly happy on the long 11-12 hour drive. Audrey even survived only being out of her carseat for about 30 minute on the way out and 5 minutes on the way back.





We stayed with my brother and his family and my sister and her family. My mom and I switched which house we stayed at so no one felt neglected. I loved staying up late talking to my siblings and in-laws. We went to a dance recital, a carnival, and the zoo. The kids also played with a pool and squirt guns outside. We went to a park for a while. Other than that, we just hung out and let the kids play!



Richard and Audrey seemed to love the zoo. Audrey is old enough to actually see the animals and get excited. Richard knew the names of quite a few as well. It was a small zoo, so we were probably done in 1.5-2 hours, but that's about their attention span anyway. They also like the carnival. It was extremely hot (100 or so) outside, which made it less fun for me, but the kids didn't seem to mind. They rode a pony, went to a petting zoo, and played silly little games like ring toss, penny toss, basketball toss, etc. Audrey got in on the action and would even throw the prize she'd "won" (they automatically get a prize for trying) as soon as I gave it to her.

as you can see, Audrey isn't too thilled about the pony ride. This is the best picture I could get while trying to hold on to her.

Though I was without Scott for help, I didn't ever get too overwhelmed. My sister, sister-in-law, and mom were great to make sure I could take a nap when Richard took a nap. My kids are very well entertained by their cousins, so I just get to sit back and visit until one of them needs help or discipline.



My brother and I bonded over running. I can't run very fast due to a few factors. However, my brother was great and went my speed. He never made comments about maybe I could run faster or ran faster than me so I was struggling to keep up. We'd run about 4 miles each time we went. It was fun to have the time with just him to talk about whatever. His 9-year-old son was even able to keep up with us! What does that say about me?! It was a fun experience. I'm hoping to get better at running in a few months. In the meantime, I fear I'll get no better. Then, we'll conquer the Costco run!