Summer Flashback: Wisconsin Vacation

July meant another vacation for me and the girls. My parents rented a van and we loaded up for a road trip to Wisconsin to visit the Koch side of the family. Kevin had to work and we missed him but we were glad that we could ride together with everyone. There is no way I would have wanted to make that drive myself with two kids.

 I had prepped many car activities for the girls and we lucked out that our van had a DVD player in it. The drive would have been more difficult without it.

All loaded up and ready to go!

My Dad was recovering from shoulder surgery so I ended up being the primary driver on the trip. I didn't mind though. I've been wanting a minivan for quite some time and driving one for a week only made me want one more!

Anna and Jane were both very excited about Gus, Uncle Kent and Aunt Deb's cat. 

Gus was such a champ and did really well all the commotion and two little girls practically in his face. He gave Jane one little nip as a warning and she was a little more gentle after that. 

I didn't get as many pictures of everyone as I would have liked. We hadn't seen this side of the family in almost 3 years and it was great having a little reunion. Anna was only 9 months old on the last trip and this was the first time for anyone to meet Jane.

Aunt Betty, Aunt Deb, Uncle Marion, Mom and Molly

 A great perk was the pool. Not sure who was more excited. Hailie and Seth or the girls. 

Another day, another dip in the pool.

The flamingos and swan were a big hit.

It was great having Hailie to help me out with the girls in the pool.

Mom and Uncle Kent enjoying a lovely day out on the pool deck.

Snuggles with Grandma.

Our friends Dennis and Rachel (along with baby Helen) had recently just moved to Wisconsin. I couldn't pass up an opportunity to see them so I took the girls for a quick visit to their house which wasn't far from where my Aunt and Uncle live. 

Dennis and Helen

 It was fun getting to meet Helen although I realize how rusty I am at holding young babies. 

Anna and Jane have been really into babies lately and Anna enjoyed getting a chance to sort of hold Helen.

It was nice getting away from the heat and humidity of Kansas. We enjoyed time outside with bubbles, sidewalk chalk, and exploring the yard. 

Since Jane and Grandpa sat next to each other in the car they had a real chance to bond. She was definitely a Grandpa's girl this trip.

Uncle Marion and Aunt Betty brought their dog, Pepe, and the girls liked him too. 

A group picture from our last evening. We're only missing Kevin and Molly's husband, Mike. 

Back: Nate, Mom, Jane, Justin, Dad, Deb, Betty, Marion, Molly, and Kent
Front: Hailie Seth, Anna, and Me

 On the trip home we did the drive in two days. We stopped in Springfield, IL and enjoyed pizza in the room and swimming. It was a little rough getting both kids to sleep that night. I decided to not bring the Pack N Play in for Jane and just put her into bed with me. Well Anna didn't want to be in the bed by herself so I ended up laying with both of them practically on top of me in one bed until they both fell asleep. Then I was able to move Anna to her own bed. 

I thought it was funny they were both in the same position in the morning. 

Everyone was happy to be done in the car by the end of the second day but the trip was so worth it. Next time we will hopefully have Kevin with us and it will be easier for me to get more pictures!

Summer Flashback: 4th of July

Our Fourth of July was a little bit more low key than in years past since we had only been back from vacation for one full day. It was nice having a more relaxed morning this year and we were able to attend our neighborhood parade. We managed to find a few patriotic decorations to slap on the wagon and we headed out.

It was a cute little parade and there were a lot of kids there. Many were grandkids of people on the block but we also met a few other people further down the street with young kids. I was glad we were able to make it.

Daddy with his girls.

Matching outfits to start off the day.

Usually we're having a big party out at Kevin's parents house but this year we kept it to just the immediate family. It was kind of nice just hanging out and being able to do a few little fireworks. The girls loved the smoke bombs.

Anna loved all of it!

The poppers were a big hit.

Snagged a selfie with Jane.

And one with Anna.

Kevin let Anna try a sparkler out for the first time. She was pretty excited about it. 

Last year Jane was in bed before the big fireworks show but this year we let her stay up. Just like Anna the first year she got to stay up, Jane wanted no part of the loud noises so we watched the show together from the front window. I love having this moment with both girls. 

Summer Flashback: Ozark Vacation

I'm finally starting to go through pictures from our busy summer (and figuring out how to navigate my computer after upgrading to Windows 10 haha). I intended to just skip the summer and move on but I hate to miss posting on some really fun things we did with the girls. 

Our first vacation was to the Lake of the Ozarks with the Kents. The drive from KC isn't bad at all and I'd made some busy bags for the car to keep the girls busy. 

We had the rental house starting at 4pm on a Monday but we were anxious to get started on vacation so we left a day early and stayed in a hotel. Thomas, Serena, and Adell did the same so we coordinated so we were at the same hotel. We decided to try a little mini golf with the girls and I think they had fun despite the heat.

Group shot! (Note Jane's wild hair)

Thomas and I tied and they let us have a shoot out on the first hole to decide the winner. I won!!!!

After golf we needed to cool off so we stopped for ice cream.

Ice cream is bliss

Anna is all business when it comes to ice cream.

After getting settled in to our amazing rental house we made our way to Ha Ha Tonka State Park. It was a hot day but the old water tower and castle ruins were amazing to see. 

Grandma and Grandpa with their girls

An attempt at a family photo with a little bit of the old water tower in the background. The girls were hot and not crazy about having to smile for a picture.

Anna with the castle ruins in the background. It was destroyed by a fire not long after being completed but they have reinforced the walls so we can still enjoy it's beauty. 

The house Patti found led down to the lake and it was gorgeous. The girls had fun hanging out and playing in the water. 

Enjoying the Lake!

This picture of Anna trying to lay out like Aunt Serena cracked me up so I had to throw it in. 

There was an awesome movie room that the kids enjoyed. 

Some fun pictures in the gift shop while we waited to go on a cave tour. 

This is Bridal Cave. We'd just started the tour when we realized there were some really tight spaces we'd have to squeeze or crawl through. Jane also was showing signs of a meltdown (she wanted to walk by herself but we had to keep her from touching anything and it wasn't going over well). The guide said this is the time you can head back and get a refund. When I heard this I immediately started leaving with Jane. Soon everyone else was coming back up too.  

I did get a group shot before our tour ended. 

Kevin had found a red fishing pole and Anna was very excited about going fishing. They practiced a little bit one evening before the official early morning fishing that happened the next morning. I fell in love with this picture. Anna sure loves her Daddy

A little bonding time with Aunt Michelle.

Being silly with Grandma.

Anna and Adell are darling together. We love how much they adore one another. 

Playing games with Aunt Serena.

I don't have pictures of everything including swimming in the pool at the house, a fun hike, and our amazing last full day which we spent on a boat. The guys picked up the boat and then picked us up at the dock by our house. We spent the day on the water and it was incredible. There was one scary moment when I got our to go on the tube and Anna sort of flipped out and attempted to jump off the boat to "save" me or something. Luckily Grandma stopped the situation from escalating. For a few hours we had a couple of wave runners and that was a blast as well. The kids were pretty worn out (Jane especially- she didn't like having to wear her life jacket) but it was the perfect end to an amazing week with family. Thank you Patti and Kevin for giving us some amazing memories!