And they're off!

Last Thursday, the kids hopped on a plane bound for Kansas and never looked back. They've been too busy. So far, I've seen photos of Connor catching an 18 inch catfish, heard about guns, arrows, canoes, smoothies, dog walking, and more. They've been to camp, an amusement park, LegoLand, and more. It's been a great vacation for Connor and Helen, and I'm excited to hear more about it.

Ed and I have been mixing up going out without thinking about the time, home projects, working a little extra at the office, and this weekend we'll go on a brief getaway. I miss Connor and Helen, but I'm so confident they're in a great place, that I'm able to just enjoy time without them, as well.

Connor and Helen were absolute troopers at the airport.

While we waited in the "special services" line, we were goofing around a bit. If we had known what was coming, we would've spent our time worrying, instead.

When it was our turn, something in the system went awry. Despite having about an hour to get these two unaccompanied minors checked in, when it was all said and done, the ticket agent literally led us on a run through the airport, through security, and right onto the plane. I have to hand it to him - the problem was entirely of his making, but damn if he didn't sky up and solve it. I imagined that we were famous people being escorted through lines, stepping in front of everyone with all of the agents just nodding and saying "absolutely, go right on through" while the regular public stood in line waiting.

My only instruction to the children was to "tail that guy and DO NOT let him out of your sight no matter what". This almost resulted in a collision with an innocent person casually walking through the airport, but we all survived.

And there was no time to get nervous at the gate - because they walked right on the plane!

Connor reported that he played iPad the whole time, Helen cut up the time by knitting a bit on this summer's scarf. They were both proud of their solo travel.

As soon as they walked onto the plane, I snapped this photo:

PAR-TAY!

Elaine

Laurapalooza: Day 2 - 3

Days 2 - 3 of Helen's and my adventure were spent mostly at the conference. We learned that Mary's blindness was likely NOT caused by scarlet fever and that the grasshoppers that destroyed Pa's crops were actually locusts and for a variety of reasons, they are now extinct. (There was a long discussion about the biological relationship of grasshoppers and locusts, with the upshot being that one is a subset of the other, but it was all just confusing to me.) The presentations that tied most closely to the books (as opposed to being more academic in nature) were the things I loved best - and the ones Helen could relate to.

The conference materials came with peppermint sticks and conversation hearts. The hearts had specially printed messages relating to the conference and Laura. AWESOME! Helen doesn't like peppermint, so she traded for my hearts upon opening her goodie bag. It was a win-win situation.

Helen loved parading around in her bonnet (which she's worn a LOT since my mother gave it to her a couple of years ago) and was even interviewed for the evening news. This was a big thrill for Helen, as you can imagine. There were several older ladies who seemed to love parading around in their bonnets as well, which was only a little bit surprising. (One lady had not one, but two pretty creepy bonnets - which was just weird.)

Probably the highlight of the conference for Helen was on the second day of the conference, when we made bracelets and name cards. We traded our name cards just as Laura had traded hers. Pa didn't have to give us a dime to purchase them, since we made them ourselves. What a fun tradition!

Each evening after the conference we spent a lot of time at the indoor waterslide at our hotel. My friend's daughters and Helen were instant friends, and all three girls played so nicely together. Watching them interact was one of those wonderful parenting moments. I wish my friend and I still lived just a few blocks from each other. It would be super fun to watch our children grow up together!

Elaine

Laurapalooza! Day 1.

Helen and I recently flew to Minneapolis, picked up my best friend from elementary school and her two daughters, and then drove to Brookings, South Dakota where we attended a conference on Laura Ingalls Wilder. And as ridiculous as that all sounds, I promise I am not making it up.

I have never traveled with Helen alone for an extended period. This trip was a real treat. That Helen made fast friends with my friend's daughters was icing on the cake. I'd rate this trip as being as good as it could've been - and I'm hopeful this will be the start of some mother-daughter travel for Helen and me.

Our adventure started with an early morning drive up to Baltimore, because I decided the convenience of a direct flight was better than the convenience of driving to Dulles or National. Upon landing in Minneapolis, we headed to The Works. It's super cool, we should have one in DC.

A huge bonus of going to a children's museum in the middle of the week is that it is virtually empty. And we took advantage of that by testing every exhibit in the place, with only a brief break to eat what would be the first of roughly 20 pizzas on our trip. (My deal with myself was that I was going to try and make the trip as easy on Helen as possible, and if that meant cow-towing to her daily request for cheese pizza, I was going to smile and love it.)

Helen was a little horrified that I took her photo in these clothes. They are her traveling clothes, selected only for comfort, not fashion. She did admit they were good on the plane, but they are not even close to enough style for her.

We rocked it so hard building a marble run, that at one point, a bunch of kids were trying their best to take the project over from Helen. But she was determined to make it work, and she succeeded! 

And then Helen made a balloon car, and she brought home a kit for Connor because she would really like to show him how awesome it is.

After spending several hours here, we headed off to Lisa's house - but not without texting my mom a photo for my dad, the family engineer.

It was good to move around a lot, because the next phase of our trip was driving. We were able to remind ourselves that I am a terrible navigator, which resulted in Lisa driving down a few roads in the wrong direction. Luckily, she either remembers that I'm a disaster with a map or doesn't care.

We did make it to our destination and were able to check into our "suite". It was there we encountered the first problem - the couch that was supposed to be in our room with two beds was an imaginary couch. Helen sized up the situation quickly and begged for all three girls to sleep in the same bed, even volunteering to be the middle kid. (She wasn't being nice here - she remembers getting kicked out of bed the last time she shared with a friend, and she wanted to make sure she didn't suffer a similar indignity on this trip.) The kids were thrilled, so as Lisa noted, the problem was solved before anyone even realized it was a problem. Yay!

Elaine

Armchair Traveler - Little Passports

I have a friend who often talks about wanting to give her children experiences, not just things. And I agree with that. We've slowly been broadening our travel experiences with Connor and Helen. At first, we confined ourselves to places with family, beaches, and ski resorts (and those ski resorts were always loaded with family!). This allowed Ed and I to manage Helen and Connor and also relax - because the demands of those places were minimal - or at least familiar.

Last summer, we decided to travel to England and France, and what I noticed the most was that although Connor and Helen enjoyed almost everything they did, Connor really dug into those things he had been exposed to before. In second grade, he had study Ancient Egypt and that meant that our trip to the British Museum was just amazing. Connor led us through an explanation of the Rosetta Stone, the significance of various burial customs highlighted in the museum, and the amazing Egyptian tombs at the museum. It was a real treat - and an eye-opener.

Although we did some reading about England before our trip, we could have prepared better. And pretty much every time I turn on the news I realize how important it is to give my children some sense of international education. If I were better about thinking internationally, I wouldn't have to worry. But we tend to talk about things happening closer to home, so I fear my children have limited knowledge of the wider world.

Enter Little Passports.

Little Passports puts together a monthly World Edition package for children ages 5 - 10. They have a US focused package for children ages 7 - 12.  Subscribers receive a package in the mail each month. They also have a blog loaded with awesome activities. Right now, there are instructions about how to build your own mardi gras float. - which might be how we will tomorrow if school is canceled again!

Connor received the international edition a couple of weeks ago and was thrilled to read about Japan, learn some simple origami, and answer questions about Japan. It was a conversation starter for the type of food people eat in Japan and the map that was included was perfect for being able to talk about where the country was - and how it's location influenced the cuisine. He also went to international night at his school, and saw many similar items representing Japan - which meant he was exposed to the country in two ways, with a lot of similar information. We can now go to visit some of the Japanese art at the Smithsonian and hopefully - this all builds to a pretty cool understanding of another part of our world.

Connor was thrilled. He instantly asked for us to sign up for more - which I will. All of the activities fit into a small carrying case that looks like a suitcase and is easily packed away - so I won't have random pieces of something floating around with no home. That pleases me, of course.

I wish I could take my children on multiple trips around the world, but that's not going to happen. So we're going to do some armchair traveling instead - and when the opportunities arise to go further, I hope it adds to our enjoyment.

Elaine

I received the Japan box in the mail free. All subsequent boxes will be purchased by me.

Almost at the Finish - a Look Back at Parts of England

Our month long vacation comes to a close soon. To all my friends who encouraged me not to be intimidated by international travel with children, I am grateful. Possibly the thing I love most about being a parent is seeing things through my children's eyes. And though they weren't the ones who spotted the "elderly crossing" as we traveled to Avebury, or the "there is no dog poop fairy" sign on the trashcan at the head of our walk through the English countryside, they noticed plenty.

You see, there's something amazing about a functioning public transit system. We pay 8.25 pounds each day to ride a fast train from Saint Albans to London. Then, we ride the underground, overground, or bus wherever we want, with just the wave of a card. When we hop on the bus, we take the effort to climb to the second story - and Connor and Helen are absolutely right, the view really is better from up there - and I've learned that there's more to riding a bus than getting from point A to point B. We've stopped at Paddington station just to see Paddington's statue, and we'll try and run through platform 9 and three-quarters on our way out of London for the final time. Because tube stations can be fun places with interesting things to see.

No, our visit to the Tate Modern wasn't exactly my dream of an art museum, and apologies to Meschac Gaba for knocking down the blocks - but no apology to the docents who placed pressure on my destroyers to rebuild the structure. The sign clearly stated the blocks were for touching. And it was just too much temptation - all those blocks stacked into a house, and then that lady tipping down one row with her shoe. It could only be seen as an invitation. More people laughed at the Tate that day than have in a while, I'm certain. Plus, it sort of showed that art is, indeed, alive - and sometimes, art is ridiculous. (Sadly, no photo, as I'm pretty sure cameras weren't allowed, and we'd destroyed enough for one visit - but I do have a photo of the sculpture they created in the children's space of the museum.)

Eventually Connor asked "How many castles does one queen need?" but he had a point, and it was the perfect opportunity for Ed to start telling the story of the end of the powerful monarchy and the transition to a House of Parliament. Always, there are lessons.

This trip stretches the adult's mind as much as the child's - because in order for Stonehenge to be exciting to a 5 and 7 year old, you have to figure out how to explain that something standing for over 4,500 is a miracle. Just what the heck is 4,500 years, anyway?

With children, it's impossible to be "on-the-go" constantly, and taking breaks at various festivals and playgrounds has proven to be great relief for the adults as well. We digest, they run. And while they're running, they learn how to overtake a castle at Old Sarum and then defend it an hour later. Many thanks to the docents there who had my children shouting for justice and wrapping the day up bludgeoning each other with foam swords. That's the kind of break one needs before heading to Avebury.

The wardens at the Tower of London managed to entertain all four of us and we didn't even feel like beheading either of our children - even after walking through long displays of jewels and armory - the kind of thing that could put a child on edge.

We wouldn't have gone to Hamleys and been serenaded in honor of Connor's 8th birthday, or taken the time to go to Kew Gardens or the Diana, Princess of Wales Kensington Playground if it weren't for Connor and Helen. And it's not that I've loved all of these places, but I have loved seeing a part of the world with my children.

I'm going to miss this place when we leave.

Elaine

Loon Lake

Ed's family vacation took us back to Loon Lake this year. Loon Lake is the site of Helen's most famous tantrum ever. And although I know she only had a handful of these doozies, this was definitely the best. We both still remember it. In fact, I'm guessing everyone on that trip remembers it.

It's been two years since that trip, and traveling with Helen has gotten so much easier. Although Helen is still her grandmothers' granddaughter (they both like to sleep in their own beds, and so does she), she's become a champ at vacationing. Yes, she still tires. But for the most part, as long as she has access to a few bananas, some yogurt, and crackers - she can make it through pretty much anything.

Loon Lake presents so much fun, but can also be so overwhelming. Helen and Connor join three cousins, and always - Connor pairs up with his oldest cousin, and Helen is in between her cousin that is Connor's age and her cousin that is one year younger than Connor (and one year older than Helen).

Three, is difficult.

But Helen managed, though not always gracefully, and she had a ball.

Thank you, Helen! Only a week and a half longer until you hit your own bed!

Elaine

{this moment} Wish Us Luck!

From SouleMama: {this moment} – A Friday ritual. A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. Share your own moment in the comments at SouleMama.com.

Snowmobiles and lost teeth

A few years ago, Ed went to Wyoming to ski with his dad. Before he went, I told him "do not, under any circumstances, decide to go snowmobiling in Yellowstone National Park. It is extremely bad for the environment." I might have even threatened him with eternal damnation. You see, one year when I debated in college, the topic was the environment. Another school ran a case to end snowmobiling in Yellowstone and it is the only absolutely true case I ever heard. Really.

I might as well have said "Ed, snowmobiling in Yellowstone is completely awesome. You cannot miss it!" because the first question I asked Ed when he got home was whether he had done this dirty deed, and he said yes. Followed by "and now I understand why you're so against it because it is an environmental disaster". In fact, the company he went with tried to convince him to sign a petition to avoid coming regulations. I'm pretty sure he didn't sign it.

Fast forward many years. We're in Steamboat Springs, Colorado wondering how to spend an off-day skiing. We decided to go snowmobiling, but only after I confirmed the engines are made differently now and they are no longer the disaster they used to be.

Connor started out riding on the back of Grandpa Dick's snowmobile.

 

Helen started out on the back of mine, but that didn't last long because it was obvious to me that if we hit one bump, she'd be flying. So I wedged her in front of me, and we were off!

 

 

We reached a point in the trip where we were in a huge open field, covered by a foot of undisturbed snow. At this point, the guide announced "parents always hate this part, because I tell everyone that kids can drive if they want". And of course, Connor was on my snowmobile at this point, so I got the wild man driver. I almost had a heart attack when we rounded a few corners at top speed.

 

When we finished this part of the trip, I got off the snowmobile to reground myself. It was at this point that I mentioned to Ed if there was any other opportunity for small people driving, he was getting Connor. My heart is just not that strong.

 

As I started to remount the snowmobile, Connor said "Wait! My tooth!" and there, on the seat of the snowmobile was another lost tooth. Connor loves telling this story.

 

Elaine

Ski Vacation - Part 1

We've been in Steamboat Springs, Colorado since Saturday - and the mountain and town are just about as I remember them from several years ago. We left our own home to a contractor who has done loads of work for us since the time we moved in, and look forward to having two remodeled bathrooms when we return. Or at least having close to two bathrooms. The vanity for one bathroom never arrived (ack!) and the other bathroom apparently crumbled into a bajillion pieces when work on the ceiling began. Not surprising - but causing slight delays in completion, possibly.

When last we left Steamboat, Connor was four years old, delighting in crushing the competition on a little race course with cones set up for ski school. His trick? Slow and steady - let the other kids fall down. This year? Connor was in the older age group for ski school, and skiied so hard on Wednesday that he fell asleep before dinner - and didn't wake until 7:00 the next morning. His teacher was not surprised when we ran into him on the mountain the following day.

I was hoping to snag video of Helen racing on the same little race course that Connor raced on, but she adapted so well to skiing that she quickly got promoted two levels of lessons and is now skiing down a trail that is 3 miles long. Repeatedly! She also learned the two rules of riding the chairlift: no jumping off; no falling asleep.

Connor and Helen started the week insisting that they not be forced to go to ski school, and after one day, were delighted to go back two more days. Just as I remember from last time, these ski instructors rock. We ran into both of the kids at different times on the mountain, and every time the instructor was full of enthusiasm, joking with the kids, and making sure they were having a blast - while also working on some pretty tough ski skills. Well done, all around!

After three days of lessons, my plan was to ski with Connor for the day, while Ed and his dad skied together. But Helen was so excited to show us her favorite run, and she knows how exhausted she is at the end of the day, that she ended up skiing with us today as well rather than going to a lesson. For most of the day, Ed and I each took one child which worked out well. Connor likes to show-off on the blue trails, and Helen can't handle them yet - though her teacher took her on a few yesterday.

My little speed racer.

I figure I have two to three more years of being a better skier than Connor. Wish me luck that I don't break any knees trying to keep up with him!

Elaine

Dude Ranch

I have no idea why I've wanted to take my kids to a dude ranch forever, but I have. Unfortunately, kids need to be at least 6 at most of the ranches to be able to go on a trail ride, and going to a dude ranch and leaving a kid behind seems pretty lame.

Tonight, I realized that we are only one full summer away from my dude ranch dreams.

Me: Will you be joining me and the kids on our dude ranch vacation the summer after next?
Ed: Huh?
Me: It's in Montana.
Ed: How are we going to get there?
Me: We'll probably walk.
Ed:
Me: No, I'm just kidding. We'll teleport!

Ed doubts my ability to teleport to Montana, but in the few moments I've been typing this he's come around to the idea of going to a dude ranch. He wants one with a little stream running through it, maybe a little mountain nearby.

Mom, Dad, Linda, Bill, Anna, and Emily - it's time to round-up the family. Summer 2014.

All others - suggestions welcome. Must accommodate kids and teens.

Elaine

Worlds of Fun - He Finally Made it to the Fury!

After spending days 2 - 4 of our recent vacation at family camp, we had to settle the score with Worlds of Fun. This Kansas City amusement park denied Connor entry onto the Fury of the Nile last year, and Connor was ready to show them he rocked that height limit now. And show him, he did. (Though I can't say that anyone affiliated with the park actually noticed.) Helen also rode the log ride several times, which avenged her tears from last year.

Connor can now ride most of the rides at Worlds of Fun, but I'm happy to accompany Helen in the small people area. In fact, by the looks of it, I might have been having more fun than Helen on the car ride!

 

 

I'm not quite sure why I agreed to ride an enormous roller coaster with Connor, but I did. And I even let go of the safety bar long enough to snap this photo with my mom's camera. I believe we are in a stationary position at this point. I think Ed and I will forever be sad we didn't purchase the ride photo at the end because Connor had the best - I'm completely freaked out what did I get myself into? - look on his face. He's quickly become an old hat at these rides, so we're unlikely to see that crazed look on his face again anytime soon.

And I believe that's us in the log. Only surprising thing is seeing Helen's jacket. Her typical strategy is to tuck herself entirely under the front of the boat so she doesn't get wet at all. I remember doing this when I was the little one on the ride many years ago. Now, I've ceded that beloved first position to her.

We're still solidly in the getting along phase of vacation, but after family camp and now a day at an amusement park, we're starting to get a little bit tired. Will the kids sleep on the flight to California? Stay tuned...

Elaine

Muscle Beach / Venice - Vacation Day 16

One of the stranger LA attractions we visited was the original site of Muscle Beach. Today's Muscle Beach is up the boardwalk about a mile in Venice Beach, but the remnants of the original remain. Muscle Beach (both the former and current) is a place where bodybuilders gather to build their muscles. Apparently, Arnold Schwarzenegger used to go here. And I'm sure you're already guessing that this was totally a place I could fit right in - being as I'm so loaded with muscles and all.

I don't know why this place kept making me laugh. Perhaps I was just delirious from all the travel at this point. Some of the equipment actually looked pretty fun - but there was no way I was going to wait in line and try it out- though I would still like to know if I could complete the rings/monkey bar obstacle. I settled on conjuring up my rope climbing skills from elementary school, and actually made it to the top. This impressed Connor greatly. Sadly, there is no photographic evidence of my feat. In fact, Connor and my father-in-law might have been the only people who saw it. But trust me, I was awesome.

Connor's attempt to climb a rope - it's harder than it looks, he reports.

I'm not actually sure what this piece of equipment was supposed to be used for, but it made an awfully nice balance beam.

Next time, she's going to actually try and climb!

By far, the best moment of the day was when we walked up the boardwalk to Venice Beach. It was supposed to be a 20 minute walk, but that time was clearly thought up by someone who was walking without two young children. We did eventually arrive at our destination, but we took a cab back to our car after we had lunch.

Street performers crowd the boardwalk at Venice Beach. At one point, I asked Helen if she had any tricks of her own. She came to an immediate stop, dropped to the ground, and did a front roll. Sadly, I didn't capture it on film, and it hurt her head, so by the time I had my camera ready, this was the best stunt she had for me - which was better than anyone else in the family. It drew applause from onlookers, although you can see in the background that Ed, Connor, and my father-in-law had no idea what was going on. Helen was laughing pretty hard about the whole thing, probably dreaming about what her life would be like when she became a street performer, and someone on the side of the road declared that she was "full of happiness". At this moment? It would appear so. At bedtime? Not so much.

After our workout and long walk, Helen collapsed in the sand.

 

Connor also collapsed, as he started showing signs of wearing down. We were all wearing down, in fact, and much of our conversation starting going like this:

 

C: Helen, quit it!

H: I'm not doing anything!

C: Yes you are!

Me: Both of you need to keep your hands to yourself and not look at each other.

H: I didn't do ANYTHING!

C: Yes you did, Helen, and you know you did.

 

And I started dreaming about coming home a few days early. The largest downside to a home exchange - which is what we did on this vacation - is that if you come home early, you're stuck in a hotel because somebody else is living in your home!

 

 

 

This particular night, a friend of mine from grad school met us at the house we were staying at and it was completely fantastic. Her two kids immediately started playing with Connor and Helen, which allowed Connor and Helen to put their energy into something besides bickering with each other. My friend and I attempted to procure pizza for everyone, but instead drove around in circles for a while with the top down on her new convertible. We should've gone to Vegas...

 

Elaine



San Diego - Part 1

After leaving Kansas, we flew to San Diego. Helen insisted on sitting next to me on the airplane which turned out OK since she decided to sleep most of the flight. Thank you for that gift, Helen. It allowed me to finish knitting enough of Connor's sweater to realize I will be lucky if the thing fits you. Vacation knitting project basically aborted. Even typing this three weeks later I'm in denial.

The first night, we went to La Jolla to see the sea lions hanging out. About 10 years ago, Ed and I went kayaking here, but our recollection was of a friend's kayak tipping trying to get over the surf, and we weren't about to attempt it with the little people in tow. So we picnicked on the cliff and enjoyed the view from a different angle than we had before.

Just for the record, this is Helen and Connor at the start of the California leg of our trip, thrilled to be traveling with each other. Spoiler alert: their feelings will change over the course of the next 2.5 weeks of travel.

We were off to a vacation with a lot of promise. The California coast is just amazing. Part of this vacation was about learning to use my relatively new camera. What a fun place to do it.

Elaine

Rock Springs Family Camp - Vacation Days 2 - 4

For many consecutive years, my parents headed off to K-State Family Camp with my sister and me. We rent to Rock Springs. Both of us could swear we went for a week at a time, but no, my parents insist, we went from Friday evening through Sunday morning - always over 4th of July. That's important because my sister and I have a lot of great memories from this camp. It makes me feel good about taking Connor and Helen to Chincoteague each year. If they lay down memories like my sister and I did, they should have some great ones to draw on later in life.

When my mom discovered that Rock Springs was open for family camp the weekend before my family was heading to California, we quickly checked plane flights and decided it would be the perfect start to our long vacation. And so it was that we flew to Kansas on a Thursday night, drove West a couple of hours on Friday and set in to relive my youth. My sister and her family joined my crew and my parents.

To give you an idea of what Rock Springs is like - it is old school family camp in the Midwest, in every sense of the definition. Archery, horseback riding, rifle range, cafeteria food, swimming, and fishing with grandparents. And Ed reports those rifles are "real guns, way more powerful than what they have at Boy Scout camp, legitimate rifles".

Connor and Helen had a blast. So did I. I think my extended family did as well. And that's a tall order - grandparents, 40'ish folks, teens, and my two youngsters. Give Connor a well-stocked pond and a grandfather who doesn't mind unhooking and throwing back fish, and you get a happy kid.

Connor can't remember if the fish was this big...

 

or if it was this big. Does it matter?

 

The cousins fed fish - and if you care to know, they bite if you touch them. Just ask Helen. Or her dad who warned her this would happen.

 

 

The adults went on a trail ride, but the under 8 crowd rode around the stable area.

 

Look Mom, nobody is holding the reins - not even me!

 

 

Look Mom, I'm bossing Dad AND the horse around!

 

A word of advice, do not mess with my children. Or my brother-in-law. He can actually hit the target. Hands down, he was the family's finest representative when it came to this activity. He even asked questions about whether the gun was "trued" or shot straight, or something technical like that. No, is the answer, yet he still managed to tear up the target with ease.

 

Yes, I can shoot a gun.

 

He can't aim, but he loves to shoot! My brother-in-law, on the other hand, actually knows what he is doing.

My time to shine was the archery range. Bulls-eye, multiple times. Connor even suggested that perhaps we ought to move to a wooded area and become meat eaters. Let's just say, when the revolution comes, we will be ready.

 

Photo lifted from my brother-in-law's blog - http://www.featherstonsinkansas.com/

And yes, I spent the weekend at Rocks Springs rocking pigtails.

I'm pretty sure they are all admiring my mad archery skillz.

Ed is not to be messed with either.

 

Grandma gets in on the action,

as does Grandpa.

After the archery range, we headed across camp for some canoeing. We sent the cousins off on a tour of the circular pond. Apparently Connor gets credit for most motivated paddler.

 

Mush, mush, mush!

Ed's attempt to win son-in-law-of-the-year and my sister's attempt to win daughter-of-the-year.

We had loads of fun, spent a lot of time laughing, and I really do hope we repeat this trip someday. My sister and I both figure this is a true parenting win for my parents - that we remember something so fondly from our youth that we want to do it again with our own children.

When Connor went to school on Friday to meet his teacher, we stopped by the office. He immediately started regaling the principal with tales of Rock Springs, complete with how he "SHOT A REAL GUN! AND MY MOM GOT A BULLSEYE - EVERY TIME". The principal was laughing along with him. Perhaps she'll consider adding archery and rifle range to the P.E. curriculum.

Elaine