One More Vacation Post

June is almost over, and here I am still writing about our time in Wisconsin. What else have we done this month?

• We put up a bigger pool in our backyard.
• Aaron has tennis lessons twice a week for a month and is really liking it.
• Braylen and Kaleb are mowing 6 lawns this summer, and I am their manager. :)
• We've been to the lake of course, where we go water skiing, knee boarding, tubing, and fishing.
• We visit the library at least twice a week. My boys were good sports and folded origami cranes at one of the programs. I learned Kaleb does not like origami.
• Piano lessons in the summer? Yes. When it works out.
• Meetings, doctor appointments, and more meetings...my boys frequently ask me, "Now where are you going?"
• Another mysterious rash for Aaron has me stumped. Is it the sunscreen? The public pool? The sun exposure? Agh!
• One visit to the public pool and we realized we prefer our backyard pool this summer.
• Their love for Star Wars is reignited, so we are watching it and they are playing with their figures and legos again.
• Listening to audio books in the car and at home helps to pass the time.
• We played in the river one afternoon and at our friends' farm another afternoon.

And then Aaron tells me today that he never gets to do anything fun with me. All I do with him, he says, is drive around in the minivan all day. Or I am working, he wants to play with me, and I am too busy. Ouch! I can see where he's coming from. I feel much busier this summer than other summers. Maybe it's the extra lawns or the new pool. Maybe it's because the kids are older. Maybe it's because Derek's job changed and we are all still adjusting to that. I don't know. But I do know that I don't want to look back on this summer and wonder, "Did I ever relax and have fun with my kids?" I want to play and laugh and draw with chalk and swim in the pool and do crafty projects and just be with my kids. Tonight as I snuggled Aaron at bedtime I asked him if he had a good day. Despite my busy schedule, I tried really hard to be intentional with my time. He told me, "It was the best day I've had in a while, Mom. I'm really glad I went to the store with you. I wouldn't have any cheese puffs, Squirmles, or pudding if I didn't go." Hmm. Not sure how to take that, but at least he went to bed happy. :)

So, here's a recap of our last 2 days in the Dells. The girls shopped downtown for fudge...yum! (I just finished my last piece today.) Then Derek and I shopped for souvenirs with the kids in the rain. After lunch at our resort, we went to an indoor theme park and drove go-karts, climbed a rock wall, did a ropes course, rode a Ferris wheel, and played laser tag. I have pictures somewhere, but not downloaded, so the few from Derek's phone will have to do.

All suited up for the ropes course! It was scarier than I thought. Of course our kids handled it just fine. I was so nervous! I followed my Dad through the whole thing and felt SO relieved to be back on the ground when we were done.

Kaleb climbing up! After the ropes course I said no to the rock wall.

Stretch Aaron!

Braylen reached the top!

Derek beat Braylen's time, but not by much. :)

Since it was Amber's birthday, we had a special supper at Paul Bunyan's restaurant. I didn't know what to expect, but it was the best chicken and ribs I have ever had. Served family style made it even better. We all sang to Amber and she and Will blew out her candle. Again, pictures are somewhere, just not here!

That night all of the boys (except Will) went back to the theme park and played laser tag until it closed at 11pm! The 6 of them bonded in ways only they understand, and it made my heart oh so very happy to see that happen. Aaron drew a map of the laser tag course and showed me their strategies. :) I believe that experience will be something they remember for a long time.

The next morning we packed up our things and checked out of our resort. I took a few pictures right before we left. Nobody wanted to leave.

Aaron's bunk

Braylen in the doorway of his room

Kaleb :)

Bye Bye Sunset Bay

We stopped at Sandy Beach Resort to walk around in our memories for a while before driving home. After all, the whole reason we gathered together in Wisconsin Dells for vacation was because of all the summers we spent there as a family--a perfect setting to celebrate Mom and Dad's wedding anniversary. I am blessed in more ways than I can count. Thank you, my dear family, for such an amazing time together this month. And for all of the years we spent here, I will remember them always. :) My kids even fed bread to the ducks, just like I did every year when we left! (And it was usually rainy/cloudy, just like this.)

Sarah and Eric near the fishing piers

Behind us is our raft we played on for hours and months and years, I'm sure. :)

We stayed here in cabin #1 the most.

We played lots of ping pong here with Dad throughout the years.

Happy 40th Anniversary, Mom and Dad! You are the reason we took this trip!

Daddy & Aaron holding hands on the drive home

I sure do love these boys!

Water Day

While I enjoyed every day of our vacation, Tuesday was probably my favorite day. We spent the rain-free morning on the beach with our boys. It was quiet and it felt like we had the place to ourselves. We spent time on the lake in the rowboat and then by kayak. I spent lots of time sitting on the dock taking it all in. If I closed my eyes and listened to the sounds on the water, it took me back in time. Watching all 3 boys plus Derek paddle around in those kayaks was entertaining for sure. :)

Kaleb is rowing our boat :)

A view of our resort from the water

Derek gives the boys kayak lessons, while Braylen reminds us he's done this in California before. :)

There they go!

Crashing with Daddy! :)

Aaron smiled so big in his kayak.

One of my favorite pictures of Kaleb and Braylen

When we were done at the lake, we came back to our room and the boys wanted to play in the small splash pad below our balcony. I realized it was a perfect place to wash off all the sand. :) They played out there for a long time, and I fixed lunch while listening to their laughter. It was really great.

Then I looked outside and saw what they were planning to do--send Aaron down the little water slide on the rocking horse. Yikes!

Derek and I did not allow that to happen. We wanted everyone in one piece so we could go to the water park after lunch!

We splurged on tickets to Kalahari's indoor water park and I am so glad we did. We met the rest of our family there for a fun-filled day in the water. By now it was raining outside, so this was the perfect day to spend at a huge indoor water park. We paired up and attacked the water slides, wave pool, lazy river, and indoor/outdoor hot springs. For most of the afternoon it was Derek & Aaron, Braylen & Kaleb, Eric & me, and Mom & Dad. (Amber and Will were taking naps.) Some of my favorite parts of this day were spent with my brother and my parents. For a while the 4 of us went on water slides together, and it was like old times. :) I loved it. Later on in the day I think I paired up with just about everyone in our group. Mom and I really liked relaxing in the hot springs outside. It felt so good!

My favorite water slide looked like a huge toilet bowl. The first part of the slide was an enclosed tube, and then it dumped me into a big funnel-shaped "bowl" where I swirled around a few times and then dropped down the middle into a deep pool. Derek liked one of the slides where you ride on a boat with 1 or 2 other people. It's like a water-propelled roller coaster. Kaleb and Braylen were the first ones to brave the speed slides. You stand up in a small capsule, put your hands behind your head, and after a countdown the floor drops out from beneath your feet! You plunge into a crazy-fast drop slide and it is freaky!!! I went with Kaleb on his second time and the attendant pulled me aside and told me, "He's doing much better this time. Last time he came up for this ride he was shaking from being so scared." Yay, Kaleb!!! I'm so proud of him for conquering his fear and having fun!!! Braylen was a great encourager. :)

By supper time we were all starved, so we went back to our resort for pizza from Pizza Pub. I think there was 1 piece left when we were done. Yum! Since Kalahari was open until 9:00, we went back for more fun in the water. Kaleb wanted to play on some of the kiddie slides with Will. Eric took this great picture of the two of them having fun together.

Cousins

One of Aaron's favorite things to do at Kalahari was go surfing. He is fearless! The water pressure for this surfing "ride" was off-the-charts-high. If he turned just a bit sideways, the water shot him up to the top of the hill as if he was an empty pop can. And it wasn't just Aaron--big people were flung up the hill like they were light as a feather, also. But our little Aaron loved it. He got better and better each time he tried it. Braylen took some pictures for me and I'm so thankful he did.

Aaron the body surfer

Wheee!!!

We all went to bed that night exhausted, but happy. I think the boys slept until 10:15 the next morning. Good thing vacations are made for fun and sleeping in. :)

Since today is June 21st, Derek and I are celebrating our 16th anniversary. Sweet 16 years with Derek as my husband. :) The best gift we received came yesterday, with a report from Aaron's neurologist. At this appointment we learned his 24 hour EEG in April showed absolutely no seizure activity--active or suppressed--and as the doctor said, "Aaron is completely normal." Wow!!! We give God all the praise and glory!!! We decided to decrease his Depakote dose and check his blood levels in a month. I am thankful for many, many things on this day. Pam sent me this verse in a text last night and I think it's a perfect way to wrap up this post.

Psalm 9:1 "I will praise you, O Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonders."

All Together in Wisconsin Dells

When my brother suggested we meet in the Dells this summer to celebrate our parents' 40th wedding anniversary, I thought, "Why didn't I think of that?" :) Although we took other vacations as kids, Wisconsin Dells was the only place we returned to year after year. What a perfect place to return to as a family--a much larger family than our original family of 4.

All Together :)

When Eric and I were kids, we stayed at Sandy Beach Resort in the Dells every year for 10 years or so. In many ways, we grew up there. Our grandma came with us too, which I thought was really fun. To this day if I leave a wet towel on my bed I can hear her tell me, "Sarah, don't leave your wet towel on the bed!" I did that to her (not on purpose) all the time. I'm pretty sure that was a pet peeve of hers. :) We made so many memories there throughout the years. But most of all, to me it was a place to play in the water for an entire week. Swimming, diving, paddle boats, canoes...I loved it all. I had a vacation friend who came with her family the same week we did every year. Her name was Kate. We lost touch after our weeks together in the Dells. I have no idea where she is today.

My dad and me in a canoe in 1984. I turned 8 years old that summer.

Sarah & Kate, 1987 (I am the tan one on the left :)

As I write this post I am having a hard time deciding whether to write about the past or the present. Can you tell? :) We took our time driving there last week, stopping at a restaurant for dinner and not fast food in the car. That never happens--ever. Usually we are all about getting to where we are going. But this time it just felt right. Pizza Ranch in Stewartsville, Minnesota had great food.

Our kids added two new states to their lists of states they've visited, putting all of them in double digits now. :) We stayed at a Hampton Inn in Onalaska, WI our first night. That way we could wake up and arrive in the Dells mid-morning. I am so glad we did, because our first day there was the only day we had really nice weather. We made the most of it and went mini-golfing, rode on a Duck, and drove some go-karts. We planned to meet up with the rest of my family later in the day.

We let them out to play golf, don't worry. :)

I think we all got at least one hole-in-one at Pirate's Cove!

This is a Duck. It travels on land and on water. Like a duck. Ha!

From the Duck we saw the sights.

Kaleb sat with me.

This is a view of Sandy Beach from the Duck. Not much has changed. :)

See the roller coaster and gaudy gigantic horse behind us? Those things were not there the last time I was there! I also didn't have a husband and 3 kids--one being taller than me--so I guess it's okay that some things have changed. :)

The go-karts the kids and Derek rode were pretty lame. If I could do it over again, we would have gone to Big Chief Go Karts for sure. But since our kids drove some go-karts at an indoor amusement park later in the week, it made up for this experience. :)

At least they are smiling!

We checked into Sunset Bay Resort and met up with everyone else. Yay! We had dinner at Buffalo Phil's, where the food is delivered on a train. You can't tell from the pictures, but we had some over-tired kids by this time. Let's just say we got our temper tantrums out of the way early in our trip. :)

Thank you Uncle Eric for these pictures. Aaron and Kaleb, cutest buffalo I've ever seen.

My happy dad and my Braylen

After dinner we decided to walk around downtown. One thing my mom wanted to do was take an Old Time photograph. Everyone was in good spirits, including my 2 year old nephew, so we did it! We had so much fun trying on clothes and hats. We chose the Classic Western theme, so the boys held pistols and rifles while the ladies held a parasol, fan, or flowers. I wish I could post the picture, but I'm pretty sure it's copyrighted and that would not be right. We took a photo similar to this one when I was about 10 years old and my mom held a parasol. I thought it would be fitting if I held the parasol this time. The kids all did great and looked like little western studs.

At the corner of Superior and Broadway downtown. Aaron is behind Derek. Eric is behind the camera!

We treated Mom and Dad to some ice cream before turning in for the night. We all had ice cream with them of course. :) Back at our resort we had plenty of room in our suite. Aaron was thrilled to get a top bunk bed, Braylen got his own queen bed in his own room, and Kaleb settled for a bottom bunk without any complaints. I went to bed with a happy heart, knowing we had several more days together in this fun place called Wisconsin Dells. More to come next time. :)

Fun With Family & Friends

Before getting into our vacation pictures and stories, I don't want to forget about the fun Memorial Day weekend we had! (Even though our vacation was really fun and I can't wait to highlight it!)

Derek and the boys wanted me to go 4-wheeling with them, and since I like being included in their fun, we loaded up on Friday to ride some trails. It was windy and warm and the trails were dusty! But we had a great time. :) Kaleb rode with me, Aaron rode with Derek, and Braylen rode by himself. Our time on the trails was just perfect for me, although my boys (all 4 of them) would tell you they wanted to stay out longer!

This is our "before" picture. Afterwards we were covered in dust!

See?

Aaron took a turn driving when we were done with the trails. I love the photo-bomber (Braylen) in this picture, tee hee. :)

We spent the night at the cabin with Grandma and Grandpa, which is always a fun time. :) Being there allows Derek to truly relax, and that is worth so much to us. I don't think he does much relaxing there, though. He's always tinkering with something outside. So when I asked him to sit down with me for a bit and watch our boys skid their bike tires in the gravel street, guess what happened to him? After sitting still for a minute or so, a bird flew over and pooped on his hand! I guess he's just not meant to sit still!

On Saturday we spent the day on the boat. The water temp was 65 degrees, so we did not get in. The kids caught some fish--2 for Braylen, 2 for Kaleb, and 3 for Aaron. I read a book. If I can't be in the water, you will find me reading. :)

Kaleb is my lounging buddy.

Aaron and his drum fish

Aaron caught this small walleye. Smallest one I've ever seen.

Kaleb doesn't like to fish. He only likes to catch. :)

Braylen's turn!

More family joined us for supper on Saturday, and it felt good to be getting into the summer swing of things at the cabin. Braylen stayed there the rest of the weekend with Grandma and Grandpa, but the rest of us went home Saturday night. We had a fun day planned for Sunday, but I am glad Braylen got to stay behind. He caught lots of fish the next day, including the biggest bass he's ever caught! We saw the most beautiful sunset on our way home. Pictures don't do it justice, but thanks to my SIL Pam, I have a few anyway!

On Sunday we met some friends at their farm for a fun afternoon and evening. It was a fun gathering, made extra special because our friends K and C are brothers, and their wives K and A are such good friends to Pam and me. The 8 of us understand what it's like to be family and friends, all in the same town. :) So, what fun things did we do that day? The kids played in the water, we took turns with the jet skis, and after a delicious meal the dads drove the kids around in go-karts. I think my boys want to live on a farm when they grow up. ;)

Derek gave Kaleb a lesson, and then Kaleb went out alone.

I think Kaleb would drive a jet ski every day, all day, if we would allow it!

Derek and I took turns driving Aaron around. I love how the boys' hair gets spiked while riding a jet ski.

One thing I'm doing this summer is staying up too late...and it looks like I'm doing it again tonight. Agh, it's so hard to get the boys in bed before 10. Tonight I left Kaleb and Aaron's room at 9:40 and when I checked on them at 10:45 they were still awake. What's a girl to do? Stay up late anyway and work on her blog. :) It's summer, after all!