What We Did:: Tenkiller 2011

Last week the girls were out of school for Fall Break, so Wednesday night we packed our van and headed east for our fourth annual Lake Tenkiller Trip!  We look forward to this trip all year knowing that we get to relax, be silly, and have fun!  Here are a few facts about what we did this year:

* We sat on the back porch every morning sipping coffee, enjoying the warmth from the chiminea, talking about anything and everything, and watching our kids play outside.

* We went down to the water to skip rocks and explore.

* We saw lots of deer.

* Every afternoon during nap time, the adults played some serious games of Boggle.

* We ate and ate and ate.....

* We found an awesome park and played for hours-- swings, teeter-totter, merry-go-round.

* We played hide and seek at the park and had SO MUCH FUN!  The trees provided the perfect hiding spots.  I don't think I have run that hard in a very long time.  

* We had our first annual family dance off (We danced to the eighties classic "You Spin Me Right Round" by Dead or Alive. Our costumes included lots of make-up, a hot pink prom dress, an eye patch, and side ponytails. It was awesome).

* We took a night ride in the Mule (ATV) and watched a storm roll in over the lake.

Due to the large amounts of fun being had, I didn't get to take a lot of pictures.  But here are a few to document that we were there.

Lucas stopping long enough for me to snap a photo

My family

Nikki and I

My new favorite photo of Hannah and Leah

We are already looking forward to our next trip!

Western Vacation Recap:: Days Nine and Ten

Day Nine was our last day in South Dakota.  In the morning we drove out to The Badlands, about an hour outside of Rapid City.  The Wimmers came with us, and I got to ride with Maria and chat the whole time which was so nice.  We are definitely kindred spirits!  Once we arrived, we stopped at a scenic turn-out to take in the rugged beauty of the area.  The Badlands were amazing.  So desolate, yet when closely examined, so full of color and interesting geologic patterns.  I haven't been to the Grand Canyon, but I assume it has the same "wow" factor. 

We saw signs for both rattlesnakes and rabid prairie dogs.  Thankfully we didn't encounter either!

So pretty!

Hannah

Our crew:  Leah, Papa, Hannah, Mike, Lucas, Me

Lucas and Cordelia got to know each other a little better! :)

Me and the beautiful Maria

We followed up our trip to the Badlands with a stop at Wall Drug.  Wall Drug started out as a drug store in the 1930's, but had a very slow start.  Once they advertised "free ice water for thirsty travelers" the business grew tremendously.  Now Wall Drug is a western store/park of supersized proportions.  We strolled around, played outside, ate lunch and enjoyed some of the free ice water.

Trying on some cowboy boots

Maria, Cordelia and I enjoying some free water, but not the "ice cold" water.  That, we discovered, was inside. 

After lunch, we had to say good-bye to our friends and to the State of South Dakota.  It was time to start heading south again.  We drove six hours until we were just too tired of being in the car which landed us in North Platte, Nebraska.  We found a Holiday Inn, ate dinner, visited the pool, then fell into our beds completely exhausted.  Day Ten was a ten hour day of driving through Nebraska, Kansas and into Oklahoma.  We passed cows and cornfields and not much else.  We did stumble upon a fantastic Mexican restaurant in the town of Anthony, Kansas, just a few miles from the Oklahoma border.  It was very authentic, not Tex-Mex, and after all the fast food we'd been eating on the road, it was a very welcome change.  We arrived home by 10:00 Sunday evening.

We feel so blessed to have been able to take such a fun, extended vacation, but the best part of it all was coming home to our cozy, comfortable house-- full of memories and stories to tell for years to come. 

I guess Dorothy got it right, "There's no place like home."

Western Vacation Recap:: Day Eight

Day Eight = BUSY!  We woke up in our Rapid City hotel and hit the ground running.  We decided to take another trip over to Mt. Rushmore.  Since it was rainy and near dark the night before, we wanted to see it in the full morning sunlight.  And it didn't disappoint!  We got a few good photos and then we walked the trail around the park.  The trail took us up to some scenic outlooks which were great for photos (I just had my phone, while Mike brought his nice camera).  We learned a bit about each president and stopped off at the sculptor's studio.  It was a very interesting and beautiful walk that we all enjoyed.

Entering the National Memorial

Stopping to rest

We explored a small cave

One more shot....

After our second Mt. Rushmore trip, we grabbed some lunch and headed to Dinosaur Park for a picnic lunch.  Dinosaur Park was built in 1936 as a WPA project at the top of a mountain overlooking Rapid City.  It was fun to play on and around the dinosaurs, and the view of the city was pretty stunning.

 Dinosaur overlooking city

Brontosaurus and T-rex

After lunch, we met up with our friends, The Wimmers!  They drove in from Casper, Wyoming so we could vacation together for a few days.  Maria is my good friend from Little Things are Big, and we met for the first time (after three years of blogging friendship) back in May when I flew to Casper to meet her.  She and her husband, Eric, and their beautiful daughter Cordelia took us to Storybook Island.  A fun, whimsical, FREE park in Rapid City where our kids ran wild playing in Snow White's castle, Peter Pan's pirate ship, and The Cat in the Hat's house.  So fun!

Leah in Captain Hook's ship

Hannah sitting still for her silhouette.  We had both girls' silhouette's done by a great artist who was cutting them out freehand!  We were impressed and they turned out very cute.

Maria and Me taking a magic carpet ride

Hannah as Snow White and Leah as Cinderella.  I tried to get Mike to be Prince Charming, but he declined.

The girls on a train ride through Storybook Island

Maria and I on a lovely giraffe

Mike and Me

photo by E.K. Wimmer

Riding off into the sunset on a unicorn

photo by E.K. Wimmer

Our fun-filled day ended with everyone eating dinner together at Chili's and then a walk through downtown Keystone, a full on tourist trap of souvenir shops and old-time photo booths and saloons.  It was great.  We all chatted and shopped and enjoyed the warm night air. 

Mike and Lucas and "Snake" in Keystone

photo by E.K. Wimmer

Our first full day in So Dak was a success!

Western Vacation Recap:: Day Seven

On Day Seven, we had to say good-bye to Granny's house, our friends, and beautiful Colorado.  From here were were going to make the six hour drive north to the great state of South Dakota!  We were all excited to make the trip because none of us had ever been to So Dak (a nickname dubbed by my good friend Maria). 

With our van packed up and ready to go, we came in to say our good-byes. 

Thank you, Helen for allowing us to stay in your home, for making us breakfast and dinner each day, and for your wonderful hospitality.  We love you!

The Reutlingers and The Galloways

L to R: Parker, Reed, Eli, Nikki, Marlee, Leah, Me, Lucas, Mike and Hannah

By ten o'clock we were on the road again, and within an hour we had crossed the state line into Wyoming.  We drove through the capital of Cheyenne and then proceeded up the east side of the state for a few hours.  Near the border of South Dakota, we stopped at a rest stop that appeared like a mirage out of the flat, sparsely populated plains.  It was a nice place to stretch our legs and play a bit. 

Playing in the "middle of nowhere"

Sweet pic of Hannah and Lucas

We crossed into South Dakota and the flat plains soon turned into the rolling Black Hills covered in Evergreens.  What a lovely change of scenery it was!  I would compare the area to the Smokey Mountains of Tennessee.  After another hour or so, we stopped in the town of Custer, South Dakota for dinner.  Afterwards we walked the streets of the quaint, old town.  Finally, another hour later, we arrived at our destination-- Mount Rushmore.  The sun was just beginning its descent, so we pulled in and decided to take a few pictures.

So amazing to look at!

The purple evening haze enveloped us, the air was cool, and drops of rain fell on us as we gazed up at the four presidents.  Lucas was glad to be out of the car and we all took a deep breath, wishing my mom could be with us in that magic moment. 

Western Vacation Recap:: Day Six

Our last full day in Colorado was truly spectacular.  We had been itching to really get up into the mountains, so we headed to Rocky Mountain National Park.  Our first stop was to hike around Bear Lake.  The 3 mile trail around the lake was so beautiful, and it was not too difficult for the little ones to keep up.  The lake was clear and calm, like glass, and was surrounded by the gorgeous Rocky Mountains.  We spotted chipmunks, birds, fish, and a mother duck with seven babies!  The weather was gorgeous-- even chilly in the shady spots, and the air felt crisp and clean. 

After our hike, we found a picnic area to eat the lunch we had packed earlier that morning.  And we followed that up with an incredibly scenic drive up to the Alpine Visitors Center.  We slowly drove up mountain roads that curved and twisted and turned.  The views out our van windows got more spectacular with each turn and soon we were over 11,000 feet above sea level!  We stopped at the visitor's center which felt like being at the top of the world.  The temperature was 50 degrees and the kids went to play in the snow.  I was really glad I had packed a jacket!  The kids returned pink-cheeked and cold, so we sat and enjoyed a cup of hot chocolate.  What a drastic change from the 100 plus temperatures we had been having back in Oklahoma!  I think our day at Rocky Mountain National Park was my favorite day in Colorado.  I much prefer the grandness of nature to the shiny tourist-trappings of theme parks. 

So beautiful....my photos just don't do it justice.

Me and a sleepy Lucas.  We had to wake him up from a nap to go inside the visitor's center.  Poor  little guy.

Me, Lucas, Hannah and Papa

Once again, I was so glad I had packed jackets!

After a full day outside spent hiking, walking and admiring the Rockies, we went home to do a few loads of laundry and repack our gear so we could hit the road and head to South Dakota the next day.  Get ready for more adventure on the open road!

Western Vacation Recap:: Day Five

We woke up on day five, ate a hearty breakfast, and headed out to Nikki's family's farmland about half an hour away.  There is a large pond on the property as well as a canoe, so we took turns going out on the water.  It was peaceful and serene, but hot!  We spent some time exploring, throwing rocks into the river, and riding four wheelers.  After lunch, we changed into our bathing suits and headed to the Loveland swim beach.  My poor, deprived children have never, ever been to an ocean!  And although this is a far cry from the Pacific, my kids have always wanted to play in the sand.  So this thrilled them beyond words.  They played, and swam and played until the swim beach closed for the evening. 

Behold!  Lake Loveland!

Checking out the water

I think I like it here!

Playing in the sand

Official beach baby

Hannah striking a pose

Determined to pack as much fun as we could into the day, we left the lake after the swim beach closed and headed to a nearby spray ground and park.  The kids spent another good hour just running around, climbing, swinging and laughing.  We were all pretty beat by the end of the day, so it was an early bedtime for everyone since we had one more day in Colorado to live it up!

Western Vacation Recap:: Day Four

Day Four of our trip started off with a drive to Estes Park.  Only 20 minutes away from Loveland, the drive was very scenic.  With each curve of the road the majestic Rockies boldly towered over us while a bubbling river whispered down below.  We were in awe of nature's beauty!  Once we arrived, we decided to go horseback riding.  It was busy at Sombrero Stables, so we had to wait and keep the kids entertained over an hour. While we were waiting, we asked the kids to say what name they hoped their horse would have.  Hannah hoped for Sugarfoot, Leah wanted Butterscotch, and Parker wanted Brownie.  Then Eli decided that we wanted a horse named, "Science! It's Everywhere!" We all got a good laugh out of that one!
Eventually there were enough horses for our group, and we saddled up.  And no, no horse was named Science!  It's Everywhere!  Instead we had  names like Mikey, Cherokee, Quarter, Gretchen, Lucy, Sarge and Black Bob. We headed up into the mountains, and the view was simply amazing-- snow capped mountains, distant lakes, and clear blue skies.  Lucas was so excited to ride a "neigh", but after waiting so long to ride, he fell asleep within five minutes after being on the horse.  Mike had to hold the reigns and deal with a sleeping two year old.  He eventually woke up and was quite surpried and pleased to find himself riding on a horse! 

A beautiful Estes Park view

After our horseback riding experience, we needed to eat some lunch and let our behinds rest a bit!  So we grabbed some food and found a picnic table near a river.  There was a playground nearby so the kids played while we sat and enjoyed the beauty of the area. 

Leah near the river

We decided to do a driving tour of downtown Estes after lunch.  I loved all the little shops and candy stores.  If I didn't have three kids to drag around, I could have done some serious shopping.  We even drove by the Stanley Hotel-- site of the infamous Jack Nicholson movie, The Shining.  "All work and no play make Jack a very dull boy!"

The Stanley

Redrum! Redrum!

Once we arrived back at Granny's house, we all took a nap, then showered and got ready to celebrate Nikki's birthday!  It was a crazy birthday week for our group!  Nikki's Granny treated our entire group to dinner at the amazing Cinzetti's Italian Market in Denver.  It was an all you can eat, Italian food buffet filled with amazingly fresh, delicious food.  I think I made five trips back and forth between the pasta, fresh salads, pizza, crepes, and desserts.  We were so stuffed!  We got back, put the kids to bed, and sat around talking late into the night.  A perfect end to a full day.

Western Vacation Recap:: Day Three/ Lucas Turns Two!

Day Three started off with a trip to the Benson Sculpture Garden in Loveland, Colorado.  It was nice to be outside in temperatures under 100 degrees (It was 112 here in Oklahoma City today FYI! Blech!).  Loveland is a sculpture town with many beautiful designs gracing street corners, businesses, and parks.  Benson Sculpture Garden was not only beautifully landscaped with brightly colored flowers, ponds and walkways, but with dozens of fun sculptures as well.  We stopped to inspect just about all of them, and our kids really enjoyed checking them out too!

Checking out a very tall giraffe sculpture

Group shot with the bear sculpture

Leah carefully inspecting nature

Hannah and Papa

Inspired by all the sculptures, we started creating human sculptures of our very own.

 I call this one, "Girls Playing With Flowers"

While this has the more dramatic title,"Pensive Gaze While Clinging to Brick Column"

Afterwards, we went to another local park to enjoy a small train ride.  Lucas was thrilled to get on a "choo choo" and we couldn't beat the 50 cent ticket price either!  Then the rest of the day was devoted to this little boy.....

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LUCAS!

We celebrated our boy's second birthday with a swimming party, cookout, cake, and presents.  Just the sort party this laid-back sweet boy deserved.  I am so grateful for him-- his smile, his gentle manner, his funny little laugh.  He is growing into an active, yet thoughtful little guy.  I can't imagine our lives without him!

 His Soccer Ball cake.  We couldn't find black icing, so green had to do.  Lucas didn't mind.

 Make a wish!

 The cake was yummy!

We love you Lukey Boy!