***This post is VERY picture heavy - continue at your own risk if you are on dial up!***
Monday:
We had picked up my niece the night before, so all three kids and I headed out about 9am. The drive went pretty well, we stopped twice, once for lunch around 11 and then again for a potty break and coffee about 2. We got to Spokane at 4:00, so it took us just about 7 hours. Not too bad! The kids did really well, they watched movies and listened to Ipods for most of the drive. Kami had sent us down a headphone splitter the week before we left, and headphones for the kids, so I had a few hours of quiet driving. By hour 6, my two were DONE with being in the car. They started squabbling and doing the "don't look at me" and "she/he is LOOKING at me" and "don't touch me" and "he/she is touching me!!" and it was pretty exhausting for everyone. Once we got to Mike and Kamis we had dinner and then took the kids to a park a few blocks away to get their pent up energy out. Mike and Kami just bought a house here, and its in such a nice neighborhood. Very family orientated, and it backs up to protected farm land, so the view is really pretty. The inside of the house is just beautiful, I am happy for them that they found such a great place! The kids were very excited to see them, Rowan especially seems to have a really great bond with Uncle Mike. I love this picture Kami took of Mike, Rowan and Sophia:
We settled in to bed about 10am, and I think the kids (and me!) were asleep within 5 minutes.
Tuesday:
Today we got up early and had breakfast, and then packed up lunch and swimsuits and headed to Idaho to go to a theme park called Silverwood. I have never been to a theme park before, so I didn't quite know what to expect....but this place topped anything I could have imagined!! We went to the littler kids area first, and Rowan and Sophia went on a kiddie Ferris wheel (Killian was too big):
And then we all went on the paratrooper which made Killian and Rowans "tummies tickle".
Mike and Killian:
Rowan up high!
Next we went to the Roaring Creek Log Flume, which was one of my favorite rides. The kids and I sat in a little wood log and bumped around a water filled channel before being pulled up to the top of a huge hill and dropped down the other side. I screamed like a little girl :) This picture isn't of us, but some other group going down the big hill:
Next we went on the kiddie roller coaster, to get ourselves ready for the big one. This was Rowans first coaster ride, and she loved it!
Killian and Sophia felt ready to try the big one, so we headed over to stand in line to ride the Timber Terror.
I have always wanted to go on a roller coaster, but have never had the opportunity to go on more than the small kid ones at the fair. I was nervous, but I knew if I didn't do it I would regret it forever. After waiting nearly an hour in line, Killian and I strapped ourselves in with Mike and Sophia right behind us.
Kami graciously offered to watch Rowan, who was VERY upset that she was too short to go on. She would have hated it! This coaster drops you 85 feet with speeds up to 55 miles an hour, and you go "weightless" 10 times on the ride. I felt every one of them and was screaming my head off through the whole ride. About 3/4 of the way through Killian was saying "I am done, I am done" and I couldn't have agreed with him more!! But - I am really glad we did it, even though it was scary and crazy and wild. Will I get on another one tomorrow?! Probably not. But maybe someday.....when Killian is big enough to be the one holding MY hand!!
We took a break for lunch and changed into our swimsuits to hit Boulder Beach, a water park attached to Silverwood. We had such a great time here, I wish that we would have had about 3 more days to play there. First we got inner tubes and rode their lazy river called Elkhorn Creek. It was very crowded, but fun. They had a float up bar!!! We didn't get to stop there with all the kids in tow, but next time for sure!!
Then we headed over to Toddler Springs; a play area with jets of water shooting every which way. I though for sure Rowan would hate this place, because she gets really upset if water gets on her face, but she loved it! There was a waterfall to stand over, jets shooting up into the air, and a bunch of other crazy things. We spent a lot of time there. Later we went into 1 of two huge wave pools they had. The kids got life jackets on and we waded out and jumped waves for about an hour. It was totally fun, Killian had a great time splashing around. We had wanted to go on some of the water slides, but the lines were so long that we didn't end up going on any. That was kind of a disappointment, but there is always next time. We had dinner, floated the lazy river again, and then headed back to Silverwood. I don't have any pictures of our time in the water park, because we didn't want to ruin our cameras. Next time I am going to buy a disposable waterproof camera to take with us!
We arrived back in Silverwood just in time for the final train of the night. The train ride goes through the park and then through the woods behind it.
Mike and I with Sophia in the background:
Kami and Sophia, looking pretty:
Then we pulled up to this spot in the woods that was an "old mining camp".
They said we were going to stop there for pictures, but suddenly two guys came out and did a hilarious skit, which ended with them robbing the train. They came up with their masks pulled up and their loot bags out, and everyone got to drop in some money. I didn't get a picture of the kids giving him their money, but here is Sophia with the bandit:
They were collecting money for a non profit children's foundation, and I thought it was pretty cute. The kids were a little worried at first though, Killian kept asking if it was real, and Rowan made sure that she hid her little jewel that she had just bought in the gift shop. She didn't want them to rob her!! Kami took a video of the shenanigans:
After the train ride, we had about 15 minutes before the park closed to rush over to one last ride. The kids had really wanted to go to the Antique cars, so we practically ran over there to get in line. Killian drove the car, and operated the gas pedal with Rowan as his co-pilot. There was a bumper down the middle of the track, so when the car started going off track, it would bump it back on. So he was actually doing the driving and he really loved it! I couldn't get a good picture because it was dark out by the time it was our turn to drive, but Kami got this one of Mike and Sophia:
We headed back to the cars for the hour and a half drive home, and fell into bed around 11, totally exhausted. Both the kids told me numerous times that this was the best day of their whole lives, which made me so happy. I love being able to do stuff like this with them, building memories that they will carry for their whole lives!!
Wednesday:
Today we took the kids to Cattails, a rescue for big cats and a couple bears. When Matthew and I went 3 years ago, it was really neat - we got to see a lot of big cats up close and they were all up and moving around. This year was a little bit of a disappointment - it was 102 that day so most of the cats were sleeping, and they had torn down about 4 of the enclosures. We did see a few cats lounging around:
But, there was one fun thing we did - Killian got to "hand feed" a Tiger! Notice his badge:
We paid $10 and they brought out a bag of meat (which we later found out was horse meat!) and Killian and I got to go behind the fence and up to the tigers cage. We were separated from the tigers cage by a wall of plexiglass, which made picture taking difficult, but safety first! The staffer would skewer a piece of meat and then pass it to Killian, who would then stick it through the hole in the plexiglass to feed the Tiger. Killian thought it was really cool, and had a big grin on his face the whole time. Here are some of the best pictures I got (you can click on them to get up close and personal with the tigers teeth!):
I loved these signs that were posted everywhere!
When we were done with that, we headed home and played inside the rest of the day. It had got to be pretty hot outside, and their house is air conditioned so it seemed the logical choice. Plus, we wanted to get rest because we had big plans for the following day...
Thursday:
Today we woke up all excited to go to a water park in Spokane called SplashDown. We got on our suits and drove there, paid our hideously expensive admission and headed over to our first slide, a two person ride down a twirly slide. On the way to the ride we saw a sign that said that there couldn't be a difference in weight of more than 75 pounds between riders. Which meant that the grown ups could go together, or the kids could go together, but an adult couldn't ride with a kid - which had been our plan. The kids were to scared to go by themselves, so we headed over to another section of slides...only to find out that Killian couldn't go with me, and that the other two kids were to scared to go. In a last ditch effort to convince them that the slides were not scary, we went over to the little puffer lagoon, a place with kid sized slides. It was a total bust here too - Killian was having fun on the slides, but there was no way to convince Rowan and Sophia that the slide was not going to somehow eat them, or otherwise cause major damage. At this point, we gave up on the day, and I sweet talked them into refunding our admission. Since we already had our swimsuits on, we headed out to the lake by Mike and Kamis house - this was a total hit, and saved the day! All the kids were happy to go in the water, and when they wanted a break they played on the sandy shore. It was a really nice lake area, and made me wish that we had a nice one like this near our home. There were lots of picnic tables and grassy areas, a playground, and clean bathrooms. We stayed there for a couple hours before heading home for dinner, tired but happy.
It was cold at first!
Mike, Rowan, Sophia, Me and Killian:
Kami and Rowan:
At night the kids would go outside and play bouncy ball with Uncle Mike, jump of the rocks leading up their walkway or we would go on a walk. They had a really fun time playing with Mike, trying to see who could bounce the ball the highest.
Rowan getting ready to super bounce!
My super bounce was so fast, you couldn't even see the ball!
Uncle Mike was unbeatable, no matter how hard they tried! It was really fun for them though, they got very creative with trying to outdo him. This was probably one of the highlights of the trip for them.
Our walks were really fun too, the area behind their house is all farmland, so its a quiet country road where the kids can run and play on the walk. We got silly with the weeds near the road, pretending to be hillbillies:
Friday:
Another big day for us. In the morning we headed to Riverfront park, which is a huge park right in the middle of downtown Spokane. A river runs through the city, and along it they had lots of green space and paths to walk, a carousel, a IMAX theater and a huge amusement ride area. There is also a waterfall and a gondola ride over it! We were all really excited for the day, and got our day pass bracelets and headed over to the rides. We had Kami's nephew Kameron with us for the day, and the kids were really excited to go on rides with him. We went on the Ferris wheel first, and then the younger kid went on an airplane ride while Killian and Mike went on bumper cars.
Rowan on her plane:
Killian and Mike on the bumper cars:
We all headed over to the bigger rides, and Mike and Killian went on the Spider together:
Then we did some tilt a whirls, and something called the Sizzler, which whipped you around in smaller circles, while the whole ride went in a larger circle. I went on it with Killian, and almost immediately regretted it - I get really sick on rides like that. That was my first and last ride, but Killian didn't inherit motion sickness from me and went on the spider, then the sizzler again, and then the tilt a whirl! We headed back to some tamer rides, bumper boats and a small train ride for the smaller kids.
Rowan in her yellow boat:
When we were done with that, we walked over to the carousel and then the garbage goat.
This is the cutest way to throw away trash that you have ever seen. You hit a button which starts a huge vacuum that opens in the goats mouth, so when you hold garbage up it sucks it into the mouth. The kids LOVE this and Kami and I had to keep searching through our purses for more and more trash.
The kids also loved the carousel, I think this was Rowans first time on one that she has been old enough to ride her own horse and really enjoy it:
Sophia, Kameron, and Mike:
Later, we checked out the red wagon slide that's in the park near the carousel. This is a huge replica of a Radio Flyer Wagon, with the handle being a slide. We stayed here for a good amount of time, the kids really loved climbing all over this thing!
There were monkey bars under the wagon:
Rowan on the blocks near the wagon:
Rowan taking and I taking a break:
The kids and I near the water, after feeding the geese:
Later we headed back towards the rides and had lunch, did a round of mini golf, and then headed over to the Gondola ride. In hindsight we should have done this first, because by the time we got there mid afternoon it was very hot out and the gondola cars have no circulating air. They had signs up everywhere warning people that it would feel like sitting in a hot car with the windows barely cracked - and they were right! It was only 15 minutes long, but we were all dripping in sweat and ready for some fresh air by the time it was over. We got some great pictures though, and the kids thought it was one of the best parts of the day!
Killian and I:
Killian and Row:
Rowan looking so cute:
The waterfalls - I couldn't believe this runs right through downtown! It was beautiful:
Once we got off the Gondola ride, we were all dying of heat, so we got shaved Hawaiian ice from a vendor and went on a train ride that took us through all of riverfront park.
The clock tower which was attached to an old train station:
What is remaining of the tent that was build for the world fair in 1974. It had been covered originally, but over time the cover has been destroyed, so all that remains is the frame. This is over the area with the rides and the IMAX theater.
On our way out of the park we came across a huge group of statues, running down the sidewalk. I couldn't resist having Killian pose with them:
After we finished up at the park, we drove to the fire station where Kami's dad works. The kids were walking around wide eyed and open mouthed at all the huge firetrucks and they got to sit in every one of them and try on Dave's (Kami's dad) helmet. I think we have some future firefighters!
Killian, Sophia, Mike, Rowan and Kameron, sitting on Daves ladder truck:
After the fire station we made one last stop at Fred Meyers to pick up some water toys for the next day, and then drove home. It was another late day, I think we were out and about for almost 10 hours!
Saturday:
Mike had to work today, so he left early and Kami and the kids and I had a lazy morning. When we finally got motivated around 11, we took the kids back to the lake. Today Rowan would have nothing to do with the water, so she spent most of her time playing in the sand at the waters edge. Killian and Sophia had new found confidence with their inner tubes, so they floated around most of the time, along with Kami and myself.
We had a really fun time, and spent a good 3 hours or so at the lake. As we were leaving we stopped to play at the playground on the way to the parking lot. Every time Rowan would go down the slide, her hair would stand straight up - Kami got a great picture of it:
We headed home in time to clean up for a BBQ we were having, with Kami's mom and dad, Grandma and her partner, and Kami's sister Sachi, her boyfriend and son. It was really fun to spend time chatting with them, I have only met them all one time, and that was 3 years ago for the wedding. They are a really hilarious family, and we had a great time together. The kids got a little bored with all the grown up talk though, and decided to have a water balloon fight. After Kami and I filled up a couple buckets with balloons, it was on!
Of course, it only takes a few minutes to go through all those balloons, so they also spent some time "parachuting" off the rocks that line the walkway. It was fun to watch them, I remember when I was that age thinking that the next jump was going to be the one where my parachute really worked and I would float gently down to the ground. Unfortunately, it still doesn't work that way, but the kids had a fun time trying:
Some cute pictures of Mike and Rowan:
When the BBQ was over, we got the kids into bed and then Kami taught me how to crochet! Staying up and chatting with Kami was one of my favorite parts of the trip. Every night when the 3 kids were asleep, we would get our laptops, cheese and crackers and a drink and settle in for some good times. We facebooked together, tended our online farms together, and just chatted the night away. This was the first time since we have known each other (probably 6+ years) that we have ever had the chance to sit and talk, just the two of us. I really enjoyed it, Kami is hilarious, and we discovered that we have a lot in common. I cant wait for them to come stay with us for a few days this fall so we can continue with our cheese and cracker tradition late night tradition! But, back to crochet....Kami had recently taught herself how to do it, and made me a beautiful lap blanket to take with me to the hospital when I had surgery in February. She graciously offered to teach me how on the trip, and Saturday was the first night we were both up to it. It was REALLY frustrating!! I just could not get where my hands should be figured out, and the yarn kept getting tangled and I was feeling ready to give up. I decided to try one more time...and got it! Soon I was crocheting the night away, and although my little sample isn't perfect, its enough to inspire me to take a class this month to learn everything I need to know. I am really excited, I am looking forward to taking the kids to pick out yarn and make them some blankets this fall. Maybe even some Christmas presents too, depending on how good I get!
Sunday:
Our last day. Mike had to work again today, and I think everyone was feeling a little bummed out. We slept in, and ran a few errands, but mostly hung out at home and got packed up. When Mike got home he sat down with the kids to make some neat little flashlights out of Altoids tins....this is right up Mikes alley, lots of wires and circuits and stuff.
Mike had to finish them up for the kids, but they were really excited about them! Who else can say they have a flashlight made out of an Altoids tin??
One of the first nights we were at Mike and Kamis we had gone out on a walk, and on the way back Killian threw a dirt clod at a speed limit sign. All of a sudden a HUGE owl flew down off the telephone pole next to the sign and out into the field. He had been there the whole time, but we hadn't seen him. So every day the mission was to check the telephone pole multiple times a day to see if the owl came back, and to get a good picture of him. We saw him a few days later, but were in the middle of something and by the time we could make it outside, he was gone. On our last night we had success!! We saw him sitting on the pole, and everyone dropped what they were doing and bolted to the door. We crept up on him, taking pictures of him and admiring his beauty. I think it was a great horned owl - he was really big and sat watching us watch him for a long time before flying off. What an amazing site, the kids were so thrilled to have been that close to a real live owl!
Kami go this one of him swiveling his head around:
The kids went to bed early on Sunday, and so did Mike and Kami, they both had to get up at 5:45am for work the next morning. It was a sad night knowing that we were going to be leaving the next morning. We did a lot of neat stuff, had a lot of laughs, and really had a great time. We usually don't get to see Mike and Kami very often, maybe once or twice a year if we are lucky. And the last time they were here was when I was in the hospital, so that visit wasn't much fun for anyone! Well, except the kids because Mike and Kami took them all sorts of neat places, but for us grown ups it was mostly sad and stressful. So getting the chance to spend this time with them really meant a lot to me, I want to make it a priority to see them more often. But I was also happy to be going home, I missed Matthew SO much. Other than the hospital stay, we have never been apart for more more than a night, and he has never been separated from the kids for this long. So it had been really hard on all of us, the kids kept saying how much fun daddy would have had doing this or that, and you could tell they really missed him. We all laughed and really thought of daddy when Kami saw this restaurant sign:
I was missing my garden and chickens too, and just ready to get back home to my own bed. I am sure Mike and Kami were ready to have their house back too! So early to bed we went, ready to hit the road Monday morning.
Monday:
We got up at 6 and had the car loaded up and we were on the road by 7:15. I was feeling really motivated to get home, so while we stopped twice like we did on the way up, it was just for a quick potty break and stretch and then we were back on our way. The kids did really well again, a few minor squabbles, but that's to be expected with such a long ride. Thank goodness for Ipods and portable Dvd players. Even with the extra stop to drop Sophia off in Vancouver, we made it home in just about 6.5 hours. We were all so excited to be back, and waited anxiously for the next few hours for Matthew to get home.
We had such a great trip, and I really hope that things work out that Matthew can go back up with us next year. I really want to take him to Silverwood, I know he would love it as much as we did. Kami and I talked about trying to work it so that we went up there twice a year, and they came down here twice a year. I really hope we can figure that out because it would be great to spend time with them more often. Hurray for great vacations, and much loved family time!
Of course we had to do a silly version. I love my family!
***I have to give photo credit to Kami for at least half of these photos - between the two of us we took almost 1500 pictures the week of our vacation! Thanks for helping me capture the memories Kami****
Monday:
We had picked up my niece the night before, so all three kids and I headed out about 9am. The drive went pretty well, we stopped twice, once for lunch around 11 and then again for a potty break and coffee about 2. We got to Spokane at 4:00, so it took us just about 7 hours. Not too bad! The kids did really well, they watched movies and listened to Ipods for most of the drive. Kami had sent us down a headphone splitter the week before we left, and headphones for the kids, so I had a few hours of quiet driving. By hour 6, my two were DONE with being in the car. They started squabbling and doing the "don't look at me" and "she/he is LOOKING at me" and "don't touch me" and "he/she is touching me!!" and it was pretty exhausting for everyone. Once we got to Mike and Kamis we had dinner and then took the kids to a park a few blocks away to get their pent up energy out. Mike and Kami just bought a house here, and its in such a nice neighborhood. Very family orientated, and it backs up to protected farm land, so the view is really pretty. The inside of the house is just beautiful, I am happy for them that they found such a great place! The kids were very excited to see them, Rowan especially seems to have a really great bond with Uncle Mike. I love this picture Kami took of Mike, Rowan and Sophia:
We settled in to bed about 10am, and I think the kids (and me!) were asleep within 5 minutes.
Tuesday:
Today we got up early and had breakfast, and then packed up lunch and swimsuits and headed to Idaho to go to a theme park called Silverwood. I have never been to a theme park before, so I didn't quite know what to expect....but this place topped anything I could have imagined!! We went to the littler kids area first, and Rowan and Sophia went on a kiddie Ferris wheel (Killian was too big):
And then we all went on the paratrooper which made Killian and Rowans "tummies tickle".
Mike and Killian:
Rowan up high!
Next we went to the Roaring Creek Log Flume, which was one of my favorite rides. The kids and I sat in a little wood log and bumped around a water filled channel before being pulled up to the top of a huge hill and dropped down the other side. I screamed like a little girl :) This picture isn't of us, but some other group going down the big hill:
Next we went on the kiddie roller coaster, to get ourselves ready for the big one. This was Rowans first coaster ride, and she loved it!
Killian and Sophia felt ready to try the big one, so we headed over to stand in line to ride the Timber Terror.
I have always wanted to go on a roller coaster, but have never had the opportunity to go on more than the small kid ones at the fair. I was nervous, but I knew if I didn't do it I would regret it forever. After waiting nearly an hour in line, Killian and I strapped ourselves in with Mike and Sophia right behind us.
Kami graciously offered to watch Rowan, who was VERY upset that she was too short to go on. She would have hated it! This coaster drops you 85 feet with speeds up to 55 miles an hour, and you go "weightless" 10 times on the ride. I felt every one of them and was screaming my head off through the whole ride. About 3/4 of the way through Killian was saying "I am done, I am done" and I couldn't have agreed with him more!! But - I am really glad we did it, even though it was scary and crazy and wild. Will I get on another one tomorrow?! Probably not. But maybe someday.....when Killian is big enough to be the one holding MY hand!!
We took a break for lunch and changed into our swimsuits to hit Boulder Beach, a water park attached to Silverwood. We had such a great time here, I wish that we would have had about 3 more days to play there. First we got inner tubes and rode their lazy river called Elkhorn Creek. It was very crowded, but fun. They had a float up bar!!! We didn't get to stop there with all the kids in tow, but next time for sure!!
Then we headed over to Toddler Springs; a play area with jets of water shooting every which way. I though for sure Rowan would hate this place, because she gets really upset if water gets on her face, but she loved it! There was a waterfall to stand over, jets shooting up into the air, and a bunch of other crazy things. We spent a lot of time there. Later we went into 1 of two huge wave pools they had. The kids got life jackets on and we waded out and jumped waves for about an hour. It was totally fun, Killian had a great time splashing around. We had wanted to go on some of the water slides, but the lines were so long that we didn't end up going on any. That was kind of a disappointment, but there is always next time. We had dinner, floated the lazy river again, and then headed back to Silverwood. I don't have any pictures of our time in the water park, because we didn't want to ruin our cameras. Next time I am going to buy a disposable waterproof camera to take with us!
We arrived back in Silverwood just in time for the final train of the night. The train ride goes through the park and then through the woods behind it.
Mike and I with Sophia in the background:
Kami and Sophia, looking pretty:
Then we pulled up to this spot in the woods that was an "old mining camp".
They said we were going to stop there for pictures, but suddenly two guys came out and did a hilarious skit, which ended with them robbing the train. They came up with their masks pulled up and their loot bags out, and everyone got to drop in some money. I didn't get a picture of the kids giving him their money, but here is Sophia with the bandit:
They were collecting money for a non profit children's foundation, and I thought it was pretty cute. The kids were a little worried at first though, Killian kept asking if it was real, and Rowan made sure that she hid her little jewel that she had just bought in the gift shop. She didn't want them to rob her!! Kami took a video of the shenanigans:
After the train ride, we had about 15 minutes before the park closed to rush over to one last ride. The kids had really wanted to go to the Antique cars, so we practically ran over there to get in line. Killian drove the car, and operated the gas pedal with Rowan as his co-pilot. There was a bumper down the middle of the track, so when the car started going off track, it would bump it back on. So he was actually doing the driving and he really loved it! I couldn't get a good picture because it was dark out by the time it was our turn to drive, but Kami got this one of Mike and Sophia:
We headed back to the cars for the hour and a half drive home, and fell into bed around 11, totally exhausted. Both the kids told me numerous times that this was the best day of their whole lives, which made me so happy. I love being able to do stuff like this with them, building memories that they will carry for their whole lives!!
Wednesday:
Today we took the kids to Cattails, a rescue for big cats and a couple bears. When Matthew and I went 3 years ago, it was really neat - we got to see a lot of big cats up close and they were all up and moving around. This year was a little bit of a disappointment - it was 102 that day so most of the cats were sleeping, and they had torn down about 4 of the enclosures. We did see a few cats lounging around:
But, there was one fun thing we did - Killian got to "hand feed" a Tiger! Notice his badge:
We paid $10 and they brought out a bag of meat (which we later found out was horse meat!) and Killian and I got to go behind the fence and up to the tigers cage. We were separated from the tigers cage by a wall of plexiglass, which made picture taking difficult, but safety first! The staffer would skewer a piece of meat and then pass it to Killian, who would then stick it through the hole in the plexiglass to feed the Tiger. Killian thought it was really cool, and had a big grin on his face the whole time. Here are some of the best pictures I got (you can click on them to get up close and personal with the tigers teeth!):
I loved these signs that were posted everywhere!
When we were done with that, we headed home and played inside the rest of the day. It had got to be pretty hot outside, and their house is air conditioned so it seemed the logical choice. Plus, we wanted to get rest because we had big plans for the following day...
Thursday:
Today we woke up all excited to go to a water park in Spokane called SplashDown. We got on our suits and drove there, paid our hideously expensive admission and headed over to our first slide, a two person ride down a twirly slide. On the way to the ride we saw a sign that said that there couldn't be a difference in weight of more than 75 pounds between riders. Which meant that the grown ups could go together, or the kids could go together, but an adult couldn't ride with a kid - which had been our plan. The kids were to scared to go by themselves, so we headed over to another section of slides...only to find out that Killian couldn't go with me, and that the other two kids were to scared to go. In a last ditch effort to convince them that the slides were not scary, we went over to the little puffer lagoon, a place with kid sized slides. It was a total bust here too - Killian was having fun on the slides, but there was no way to convince Rowan and Sophia that the slide was not going to somehow eat them, or otherwise cause major damage. At this point, we gave up on the day, and I sweet talked them into refunding our admission. Since we already had our swimsuits on, we headed out to the lake by Mike and Kamis house - this was a total hit, and saved the day! All the kids were happy to go in the water, and when they wanted a break they played on the sandy shore. It was a really nice lake area, and made me wish that we had a nice one like this near our home. There were lots of picnic tables and grassy areas, a playground, and clean bathrooms. We stayed there for a couple hours before heading home for dinner, tired but happy.
It was cold at first!
Mike, Rowan, Sophia, Me and Killian:
Kami and Rowan:
At night the kids would go outside and play bouncy ball with Uncle Mike, jump of the rocks leading up their walkway or we would go on a walk. They had a really fun time playing with Mike, trying to see who could bounce the ball the highest.
Rowan getting ready to super bounce!
My super bounce was so fast, you couldn't even see the ball!
Uncle Mike was unbeatable, no matter how hard they tried! It was really fun for them though, they got very creative with trying to outdo him. This was probably one of the highlights of the trip for them.
Our walks were really fun too, the area behind their house is all farmland, so its a quiet country road where the kids can run and play on the walk. We got silly with the weeds near the road, pretending to be hillbillies:
Friday:
Another big day for us. In the morning we headed to Riverfront park, which is a huge park right in the middle of downtown Spokane. A river runs through the city, and along it they had lots of green space and paths to walk, a carousel, a IMAX theater and a huge amusement ride area. There is also a waterfall and a gondola ride over it! We were all really excited for the day, and got our day pass bracelets and headed over to the rides. We had Kami's nephew Kameron with us for the day, and the kids were really excited to go on rides with him. We went on the Ferris wheel first, and then the younger kid went on an airplane ride while Killian and Mike went on bumper cars.
Rowan on her plane:
Killian and Mike on the bumper cars:
We all headed over to the bigger rides, and Mike and Killian went on the Spider together:
Then we did some tilt a whirls, and something called the Sizzler, which whipped you around in smaller circles, while the whole ride went in a larger circle. I went on it with Killian, and almost immediately regretted it - I get really sick on rides like that. That was my first and last ride, but Killian didn't inherit motion sickness from me and went on the spider, then the sizzler again, and then the tilt a whirl! We headed back to some tamer rides, bumper boats and a small train ride for the smaller kids.
Rowan in her yellow boat:
When we were done with that, we walked over to the carousel and then the garbage goat.
This is the cutest way to throw away trash that you have ever seen. You hit a button which starts a huge vacuum that opens in the goats mouth, so when you hold garbage up it sucks it into the mouth. The kids LOVE this and Kami and I had to keep searching through our purses for more and more trash.
The kids also loved the carousel, I think this was Rowans first time on one that she has been old enough to ride her own horse and really enjoy it:
Sophia, Kameron, and Mike:
Later, we checked out the red wagon slide that's in the park near the carousel. This is a huge replica of a Radio Flyer Wagon, with the handle being a slide. We stayed here for a good amount of time, the kids really loved climbing all over this thing!
There were monkey bars under the wagon:
Rowan on the blocks near the wagon:
Rowan taking and I taking a break:
The kids and I near the water, after feeding the geese:
Later we headed back towards the rides and had lunch, did a round of mini golf, and then headed over to the Gondola ride. In hindsight we should have done this first, because by the time we got there mid afternoon it was very hot out and the gondola cars have no circulating air. They had signs up everywhere warning people that it would feel like sitting in a hot car with the windows barely cracked - and they were right! It was only 15 minutes long, but we were all dripping in sweat and ready for some fresh air by the time it was over. We got some great pictures though, and the kids thought it was one of the best parts of the day!
Killian and I:
Killian and Row:
Rowan looking so cute:
The waterfalls - I couldn't believe this runs right through downtown! It was beautiful:
Once we got off the Gondola ride, we were all dying of heat, so we got shaved Hawaiian ice from a vendor and went on a train ride that took us through all of riverfront park.
The clock tower which was attached to an old train station:
What is remaining of the tent that was build for the world fair in 1974. It had been covered originally, but over time the cover has been destroyed, so all that remains is the frame. This is over the area with the rides and the IMAX theater.
On our way out of the park we came across a huge group of statues, running down the sidewalk. I couldn't resist having Killian pose with them:
After we finished up at the park, we drove to the fire station where Kami's dad works. The kids were walking around wide eyed and open mouthed at all the huge firetrucks and they got to sit in every one of them and try on Dave's (Kami's dad) helmet. I think we have some future firefighters!
Killian, Sophia, Mike, Rowan and Kameron, sitting on Daves ladder truck:
After the fire station we made one last stop at Fred Meyers to pick up some water toys for the next day, and then drove home. It was another late day, I think we were out and about for almost 10 hours!
Saturday:
Mike had to work today, so he left early and Kami and the kids and I had a lazy morning. When we finally got motivated around 11, we took the kids back to the lake. Today Rowan would have nothing to do with the water, so she spent most of her time playing in the sand at the waters edge. Killian and Sophia had new found confidence with their inner tubes, so they floated around most of the time, along with Kami and myself.
We had a really fun time, and spent a good 3 hours or so at the lake. As we were leaving we stopped to play at the playground on the way to the parking lot. Every time Rowan would go down the slide, her hair would stand straight up - Kami got a great picture of it:
We headed home in time to clean up for a BBQ we were having, with Kami's mom and dad, Grandma and her partner, and Kami's sister Sachi, her boyfriend and son. It was really fun to spend time chatting with them, I have only met them all one time, and that was 3 years ago for the wedding. They are a really hilarious family, and we had a great time together. The kids got a little bored with all the grown up talk though, and decided to have a water balloon fight. After Kami and I filled up a couple buckets with balloons, it was on!
Of course, it only takes a few minutes to go through all those balloons, so they also spent some time "parachuting" off the rocks that line the walkway. It was fun to watch them, I remember when I was that age thinking that the next jump was going to be the one where my parachute really worked and I would float gently down to the ground. Unfortunately, it still doesn't work that way, but the kids had a fun time trying:
Some cute pictures of Mike and Rowan:
When the BBQ was over, we got the kids into bed and then Kami taught me how to crochet! Staying up and chatting with Kami was one of my favorite parts of the trip. Every night when the 3 kids were asleep, we would get our laptops, cheese and crackers and a drink and settle in for some good times. We facebooked together, tended our online farms together, and just chatted the night away. This was the first time since we have known each other (probably 6+ years) that we have ever had the chance to sit and talk, just the two of us. I really enjoyed it, Kami is hilarious, and we discovered that we have a lot in common. I cant wait for them to come stay with us for a few days this fall so we can continue with our cheese and cracker tradition late night tradition! But, back to crochet....Kami had recently taught herself how to do it, and made me a beautiful lap blanket to take with me to the hospital when I had surgery in February. She graciously offered to teach me how on the trip, and Saturday was the first night we were both up to it. It was REALLY frustrating!! I just could not get where my hands should be figured out, and the yarn kept getting tangled and I was feeling ready to give up. I decided to try one more time...and got it! Soon I was crocheting the night away, and although my little sample isn't perfect, its enough to inspire me to take a class this month to learn everything I need to know. I am really excited, I am looking forward to taking the kids to pick out yarn and make them some blankets this fall. Maybe even some Christmas presents too, depending on how good I get!
Sunday:
Our last day. Mike had to work again today, and I think everyone was feeling a little bummed out. We slept in, and ran a few errands, but mostly hung out at home and got packed up. When Mike got home he sat down with the kids to make some neat little flashlights out of Altoids tins....this is right up Mikes alley, lots of wires and circuits and stuff.
Mike had to finish them up for the kids, but they were really excited about them! Who else can say they have a flashlight made out of an Altoids tin??
One of the first nights we were at Mike and Kamis we had gone out on a walk, and on the way back Killian threw a dirt clod at a speed limit sign. All of a sudden a HUGE owl flew down off the telephone pole next to the sign and out into the field. He had been there the whole time, but we hadn't seen him. So every day the mission was to check the telephone pole multiple times a day to see if the owl came back, and to get a good picture of him. We saw him a few days later, but were in the middle of something and by the time we could make it outside, he was gone. On our last night we had success!! We saw him sitting on the pole, and everyone dropped what they were doing and bolted to the door. We crept up on him, taking pictures of him and admiring his beauty. I think it was a great horned owl - he was really big and sat watching us watch him for a long time before flying off. What an amazing site, the kids were so thrilled to have been that close to a real live owl!
Kami go this one of him swiveling his head around:
The kids went to bed early on Sunday, and so did Mike and Kami, they both had to get up at 5:45am for work the next morning. It was a sad night knowing that we were going to be leaving the next morning. We did a lot of neat stuff, had a lot of laughs, and really had a great time. We usually don't get to see Mike and Kami very often, maybe once or twice a year if we are lucky. And the last time they were here was when I was in the hospital, so that visit wasn't much fun for anyone! Well, except the kids because Mike and Kami took them all sorts of neat places, but for us grown ups it was mostly sad and stressful. So getting the chance to spend this time with them really meant a lot to me, I want to make it a priority to see them more often. But I was also happy to be going home, I missed Matthew SO much. Other than the hospital stay, we have never been apart for more more than a night, and he has never been separated from the kids for this long. So it had been really hard on all of us, the kids kept saying how much fun daddy would have had doing this or that, and you could tell they really missed him. We all laughed and really thought of daddy when Kami saw this restaurant sign:
I was missing my garden and chickens too, and just ready to get back home to my own bed. I am sure Mike and Kami were ready to have their house back too! So early to bed we went, ready to hit the road Monday morning.
Monday:
We got up at 6 and had the car loaded up and we were on the road by 7:15. I was feeling really motivated to get home, so while we stopped twice like we did on the way up, it was just for a quick potty break and stretch and then we were back on our way. The kids did really well again, a few minor squabbles, but that's to be expected with such a long ride. Thank goodness for Ipods and portable Dvd players. Even with the extra stop to drop Sophia off in Vancouver, we made it home in just about 6.5 hours. We were all so excited to be back, and waited anxiously for the next few hours for Matthew to get home.
We had such a great trip, and I really hope that things work out that Matthew can go back up with us next year. I really want to take him to Silverwood, I know he would love it as much as we did. Kami and I talked about trying to work it so that we went up there twice a year, and they came down here twice a year. I really hope we can figure that out because it would be great to spend time with them more often. Hurray for great vacations, and much loved family time!
Of course we had to do a silly version. I love my family!
***I have to give photo credit to Kami for at least half of these photos - between the two of us we took almost 1500 pictures the week of our vacation! Thanks for helping me capture the memories Kami****