Summer Vacation 2013

So, as I mentioned, we had a whole week to be together as a family.  Truthfully, we could not have left the house and I still would have been thrilled with the week.  It is just so nice to have time away from work and away from stress, to just be together as a family of three (well, four if you count the dog, who accompanied us on our vacationing adventures).  

The first part of our vacation was in Galena, Il.  Galena is about three hours away from our house and it is a small, quiet town sort of in the middle of nowhere.  There is a cute cute downtown and lots of outdoor prettiness.  We rented a cabin that was built in the 1800's.  It had one big room and some stairs that led up to a bathroom and whirlpool tub.  It was absolutely perfect. As soon as I walked in, I ran back out to tell Carla that she was going to be in heaven and that we had found the perfect place.  The best part of the cabin was that it backed right up to a dairy farm and you could walk out the back door and visit the cows.  It was adorable.  Carla took Millie out to meet the cows and she absolutely loved them.  We then took the dog out to meet the cows and she loved them a whole lot less.

Anyway, we spent a lot of time going on family walks along the Galena River and through the trails in the nearby state parks. We walked around downtown.  We walked through a bunch of the shops.  We ate a LOT of candy (because in my mind, that is what you are supposed to do in small towns).  We hung out at the cabin.  We realized that in no way whatsoever, under no circumstances, does Millie want to sleep in a pack n' play.  We realized that she is willing to settle in for the night between the two of us on our bed.  And we just had time to relax and enjoy being together.  It was wonderful.

We came home on Thursday and spent the night at home and then on Friday we drove about an hour away from our house to join much of Carla's family on a camping trip.  It was wonderful.  Millie loves being outside and so during the day she truly enjoyed every aspect of the camping trip.  We hung out by the water while Carla's family was fishing.  We went on more walks.  We sat around the campfire. We sat around the campsite.  We ate.  A lot.  It was wonderful.

Again, the sleeping was not so wonderful.  Our two night camping trip turned into a one night camping trip because the first night, after sleeping for about thirty minutes, she woke back up and would not go to sleep.  It got so bad that Carla ended up taking Millie into the car and holding her the entire night, just so she could get some sleep.  So while we enjoyed the next day, we decided to head home in the evening.  It was a good decision for everyone involved.

We then had two more glorious days at home before Carla had to go back to work.  We had a chance to enjoy being home, visit with my family, see my best friend's new baby and just take some much needed time at home to relax.

It was an incredible week. Yes, traveling with an infant is not easy.  Yes, the nights made me wonder why we were doing this at all. But then, I look back at all that we did and the fun that we had and instead of thinking that I never want to do anything like that again, I just think about how excited I am to be able to do it again next year.

I will end with a few pictures from the trip because Millie is getting so big and that should be documented in as many places as possible!

The front seats were occupied by Carla and the dog

I got to ride in back with this delightful being

Here is our adorable cabin in Galena

And here is the view out of the back of the cabin

Millie meets her first cow

Millie was completely smitten with her new surroundings

We spent quite a bit of time hanging out as a family on the bed


And there was a whole lot of walking outdoors...

It was a most wonderful vacation and it was equally wonderful to be back at home and still have time to enjoy as a family.  It's how I know I am in the right place in my life.  We go on vacation and I love it, but coming back home is truly every bit as good.  

And lastly, my current favorite picture of our ever growing baby, because I just can't get enough of looking at it...