TOP TEN Highlights...

of our first (ever) family vacation!
WARNING: extra long blog post ahead, read at own risk!
10. Mini Golfing

This was a first for both girls.  It was, as you might imagine, a little tricky to actually pay attention to the course (that was my excuse for being whomped) but it really was fun. Note Piper's fancy one handed putting below.

This was 'take two' the following day (we had free passes, otherwise we may not have subjected ourselves to it again). 


9. Not Cooking
Need I say more?

8. Beaching It

Local friends of ours tipped us off to this quaint little beach.  The girls had a blast (and isn't my husband hot!).

7. Staying at a Cabin
We stayed at a great little cabin while vacationing in Hayward, WI. The cabin was fantastic - we fished off the dock in our jammies, had bonfires every night lakeside, and the girls got to share a room! It took a little practice, but the conversations heard between the two of them in bed were priceless, even if it did mean less shuteye overall. Below is our Hadley, the ever entertainer, leading Piper in her own story time early one morning.
















6. Fishing
We caught roughly 20 sunfish and 1 bass right off our dock or from the little row boat.  Surprisingly, the only thing that fell in the lake was a sunhat, and was carefully rescued by Kyle.  We did end up with a few extra bugbites, and Hadley added to the number of places she has now gone to the bathroom (off the end of the row boat, hehe).

5. Visting with Friends
Kyle's good friend, Ryan (and wife Mary), from chiropractic school practice up in Hayward, and we were lucky enough to join them for an evening on their 'farm'.  The girls LOVED spending time with their sons Lucas & Simon, holding baby chicks, and even riding on a horse. (Simon is missing from the picture below, he was catching a little snooze.)

4. Bonfires

We had a bonfire nearly every night.  Kyle and I even hooked headlamps onto our hats one night so we could read by firelight.  I won't include that picture...           D O R K Y! The girls especially enjoyed roasting (and eating) marshmallows.






3. Eating Ice Cream EVERY Day

Yep, you read it right...EVERY day! If you asked Hadley prior to vacation and even now upon return, this would be her number 1 highlight! She even got to have her first ever cone all by herself.

 
2. FEEDING Animals
We hit up Wilderness Walk on our first full day of vacation, and was it ever a good stop for the girls.  You have GOT to take your kids there!  Its this incredible zoo like place where the kids can actually feed many of the animals.

Who's smile is bigger?  Seriously, this amazing 15 point buck came charging right towards us, causing Piper to leap into the stroller and Hadley & Kyle to run for some corn.









That camel nearly inhaled her little hand.  While Hadley proved just how brave she has become this summer, Piper was quick to want to be held, but certainly enjoyed it all.

And then there was the day at the beach...We were all casually playing in the sand, when we suddenly noticed fish swimming right up to shore in the crystal clear water. Not just a few fish, but hundreds of tiny sunfish! We had SO much fun feeding them between our feet (Piper kept saying, "That's my leg, little buddy!"), that we returned the next morning to do it again.

1. Family Time

We could not have been more blessed with the time spent together as a family. We experienced more adventure, laughter, and love than we could have even hoped for.