Not on Vacation

When Steve and I were first married and living in Texas, we vowed that trips to visit family out of town would never be called "vacation." If so, we feared we wouldn't ever take real get-away vacations. Thirteen years and six children later, it's getting more and more difficult to make those trips to see family and sneak in real vacations, too. This summer especially.

So... while we weren't officially on vacation, we recently returned from a week of fun in North Dakota where we visited Steve's mom and dad, aunts, uncles, and cousins.  We hung out on the farm where Steve grew up, and for our boys, this is as close to "vacation" as they will get this year.

We crossed endless expanses of prairie and farmland to make the two-day, fourteen hour drive.  To our amazement, the boys did pretty well in the backseat!  (Of course, it helps to load up on sugary and salty treats, portable electronics, and surprises from the dollar store.)  And while we had so much fun and adventure that the word "vacation" might come to mind, we are glad to be home.  Here's just a glimpse of our week:

The boys pose for a picture in Grandma's yard.  The boulder they're standing on was leftover from the glaciers of the ice age.


Zachy finds a sandy beach on the banks of the mighty Missouri River in Bismarck. 




Mark and cousin Alisyn, born just two weeks before him. 


Tubing fun thanks to Uncle Tim!
The boys celebrate the Fourth of July on the farm.

Joseph and Alex on a fishing adventure!


Sammy catches two fish at once (with the help of Aunt Jessie)! 


David looks for critters


The whole family on the homestead, less three siblings, two in-laws, and five cousins. 

I couldn't possibly load the hundreds of photos I took onto the blog, but I did upload my very favorites to showcase on Picasa.  Follow this link for a picture story of our fun-filled "not vacation"!

Comments

  1. Michele AgnewJuly 12, 2012 at 9:46 AM

    So sorry we missed you guys when you were here! Would loved to have caught up with you guys. Hopefully we can make it happen next year on your "non-vacation". By the way, I hear ya cluckin there big chicken! We don't get in any real family vacations either! ;)

    Love,
    Michele and Scott

    ReplyDelete
  2. StefenieJuly 12, 2012 at 5:52 PM

    Oh how fun! Looks like a "vacation" to me! ;)

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousJuly 16, 2012 at 9:04 PM

    Wish we could have been there when you guys were up there, but so awesome to see all the pics of the boys on the farm!
    -Nancy & Charles

    ReplyDelete

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