Vacation Week Two (aka: picture overload)

After we left our dear friends in Indianapolis we spent the entire second week of our vacation in Wisconsin.  From Indy we drove to Sheboygan, WI.  It's right on Lake Michigan (which the girls kept calling the 'ocean') and there's a fabulous hotel with a waterpark.  We planned our stop in Sheboygan because, as much as we LOVED being with family and friends, we also wanted a day to be just our family of five.  The indoor waterpark was a big highlight for the girls. We had to remind them to eat and drink while we were there because time just evaporates when you're having THAT much fun!

The boardwalk in front of the hotel on the lake

 Our hotel room was an "aquarium" with bunk beds and a tv just for the kids

 The Indoor waterpark! 

 My favorite shot of Skylar

 Reagan loved it!

Bailey wasn't too sure at first.  Just through those windows....Lake Michigan.  So beautiful!

This was her favorite part!

 The girls after six hours of playing in the water.

 Taking a walk outside before we left

 Skylar was exhausted from playing (but at least I got a sweet shot out of it).

 We left Sheboygan and headed north to my cousins' house in Merrill. They have chickens.  And kittens.  And horses.  And a tire swing. The girls were in heaven!

 It was SO beautiful and relaxing (and hard to leave).  

We went back down south to Milwaukee for the wedding that started the planning of this whole trip. 

We even squeezed in a visit with some Virginia friends that happened to be vacationing in WI too!

 Our first experience with real frozen custard.  YUM! We definitely enjoyed all the food Wisconsin had to offer.  Best cheese, sausage, bratwurst, and custard we've ever had. We should have planned the wedding at the beginning of our trip because my dress barely fit by the end!

 The girls checking out the golf course at the rehearsal.

 The wedding day! 

My handsome man got to wear a tux!

 The girls danced late into the night at the reception.  I love this one of Skylar.  She was having so much fun just jumping up and down to the music!

 Dancing with daddy....

Headed home from a whirlwind vacation!

It was truly the trip of a lifetime for all of us.  We're grateful for all the family and friends that made it do-able by opening their homes.  We had a blast! Someday I'll catch up on the laundry.  :)

I heart my water babies!

I had planned to do a recap of the last part of our big trip but instead decided to link up with the photo challenge over at Iheartfaces! I couldn't resist when I heard the challenge was "water."  One of my favorite photos from our trip was at at a waterpark in Wisconsin.  Skylar had SO MUCH FUN! Right after I snapped this shot, she said, "Mommy, my cheeks hurt from smiling so much! But it's ok!"

This one is SOOC.  I didn't want to mess with pure joy!

Head on over to I Heart Faces and see other "water" shots!

a re-cap of week one

Today is the first day in over a month that we have nothing planned.  It feels wonderful!
I'm still getting caught up from our vacation, but our crazy post-trip week is over.  We've had dental visits, doctor visits, a day trip to San Diego, a baby shower, dog grooming, and Brian and I celebrated our 10th anniversary.  Whew! It's no wonder the girls slept until 9am today. :)

Don't worry, I won't bombard you with 700 photos from our trip but I would love to share my favorites from our first week.  We had a lot of "firsts" for the girls and made tons of memories.  They saw deer, caught fireflies (we don't have lightning bugs in CA), among other things.

We started our trip in Tennessee visiting Brian's parents and brother and sister in law (and niece and nephews).

The girls playing on Pop Pop's tow truck

The girls got to ride on the four-wheelers with their "big cousins" for the first time (and LOVED it!)

At the Discovery Center

Bailey with cousin Ethan (I love his reflection in the pool!)

Bailey amazed at the air tunnel at the Discovery center

The girls in front of Aunt Kimber's incredible hydrangeas

The girls with MomMom and PopPop at Cracker Barrel (another first)!

 After leaving Brian's family in southwest Tennessee, we went in to Nashville to see my aunt and uncle. Aunt Sharon took us to the Nashville Zoo.

 From Nashville, we left and went to our friends' house in Indianapolis.  On my birthday.  My wonderful friend Rachel made delicious brownie cupcakes (and a host of other yummy food all weekend).  Then we went to the Indy Zoo.

The girls got to pet a shark....

And act like monkeys...

Then we got to play with fireworks (something we are not allowed to do in our city). Brian showed the girls how to light five sparklers at a time.  

After we spent time with our friends in Indy, we moved on to Sheboygan, WI.  

But that starts our second week.....

Recovery

We just returned from an amazing family vacation.  It was wonderful but I'm tired.  I have some major catching up to do (laundry anyone??), and something planned for each day this week.  I'm not sure what I was thinking!
I plan to give a synopsis of our trip but in the meantime, I thought I'd share a couple pictures.

On Lake Michigan in Sheboygan, WI

On my cousins farm in Merrill, WI

Trust me...there are 698 more pictures where these came from!