family vacation 2012

we had such a nice time on our family vacation to galena, illinois over the week of the 4th of july.  our trip was full of relaxing and quality family time!

we didn't have a rigorous schedule, and unlike our trip last year, once we arrived we settled into one little 'home' for the the trip and stayed there the whole time. 

it was a quaint little townhouse on the golf course and it was tucked back into a very gorgeous setting of trees.  

it didn't take hendrix long to unpack his toys and make himself at home.  

while he and daddy had fun checking out what was on tv,

mommy busily unloaded groceries into the fully equipped kitchen.  that was a wonderful blessing for vacationing with a toddler.....we only ate out a few times, and otherwise packed some lunches of sandwiches and fruit..... 

and ate nice large grilled meals!  yum ;)

i'm not sure if you can read it or not, but the thermometer above the grill reads a little over 100 degrees.  that was at 7 pm in the evening.

that was what the weather was like the entire time we were there.

as a result we had to alter our original plans to spend most of our time either swimming to stay cool, or enjoying inside activities.  

one of our days we headed to dubuque to enjoy the riverboat museum and aquarium.

hendrix really loved all the animals

there were lots of interactive games for kids,

and when presented with the option to touch a crab, he was too nervous!  he did show the lady his pincher hands though ;)  so cute!

he didn't really seem to be bothered by the heat as much as mommy was, and was overall a rockstar when i think about how flexible we forced him to be with his napping and bedtime schedule.  he would just dose in the car or stroller when he was tired, and was constantly wanting us to go exploring in a new space with him!

he has most definitely mastered the cheesiest. grin. ever.

there was a whole world of water play on the upper floor of the museum and hendrix had fun getting all wet, playing with boats, tunnels and bridges.  

so we were in downtown galena on the 4th....

we went to part of the parade (but really had to escape the heat in a restaurant as it was too warm and not shaded at all)

afterwards there was a band set up in the downtown area with a chunk of the streets blocked off for vendors and places to dance and play.  this little sprinkler that was set up in teh middle of the fun was a huge hit with the kiddos and hendrix soaked quickly and danced his little toosey off while making lots of new friends.

he is such a social little guy, and easily starts following other kids around.  fortunately these other big kids thought it was cute, and were thrilled to have a little tag-along.

all the dancing must have worn him out though, as a few hours later he fell asleep during the fireworks.  he dozed off in my arms right in the middle of the grand finale - and we were sitting pretty close, so it was really loud.  

we had a couple of other swimming options as there was a small pool just a few hundred yards from our townhouse that we could walk up to.  it didn't have a shallow part or any other child friendly perks, but it was water and it was wet.  that was plenty nice for a cooling dip after a long day.

then we had access to the members clubhouse through the territory association, and they just recently built a big, brand new water park with slides and splash fountains and the zero depth entry pool for kiddos.  we spent a day there swimming, and also enjoying the gameroom - hendrix thinks pool and arcade games are fun, as he just watches what everyone else does, scoots a chair over so he can reach, and joins in the fun!  ;)

it was fun to see my boys spending so much quality time together!

they did have a little beach area with sand.....but the water wasn't safe to swim in, so we didn't spend much time down there.  who wants to get all hot and sweaty with no place to cool off?

hendrix, of course!

other activities included some shopping, going to the movies to see madagascar 3, and mommy squeezing in a photoshoot for a fun family reunion (which was planned ahead of time!)

we all three took naps most days, and i made some serious progress on my fun reading list. ;)

we had a great time, and just soaked up every moment of enjoying our little family of three.  won't be like that much longer......

i just adore this dude, so much!