Our First "BIG" Family Vacation!
I know what you're thinking with a title like that.....first big family vacation? Didn't you guys just go to Florida last Christmas? Yes you are correct. However, this would be the first family vacation we have done with my side of the family - all 19 of us!! This past weekend my parents, sisters and their families and my family all traveled to Omaha, Nebraska! We have talked about doing something like this - but had never gotten it done. After loosing TJ - I have realized now more than ever, how important family is and decided we needed to put our talk into action. So our Labor Day weekend vacation was planned. Since we have kids in three different schools now - we all decided we were on our own for Friday. With the hot weather our boys got out early (1:00), so Jon and I picked them up from school and left from there. We arrived in time to hang out at the water park. We stayed at the Ramada with Coco Key Water Park! It had a lazy river, five water slides (3 larger ones), a "baby" area, basketball pool and another pool with those floating things and the rope above it. I was pleasantly surprised (when I got in the water for the first time) that it wasn't freezing! Which I know on a hot day would have been nice - but I prefer to swim in water that is similar to bath water! My older sister, Tonya, and her family arrived before us as did my parents so they were already in the water park when we headed down. The boys all had a good time playing together. I enjoyed the lazy river and the slides with my sister! After swimming we headed off to Fuddruckers for supper - very good burger joint! My younger sister, Jeana, showed up just right around the time we were done with supper.
Saturday morning we awoke early to have breakfast all together. Our hotel didn't have continental breakfast, so we brought breakfast with us. We met in Mom and Dad's room for donuts, breakfast sandwiches, fruit, muffins, cinnamon rolls, juice and devotions. After clean up we headed to the Omaha Zoo! We were there from the time it opened to the time it closed and still didn't see it all. I guess that's what happens when you have 11 kids 13 and younger (with 9 of them being boys)! They had an extra exhibit - Dinosaurs Alive! Our nephew Gavin LOVES dinosaurs, so we thought it would be fun to take him to go see these creatures. He was taken back by the realness and size of them - I just hope we didn't scare him too bad! After our time at the zoo we headed back to the hotel for more swimming! We ended up ordering pizza in for supper and planning our next day together.
Sunday morning we again had breakfast all together and then we went in two different directions. My older sister and her family headed for home while the rest of us headed to a Wildlife Safari Park. We were bummed they couldn't join us, but thankful for the time we did get to spend with them. So this safari said it had elk, white tailed deer, bison, wolves, bears, bald eagles and cranes. Well, once again Gavin LOVES as he calls them "buck deer." I couldn't wait to see what he was going to do when we saw all these animals. Once we got in - we did some rearranging of cars and we were off. Anthony and Carson rode with my Mom and Dad. Will, Charlie, Lane and Hannah rode with Jeana and Jason. And Jon and I got Gavin!! I was so excited! He had bought binoculars the day before at the zoo just for this safari! I tell you what that kid has quite the eye. He was seeing things I wasn't seeing. He sat on my lap for awhile since the car has bucket seats in the front - and then we let him stand on the counsel to stick his head out the sunroof! You should have seen his eyes light up! I tell you that was worth it right there! That kid is so funny! Anyway, we had a good time - we saw everything but the "buck deer", but that's ok - because that's all we see around here! To see the bears and wolves you had to get out of your car and go on a hike - we did and saw them both!! After the safari ride was over we grabbed some lunch and headed to the Strategic Air and Space Museum. Although it was pretty cool - it was a lot of reading and not a lot for the kids to do (partly because some of their things for kids was at the Nebraska State Fair). We headed back to the hotel to let the kids play in the arcade for a little while and then we headed out for supper. We decided on The Longhorn - not the restaurant in Barnes City - but a very nice steakhouse! It was YUMMY!! After supper we headed to the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge for a walk. It was lit up at night and at one point on the bridge you can have one foot in Iowa and the other in Nebraska. It was nice! Since it was so late we all headed for bed!
Monday we decided to sleep a little bit until the water park opened back up and swam until we needed to check out. Then it was off to Perkins for our last breakfast together. After some excitement there - we all went our separate ways and eventually back home. We headed back and took the kids to a movie in Pleasant Hill. Jeana and her family headed back and stopped at Bass Pro on the way home. My Mom and Dad went to Sheplers (a western clothing store), Orange Leaf and then to a place that used to feed out some of my Dad's cattle.
I do believe (and I'm speaking for myself - so I hope everyone else thinks the same) we all had a GREAT time and survived our first vacation! I enjoyed our time together. I often think that we feel like our lives our too busy to stop and enjoy time together with family. But to me - life is too short to pass by on these opportunities. We are unsure of how long we have on this earth - why not spend some of the time you have with those that you love. I sure do hope that we can do this again - maybe even make it an annual thing - not necessarily to Omaha - but just some time together, away from it all!!! Wish I could share all of my photos with you, but that would take forever. Instead enjoy some of the pictures!
Saturday morning we awoke early to have breakfast all together. Our hotel didn't have continental breakfast, so we brought breakfast with us. We met in Mom and Dad's room for donuts, breakfast sandwiches, fruit, muffins, cinnamon rolls, juice and devotions. After clean up we headed to the Omaha Zoo! We were there from the time it opened to the time it closed and still didn't see it all. I guess that's what happens when you have 11 kids 13 and younger (with 9 of them being boys)! They had an extra exhibit - Dinosaurs Alive! Our nephew Gavin LOVES dinosaurs, so we thought it would be fun to take him to go see these creatures. He was taken back by the realness and size of them - I just hope we didn't scare him too bad! After our time at the zoo we headed back to the hotel for more swimming! We ended up ordering pizza in for supper and planning our next day together.
Sunday morning we again had breakfast all together and then we went in two different directions. My older sister and her family headed for home while the rest of us headed to a Wildlife Safari Park. We were bummed they couldn't join us, but thankful for the time we did get to spend with them. So this safari said it had elk, white tailed deer, bison, wolves, bears, bald eagles and cranes. Well, once again Gavin LOVES as he calls them "buck deer." I couldn't wait to see what he was going to do when we saw all these animals. Once we got in - we did some rearranging of cars and we were off. Anthony and Carson rode with my Mom and Dad. Will, Charlie, Lane and Hannah rode with Jeana and Jason. And Jon and I got Gavin!! I was so excited! He had bought binoculars the day before at the zoo just for this safari! I tell you what that kid has quite the eye. He was seeing things I wasn't seeing. He sat on my lap for awhile since the car has bucket seats in the front - and then we let him stand on the counsel to stick his head out the sunroof! You should have seen his eyes light up! I tell you that was worth it right there! That kid is so funny! Anyway, we had a good time - we saw everything but the "buck deer", but that's ok - because that's all we see around here! To see the bears and wolves you had to get out of your car and go on a hike - we did and saw them both!! After the safari ride was over we grabbed some lunch and headed to the Strategic Air and Space Museum. Although it was pretty cool - it was a lot of reading and not a lot for the kids to do (partly because some of their things for kids was at the Nebraska State Fair). We headed back to the hotel to let the kids play in the arcade for a little while and then we headed out for supper. We decided on The Longhorn - not the restaurant in Barnes City - but a very nice steakhouse! It was YUMMY!! After supper we headed to the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge for a walk. It was lit up at night and at one point on the bridge you can have one foot in Iowa and the other in Nebraska. It was nice! Since it was so late we all headed for bed!
Monday we decided to sleep a little bit until the water park opened back up and swam until we needed to check out. Then it was off to Perkins for our last breakfast together. After some excitement there - we all went our separate ways and eventually back home. We headed back and took the kids to a movie in Pleasant Hill. Jeana and her family headed back and stopped at Bass Pro on the way home. My Mom and Dad went to Sheplers (a western clothing store), Orange Leaf and then to a place that used to feed out some of my Dad's cattle.
I do believe (and I'm speaking for myself - so I hope everyone else thinks the same) we all had a GREAT time and survived our first vacation! I enjoyed our time together. I often think that we feel like our lives our too busy to stop and enjoy time together with family. But to me - life is too short to pass by on these opportunities. We are unsure of how long we have on this earth - why not spend some of the time you have with those that you love. I sure do hope that we can do this again - maybe even make it an annual thing - not necessarily to Omaha - but just some time together, away from it all!!! Wish I could share all of my photos with you, but that would take forever. Instead enjoy some of the pictures!
All the grandkids in birth order: Carson (13), Michael (9), Anthony (9), Lane (8), Paul (8), Will (7), Joel (6), Charlie (5), Gavin (4), Nathan (2), Hannah (1) (TJ would have been 12 this year - now you can understand our craziness when we get together)!!
Everyone on the train!
This is why we didn't get to see all of the zoo! The boys and their distractions. Here they are trying to get a Prairie Dog!
I LOVE this picture - it's kind of hard to see. But here we all are looking at one of the dinosaurs and see the little orange over by the trees? That's Gavin! He didn't want to get too close - it just made me laugh!
Gavin looking out the sunroof!
Jeana, Mom and I "being" elk!
Cousins. We are right next to the wolf! (can't see it in this picture)
The night we went out to supper at The Longhorn - we told them that we had some birthdays coming up. So, they made birthday sundaes for Charlie (on the 8th) and Dad (on the 28th). We also have Nathan's birthday on the 21st.
This is one view of the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge. My camera didn't want to take pictures to show it's beauty. :(
Here the boys are one foot in Iowa and another foot in Nebraska!
The boys sleeping after a LONG day!
Comments
Post a Comment