Grandparent Camping at Bent Trout

We just got back from our annual camping trip with Auntie and the grandparents. I'm basically dumping duffel bags into the washer, pulling stuff out of the dryer, and putting it back into duffels because we are heading north again this coming weekend. I currently feel like my second jobs are laundry and packing. I'm quite the pro.

However, all that packing and laundry is well worth it because we are having so.much.fun this summer. Our camping trip with the grandparent segment did not disappoint and we have the bug bites to prove it! Everyone needed a shower (or two) when we got home - including Yogi - so you know we did it right.

See the OG of these three here

We left around 10:30 Friday morning and with a few minor delays for traffic, lunch, and DVD player repairs, we arrived at Bent Trout campground early afternoon. Gma and Gpa N, Gpa V, and Auntie were already there. The kids happily ran around checking things out, playing with the puppies, and exploring the playground and beach area. Once everyone was settled and Auntie's tent was pitched, we put our suits on and headed for the beach.

Last year, our camping trip was soooooooo hot! This year, the kids only lasted about an hour in the lake before they were ready to go because it was kind of chilly - and definitely windy. Auntie and I did get all three kids to swim out to the swim raft with us and they all were so brave and jumped off. After three perfect jumps, Dec suddenly got the yips (and subsequently learned what "the yips" are ...) - but I managed to coax him in one last time. After the beach, we played some games, did some batting practice, ate dinner, stayed up late, and capped off the night with rainbow flames and s'mores.

The next morning, we ate breakfast at our favorite place - Gpa's deck. The kids ate bagels and fruit. Then Gpa gave them a donut for their second breakfast. Then they went and had scrambled eggs with Gma and Gpa for breakfast three. If you think that lunch was then a bust, you are wrong! Gma and Gpa J arrived shortly before lunch to day camp. Gma brought her famous potato salad and between lunch and dinner, she left with an empty bowl and we all had happy tummies!

After lunch, it was back to the beach. We were so hot at our site and looking forward to getting into the lake. Then, we got to the lake, the sun hid behind a cloud, and the wind picked up. We had fun - but everyone got cold pretty quickly. The kids did enjoy the wooden swing with Grandma while Auntie and I swam across the lake ... which was almost exactly the same size as the bay at the cabin (x3). Before we called it a day at the lake, Auntie and I took Q and D out in the paddleboat. They both desperately wanted to pedal - but weren't quite tall enough.

The big treat for everyone was Saturday's snack. The girls had taken a cupcake decorating class earlier in the week and we had two dozen exquisitely decorated cupcakes to share. They were a huge hit and all the grandparents were sufficiently impressed by their skills. And they should have been - the girls did a great job!

After snack, Dec asked Mike to take the training wheels off his new big bike. So Mike did. And the rest of the camping trip found Auntie, Mike, or me walking the loop with various bike riders as D practiced and practiced. And practiced. And practiced. He only hit one tree and a handful of people ... and now is quite proficient and will from now on be training wheel free (we hope)!

Between the late night before, the swimming, and all the bike riding, the kids were tired and asked to go to bed fairly early. I was happy to oblige. It was a pretty low key evening and we all turned in pretty early.

Sunday morning, the kids again enjoyed three breakfasts (swapping out eggs for oatmeal) and continued their bike riding adventures. At this point, Dec could pretty much do the loop himself and by the time we left, he had also mastered the downhill trek to the playground. This was just perfect as all the tall people were busy breaking camp. We were able to leave shortly before noon, got stuck in a bit of traffic, and were home by 3pm to start the showering and laundry cycle. We are already talking about where to go next year! Such a great tradition and the best memories for the kids.

Look at these beauties!

Life in July

Much like June, July is flying by at breakneck speed. We basically try to cram all the day-to-day responsible actions (like groceries, laundry, organizing the garage) into a few days between trips up north where we can see our families and play in lakes. Summertime makes it hard to be a functioning adult. There's just so much fun to be had! Here is a glimpse at life in-between the big moments of the month:

Is it really summer without a neighborhood lemonade stand? The kids man the shop and are having a great time. However when you are selling drinks on a hot summer day, sometimes you end up drinking a bit of your profits!

Several of my co-workers were in town, so we decided to meet them for another night at the water ski show. It was a gorgeous evening - and we finally broke out the suckers we bought on Spring Break!

Meanwhile, Dec continues to spend Thursday night playing ball. He is really loving it ... and wants to spend most evenings doing batting practice or playing catch. Q has been very intrigued by t-ball and has made a firm "maybe" commitment to also playing baseball. Until then, it seems like my living room is the place to play catch.

Very few things in parenting life completely gross me out. Teeth would be one of those things. If the kids have a loose tooth, that is totally Mike's territory. Get that snaggle away from me!!! So during my birthday weekend, Quinn came over and smiled at me. I asked her "what?" and she pointed to her tooth. I still didn't get it. And then she told me that her tooth was backwards! It was so loose that she had turned it around. GROSS! Then she turned it sideways and showed me that too. Thankfully, Quinn does not like having loose teeth - so she and Mike worked on that tooth all afternoon. They finally used floss to pop it out and it went flying across the room and got lost in the carpet. Don't worry - there was solid teamwork and we found the tooth. Corn on the cob season just got interesting!

Our cleaning lady couldn't come during the week, so planned to come on a Saturday. We need to bail out of her way for the morning, so decided to spend the very rainy morning at the zoo. We were soggy, but happy. And my shoes dried out just in time to run back through the rain to the car. With Declan on my back ...

My work group found out that it was my birthday (and the other Sarah at work has a birthday six days later), so when I turned the corner last Thursday, I was quite surprised by our cubes. So funny! I had to fight my way through the streamers to get in - and then get to my computer. 

The Winner Takes It All

Subtitle: The Night My Sister Lost Her Sh*t

On Saturday the 13th (oh so behind on the blog), Mike, my parents, my sister, Cheryl, and I headed out to the theater for the current production of Mamma Mia. We have been looking forward to this since it opened in March. It's been a loooooong wait! Fun fact: I'm pretty sure that Mike did not know a single ABBA song until rehearsals started. This has been a good learning experience for him!

Fun fact 2: I am not known for my skills at keeping secrets. So ... when Mike started months ago on an arrangement to have one of the actors (Tony) pull my sister up to dance (Tony is her very favorite actor ever - in case you guys don't remember February) when they go out in the crowd for Waterloo at the end - and he told me that I could not breath a word of this to a single soul, it was incredibly HARD work! So needless to say, we have all be waiting with bated breath for this weekend!

We were back to the super premium seating that we know and love. Mike's acting contacts told us which seat we needed to have Emmy in ... which became my job. Oh my heavens, the stress! Then Mike told me that there was a virus going through the cast and we were going to have the understudy to the understudy for Donna. Womp womp. I was a bit bummed out as we had been waiting so long for the show.

You guys, I retract all concern I ever had and extend my apologies to the understudy of the understudy. She was hands down PHENOMENAL. When she sang "The Winner Takes It All," I was willing to forego the rest of the play if she would just sing it again. The show was incredible and I'm pretty sure we are all trying to figure out when we can go again (made easier by the fact that they just extended the run for another six months because it is selling so well!). Fun fact 3: if you are local, do not pause. Buy tickets to the show. Not just because Mike needs a paycheck. But because you will not regret it!

Through cunning, lying, and straight up luck, I finagled my sister into the correct seat. Then when I noticed that some of the other tables were standing up for the "sing a long" finale ... Em and I stood up too. And then Tony snuck up behind her, grabbed her hand, and she lived her best life dancing and singing in the aisle as a real life part of the show! Mike is so great for arranging this for her ... and I was so relieved that I no longer had to keep that secret!

Tony returned Emmy to us, winked at Mike (I love them both so much), and Em proceeded to laugh/cry/sweat and lose her dang mind. It was fantastic! For beginning to end, we had the very best night together and I don't think we stopped laughing the whole evening.

Q and D Learn a Kickline

Despite all the fun, we had to come home from our vacation up north ... because it was Quinn and Dec's turn to head to work with Mike for a week of theater camp! While Fiona was jealous because she had so much fun at hers, she did not hate getting Nanny N all to herself for the morning. And D did not mind getting to hang with Nanny N for the afternoon (what a great way to cover Ms. A's week off). 

This week's camp was specifically for 5-7 year olds. Their theme was "Part of the Family" and they learned songs and dances from several different musicals that had something to do with family. I loved hearing them sing their songs all week, but they were very mysterious with information on their dance moves. They wanted it to be a surprise.

The performance was Friday morning, so Gma and Gpa J, Nanny N, Fiona, and I met Mike at the theater for the big show. And there were our kidstars - dead center of the stage. They got to come out to see us quick, eat a cookie, and then it was back on stage for the performance. You guys, it was so cute. 

This performance was way different than F's - in the best possible way. In F's camp, they were clearly working on performance skills and polish. That was exactly what Fiona needed and she nailed that. This camp was all about the showmanship. You know who is also all about the showmanship ... Declan George Vanneste.

The highlight of the whole dang thing was the 5-7 year old kick line. It was just a favorite! They both did so well and were very proud. Mike got comments all afternoon from his co-workers about a) how good and precise Q is at dance moves and b) how Declan has zero stage fright. Zero. 

Everyone enjoyed their first theater camp experience and can't wait to go again next year. When I was running through the rain with Declan on my back this weekend and he starting singing Sisters from White Christmas ("in all kinds of weather we stick together, the same in the rain or sun"), I was pretty sure I also enjoyed their first theater camp experience! My drama club heart still beats proudly and I love seeing them experience life from the stage. 

More Cousin Time Before Vacation Ends

We could not call our vacation complete without squeezing one more date in with the cousins - these small people simply love each other too much! We met at the school playground right by Liv's house and everyone took turns (once a partner rotation was established ... the mass chaos approach was not working) driving Hux's jeep!

After everyone was too hot to play anymore, we walked our parade of children back to Liv's. She and Jesse recently moved and we wanted to see the new digs. Hux generously let Otto do the tour and then Hux generously let my children play with all his toys. I held baby Beau and wasn't one bit sad about it. It was such a perfect, low-key way to put the final end cap on our vacation.

Well ... not quite. We had a quick lunch at Grandma's and had just finished loading up when my friend Bryan texted me. A classmate of ours from high school had unexpectedly passed away in June and his service was Saturday. We decided that we could pull together reasonably appropriate clothing options [I didn't find out until I was already up north. I basically rummaged through my sister's bag, found something that fit and seemed clean enough, grabbed her sandals, tossed up my unwashed hair, and popped some of my mom's makeup on. Oy!] to at least go to the visitation. 

So just like old times, Bry picked me up and we headed out together. We just did the visitation, but saw several  classmates. It was nice to catch up, although everyone was so sad about the circumstances. It was good to see such a good turnout from the class of '98. Meanwhile, the children were getting to watch a couple more episodes of Spirit and were not sad about it. 

As soon as I got back and changed, we loaded up, headed south, and got home just in time to order Chinese takeout for dinner. It was a completely uneventful car ride home and we were ever so grateful for that. We hit just a bit of traffic and it further underscored how glad we were to beat the Sunday rush home!

Sunday was a fun, low-key, get ready for the week day. My laundry room full of swimsuits to wash clearly showed that it was the best kind of vacation.

Quinn Gets Her Boat Ride

The weather forecast for the 4th of July did not look great. We kept hoping the forecast would change, but we woke up to a very dark sky and a less-than-ideal forecast. If this story sounds similar to last year, it was. And just like last year, we had another GLORIOUS day at the lake. As the cousins get older, it just gets better and better. And - we finally got to ride in the new pontoon. Quinn was so so so excited! Of all the kids, she was the most disappointed last year when the boat broke.

We got there just in time to board the boat for the flotilla. I can never decide if the kids enjoy the boat ride ... or the easy access to snacks time. But either way, it was a fun spin around the lake. The kids barely let us tie up the boat before they were in the lake. We had the kayak again, as well as several floaties. It was just the best to hang out at the water and watch them do their thing.

Eventually, we made our way up the hill for lunch - which never disappoints. And the dessert game remained strong. Then it was off to do the pinata. We had played baseball the night before and kept telling Fiona to swing like she meant it. Apparently we just needed to tell her the ball was a pinata, because holy smokes, she smacked that thing! Once the pinata broke, they did a great job of sharing the loot and making sure everyone got good treats. Such sweet cousins.

We went back down to the lake for my favorite part of the day - the cousin "pie"-eating contest. Anna hid 5 gummy bears under a pile of whipped cream on everyone's plate (ages 8, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2) and they all dove in to try to finish their gummies the fastest. It was so funny! Fiona won, but all three of mine had a blast getting their faces messy. The girls happily pie-faced themselves when it was done. Milo was a little less enthusiastic about the pie-face moves!

Conveniently, we could just sent them back into the lake to clean up. And we picked right back up where we paused for lunch ... swimming, floating, kayaking, and general merriment.

Quinn charmed Mike J into a second boat ride right before a quick dinner. We piled a lot of people in that pontoon and the kids yet again enjoyed the snack options. Then we ate a light dinner (mostly fruit, potato salad, and dessert), spent a little more time in the lake, and headed back to Gma and Gpa's at bedtime. The kids mostly held it together and we hurried through the routine to get them in bed. It was very quiet down in their room!

Friday morning, we hit up a park at one of the elementary schools. It had a few ninja-warrior-like obstacles that were rather difficult - even Q and Mike had trouble with them. We ran some obstacle courses until we decided it was too hot and then grabbed Subway for lunch. Then it was back up to the cabin for us. We brought Auntie and it was just our little group. It took the kids a few minutes to remember how to play without their cousins, but then they settled into their groove and had a great time.

It was the first day Q was allowed to put her head back underwater, but she decided not to. I think she was still a little gun-shy from how painful the infection had been. The rain that had been forecasted for the whole week finally came ... but it was just sprinkles. Since we were already wet, we didn't mind too much. But it was definitely chillier, and our non-storming-loving children were a little freaked out by the dark sky. Since it was late afternoon anyway, we decided to back up and head back to Gma and Gpa's.

I got everyone showered, we ordered our favorite Sammy's pizza, and then chilled out by watching a couple episodes of Spirit (that Gma had bought last summer and we are working our way through whenever we are up). I got "cool mom" points by agreeing to a second episode (because the first one ended on a cliffhanger). Dec thought he'd try one more time when that one ended and I said "no." All small Vs accepted that answer ... but I got a very sad "Why not?" from Grandma and Auntie. Sigh. So I agreed to one more. Good grief.

Once the kids were in bed, Mike and I met my friend Bryan and his partner JT at one of the local breweries for a couple beers. It was fun to catch up with them. Usually we meet at Bry's parents' house and it's a trick to complete sentences around managing the kids. This was nice and laidback and easier to actually visit. We were glad for such a good couple days, because as much as we wanted to stay, Mike and I were committed to making the smart (and less fun) choice and heading home the next day.

Happiness Is ...

Anyone ever watched the play "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown"? I was the Little Red-Haired Girl ... and I'm doing my best to not get on my soapbox about typecasting ... Anyway, one of the songs in the play is called "Happiness" and it's all about finding happiness in the little moments (happiness is finding a pencil, pizza with sausage, telling the time. happiness is learning to whistle, tying your shoes for the very first time).

If our Fourth of July vacation had a similar song (and it really should because there was a lot of happiness), it would go something like: happiness is riding a kayak, catching a fish, trying to dive. happiness is seeing your cousins, sharing a jeep that you all get to drive.

Despite the very late night on Monday, we were up and at 'em as usual Tuesday morning because short Vannestes named Declan do not ever sleep in. They couldn't wait to play with their toys that stay at Gma and Gpa's and Grandma made blueberry pancakes for breakfast. Vacation was started out well. Mike worked remotely for the morning and then we packed a picnic lunch for the cabin. We got to see all the cousins, test out the new kayak, learn how many cousins fit at one time on a kayak, perform a few kayak rescues, and generally just enjoy the beautiful day.

Quinn did a great job playing in the water while keeping her ear dry. Dec barreled off the end of the dock multiple times. All the kids tried the kayak. It really clicked for Bugs that day and she spent a lot of time paddling all over the bay. Even though life jackets are mandatory on the kayak, I wouldn't let her go out too far on her own. Between Mike in another kayak and Auntie swimming, she kept her exploration partners busy.

We were back at Gma and Gpa's for dinner, some pretty outstanding fashion shows, and an early bedtime. Everyone was cooked from a hot and sunny day at the lake - and we knew there was lots more to come on Wednesday!

Mike's Wednesday morning was not as pleasant as the rest of ours. The whole network went down at the theater and he spent hours getting everyone back up and running. Meanwhile, Auntie, Anna, and I took the gang of SEVEN cousins to the park (too hot), the candy store (too much sugar), and the Children's Museum (AC and containment ... just right!). As always, they are just the sweetest together and played so well. But with seven children, including a baby and two potty-trainers, all three of us were very needed!

After a quick lunch, we headed to a new lake to see Auntie Tracey's new lake house! It was even better than we could have imagined and we are so excited for them. This was the day Declan figured out the kayak and had a great time paddling around. We also learned that our kids are very spoiled with sand beaches and didn't quite understand how to navigate a rocky shoreline and no beach. We even got to see Nate and Ben ... so all the GR cousins in a single day. Those are our favorite kinds of days!

After another afternoon in the lake, we ended our day with some baseball with Gpa in the yard and learned that a) I can hit the ball over the shed and b) Fiona can accurately throw left-handed. Who knew?!?! After the kids went to bed, Grandpa taught Mike how to play backgammon and Mike is totally not obsessed now trying to perfect his strategy because he didn't like repeatedly losing for the rest of our vacation ... ish.

Up North Prep

During the last week of June, Quinn wandered into our room in the middle of the night to complain about an earache. Since Q has a pretty high threshold for any form of pain, I made an appointment first thing the next morning to take her in. I suspected it was swimmers' ear and a quick trip to the doc confirmed we had a pretty significant case of it. We left with a prescription for antibiotic ear drops and a ban from swimming for 10 days. Basic math showed the ban ending right at the end of our trip up north for the 4th of July holiday. In the four days prior to the diagnosis/water ban, she had been swimming at least once every single day. So we were pretty much killing this parenting thing. Because Quinn has excellent control of her body, we did adjust the "no swimming ban" to a "no putting your head underwater ban."

As we watched the weather forecast fluctuate daily (hourly), we were a little worried as well. There was a lot of rain in the forecast for days on end. Nonetheless, we remained optimistic, packed all the bags, and pointed the car northward Monday evening with full intention that we would hit the lake - even if it was only between rain showers!

I worked from home Monday afternoon and was able to run the last couple loads of laundry through while I finished things up. Then the girls and I finished packing. Our plan was to empty the fridge by eating the remaining hodgepodge for dinner, go to Quinn's gymnastics, and head north. So imagine our surprise when we pulled into the parking lot for the gym to find the whole place dark. Apparently they were closed the week of the 4th ... and we should have read the fine print. So instead, we turned back home, grabbed our Yogi, threw the final things in the car, and headed out a bit earlier!

The kids were troopers in the car, but no matter what, it's a long drive and we pulled into Gma and Gpa's driveway around 10:45. We had stopped about an hour earlier for one final bathroom break so everyone was immediately settled into bed and we were soon to follow them. Because as expected, Declan was up bright and early the next morning. [Teenage Declan, we will delight in waking you up on vacations and weekends at 6am]

It was all worth it though, because as the sun shone on an absolutely perfect Tuesday, we were already in Rapids -- ready to see the cousins and hit the lake!

When Work Life is a Lot of Fun

I've worked for Emerson for 13 years. While I enjoy working there, the overall company culture is maybe not known as the most fun or laidback. I've always been lucky to have really great co-workers - but we've been spread out across the country. So the "home office" life has been less exciting. Yet there I was in the last two weeks of June with four fun work events lined up! That almost never happens - and it was great because the whole family got to be involved.

When I changed positions in January, I also moved offices from our Eden Prairie building to the Bloomington building. My commute involves the "big road" (freeway) now, which I don't love. But I work right across the street from a lake with a running/walking trail around it. So I am able to get out and run a couple miles several times a week. 

When the group that owns our building sent out an email about a 5k run around the lake, my whole work group decided to do it together. We have several non-runners who elected to do the 3k walk, while a few of us did the run. I was really proud that I was the first finisher of the running contingent. I missed my goal time by just a few seconds. I'll get it next race! We had a box lunch together, enjoyed outside, and then went back to work. At least we were all sweaty together!

Then the day after the 5k, I got to take Quinn with me to the Shakopee office for STEM Day. She was in the 6-year-old group and I was a volunteer in the Demo Room. So for four hours, I explained how a level switch worked to kids ages 6-15. Fun fact: I didn't know how one worked until approximately 90 seconds before my first demo. By demo 24, I pretty much had it. I was rock solid at explaining it at a 6yo level and really prayed that no teenagers asked me any questions! Q had a blast and enjoyed that a few of my co-workers recognized her. We ate lunch at the Emerson cafeteria and she thought she was big stuff!

Then the next week, my work group went to a Twins game together. We had the suite at Target Field for the Thursday day game. The weather forecast was not awesome, but the game was only delayed about an hour. It ended up being an 18 inning game - but since we had carpooled, we only stayed through 10. Everyone had evening commitments and we wanted to get out of downtown before the traffic got too terrible. At one point, a couple of my friends decided to run out to get a pretzel and asked me if I wanted to come with. I declined in order to watch the game. When they came back, they waved their phones in front of my nose. They had run into Tony Oliva and took pictures with him. Dang it!!! 

In case the baseball game wasn't enough, we took the kids to Emerson Night at the local water ski show that night. My co-worker Brian is one of the skiers and we have all been hoping to go anyway. Dec had t-ball, so he and Mike met us at the show once he was done. It was longer than we expected, but the kids had a blast. They especially loved the jumps and the pyramids - and the water skiing dog. The girls even made Brian a sign that I dropped off in his office on Friday. I wouldn't be surprised if we made it back to catch the show one more time this summer. 

Rochester: Solid Vacation Destination

We made a quick trip to Rochester (Minnesota) last weekend to celebrate the marriage of my cousin Parker and his new wife Maggie. Parker and Maggie were married last fall in Santorini - then had a party back here at Maggie's parents' place. When we got home, Declan announced that Rochester was ah-mazing. He basically partied in the country and swam in the hotel pool twice. So now you know the requirements for D's happiness.

It's just over an hour and half to Rochester from our house - so we left right about lunch time, swung through McD's for food on the go, and made great time to the hotel. Grandpa had booked adjoining rooms, so we took one, and he, Gma, and Auntie were in the other. The kids' minds were blown by the ability to wander between the two rooms.

I think I'm about at the end of my run to be able to buy a 10 piece nugget meal and split it between the kids. Fiona and Dec took down a 10 piece between the two of them and Quinn downed a cheeseburger and fries. We also had a pretty intense scavenger hunt going on ... we were looking for a yellow motorcycle, a motorhome towing something, and a vehicle with two man-powered water toys on it (re: kayaks, padddleboards, canoes). We all agreed that had we been driving north rather than south, it would have been way easier. And you've never heard five more excited people screaming "yellow motorcycle" when we finally spotted one ... it took the round-trip, but we successfully completed our hunt!

We were checked in and settled with plenty of time before the party and I'm a sucker for the kids' puppy eyes. So we all changed into suits and hit up the pool. We were excited to discover that their heads are finally big enough for their goggles and they had the best time diving for quarters on the pool floor. After about two hours, we headed back up to shower quickly and get ready for the party (taking full advantage of the second shower in the adjoining room ...).

Maggie's family has a beautiful home with a large yard. They ended up with wonderful weather and it was such a fun evening. There was a taco bar for dinner - and Quinn, Auntie, and I crushed some chips and guac! At one point, Dec wandered into the garage (where a side door was open). I saw someone come out of the garage and shut the door. I hurried over, terrified that I would find him lost, alone, and sobbing inside the garage. Nope - he was happily hanging with Maggie's brother and some other big boys - sitting on a dirt bike and living his best life. They let the girls sit on the bikes too and everyone thought it was pretty cool.

We let the kids stay up later than usual, but about 8:30, we called it a night and headed back to the hotel. We got everyone in bed and joined my parents in their room to chill out and play some games. We tried a new sleeping arrangement, where Fiona got the fold out couch, Dec and Mike shared a bed, and Q and I shared a bed. Neither Mike nor I slept well ... although I don't think it was totally the kids' fault. Mike did learn that D is a Stage 4 clinger when he sleeps.

Parker and Maggie were having a brunch Sunday morning, but we had declined our attendance for that. I figured it would be adult-like and leisurely and maybe not quite what the Vs were going to be interested in. Instead, we grabbed the complimentary breakfast at the hotel and used the pool one more time. We stayed in the pool as long as we could (diving for more quarters) and were checked out at 10:58 for our 11:00am deadline.

It was a pretty uneventful ride home (other than finding the rest of our scavenger hunt list) and we got home just in time for a late lunch. And for D to proclaim the awesomeness of our quick vacation. Mike and I fully admitted that it went much better than we had expected and we all had a really nice time. Parker and Maggie (or Rochester) sure know how to throw a party!