Cousin Vacations | 2012

Our annual family vacation with my side of the family was over Labor Day weekend.  We rented a house in Wisconsin that had a pool and plenty of fun activities for the kids and grown ups. Of course the pool was a huge hit, rightfully so.  It provided hours of entertainment and when they were done, they got out, dried off and changed clothes.  Most of the time they were back in the pool about an hour later.  The house was huge, had plenty of amenities, lots of space to sprawl out and beautiful decks with shade.

 

This is the life!

Adele and Abby.

Lucas and Will.

Brian, Jen, Dominic, Papa Richard.

Claire must have been helping Hannah's baby go for an imaginary swim.

Another main activity were the Nerf gun wars.  The dads even enjoyed it. 

Snack time with Nerf gun safety glasses at the dining room table. 

More pool time.

Loving his cousin play time.

Gramma Mary brought some crafty things that were a fun break, too. 

I turned on the music on my phone and we crafted; a perfect afternoon project.

Lucas was in charge of our croquet game... not exactly by the rules, but fun. 

So much outdoor time! 

Football, sand volleyball, frisbee, bean bags, fire pit & s'mores...

 

 

 

This particular was funny because it was late... around 11PM and Will (3) and Lucas (4) were the only kids still up... waiting for their targets. 

We weren't too far from Red Wing, Minnesota, so we spent a little time exploring the town.

It is home to the Red Wing boot company. 

Which has a size 638 1/2 boot if anyone needs...

 

It is a cute town with some neat shops but we didn't spend much time there. 

We watched the boats and trains for a little while, but 99% of our time was spent together at the house. 

 

Claire, Adele, Abby, Hannah, Caleb, Lucas, Nick and Will.

 

Goofy grandkids with Gramma Mary and Papa Richard.

It was a wonderful weekend with very little stress & distractions - just enjoying family time.  In three days together, I don't remember one instance of crying, fighting, blood or injuries.  We are looking forward to the next Cousins Vacation and hope Aunt Ann and Uncle Koen can come with us sometime (hint, hint).