Welcome to our Jungle

Jii and Baachan used some of their summer vacation to come and visit us before their classes get started at Illinois State. But it probably didn't feel like much of a vacation to them--I'm guessing that a stay at our house feels like a jungle safari compared to their relatively tranquil lifestyle. Thankfully, our native wildlife was welcoming and affectionate toward them.

During their jungle adventure, Jii and Baachan even came with us to the nearby "zoo": Swetsville Zoo, just down the road from our house.

All of the residents here were formed from inanimate car parts.

While he was here, Jii did more than his fair share of dolly-playing . . .

. . . reading . . .

. . . and Candyland facilitating.

Baachan, on the other hand, did a lot of cooking. We had a big feast with tempura . . .

. . . and another meal with gyoza. Ramona helped make some, too.

We spent most of a Saturday together in Westminster. Ramona and Mika loved playing at the Peter Pan park, complete with pirate ship, mermaid lagoon, Big Ben, London Bridge, and Tick Tock Croc.

For lunch Jii and Baachan treated us to Vietnamese noodles (at a place with a fish tank).

Mika of course saved some of the noodles for her hair.

Dessert was mochi-covered ice cream treats from the oriental supermarket.

Mika ate most of the mochi off first, leaving her with a big, melting ice cream ball. She got plenty of that in her hair, too.

On Sunday I had a marathon of church meetings so we didn't have time to take our usual before-church group photo. But a thoughtful friend of mine stopped us at the end of church and asked if she could take a three-generation photo of Baachan, me, and Paula. Here Paula is wearing the dress that used to be mine when I was a baby (and gnawing on my keys).

Here is a picture of baby Mika wearing the same dress in June 2012:

Ramona showed off some piano skills and performed a couple of recitals for Baachan. Jii played along on violin and I played along on cello.

Program One: Three Blind Mice, Hot Cross Buns, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Here Comes the Bride
Program Two: Repeat of Program One, + Here We Go Up the Hill, I am a Child of God, Bile 'Em Cabbage

On their last day here, Jii went with me to take Ramona and Mika to an end-of-summer library party. There was a mini petting zoo (which the girls mostly just observed) . . .

. . . and some complimentary frozen yogurt. M&M's for Ramona (she still calls them "edamins"), sprinkles for Mika.

That afternoon I set Paula up for a little photo shoot in the Japanese jinbei outfits.

Let's flashback to Mika, age 9 months, wearing the same outfit two years ago:

And another flashback from FOUR years ago--baby Ramona at 13 months:

Time has flown--thanks for coming along for the ride (safari and all), Jii and Baachan!

Notes to Self: Do's and Don'ts of Family Travel

A little while ago we took our family to Steamboat Springs. Here are some things I learned (for my own personal application) about traveling with small children:

DON'T call it a "vacation." This may be a break from some housework, but you can't turn off your Mommy Mode. Mentally prepare yourself for just as many (if not more) tantrums, whining episodes, and incidents of bickering--you may have a more enjoyable time.

DO keep travel time as short as possible. Fortunately for our family, there are some beautiful destinations right here in Colorado. I know it still felt like a long car ride for the kids (and Paula did not appreciate the ear-popping altitude changes), but it was only a 4-hour drive to Steamboat Springs. No airplane tickets, security checks, or crowded airports for this trip.

DO let the kids soak up some nature. In the waters of the Yampa River, on the rocks of a hiking trail, on the sand by the Stagecoach Reservoir. Nature + Family = good memories.
Yampa River:

 

DO get a hotel with a pool. It was a fun option for Ramona and Mika whenever they were stuck waiting for the baby to finish napping.

DO have movie night and popcorn every night. Sure, why not, right? Our picks were Frozen, Anastasia, Princess and the Frog, Tangled, and Totoro.

Fish Creek Falls Hike:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

DON'T over-program each day. Make down-time back at the hotel for naps, Candyland, popsicles, and massages/manicures at the family-staffed Dixon Spa.

 

DON'T eat out for every meal. Our family was just as happy either bringing food back to the hotel or eating leftover restaurant-sized portions (and it saved some money). Because we only ate out a couple of times, we tried to make one of those outings special by dressing up a little bit and acting fancy. Just a few extra details really helped Ramona enjoy the whole experience of going out to a "posh" restaurant.

DO take lots of pictures. "Hey kids, stand in front of this giant polar bear statue, and this skiing cowboy. I'll take a picture of you and put it on my blog."

DO find family-friendly restaurants. Forest did an internet search to find the highest-rated restaurants based on family-friendliness, and chose a place with plenty of coloring supplies, patient waitstaff, and even dough balls for the kids to shape (with the help of mom and dad).
Mazzola's Italian Diner:

 

DO pack some umbrellas. You never know when might need it for rain or just feeling elegant.

Popsicles on the Patio:

Creekside Cafe for brunch:

DON'T forget some buckets and shovels. They were perfect for a sandy spot by our hotel.

DO splurge on gelato. Not only did we find a great gelato shop, but we used frozen treats as an incentive for good behavior during the trip. We ended up visiting this spot a total of three times and tasted lots of different flavors.
Ciao Gelato:

Mad Creek Falls Hike:

DO have a picnic or two. At the botanic gardens during a free concert? Even better!

Ramona is watching a hummingbird in this photo

Paula was such a good sport about watching us eat gelato all the time. She was mostly content just chewing on her stroller straps or her toothbrush.

DO map out some playground locations. Sometimes we needed one or more kids to burn off some energy (and time) before the next scheduled activity, and playgrounds were the perfect solution. One had a miniature set for an old Western town, along with two getaway horses and one getaway cow.

DO be grateful for child discounts. One of my favorite parts of the trip was taking the gondola ride up the mountain. Five year-olds and under were free, so we only had to pay for mine and Forest's tickets--yay!

This is what Mika did during the entire ski trail hike:

. . . but she did wake up for a fruit snack break with a view . . .

 . . . and lunch with a view, too.

Ramona was especially excited for lunch "at the restaurant on top of the mountain."

Torian Plum Hotel: View from the gondola

Stagecoach Reservoir:

Finally, DO give your children sunglasses and tell them they look like movie stars.  They may just take the characterization to heart and give you a good show. 

Hoping for many more fun travels with my resident movie stars (and many more lessons learned).