Our First Family Vacation

Before we got pregnant, Duane and I planned a family vacation with my family in upper MI. When we realized we were due a couple of months before the scheduled vacation, my mom asked if we still wanted to go, and Duane and I figured it would be nice to have a vacation around that time. We ended up scheduling it for the last week of my maternity leave -- the perfect end to my summer with my daughter.

So last Saturday, we loaded everything baby we owned (or so it seemed!) and Rachel into my dad's truck and headed up north. Rachel did very well for such a long car ride. She really only melted down in the last hour of the 11 hours we were on the road (sidenote: it was NOT an 11-hour drive, if that tells you anything about the fun times we had getting there). Once we arrived, she was DONE being in the car, and she hit her fussy time of day, which usually lasts about an hour every evening.

Once we settled in, though, it was a lot of fun. The weather was a bit chilly early in the week, so we spent our time sightseeing, traveling around the area, and playing games with the family. Rachel even behaved for more than 5 hours for her daddy while mommy was out exploring the local wineries. When the weather warmed up mid-week, we headed to the beach a couple of times and Rachel got to sport her new swimsuit and sunglasses! Duane hit the sand dunes in a dunebuggy one day while Rachel and I went into town and hung out with Grandma, Aunt Julie, and her cousins.

We had a great time, but vacations are exhausting. Rachel slept almost the entire drive back, and I am ready for some rest.

Now I have one more day with my daughter before returning to work. :(