Goodbye July, Hello August

We sure have crammed a lot into these last couple of weeks!  There is so much to share that I figured a bunch of slideshows would be the easiest way to go.  Unfortunately, I did not do a good job of getting many pictures at the lake.  It is a little difficult when you are spending 90% of your time on the water and don't have a waterproof camera! 

 Casey and I took a vacation sans children - a TRUE vacation.  It was amazing!  Grandma and Grandpa Schneider arrived on the 21st.  We hit the open road the 22nd after I finished my work day.  I was worried about how I would handle being away from the boys for such an extended period of time.  I knew they were in good hands though and would have a blast with the g'rents. 

We drove through the night - arriving in Kansas City at 6 AM.  We have friends that live there so we stopped in for a quick visit.  I can honestly say I have never been driving thru and popped in at a friend's house that early in the morning.  There is a first time for everything!  It was great to see Sharon and her husband, Sean, again.  We also got to meet their 2 gorgeous children - Ezra and Margot!  It was so wonderful to see them.  Sharon prepared a delicious breakfast and they sent us on our way with some local beers.  We are hoping to return the favor someday!

We arrived at Maggie's parents house around 10 AM.  I had to take a quick shower to wash all the roadtrip scum off of me.  There were people flying in from various places, so we used the Brown residence as a meeting place.  We also got to meet some family and friends of Maggie's that were not able to join us on the trip.  It was great to finally put a face to the names of all the people Maggie talks about.

Maggie's parents prepared an awesome Kansas City BBQ lunch for us and then we were off on the next leg of our trip - Big Cedar Lodge.  This place is awesome!  It totally reminded me of Dirty Dancing - needless to say, "Hungry Eyes" was on replay in my mind all weekend.  ha!   We took full advantage of what they had to offer - jet skis, champagne brunch, floating off the side of the pontoon boat, tubing (which I totally rocked BTW - good to know I still have the skills from my teen years!), the lazy river...you name it.  Maggie did an awesome job planning such a wonderful time for all of us.  It was glorious!

We headed home on Tuesday and figured we should take our time.  Why drive 10 hours if you don't have to?  We stopped at Lambert's for lunch.  I was so happy that I happened to see the billboard (I really miss billboards - informative and entertaining!).  I remember hearing about this place and I knew we had to check it out.  The food was phenomenal.  Probably not the best road trippin' meal, but who cares.  It was delicious!

I convinced Casey to stop in Wamego, KS for a visit to the OZ Museum.  The museum was closed for the day by the time we rolled into town, so we hit up the Oz Winery for a wine tasting.  They have the coolest labels and I couldn't resist purchasing one.  I opted for the Yellow Brick Road white table wine.  I loved the label of the Ruby Sippers, but didn't care for that specific red table wine.  Then we checked into the Simmer Motel - we only had two choices and this was the cheaper of the two + they had an outdoor pool.  I have had my share of interesting hotel/motel stays in my life, but this one definitely ranks high on my list.  I am not even sure what to think about it.  The people were nice, the room was clean - truly no complaints, but I am still stumped on the room decor.  Especially the handmade door signs.  We joked on the drive there that we should stay in a theme hotel...I think we did, we just didn't know it at the time.  They have a Wizard of Oz themed room that this woman showed us on her phone at Barleycorn's Deli where we had dinner.  I am SO glad we didn't get that room - I don't think I would have been able to sleep.  Ha!  If I had to guess what our theme was I would take a shot and say it was themed after "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas" movie.  Hmmm...

It was a nice little town.  We hit up the museum Wednesday morning.  We were shocked by the amount of traffic rolling through this little town.  We thought to ourselves, "Maybe this isn't the one horse town we were thinking of."  We asked the staff at the museum and they said that I-70 was shut down because a man had barracaded himself in his car with a gun.  WTF?!  Seriously.  Yes, seriously.  Thankfully it was I-70 East and we were able to hit the road after the museum as planned. 

We got home around 7 PM Wednesday night.  I am not sure who was more excited to see us - the boys or the g'rents.  Those boys sure ran them ragged for a few days.  Everyone had a blast though.  I was so happy to see Ian and Milo, I swear they grew a couple of feet while we were gone!

Thursday was a day to run errands and relax because Friday was all about...

IKEA Centennial has arrived.  Woohoo!  I was so excited, like a child on Christmas Eve.  We arrived a little after 9 AM and they opened the doors around 9:30.  We enjoyed a free breakfast and then strolled through the massive store.  It has been a few years since we have been inside an IKEA so it was fun to see all the new stuff.  The only downside is that it made me want a new kitchen even more and it is going to be awhile before I am lucky enough to get that!

We even had a "celebrity" siting.  Kirk Montgomery from 9 News was in line in front of us.  Tee Hee!

Saturday we headed to the WOW Museum to help Ella celebrate her 3rd birthday.  We have not made it to this museum yet, so I was excited to check it out.  It was so much fun for everyone - Casey and I included.  I tried to race him on the pully, but that was a joke.  Literally.  Is it sad to admit that my 3 year old did a better job on the pully than I did?  Sad, but true.  Milo loved crawling around all the different exhibits.  I tried so hard to get a picture of Ian with the birthday girl, but it was next to impossible.  I can't blame them - there was so much fun stuff to check out!

Casey had to work on Sunday, so we decided to spend the morning at the pool.  The Courtney family joined us too.  It was a HOT day, but everyone enjoyed relaxing in or around the pool.  Grandpa read his book in the shade while the Grandmas and Moms played with the kiddos in the pool.  It was a very exciting day for Ian - he learned he can touch in the deep end of the pool on his tip toes.  This made him feel more comfortable about being in the deep end and he even jumped off the side a few times.  Milo is all about the pool.  I am thinking we need to get this kid enrolled in swim classes, although I thought that about Ian too and it was a bust.  Milo LOVES it though.  He is a fish - he splashes, dunks his head in - has no fear! 

We decided while at the pool that we should have a picnic for dinner that night.  We went home to let the kids (and in my case, parents) nap and got ready for our picnic.  We brought the fried chicken and brownies, while the Courtney crew and Aunt Amy supplied the rest.  The kids had a blast swinging, climbing, sliding and the babies loved crawling in the grass.  Miss Ava even took a step or two - that girl is ready to walk! 

It was a wonderful, exhausting vacation for all and I couldn't think of a better way to end it.  I can't believe it is August and that my baby is going to turn 1 on Friday.  I have a lot to do, but I can't wait to celebrate with our friends and family.