Stehouwer Roadtrip!

This past week we were blessed to be able to spend almost a week in Wisconsin at The Dells!!!! We waterpark hopped most days, but we also went miniature golfing and took a Duck tour on the river. Here are some pictures of our adventures, including the busy hallway during evacuation due to a tornado warning! Never a dull moment....but such a blast!!!My awesome little riders! Putting together Will's Kinex Monster Jam truck (which was his final "secret package" of the trip).The kids just randomly went out and sat on the balcony our first morning there...it was so cute!A Stehouwer family vacation tradition....miniature golfing!!!
On Sunday night we were evacuated from our room and sent to the lower level to seek shelter.....the kids were ready for bed and our dinner had just come out of the oven! But we got to meet a few people and made the most of out of it anyway!
The kids showing off all their swimming gear:)
Too funny not to post.....who's kid is that???
This slide was the kids' favorite....they would go down and head right back up for another ride!The kids copying Ryan and waiting for the 1000 gallons of water to dump!
You can't see Will, but he's there and loving it!My best friend!This raft style ride was the kids favorite one to ride with mom and dad! Too bad it made daddy sick after a few times down the dark tunnel being tossed and turned the whole way down:)Mid-week we decided to take a tour on the original Wisconsin Dell Ducks and see the scenery! It was breathtaking!If you look closely at the top of this rock formation you can see a bird's beak and head and the top of it's wings!We saw a bunch of deer while taking the tour....the kids thought that was pretty cool!The resort where we stayed offered they called Ken-Ducky Derby Duck Races!!! The kids each picked out a rubber ducky and then watched them race down the lazy river.......we were blessed that each kids won a race (and they only did 3)!
Their prizes.....duck whistles:)Kailyn's favorite...the wave pool!!! Will wasn't so big on the waves after awhile, but he liked it when it was just a really big pool!! (the waves came on every 10-15 minutes) Klondike Kavern, where we spent most of our time (because they had the other waterpark shut down all week for maintenance)!The kids enjoyed a relaxing tub time in the big jacuzzi tub....I think I added a few too many bubbles, but she had an absolute riot!On our last full day there we took the kids to a dry play area, mostly due to the fact that Ryan had swimmer's ear and his feet were getting torn up from the bottom of the pools. But the kids never questioned us and had a blast in the Timberland playhouse where they could climb, shoot balls and play hide and seek!Our last afternoon at the wave pool....and one of the ways we knew we had planned this vacation to the T and it was time to head home:)
This vacation was such a blessing and gave Ryan and I the opportunity to spend some much needed time as a family and to fall in love with each member all over again! We are so blessed.....Thank you LORD!

Spoiled Feet

In preparation for vacation (and with the birthday money I had set aside for this purpose) Kailyn and I treated ourselves to pedicures (and a mani for Kailyn)! Her precious little feet looked so adorable with the seperators between her toes:)Waiting for her fingernails to dry!The finished products....we even opted to have a little art added for an extra special flare! Kailyn and I really enjoyed our mommy/daughter time!

Secret Bags

Before our roadtrip I found this awesome website: www.momsminivan.com! It has a ton of different travel games and printables along with several ideas of things to do with kids in the car. This particular idea is called secret packages.....it took a little planning and a personalized google map (and some shopping for little gifts/candy for the kids). The kids each recieved a map with our route hightlighted on it. Along the route I put different color pins to indicate which secret bag they got to open. It kept the kids interested and intertained as well as taught them some map skills:)

All in a Row

Yesterday, while playing in the backyard, I spotted this family of geese. If you know where we live, this is a strange place to find animals that should be in water!!! Anyway, they provided some entertainment for the kids as they wandered through the parking lot behind the house:)

Tiptoe Through the Tulips 2011

Tulip Time this year was AMAZING!! The weather was (mostly) beautiful and Kailyn loved wearing her Middleburg Dutch costume to several events! We were also blessed this year to have a family member to watch dutch dance....way to go Leslie....thanks for giving my kids the gift of watching someone they love!My little dutch girl! At least 3 people asked to take her picture while she was in costume....I wasn't prepared for that, but she sure does look ADORABLE!

On Hope's anchor...the only picture I could talk Will into this year!
My kids with my cousin Leslie....our favorite dutch dancer:)
At the end of the dance, the Alumni usually have their kids come finish the dance with them...this year that meant that Leslie asked Kailyn and Will to come and dance with her......they LOVED it!As usual on Wendesday, we walked downtown from home and this year met my family early for a trip to the peanut store and a picnic lunch at our awesome spot along the parade route...thanks Ryan! The parade was full of bands and kept the kids entertained....we were also joined by some friends (but for some reason I didn't have the camera out!)The kids love the dutch dancing and decided to join in for a little while:) They provided several people with entertainment!Another year down....2011 Tulip Time was awesome and full of fun memories!