Hamilton Family Vacation 2012

Backing up to August now and the annual Hamilton family vacation. This year, we drove from Texas to Kentucky. For some reason, I had it in my head that the girls lived 10 hours away and I could make it in one day. The truth is that they live 14 hours away. So we hustled to get out the door a day early and stayed the first night in a hotel in Arkansas. Milli held my hat as we drove, so it wouldn't get in my way. What a thoughtful daughter I have!

Kentucky was not the final destination, it was just a stop and a visit with cousin Ada!

Ada was very excited to meet Milli! They had met once at Christmas, but neither one remembered that. Ada even lent Milli one of her old dresses to sleep in (not pictured here) and her old pack n play. Milli was just happy to be out of the car and wasn't sure what to make of all the excitement in the house when it was past her bedtime. Ada and the aunts had been to the ballet while we let ourselves in, ate some dinner, and took a walk. 

The only friends we saw while home on this vacation were Laura G, the Frisch, and the P.A. Unit. The trip was really just for family but the Frisch were visiting from Iowa and the P.A. Unit from Wisconsin, so I made an exception for them. Kurt Frisch is an amazing cook and made this dessert for me! The chocolate raspberry mascarpone cheese is the best! 

We had a great time talking and playing some cards. Oh, and eating dessert. :)

Milli had fun playing with cat toys! Laura's cat, Barney, is the harriest, sheddiest cat I know- but we love him. He wouldn't hang out for Milli to pet him, but he did share some of his toys... reluctantly. Milli found them fascinating. And, believe it or not, this toy had already been "washed." That's how much hair this cat sheds. I figured Milli was rolling around in the hair and eating it off the carpet, so it was probably better to get her on her back with an only slightly hairy toy. She hasn't died yet, so I must be doing OK at this mom thing.

While we were in Grand Rapids, an annual model train expo came to town! They meet at a different location every year, so we were very lucky to have them in town that weekend. Edward has always loved trains, so we were excited to go. Plus, Ada was old enough to enjoy some of it and they had a special kids' play area set up that she had some fun in. Milli was a little young to really appreciate much of it, but she sat patiently in her stroller while we looked at the amazing exhibits. Take a look!

This was a Lego city from one angle. It seemed to go on forever!

It could have been a British city. :)

Or Scottish.

Nope, British.

Um... Gotham? Uh, with Toy Story characters in the background...

During our visit home, we saw some very old friends who had a kiddie pool for Milli to enjoy.

She loves watching other kids, so Katherine was a great distraction.

 

Ada found a buddy.

America sang for us.

We went to the beach in Grand Haven on Tuesday.

Some of the family couldn't get to Grand Rapids, so we spend a few days in Detroit. Teddy had turned one the week before but we got to celebrate with him on Friday. This was Thursday night and the whole family was out for seafood. Teddy was a big, active boy and wanted to roam around the restaurant before dinner. 

He was the favorite boy among all his aunts!

Milli discovers crayons. Yum!

Makes you want to cry, doesn't it?

Milli loved all Teddy's toys. Mommy and Daddy especially loved the music table to the right.

Lots of kids and one on the way came to the party.

The people who dared eat in the rain. It was a soft one.

While we were in Detroit, we went to the zoo! Milli borrowed some of Teddy's socks because we had packed for August weather and Michigan decided to give us April instead. We thought the socks were quite appropriate for our location, though. Notice the tail of the one to the right! So stinkin' cute!

Even though it was chilly, we saw a lot of animals including the polar bears and tree kangaroo! Detroit has a pretty good zoo. If you ever have the ability to go, I recommend it.

Princess Ada got her face painted.

Three strollers and seven adults. Any less would have been a problem!

Just like Milli's first zoo trip in July, she grew sleepy by the end.

Teddy's new walking toy!

Ada kept offering to "help."

I'd show you more, but most of the time was family time. We enjoyed and loved on one another for an entire week. There were some times of relaxation, some times of eating out, some times spent apart and many times spent together. We adored all the kids and bemoaned the distances between us. This is an annual event and I hope it goes on for decades.