Vacation in Kennewick, WA

We had an amazing time visiting friends and family in Mike's hometown of Kennewick, Washington. We took two days to drive and stayed in Boise, Idaho at the halfway point. The car trip went surprisingly well due to our preparations. It is much easier when you have a DVD player and lots of Baby Einstein and Little Einstein videos! Not to mention our GPS, which not only helped us navigate, but provided info about restaurants and hotels on the route.

Mike's mom was a terrific host and really went out of her way to make us feel right at home. She also cooked some great meals and watched the kids a couple times so Mike and I could spend alone time together. Thank you so much Terri!

Dylan and Austin LOVED every minute of the vacation. It was so much fun seeing them explore new surroundings and spend time with their extended family. Dylan especially loved playing with his older cousins. They even played hide and seek at Terri's house, which was really exciting for Dylan since he can usually only play with Mom and Dad at home. This time he could at least find four other kids!



On the first day in Kennewick, all the family met at this community park for a picnic lunch. There was this cool water play area, a large new playground and a train.























Austin was pretty upset when we first boarded the train, but he settled down immediately once we started moving. The ride was really nice and even went along the Columbia river for a while. I didn't get any pictures during that section, since I was busy making sure Dylan stayed in his seat. He kept trying to stand up and then was telling me he wanted to get out near the river. Sometimes, he can be quite the handful!




This is a really nice picture of Mike's brother Pat and his wife Shannon and their kids, Christian, Hayden, Makinna and Porter.




I love this picture of all the cousins. Of course, Dylan has to have a goofy smile on his face!
























The sunsets from Terri's backyard are truly spectacular! I could sit out on her back deck every night. It is hard to see in these pictures, but there is a view of the river as well.




I captured this shot one night before bed when the boys started to play a favorite game. They start by putting their backs to a wall and then march forward and then walk backwards to the wall. They usually repeat this several times while giggling. Too cute!



Mike's childhood friend, Craig and his wife Betty, took us out on their cool pontoon boat. Dylan loved driving, especially since he informed Craig that he is not allowed to drive our cars because it is too dangerous. It's good to know he listens!







Austin loved chilling in the back while eating a fruit snack.




Betty holding their 8-month old girl, Kaitlyn (sp).



The boys were fascinated with the baby. They were so good and gentle around her.







They loved this huge floating lounge chair, but the river water was quite chilly at about 68-72 degrees. Way too cold for a Florida girl! Fortunately, Mike was willing to brave the waters.







We actually had a date night including dinner and a movie! Our first date since February when my Aunt Belinda was in town to watch the kids.







This is the deep soaker tub at our hotel in Boise, Idaho. The kids had a fantastic time in this hotel. There was also a great indoor pool with a hot tub and a baby pool.