Vacation how I already miss you….

Wow, when this Momma goes on vacation, she really goes on vacation!!! I thought I was going to cook left and write and just take the time off from writing/blogging……well my whole family was together (I’d say about 15 or so of us) and we had large family dinners each night. It was great, it makes me realize a few things. One, that family is just amazing. Two, sitting down as a family, no matter how tough it is to cook for a crowd that is as large as ours was, is the best feeling in the world.  Three, letting my daughter see just how important it is to sit down as a family means the world to me.

So this is how Miss Madison started her vacation. I picked her up at daycare on Thursday an hour early and this is the smile I got. OMG I’ve never seen a smile this big with her actually looking at the camera.

First off let me start at the beginning of the week, we had friends of ours up camping at the site a few down from ours. We met this couple because our daughters are the same age so she and I would be at the same mommy groups, music classes, yoga classes, you get my drift, never did we ever think our husbands would hit it off…………But they did.

Olivia and Madison play so well together, they are so stinkin cute and they are only one month apart.

Olivia: Can I have one please? Madison: Uhm Nooooo….. Olivia: But my mom bought them! Madison: So what!!!

We played at the beach. Well we momma’s sat, the boys canoed and the kiddo’s played.

We BBQ’d together. Here is the kicker, I tried Venison! Yes that’s deer. It was really good. I’m proud for trying something new!

Us Momma’s went to the second hand children’s store a few towns over, got some awesome deals, I swear I’m never shopping in a real store again, the cloths are in great shape and they are never above $6 for anything. I got two fall/winter jackets for like $20!! It was a great weekend with great friends. You can tell when you have kids because I never take pictures of me and my friends/family anymore!

That Saturday and Sunday most of my family came in. My three cousin’s were their for the week, they are the best. Trouble, well I used to be trouble before MM came as well, you know up until all god hours of the night, drinking, laughing, listening to music, well this momma found out this vacation that she can’t hang like she used to LOL….but I did hang one night until 4am (thanks to my husband who let me sleep in peace until 10am but I did pay for it by feeling like crap the whole next day!!) Love these guys.

We had many family dinners. This one here we happened to order Chinese Food. Another night we had a whole Turkey dinner, that was to die for, it was great!!

I treated myself to a few lunches on the beach. This one happens to be a Tuna Salad sandwich with bacon 🙂

A few mornings during the week my hubby took Maddie out in the morning so I could sleep in (he’s the best) and they went for a morning canoe ride. She loved it. How cute are they!!

Also, we treated ourselves to a few breakfasts on the beach too! (told you I was spoiled this week!)

We went Davis Farmland one day. It’s a park/farm where kids can be with the animals, feed them and pat them. It was a blast. Maddie didn’t even hesitate when daddy was feeding the animals, she jumped right in (momma….not so much!!)

Look at this dude………Just chillin. Wouldn’t  you be beat with all these kiddo’s wearing you out too??

This little guy right here is only 2 days old!! Amazing!!

We stopped for Juice break (By the way MM now says Juuuuuice!!) Yay another word!!

MM loved loved loved the flinstone cars LOL!! We had to tear her away from them to leave before the rain down poured on us!

And this is how our ride home went 🙂 Just a little pooped.

We had my mother-in-law and her boyfriend up for one day. We spent the day at the beach and we grilled some steak tips on the grill. I made a Ranch Coleslaw and green beans to go with it. (This was one of  the only thing I made all week!!) Scroll down below for the Ranch Coleslaw recipe.

Grammy Memere brought Maddie’s favorite animal crackers. Do you remember having these as a kid? I sure do!!

Madison spend quite a few days on the beach. 🙂 This one here she is enjoying her lunch with her Aunty  Joyce.

Daddy went out and hung with the “Big Boys” one night (and yes regretted it the next day like I did….) well not regretted it, but realized hungover days are a loooooot tougher as a parent!! When daddy went out, momma stayed in with boo and watched a movie. This was an awesome bottle of wine we picked up at a Wine store we found one day while going to the local butcher. Sooo good!

No we are getting to the end of the week. Madison got a bad rash called Thrush 🙁 It spread all over her belly down her legs and was even in her mouth. So she spent the end of vacation very clingy and miserable. Days like that make me realize how lucky I am that it happened while we were on vacation because I had help!! Here she is having out with her daddy. She never just lays around so I knew that she was feeling pretty down that day!

Oh here is a picture from my uncles coozie that I fell in love with……….what would your answer be? Mine is HELL YES!!

Then the last day of vacation, Sunday, my husband decided to test my “Spur of the Moment” ability. (usually I fail) after Maddie woke from her nap at 2pm he decided it would be a great idea to go to the beach beach and get an early dinner and walk the beach. I said what the heck!! So 20 min later we were out the door!! Here was my dinner!! Tuna Salad Wrap (yes I love tuna!)

And here is my baby boo enjoying the salt water for the very first time. It was such a great memory.

I can’t believe how much she loved it. (I’m not a big fan of the salt water but I’ve come a long way in my day!) Here she is with her daddy…….priceless.

I will leave you with the two recipes that I did make while on vacation. It was a White Bean Dip.

And a Ranch Coleslaw. ENJOY!!!