Friday, July 9, 2010

Vacation Slideshow

Go ahead and get your groans out now folks because you've just tuned in to the first of what could be many posts about the Brock Family Vacation, 2010. Let the eye rolling and snores commence!

Last summer was Maddy's first home so this was the first time all four of us were taking to the open road in pursuit of fun, scenery and relaxation. We thought a trip to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, Grand Teton National Park and Yellowstone would be a perfect way to introduce the girls to road tripping. And who doesn't want to drive close to 2000 miles round trip with a five-year-old and 19-month-old?

Safely buckled...
...and pacified in the Swagger Wagon for the first leg of the trip. Mapquest told us it would take 7 1/2 hours to drive from Seattle to Missoula, Montana. Mapquest lied. They clearly did not figure in the numerous bathroom and meal stops needed when toting two little girls. We finally arrived after our 10-hour car ride with our two troopers who really did amazingly well. Luckily we'd arranged to stay at a hotel with an indoor water park so there would be a big fun reward at the end of the day! Vacation just shouldn't be synonymous with "strapped in a car seat".Isabelle was in heaven. This was her first water park and after trying out the kiddie slide she bravely rode down the huge one numerous times with Mommy and Daddy. Madeleine did too! They loved it so much we booked another night's stay there for our return trip.


Maddy says: "This vacation stuff is pretty awesome. I'm ready to go on day two!" We knew we had about 8 hours of driving ahead of us to get to our resort outside of Jackson Hole so we planned accordingly...
...with frequent breaks. Has anyone else out there experienced the phenomenon of vacation ice cream? I don't usually eat ice cream but somehow when on vacation I must have it - especially freshly-made from an Idaho dairy!
After another long day of driving that included a ride through a powerful electrical storm in the middle of nowhere we finally made it to Teton Springs Lodge and Spa. It was a fantastic resort nestled in the Teton Valley at the base of the Teton Mountain Range. We had a beautiful view of the mountains and golf course out our window and we were really well taken care of by the staff. Here's Isabelle to give you a tour of our suite. She has a new pose you'll be seeing frequently. Embrace it, love it, because it's here to stay.
Isabelle is standing outside our room right in front of her hideaway bed. She thought it was so cool that a bed could pull out of a wall. Maddy had her own little crib to sleep in by the window.
Posing in the girls' bathroom.
"So glad we're here!"
After donning fresh outfits it was a race to dinner!
Isabelle seems to be saying, "This vacation stuff is hard work! When do I get a break?"
After all that traveling it was so wonderful to unpack and get settled for the week ahead. Our adventure had only just begun!