Driving Miss Jenaya (EVERYWHERE!)

Well, we've been home for about a week and I'm finally getting around to updating this! I think we need a vacation at home to relax after all our traveling!

Trip #1

At the end of June we headed out to the Black Hills. As I mentioned before, I was a bit nervous about how Jenaya would travel for that long of distance. We found out that we have quite the traveling baby! She did great in the car. She sleeps when tired and plays when awake. We never had to stop because of a meltdown! I hope she continues to be a great traveler.

We stayed at a cabin with my parents. The cabin was at Edelwiess Mountian (near Hill City) and we had stayed in this cabin last summer. It has plenty of space and we filled it with all the baby stuff I brought! On the way out to the Black Hills, we stopped at Mt. Rushmore and then over to my grandparents' house in Rapid City. They enjoyed getting some one-on-one time with Jenaya and she was very charming during the visit!

At the cabin, we did a lot of hiking and taking Jenaya around for walks. With my parents we headed over to Lake Sylvan (one of my favorite places growing up) and did the hike around the lake with Jenaya. She loved being in her hiking backpack on Papa's back!

Dan's parents, sister Renee, and her three kids also came out to the Black Hills while we were there. So, we were able to all meet for lunch at Custer. We brought them also to Lake Sylvan to hike and climb around on the boulders by the lake.

On one of the evenings, Great Aunt Diane, Great Uncle Wayne, and my grandparents made it out to our cabin. We spent a great evening chatting and playing with Jenaya. And, eating a lot! It was so nice for Jenaya to have so much family around!

On the way home we had to stop at Wall Drug. Jenaya was awake so we enjoyed breakfast there and a break from the car before our long drive home.

Trip #2

We only spent a few days home before we headed out on another trip. This time we were headed to Stillwater, MN. At somewhat the last minute, we decided to take a detour up to Alexandria (Lake Reno) to visit Shari & Marius and family at a cabin they rented on the lake. We are so happy we decided to do this because the twins and Jenaya got to spend a lot of time together! Jenaya also got to experience her first time "swimming" in a lake. She didn't mind the water at all! We again got to spend time with Grandma and Grandpa Breuer and Renee & Tim and their family even made a stop at the cabin before heading up further north to their cabin.

On the Thursday before the 4th of July, we left Alexandria and zipped over to Stillwater, MN. My parents had rented a home there for a few days. Dan and I didn't know what to expect at Stillwater. We got there and found a really beautiful town by the St. Crioux River. Dan's into history so he and I took the trolley tour one morning and got to learn a ton of history about one of the oldest cities in MN. We both fell in love with Stillwater and hope to go back sometime soon!

When my parents rented the home in Stillwater they hadn't realized the home was owned by a spa. Spa services were required with the stay. So, my mom and I got to treat ourselves to an afternoon at the spa! We got haircuts and pedicures. I was so relaxed after the spa!

Jenaya continued to be a wonderful traveler throughout our time in Stillwater. She went on many walks with us and my parents. We checked out the local parks by the river and spent part of the morning at the Teddy Bear Park, which is a park specifically created for babies/toddlers through age 8. It was very cute!

On the Fourth of July we headed over to White Bear Lake to hang out with the Ceynowa/Doran family. My grandma was there and she got to meet Jenaya for the first time! Jenaya was a bit unsure of all the new faces at first, but she quickly warmed up. We stayed much longer then we thought we'd be able to and had a blast spending time with some of my aunts, uncles, cousins and cousins' kids!

On our way home we swung by Eden Prairie for a night to spend more time with Shari and family. Again, the twins and Jenaya really liked spending time together. Little Addy loves Jenaya (or "baby" as she calls her) and she always had be sitting right by her.

So, we are sticking close to home for awhile now after all the many, many hours in the car. We are so thankful to our families for inviting us along on vacation and into their homes. We loved being able to take Jenaya to so many fun places. And, I am so thankful to our little girl for allowing us to take her all over! She was such a trooper!

Jenaya's first tooth decided to start poking out since we've been home!! It's a bottom one and I can't wait for it all to come up! She's also gotten very interested in walking the past few days. She cruises with our help all over the house and yard.

Hope everyone had a great fourth!!