Tee Pee Camping

Have you ever slept in a tee pee?  I rented a replica Sioux Indian tee pee as an alternative to just camping in a tent.  A little apprehensive to what this experience might be like, I booked our tee pee and packed for our camping adventure.  Upon arrival Teagan says "This couldn't be more perfect."  She was absolutely right.

We spent our days playing on the beach and  the late afternoon and into the evening the girls played with new friends on the jumping pillow, playground and oversized games. We read ghost stories and played games by campfire or flashlight great memories and family time. In the morning we were surprised to see all the peacocks wandering the campsite as well as up in the trees above our tee pee.

 Take a look at our Tee pee adventure:

At the beach we spotted 4 dolphins not far off shore.  Though we were thrilled, another mom spotted them too and freaked out, thinking they were sharks! I just had to giggle inside. She probably thought I was crazy, to allow my kids to swim with the sharks. I could go on about that being a life lesson...but this time they were swimming near dolphins.  

A great week!  I hope you had one too!  

Sputnik with some Colossal Cuties

What I love about summer is the freedom, so today it just felt like a day to get out of the house and hit the road.  We made a day trip down to Tucson and enjoyed a day at Colossal Cave.  It is the perfect first cave experience for the younger set and still enjoyable for us grown up kids.

Waiting our turn and enjoying the view

Here we go!!!!

Love all the history, beauty and mystery

After enjoying the 71 degrees in the cave we headed out to continue our adventure:

Panning for gold, Sadie was disappointed to learn she had
been fooled by the fools gold!

1930's Fun House Mirror
Hilarious

Our damsel in distress.
Where is Dudley Do Right?

Until Next Time..........Have Fun! 

Beach Time

My favorite vacations involve the beach! Beach trips to me are classic summer memories and a tradition we have as a family. Arizona has a lot of "beach" but no ocean :(  We make at least 1 trek across the dessert to San Diego to see friends and have some time to catch waves, play with little crabs and tide pool. This trip was no different! The water was cold, but the waves were amazing, even the littles did some level of boogie boarding. My favorite memory this time, was Lexi's confidently stated "Look out ocean here I come!"

Besides, youthful feelings and memories, waves, relaxation, the beach is a relatively inexpensive investment for our family bonding.  Since our family has a vast span of ages 2-15 its the perfect spot for each one to have their own level of fun. Some guidelines that make our beach trips enjoyable:

1.  Easy access, without a lot of stairs or blocks to walk.
2.  Bathroom facilities
3.  A playground is an added perk since we stay from 11-5:30 most trips.
4. We pack lightly, less to carry makes us all happier. I saw many families bring the tents, "recliners" seriously folks...we are at the beach, not the living room.

Enjoy these carefree days of summer!
~ DeAnn