Idyllwild

We went away to Idyllwild last weekend with the Encarnacion family. We had a blast! See below for why...

Little Zack the happy moose.

Gabe somehow kept 3 boys under 2.5 years old entertained with what I'm pretty sure was a book of art.

Us old folk weren't the only ones who needed a break and some time to relax.

This was the painting that was on the wall in the basement billiards room. I think it was called, "Horseplay." What do you think of it???

We decided to widdle our own marshmallow skewers. Allie started getting pretty serious about it (as you can see here) so then it was made into a competition. Although I'm still not sure of the winner, my Gabe did say that holding his was a "massage for your hands". I don't think that any of us could beat that.Why this vacation was so awesome:
1. Andrew loves each member of the Encarnacion family so much, it's ridiculous.
2. Gabe and I think they're okay too.
3. The kids had a BLAST together.
4. Us adults were able to hang out WITHOUT kids during naptimes and after hours (bedtime). We never get to do that anymore!
5. We rented a HUGE house...
6. with bathrooms...
7. and a kitchen...
8. and a playground in the backyard.
9. We didn't need to go anywhere. (Unlike if we had gone to Paris, for example.)
10. There was a pool table downstairs... which I think that we all enjoyed except perhaps my Gabe... and I quote, "This 8-ball is ruining my life!"
11. It was less than 2 hours away.
12. We were only without electricity for 4 hours one night.
13. We could mix and match kids. There were 4 adults and 3 kids. Someone was always there to watch some of the kids.

I strongly advise ALL young families to try a vacation like this. It was inexpensive (especially since we still owe the Encarnacions money for the house) and a ton of fun and seriously relaxing even with kids around. Has anyone else done this? Where'd you go?