Spring Break 2026

Vacation in 2018 nearly destroyed us. It (and COVID) led to some pretty big changes in terms of our land and how we vacationed. The last 3 vacations we've taken have included one of our sitters (and my dad for one trip, too) because we learned that more hands make vacations a bit easier. 

This year for spring break, though, we didn't have the option of taking a big along with us. So, we ventured out for a jam-packed road trip with just the 4 of us, heading to the East Coast and taking in as many sights and experiences (and donuts and ice creams) as we could!

The highlights of vacation in terms of sights seen included:

• 3 National Seashores (Cape Lookout (my favorite!), Cape Hatteras & Assateague)
• 1 National Battlefield (Moore's Creek with the slogan of "For King George & Broadswords!")
• 1 National Historic Site (Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad)
• 1 National Memorial (Wright Brothers at Kittyhawk)
• 4 National Parks (Shenandoah, New River Gorge, Congaree & Smokey Mountains)
• 3 hours in Washington D.C. with cherry blossoms everywhere exploring:
• Jefferson Memorial
• Lincoln Memorial
• WWII Memorial
• Korean Memorial
• Vietnam Memorial
• Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial
• Washington Monument

Our favorite moments were our few hours in Washington, D.C. where we absolutely lucked out with a parking spot to walk with hundreds if not thousands of others in the beauty of the snow white cherry blossoms. AJ has never been to D.C., and we've wanted to take him there for years. While this doesn't replace the desire to spend a couple days there exploring all the museums and truly enjoying all the monuments, memorials and history, it was a wonderful opportunity!

The other highlight for our entire family was our trip to Cape Lookout, as we took a boat out to the island to explore for the day. Dave did a phenomenal job planning vacation and had rented us a side by side to drive around the island. It was the perfect way to get to explore the historic village, all the different beaches and the lighthouses. We laughed (and worried a bit) as we got stuck in the sand twice in the first 1/2 mile, but thankfully those were the only times we were stuck. It was a beautiful day, though windy, so we got to dip our toes in the ocean, search for sea shells and enjoy a picnic in short sleeves and sunshine!

Travel with Teddy is still travel with Teddy. As I've told others, we'll have our moments and challenges here at home, and I'd much rather be seeing, exploring and doing than not. So we had a 2 a.m. bedtime the first night and another night with a midnight bedtime because Teddy insisted on sleeping on the couch. That might not sound like a problem, but Teddy is at risk of falling out of bed and eloping or leaving the hotel room, so we always pair him in bed next to an adult for safety. I gave up that night, though, and blocked the door with a laundry basket and just slept lightly to keep an ear for him. 

We also had to do a lot of valet pickups for Teddy, as transitions were tough. He often refused to leave just about anywhere, but he'd go when the vehicle pulled up. The other challenge in the vehicle, which was a challenge, was aggression toward AJ. Teddy decided after the first couple days that he no longer wanted AJ sitting by him, so he was pushing, kicking and hitting at AJ. 

But, we saw progress with restaurants, even without an extra set of hands. Teddy did really well waiting and eating in the restaurants where we ate, which often isn't the case. We also saw progress with hotel rooms, with very minimal attempts to leave the room and much more willingness to just chill with hotel TV. Even bedtime was easier in the sense that it wasn't such a fight with flailing and crying as much as simply not wanting to sleep.

It really was an amazing trip with tons of fun memories for all of us! Here's pictures of some of the fun.

This occupied Teddy for 30-60 minutes. 

Shenandoah was a wee bit foggy.

Teddy still loves viewfinders. We saw a wild horse through it!

Like most boys, Teddy thought the cannon was cool!

Teddy's version of hiking is sprint and stop. Good thing I'm a runner.

The kid who rarely hugs gave Buc-ee a hug.

This boy loves boats!

4 x 4 exploring of Cape Lookout!

This seashore was a wee bit chilly, so they were cuddling for warmth!

Ice Caves - An Adventure!

Eleven years ago, Dave and I had the opportunity to visit the Apostle Island ice caves. It was a whirlwind trip with lots of hiking, stunning scenery and two magical days that we still fondly remember. In fact, just the other month we were talking about how incredible the ice caves were and how unlikely it was that we'd ever see the ice caves again because it takes very specific weather conditions ... so specific that 11 years ago was the last time the ice caves were open.

When I stumbled on the news that the ice caves were planning to open February 16 this year, Dave was at our land with no Internet/cell service. So as he was driving the 3 hours home, I mentioned to him that the ice caves were opening the next day. And, within the next hour, he booked a hotel room, we called the boys in for school on Monday, and we both took a spontaneous day of PTO. I spent the next 2 hours frantically packing all our gear with AJ's help, and we headed out for another 4.5 hours of driving when Dave got home to get to Ashland. On the way, we got to stop for a quick supper with our sister-in-law and two of her kids for a fun break.

Teddy was very excited about this adventure and quite insistent that he wanted to go (as in he tried packing himself in the suitcase). He was excited to go swimming at the hotel pool and especially enjoyed the hot tub, which was necessary as we then had to walk outside to get back to our room. Sleeping in hotel rooms with Teddy is always a gamble, but he settled down by 10 and slept until 5 a.m. In Teddy's world and hotel rooms, that's considered a win..

Plus, we were heading out early to finish driving to the ice caves, so a 5 a.m. wakeup wasn't the worst thing. By 6:30 a.m. I was packing our vehicle and bringing our surprise visitor, my dad, into our hotel room. That's right, when we do crazy adventures, we extend the offer to others. He was crazy enough to get up at 3 a.m. to meet us that morning.

This year was strictly shuttles to the trailhead, so we headed to a shuttle area in hopes of finding a park ranger. When we couldn't find one there, we headed to the trailhead to at minimum drop off Teddy's adaptive wheelchair. Fortunately, the rangers there allowed us to access handicap parking, which was exactly what we needed to make this adventure possible. 

We were able to get all our gear together, carry his chair down to the beach and be the first trekking the mile or so out to the caves. It was so foggy that we were picking our way along without being able to see much ... not that we could enjoy the scenery at the start because it was a slog to push Teddy's chair through the snow on the beach. Fortunately, after about a third of a mile, we found a more packed snowmobile path on the ice, and it was much smoother sailing from there! 

We were still among the first group of people to the ice caves, and they were just as incredible as we remembered! AJ was enamored in taking photographs and just in awe. Teddy would have spent all his time playing in each and every cave if we let him, though he spent most of the time in his chair go see all the splendor with breaks to get out and play. 

Teddy walking under a bridge of ice.

We all made it probably about 2 or more miles out on the ice, and then AJ and I finished the last of the trail as it wasn't compacted enough to manage Teddy's chair. In the time we were gone exploring, Teddy got to enjoy more of the caves and even found a photographer friend for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/local/wisconsin/2026/02/17/apostle-islands-ice-caves-closed/88716758007/ He's the 12th image in the gallery.)

It was truly a magical day, honestly a once-in-a-lifetime experience to witness these wonders with my dad and the boys. It's unlikely that even if the caves open again that we'd be able to make the trip and schlep Teddy through the snow, so this was his chance to see and experience them. It was so special to experience the caves with Teddy in a way that we both love ... crawling and sliding and scooting through the ice caves. And it was just as special to trek to the end of the formations with AJ, seeing his awe and love of photographing the beauty. 

AJ got to see a lot of cool formations!

The trek back was a bit tougher as most of our crew was sore and a bit tired, but it was well worth it. And, honestly, I was just so darn glad that we had compacted snow for the entire trek back instead of the loose snow we had on the start of the hike that I was literally jumping for joy. As we were getting off the ice, we had a ranger comment, "That's the best thing I've seen all day!" in reference to Teddy's chair and our ability to bring him to the caves. We tag-teamed getting Teddy and his chair up the stairs. My dad joked his favorite part of the day was the last 2 steps as he helped Dave carry the chair. 

And then we had a 6-hour drive back home. It was worth every bit of the drive, every amount of effort pushing a chair through snow and all the catch up that we have from spontaneously taking this whirlwind adventure. I commented to my friends that it was well worth cancelling life to do this, and then I realized that what we did was far more important than a day of school or a day of work ... it was 32 hours of making core memories, living in the moment and enjoying the wonderous world in which we live with the people we love. 

We're so grateful for the opportunity to do this, especially since the caves were closed again the next day with no certainty as to when they'll reopen. We definitely lucked out with the accessible parking as that made the adventure possible (and so much easier than leaving a chair and backtracking to a shuttle or splitting our group to have some stay with the chair and the rest shuttle). It wasn't easy, but it was absolutely worth it. 

Nature is pretty darn amazing ... and pretty.

Teddy goes to Camp

Yep, you read that correctly. And if you've ever watched the movie Ernest Goes to Camp, I'm pretty sure there were just as many adventures, just different kinds. We can only imagine how the week went exactly because we dropped him off Sunday afternoon ... heard nothing all week ... and picked him up this morning. 

No news is good news when your child is at camp, though it leaves quite a bit to the imagination. But we felt as comfortable as possible in leaving our non-speaking, adventurous, thrill-seeking child who likes to test boundaries and explore without limitations who takes a whole regimen of medications (mostly for seizures and sleep challenges) could be. 

Seriously, this camp through Easter Seals is specifically designed for campers (both kids and adults) with disabilities to enjoy a full camp experience tailored to their needs. The application for camp was incredibly thorough, and then there were countless forms to complete after he was accepted to camp. We even had to do temp checks the week prior to camp in an effort to prevent any illnesses from coming into camp. 

Upon arrival, we were greeted by a flurry of smiling staff and had the 3 counselors assigned to Teddy come greet us and walk us through the check-in process. (He wasn't staffed 3:1, but he got their full attention until another one of their campers arrived. There were 3 counselors assigned to Teddy and 2 other boys, so he had plenty of support and supervision.) Check in included another temp check and quick medical screening, meeting with counselors, spending time with an on-site nurse to review his medications and medical needs one more time and then finally hauling his gear to his cabin. Oh, and I signed a waiver to allow him to do a ropes course ... just in case. (Turns out he just wanted to watch the others and didn't want to join in the fun.)

Teddy was teaching his counselor how to play piano during check in.

And because we weren't sure what to expect, we brought all the gear. Loads of diapers (apparently 2 more packages than needed), extra clothes, his chair in case they needed to travel long distances or go for late-night walks to calm down for bed and 2 bean bags just in case they were needed as landing pads for his bed. We were told upon arrival that they could place his mattress on the floor as well. We lost one of his crocs on the way to unload his belongings, but someone found it before we left, so all was well.

(Fun fact: When we picked him up today, he was missing 2 chewy necklaces and a chewy toy. But he inherited a fake plastic mustache (weird!), a pair of shorts 2 sizes 2 small and a pair of socks. I can only imagine trying to keep everything straight when the campers can't do it themselves or voice whose belongings are theirs, even with everything labeled! Heck, I know what it's like with lost and found at a traditional camp!)

Before we left, the camp director came to us and said, "I know I've only known Teddy 10 minutes, but I already love him! He's so much fun!" And then she proceeded to show us a selfie of them. We heard pretty much the same report when we picked him up today, hearing about his smiles, giggles and his ticklish nature. 

While it was weird to have Teddy at camp, we tried to make the most of it with a few meals out, a couple nights camping, some hiking and biking, a waterpark visit and time at our land relaxing, reading and working on projects. AJ commented on how weird we were (especially me), but I told him this was simply us less stressed. It was such a wonderful week for us with memories made. 

We hiked to Devil's Door at Devil's Lake, definitely not a Teddy-friendly hike!

As for Teddy, we won't know the full extent of his adventures. But I know he had so much fun and was so tired from his adventures each day that sleep wasn't an issue! He got to go swimming, play on playgrounds, eat s'mores, dance party fun and field trips that included tractor/wagon rides. His counselor said he had a great week, and the camp director showed us a bike that he commandeered (that she has no clue how it got on camp grounds) and had a blast riding. 

We're all so glad for this experience and looking forward to next year! (Even if it was a really rough return home because he's extra tired, and we're all feeling all the emotions of coming back from camp ... it's just so much fun it's hard to leave and adjust to real life again.)

House of Cards

Ya'll ... I was so excited but busy preparing for our spring vacation that I didn't get a post done in advance. I was going to share all the details, the highlights of what we'd see and all the preparation and planning that went into making this trip happen. (Seriously, we're talking prepping for flights months in advance with discussing medications with neurology to help with any challenges on the flight, coordinating to bring one of our amazing childcare providers along and weeks of discussing the flight with Teddy and watching videos to help prepare him, not to mention all the packing.)

Last week Monday, Teddy woke up early (around 4 a.m.) which isn't that extraordinary for him, but with all the pre-flight jitters, we were a bit concerned. So we temp checked him to find a mild fever of 99.3. Now, most people, wouldn't bat an eye at that, but when you combine that with a history of seizures and a flight to Arizona the next day ... well, that meant we got the prize of being the first people at walk-in clinic at 7 a.m. 

It's great that the doctors at walk-in clinic recognize us, right? *Sigh* At least they are understanding of why we brought him in on the first day with this minor symptom. He checked out OK, but they gave us the option of running the respiratory panel. We went ahead with that, hoping for more information to help reassure our vacation plans .... and we got a diagnosis of RSV.

That's a new one for us, though research indicates I'm sure both our kiddos have had it in the past. It's the first time we recall actually getting the diagnosis, though. I spent time with the nurse discussing and trying to determine if we were still OK to travel. She indicated we should be fine, as long as he could mask around others to avoid spreading it to those more vulnerable.

After a lot of tough discussions, including weighing in with our childcare provider who nannies for other families with little ones, we made the incredibly hard decision to cancel our trip. A trip with a child like Teddy is like a house of cards - a ton of fun and work to create but easily destroyed. There were lots of tears. Ultimately, though, our childcare provider couldn't risk bringing it back to the families she cares for, especially as one of the moms is due this week with a brand new little one. Also, we had no idea how Teddy would fare with RSV, whether it would be really mild like a cold or whether he'd be miserable.

And we made the right call. This was what we woke up to at 3 a.m. Tuesday morning. 

That's really high, especially since he had Ibuprofen before bed.

This would have been what we discovered waking up to get ready to fly out, and we would have had to cancel the trip that morning and not perhaps be able to get credits and refunds on most everything. That would have been even worse, though cancelling a much-anticipated trip is one of the hardest things to do.

But had we been on vacation, we would have been up between 3-4 a.m. in hotel rooms for the first 4 nights (and then only sleeping until 5ish for the next couple nights). It's truly for the best, though it wasn't what we planned.

We did still manage a bit of fun at the end of the week, as Teddy was feeling better (though he still hung onto a fever for about 6 days). He got to enjoy a farm show two different days, as did AJ. Both of them had a great time with that. We also checked out the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry, which is a whole other story.

As for that vacation? We'll see if we can't squeeze it in and rebook it yet this school year before the weather gets too warm in the desert. We know we can't wait until fall when it cools off because the start of a school year and fall means we're almost guaranteed illnesses all the time. 

The End of an Era

As the years have progressed, we've used our backpack carrier less and less. That's understandable as Teddy has grown. Physically, he's now close to 4 feet tall and weighs 80 pounds. When I'm only 5 feet 2 inches on a tall day, there's not much height difference between us. He's also grown steadier and stronger in his walking, though his ability to listen hasn't grown in equal proportions unfortunately. 

For the past several years, each time I pulled out the carrier I was reprimanded by my loving husband and mother ... truly from a place of love and concern that I'd injure myself by carrying Teddy. I insisted on bringing the carrier last year on vacation (and used it on one hike for just a short stint when the listening ears and all other attempts failed). When I didn't pack it for vacation this year, I knew it was time to pass it along to another family in need.

We had to do one final "ups" before mailing the carrier. He still fits. ;-)

Since it was hard for me to give up this season of life, I wanted to give it to another PIGN-CDG family who could benefit. As I type this, our carrier is on its way to Colorado where I hope it brings a sweet 4-year-old boy and his family as much as it did for our family.

Look at that toothless grin! We loved exploring together!

This carrier (and its predecessors) allowed us to get through the basics of life. It made grocery shopping possible when I needed my hands free. It made shopping trips possible when I couldn't wrestle Teddy into carts anymore due to his size, especially combined with my height. (There may have been a couple times we upended the shopping cart when I was trying to wrestle Teddy out by myself.) It allowed Teddy the snuggles and closeness he needed when he was in a mood and needed all the extra love ... yet I couldn't just hold 60+ pounds of sad Teddy.

We did plenty of hiking at our land with the carrier. Ted had to take an important call.

Beyond making the ordinary moments easier (or simply possible), this carrier traveled the country with us. I'm pretty sure this carrier has visited more national parks than many Americans. So, I couldn't resist searching back in time and sharing a handful of places we've been and memories we've made with this carrier. I'll be forever grateful for what this carrier gave our family.

You couldn't always see Teddy in the selfies, but you can see Black Canyon of the Gunnison.

It's completely safe. He's strapped to my back at Olympic National Park.

This was when Teddy still had pacifiers attached to the carrier at Rocky Mountain National Park.

Again, perfectly safe to walk up a river with a child strapped to your back. 

No way we trusted Teddy around the ancient ruins at Mesa Verde.

Not pictured are the ladders we climbed to get to this view in Canyonlands.

Sometimes I even let Dave carry Ted, like here in Great Sand Dunes.

Vacations

Since we got married, we have spent our vacations camping. While we’ve done nights in hotels, as the years progressed more of our nights were spent in our tent. Even as we added AJ to the mix, we continued with a trek into the backcountry (camping remotely where you hike in with all your belongings). When Teddy joined our family, we knew backcountry wouldn’t be feasible at least for few years until the kids could hike in themselves (hahaha … if only we knew with Teddy), but we continued with our camping adventures. In fact, the year Teddy turned one, he did so in Crater Lake National Park on our longest adventure with 3 full weeks of camping and exploring our national parks.

But each year Teddy got older, it got harder to enjoy vacations. Sleep has always been a struggle for him, especially when we aren’t at home. We’ve had vacations where he’s been up for the day at 2 a.m. or 4 a.m. or wouldn’t fall asleep until he screamed himself to sleep for several hours finally at 11 p.m. Not pleasant for any of us, and really tired parents don’t make for the best travel companions.

Our vacation 5 years ago nearly broke us … we came extremely close to turning around and coming home after the first 2 days. That’s when Dave decided we needed land where we could all enjoy nature, where Teddy could learn to sleep and we could actually enjoy ourselves and relax. That’s what led to our beautiful piece of heaven on earth, for which we’re extremely grateful.

That coincided with the global pandemic that shut down the world in 2020, and we continued to live in a bubble through 2021 and the first half of 2022. When we decided to adventure on vacation in 2022, we brought reinforcements: one of our beloved childcare providers aka adopted daughters. And we decided then that vacations should always include an extra set of hands.

Our adopted daughter was in charge of the selfie family photos.

So we headed on a short vacation at the end of June to Duluth, MN and the surrounding areas with our other adopted daughter, Sigrid. We spent the entire time in the same hotel, which helps Teddy adjust for sleeping, and did day trips to surrounding national parks (Apostle Islands, Voyageurs and Grand Portage), waterfalls and Canada.

The entire family for this vacation!

Our trip was very different than our trips of the past with all our time in a hotel and much less time in our parks, but we got to explore places in different ways. We did a train ride from Duluth, and Teddy was oh so excited because trains are one of the coolest things in the world.

He loved the boat rides!

We also did 2 different boat rides. The first was to Kettle Falls in Voyageur, and Teddy adored that board ride on the smaller boat. He even managed to keep his cool when we were stranded right by the dock for an extra 30 minutes riding out a storm. The second was the Apostle Islands Grand Tour. We intentionally waited to make sure the first boat ride went well before we committed to the second set of boat tickets. While Teddy was far more squirrely on the bigger boat, we managed to enjoy the scenery and the tour (and were quite glad we brought his chair to help him settle down. OK, fine, he got put in there in time out several times because playing on the stairs on a boat is not cool.)

This is why we need extra hands.

Our trip to Canada included several beautiful waterfalls and an adventure into Walmart to stock up on Canadian candy (and ketchup chips to try). We also had to find maple donuts for AJ’s cravings—that’s what he wanted most on this vacation.

While it was different than our trips of the past, it was a fantastic vacation filled with family time, happy memories, natural beauty, history and most of our sanity.

This is the best picture of vacation.

Blurred Lines

I never thought we'd be the type of family to have a live-in nanny, but we morphed into that family during COVID. Both our childcare providers were in our inner circle, when even our own immediate families couldn't be during lockdowns and surges. They've joined us for holidays and our full-time provider has lived with us during the week while she's working. She lives nearly an hour away, and we have a spare room, so it's worked out well.

So it was only natural that as soon as we started floating the idea of a spring break trip that we asked if she'd be interested in tagging along. We had the space in the vehicle, she loves to travel and we knew an extra set of hands would be helpful. She was excited about the possibility of exploring national parks with us, so we made plans that included enough sleeping accommodations for everyone, including her.

Our trip was so much better because she joined us. Not only did she actually do some respite for us (cajoling Teddy to sleep in a hotel room, so we don't have to, is definitely respite), she naturally helps out like part of the family. That might mean handing things to Teddy during the drive, helping Teddy when he's eating something messy or keeping an eye on Teddy while we explored something. 

But she also provided company for AJ, someone to explore with him. They both loved hopping along the boulders by rivers, so they'd go exploring together while we hung back with Teddy. It gave AJ an adventure buddy, and they had fun adventures. It gave AJ a bit more attention during the trip, whereas sometimes Teddy becomes the focus for both Dave and I when he's particularly needy. 

These guys were great adventure buddies.

She also joined me in the hot tub and provided another adult companion to have adult discussions. And with her calm disposition, she helps all of us chill out when we otherwise might get stressed (like locking ourselves out of a hotel room ... at 8:30 at night ... for 1.5 hours). 

It was the best thing we could have done to make our vacation enjoyable, and I think she had a great time as well. I'm thinking she might need to be a permanent part of our travel routine. 

See, it looks like she's having fun!

 

Accessibility in Our Parks: Version 2.0

Several years ago I shared our experiences with accessibility within our National Park System. We finally had the chance to venture back to our national parks and travel as a family last month, and it's wonderful to continue to see accessible options. 

At Cuyahoga Valley, AJ made his standard request for Junior Ranger books. The ranger offered a more hands-on learning style if that was better for anyone in our group. She didn't single Teddy out, but she recognized that Teddy may not be able to do the typical workbook and provided that option. She didn't automatically assume and give that as the only option, but she gave a choice that might work better for us. 

It was a really neat set of cards with different activities to do throughout the park, with hands-on learning that could be done by younger ages or people who don't do well with written activities. It's such a great idea!

If they change the name on these, it's a darn near perfect idea.

She also politely inquired about how accessible one of the trailheads was due to construction because she observed us pushing Teddy in his chair. They have to keep safety during construction as the top priority and had made some changes to make it more accessible, yet it still wasn't truly accessible. She appreciated knowing, so she could inform other visitors as well as management. 

The other really cool thing we saw was a variety of adaptive equipment at Indiana Dunes to make beach access possible for people with limited mobility. If you've ever tried to push any wheelchair or stroller on sand, you know how challenging that is. They had several options to give people the ability to more fully experience the parks.

A variety of devices allow better access for more people.

The reality is there will always be a balance between accessibility and the component of leaving our parks natural, which means that all trails cannot be wheelchair accessible. I love to see, though, where parks make the outdoors available to people of all abilities. 

Our Vacation In Pictures

About 6 weeks ago, I lamented to my husband how much I missed visiting our national parks. Within a day, he suggested the possibility of visiting New River Gorge, the newest national park that we haven't visited. As COVID was currently calming down, it seemed perfect to plan for a spring break trip. We still took all the precautions we could (masks indoors when around others, limited hotel rooms and opted for rentals instead and no dining at hotels or restaurants). But we got to go on vacation!

As background, our family loves to travel. Ever since we visited two national parks on our honeymoon, we have planned nearly all our travel around national parks, monuments, etc. Each year we have explored our country, often on trips that no sane person would consider with young children. As Teddy has grown older, these trips have become more stressful and the tough realization that the hikes of years past are in the past. But we still managed to have a wonderful time with a few adaptions.

Most of our stops along the way were rest stops to allow Teddy to stretch his legs, unless we needed gas. We had to change him in the backseat of the truck, as there's rarely suitable changing locations for a 70-pound child who's way too tall. 

That scrunchy nose gets me every time.

Teddy loves exploring new places. Fortunately our first rental had very little in terms of decor or things that he could easily break. In fact, both our rental places worked well for Teddy, aside from needing locks on the bedrooms.

Teddy loved the game room at our rental place. We all did.

We spent the majority of our time at New River Gorge National Park, as we hadn't explored it yet. It was a great place to spend time outdoors exploring, and the weather was beautifully cooperative for this part of the trip. The river is the center of the park, and this was the day we were checking out the falls and rapids on the river.

Aren't we all so cute?

Notice the semi-matching cameras for Dave and AJ. 

We gave AJ our old digital SLR camera on this vacation. We had talked about selling it because we don't use it, and instead we decided it would be a great opportunity for AJ. He absolutely loved it and commented that now he really was like Ansel Adams, his namesake. It also motivated him while hiking and exploring. Teddy, meanwhile, was motivated by adventure. The rougher the trail, the more fun.

I'm sure his chair was meant for this terrain ...

I mentioned a few adaptations. The single best thing we did on this vacation was bring along reinforcements! Our wonderful childcare provider loves to travel and explore, and she was willing to tag along with us. She gets along fantastically with all of us and fits right into the family. I think she might need to join us for every vacation, especially considering she got Teddy asleep both nights in hotel rooms. Magic, I tell you, pure magic.

AJ loved being able to go off exploring with Bri.

On our first day of driving, I mentioned that it was both a good and bad thing that I packed the backpack carrier for Teddy. I said it's a bad thing because I might use it, but it's a good thing because we have it if we need it. Well, we did need it. Teddy can hike remarkably well when he wants to, but he didn't want to finish a particular hike. In fact, all he wanted to do was run in the opposite direction, when there was a really tall cliff about 20 feet away. I carried him for less than a half mile, but it made the hike so much more enjoyable rather than trying to convince a child laying on the ground to move in the right direction.

One day he will be big enough to carry me. Hopefully he listens by then.

We were fortunate enough to have hot tubs at our rentals. The boys did an afternoon dip, so that Teddy got to enjoy the experience. Otherwise, we usually hot tubbed while Teddy was going down for the night.

Teddy was excited to enjoy the hot tub.

All of our kids, including our childcare provider, did the Junior Ranger program to earn their badges. Well, we did Teddy's booklets at most parks. AJ was really happy to add 6 badges to his collection, including 5 brand new locations.

This was the most official swearing in ceremony in front of the backdrop.

After a few days of nice weather, we transitioned to much cooler and rainier weather. It felt appropriate for Fort Necessity, where they were in rain-filled trenches fighting all day. It also felt appropriate for the somber tone of remembrance at Flight 93 Memorial.

This is my favorite picture of Teddy from the trip. 

One of the most amazing parts of our trip was being able to connect with not one, but two, other families with CDG-PIGN. We had previously met one of the children 3 years ago when Teddy did his week-long study at National Institutes of Health in Maryland. It's amazing how much both of them have progressed in just 3 years! And then the next day we got to meet a nearly 2-year-old sweetheart, who took us down memory lane to when Teddy was that little.

Teddy spent Gettysburg pushing Alexa around, when we didn't put him in his own chair.

This is Teddy giving his version of a hug to sweet Hayden.

I felt better sneaking away for a couple runs because Dave had an extra set of hands to help. It's a good thing because the chairs we brought for Teddy weren't always meant for all the terrain, so Bri carried Teddy's chair up and down the stone steps on this path, but they got to explore a cool trail while I ran through Cuyahoga Valley National Park. 

Everyone is happy, even me as I was dying running hilly trails.

It was an absolutely wonderful vacation, although it felt really short when we were back home a week later. Our earlier trips have been upwards of 2 weeks, but we managed to pack a lot of fun and exploring into this week. And then we had a day at home to sleep in our own beds and recover before heading back to our normal routine.

Relaxing Respite

Last week we had the opportunity to spend a few quality days with AJ. Between assistance from grandparents and our "adopted daughter" Sigrid, we were able to arrange coverage for Teddy. We headed north to the upper peninsula of Michigan to one of our favorite places: Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. 

We've visited Pictured Rocks nearly every year since 2009. We've done the boat cruise to see the beautiful lakeshore from Lake Superior. We've hiked to a frozen waterfall in winter. We've camped in the traditional campgrounds. We've hiked 45 miles from one end of the National Lakeshore to the other end. It's absolutely beautiful and yet unpredictable. The weather can be amazing or it can be brutal. The water is usually freezing, but occasionally it's warm enough to truly enjoy. The stable flies can be merciless. The waves can be non-existent or they can be 10 feet high. 

Despite it's unpredictability, Pictured Rocks has grown increasingly popular in the past 5 to 10 years. We first discovered it when it was relatively peaceful, and now visitation has increased tremendously similar to other national park sites. In our words, it's gotten far more "people-ly," but we're still able to find our peace there.

This was our third year hiking and backcountry camping. That means we take everything we need for a couple days in our backpacks. We have done with when AJ was 6, 7 and now 9. He's quite the trooper for the 3.5-mile hike in to camp, especially with the promise of swimming and playing there. This year was the best yet, likely due to his age.

Still smiling on the hike out, although AJ was a bit weary.

We had perfect weather, water and bugs. We planned to bring in our stand-up paddleboard. All told, that meant an extra 12 miles of hiking (6 of those carrying the paddleboard). Although I can't say we'll do it every time, it was absolutely worth it. We were able to explore further along the coastline safely (given that AJ and I aren't strong enough swimmers otherwise). I am not built for cold water, so the paddleboard allowed her to play in the water with the boys. We were able to see the shipwreck by finding it with paddleboard. 

This was the cave that "burped" and tried to eat them when the waves kicked up.

As AJ collapsed into the water for the first time, he exclaimed, "This is everything I could dream of!" We tend to agree. 

As much as we wish we could bring Teddy to our favorite camping place again, it's just not feasible with his walking ability and the trails. We spent time contemplating how we might be able to get him in for a day trip. Honestly our best bet is to rend a pontoon boat, but then we need someone who's a boater to chauffer us. Any scenario that involves us hiking in is going to result in being exhausted chasing Teddy while there after the way in and way out.

And the reality is that both AJ and us need time away from Teddy. We love Teddy dearly, but it's a lot to be his brother and parents. It's a lot of patience. It's a lot of diligence. It's a lot of refereeing. It's a lot of pushing and shoving. It's a lot of guessing games. There's reasons that AJ likes the move Wonder. It reminds him of our life, probably including the line about life revolving around "the son." 

These few days allow us to enjoy each other. We can all have a bit of space, a bit of personal time and plenty of nature. We had a fantastic time and are already looking forward to next year.

Happy hikers enjoying Grand Portal.