Better than Ever in Omaha with Cousins

It is SNOWING!  It is FREEZING!  It is soooo not summer.  And yet...

Let us reminisce about the beautiful warm days we spent in Omaha after our adventures in New York.  The cousins were so very delighted to be reunited in Papa Kay's backyard.

Here's Anders on the zipline.

The little ones are always eager to drag the seat back up the hill.

Eila's turn.


Now Annika's ready for a ride.

Dog pile on NomiAnn!

Anders loved the neighbor's playhouse.

Helping Papa Kay in the garden.

Note the flying squash.

A bountiful harvest.  Did you know most of these are actually zucchini?

Next adventure, bubble blowing.  As a flautist, Callie's got serious skills.

Brooklyn takes a turn.

Go, Anders, go!

Aww, what a sweet bubble couple.

We naturally enjoyed some Omaha excursions as well.  Our vacation would not be complete without another trip to the zoo.  Anders wasn't too keen on the jogger...

...but liked this stroller just fine.

NomiAnn and her big girls.

The desert dome.

Entertained by the silly orangutans.

Last stop, the giant playground.

Good thing Callie's not any taller!

So pretty.

The gardens at the zoo were nearly as beautiful as those at Lauritzen Gardens.

Here we are hunting down gnomes.

This one was easy to spot.

Eila ponders the mini-trains.

A trolley right in front of Central.

Ice cream cones for the perfect finale.

As part of race training, Eli, Talia, Callie, and I ran around Lake Zorinsky one day.  Talia was the fastest, so she ended up running on her own.  Everything was going great until the poor girl tripped.  Good thing she's a tough cookie!

Eli may have seemed tired during our run, but as soon as we were back he had plenty of energy to climb to the top of this play structure.

Anders preferred the swing.

The perfect swing for the big gals.

While I don't have any pictures, one more excursion seems notable--our afternoon at Louisville Lakes.  While the tiniest and the wisest swam, those of us between the ages of 8 and 40 splurged on the Floating Playground.  (Image taken from their website.)

It was a riot.  Callie and I had so much fun, and I'm pretty sure the kids did too.  The next time we are all together in Omaha, we might have to up the age range to 45 so I can do it again.

And now, costumes.  Quite appropriate since it is the day before Halloween.  We raided the basement and found this childhood gem.  Rainbow Brite!  Eila's never looked more 80s.

Callie and her Prince Charming.

A dragon and Minnie Mouse, mesmerized by the TV.

Last but not least, our beautiful princesses.  Oh, how we love our cousins.

Life just doesn't get any better than this.

Eila, Anders, Aunt Callie, NomiAnn, and Papa Kay--thank you for the lovely and relaxed last days in Omaha.  We love you, miss you, and can't wait to meet you there again for Christmas.