Sorry I didn't get a chance to blog the last 2 days of our vacation. We had a lot of fun and were exhausted at the end of each day. I had good intentions to blog Thursday night but when I went to write, I realized our laptop was in Scotty's side of the cabin and they already had their lights out and doors closed.
Thursday the Dad's stayed at the cabin to fish all day and I think they managed to get in about 14 hours worth of fishing. They started at 6am, stopped for lunch about noon and then were back out on the water till about 9pm. They did catch 8-9 fish between them, 2 were keepers.
Trina and I decided to take the kids to a local water park while they fished. The kids loved it and all had a lot of fun. It was a small park with a walk-in pool, lazy river, 2 water slides and a kiddie area with 4 smaller slides. Riley, Tyler and Abby tried it all, but spent most of the day doing the 2 bigger water slides, over and over and over again. Kaylee and Owen preferred the smaller slides in the kiddie area. They were both so proud of themselves for doing a slide all on their own. Trina and I took turns, one of us with the younger ones and the other with the older kids.
Since it was late when the guys got back from fishing, we decided to have our fish fry on Friday at lunch, before we headed home. They also managed to get in a round of golf on the 9-hole golf course that morning too. The Dad's hit the drives and let the Abby and Riley putt them in on the green. The kids got in a few more bike rides Friday morning too. Owen even discovered that his bike with training wheels could make it all the way to the pool with the big kids (Mom walking closely behind).
The fish fry was a success. The kids all surprised us by liking the fish. None of them were excited about eating it, but all ate a plate full. After cleaning up lunch, it was time to pack up and head home. We did stop for dinner at Cracker Barrel (Owen's only request for our vacation, we had to eat there!), which was good but delayed us almost 2 hours. It was after midnight when we got home. What a great trip! The kids had trouble deciding what activity was their favorite. I think it was a tie between the water park and the beach for most of them. But they all loved the bike riding (and the freedom that involved) and the battleship visit too.
Although it's always nice to get home after a trip, it was sort of sad that it had to end. We had a great time and no doubt will visit there again on a future vacation.
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Beach
Today was another full one. We had a 9am appointment for skeet shooting, which was a lot of fun. The Dad's and Tyler shot and I even shot about 5 shells too. The highlight of the trip so far for all the guys, they loved it. And I must admit it was pretty fun.
After that, we all suited up and drove out to Folly Beach. It was a great day for it. My lobster-red thighs are proof of that. I was so careful to cover the kids and my shoulders and back and Lance's, that somehow I forgot my legs and that is what suffered. Riley loved the water and playing in the waves. He was the one kid of the 5 that preferred the water over the sand. Everyone had a lot of fun and everyone was very tired and very hungry when we got back to the cabin. We grilled out our steaks and made homeade ice cream for dessert. Yum!
After that, we all suited up and drove out to Folly Beach. It was a great day for it. My lobster-red thighs are proof of that. I was so careful to cover the kids and my shoulders and back and Lance's, that somehow I forgot my legs and that is what suffered. Riley loved the water and playing in the waves. He was the one kid of the 5 that preferred the water over the sand. Everyone had a lot of fun and everyone was very tired and very hungry when we got back to the cabin. We grilled out our steaks and made homeade ice cream for dessert. Yum!
Here are a few pictures from yesterday and today. There are so many beach pictures, I had a hard time picking but here are a few....
All five of the kids saluting in front of a Naval helicopter aboard the USS Yorktown. (Click on pictures to make bigger)
All five of the kids saluting in front of a Naval helicopter aboard the USS Yorktown. (Click on pictures to make bigger)
The four who were too young to shoot at the skeet range, eating their breakfast and watching with their ear protection
Here are the 3 shooters. No pictures of them actually shooting since I got to be the "puller" and press the trigger when they yelled "Pull!" for the clay to release. The ranger wanted to be by Tyler's side as he shot, so he asked me to take that duty.
Owen, enjoying the beach.
This lasted for a good 30 minutes or more, all 5 of them working on a sand structure.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Battleship
Today we all slept in the latest we have all week (except Scotty who got up early to fish). It was 10:30 before everyone had eaten breakfast and was ready to step outside. We had our 11am wagon ride, which was OK but not all that exciting. After about 10 minutes of pine tree's and deer stands, you can't take much more and this was a 1 hour ride full of just that. It was a covered wagon-style trailer that was pulled by a tractor.
After the wagon ride we headed to downtown Charleston. Our main objective was to see the battleship, USS Yorktown and that is what we did. Our tickets also got us in to tour a submarine, a destroyer and a Coast Guard ship. Most of the crew was done after the USS Yorktown, which is a huge air craft carrier. Riley wanted more and insisted we see them all. He loved it and is such a big military fan, it was fun to see it all with him. I think all the kids liked it, but the heat and all the walking got the better of most of them. No doubt they all enjoyed the air-conditioned souvenier shop. Owen came away with a air-craft carrier toy and several mini-airplanes to land on the deck. Riley bought a plastic, camo gun that shoots darts with little suction cups on the ends. Tyler and Abby bought Pirates of the Carribean, replica guns and Kaylee got a Pirate dress-up kit. They all enjoyed spending the money PawPaw and Nana sent them for their souvenier shopping. Riley has about $10 of his money left, but I think everyone else spent it all in that one shop.
Dinner was at Hyman Seafood in Charleston. Outstanding! It was so good. If you're ever in Charleston, this is a great spot to eat! A co-worker had recommended it and now we know why. Owen ordered crab legs and loved them, he's now hooked. And did I mention those aren't on the kid's menu?! An expensive meal for a 4 year old, but it was worth it to watch him down them so fast. Abby ordered them too, but wasn't a fan of the meat although I think she enjoyed cracking them open.
It turned into a late night back at the cabin. They are all just settling in for the night. Tomorrow will be another day of adventure but this time at the beach. Before we head out though, the Dad's and Tyler are scheduled to do clay shooting at the shooting range at 9am. That will be fun to watch. Riley is so evious, but you have to be 10 to shoot so he has a few more years to wait.
I have more pictures, but they'll have to wait. It's late and I'm tired.
After the wagon ride we headed to downtown Charleston. Our main objective was to see the battleship, USS Yorktown and that is what we did. Our tickets also got us in to tour a submarine, a destroyer and a Coast Guard ship. Most of the crew was done after the USS Yorktown, which is a huge air craft carrier. Riley wanted more and insisted we see them all. He loved it and is such a big military fan, it was fun to see it all with him. I think all the kids liked it, but the heat and all the walking got the better of most of them. No doubt they all enjoyed the air-conditioned souvenier shop. Owen came away with a air-craft carrier toy and several mini-airplanes to land on the deck. Riley bought a plastic, camo gun that shoots darts with little suction cups on the ends. Tyler and Abby bought Pirates of the Carribean, replica guns and Kaylee got a Pirate dress-up kit. They all enjoyed spending the money PawPaw and Nana sent them for their souvenier shopping. Riley has about $10 of his money left, but I think everyone else spent it all in that one shop.
Dinner was at Hyman Seafood in Charleston. Outstanding! It was so good. If you're ever in Charleston, this is a great spot to eat! A co-worker had recommended it and now we know why. Owen ordered crab legs and loved them, he's now hooked. And did I mention those aren't on the kid's menu?! An expensive meal for a 4 year old, but it was worth it to watch him down them so fast. Abby ordered them too, but wasn't a fan of the meat although I think she enjoyed cracking them open.
It turned into a late night back at the cabin. They are all just settling in for the night. Tomorrow will be another day of adventure but this time at the beach. Before we head out though, the Dad's and Tyler are scheduled to do clay shooting at the shooting range at 9am. That will be fun to watch. Riley is so evious, but you have to be 10 to shoot so he has a few more years to wait.
I have more pictures, but they'll have to wait. It's late and I'm tired.
Monday, June 16, 2008
Lots of Fishin'
Fishing is indeed what today was all about. Scotty started at about 6am on the Bass pond and had some success with 2 fish on his hook. After breakfast we all headed out to get on the john boats and troll around the lake. It was fun, except it was getting pretty hot by the time we made it on the lake. Owen absolutely hated it. He was terrified that the boat would turn over and freaked out anytime anyone moved. Needless to say, he and I were back on dry land after about 30 minutes. Everyone else stayed out another hour or so and then fished on the bank for another hour after that. They caught 3-4 fish in all. The most successful fishing adventure was this evening. Lance, Scotty and Abby headed down to the Catfish and Bass ponds and caught about a dozen fish. The keeper was a 5 pound catfish that Lance caught. He is still on the stringer and they're going to go get him after dinner and clean it to cook later this week.
Of course we also made a trip to the pool which was necessary after the very hot, boating and fishing adventures this morning. The Dad's and big boys played a game outside with their air assault riffles this afternoon and had a lot of fun doing that too. And of course the day was filled with lots of bicycle riding and eating too.
Tomorrow we have our wagon/tractor ride scheduled for 11am. That will give us a chance to see more of the 6000 acres here at the Forest. I think we are going to go into Charleston tomorrow too and tour the big battleship and whatever else Charleston has to offer.
And as promised, here are some pictures from our day...
Of course we also made a trip to the pool which was necessary after the very hot, boating and fishing adventures this morning. The Dad's and big boys played a game outside with their air assault riffles this afternoon and had a lot of fun doing that too. And of course the day was filled with lots of bicycle riding and eating too.
Tomorrow we have our wagon/tractor ride scheduled for 11am. That will give us a chance to see more of the 6000 acres here at the Forest. I think we are going to go into Charleston tomorrow too and tour the big battleship and whatever else Charleston has to offer.
And as promised, here are some pictures from our day...
Owen doing what he loves to do at home and on vacation, play his Gameboy.
Riley climbing a tree.
Owen and Kaylee, best buddies.
Ready for an air-assault war.
Can we just fight, Mom?! Enough pictures already!
Another pic in my fighting gear. 
Sunday, June 15, 2008
A Full Day
Our first full day here. It was nice. There were a few rain showers, but nothing that kept us from doing what we wanted to do.
Everyone slept well last night but I suspect we'll all sleep even better tonight. That is what a 4 hour visit to the pool usually means for our nights sleep. We are all tired. Poor Owen and Kaylee were so tired at dinner, they looked sad.
The Dad's made a trip to Walmart this afternoon to pick up a few needed grocery items and came back with a few new toys for the big boys. Pellet guns. They had a quick pellet gun war around the trees in front of the cabin before dinner. Riley was *so* excited about his new gun and all of them (Dad's included) can't wait to have more fun with them tomorrow.
Dinner was a BBQ buffet in the main lodge tonight and an overview video of all that The Forest has to offer, as well as a few safety reminders. The dinner was good and Lance and Scotty had the ranger cornered for a while afterwards with questions about skeet shooting and fishing limits. Plans for tomorrow will definately revolve around fishing. The Dad's have plans to rig all the lines tonight so they can hit the water with their rods first thing in the morning. Depending on how successful the day is, tomorrow night we might have our fish fry.
We are all having a lot of fun. Owen has referred to our cabin, more than once, as our camper. "I'm ready to go back to the camper." "Is this one our camper, Mom?" The big kids have corrected him several times and I think he'll be calling it cabin from now on, but I sort-of preferred calling it the camper. I know it will make Nanny and PawPaw proud!
Riley has had a lot of fun too and has perfected his cannon-ball into the pool. I suspect before the week is over he'll be brave enough to try that in the deep end. He came close today, but would change his mind and head to the shallow end each time he tried. He was beside himself with excitement over his new pellet gun. It's a battery-operated gun that shoots little plastic pellets. They sting a little when they hit, not quite as bad as a paintball, but it's perfect for hunting and playing capture the flag out among all the trees. They are wearing goggles when they play so no one is hit in the eye.
Hopefully tomorrow will bring tall tales of our fish adventures. I will get the camera out too and will try to have some pictures to share here then.
Everyone slept well last night but I suspect we'll all sleep even better tonight. That is what a 4 hour visit to the pool usually means for our nights sleep. We are all tired. Poor Owen and Kaylee were so tired at dinner, they looked sad.
The Dad's made a trip to Walmart this afternoon to pick up a few needed grocery items and came back with a few new toys for the big boys. Pellet guns. They had a quick pellet gun war around the trees in front of the cabin before dinner. Riley was *so* excited about his new gun and all of them (Dad's included) can't wait to have more fun with them tomorrow.
Dinner was a BBQ buffet in the main lodge tonight and an overview video of all that The Forest has to offer, as well as a few safety reminders. The dinner was good and Lance and Scotty had the ranger cornered for a while afterwards with questions about skeet shooting and fishing limits. Plans for tomorrow will definately revolve around fishing. The Dad's have plans to rig all the lines tonight so they can hit the water with their rods first thing in the morning. Depending on how successful the day is, tomorrow night we might have our fish fry.
We are all having a lot of fun. Owen has referred to our cabin, more than once, as our camper. "I'm ready to go back to the camper." "Is this one our camper, Mom?" The big kids have corrected him several times and I think he'll be calling it cabin from now on, but I sort-of preferred calling it the camper. I know it will make Nanny and PawPaw proud!
Riley has had a lot of fun too and has perfected his cannon-ball into the pool. I suspect before the week is over he'll be brave enough to try that in the deep end. He came close today, but would change his mind and head to the shallow end each time he tried. He was beside himself with excitement over his new pellet gun. It's a battery-operated gun that shoots little plastic pellets. They sting a little when they hit, not quite as bad as a paintball, but it's perfect for hunting and playing capture the flag out among all the trees. They are wearing goggles when they play so no one is hit in the eye.
Hopefully tomorrow will bring tall tales of our fish adventures. I will get the camera out too and will try to have some pictures to share here then.
Saturday, June 14, 2008
We're Here!
We made it to The Forest. Safe and sound and without too much whining in the 4 hour car ride. We are glad to be here and so far, impressed with the facilities and all that is offered to us here.
We checked in about 5pm and after finding our cabin, explored the grounds some. We walked around the lake, skipped some rocks, rode our bikes and took a quick dip in the pool. Not a bad start to what we expect to be a great week. Scotty and his crew should arrive late tonight, around midnight. I'm sure after a full day tomorrow, there'll be more to report. I'll try to include some pictures throughout the week too.
Happy Fathers Day, Dad! Happy Father's day, Steve! Sorry we are not with you this year but plan to celebrate what great Dad's we have when we get home.
We checked in about 5pm and after finding our cabin, explored the grounds some. We walked around the lake, skipped some rocks, rode our bikes and took a quick dip in the pool. Not a bad start to what we expect to be a great week. Scotty and his crew should arrive late tonight, around midnight. I'm sure after a full day tomorrow, there'll be more to report. I'll try to include some pictures throughout the week too.
Happy Fathers Day, Dad! Happy Father's day, Steve! Sorry we are not with you this year but plan to celebrate what great Dad's we have when we get home.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
It's almost time....
As I told Owen tonight, only 3 more darks till we're off on vacation. I can't wait!
We are going to a company owned resort that the railroad owns. We'll be staying in a log cabin, enjoying lots of fishing, bike riding, golfing, swimming and hit the beach a few times too. We'll be about 30 minutes outside Charleston, SC so there'll be lots of things to do when we leave the resort/park area as well as all the fun things to do on site.
No doubt I'll overload you with stories and pictures when we return. And if I get really inspired, I may try to blog a few times from our cabin. Keep us in your prayers for safe travel and lots of time to make precious new memories.
We are going to a company owned resort that the railroad owns. We'll be staying in a log cabin, enjoying lots of fishing, bike riding, golfing, swimming and hit the beach a few times too. We'll be about 30 minutes outside Charleston, SC so there'll be lots of things to do when we leave the resort/park area as well as all the fun things to do on site.
No doubt I'll overload you with stories and pictures when we return. And if I get really inspired, I may try to blog a few times from our cabin. Keep us in your prayers for safe travel and lots of time to make precious new memories.
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Another busy one...
It was another busy weekend but definitely full of fun. Saturday was all about baseball. Riley and Owen each had their final games of the season. Both boys played well and finished the season with some nice hits and good plays. Owen had 2 balls hit to him at first base and stopped them both and then proceeded to get back to back hits off a pitch. Way to go Owen! Riley’s team struggled the first few innings of their final game, but rallied in the last 2 innings. Riley squeezed out 2 solid base hits and looked good fielding a few balls out in left field with strong throws to the infield.
Sunday after church we headed to an ice-cream shop for Owen’s end of year t-ball party. Owen was so proud of his trophy and we were proud to hear the description his coach gave of our O. He said, “This young man is a great ballplayer and an excellent team player. He always responds with a ‘yes sir’ and I don’t think I ever had to remind him to get back on the field or pay attention. That is rare for this age group. And he’s a great left-handed hitter too!” That is consistently what we hear from his teachers and now his coaches, that he is well behaved and very obedient. I’m so proud! I only wish he behaved that way for Lance and me but I guess he knows how to cut a few corners at home and it doesn’t help that his brother is pretty good at pushing his buttons.
We left Owen’s party and headed to the park for Riley’s birthday party. We were a little worried about the weather forecast – thunderstorms. It turned out there wasn’t any need to be, we had beautiful sunny skies the entire time. We had his party at the BMX track and used the picnic pavilion there. The kids were in a hurry to hit the track so we cut the cake, opened presents and off they went to ride. The track is a double-‘S’ so a couple times around and they are ready for a break. We cooled them off with popsicles and they headed right back to the track. Riley had a couple of falls, but nothing too bad and he was back on his bike after dusting off the dirt. Owen declared himself the ‘coach’ and positioned himself at the start gate to watch and coach. Our niece Abby had a good tumble on the paved berm, but thankfully she was OK too, only a few scratches on her hands and chin. Riley told me later that night that it was his favorite birthday party ever. That is all I needed to hear to declare it a success. I’m so glad he had fun and all his friends, most of which had never ridden on the track, had fun too.
Sunday after church we headed to an ice-cream shop for Owen’s end of year t-ball party. Owen was so proud of his trophy and we were proud to hear the description his coach gave of our O. He said, “This young man is a great ballplayer and an excellent team player. He always responds with a ‘yes sir’ and I don’t think I ever had to remind him to get back on the field or pay attention. That is rare for this age group. And he’s a great left-handed hitter too!” That is consistently what we hear from his teachers and now his coaches, that he is well behaved and very obedient. I’m so proud! I only wish he behaved that way for Lance and me but I guess he knows how to cut a few corners at home and it doesn’t help that his brother is pretty good at pushing his buttons.
We left Owen’s party and headed to the park for Riley’s birthday party. We were a little worried about the weather forecast – thunderstorms. It turned out there wasn’t any need to be, we had beautiful sunny skies the entire time. We had his party at the BMX track and used the picnic pavilion there. The kids were in a hurry to hit the track so we cut the cake, opened presents and off they went to ride. The track is a double-‘S’ so a couple times around and they are ready for a break. We cooled them off with popsicles and they headed right back to the track. Riley had a couple of falls, but nothing too bad and he was back on his bike after dusting off the dirt. Owen declared himself the ‘coach’ and positioned himself at the start gate to watch and coach. Our niece Abby had a good tumble on the paved berm, but thankfully she was OK too, only a few scratches on her hands and chin. Riley told me later that night that it was his favorite birthday party ever. That is all I needed to hear to declare it a success. I’m so glad he had fun and all his friends, most of which had never ridden on the track, had fun too.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
