Family Camping

Yes, more camping.  We wanted to get it in before it was super hot. This time we went as a family which makes it Elias's first camping trip.  We went to Fall Creek Falls State Park.

This was what it looked like in the car on the 2hr drive there.  Downpour. I really had my doubts and couldn't believe we were still going.  However, the rain stopped and the rest of the day was overcast which made it GREAT camping weather. I must say, since we've been 2 for 2 with rain, I'm kinda liking the effects of it.

 This is Elias so happy once I finally gave him the cookie.  He was saying "cookay". 

 Hot dog dinner.  The easiest. Elias helped cook his own. He kept pulling the stick straight up and throwing it back down into the fire, laughing. Part of it ended up breaking off. 

 There was a nice guy across the way that offered his diesel fuel and  some firewood from his land.  He told J to go get some from his huge stack whenever he needed. J still felt a little funny taking 2 pieces in the morning while everyone at their campsite was sleeping.

 I thought our campsite was pretty nice. The kids could go to the playground while we watched from our site. We also backed up to some trees so no one was on that side of us.

 Let me just say Olivia LOVES these swings. I spent a lot of time pushing her and Isaac, and Elias just a little bit. 

After we put the kids to bed, we enjoyed time around the fire. We saw a skunk pass right by in front of us within a few feet of our tent (J says 10, I say 2...who do you believe???).  We never got sprayed but followed it with our flashlight for a while. While walking across the field to the bathrooms by myself, I came across deer in the field...also within feet (ish)! Yes, I was a bit scared! My flashlight made it freeze long enough for J to come see it.

 Everyone going BACK to sleep after a bathroom break in the dark-thirty morning just before all the birds began to sing. Fun times!

 Breakfast. Luci did pretty well. Only barked a few times at the neighbors and other noises. 

 The falls.  That speck is a person down there. We hiked to the bottom with Elias on our hip and dog on leash. We made quite the family memories. Olivia was so cautious on the rocks, Isaac was fast as a bullet leading the fam, and Elias filled his drawers.

 At the bottom on some rocks.

 It was really really cold water so we didn't get in too far.

 They enjoyed walking in the water.

 I attempted to stay on the rocks with Luci.

 That didn't last long. She wanted in SO bad. We eventually let her off her leash for a bit after a few of the people left.

Hiking down, getting closer to the bottom.

 Also on the hike down. Justin and I took turns: One had the bag and dog, the other had Elias and Olivia's hand when needed.

 Family pic getting ready for the long trek UP.

 They got a little worn out. Luci and Isaac also slept in the back the whole way home.

Good times, fun times.

Father's Day & Fun

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY TO THE BEST DADS IN THE UNIVERSE!!!!

I am so thankful for each of them!

And I'm a wee bit proud of the Super Daddy of Elias, Isaac, and Olivia!

We surprised my dad by showing up at his house on Saturday while mom was working (they had plans Sunday).  I love surprises, so I thought it was great! (he did too) 

When we got there he was in the middle of cutting down a large tree part that had fallen during a storm, but was still stuck in the tree. J got to climb the tree, Dad did some yanking, Isaac did some cutting, I did some stacking, O found a real inch worm, E walked around wanting to be held.

Then the rest of the day was a play day!

 Since Luci was already stinky, she got to go in the lake. She's hunting tennis balls.

Found it!

 E didn't much like the water in his life jacket, so he stuck to wagon rides around and around and around and around.

 Mom and dad got a new table set and umbrella to go right next to the water.  It was GREAT weather to sit and watch the kids play.  They dug for rocks in the water and ended up with a big stack.  If they keep at it, dad might have enough to outline the mulch!

 This is SO Elias. He will grab on to my (or Olivia's) hair where-ever, when-ever, how-ever he can...and suck his thumb. (I will definitely miss it when he grows up!)

Popsicle snack.

And for other summer fun..... playing in the rain. And then they went in and had hot chocolate!?!!

 Elias's face was cracking me up. O kept pushing him down the driveway and he would laugh and laugh.

 Splash pad at the zoo, 1hr before it closed...perfect for very few people being there. 1st time for us.

 Pretty sure Elias liked it.

 Yep!

 I thought this was cool.  A giant giraffe. Olivia is at the bottom. It spits water from its mouth. 

 Bucket dump.

 It has things just the right sizes for the kids. Highly recommend it.

 And this is how you play barbies and pirate ship. All the girls get to ride and then then get attacked by nerf guns and the ship sinks. 

Camping Near Cumberland Falls KY

We went camping with friends from Ohio.  We met at Cumberland Falls, KY and camped a few minutes away from the falls.  The kids: Olivia, Eliza, Garrison, and Isaac. Aubrielle and Elias stayed home with grandparents.

The falls are known for the Moonbow (rainbow at night during full moon), but we got to see a regular rainbow during the day.

Down a little closer to the falls.

Climbing on rocks after lunch at the falls.

Lunch.

This cracked me up. It reminded me of the raccoon in Over the Hedge who has a giant wagon of food he took from a bear.  We had a 200yd walk to the campsite.

Setting up the camp. It was a good way for the kids to bond...they all had jobs to do that required them to help each other.

Dinner.  Cooked hot dogs and pita pizzas for the kids.

Meat and veggies for the big kids.

There was a lake near by that we visited.  However, the water was cold with all the clouds.  It eventually started to rain and we left.  But it had great potential.

These were the only ones to get in and this is how far in each of them got.

Todd and his talent with his amazing bug whacker zapper.

Perfect place for hitting trees! The kids also went on walks in the woods by themselves (which they thought was amazing), but were never so far that we couldn't hear them. They also made bracelets with beads and some with duct tape. The boys played uno.

Morning. Because of all the trees, the rain barely reached us most of the time. It rained 2 short times during the day and once in the middle of the night. It kept the weather nice and cool though so it was perfect.

Good morning! The kids slept great. They went to bed at dark and woke up at the crack of dawn. And the parents had a laughy time around the campfire until the wee hours of the morning.

Todd and Kristen. 

The kids were super excited that they restarted the fire in the morning. Olivia has learned that blowing on it makes it bigger....just gotta get a liiiittle closer. 

It rained the hardest when we were packing up to leave...which just made us move faster.  The kids had fun playing in it with umbrellas.  This was the porch of the camp store.

We stopped so Justin and Todd could go look for the cache (you know.....geocaching...) that was near the  Cumberland Falls entrance.  No luck, found the spot, but no cache.

This was about 5min after we got into the car to head out.

We stopped at Bubby's BBQ for lunch.  The kids got their own table.

The Bubby's Bear. High five.

At the store next door.

Boink.

It was a super fun trip with fun friends.  Olivia keeps telling me she wants to go over to Eliza's house and see her again.  Maybe another camping trip?????