The kids and I were fortunate to be able to spend the week after Easter in PA. I love that we can take our school wherever we go. It was a wonderful vacation for all of us full of free time and relaxation. Well, for most of us. Carter's idea of vacation is constant activity. He had a blast at "Grandpa Camp". They had a full week. I lost count of everything they did, but I know it included a round of 3 par golf, a few trips to the driving range,
baseball practice, watching the high school baseball games, playing Marines down at the old iron works property behind my dad's childhood home,
going to an Iron Pigs baseball game,
and when they weren't "playing" sports there was hockey playoffs, NBA playoffs, MLBaseball, NCAA wrestling tape, and the Masters to fill the time. They have both perfected the art of watching multiple games on TV while streaming others on the computer :)
We also had a fun afternoon at the park when the weather finally warmed up again.
Both the kids can go all the way across the monkey bars now by themselves. They are so proud and want to do it over and over again. They definitely put the "monkey" in monkey bars.
Julia loved playing with my cousin's sweet pup...
They just added a new petting farm inside the zoo. These cows were so precious...
Julia is quite the "goat whisperer" and had them all doing tricks for her.
She really wanted the ostrich to be her friend, too. After many not so fun experiences with them at a VA petting zoo, I don't quite have the same love.
The new horses were beautiful animals, too. She longed for a closer look...
The only way to get close to the wolves...
She was excited about seeing the bald eagles since we just studied them that week in US Govt...
The most exciting part of the visit however is not the animals. It is fjording the river in the van...
We always park on the other bank to get out and explore. Julia loves to skip rocks...
They just finished the new pedestrian bridge behind us. It is a beautiful addition to the park and scenery.
After we hiked some of the trails, Julia wanted to cross the river by foot this time. So we shed our shoes and took the plunge. It was refreshingly cold and our feet were numb about halfway across, but her grin made it all worth it.
One of the kids' highlights of the week was washing dishes with Grandpa. They had to take turns and couldn't wait for it to be there night. We can only hope this enthusiasm lasts!
It was a great week to unwind and relax without the busy routines of our regular life.
Julia and I spent most of the week hanging out at the house. As passionately as Carter wants to be on the go and involved in constant activity, Julia wants to be relaxing at home doing little. She and I did venture out one afternoon to the zoo and game preserve.
While the boys enjoyed another night out, the girls had a fun night in with ice cream, nail, polish, pj's, and movies...
