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Showing posts from July, 2017

Annual summer trip to Aunt Sharon's

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It has come time for our annual summer trip down to visit my Aunt Sharon, Uncle Larry, and our cousins.  The kids and I look forward to this get way to visit and catch up with everyone. Here are the boys with my cousin Amy's kids Samantha and Gavin...they spent almost all the time with us! Amy's oldest son Dylan who will be a senior in high school this year...really loved on Nolan.   Sharon introduced the boys to "walking tacos."  Landon's idea of tacos is warm tortillas, crushed up Doritos, and shredded cheese.  Their tacos were all a little different but they got a kick out of making their own and being able to carry around their food.  Sharon said, "These are "walking tacos" so you must walk and not run."  Oh how the kids couldn't help themselves from running with their walking tacos.  It was quite funny! Sharon set up a carnival in the garage with games for the kids to play and earn points.  There was pin the nose on th

Impromptu camping trip

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I love to jam pack our summer full of events so that there is no down time because when school starts we have to get back to reality.  We have been trying to find a weekend to go camping but it has yet to work out until...a weekend that we had baseball tournaments ended quicker then we hoped (lost first game) gave us the opportunity to plan a last minute camping trip.  Bob grabbed us a site at River Run Family Campground in Mohican.  We threw the camper on the back of the van, clothes, bedding, and crossed our fingers we had everything we needed.  We had a lot of space at our site that the boys could run and play. Fishing...that's what they wanted to do most!  Bob is getting the Barbie fishing rod ready for Nolan who gladly fished with it. Carter and Landon played washers in the yard.  Moments after I took this picture, Landon stepped on a bumblebee that stung him on the bottom of the foot.  Poor guy! Boys love the outdoors and finding bugs Snacks taste so good when

Baseball

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Baseball season this summer was amazing.  We had both Carter and Landon on the same team and Bob was one of the coaches.  We were lucky because there were quite a few familiar faces from soccer and previous baseball teams.  The team was a young group of boys who were more than eager to learn the game of baseball.  We didn't always win but it was a lot of fun to watch them play. They all had a great time together...both kids and coaches! Landon really excelled this year.  He is really hitting the ball well and his defense is amazing.  He asks to play wiffleball in the backyard every day.  He could hit from sun up until sun down.  If he isn't hitting he has his glove on catching the ball being hit.  He loves to play baseball.  Carter was on the All-Star team this year.  He and two other boys from the team got to play under the lights with the other All-Star players.   All-Star Team Carter getting his medal for All-Stars. Carter did well this year also.  He

A factory tour

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Snagging a visit with Amy and the kids can be hard because we are all so very busy so any chance our schedules align we make it happen.  This visit was a quick one night visit due to having to be back for baseball games. I came across a link on Facebook about the Dum Dum Sucker Factory being in Bryan Ohio which is pretty close to Amy's house.  I mentioned it to her and she was up for the journey so we threw the kids in the car to check it out.  We arrived at this cute little store and museum.  A guided trolly tour started every 15 minutes so we were sure it would be quick...we arrived at 1:06pm we couldn't get on the tour until 1:45pm.  Yep, try and keep 7 children busy in a small store/museum for that many minutes...pretty tough.  Our attempt to buy us some time was to take pictures in the parking lot next to the sign of your favorite flavor of Dum Dum sucker. Nolan's favorite...don't worry I tried to get him to open his eyes but it was a lost cause. Carter lov

Fun in Hocking Hills

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So as I stayed at the lodge to help get last minute things ready for the big day, Bob had a super fun time with the boys.  We rented a cabin with a hot tub on the front porch which the boys couldn't get enough of! This summer is full of crazy hand signals when a photo is being taken...not sure what the reasoning behind it is. Check out their goggles in the hot tub... On the morning of the wedding where I was getting ready and photos, etc...Bob took the boys zipping.  This was their first time and it was the very first thing out of their mouths when they saw me later that day at the wedding! Not only did they zipline but there was a ropes course attached to it too...they hit the jackpot! Nolan not quite old enough to do it but he was busy watching his brothers. This photo hits the nail on the head as a true reflection of his personality! After their zip lining adventure, they decided to explore some of the local hiking trails. After seeing these picture

Wedding at the Lodge

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My cousin Kelli, was getting married at "The Lodge" down around Hocking Hills.  James and Kelli announced their engagement the last time we were down there at Thanksgiving and have been working hard ever since that moment to make the lodge their wedding venue.  What a lot of blood, sweat, and tears went in the transformation of this property...it made me speechless and let's be real that is hard to do.  The night of the rehearsal it poured down rain from the moment we woke up until about 11pm and we were worried everything was going to be a muddy mess.  Saturday morning, the wedding day, the clouds opened and the sun shone through all day to make their special day unforgettable. The bride with her special girls!!! The ceremony took place in the front barn and it was beautiful...rustic wood, a unique altar, white chairs, and mason jars filled with flowers.   Here is the only family photo we got with everyone looking at the camera. Chad and Brian While the bri