And girls make fun their way.....

Celia and Lily are so much fun to be with and for the 3rd summer we got to take them camping!   Clabough was so perfect for the boys that we decided to take the girls there too.  Feeding these oh so friendly ducks is always fun!

The lazy river quickly became the big attraction for them too.  The water was cool, always moving and so much fun to play in...

The bounce pillow was a hit with the girls, they just couldn't get enough!

We played dominoes ( I learned about microwave smores ) , went to the NASCAR go-cart track,  enjoyed a picnic at Great Smokey Mountain National Park and took in the show at Dolly Partin's Dixie Stampede.  The look on Celia and Lily's faces when they were served a whole Cornish game hen was priceless!

Lily finished her own piece of stained glass, a replica of Sadie.  She is incredibly creative and fun to work with...and so proud of her finished piece.  And we also got to celebrate her10th  birthday while they were here, portable balance beam!

Oh my goodness, did we have fun!  They are "crazy chicks" and the light of our lives!! Let's do it again next year!

Boys make fun their own way........

This was our 3rd year taking the boys camping and we chose Clabough campground in Pigeon Forge, TN.  It was a great campground for kids with 2 pools, the lazy river, bounce pillow and lots of places to ride bikes.  The campground is located along a slow moving river which is a huge attraction for the local ducks. Sam especially enjoyed the ducklings....appropriately naming them duck 1,2,3,4 and 5. 

We took a picnic lunch to Great Smokey Mountain National Park and had a great time skipping some of the smoothest river rocks that I've ever seen.  That is where Jack made a bet with me and won the $10.  I guess I learned a lesson!  Later in the trip, however, Sam won a bike race against Papa
(and $10) so I guess there were more lessons to be learned!

  

Once the boys discovered the lazy river that became their favorite thing to do!  And stealing Papa's hat always makes a great game....

Pillow fights, roasting marshmallows for smores and playing cards..... the boys were great and so much fun!! We had a wonderful time!!

Our last day included a trip to Forbidden Caverns.  It really is a beautiful caverns, Jack loved it and although it was not Sam's favorite thing to do we did get a few "wow's" along the way.

John and I just love our time on these camping trips with Jack and Sam!  They are growing up so fast and we hope they continue to enjoy our summer trip for a long time. But for now they still think feeding the ducks and playing in the lazy river with Nana and Papa is fun!

Kansas City and beyond!!!

It was time to go home!! It had been 3 years since John had visited his family in KC and it was time for a visit.  But just before we left Riva stopped in to spend a couple of days with us in Greenville. Chihuly was on exhibit at the Biltmore estate and we were so excited to be able to take in all of the incredible works in glass.  It is truly an amazing work of art!! So glad that Riva suggested that we do this together!!

And off we go!  Our first stop was Mammoth Cave in Kentucky!  It was an interesting tour but it was especially interesting to learn that to date they have mapped 114 miles of this cave!  Amazing.

On to the Corvette Museum also in Kentucky!   It really was interesting, especially the exhibit that showed the salvaged and restored cars from the sinkhole collapse but guess who loved this stop the most?

Then we stopped in Campaign, Ill to see Matt and Rachel.  It was so great to see them in their new community and new church.  I feel like this visit was therapeutic for us because we were gone to Florida before they departed St. Giles and it was good to see them happily settling in.  My goodness do we miss those smiling faces!!

On to Branson, Missouri where we caught Dolly Parton's Dixie Stampede.  We had heard that it was one of those not to be missed shows and it really was incredible.  Wow can those kids ride horses!!

On Thursday we arrived in Independence. John was able to dive into the Bloom last day of school tradition of a water balloon fight which he will not soon forget.  Yeah Bloom family!  We had a wonderful time visiting with John's sister, Beth and all of her kids and now their children.  As always it is so heartwarming to see the people that you have loved for all your life as incredible and loving parents, wives and husbands.  It was good for our souls to check in with them and thanks so much to TJ and Laurie for being such wonderful hosts!

After a wonderfully long Memorial Day weekend we traveled to Minnesota ,took in the Mall of America, had lunch with a long lost cousin and on to Duluth, the city where John was born. At the Mall of America..... which is so huge that the directories are electronic and interactive, they tell you not only the route to take to get to your destination but how long it will take you to walk it.  The center of the mall is all rides and attractions for the kids. Simply larger than life!

Next was Pictured Rocks in UP of Michigan.  They really are beautiful rock formations but the tour went downhill, not literally, quickly when the temperatures dropped 20 degrees and fog set in.   We bundled up our coats, thank goodness we were prepared, and the boat returned to the dock. The only upside was that our tour was refunded!! Still got some good photos!

Next was a stop in Saute. Ste. Marie, which I now know how to pronounce.  We enjoyed an absolutely beautiful park on the the Canadian side ( I just couldn't resist this slide)  and then checked out the locks and had a lovely seafood dinner on the American side.

Our final stop on this trip was to Mackinac Island, which I can now also pronounce correctly.  It is a quaint island for the rich and well to do. The modes of transportation include by foot, by bicycle and by horses and there are plenty of them.  In season there are 500 horses and 2 veterinarians which exceed the 1 human doctor.  The Grand Hotel is a 350 guest hotel that was built in 90 days.

It was a wonderful trip!!!  So glad that we saw some great sights and 

ate some great food but the best part by far was the time with our family and friends!!

Our 7th winter in Florida

I have said that this winter was probably our best yet and in some ways that may be true. Each year has its own unique vibe, with different challenges, a variety of family and friends that come down to soak in some sunshine and a new perspective. This year was a year of branching out, trying new things and going with a new flow. 

 This year we had the special blessing of having Elissa and her family and then Jenna and the boys come for a visit.  Chip and Elissa gave the girls a trip to Universal for Christmas and John and I benefited from that gift because they stayed with us.  The weather was PERFECT for their two days in the parks and they could not have had a more fabulous time.  It was so good to see them having so much fun together.  Their last night in town we took them to a Japanese Steak House which is always fun!

I had more fun with pottery and glazes and these were two of my favorites.

and John had a great time hanging  out with these girls at the Solivita car show!!

I also had the great pleasure of helping my friend Sandy get settled into her new house.  What a pure joy it was to watch her excitement as we hung pictures, curtain rods and set up all of  her beautiful things that turn a house into a home.  It was a heart warming, girl talking, fun loving weekend for us both.  Blessings to my friend in her new space!

We had a fabulous time at Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom the Jenna and the kids.  Jenna had the itinerary laid out in advance and I am so glad that I pushed myself and did it all!   What they say is true that Grandchildren keep you young because I did things that I swore I would never do.....and laughed all they way!!