The trip: take 2

On the day after the wedding, my mom took us over to Elk Park to have a picnic and walk the trail. The trail follows the river to the 30 foot waterfall. After that I don't know where it goes, we didn't make it any farther. It was beautiful and the hike there was just difficult enough to have to help the kids through parts of it. This picture is the top of the waterfall.

Here is the waterfall from the rocks around the pool at the bottom.


I asked my mom and Norman to sit up on the rock with the kids for a picture. I don't know if my mom was giving Hunter a wedgie or 'helping' him up? What do you think?


This is the after the wedgie, oh, ah, I mean 'helping' him up, picture....


There were butterflies all over the place and for some reason they gather in groups, or are they called flocks, on the sand. There must be something in the sand that they like. They were just watching them flutter on the sand. That yellow line on my mom's lower back is a yellow and black butterfly going to meet up with his buddies on the sand.


She'll huff and puff and blow that dandelion down. They were everywhere. White puffs everywhere you turned.

My auntie Cindi was helping Hunter to make a 'boat' to float down the river and over the falls. It didn't work too well. The leaves weren't firm enough here at the park. Earlier in the day we had floated 'boats' down the river that is nearer to my mom's place. The 'boats' consisted of large leaves with some flowers on top tied together with long pieces of grass.


The butterflies were really everywhere. This one eventually landed on my hand.


See! That's my hand with a butterfly on it.

The butterflies in their crazy meeting on the sand. This is what they were looking at in the earlier picture. You could just reach down and pick them up, they would then fly away, but you could just pick it up again. It was kinda weird.



These next set of pictures are what happens when you let your kids use the camera. Thankfully I only posted the face shots. Well, because all the others are picture of..... well, pictures of all the stuff at their eye level. Yes, I have a bunch of crotch shots from my kids using the camera. Just be glad I didn't post those, okay. Enjoy! (Oh, and that first picture is of my new brother-in-law)

Hubby's new toy

That's hubby's new toy.
No, Hunter is not allowed to ride on it.
He just wanted to get on to see what it was like.
They were just sitting in the driveway.
In case you were wondering, it's a Honda Shadow 1100, black in color.

The trip

So I have been a little too long in posting again, but this post will be picture heavy.
Consider your self warned!

Hunter and Stella are having fun on the plane and not even enjoying the view out the window. I was a bit ticked because I could spend the whole flight with my nosed pressed against the window. I am always in awe of the view from 31,000 feet!



Here is the view from 31,000 feet. Totally amazing!!


After landing and driving the 2 plus hour drive to my mom's place, my Auntie Cindi arrived shortly after and played checkers with Hunter in the backyard. I wonder who won?


Grandma Candy getting some love from Stella. Grandma was in heaven having all of her favorite girls there together at one time.


A picture of all the girls (except Stella). Me, Auntie Cindi, Sister Sara, Mom (aka. Grandma Candy)



The scenery in NC is so beautiful everywhere you look. All the mountains and rocks and hills. It's so different than Florida. This is a picture by Hunter, the view from the front window. You can see the grey gravel, that is the road that runs in front of the house.

While we were there Grandpa made a rope swing and put some boards in a tree so the kids could climb it. All the green stuff is Rhododendron (I think I spelled that right) and they were full of little buds. I imagine it'll be pretty when they all bloom.

Stella loves to pick flowers and nothing pink was safe. Especially those big tulips!

Hunter and Stella looked so cute all dressed up and ready to go.I think that they did really well. We had to kinda hang out while the pictures were being taken and then we had to be still and quiet for the ceremony and then we went to the dinner reception. Thankfully at dinner, my sister Sara had the forethought to have stuff for them to do. They had coloring books and some other goodies.


I didn't take pictures at the wedding because there were so many others taking pictures and I didn't think another flash going off would help things. Plus I can just get copies from my dad. This ONE picture is from Stella taking pictures and she happened to get a decent (for a 2 yr old) picture of the bride. Her dress was gorgeous.


I have more pictures from the day after the wedding that I will post another time.

Happy mother's Day to all the mom's out there!!!

Leeeeavin' on a jet plaaane

Don't knoooow when I'll beeee back again.....

Sing it! It's fun. I have been singing it this morning because,.... well, I am leaving on a jet plane.

I think I am more excited than the kids. That's probably only because they have never flown before and don't know what they have been missing, LOL! I'm actually bummed that I will probably have to give up the window seat to one of the kids, and I will probably have to referee the arguing over who gets it, too.

My mom will pick us up from the airport and then we will have a BBQ tonight and I will meet my sister's fiance' for the first time and then tomorrow afternoon is the wedding (we're hoping for no rain) and then the reception afterwards. Then my mom has some activities planned for the kids on Sunday. Then Monday morning (bright and early, well actually dark and early) we'll leave to fly home.

Andrew will be on his own. I bought him some TV dinners so he won't starve to death. He's got a boys weekend planned with some guys from work, so I hope he'll be safe.

So the next post should be some pictures. See you soon!!