Camping with cousins!

We just got back from an amazing weekend camping with Matt, Erin, and the kids. We went to Bald Eagle State Park, which was absolutely stunning. We had never been there before. We beat Matt and Erin by about an hour so we went to check out the gorgeous beach. The weather was slated to be gorgeous for the weekend, so we assured the kids we'd be back. 

The first night, we got all set up and made bacon cheeseburgers and hung by the fire and played games. It had been awhile since the kids had seen their cousins, so they were so excited to play! Saturday morning was a bit dreary and foggy but we headed out to do some fishing anyway. We didn't have any luck but it made for some unique photos! 

Thankfully, it cleared up by mid-morning, we we had such an amazing weather day. We went hiking, played Catan, the girls built a swing, we went looking for bald eagles, and after lunch, we headed to the beach for them to play in the water. Who would have thought that they'd be playing in the Lake at the end of September? Later that afternoon, we even surprised the kids with a little trip down the road for ice cream. 

We had so much fun, and Bald Eagle State Park is definitely on the "repeat" list! Such a beautiful and peaceful state park! 

A fall fav: apple picking

One of the things we do every year is go apple picking. We have a knack for picking the absolute hottest day of the fall to do so! In normal fashion, the day we picked was significantly hotter than normal, which sure doesn't feel very "fall like." But we got our delicious apples and some ice cream to top it off. 

Senators game...and a big catch!

We had an awesome time at the Senators game, and it's one of those days that just makes you laugh. So, it was hot. Really hot. I really, really wanted seats in the covered, shaded section because the game was at 1 p.m., right in the middle of the hottest part of the day. Seth insisted we sit out along the third baseline because he wanted Carter to catch a ball. I was like, "Are you kidding me? There's no way we will catch a ball. That is so unlikely!" But the boys won, and we purchased tickets for the third baseline seats. (You know where this is going, right?) 

Yep....he LITERALLY CAUGHT ONE! And, the first pitch to the first batter of the first inning. HAHA! I couldn't believe it, but they were SO pumped! 

The good news is, after that, we could move to the shaded seats in the outfield to watch some of the game! 

After the game, Addison really wanted to ride the train around City Island so we did that. We had an awesome day! 

First day of school!

 Wow, how time flies! The first day of school for these guys came on quickly. Carter has Mrs. Allen and Addison has Miss Bonilla! Both were really excited for their first days. 

Another great week at camp

We are back from another great week at Roxbury. It is hands down one of the highlights of the summer every year (for us and the kids!). We had gorgeous weather and they got to spend SO much time with their cousins and camp friends riding bike, fishing, playing on the playground, swimming at the swimming hole, going to kids' church, and of course.....at their favorite place: the SNACK BAR! Crazy kids! 

Hot dogs at the camp bonfire!

Daddy's big catch for the week 

On one of the nights, we opted to sit in the little gazebo for evening church and boy, it's good we did. We had an absolute torrential downpour right in the middle of the service. It was so bad we couldn't hear and we weren't quite sure how we were going to get back to the cabin. The kids braved the rain and ran all the way back to the cabin to get us umbrellas. They were soaking wet but they thought it was the funniest thing. 

We're so thankful for camp and a cabin that holds so many memories for our family. Can't wait 'til next year! 

A new nephew on the way!

A new baby nephew to love, coming around Thanksgiving! We knew Bradley and Ashley were pregnant but they held a gender reveal where we found out baby Lauver was a boy. Can't wait to squish him! 

Lots of summer fun!

We've been having such an awesome summer. Carter's name got pulled at the local orchard for free ice cream (and the next day, Addison's was pulled! Hilarious!) We spend a lot of time at Hersheypark and the Mechanicsburg pool. We also did something fun (and new) for the kids...we went to Sight and Sound Theatre in Lancaster to see Jesus. It was SO good and the kids loved seeing all the animals in the play! 

For the fourth of July, we went to Gramma and Pa's to swim and then went to the hang glider overlook with cousins. So pretty! 

Of course, lots of Dave & Buster's (their very favorite!) and the backyard pool and slip n' slide, too. Summer of 2019 has been really fun so far and we still have a bunch of time left for more fun, like Roxbury!

Rest of vacation

The rest of our vacation was so fun. We did hit some hiccups here and there on the property since everything and everyone was so new (we did end up getting some money back for our troubles which was nice). Throughout the rest of the week, we did a LOT of boating and stand up paddleboarding (which we all did successfully), candy bar BINGO (which Addison won!), lots of swimming, and fishing. 

One night we "cleaned up" and went to the wood-fired pizza place at the resort. Another we headed to Lake Lure for dinner at a really delicious lakeside restaurant. And, one of the nights, there was a foam party in the GaGa pit, which the kids through was just the coolest.

All in all, we had an awesome time together. The kids enjoyed every second of it and were oblivious to any of the little things that went "wrong" during our stay. We never had a moment we didn't have something we could do and having the place nearly to ourselves was just an added bonus!

More vacation!

Every morning on vacation was very similar...Carter and Seth went out behind our cabin to fish and me and Addison made breakfast and then called them in. It was majorly hot and humid there and Addison and I enjoyed the morning A/C. HA! :) 

After breakfast every day, we headed to the pool complex. Because the resort was so new, it was only at about 10-15% capacity, which was AMAZING! We literally had the place to ourselves (or with maybe 1-2 other families) every day. The kids could canon ball to their heart's content, grab ice cream at the cafe with no line, and run around like little crazies.

Sometimes, when we needed a break from the sun, we would head to the arts and craft building, where we, again, were often the only ones there. The kids did lots of fun crafts through the week. Here they were doing sand art! 

After dinner, we took a golf cart ride up to the top of the resort. WOW...the view was so, so gorgeous! Then, we hit up gem mining, one of the things the kids were just dying to do there since the second we booked it. Both were super excited with all the treasures they found, too!

We decided to go fishing as a family later in the evening when it was cooling down. And look who caught her first fish ever. She was SO excited!