A Week With the Kids

My favorite time of year is the summer when the kids visit. For the last several years, the kids visited us in Pittsburgh. Our town had an arcade, outdoor games like go-karts and mini golf and a ball pit (a climbing zone in a netted cage with slides and foam balls you could play with). The ball pit gave the kids a day of fun for $5.00. It was a bargain for parents (looking for an outlet) and grandparents (looking for some peace and quiet.) When Warren heard we had moved from Pittsburgh to Georgia he cried, "I don't want to go to Georgia. I want to go to the Ball Pit!"

The challenge was on. Make Georgia as inviting as the Ball Pit.

We tried. How do you think we did?

Fields of the Woods, Bible theme park, with the largest Ten Commandments in the world, was founded in 1940 and is free to the public. The commandments are spelled out in 5' high letters on a huge hillside.

356 steps to the top! Here we go....

The view was awesome!

As we looked down on the parking lot, we could see more steps on the other side, so of course we did that too. Another 200+ steps! Our calves were talking the next day! It was an interesting place and the view was gorgeous.

View from the top of Brasstown Bald, the highest point in Georgia.

Lake Chatuge

Paberry points out places to the boys.

A trail ride was a new experience for all the kids. Although they were a little hesitant at first, even the 3-year old didn't want to get off when it was over.

The highlight of the trip was the day we rented a pontoon boat and went tubing. First the kids had a chance to drive the boat.Then Larry did his best to give everyone a wild ride on the tube. Everyone loved it. And for the next 3 days, Zachary's favorite word was BOAT!

Everyone had two turns. When it was Samantha's turn to go again she decided she wanted to go with me, which was a surprise because I hadn't gone yet. Laughing was unavoidable. 

Samantha kept saying, "How dare you splash us, Paberry!"

I told Larry to give us a gentle ride. Next time I'll make sure we define the term!

 Jen and Jan got the final ride of the day.

Larry really wanted to flip the girls, but it didn't work. This tube was incredibly stable. 

As busy as we were there was always time for naps and quiet time in the afternoon. The kids made full use of the wrap around porch, the hammock, the rocking horse, and the easel that was set up on the porch.

Most of all, it was just a great time for us all to be together.

And come to think of it, I never heard any child say:

"I wish we could go to the Ball Pit."

Mission Accomplished!

The Party's Over...

"Turn out the lights, the party's over. They say that all good things must end." (Willie Nelson song)

The nest is empty, and very quiet. But, OH, What a blast we had!

My next post will include photos, but I haven't had a chance to go through them so instead, this post will just touch on some things I learned while hanging with the kids for the last 10 days.

• This little house holds 9 people pretty well. 
• We need a bigger table.
• The septic tank (rated for a 2 bedroom house) holds a lot more than I thought it would.
• My daughter takes great pictures.
• The same daughter takes TOO MANY pictures! (That's why I haven't had a chance to go through them to pick out a few really good ones to post.)
• A wrap-around porch apparently exists to be a race track for 4 little ones.
• Warren never stops. (This is not new news. It's just reconfirmed.)
• Samantha never stops giggling. (also reconfirmed.)
• We needed a lap-counter to track the number of laps Nicholas and Warren ran. 
• Zachary, the 2-year old, keeps up pretty well.
• There are 346 steps to climb at the 10 Commandments at Fields of the Woods. We climbed them all and then climbed another 300 to see more stuff.
• Zachary is a great step climber. He climbed all but 75 of the ones at the Fields. He climbed our steps to the loft 14 times a day.
• Bike helmets are a good thing. 
• My grandkids are tough. Not much slowed them down. Not their first trail ride on a big horse. Not a bike crash. Not a super fast ride on a tube with Paberry at the helm of the motorboat.
• Paberry does NOT know the meaning of  a 'gentle ride' when his wife requests that for her first ride on a tube behind the boat.
• You can not NOT laugh when you are riding on a tube. You just can't. Trust us.
• Laughing hysterically is the best stress reliever around. It is head clearing, mind clearing, heart and lung clearing, blood clearing. It's better than a good gin and tonic and head massage combined. I know. I had 9 people at my house for a week and a half, and after that ride, all was calm.
• Zachary loves boats. After the pontoon boat, for the next 3 days his main word was "BOAT!" 
• There is no time to read when the gang is here.
• The Hammock can take a beating. Just ask 4 kids. 

We had a wonderful time with the kids. They got to swim, boat, horseback ride and sight see. We went to Helen and played mini-golf and toured the town.

I think they'll be back.

I can't wait.

Meanwhile, I'm heading to the hammock with a book.

What happened to Summer?

September just amazes me! One weekend we are celebrating the end of the 'vacation months' with a holiday that celebrates the American worker and within days the summer weather comes crashing down and we are thrown into the full sense of fall. Does the sun watch me turn the page on the calendar?

I know I really enjoyed myself this summer. I made a point of soaking it in as much as possible. Yet, when I look back I wonder why I didn't eat lunch on the deck more. Why didn't I eat more salads? (I love salads in summer.) Why didn't I swim more? How come Maggie and I never made it to the dog park with the pond? Or to McConnell's Mill for a hike? What was I doing all this time?

Oh yeah, I:
Went to see Jersey Boys in Cleveland with the Corvette Club
Spent 1 week in Connecticut, one of my favorite places
Ate Lobster in Kittery, Maine at my sister's 50th Wedding Anniversary
Spent 2 weeks in Iowa at my grandson's 4th birthday and my grandaughter's 1st birthday
Had picnics with the neighbors
Mowed the grass all June, but not at all in July, (and then I left town in August)

Ok. Now I feel better. I guess if I want to eat salad for lunch on my deck, I have to be here.

I really did enjoy my summer. Goodbye, August! I'll be waiting for you June, when you're ready to roll around again.