Road Trip

The week after Mother's Day we set out on our first ever road trip. Final destination, Sellersville, PA  (Grandma's house). On the way we stopped at Great Grandma Brock's and visited her and the kitties, as well as having a lovely dinner with Aunts Bobbie and Natalie, Uncle Joey and Cousins Halee and Emma. Then we trekked down the road to the Pennington Family Reunion. We visited with lots of relatives that I cannot remember their names, but primarily we got to spend a little time with Great Grandma and Grandpa Pennington, Uncles Mike and Steve, Aunts Chris and Liz, Cousin Ziona and Nana and Poppy. As a special treat we had a play-date with Aunt Debbie, Nana's cousins Arlene and Darlene and my second cousin Dana, with her little ones. It was a blast and despite the rainy weather we all had fun. Our next stop, the Creation Museum in Cincinnati, Ohio. We spent two half days looking at the displays and enjoying the gardens before heading down to Nana and Poppy's big house. We spent two hot days in VA with Ash and Paul, who "camped" out at the big house with us. Acadia and Brayden are beautiful and so much fun. We took all the kids to the Smithsonian of Natural History followed by lunch on the mall. I know the kids won't remember much beyond the butterfly house and dinosaur bones, but I loved laying out on our picnic blanket surrounded by the museums and sandwiched between the nation's capitol and the Washington Monument. Finally it was time to head up to PA, where we had a quiet evening and day with Grandma and Grandpa before a packed Memorial Day weekend. Steve and Lynn came up and Saturday, we all went to the Phila. Zoo. It was a blast. Uncle Dan and Aunt Jordan, Uncle Steve and Aunt Lynn, Aunt Becky and Grandma all of us spent a wonderful morning at the zoo followed by dinner out and a massive family birthday party. Anastasia blew her candles out 4 times before we were able to get a photo:) It was a blast. Sunday we all attended church together and had a "picnic" lunch before the kids and adults split and Grandma and Grandpa treated Tristan and Ana to a special evening. Monday we rode Perkasie Carousel and had a picnic at Mom-Mom and Pop-Pop's. Despite the 75 degree high, Tristan and Ana both wanted to swim in the pool. Tuesday morning we started our drive home. We made it to Illinois before stopping for the night and then drove the rest of the way Wednesday. It was a bit longer due to the tornado warnings we had to stop for, but after 14 days of travel and visiting with a dizzying amount of family, we are home. Successful trip across country... The first of many???

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

No other gods

Exodus 20:2-3 I am the Lord thy God which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before me. As much as idolatry is pooh-poohed  and I really know better, I still struggle to keep my adoration on Christ. I realized this week that there are certain people on earth that I idolize, put on pedestals and look at as "super". I do this with Navy Seals, and Olympians (and let's not forget Olympians who used to be Navy seals!). Anyway, the news this week about Oscar Pistorius really shook me up. I have been so inspired by his story and his determination and physical prowess. I have put him up on a "superhuman" pedestal and now I am shattered. This has made me realize that Jesus Christ is the only "superman" (thank you Cadet for pointing that out so eloquently 12 years ago) and that no human can stand up to any perfection on their own. Yes, we can achieve physical prowess, super intelligence, we ca...
Read more

Catoctin Mountain Park, Thurmont MD

Image
I'm back, after a long break. I wanted to share this awesome park with you. Catoctin Mountain Park in Thurmont, Maryland. Located right off of Route 15 this park is just down the Highway from Gettysburg and is worth the trip! The park offers hiking for various skill levels and is free admission. The kids had a lovely time creek walking along the Blue Blazes Whiskey Still trail, which is accessible from the visitor center parking lot. They were all able to become junior rangers as well. The visitor center has a history and nature display. I've never seen a beaver that close, even if it was stuffed, it was cool!  Catoctin Mountain park borders Cunningham falls state park . Cunningham falls state park charges a small fee for parking, but has great hiking,- yes to a waterfall- a playground/picnic area by the lake; it is really lovely.  Before I end this post, I must share a picture book recommendation.  We enjoyed The Wild Woods, by Simon James this week. This sto...
Read more

Lewis and Clark

Image
" Of courage undaunted, possessing a firmness of purpose which nothing but impossibilities could divert from its direction " Thomas Jefferson of Merriweather Lewis This summer the kids and I have studied the Lewis and Clark Expedition. It began with our being half-way through the book on the Louisiana purchase on the last day of school. Our interest was peaked and I hated to skip the books about Lewis and Clark that we did not have time to read during last school year, so... The book about the Louisiana Purchase is titled: What's the Deal Jefferson and Napoleon and the Louisiana Purchase , by Rhoda Blumberg. I would classify this book as a textbook. We read it in small portions each day. Then we read a few chapter books about Lewis and Clark and some of the other characters in the Corps of Discovery, namely, Seaman, Meriweather Lewis' Newfoundland dog. Patricia Reader Eubank's book, Seaman's Journal: On the Trail with Lewis and Clark is a beautifully...
Read more