Hilton Head

Not a week after we were through with Fayetteville, WV, and the kids were in Columbus, we took off for Hilton Head Island for a gathering of the Gates-Gates-Hopwood crew. The beach was fantastic, the pool was lots of fun, we had comfortable sleeping arrangements in the house, and dinners were amazing.

One evening Grandma Paulette & Grandpa Doug kept the kids so the Hopwoods could visit Palmetto Bluff and Jenn and I could visit Beaufort. We took a really cool walk around Hunting Island then had a wonderful dinner at the Old Bull Tavern. The food, service and drinks were incredible... one of our better restaurant experiences.

The beach where we were at, a stone's throw north of Sea Pines, was perfect. Long and gradual, with a nice tide pool during low tide that was great for seeing wildlife: hermit crabs, horseshoe crabs, blue crabs, minnows & mussels.

The bike paths around the island are neat, and good for running in the shade, but think long and hard before you take bikes for young kids. Lincoln (7) was a good age for using the paths. Lydia & Henry (4.5) needed lots of (stressful) guidance to keep them on the correct side of the path and out of others' ways.

Pinckney Island National Wildlife Refuge was a morning stop for us that was fantabulous.

We loved the ocean...

... and, of course, the pool...

There were crafts, a visit to the local diner, sand castles, a light house climb, planet sightings, alligators, and just a whole lot of fun. (And notice the alligator just behind the kids in the photo below!)

New River Gorge

Time to play catch-up. I'm gonna break our recent travels up into two posts.

First, the second to last weekend in June, the kids spent in Columbus with Grandma Laura & Grandpa Dave. A number of weeks prior, they called and asked if they could have the kids for a long weekend to go kayaking, swimming, etc.

Jenn and I said, "Um. Okay."

And then we set about planning a weekend for ourselves 'cause we didn't want to spend it just at home. We settled on the New River Gorge and Fayetteville, West Virginia. Wow, was it a cool weekend.

Jenn drove the kids down on Friday afternoon, I left after work and picked up Jenn, and we made it to the Country River Inn in Fayetteville right around midnight. Rick was a fantastic host, he built the place himself (renovating an old school building!), and he and his wife prepared some good breakfasts for us. Honestly, we liked the Country River in better than Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.

The first day, Saturday, we hiked a number of trails around the gorge. It rained pretty hard on us during our second hike, but otherwise we had great weather. Sunday we rafted the Lower New River. Jenn won't do that again, but I had a good time. :)

The restaurants in Fayetteville were surprisingly really, really good, and it was the most gluten-free friendly place we'd ever been. Seriously. Places like the Secret Sandwich Society and Pies & Pints (the original that has now expanded) were clever, unique stops for really good dinners.

After a short hike on Monday with a GREAT view, we headed back for Columbus. Jenn and I really enjoy these types of trips, and if you're looking for something good for your marriage, take one of these yourselves.

Puddle Jumper

Has it really been a month? Wow.

Between the busy-ness of work, Lincoln wrapping up the 1st Grade, and generally keeping up with Lydia & Henry… yikes.

Just the other day Lydia left her room in the late evening and decided to have a camp-out in Henry's room. We didn't notice until the morning when they got up at the crack of dawn. That made for a pleasant day, given she'd lost 2 hours of sleep in the front end and another 1 hour on the back end.

Vacation Bible Camp started this week at CCC, and the kids are loving it.

The next couple of weeks are going to be big fun, too, for our family. Stay tuned!

Lydia Takes The Camera!

Went for a morning hike to a new trail that included a creek with a big sandy bank. The kids loved playing and exploring. Lincoln took my extra camera first, but after Lydia had a turn, I couldn't get it out of her hands!

Some of Lydia's photos...

GoPro Slide

I got a GoPro at the clinic for recording procedures and techniques. Ought to be fun for particular clients and for educational purposes. When it comes to techy things, I like to be somewhat on the leading edge. Another benefit is that I can take it home and play around with it, and in this video, Lincoln wore it to climb the playset. The kids are way into GoPro videos on YouTube, and now they can make their own!

In other news, from the ALL BOY file, I walked into the room this evening before story time where Henry was waiting for me to put on his overnight diaper. He was sitting naked, having moved his foreskin enough to expose his penis. He said with a big smile on his face, "Look, Dad, I have a snake in me." I suppose we could also put that in the YOU CAN'T MAKE THIS STUFF UP file. Jenn and I had a big laugh.

Lincoln Wins Art Award

On the heels of Lincoln's 7th birthday, he was awarded 3rd Place in the Summit County 1st Grade Mixed Media category. Way to go, Lincoln!!!

Winners from Summit Christian School

Lincoln's 7th Birthday: How To Train Your Dragon

Well, Jenn and I are now the parents of a 7 year old. Funny, 'cause all of the other parents of 7 year olds seem much older than we feel. What's up with that?

In addition to the amazing cake (Chocolate Velvet w/ Cream Cheese Buttercream on the top, Banana Split cake w/ all the layers you could dream of on the bottom to go with Banana Icecream from Handel's), we also decorated shields, whacked a piñata & tossed sheep in the back yard.

It's not that birthday parties weren't fun before, but now that the kids are old enough to really engage in fun party games, this was a lot of fun for Jenn and me to host. As usual, the food was amazing, too. And Grandma Paulette helped out with some really neat decorations. If there wasn't such a thing as copyright, we could market a nice little Dragon Training Party Kit. But this ought to get some use again, because Lydia informed us that she wants an Astrid party next year after her Frozen party this year. No surprise, she's got an agenda.

Another birthday down... it was a great party for a great kid. Jenn and I are very, very proud of Lincoln.