He got out in the kayak recently and owned it. He set his mind to doing this and he did. He had some pretty choppy waters but did great!
We start our trek back north soon! Still have lots of pictures to post ~ hopefully soon!
Sunday, June 28, 2015
Tuesday, June 23, 2015
Finally found a good wifi connection to upload some more photos. For the first time, I have lots to upload but having problems doing it.
Our last stop on the road, was in Wichita, Kansas. We stayed at a house that had an above ground pool and the boys sure enjoyed a swim in the pool after a long day in the car. It was really nice because all three of them were able to touch, which eased my mind a bit.
After swimming, we chilled out watching a movie in this cool movie room. If we ever have the space, this is a great set up! The boys liked the surround sound.
Our last stop before hitting the Texas border was the Oklahoma City Bombing memorial. Hard to believe it has been 20 years. I vividly remember this! I had forgotten the massive numbers that had died though. Here is a memorial wall, that I am assuming has been up since that fateful day in April 1995 and has had things added ever since.
The memorial is between two bronze gates. Here was the really good description found on Wikipedia....
To the south of all the pool are all the bronze chairs. There are up to 7 deep in each row. The chairs are placed according to what floor the victims were on....those on the second floor are on the second row. I am not sure how they determined who would be in each 'column'. 168 chairs, each one bearing a name. You can walk among the chairs and I believe they are lit up at night and I am sure it is beautiful.
The reflection in the pool is amazing!
This wall is still standing. Someone spray painted it the day of the bombing.
This is called the Tree of Life and it was unharmed.
I am really glad we stopped. I would have liked to have gone into the adjacent museum, but knew it would not be a good visit with 3 tired boys along!
Our last stop on the road, was in Wichita, Kansas. We stayed at a house that had an above ground pool and the boys sure enjoyed a swim in the pool after a long day in the car. It was really nice because all three of them were able to touch, which eased my mind a bit.
After swimming, we chilled out watching a movie in this cool movie room. If we ever have the space, this is a great set up! The boys liked the surround sound.
Our last stop before hitting the Texas border was the Oklahoma City Bombing memorial. Hard to believe it has been 20 years. I vividly remember this! I had forgotten the massive numbers that had died though. Here is a memorial wall, that I am assuming has been up since that fateful day in April 1995 and has had things added ever since.
The memorial is between two bronze gates. Here was the really good description found on Wikipedia....
- The Gates of Time: Monumental twin bronze gates frame the moment of destruction - 9:02 - and mark the formal entrances to the Outdoor Memorial. 9:01, found on the eastern gate, represents the last moments of peace, while its opposite on the western gate, 9:03, represents the first moments of recovery. Both time stamps are inscribed on the interior of the monument, facing each other and the Reflecting Pool.[2][5]
- The outside of each gate bears this inscription:
We come here to remember Those who were killed, those who survived and those changed forever. May all who leave here know the impact of violence. May this memorial offer comfort, strength, peace, hope and serenity.
This is a picture from the west end, with the 9:01 gate shown. The beautiful reflection pool.
To the south of all the pool are all the bronze chairs. There are up to 7 deep in each row. The chairs are placed according to what floor the victims were on....those on the second floor are on the second row. I am not sure how they determined who would be in each 'column'. 168 chairs, each one bearing a name. You can walk among the chairs and I believe they are lit up at night and I am sure it is beautiful.
The reflection in the pool is amazing!
This wall is still standing. Someone spray painted it the day of the bombing.
This is called the Tree of Life and it was unharmed.
I am really glad we stopped. I would have liked to have gone into the adjacent museum, but knew it would not be a good visit with 3 tired boys along!
Tuesday, June 16, 2015
Once again, having some computer issues, so it has taken me a while to upload pictures.
The rest of the trip south was good. We spent a whole day in Denver~mostly explored downtown. We headed to the capitol first.
This was a building across from the capitol and we noticed the workers on top. The building was probably 40 stories!
The kids enjoyed looking around the capitol but probably enjoyed what was on the grounds better. Joseph loved these birds and took this picture.
Jacob loved climbing some of the trees.
The squirrels were definitely the biggest source of entertainment. We went to the car to get our lunch and then they gave some of the leftovers to the squirrels.
We also enjoyed Lik-m-aid on the capitol grounds. (Yes, that is peanut butter on his face, left over from lunch)
We then walked downtown. The boys really enjoyed the Barnes and Nobles. Being that it was downtown, we were the only kids in the kid section.
We went into 2 different skyscrapers, trying to get a view from the upper floors. Of course we were told in both cases, by security, that it was not allowed for security reasons. We figured so but I have been talking with the boys about how it never hurts to ask. We even tried to get to one of the upper floors of a hotel. You obviously need key cards to access floors these days. I don't think the boys have ever seen a view from anything above 7 stories or so. I think they were overwhelmed with all the busyness of the city. After downtown we headed to IKEA. Quite the experience with the boys, but we all came out alive and with money in our pockets.
When we made it back to the KOA camp, the boys really wanted to ride the banana bikes. Not the best pictures (I am really experimenting with manual modes on my camera, so quality is affected a bit) of the bikes, but the boys had a blast. It was raining and Benjamin and Jacob picked it up quickly.
Joseph was just a tad too short to properly ride the bike, so most of what we saw of him was this....
pure frustration!!
Another dinner on the road.
We managed to spend very little money on the road. The last morning before we hit Texas the boys each got 2 donuts. Other than that, we bought a few drinks!
Hopefully the wi-fi will cooperate and I can load more pictures soon.
The rest of the trip south was good. We spent a whole day in Denver~mostly explored downtown. We headed to the capitol first.
This was a building across from the capitol and we noticed the workers on top. The building was probably 40 stories!
The kids enjoyed looking around the capitol but probably enjoyed what was on the grounds better. Joseph loved these birds and took this picture.
Jacob loved climbing some of the trees.
The squirrels were definitely the biggest source of entertainment. We went to the car to get our lunch and then they gave some of the leftovers to the squirrels.
We also enjoyed Lik-m-aid on the capitol grounds. (Yes, that is peanut butter on his face, left over from lunch)
We then walked downtown. The boys really enjoyed the Barnes and Nobles. Being that it was downtown, we were the only kids in the kid section.
We went into 2 different skyscrapers, trying to get a view from the upper floors. Of course we were told in both cases, by security, that it was not allowed for security reasons. We figured so but I have been talking with the boys about how it never hurts to ask. We even tried to get to one of the upper floors of a hotel. You obviously need key cards to access floors these days. I don't think the boys have ever seen a view from anything above 7 stories or so. I think they were overwhelmed with all the busyness of the city. After downtown we headed to IKEA. Quite the experience with the boys, but we all came out alive and with money in our pockets.
When we made it back to the KOA camp, the boys really wanted to ride the banana bikes. Not the best pictures (I am really experimenting with manual modes on my camera, so quality is affected a bit) of the bikes, but the boys had a blast. It was raining and Benjamin and Jacob picked it up quickly.
Joseph was just a tad too short to properly ride the bike, so most of what we saw of him was this....
Another dinner on the road.
We managed to spend very little money on the road. The last morning before we hit Texas the boys each got 2 donuts. Other than that, we bought a few drinks!
Hopefully the wi-fi will cooperate and I can load more pictures soon.
Wednesday, June 10, 2015
We recently hung out at the park and got a decent picture of all three of the boys...seems it is few and far between right now!
The road trip has begun! After several multi week road trips, I think I have a pretty good idea of how to pack things. Here is what the back of the van looked liked just before we pulled out. About a 1/3 of what is in the back is blankets, etc, because a few nights at a KOA cabin was on the list. I have a bucket for the boys clothes, a bucket for my clothes, a small toiletry bag, a cooler and two buckets for food. Then of course the backpack with electronics. The biggest help on the road is the large size ziplocks I use for each days' clothes. This saves me from pulling out a huge suitcase or having to dig through bags. I grab a ziplock and toiletry bag and I am set.
Our second stop was at a cool park in Wyoming. It was a school playground during school hours and then a city/public park the rest of the time. The boys loved the bridge over the busy highway.
I love this picture with his thumb tucked in and the concentration.
The playground was overwhelming. There was over 10 different elements/areas to play in. Had I had on my tennis shoes, we would have gotten in a great game of tag!
Was fascinated with this picture and how pronounced the rain was in that one little area.
This road trip I finally bought a power inverter and decided to try 'cooking' on the road. Has worked like a charm so far. Had some frozen meatballs in the cooler and just put them in and within about 90 minutes they were ready for dinner. Other than safety on the road, one of my goals is not to spend any money on the road, especially at fast food/restaurants.
So thankful for the safety thus far on the road. I think the biggest mishap I have ever had on the road (with probably 4 trips to Ohio and 4 to Texas ~ which would be about 3,000 round trip times 8 trips....) was a dead battery and as I recall, it happened twice in Ohio, when the car was in my sister's driveway!
The road trip has begun! After several multi week road trips, I think I have a pretty good idea of how to pack things. Here is what the back of the van looked liked just before we pulled out. About a 1/3 of what is in the back is blankets, etc, because a few nights at a KOA cabin was on the list. I have a bucket for the boys clothes, a bucket for my clothes, a small toiletry bag, a cooler and two buckets for food. Then of course the backpack with electronics. The biggest help on the road is the large size ziplocks I use for each days' clothes. This saves me from pulling out a huge suitcase or having to dig through bags. I grab a ziplock and toiletry bag and I am set.
Our second stop was at a cool park in Wyoming. It was a school playground during school hours and then a city/public park the rest of the time. The boys loved the bridge over the busy highway.
I love this picture with his thumb tucked in and the concentration.
The playground was overwhelming. There was over 10 different elements/areas to play in. Had I had on my tennis shoes, we would have gotten in a great game of tag!
Was fascinated with this picture and how pronounced the rain was in that one little area.
This road trip I finally bought a power inverter and decided to try 'cooking' on the road. Has worked like a charm so far. Had some frozen meatballs in the cooler and just put them in and within about 90 minutes they were ready for dinner. Other than safety on the road, one of my goals is not to spend any money on the road, especially at fast food/restaurants.
So thankful for the safety thus far on the road. I think the biggest mishap I have ever had on the road (with probably 4 trips to Ohio and 4 to Texas ~ which would be about 3,000 round trip times 8 trips....) was a dead battery and as I recall, it happened twice in Ohio, when the car was in my sister's driveway!
Monday, June 8, 2015
Here are the rest of the Florida pictures. There are a few videos and it looks like the videos are not loading properly (I never know until I hit post ~ hopefully they will but appears it is treating it like a moving picture instead of video, so no sound). You can tell from these, that Jacob is not afraid of anything living. The boys also enjoyed an air boat ride at an alligator farm.
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