UNO and hot tub fun

Just some fun family time at the house!

"Please don't make me draw 4!"

He may have just won...he looks awfully relaxed and happy with himself!

Yes, he's peeing off the deck. The advantage of being a boy in the woods!

The kids have never been in a hot tub before, and we had to remind them to sit still because Harper especially just wanted to swim around. They had the cutest flushed little cheeks when we got out!

Garcia's favorite place to be in the whole house. Ha!

Day 2: Amicalola Falls State Park

We are attempting to do one outing each day this week. Andrew and I want to be able to see the area and expose the kids to some new experiences while also giving everyone plenty of down time at the house to play and relax.

On Sunday we drove just under an hour to Amicalola Falls State Park. We went primarily to see the waterfall, which is the highest waterfall east of the Mississippi (729 ft). There are lots of other hiking trails too, including the Appalachian Trail. We took Garcia with us because the trail to the waterfall is a rubberized path. He did ok until the kids wanted to go down the wooden stairs to stand at the base of the waterfall. I knew there was no way he would go down all of the stairs, and there were crowds of people, just adding to his anxiety! I walked with Garcia back to the parking area while Andrew and the kids did the 175 steps down and back up again.

heading to the falls

From the path you can see this old truck up in the woods. I would love to know the story behind how it got there! Probably a car accident years and years ago?

down they go!

at the base of the waterfall

and back up again!

We drove up to a parking area near the top of the waterfall, and there is a creek where you can feel the cold mountain water. We told Harper and Ryder to take their shoes off and wade around in it. :) The only water they know is the warm water in the Gulf, so this came as quite a surprise!

a view from the top

They loved these stepping stones.

They both ended up getting wet up past their knees!

Georgia: Day 1

Our cell phone service is spotty up here in the mountains, so I'm trying to update the blog quickly to share all of our pictures!

On our first full day of vacation, Andrew made us a nice big breakfast: bacon, eggs, and biscuits! We ate outside on the deck and enjoyed the cool morning air.

After breakfast we headed downstairs for some friendly air hockey competition.

Aww, she didn't win. :(

Once we got showered and dressed, we decided to go into the town of Blue Ridge to check out the area. There was a farmer's market set up right next to a huge playground, which was a nice surprise. The kids climbed and ran around for a little while before we strolled past the downtown shops and restaurants. The downtown is absolutely adorable, and I love the rustic log cabin look of all of the buildings. We ate lunch at Harvest on Main and then stopped at Three Sisters Fudge to satisfy our sweet tooth teeth.

Of course she had to walk on the 'balance beam' instead of the sidewalk. Ha!

Back at the house we enjoyed a lazy afternoon outdoors. Andrew set up the slack line and hammock, and while the kids played in the yard, Andrew and I sat on the balcony listening to music and uploading all of these pictures! 😉

back of the house

Andrew had to try out the hammock first before letting the kids get into it.

"Seriously, I can do this myself."

LOVE this picture! He was so happy just swinging in the trees.

Yes, Andrew dared me to do the slack line too. It requires major balance and core muscle strength, which I don't have. I felt like jello jiggling as I tried to balance on it!

At least I can laugh at myself, right?! 😜

I think Garcia is starting to enjoy himself. He has been nervous since we loaded up the car on Thursday! Lots of time in the car, a night in a hotel, and now a house and yard he doesn't recognize have thrown this little guy for a loop! Oh, and he doesn't like stairs. So if we're not on the main floor, Andrew has to carry him up or down the stairs. Yes, he's spoiled.

Ryder looks like he is stretching in preparation for his next trick, but he was actually scratching a HUGE mosquito bite on the bottom of his foot. My poor sweet boy got eaten alive yesterday, despite being covered in bug spray.

a classic Harper face

Ryder helped chop some kindling wood for our first bonfire.

"Yay! S'mores!"

making the perfect marshmallow-roasting stick

sunset in the mountains

always climbing...always

Ryder didn't want his picture taken while he was eating his s'more, so Andrew waited patiently until he turned around.

"Who me?"