Fall Family Fun 2010 - Part Three (2nd post today)

Continuing our Hocking Hills trip...

These next photos were taken at Ash Cave, one of six natural areas in the Hocking Hills region. Open on one side, it spans 700 feet & has a horseshoe-shaped rim. From front to back, it is 100 feet & it is about 90 feet from the rim to the floor. What a beautiful cave! (If you're interested, more detailed information on Ash Cave can be found HERE.)

There are two paths to follow. We chose the lower trail because it is handicapped accessible & didn't think the rougher ground would be good w/ the stroller. There was a large stump along the trail. Three of the four munchkins were just fine w/ Mom's photo shoot there. Can you guess which one was ready to move on?!?

The Saint w/ another light saber, er...stick! Check out those Jedi moves as The Archangel runs away in the background!
The sunlight hit so perfectly during this photo. Isn't it beautiful?

I took this one standing underneath the rim of the cave.

Along the path w/ the cave in the background

When we arrived in Hocking Hills, it was too early to check into our cabin, so we drove around a bit. We passed Lake Logan & decided to stop there the next day.

There were two beautiful swans who seemed to have no fear of humans.
There was an older gentleman feeding breadcrumbs to the swans. I had to hold The Saint back because he wanted to pet them.

Unfortunately we didn't have swimsuits w/ us this trip, but we did let the munchkins wade in the water. The Saint didn't quite understand "wading" & kept wanting to splash, jump, & sit in the water. He's such a boy!!! Needless to say, everyone got baths upon our return to the cabin!

Fall Family Fun 2010 - Part 2 (2nd Post Today)

Okay...I didn't realize how many pictures we took while in Hocking Hills. So, I think I'd better break these Fall posts up even more. Here is installment one of Hocking Hills.

This was the outside of our cabin...Noah's Ark Cabin. We LOVED it & can't wait to go back next year.

The view upon entry, made even better by that handsome man & adorable munchkins in the kitchen!

The munchkins' bedroom...because there were no rails & hardwood floors, they were allowed to play on the top of the bunk, but not sleep there.

The master bedroom...quite a high bed!

Dinner time & my dear hubby is holding onto two of his favorite things...food & me!

The munchkins loved eating their meals at this kitchen island, big enough for all four of them.

The rest of the photos are from our trip to the KOA campground. They had a gem mine. The older three munchkins each got a small bag of sand & gems to use in the sluice. I think this was the highlight of the trip...they had so much fun, as you can probably see on their faces. They were so focused on finding their gems, including the super tiny ones. I don't think any gem was left behind!

Casinodad & I took turns keeping an eye on The Saint. Here they are discussing the finer points of basketball.

The Saint enjoyed mining the rocks on the ground & playing in the water of the sluice.

A Thankful Woman's Book of Blessings - Vacation Edition (2nd Post Today)

Judy over at A Thankful Woman's Book of Blessings, hosts this meme every Wednesday. Simply list five things (or a prayer or any thoughts) for which you are truly thankful this week. Voicing my thanks helps put my life in perspective & realize that, no matter how bad things might be, there is still MUCH good surrounding me.

1) I'm thankful for our great three day vacation to Hocking Hills last week while Casinodad had the week off of work. See my Wordless Wednesday post from today for a few photos & hopefully I'll get another post up soon.

2) I'm thankful for all the joy & thanks we received from the munchkins for taking them to Hocking Hills. They had so much fun & surprisingly, there weren't many arguments!

3) I'm thankful that even though temps were in the upper 80s & low 90s, it didn't seem too hot for our excursions...wading in Lake Logan, sluicing at the gem mine, & trekking through Ash Cave.

4) I'm thankful that we were able to find a cabin that is well taken care of & VERY affordable. It was only $99 per night & we got $15 off of that each night for taking our own linens. This is our cabin...Noah's Ark Cabin. How cute is that?



5) I'm thankful there was a clean hot tub at our cabin. We didn't feel comfortable leaving the munchkins inside alone at night, so we took turns. Ahh! Very soothing! (The cabin we stayed in last year also had a hot tub, but we were unable to use it. We turned it on to let the munchkins sit on the edge & dip their feet in, but as soon as it started bubbling, it kicked up all kinds of sediment from the bottom...EEEEWWWW!)

Wordless Wednesday - Ash Cave

Day Sixteen - Something I Want to Do in the Next Five Years

WOW! Halfway through already! What a great meme this has been!

Today's topic is "Something I Want to Do in the Next Five Years." This is an easy one for me right now because my answer has been on my mind a lot lately. There are actually two things:

1) I want to take a vacation somewhere beachy w/ Casinodad. Ideally a trip to somewhere in the Caribbean would be nice. I've never been a big beach person, but I've felt the pull lately. We've started talking about it & are hoping that our 15th anniversary in three years will be a great time to go.

2) I'd like to move out of the suburbs & into the country. When we first moved into our house, we planned to be here about five years. Next month will be our 9th year here. We've loved our house & have been blessed w/ good neighbors, but the area is going downhill. I really would like a nice acre or so of land when the munchkins would have plenty of space to run around & explore.

Want to join in this 30 Day Meme? You can get the complete list of daily topics HERE. Be sure to leave me a comment so I can read yours.

Small Successes

Recognizing the small things in life really helps me get through the rough times. It makes me feel like I'm still accomplishing something, even if it is small. So, here are this week's successes...

1) We rented a cabin in Hocking Hills (southeastern Ohio) for a couple days last week. It was a fun family vacation, even if only for a couple days. We hiked through Old Man's Cave & the Rockhouse, played at a nearby park, & just enjoyed life as a family w/out cell phones & computer. (That is why I missed last week's successes!)

2) Upon our return, I didn't go straight to the computer! We unloaded the van, unpacked our stuff, & I even threw our dirty clothes in the washer.

3) After the initial shock wore off, I did not freak out when The Archangel cut The Princess' hair last week! I even managed to laugh about it.

How about your successes? Check out Faith & Family Live for more.