Bay Breeze: Part Three

The house was not only large but had lots of fun extras that we enjoyed throughout the week. The pool table was a big hit and we played quite a bit. The kids just played around with the balls but we adults tried to have some competitive games. Mostly we stunk it up and ended up laughing a lot! There was also an xBox and not only did the kiddos play that a bit but here you can see James and Ryan absorbed in a baseball game. They also enjoyed a few rounds of home run derby :)
One night the kids conspired and planned, announcing that we were to assemble in the recreation room for a talent show. They danced and sang, Quinn even accompanied on drums (played with toothbrushes on the legs of a chair!). Grandpa even joined in on the "can-can"...
And then Aedan showed off his breakdancing skills...he is quite good for a 3 year old!
Quinn took some time away from accompanying the others to dance a bit himself...
Aunt Lois and Uncle Ryan brought some fun games with them. Catch Phrase was a fun time and made my time baking cookies in the kitchen (I made 90 that were all eaten within 24 hours of leaving the oven!) more fun while we all played, taking turns giving clues. They also brought Bananagrams, a version of Scrabble that Quinn enjoyed playing with Grandma and Grandpa.
On Wednesday night, we decided to go miniature golfing at a place a few miles down Emerald Drive. This was a pretty cool place where you got to take a train to your first hole. The kids enjoyed playing while we waited for our turn on the train...
I love this picture of Quinn, it just captures him so well :)
This picture cracked us all up, look at how all the Donovan men have the same exact look on their face :)
Judith and I having fun while awaiting our turn...
I also love this picture of Quinn and James, eyeing up the next shot...
The kids were all waiting on this box in the middle of one hole, and as each adult took their turn they would cheer "Go Aunt Lois, Go Uncle Ryan, Go Grandma, Go Grandpa, etc."
After we came home, we decided to take a family picture to commemorate the week. It was the first time all four siblings were in the same place in almost 10 years! We staged the camera, moved some furniture and took three shots. Such a nice family picture if I do say so myself :)
So that was the fun & games portion of the trip. There was more to it than just beach and pool and we all partook in the house & area amenities. Next up, the last installment...kayaking and island exploration!

Bay Breeze: Part Two

Aside from the beach, we spent a lot of time in the pool at the house. This was a true beach or pool vacation and we all mostly lived in our bathing suits for the week. The pool was absolutely perfect for all of the kids, ranging in age from 3 to 7. The shallow end was about 3' and the deep end (though not really deep) was only 4 or 4.5'. The kids could play and swim without much worry from the adults, although they were never allowed inside the pool area without an adult. We also had a hot tub that we partook in a few times through the week. Hot tubs are very soothing on sunburn (and I won't mention names but several of us suffered from it).

The mornings started out like this with all four kids at their own special table. It was another thing about this house that was just perfect for our group :)Quinn and Uncle Ryan playing in the pool....he was the ultimate playmate for all of the kids, throwing them and horsing around like an uncle should :)
Again, Uncle Ryan playing with the kiddos in the pool...
Keely and Cassidy jumping into the pool...
More playing in the pool...
While the kiddies played, the adults could often be found relaxing (and in my case, getting bitten by bugs) in the gazebo.
Keely in the pool, loving Cassidy's goggles...and anything else of Cassidy's too :)
Keely joining the adults for a snack break...
So that was the pool shots. Since I used some in a recent post, I didn't have as much fresh material. Only two more parts to go to complete the week at the beach...

Backyard Campout

Last night we spent the night camping...in our backyard! It was sort of a dry run for when we actually venture from our home to a real campsite :) We've had our tent for a while now and have been stocking up on other camping equipment as we find good deals and such. There weren't many campsites to be had this weekend, probably due to the Utah State holiday. So we did the next best thing and set up camp in our backyard. We grilled some yummy black bean burgers for dinner and then set up the tent. The kids were SO excited! We started a campfire in our fire bowl and relaxed outside while it got dark. I would have taken some night time pictures but the camera batteries needed charging.
Our yummy s'mores...on two homemade chocolate chip cookies instead of graham crackers. So good!
James even made us ice cream shakes to finish off the night. There was a chance of thunderstorms and after laying in the tent for a while we began to see lightning flashes. They were far away but then a bit of thunder too. James put the rain fly on the tent and we were all cozy. The rain held off but we did have a lot of wind. The kids (and me, mostly) slept right through it. I was also worried about the morning when dawn broke, thinking the kids would wake up to the morning light. But no worries needed, they slept until normal time (about 8 AM). Then we celebrated our first successful campout with a hearty breakfast at Village Inn! So it went well and it was fun. And it really was the warm up...I've booked us a night up in Little Cottonwood Canyon next Saturday. I look forward to the beginning of some fun camping memories as a family :)

Bay Breeze: Part One

We arrived at in Jacksonville, NC mid afternoon on Sunday having driven about 1,000 miles in one week. The busy part of our trip was over and we were definitely ready for some R&R at the beach, pool, etc. The house was all that we expected and more. It really was the perfect house for our group. The kids were SO excited to have their bunk bed room and they took to playing in it and making it their own from the moment we entered the house to the moment we left. I have SO many pictures from the beach thanks to Aunt Lois. She made it her personal mission to document our week in photos and I am so thankful for her decision. She did a great job and without her pictures (many of which follow) I would not have much other than our memories.

Of course since I have so many pictures I have to split the week at the beach into 4 separate accounts of our time and adventures. The first will be primarily our time spent at the beach. We were within a short walk of private beach access, meaning that there is no public parking so the only people on that part of the beach are those renting the houses in that vicinity. We went to the beach, some or all of us, almost every day we were there. The first few days we went at the beginning of the day and the last couple we went towards the end of the afternoon so we could capture low tide. I so miss the Atlantic and I so enjoyed surfing the waves, sitting and listening to the ocean, and watching the kids frolic. And frolic they did. They had a blast and played to their heart's content. Now for the pictures.

Grandpa pulling Keely on the boogie board...
Keely and Cassidy playing in the shallow surf...
Can't believe I actually am showing this picture of myself, but I do think it is funny that I am running like such a girl. Keely splashing her mommy...
James now taking a turn this time pulling Cassidy on the boogie board...
This was the familiar sight as we left the beach most days. James and Ryan pulling the monstrous wagon stuffed with beach chairs, umbrellas, a cooler, food, beach towels, and of course the fishing net for Quinn to try and catch some fish!
Judith and I enjoying some relaxation while the kids are playing...oh and Ryan sunbathing, or more likely sunburning :)
I love this picture of James holding Aedan's hand in the water. He started the week so timid, not wanting to be in the water without someone's hand. He ended the week so adventurous and it was a fun transformation to watch!
Quinn enjoying the waves...
James could not believe that Lois and Ryan did not remember a frisbee (they both play Ultimate)...so he had to buy one for playing with at the beach. Quinn and Grandpa tossing it around...
Keely and Cassidy playin' in the sand...don't you remember the joy of sitting in the sand and not caring how much of it got in your bathing suit?!?!
Quinn again in the surf...
Of course a trip to the beach would not be complete without someone getting buried in sand. Keely was the victim this time, but she's having fun and the others nicely posed for the picture :)
Those last couple of days that we went to the beach at about 4 PM targeting low tide were just lovely. I had to take this picture of James and Keely sitting in the nice calm water...
The beach was so much fun. We all had a blast and I miss it while sitting here writing about it. I truly could have spent another week there and I think the kids agree with me on that one. There was more fun to be had though and the beach was only one part of our trip. More to come...

Part Three: Washington, D.C.

After a long drive on I-81 (I will be happy if I don't see that road for another 6 years!) and then a short jaunt on I-66 we arrived in DC. I just love the streets of DC. I am comfortable driving them since I spent 4 years there, at least 2 with my own car. Shortly after we arrived and decompressed with a short (and chilly) pool visit and met up with Nana, Papa, and Annie, we loaded up onto the Metro for a trip up in the Washington Monument. As I much as I like driving in DC, I like the Metro even more. It's such a clean, inexpensive and user friendly way to get around what could be a confusing city. Ah, such fond memories of trip on the 'tro. We got to the Mall in perfect time for our scheduled monument time. The weather was cool and pleasant, not at all what I expected for July in DC. Actually the entire time was good weather with low humidity and lower than normal temps. We went up in the monument and looked out all four sides, admiring the sites from each. After we descended we walked over to see the World War II memorial, which is spectacular at night.

Quinn outside Washington with Lincoln in the background...
I love this picture of Keely (James is a way better photographer than I!)...
I had to have James take my picture in front of this plaque at the top level of Washington...in case you can't read the text it says, National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark :)
The next day we descended on the Smithsonian with high hopes. We started with Air and Space and that was all she wrote for our museum touring. Oh well I've seen them all anyways and the kids just didn't want to spend hours and hours hopping from museum to museum. We all enjoyed Air and Space -- it has always been my favorite! After some R&R at the pool we headed back out to the Mall to walk all the way to Lincoln. The monuments are like hotels in Vegas...you think it's just right there, and then you're feet are killing you because it's a bit farther than it looked. The kids loved the reflecting pool...
And I would be remiss to omit this duckling. The kids were enamoured with it and its little duck family. I think they were more excited about the cute duckies than the history surrounding them!
The kids in front of Honest Abe...
Us on the steps of Lincoln, now with Washington in the background...
At the bottom of the stairs, time for more duck watching...
On the 4th, we decided to visit the National Zoo. I tell you, the main thing I love about DC is that all the museums and the zoo are free! James and I had gone to the zoo way back when and I knew the kids would like it. Here they are posing on the lion at the entrance...
Quinn in the head of a dinosaur...
After the zoo, we ate some lunch and took the red line to good ol' Brookland to see CUA. In contrast to how much Blacksburg and VT had changed, CUA seemed frozen in time. There was only one new building and I am sure there were other changes but mostly it seemed just like when I was there 11-15 years ago. We spent some time in the Basilica and I wished I had spent more time there admiring the crypts and passageways when I was a student. Then a short walk around campus and we were off. The trip down memory lane was complete :) And my favorite part was Papa..."so let's go back to the part where you said James visited you while you were here?!?!" I guess he never really knew!

That night we watched the fireworks from the roof of our hotel. They were the most spectacular fireworks I have ever seen in person. And what a great coup to not have to leave our hotel to have a great view :)

So that was our trip to DC. I have to close with this shot of my patriotic girl, all decked out with her souvenirs from Blacksburg and DC. Go Hokies and Go USA :)
The next morning, Sunday we departed DC and headed south on I-95 with our eyes set on the beach!

From Vacation to Staycation

Since it's taking me way too long to finish the story of our vacation (note to self: do it while it happens next time!), I will interrupt for present activities. And actually this event fits nicely into vacation story telling. Last I left off, we were headed from Blacksburg to DC. During that drive, I got a phone call on my cell phone from a Utah number I did not recognize. The voicemail left was from the kids' dentist, saying Keely had won 4 tickets to the new waterpark, Cowabunga Bay! I vaguely remembered entering their names in a drawing while we were there in mid-June. Double bonus -- no cavities for either one AND $100 in free tickets :)

So this weekend was hot as Hades and the only place to be was in a pool. Everyone's using the term "staycation" these days and this weekend was a pretty good example for us. We visited our local pool on Saturday which literally feels like a resort. I need to take a picture of the view -- the buffer trees and the Wasatch mountains behind -- because it looks like a resort pool but we are only 1 block from our house. Keely has really blossomed in her swimming ability and she went off the diving board by herself -- low and high (10!). I even went off the high dive doing a front flip at her request :)

To complete the staycation, we used the free water park passes today. We spent over 4 hours there, rode every water slide at least once and did the lazy river more than a few times. We all had a blast and I am not sure who's more tired, me or the kids! I didn't want to bring my camera in so I decided to jazz up the post with some pool pictures from the house in NC. We have 200 pictures from that week alone (thanks to Aunt Lois) so I need to use them somewhere!

Keely jumping into the pool...
Quinn swimming along on a Nemo floatie...
Keely cheesing it up for the camera...
And again, just enjoying the water...
And here's a montage of Quinn jumping onto and falling off the whale...scroll down real fast and it looks like a video :)




So that was our fun filled weekend -- and we didn't need to drive more than 10 miles from our house :)