Three Giant Children

Monday, September 5, 2011

Hiking Trip - September 2-3, 2011 Pt 2

More pictures...

Hiking Trip - September 2-3, 2011 Pt 1

We went to the mountain house for the first time in a long time and we decided we would see if Kate and Dylan were tough enough to hike Siler Bald. It's 4-4.5 miles to the top and the last part is a steep incline that really tests your mental toughness. Granddad suggested that the kids hike the short (1.5 mile) side with him to the top while Chris and I hiked the longer side, but Kate and Dylan (especially Kate) insisted that they wanted to do the harder side. We made them promise that they would not complain that they were tired and let them know that the car would be 6 miles away on the other side of the mountain, so stopping was not an option. Once they agreed and were sure they would do the hard one, we set off. Kate tripped and fell on a tree root right away and then hopped up and kept going like the tough girl she is. They clearly got tired closer to the top (we all did), but Kate didn't complain - she just kept saying that she could do it and that she was almost there. I couldn't have been prouder of her mental toughness. When we got to the top, she rested and had a little snack and then wanted to hop back up and explore the top with Mommy and Daddy. She had trouble choosing the right rocks/roots to step on and tripped several times on the way down, but she would just hop back up and keep going. She's one tough girl!

The next day, we hiked up Blood Mountain and Drew wanted to come too. It's a tough 2.5 mile hike with lots of rocky portions that require big and careful steps, but there are several very rewarding lookouts at the top. About halfway, Drew melted down saying that he wanted to ride in the backpack. We told him to keep going, hoping that he could make it a little further before Daddy had to carry him in the backpack. Kate and I hiked on ahead and Daddy and Drew went at their own pace. Daddy said they told lots of stories and Drew became focused and kept at it. He received lots of encouragement and inspired lots of hikers who were on their way down with his toughness and determination, but in Drew's words, "I couldn't say thank you because I was too nervous." He made it to the top all by himself not too long after we made it. We were very impressed. I should also mention that Kate and Dylan did fantastic - especially for as hard as this hike was with their legs still very tired from the day before. Kate stopped lots of times along the way just to enjoy God's creation and to comment about how much she loves hiking. Once again, she fell many times on the way down, but she continued to remain tough and determined. Drew rode in the backpack down on Daddy's back and was so tired that he fell asleep in the pack during the hike down.

During the trip (which was shortened by a day due to heavy rains coming in), we also fit in a trip to the "beach" at the lake, where Kate, Dylan, and Drew spent their whole time "building the Nile" in the wet sand and dumping buckets of water over it. Ben spent most of his time playing in the sand (he cried when his feet hit the sand because he didn't like the feeling), but he went in the water with Daddy toward the end.

We were also able to go to our favorite pizza buffet and to the Hiawassee playground where great fun was had by all.

Oh - did I mention that Ben got very scared of the pink bear and baby from Toy Story 3 on the drive up and he got so upset he vomited? He also got his car seat turned around like a "big boy" for the first time just before this trip.

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Drew's 4th Birthday

Drew had a very fun party at Bounce-a-Rama and enjoyed his Spiderman/Superman/Batman cake. All his friends came and he had a blast. Yesterday, the day before his birthday, we went to visit MaMa and Grandmother with Grandmama, Grandad, and Dylan and he opened presents there. Then, we came home and he opened presents from Gram and us. We finally gave in on the weapons, so Drew got three Nerf guns, a couple of foam swords for the pool, and Hulk "Smash" hands. Kate spent her own money to buy him a Bat Cave and she told me that she enjoyed seeing him open it more than she enjoyed getting presents herself. He got lots of fun outdoor toys like an airplane shooter, a helicopter, and a stomp rocket, along with some great action figures and even a fishing set. Today, he gets a day off of school and chores and can play or watch tv all he wants until his soccer practice tonight (as long as he doesn't interrupt school for the others).

Monday, August 29, 2011

Stonehenge

Only one cricket was harmed in this construction and it was purely accidental.

Thursday, August 18, 2011

Too much school

Sunday, August 14, 2011

Funny comments from Drew and Kate and Sweet Comment from Ben

On the way home from church today, Drew noticed that someone had a sprinkler going. He said, "Hey - Why is someone washing their grass?"

On our first day of studying Astronomy, we were looking on my phone to see where the stars and planets were in relation to where we were. When I pointed the phone toward Kate's head, we could see Uranus on the sky map. Kate said, "My head's Uranus! I never thought my head would be Uranus!"

On the way home from a homeschool swimming party tonight, Kate and Drew were thanking us for taking them and telling us they loved us. Ben said, "I love you too Mommy!" That's the longest understandable sentence he's uttered so far.