Our vacation to Destin, FL was EXACTLY what I needed during this busy time of year. Ok…it was EXACTLY what my wife and my kids needed also and I think I can say that it was perfect for us in every way. We got a chance to lay at the beach, do a lot of swimming, spent some time with friends, hit the links and do a little outlet mall shoppin’. Here are some photos of our trip and I think you can tell by the smiles that everyone had a really good time!
This year, the kids and I once again made the trek up north to hang out with my family in the Big Z for some fun and relaxation for the celebration of the birth of our nation (HEY! That rhymes!). This year’s festivities included Uncle Frank’s cookout, swimming, hanging at Grandma & Grandpa’s house and, capping it all off….fireworks! Here are some pictures of what is quickly becoming one of my favorite holidays!
The pool was a little smaller this year…
Yeah…this ain’t working. Let’s go BIGGER!
MUCH better!
Popsicle Time!!!
BEFORE
AFTER
And while WE were enjoying our fireworks in Zanesville…back at home, poor Stella & Barkley were terrified of all the celebration. So Stephanie had her hands full with our scaredy pups…LOL
The Bulldogs went on the road last weekend for a 3 day tournament in Gatlinburg, TN. Although we didn’t do as well as we had hoped (we came in 4th overall in the tournament), the boys all played hard and gave it a good run! While we were there, we also kept them busy with swimming, ziplining, horse riding and hiking! Oh…and the dads played golf and the moms went shopping.
Overall, everyone had a fun weekend and we all agreed that we’re gonna have to revisit Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge. Who knew there was so much to do there!
Ready to FLY!!!
The pool slide was AWESOME!!! Just don’t go head first…
This group went on a bear hunt/hike! Crazy kids…
Ava enjoyed riding horses…TWICE!
Christopher pitched in a couple games…
Seriously…does this helmet make my head look big?
2 brave zipliners!
The 4th of July is a holiday to spend celebrating our freedom with family & friends and so…my family & I did just that! Although I worked the weekend prior to the 4th (it was on a Monday this year), we managed to squeak some quality family time in with my parents and my brothers & sisters while also participating in our local parade. Here are some pictures from our holiday celebration…
First up…the parade!
Spartans are in the house!
Our fans waved!
The REAL reason for the season
Thank you to all the service men & women who have served our country!
And then family time in Zanesville…
Ava swam with a killer whale!
Aunt Amber wore her floppy hat
Aunt Kathy thought it was a little chilly
Cheeseballs for EVERYONE!!!
Uncle Frank is full of hot air
Uncle Chris & cousin Erik can’t wait for the fireworks!
Still blowing!
Sparklers are FUN!
I gotta sit down…
Mission accomplished!
Ava & the fireworks
What better way to spend the day than to get out into the great outdoors and paddle downstream? So Saturday morning, that’s what we did. My buddy and I threw our kids in car and headed out to Loveland, OH to do a little canoeing. Once we got all settled and the kids A) stopped asking questions & B) got used to the canoe, it went pretty well. And the weather was perfect! A little overcast and around 70. On our trip, we saw ducks & a crane and some fish and we saw a medieval castle and we even managed to get a glimpse of the famous Sasquatch (or Big Foot, for those of you who don’t know). Sounds too good to be true…right? Well…here are the pictures from our harrowing adventure…
We piled into the car
On The Bus
A rowdy group
Out on the water
Hey! How did they get in front of us?
Me, My Kids & My Farmers Tan
There he is!!! Do you see him?!?!
The water ain’t so bad!
Canoe Hopping
The Captain
Hiking to the castle
A man & his castle
Are there REALLY knights in there?
The fire pit
The End of our Journey
