Month: June 2010

Vacation-Thoroughbred Park and Cemetery

On our last day of vacation, we were not sure when Allan’s class would be over. Knowing how much Audrey loves horses, we tried to schedule a tour on a horse farm, but that fell through. We  discovered a cute little park with some horse statues that the kids really enjoyed.

We were told about the Lexington Cemetery which was near by that we went to and enjoyed. We found an old Burr Oak that had a plaque saying that it was around during the signing of the Constitution!

Allan got off at noon so we started heading back home.  We stopped for lunch in Cincinatti and milk shakes nearer home. Our trip back was good and we were all glad to be home.

Vacation-Botanical Gardens

We needed an easy day. So we went to the Lexington Farmer’s Market. We bought some delicious peaches and some flavored honey.

Then we headed to Kentucky University’s Botanical Gardens. They were very pretty and the children had lots of time just playing!

We ate lunch in the hotel, took a nap, and then went swimming. Adrian learned how to “Monkey crawl” –crawl around the edge of the pool–and how to dunk under water. It was a lot easier watching him when he was afraid of the water!

Vacation-Natural Bridge Hike

While the kids and I got to go exploring, Allan was stuck in a classroom learning more about designing on computers. We often wished he could be with us and we knew he would have enjoyed the hike very much.

Our trip started out interesting. There was a little girl off on a boardwalk crying. It turns out she was lost. She was mad at her parents and took off running and then could not find them again. We walked with her up the path until she found her sister and she was taken to her parents.

We went back down to see the cave and Mark found a little one. We also discovered a lot of poison ivy! Adrian picked some and God protected him from getting a rash.

We walked to the the Natural Bridge which was bigger than I thought. We ate lunch there, admired the scenery and talked about how far we walked. We decided to go to the scenic overlook to see the “whole” bridge.

Mark spotted the balancing rock on the way back or we would have passed right by. A little further, Mark found a bigger cave that was boarded over. He tried to look inside but it was too dark.

We kept teasing we should have counted the steps, there must have been a few million of them. Then Audrey got silly and kept saying she needed steps or she would not be happy.

More water and snacky food would have made the walk better, but everyone did a great job hiking. The kids spotted two different types of lizards and some huge dragonflies.

This was a great day! We enjoyed seeing God’s beauty and being able to enjoy the sun and fresh air.

Vacation-Boonesborough Fort

I knew that I wanted to take the kids to Fort Boonesborough.  Mark really enjoys history and we thought being able to interact with interpreters and learn more about early American history would be great!Allan printed out directions to the fort for us, and Mark practiced being the navigator. He did an excellent job all week! The drive down was easy and we got there just as the fort opened. We watched a short introductory video that was mostly about Daniel Boone and then went exploring.

We were disappointed that there were only three or four interpreters, but they were kind and offered lots of information. One complimented the children for their good questions and how they listened quietly to the answers. She said she enjoys when homeschoolers come to visit.

Mark was very curious and asked many questions. His “winning question” though was about a stick he found in the weaver’s cabin.  We learned that it was an atlatl dart. People used it for hunting. We all learned how it worked and how to throw it. The arrow was too long for all of us, but Mark was able to throw it the furthest. We were told that boys Mark’s age would leave home for a week or two at a time and hunt with these darts to help feed the family while Dad was off on larger hunts.

We enjoyed walking around and then tasting maple candy and dried buffalo jerky from the store. We drove to the original site of the Fort and were surprised on how little it looked.

We decided to look for a Civil War field that was nearby. Even using the maps and the brown information signs on the road, we were not able to find it. After much searching, we gave up and headed home.

Somehow we got lost going around the circle near the hotel. We never did find our turn off. I finally stopped at a gas station and asked for directions. The gentlemen who showed me was very helpful. He took me the “short cut” so I “wouldn’t get lost”. The circle was full of “spokes” through the city, and the spoke we were on was the one we needed to go straight to where Allan was having class! We drove that road every day we were in Lexington.

We enjoyed walking to an Indian restaurant for dinner. We tried some new foods that everyone liked and had a little leftover for lunch another day.

Vacation–Creation Museum

We went to the Creation Museum and it was as interesting as the first time. We enjoyed seeing the new exhibits, petting the animals and learning even more about God’s wonderful plan.

Mark and Allan got to attend a lecture that they both really enjoyed. The younger kids much preferred the petting zoo,”daring” momma to feed the camel and riding the dinosaur!

The gardens were beautiful and we spent a good amount of time just exploring them. The kids all liked the swinging bridge, and running across is a lot more fun than walking!

There is a lot more to write about, but the kids want to also. So, watch for their vacation blogs coming soon!

First Day of Vacation

Allan needed to take a class for work. We got to go down to Kentucky with him.  Our first stop was to visit my brother near Indianapolis. We got to go to church with Joe and then we enjoyed walking to Dairy Queen and talking.

The kids enjoyed looking at his books and playing board games. They learned how to climb a fence! They loved all the treats Uncle Joe shared too, chips and lots of Popsicles in assorted flavors. They liked learning how to make hot chocolate on his machine. Then when we left, they enjoyed the special treats that he sent along with us–cheese popcorn, buttery microwave popcorn and soup.

Thanks Joe, for a great start to our vacation!