Spring Break 2019

We had a really fun spring break this year. We started the week here in Louisville. I was able to take the boys to some of their favorite places, including Malibu Jacks and The Louisville Zoo.

We had a great time at Malibu Jack's. We rode the go carts, played games and played mini golf. It was Preston's first time playing mini golf and he did really well!

Evan was SO excited to win lots of tickets!

Preston loved playing the games.

Our trip to the zoo was nice. We had good weather and we saw lots of animals. Evan enjoyed taking lots of pictures.

As usual, Preston's favorite part of the zoo was getting to pet the goats.

During the second part of the week, we went to Hocking Hills. It is about 4 hours away and it was definitely worth the drive.

We met up with the Congleton family. Although we saw some amazing things and had some great hikes, seeing them was probably the best part of the trip. We had so much fun together.

We rented a cabin, which had plenty of space for the boys to play outside. The property included a tree house, trails, frog pond, hot tub and a wrap around porch. There were plenty of toys inside too as well as a couple full size arcade cabinets, which kept the boys entertained in the mornings.

We took five different hikes. We went to Conkle's Hollow, Ash Cave, Cedar Falls, Old Man's Cave and Rock House.

Conkle's Hollow was the first hike. Everyone was excited to explore after a long car ride.

Evan found a huge crayfish in the creek!

Evan and David

Conkle's Hollow was very pretty. We loved the big rock formations and the waterfall.

Evan also found a salamander!

The boys liked hot chocolate on the porch, while they watched for deer in the woods.

Our second hike was to Ash Cave. We had fun taking lots of pictures, which are some of my favorite pictures of the trip.

The hike to Cedar Cave was nice too. The waterfall was big and the kids had a great time playing together. Unfortunately, Luke fell in the super cold water here. He was a trooper though and barely complained!

We went to Old Man's Cave, which was nice, but pretty crowded. The waterfall was my favorite part, but the boys liked playing on the rocks.

Our final hike was a bit tough, as everyone was tired. We did see some really cool rock formations though! Everyone liked exploring Rock House.

On our last night at the cabin, the boys enjoyed some time in the hot tub, as well as making s'mores around the fire. It was a great way to end the trip!

Happy 40th Birthday, Rachael!

I turned 40 years old last week and I had a great time celebrating with my family. Carl, Evan and Preston made me feel really loved on my special day. 

Preston woke up early and came into my room with a flower that he made with paper, glue and markers. He was SO excited to give it to me and to wish me a happy birthday. I was then led downstairs, where I had an amazing surprise. Carl had set up a trail of 40 flowers and had included pictures from my life throughout the trail. It was amazing! He worked so hard and it was a really great surprise. 

The days was filled with lots of calls and messages from family and friends, which was really nice. I was surprised later in the day, when Carl had flowers were delivered! 

Grammy and Granddaddy came over in the evening and we went out to Los Aztecas. We came back home for cheese cake and some time to relax.

Carl and I  finished out my celebration at the Melting Pot on Saturday night. It was nice to have a night away with Carl and the food was delicious.

I am grateful for special people that made me feel so wonderful on my birthday. I am so fortunate to have such wonderful family and friends! I am hopeful that my next year is filled with health, happiness and fun adventures with the ones I love.

Velentine's Day 2019

We had so much fun celebrating Valentine's Day. Valentine's Day was Thursday and both boys had parties at school. We went out for a family dinner that night and then the boys had a 4 day weekend!
We did so many fun things, but the best part was going to Mega Quest. We all had fun doing the awesome obstacles! Carl and I also got to go out to dinner, which is always a nice treat. I am so happy that we got to have such a nice weekend together.

Ice Skating

We went ice skating a couple of weeks ago. Evan went when he was very little, but we just pushed him around the rink in a big bucket! It was really like this was Evan's first time trying to ice skate. Preston had never been before. Evan caught on pretty fast and was able to skate without falling much. Preston got frustrated at first, because he wanted to go fast and he wasn't able to do that right away. He listened to someone that gave him some great tips and he kept working hard. He was able to skate around the rink at a good pace without falling in less than an hour! He was SO excited! I was proud of his hard work and persistence. Both boys had a great time and I am happy that they both enjoyed skating.