A Week at the Lake

This past week we traveled down to North Carolina to have some fun at Jennie's Uncle Jay's lake house on Lake Gaston. We went with Jennie's parents, sister (Rachel and her family), brother (Spencer) and brother (Greg and his family) for a week of adventure, swimming, jet skiing and blowing off some steam before school starts back up in a couple of weeks. Jennie drove down with the kids and rest of her family on Sunday and I flew down mid week to join them. The weather was perfect and the lake water was surprising quite warm. The kids had a ton of fun and always love spending time; aka: having sleep overs, with their cousins. We are very grateful to Jay and his family for letting us spend the week on the lake and using their boat and jet skis. It was well worth the 10 hour drive and numerous bug bites. I don't think the kids wore anything other than swim suits the entire week. It was a lot of fun and we are blessed to have family with the resources to do these kind of things. The following are some pictures from our week.


This is just about everyone sitting on the dock. This dock actually has a bunch of fish swimming around it and you can bring bread and other things and feed them if you want. There were some pretty good size fish swimming around and we even saw a turtle and a water snake. It was kind of funny because we actually went there twice (because we forgot the bread the first time) and we told the kids to make sure they didn't fall in or the fish would eat them. Well the second night we went back Nolan got a little too close and ended up falling in. The water was only about a foot deep but he freaked out because he thought the fish were going to bite and eat his legs. The look on his face was priceless and I only wish I had the camera running when it happened. You could see the look of panic and fear in his eyes. It only took him a minute or two to get over it but he thought he was fish food for a good minute or two.


Maddux and Nolan climbing a tree down by the docks.


This was the first trip to the dock and Nolan and his Uncle Spencer pretending to feed him to the fish. He was actually asking to be hung upside down above them and then once he started he had other ideas. I bet if you asked him now he would probably have different thoughts.


We also did a little relaxing while we were up there.


Brooklyn practicing some volleyball with her cousin and Uncle. You have to love the outfit. There were a couple of days where this is all she wore. Nothing like some long chicken legs.


Jay's neighbor was kind enough to let us take his boat out on the lake one night to see the sunset and just cruise around.


The zip line was one of the highlights for the kids (and adults). I wondered if it would hold the weight but to my surprise it was very solid. We tried to get the kids to go from the top but most would only go half way up. I actually had Maddux up to the top and holding on the the handle and then he looked down and changed his mind.


Spencer and I launching the kids into the lake from our shoulders. I am not sure how it started but before we knew it we had all the kids in the lake asking to launch.


The raft was also a very popular attraction. The kids loved to play sharks and minnows with Grandpa and Spencer. Nolan didn't make it very long in this round.


Brooklyn swimming around in the lake waiting for someone to play with her.


This is the candy thank you that we made for Jay and his family. We were so grateful to them for letting us use the house and just wanted to make sure that we said thank you. I don't know how many times the kids tried to get the treats for themselves.


Nolan holding a catfish that Greg and the boys caught off the dock. He wouldn't hold it without the glove which is one better than Maddux who wouldn't even stand near the fish.


Maddux and Grandpa cruising around on the jet ski. I actually let Maddux drive with me on board and he actually did quite well. He drove all by himself and I just held on just in case. He had a lot of fun driving the jet ski and is a little speed demon in the making.


Here is the view from Jay's backyard and off his dock. It is really a very nice set up and perfect place to spend time as a family. Here are the kids jumping off the dock into the lake to cool off.


Maddux showing off his spinning cannon ball abilities.


The look on Cambrie and Payton's faces relays how the week went. There was something for everyone to do and everyone had a great time.

Again we thank Jay and the Rannels family for letting us come down and spend the week. We had a great time and was a nice way to end the summer. Now it is time to get back on a schedule and get ready to start school next week. Where did the summer go?

10 Years and Bora Bora

I finally have all the pictures downloaded and almost all the video from Jennie and I's trip to Bora Bora so I figured it was time to post them. Jennie and I celebrated our 10 year wedding anniversary on June 16th and I surprised her with a trip to Bora Bora for just the two of us. My mom was kind enough to fly into town and watch the kids while we were gone for the week. While the travel was very long the trip was well worth it. It took us the better part of an entire day each way as the island is down in the South Pacific. It is probably the most beautiful place we have ever seen and while we love our kids, it was nice to have a little break just to ourselves. We got to do some snorkeling, took a safari tour of the island, rode jet ski's around the lagoon and just spent some time relaxing. The island is truly a honeymooner's island as you knew there were lots of people there but very rarely saw that many of them at any given time. I think just about everyone that we talked to during our trip was on their honeymoon. I would love to go visit again but think I would pick one of the other islands to stay on. It was crazy because after about 6:00 at night it was completely dark and there is no night-life on Bora Bora. I heard from some of the other couples that the different islands offer different activities and some have more to do than others. Anyways, here are some of the better pictures from our trip. The water was absolutely amazing and Bora Bora is tabbed as having the most beautiful lagoon in the world.

This is a show that was put on at the hotel we stayed at in Tahiti. Tahiti is the main island in the French Polynesian islands and the one that all flights arrive and depart from. The one night we stayed there they had a local tribal dance show which included a lot of fire and song. It was a great show and I wish that we could have seen more.


Here is our resort from the plane ride in. It is crazy because you fly into a little army airstrip which sits right next to the actual airport. The airport is basically an outside bungalow that is no bigger than our house. You then catch a boat and it was about a half hour ride to our actual resort. That was one of the most breathtaking half hours I have ever seen. It was nothing but turquoise blue waters and little remote islands.


Here is the view out of our bedroom. I wasn't going to go to Bora Bora and not stay in an overwater bungalow. We could jump right off our deck and snorkel in the lagoon. The room also had pieces of glass in the floors so you could look below and see the local fish swimming underneath you.


One of our excursions was a snorkeling trip that took us to feed and pet the stingrays as well as swim with some sharks. The stingrays were like puppies and would rush up to you as soon as you entered the water. In most spots the lagoon is only a couple of feet deep so you could walk for miles in the water. The stingrays would swim all around you and come up right out of the water to see who was there. It was pretty amazing because the guide as feeding the stingrays by hand and would get kisses from them. There were some really big stingrays but they were as gentle as could be.


Another day we took a half day tour around the island on jet skis. The guides then took us to a coral reef where you could walk around and see the coral life. It was a great way to see the whole island while riding in the most beautiful water I have ever seen.


Jennie sitting on the dock as we watched the sunset. While it was disappointing that the sun set by 6:00 every night, the view was amazing.


This was a safari ride that we took of the island. The guide took us to the top of the mountains on the island and showed us all the hot spots. This was a hill that you drove on top of and could look out over the entire lagoon. He decided that it would be fun to park on the middle of the hill on the way back and take a picture. This hill was almost straight down as were a lot of hills and roads on the island. It was amazing some of the roads that he drove up on to get us to different remote parts of the island. The guide was extremely funny and gave us all the good facts about the island and its history.


One of the safari stops was a top a hill that was home to a couple of US Navy cannons. During World War II the United States set up posts and camps on Bora Bora to keep an eye on the Japanese. They installed 8 cannons on the island to cover each side just in case. The cannons were never fired but still sit there to this day.


This was on the way down from the cannons and is a great view of the little cove and a small town on the island. Just another amazing shot of this beautiful island.


Here is Jennie just outside of a little art shop that we stopped at up on the middle of a mountain. There is just a little white house in the middle of no where and the couple who lives there are artist and sell various paintings and clothes out of there home. It was kind of cool because they have quite a few pictures in the store of Pierce Brosnon, who is a big fan of their work. He visits Bora Bora quite regularly and always stop by their shop when in town. Jennie bought a couple of wraps for herself and Brooklyn, which were made by their 7 year old daughter.


This is the view from the floor in our room. There were glass squares all throughout the bungalow that let you see into the lagoon and the fish swimming below. I decided to go snorkeling and see what type of picture that Jennie could get.


This is the view from the top of our resort and shows all the overwater bungalows that they had. I think every resort of that island had overwater bungalows and they all seemed to be full with people. A very popular commodity and the best way to stay on the island. Nothing else quite compares.

Well those are the best of more than 500 pictures that I took. I am hoping to get some of the video posted in the near future. I got some good video of the tribal show as well as us swimming with the sharks. I took an underwater camera and got some good footage. If you ever have the chance to get over the The French Polynesian islands I would definitely recommend it. It will be the trip of a lifetime and is well worth the day of travel to get there. it was so nice to have some alone time with Jennie and just being able to relax and do whatever we wanted. I am grateful to my mom for sacrificing her vacation time to watch our kids for the week. I know that she had a very busy week and was probably out of her comfort zone but I also know that the kids had a blast and are still talking about her visit. She had activities planned for them every single day and I don't even know if they really missed us. We hope that everyone's summer is going well and will be updating the blog with all that we have been up to this summer. Now that we have a little break in the kids sports there will be some more time to catch up on some other things.

Jennie's Driving Adventures.

Just thought I would post some pictures from Jennie's short trip to Brooklyn's basketball game last Saturday. She was sitting at a stop sign when a Ford F150 decided to back up right into her. Lucky for her it was a Strongsville police officer so he made sure the situation was taken care of. She now has a rental, which the kids like better because of the DVD player, as she waits for the van to get fixed.

Our Easter Weekend

Well our Easter weekend was extremely busy and full of fun. It started off Friday night with some of Brooklyn's friends coming over to dye Easter eggs. I think some of their fingers may still be colored. It is always a lot of fun to dye eggs but can leave quite the mess.


Maddux and his pink hands.


Brooklyn with her new eyeballs.


Nolan couldn't let them have all the fun.

Then with Saturday being the day before Easter there were no games scheduled for that week so I took the three older kids to the IX Indoor Amusement Park. It is a giant indoor building filled with over 60 different roller coasters and rides for the kids to ride. We have gone for the last 4 years and the kids have a blast. It is nice because you pay one price to get in and then can ride all day long. It is like an indoor fair. We ended up staying for close to 7 hours this time and I was extremely worn out by the end of the day. It was however quite entertaining because for the first time we spent the majority of the day on the adult and big kid rides instead of the little kid rides. The kids were a lot braver and found out, after going on some of the rides once, that they really liked the bigger rides and they were better than the little kid rides. We ended up having to go on some rides over and over again; and these were rides that they wanted nothing to do with in the past. This way I didn't have to just sit and watch but could instead ride with them.


Here are Brooklyn and Maddux on the flying swings. I can only take so many rides that just spin around and around.


Nolan and Brooklyn at the end of the giant slide. You don't have to be a rocket scientist to tell who won. Maddux is not even in the picture yet.


This was one of the boys favorite rides and one that really surprised me. The ride is called the inverter and takes you up and hangs you upside down. I was very surprised that not only did they ride it but they had to go on it multiple times. I did it once and had my share of being hung upside. It is definitely different doing it when you are young and then again as you get older. It just isn't the same. I love this picture because the kids are looking right at me and smiling while they are hanging upside down. The white planks in the background are the ceiling.


Brooklyn and Nolan getting ready to ride the angry caterpillar.


While there we took in a magic show and when the magician asked for some help Maddux was the one he selected. He had Maddux first balance a long feather on his hand and then asked if he could do it on his nose. It actually made it quite awhile before it fell off.


One of the few little kid rides that they went on.


This is the effect of playing Plants vs. Zombies too much on the computer. This is the Zombie look from atop the Ferris Wheel.


I really wish I would have thought of this earlier. By the time I thought about taking video we were on our way out. I did manage to get a little video of them while on the tornado.

Then on Sunday we went over the Grandma and Grandpa Kerr's for a good ole Easter egg hunt and some dinner.


Since it was raining we had to have the hunt inside the house and made the kids wait in the garage until all 260 eggs were hidden.


Payton going through and checking all her loot. This was the first time that she really got into the hunt and didn't stop after the first couple of eggs.


Brooklyn finding an egg in the wreath.


Payton and her blue mouth after eating all of her treats that she found. That girl can put the candy away.

Couple pictures of Brooklyn and her budding sports career. Now if I could only get Jennie to take some pictures of the boys. I am going to have to find a way to do that while coaching their games.


Brooklyn with one of her friends working on her pitching technique. She has really gotten excited about sports this year and really seems to like softball.


I had to put this picture up to show you the size of some of the girls that she is playing against in basketball. It is 3rd thru 5th grade and there are really some big girls out there. This is the girl that Brooklyn had to guard during the game and you can see the size difference. There are some real monsters out there. She is starting to get physical and can play some lock down defense when she wants to.

Anyway, we hope that you all had a Happy Easter and are enjoying your time as we wait for Summer to approach. We are very busy with everything going on right now but wouldn't change anything. It is such a blessing to be able to watch and help the kids with their various activities and we look forward to many many more years to come.