Row, Row, Row Your Boat!

Last weekend we took the kids to a nearby lake to check out kayaking.  It has quickly become Chris' new obsession.  He's already imagining us travelling down the road pulling a trailer with 6 kayaks.  Not the cheapest hobby to get in to.  But man, it was so much fun! 

We rented 3 kayaks and a canoe because there's no way we would put Sam alone in his own boat!  Can you imagine?  Sophia and Anna picked it up right away and did great.  Isabella had a blast too.  She's tiny, but she's also all muscle so she was able to move the kayak around the lake just fine.   

 

Mill Creek Lake

 

My canoe buddies...

 

Checking out the kayaks!

 

Sophia

 

Anna - in a blue kayak of course!

 

Izzy B.

 

Chris LOVED it! 

 

 Sam decided to lay back and relax! 

 

Afterwards, we had a picnic down by the river and this little guy joined us on the cooler.  He was about a half inch away from Anna before we noticed him.  Lots of squealing!  

 

 

So I guess Chris will be on the watch for some used kayaks!  It was too much fun to only do once!  And we're excited to kayak down the Red River when we're ready for a little more adventure! 

 

 

 

First Day of School!

Today is the first day of school for our kids.  Three of my four kids were excited!  I'd say that's pretty good considering it's August 4th!!!  We've never started school this early and while I wish the kids had a little bit longer summer, I'm also a little bit excited to run errands all by myself again! 

Here are the obligatory first day of school pictures! 

Sophia, 6th grade

Anna, 4th Grade

 



Isabella, 2nd Grade

 

Sam, 1st Grade

 

 

 

Look how different my girls are!  You can tell by their shoes. 

Practical & Comfortable = Anna

Colorful & Sparkly = Isabella

Tomboy = Sophia

 

Dad's excited... and dorky... and refuses to smile like a normal person for the camera!  

 

 

 Such a cutie!

 

 

And this is how Max celebrated the kids' first day of school.

 

 

 

 

 

Country roads take me home to the place I belong, West Virginia.....

Yesterday we took a quick trip to West Virginia because - well, honestly, just because we could!  We're not used to living so close to so many different states and Chris has always wanted to check out West Virginia.  We didn't make it far, just inside the state border and back by dinner time, but it was a lot of fun!

Now, I'm sure this is a weird glimpse into the Moon family that you might not really like to picture, but Chris and I have both always loved old John Denver songs.  By the time the kids were 2 or 3, we had taught them to sing "Take Me Home, Country Roads."  So, as we drove across the state border, we all sang the song!  Goofy, but you know, that's how we are! 

We went on a nice hike at Beech Fork State Park and were a bit unprepared for the rain.  But that just made it more fun.   And then we headed into Huntington for root beer floats and lunch at Frostop's.  Delish!  We even took a walk along the Ohio River before heading home. 

 

 

 

We weren't able to go on vacation this summer, but we did spend a night last week at a Drury Inn in Ohio just to say we went to another state.  We're pretty lame, but our kids LOVE the Drury Inn and believe a night spent there is like a mini vacation.  Pet friendly, free dinner (kid friendly snack food), adult beverages for the parents, popcorn and pop until 10pm, breakfast, swimming, and cable!  Not going to lie, it doesn't take much for the kids to be happy!  And as a family of 6 travelling with a dog, we've officially decided we won't stay anywhere else. 

School starts tomorrow.  TOMORROW!  Way too soon.  Summer's over.  And it's time to get back into our regular routine.  The upside?  I get to go grocery shopping by myself again without 4 extra people saying, "Can I?  I want.  But, Mom."  This I am looking forward to! 

Mushrooms? Um, yes please.

Okay, this is sort-of a weird post.  But, I'm okay with that.  My Kansas friends have told me they like seeing what we're doing here in Kentucky, so here goes! 

We go on a lot of hikes around here.  I think we've been on 17 different trails so far.  Sometimes, I get a little bored.  Don't get me wrong, the hikes are gorgeous.  It's like walking in a jungle not a forest - at least not a forest like you would find in Colorado which is really my only other frame of reference for hiking.  It's hard to describe with my Kansas brain, but I guess it's just ridiculously lush with all kind of plants that make you feel like you're in the tropical rain forest building at the zoo. Not kidding at all!  Seriously, the moss growing on the trees is amazing! 

But, sometimes the trails do start to feel similar after a while.  So I spend a lot of time really looking around.  What I've noticed on the last two trails we've been on is there are tons of mushrooms out there of all different shapes, colors and sizes.  So I started taking pictures.  Weird, I know, but you just don't grow up seeing these in Kansas!  So humor me a bit as I show you a few of the mushrooms I've seen lately. 
 

 

                                                 

 

 

                        

  

 Anybody know what this is??  It was rubbery like a mushroom. 











So, I know it's a little weird, but still...mushroom hunting helps keeps the kids from getting bored too!  And, honestly, I just never saw this back in Kansas!