Happy Easter

Happy Easter! We hope you are having a great Easter season, as we are.

 

Andy gets a long weekend for Easter, so we decided to take a family getaway, as we did last year. This year, we went to Luray, VA. We stayed in a cabin at a Jellystone campsite and had a great time!

 

On our first day, we stopped at Luray Caverns. For weeks, we had been psyching Philip up to go into the cavern. Because of the book, Going on a Bear Hunt, Philip associates caves with bears. After showing him pictures of the caverns online one day, we had him pretty convinced that this was a rock cave and not a bear cave. However, he ended up feeling uncertain that day. We took him down into the cavern, but Andy had to bring him back up instead of going on the tour. Luckily, there were other attractions that they were able to visit while Julia and I enjoyed our tour.

 

 

Happy to be above ground again

 

As we passed from site to site Julia would say, "Bye-bye rock. Bye-bye water. See you soon!"

 My favorite part - Dream Lake

 

After our time at Luray Caverns, we went out to dinner, and then checked into Jellystone. As soon as we pulled up, I was reminded of my days working at camps - kids running everywhere and lots of activities going on!

 

Our home away from home

On our first morning, we went fishing. This was a long-awaited event, as we got Philip a real fishing pole for Christmas, but had never used it because it was so cold all winter.

The first cast.
He lasted 10 minutes, max once we got to the pond.

Julia: "Bye-bye snakes."

We also enjoyed miniature golf, the jumping pillow, dying Easter eggs, a wagon ride, and playing on the playground. For lunch, we grilled out hot dogs and made S'mores. The kids were less than impressed with dessert. They both gave up on fitting a S'more into their tiny mouths and just ate chocolate! We taught Julia to say, "H-h-h-hey Boo Boo!" It was super cute!

The next morning was Easter. We started with baskets.

Philip: "Mom, why did you put all that candy in my Easter basket?"

Julia's new finger puppets were a big hit.

Next, we met Yogi and the Easter Bunny for the morning flag raising.

Then on to an Easter Egg Hunt. They hid hard-boiled eggs - the kids weren't too thrilled.

 

Luckily, I held aside the kid's Easter eggs and we did a hunt at our cabin. Much better received!

We were sad to leave, but it was time to check out. We got the kids dressed up and then headed to church. Arriving 5 minutes early, we were pleasantly surprised to get a seat at the small, rural parish.

 In their Easter best!
(This is the best pic we have of the two of them together.)
 

After church, we had a bit of time to spare, so we went to get pictures in a park.

 

 

We didn't have near enough time for the kids; but it was time for our next adventure.

Next, we took Skyline Drive into the Shenandoah National Forest. We made reservations for Easter Brunch at Skyland Lodge, where we were able to enjoy this view while eating our meal.

 

Afterwards, we walked on an easy trail behind the Lodge. The kids were in their element - so happy!

Little hands in pockets

Climbing on some boulders that he would not leave. He claimed them as his new home.

Checking out a fuzzy caterpillar they found. We made several trips back to check on him and eventually moved him off the trail onto a boulder.

 

It was hard to get the kids to agree to leave. We had to make multiple promises to return again soon. We had a great weekend with beautiful weather. A perfect Easter!

{this moment} Easter Gift

{this moment} A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.