Giddy Up, Daddy!

Happy Birthday, Grandpa Stan!

A little laugh from Ben

Coloring

I got Ben the Crayola Color Wonder markers that only work on the special paper. He loves them. He sat at the table and colored for over an hour yesterday. Now we just have to work on keeping them away from our mouth and face...

The Last Visit to the Pool

Friday was the last visit to the Perrysburg pool before it closed for the summer. Ben and Cameryn enjoyed the nice cool water. Next time they hit the pool will probably be swim class in the winter.

An Announcement From Ben Wolny

Cap-i-tan Ben!

What's better than riding in the boat? Driving the boat! Ben really liked all the buttons to push and the steering wheel.

Tubing!

Ben's first time tubing! It didn't work out so well with mommy, but he definitely enjoyed it with daddy!

Oh, the wind in my hair!

Have to wave to the other boats

Daddy's turn!

A Little Water skiing

Some [attempted] water skiing

This is the way to enjoy a lake - floating lazily in it!

A Pretty Waterfall On the Lake

There is a waterfall that is hidden on the lake. We ventured out to find it one day, and fit it we did! It is only accessible by boat. It was very muddy, so we didn't really hike to a better spot to see it, just took pictures from the rocks below. There were these really pretty purplish butterflies all over the place. Adam and my dad went back the fish there the next morning because there were some good sized trout and blue gill hanging out below the waterfall, but they weren't really hungry when the boys went fishing.

Da Bears

Driving through Cades Cove proved to be quite the adventure! While driving the loop, we came up to a whole bunch of stopped cars and people walking around. As we got closer to the action, we realized everyone was looking at two baby bears and a mama bear! The two baby bears were in a tree OVERHANGING the road! They looked like they could fall out at any time and fall right onto the people below them! There are a lot of not smart people in the world...Needless to say, we took pictures from the car and did not stop. I take mama bears very seriously.



And then we went off roading down Parsons Branch Road which is a one way (well that's the intention anyways) gravel road through the western side of the park. We were a mile or two into the road when we saw 2 cars coming toward us! Luckily we were at a part of the road where there was a little bit of room on the side of the road versus a shear cliff, so we could pull over a bit. Apparently two not smart people didn't understand the concept of a one way gravel road that is 8 miles long. They got about 3 miles down the road and decided they'd had enough and turned around. Morons. Anyways, we took the nice scenic drive through the mountains, across a few streams in the road, the whole time keeping our eyes peeled for bears. We were almost to the end of the road when Adam (who was driving), spotted a bear in the stream below the car. We stopped and took some pictures. The bear was flipping rocks in the stream looking for bugs or crawldads. Once the bear noticed us, we decided it was time to move on. Sarah and I have not forgotten the bear that chased us up the mountain which was 10 years ago this week.

Cades Cove

We spent Wednesday in the Smoky Mountains park, including a drive through Cades Cove. Ben needed a little break, so we stopped and played in another mountain stream before heading down Parsons Branch Road.

Hopefully They Don't Get Stuck Without a Paddle

Adam and Sarah decided to explore further up the cove from the house in the canoe. Amazingly, they both came back and were dry!

What Comes after Rain? A Rainbow!

A rainbow in the woods behind the house after/during a rain shower

Our Little Fishy

Our little fishy sure did like the water. Though, I have to say, it was about the most perfect swimming water possible - crystal clear and the prefect refreshing temperature. Though, Sarah wasn't too fond of the piranha blue gills in the water...