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Today was a pretty long day, frankly.
All morning, I watched my four kiddos while my wife ran some errands. At noon, we went to McKinney Falls State Park (about 30 minutes from our house) to meet some friends from my 10-year-old daughter's girl scout troop. Despite the fact that it's located about 5 minutes from the Austin airport, it felt like we had traveled to another state. Densely packed with towering shade trees, it was like driving into a forest. Now that I think about it, I guess it was EXACTLY like driving into a forest, because it WAS a forest.
We were planning to take our travel trailer yesterday for the first time ever, but the wind was too strong, and one of the main warnings I was given when I purchased it last year was, "Never drive it in strong winds, because it could pull you off the road." Um...I'll wait then. So, the inaugural trip will have to wait. I do think we'll return to this particular park because it's both inexpensive and very close to home, which are great benefits while we're learning the ropes.
We had a great time all afternoon, and we went on a hike to a large pond near what appeared to be a lot of volcanic rock. Later, we heard that two snakes were spotted during our visit, one black (water moccasin?) and one white. I'm thankful that I didn't know about that when my three daughters were playing in and near the water.
The troop leader helped the girls to find a hidden "treasure" via something called geocaching, which basically means looking for a box with trackable items inside via GPS coordinates, then exchanging them for items you bring along. It was fun, and the box was found without too much difficulty.
Our two-year-old girl was pretty worn out from the short hike, so I carried her back to the car, which was a workout in and of itself.
Lest you think our day was over, it was just getting started. We went directly to a birthday party for a 4-year-old girl who is friends with our 5-year-old daughter. We spent about 4 hours in the general chaos and girliness at our friends' house, then returned home. I don't think I've seen my kids that dirty in a long time.
I have a feeling that they will sleep very soundly tonight. I bet I will, too. :)
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What a wonderful sounding day! Treasure them and do them as long as the kids will let you.
Last week my 20 year old son and 15 year old daughter and my wife and I attended a Nebraska versus China volleyball match 140 miles from home. Getting our son to do anything as a family unit (he is a junior in college) is hard these days and we had so much fun...took me back to the days that we did the kind of things you mentioned in your blog...I am happy for you!!
Nature beats the heck out of watching TV!!
Jason,
This was a busy day indeed. That's what happens when you have young children. Good family time together.
Jason- What a day! Those are the days your children will remember ... and so will you. My husband does a lot of geocaching in this area. Through that we've discovered a lot of parks in our area. We took our friend's daughters out and they each placed travel bugs in one of our caches. One made it to Hawaii, and the other is in South Dakota. It's fun and a great thing to do with your children too! Some of the caches can get very creative and inventive and can be as small as a thumbnail.
Mike - No question about it - it was far more enjoyable than TV, and we spent hours with friends, too. :)
Jon - Indeed it was some good quality time! I'm hoping for more of the same when we start using the trailer for road trips soon.
Kathy - I think I want to start doing more geochaching myself. It's a modern day treasure hunt.
Jason, Excellent. Enjoy it all . My daughters turned 25 a week ago. It is all too fast.
Jason, I was starting to fall a sleep, you wore me out just reading all you did. Have a great Sunday.
Jason, you did have a busy, action-packed day. Hope you get a well-deserved rest tonight.
Jason- give me a holler if you want more info! There are geocachers here who go out in a group at night! There are really some ingenious caches out, some as small as a thumbtack head.
Oh my Jason, you are a true Dad. Congrats on spending all that time being very brave!
Jason, just watching the team of children can be a challenge if you're not used to it.
Being a parent is the greatest gift.... enoy every day my friend! Kathy
Jason - That sounds like such a wonderful day. One your whole family will remember. Hope you slept well.
Trust me, that day will be in your memories much longer than any real estate day! Great to see a man with his priorities in order! A white snake? Must be a good snake!
Sounds like a fun day to me! Hey, you need to load everybody up and make another trip to Birmingham. You can go geocaching in Oak Mountain State Park and camp and all kinds of stuff. Except it will take longer than 30 minutes to get there.
Happy Sunday!
A day packed full of family doings...Doesn't get any better than hearing the kiddies havving fun.
That is a full day. I sort of had one of those yesterday too and slept real well.
Sounds like a fun packed day out, being a parent is a fantastic job.
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Sounds like a fun-filled day! We used to camp up by Smithville a lot. Great times, and thankfully, I never saw a snake!
Hey Jason, sounds like you are a great father. Four kids will keep you busy and when they grow up and leave home, they still keep you busy.
Now i understand why you made the comment about your future road trip and being nervous about the wind. The previous owner actually warned you. I have no doubt that wind will be a factor, but I would also assume its not quite as bad as he painted.
"We were planning to take our travel trailer yesterday for the first time ever,..."
We take ours everywhere, even in the winter for skiing. Lots of fun Jason! :)
Good job Pops, they will remember it.
Sounds like an incredibly busy day. I remember those good ole days! My kids are in college and high school now, so our times together are "different!"
My sister had that happen to her husband and son when they were going camping in Enid, MS pulling a fifth wheel...she was pulling their boat in a jeep behind him, he tried passing an 18-wheeler, lost control (wind, speed?) and he and their fifth wheel left the interstate. She still has nightmares about seeing it. Thankfully, no one was hurt, but it still made an impact. Now, she even has trouble pulling a pop-up! I think you were wise to listen to the warnings!