Happy with his boat

Findlay's more content playing at the water's edge rather than in it.

Chuck E. Cheese

Andrew looking a little weary after a playing frenzy at Chuck E. Cheese. The kids had a great time and as soon as we left, Olivia wanted to go back! The food was horrible, but the kids enjoyed themselves so much, that it didn't matter.

Surrounded by boats...

We took a snapshot of this steamboat while we waited on one of the many drawbridges in the area. Weekends are difficult to get around, because the drawbridges are constantly up, creating real traffic problems on land! We never had to wait too long though.

Hard at Work

Olivia's not always this eager to do her schoolwork, but she put on a brave face for me this time. Homeschooling would definitely not be my choice, but they're certainly learning lots in many ways.

Two fish swimming in the ocean. The girls have truly enjoyed all of our swimming time. Only more to come! 

Findlay was happy playing in a huge tidal pool at Fort DeSoto beach. Lots of minnow and fish all around. Meredith liked it because there wasn't too much seaweed! We only stayed for a short time and got quite a bit of sun, but thankfully nothing serious. 

The birthday girl opens gifts in the tent...

The seven-year old Meredith is excited by the loot she received on her birthday. She was thrilled just to order first at the IHOP!

Baby Gator

A year-old baby alligator. His name is Riley, and as cute as he looks, he already came with some very sharp teeth. We were only allowed to touch his tail for fear of getting too close to the mouth!

The Lady Suwanee

The train that took us around the Swamp Park after going on the boat. This is all Findlay wanted to do from the moment we arrived, was to ride on the "choo-choo". It was a great way to get some much-needed shade!

Th e gators were plentiful and trying to get some shade on a hot day. This one made a lot of hissing noises as we got closer to it.

Marshmallows a favourite gator food

This gator was going after a marshmallow. I guess they're easier to chew than a leg!

Shenandoah National Park--Road Trip Day 4

A snap of Olivia stretching her legs during a stop on an overlook off the Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park, Virginia. Stunning views and an enjoyable drive. Lots of wildlife at every turn. I have lots of deer photos, but forgot to put one on the drive I'm using for photos! Oops.
A new day has begun on our trip and we're off to North Carolina. We'll likely be staying in more state parks down there, so I don't anticipate any more postings on the blog for a bit.

Wildlife everywhere

The deer were plentiful at Shenandoah National Park. This one was just casually grazing right at the side of the road.

Easy Riders

The kids enjoyed the Harley Davidson Factory in York, Pennsylvania. To be allowed to hop onto that many motorcycles in one time had Findlay vroom-vrooming endlessly. Andrew really enjoyed the factory tour and I'm not sure if he enjoyed it more from an engineering perspective or from a motorcycle fan viewpoint. Either way, we were glad we added it to the itinerary.

The Promised Land?

This is a shot of our family stroll in the Promised Land State Park in Pennsylvania. The girls called it caterpillar park, because there were so many caterpillars. It was a little unnerving to read signs that we were staying in a spray block area, where they would be spraying to get rid of the gypsy moth that has invaded the Penn State Forest. I presumed by the large numbers of caterpillars that they hadn't sprayed yet! Phew.

Help with the Packing

Findlay always enjoys helping Daddy. It was a great help for me getting ready inside the house!

The Tullochs Amazing Adventure

No photos for this, but wanted to let you know that we're off to visit Mickey and friends. Andrew is now on vacation for five weeks (hooray!) and we're driving down to Florida in the Pilot. We hope to update the blog while we're on the big adventure, but I'm not sure how much success we'll have with our technology.
Andrew's madly packing and stealing bags out from underneath me for his pre-pack phase. If the packing of the car doesn't kill me, the tracking of our driving time likely will! We leave tomorrow and our first stop is expected to be Augusta, Maine and then from there I think it's Port Jervis, NY to stay at the Promised Land State Park!
Look forward to sharing our travel stories with you.

Tracey

My Mother's Day breakfast in bed from Olivia and Meredith (with Daddy's support). What a treat. 

Molly's first foray into pancakes. Thankfully no syrup was involved. 

A quick visit from Molly on her way to Cape Breton. Our girls were very attentive and show a potential earning future in the babysitting racket! 

Mowing the Lawn's still a novelty...

Ever the helpful one, Meredith takes a turn at mowing the lawn. We'll see how keen the kids are to mow when it becomes part of the job description!

Friday afternoon frolic...

The whole troop posed for me. Look at the blue eyes on Finn and Meredith!

A beautiful day for a walk on the waterfront.

A great day to play at the park. Meredith, Rowan and Keigan take a brief rest while enjoying playing stow-away on the ship playground structure.

Deckmate

Our newest pet? We haven't named him yet, but this squirrel will take peanuts from Findlay's hand and sat on my lap! Who needs a hamster when you can have a rodent poop on your deck....eewww. So far the cute factor is still winning out.

Spring has sprung...

Findlay enjoying his lunch outside on the deck. Peanut butter and jam tastes pretty good in the fresh air.

Speed Demon

Rowan drove slowly enough for me to catch a quick snap of him on his two-wheeler! He made his parents proud on the weekend by shedding the training wheels in no time flat (at 3 1/2 years!). He was quite proud to show me his road rash on his elbow that occurred the following day. His badge of honour! Invest in lots of Band-Aids Shelly and Innis...this guy's got no fear!

My Gardener

The Dad helping me with my front garden. He managed to recruit Meredith and Findlay to do the tough labour!