As all good stories should go, I have saved the best for last!

Our day in Stirling was my absolute favorite, and I firmly believe the entire family enjoyed it about as much as I did. It was the perfect Scottish holiday kind of day. As in, we even saw men in kilts playing bagpipes. It was the cherry on the top of our UK holiday sundae.

I’m not trying to be all sunshine and rainbows, glossing over the struggles. This was truly one of those rare, extra joy and excitement kind of days that you cannot plan for. Days like this just happen, and you have to enjoy them when they come.

I’m not even sure which thing we did that day was the coolest. We did four things, and they were all pure joy.

I’m not even exaggerating. So let’s just begin at the beginning.

I’d booked our Stirling Castle tickets in advance. You can do that here. They have a family discount package, which is a good thing since every single place we went required five tickets, but all of these U.K. historical sites have family deals on their tickets.

After our nice Holiday Inn Scottish breakfast, we all piled into our rented SUV and drove towards the castle. We noticed a sign about Stirling Bridge and decided to take a short side quest to check that out. It was the site of a major Scottish battle about a thousand years ago.

The weather was even perfect, though only for that short time.

It was pre-storm weather, which I personally adore. The temperature is low and the clouds are so thick and full and gray they are almost blue. The wind is whipping, humidity is about 99%, and the entire Earth tells you, “Look, you got three minutes before everything is soaked.”

But even with all this warning, it feels so exhilarating outside in that cool, windiness that you just dare it to give you five more minutes to enjoy being outside in July in blue jeans with no sweating!

We frolicked about the Stirling Bridge, took a few photos, and dashed back to the car as the first drops of rain began.

But the real fun began when we arrived to the castle gates, paid for parking, and met the jolliest person we’d met yet in the U.K., a smiling, bearded Scottish gatekeeper who seemed genuinely happy to meet us. Up to this point, no one in England or Scotland seemed at all interested in meeting us. No one had asked us where we were from. This was a delightful change.

The man at the gate thought it was hilarious that we were the third car that morning with Americans from Virginia, and he’s right. That is pretty bizarre. What’s the deal, Virginia?

It kept only threatening to rain and dropping a few drops. Only Alan and Daniel had rain jackets, and we had only one umbrella. The rain held off another few minutes as we entered the castle grounds. At the gates, we met another friendly Scottish man. He asked us where we were from and what all we would see in Scotland.

We told him we were just seeing Stirling and Dumphries. He was like, “Dumphries!!??”

Laughing, he asked, “Why would you go to Dumphries? I mean I have family in Dumphries, but what’s in Dumphries?”

So I had to explain there was one castle there we would visit. Plus, it was just on our way back south. I was giving us a jump on our road trip to Heathrow Airport. The funny thing is that we heard this several times that day, “Dumphries!? Why are ye going to Dumphries!?”

This man was another jolly Scot with a red beard. Daniel was already loving this place. There were red-headed people everywhere. Plus, Daniel has always had an appreciation for a rainy day. I have many photos of him standing outside in the rain, for fun.

And Scotland did not disappoint on the rain. As soon as we entered the castle walls, the rain came pouring down.

We were still outside, so we hid under a stone archway and did our best to stay dry until it passed. Alan ran back to the car and fetched an umbrella.

The pouring rain slowed to a mist, and we walked about the castle gardens. It was the prettiest garden I’ve seen in ages, so I took a lot of photos.

Once Alan rejoined us, and the rain stopped, we walked along castle walls and explored all of the outer buildings of the castle, like the kitchens.

You know how we love to walk on ancient walls!

First of all, look at these gorgeous views of Scottish nature!

One thing Stirling Castle is famous for is being where the Highlands meet the Lowlands. You can see the hills of the Scottish Highlands in these photos, and it’s beautiful.

Then we finally made it into the castle itself, and I have photos to share with you from that too.

We spent just as much time outside as in because it was so nice there!!

The people we met were what made our Scottish experience a notch above our English experience, in my opinion.

The Scots were far more interested in talking to us. They made us feel welcome. I’ve said several times, the Scottish remind me of American Southerners.

Southern hospitality must have come from Scotland!!

Hear me out. This makes sense. Many, many of the people who settled the South were of Scottish ancestry, my own ancestry included. Did you see Gone with the Wind? Mr. O’Hara was Scottish too. I mean sure he was fictional, but still!

This man was in full costume as some kind of artisan I think. I can’t remember what he was supposed to be. What made him special is he took the time to talk to our kids. He asked them where they are from, what all we were visiting in Scotland. Then he took us to the window, and told us more about Scotland, the Highlands, and things to look for. He was friendly and helpful and also funny.

This tour guide asked the boys, “Where are you from?” And the boys had the hardest time understanding him enough to answer his questions. It was so funny. He was a great sport about it. Then he was another one to say, “Dumphries!? Why are you going to Dumphries!?”

According to the Stirling Castle website, from 1110-1603, almost every Scottish monarch either lived, died, or was crowned at Stirling Castle.

The place is so huge, we did not even see all of it. I believe we missed both the chapel and the Highlanders Museum, but we saw about all the rest.

This was the day it finally occurred to me that I could bribe my family to smile for photos. Inside the castle, I told them, “Hey! If you all smile for this photo, I’ll let you get a coke with lunch!” Boom. Problem solved, and I was only out a few pounds for cokes.

Another cool feature of the castle is these elaborately woven unicorn tapestries, hanging in the Queen’s bedchamber. These were made in modern times off patterns of medieval tapestries.

After touring the main areas of the castle, we made our way to the cafe and the gift shops.

I was a big fan of the Stirling Castle Cafe. They had a plethora of baked goods to choose from, and best of all, they had gluten free bread! We were all excited about the bakery selection!!

While we were in the gift shop, the bottom fell out of the skies! Everything and everyone was drenched.

We decided to we were happy with what we’d already seen and headed for our nice, dry SUV. Not far from the castle is the site of the Battle of Bannockburn, and we wanted to go see that too.

The Battle of Bannockburn site

When we saw the men with bagpipes, we all thought, “Ohhh yes! This is excellent!”

No one wants to visit Scotland and not see a man in a kilt playing a bagpipe! It’s such a unique trademark of the Scottish! We only had one whole day in Scotland, so this was a gift.

We headed into the visitor’s center. You need to tickets to get in.

It is not expensive. The whole family is only $25.00. There’s a full Battle of Bannockburn experience film, which we missed because we got distracted by the festivities of the day. Then there’s the park and memorials.

The thing the boys had the most fun with though, was the costume room!

We tried on everything they had in there, and they had a lot! The quality of the costumes was unlike anything you will find anywhere else! The gear was made of fine materials, and we’ve never come across anywhere like this in America.

Just as we were finishing up in the costume room, a Scottish man, complete with kilt, appeared. In the thickest of genuine Scottish accents he invited us out to the Battle of Bannockburn commemorative service. He said it was starting in ten minutes.

Turns out, we happened to be there on July 22, almost the anniversary of the famous battle that took place there on July 23 and 24, 1314.

This battle is a big deal. It was during the First War of Scottish Independence. Scottish King Robert the Bruce led his troops against King Edward II and his troops. The English had a hard time with the boggy terrain, and this Scottish victory was the turning point of the war.

We got to follow this parade into the Memorial with the bagpipes and drummer playing.

The Society of William Wallace coordinated a whole commemorative service of the battle. They did the bagpipes, a speech or two, and a few songs.

The service was stirring. You couldn’t help but feel the call to go fight for Scotland! Of all the countries I’ve visited, this one is definitely my favorite. I don’t just say that because more than a third of my ancestors were Scots. Scotland is a darling of a country. The landscape is beautiful, but it’s the friendly and down-to-earth people I like the most!

Well, what’s wonderful about Scotland is the people and also the fact that the sun did not beat down on my fair, freckled skin, making me sweat buckets. I was made for this cool, wet place!

They had a musician there, a man with a guitar, named Ted Christopher. Ted played a few of his songs for us and invited the whole crowd out to a local pub afterwards.

Ted’s music is very good. You can check it out here. We enjoyed it all so much, Alan went straight over to Ted after the service and chatted with him. As it turns out, Ted travels the world with his music. Alan enjoyed talking to him, and Ted even gave Alan a copy of his book!

I headed over to the Robert the Bruce statue with the boys to look around.

Afterwards, we headed over to the impressive and enormous William Wallace Memorial.

You can see this monument all over Stirling. It’s even more impressive than our Washington Memorial in Washington, D.C. It may be around the same height, I don’t know. The way it’s perched on top of a mountain makes it impossible to miss.

I absolutely love a good cardboard cutout photo opportunity. You can see the joy on my face! My children meanwhile……they prefer to make the funny faces, even in cardboard cutouts.

You drive uphill to get to the Monument. Then there is a shuttle to drive you up to it. We’d already bought so many tickets over our time in the U.K. We decided to settle for just seeing this one from the outside and visiting its cafe and gift shop.

This coffee shop was my favorite!!! Not only did they have delicious drinks, but they had all sorts of baked goods, and two gluten free options!! I had actual choices!! Traveling is exhausting though. Alan took a nap while we were here.

We bought a few things from the gift shop too, and then we headed to our hotel in Dumphries, a couple of hours away.

My allergies bothered me this entire trip. That’s why I was wearing glasses instead of contacts. My eyes kept itching and swelling, and I was always sneezing. So much sneezing. So I was concerned about how old this Holiday Inn looked from the front.

I was relieved to find there is actually a newer building where the rooms are.

And what is to see in Dumphries??? This castle!

We saw Caerlaverock Castle on our last day in the U.K. Then we drove down to Heathrow Airport. That was a solid six hour road trip, with lots of stops for food and such.

The rest areas we went through on our way back to the airport were large and nice. The English may be famous for drinking tea, but there were coffee shops everywhere!

Our last night in the U.K we stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn London Heathrow Airport, where I had the meal I’d been looking for the entire trip!

Gluten free fish and chips!!! You cannot go to England without eating fish and chips, and being gluten free had put a real damper on that for me.

Our hotel served this in their restaurant. Caleb was a good sport and went down to the lobby to eat with me. The others had pizza ordered to the room, and believe it or not, it was reasonably priced!

This was the perfect way to end our U.K. vacation.

Thank you for hanging with me through this series. Most vacations are a combination of travel struggles and triumphs, but this one was a pure blessing, hurdles and all. Navigating unknown train systems are always a pain to me, but once we left London, we had our rental car and didn’t need the train.

Family vacation is always worth the expense.

It’s the most concentrated together time you can get. I feel like it bonds the family together to go on adventures together. That’s what it’s all about, whether it’s a huge vacation like this one, or a day trip to a state park. I’m so thankful we got to do this. Our time with our children at home is so short, and I want to enjoy it while we can!!

The post Visiting Stirling Castle was My Favorite Day in the UK appeared first on Stories of Our Boys.

Last year my cousin Amber sent me a VHS video clip of an interview she did with our Maw-Maw back in the 1990s.

In this video, Maw-Maw told us there is a cabin in Tannehill State Park that once belonged to our great-great grandparents.

Once I learned we have an ancestral home on display in Birmingham, Alabama, I knew we had to go check this out!

My kids love it so much when I drag them out on these sorts of adventures. Ha!! No, they hate it when I make them go exploring with me, but they lived. Plus, I think they even enjoyed it a little bit, whether they admit it or not.

Our extended family hosts a family reunion at Tannehill State Park every year. However, my little branch of the family has never been to the reunion or to the state park at all. We are not from the Birmingham area.

I was so excited to finally get to explore it and find the family cabin!

We piled up in the van in the blazing Alabama July heat. Of course, we took a stop at Buc-ee’s on the way!

When you first pull in to Tannehill State Park, you will pay a small fee at the gate. Then you will come to this grander old home in the front of the park. This is the park office.

This park boasts over a dozen genuine pioneer cabins. Eleven of them are available as overnight rentals.

I was delighted to discover that our family’s pioneer house, the Williams House, is one of the rental cabins! Plus, it is modernized to include heating and air and indoor plumbing.

I’m not sad that they modernized the cabin. If this park service had not taken on these log cabins and made them into nice rentals, we would not still have these homes to enjoy today. I love that the park keeps them in tact for generations to get to see.

We obtained a map from the park office, found our house, and drove right over to the Williams House.

Thankfully, no one was staying in the cabin at the time. We were able to climb on the porch and walk all around the place without trespassing on anyone’s vacation. If I’d thought this through more, I could have asked park staff to let us look around inside since we are family of the original owner. They might not have let us, but we could have asked.

The sign in the photo above sits in front of the cabin. It tells a little about the family who built and lived in this home. My great-great-grandmother was one of the ten children who was raised in this cabin.

Jim Williams was my great-great-great-grandfather. He was born in a town called Pitchers in Tuscaloosa County in 1859. By 1870, they lived near Calera, Alabama.

Jim’s father was born in North or South Carolina, where his people lived since migrating from England in the mid 1700s.

The 1870 U.S. census lists Jim’s father, Hilliary Williams, as a teamster. Ironworker unions didn’t form until 1896. Therefore, this 1870 census occupation of teamster refers to a man who drove a team of horses or oxen pulling a wagon, often for the Army.

By 1880, Jim was twenty and working in the iron mine right there near Birmingham. Tannehill Ironworks Historical State Park tells the story of the area’s iron and steel industry. That makes Jim’s house a perfect fit for this location.

In February of 1881, Jim married Martha in Tuscaloosa County. Martha lived from 1861-1943. Martha’s people migrated to America in the 1790s, from Germany, to South Carolina.

Jim and Martha had ten children, and my great-great-grandmother was their firstborn child. According to the sign, Jim was a coal miner and a farmer. By the time of the 1900 U.S. census, he is reported only as a farmer.

The 1930 U.S. census reports that this house was located on Greenpond Blocton Road in the town of Kingdom in Bibb county, Alabama.

The censuses also tell us that Jim and Martha could both read and write. In 1930, they owned their home free and clear with no mortgage. By 1930, they had lived in this house for a little over forty years.

By 1930, James and Martha were seventy and sixty-nine respectively, and they still lived in this house. They had a seven-year-old living with them named Gertrude. She was their granddaughter. Gertrude’s mother was Leona Williams, the second of Jim and Martha’s seven children.

Leona died in childbirth in 1923, leaving behind several children. It would appear that the baby lived, and that baby was Gertrude, raised by her grandparents, also in this house. That’s just going off what I could find in the census reports.

Jim died in 1938, at the age of seventy-eight. I believe he died in his home.

Martha went by the nickname “Mattie”, and she moved in with one of her grandsons and his family in Birmingham after Jim passed away. Mattie lived to the age of eighty-two. She passed away in 1943.

The whole scene looks so picturesque from this angle, even in person. You can tell they added on a back portion, which I’m sure was necessary with ten children.

We enjoyed walking around the front porch and swinging on the porch swing. This took me back to the days of childhood, back when all of our grandparents had a front porch swing. That was such a pleasant staple of southern homes back then.

Perhaps there was a loft up top for such a small house to sleep so many? I know some of the log cabins in the Little House on the Prairie series had lofts. My hope is to one day get to go inside the cabin!

I am sure the park service has fixed this cabin up a great deal. It was donated in the 1970s, and I don’t know if anyone lived in it after 1938.

The Williams family was probably conscientious and kept it up well in its day too. I’m making that assumption going off of my great-grandfather, their grandson, who I knew personally until I was ten.

Great-grandaddy hung a photo of this cabin up on his wall. He was proud of it.

Great-grandaddy was always so impressive to all of us too. He was a preacher, a farmer, and a carpenter. Plus, he was a kind and gentle but strong man. He loved to make sure the kids were entertained and to take us fishing in his little catfish pond.

Great-grandaddy had a wood shop, chickens, vegetable gardens, and goats. He built his own house in the 1940s and lived there until he died in the 1990s. We all loved him. He was very generous with all that he possessed.

The women in the family all appreciated how he would sometimes be found washing the dishes in the kitchen.

Knowing that Great-grandaddy’s mother grew up in this house, I can bet you anything she and her parents were salt of the earth people too.

I absolutely love places like this one. It hearkens us back to a simpler time, a time of bare feet, shelling peas, and no internet.

Who knows if Jim and Martha even had electricity in this house? Alabama Power company was not founded until 1906. Maybe they eventually did get power. I’m really not sure.

However, if you book a stay at this cabin, or others like it in Tannehill State Park, they do all now have power and indoor plumbing. If that is not appealing to you, they also have “primitive cabins” available for rent, with less modern amenities.

Other park attractions:

This little train that runs around the park was a charming, fun addition. Our younger boys simply had to ride it. It is functional too though. Tannehill is on 1500 acres. This train is a fun way to get around and see more of the park without having to use your car.

Pioneer Farm

There are several different sections of Tannehill Ironworks State Park.

The cabins are scattered throughout several different park areas.

I liked that the Williams cabin is basically the anchor of the Pioneer Farm area. It made it feel extra special. They have it set up like it would all go together. You have the cabin in front. Then behind it are the rest of the Pioneer Farm buildings. They have a corn crib, blacksmith shop, and several other buildings all right together.

Alan and I have always taken our kids to pioneer and colonial historical parks like this. These places usually include a blacksmith shop because they were an important part of that way of life. One time when our oldest son was in first grade, he and a friend drew out a map of their own theme park design. I thought it was so funny because their theme park had a ferris wheel and all sorts of rides. Then in the middle of their theme park, there was the blacksmith shop. BAAAhahahaha!

There is a lovely stream that separates the Pioneer Farm from the restrooms, mill, and picnic area.

We spent most of our day over by the Williams house and Pioneer Farm. Thanks to the heat, by the time we finished exploring this area and rode the train, we were beat.

Tannehill Park keeps going and going though. Since we were so tired, we loaded up in our minivan and drove around the rest of the park.

Tannehill Ironworks Historical State Park has so much to see that we didn’t have time to see half of it.

The other areas of the park include several campgrounds, another creek, the Iron and Steel Museum and Visitor Center, an event center, a Country Store, the Cane Creek School, and a country church and cemetery. One of these spots was also selling ice cream.

In the back of the park, there is even a Furnace Area with an archaeological research site. I would have loved to have seen the archaeology part. It would also have been nice to visit the museum. Maybe next time.

We did manage to drive by a few of these places and take a photo of the church. It was pretty.

I don’t remember where the church was from or what denomination it was. Maybe Methodist?

On our way out of the park, we saw these lovely deer, having lunch by the road.

I would tell you to visit the Tannehill State Park website to see a schedule for this year or to book a cabin, but their site is currently being redone.

You can try that link to see if it’s back up.

In the meantime, there is also a Tannehill park Facebook page. They will announce events there.

This is such a happy memory. I love that we got to go see this tangible piece of our family’s history. Even if you aren’t from Bibb county, I think it’s a fun outing for a family who likes to camp, fish, hike, or visit museums or historical parks.

You should also go if you have a kid who loves trains. That alone would have made some of our toddlers ecstatic.

I’m so proud of the hard working people that I come from. Maybe some day I will get to move back to Alabama and have a little place of my own too.

I have a good excuse to go to Tannehill and visit the cabin again too. My mom and my brother still haven’t seen this place. Maybe they will go with me.

If you like exploring historical parks, check out these other past adventures in photos:

Pioneer Park in Troy, Alabama

Valley Forge, Pennsylvania

Gettysburg Battlefield, Pennsylvania

The post Exploring Our Family History in Tannehill State Park: A Beautiful Place to Take Your Family appeared first on Stories of Our Boys.

It is so important to teach your son about home repairs. Yes, girls can definitely benefit from this too! At our house, we just happen to only have boys, so I tend to focus on raising boys.

This is a guest post that I think brings an awesome point: training up your sons on how to work with their hands. I want to make sure we use these tips at our house more too, and I hope you find this as helpful as I did.

Teaching your sons how to fix their broken stuff will help your finances and teach the boys valuable skills that will be useful later in life.

Who doesn’t respect a handy man (or woman) who is capable of doing his own home repairs?

One thing every parent would agree with is that raising kids can be challenging.  It can be tougher if your children are all boys.

There is a limitation to applying the parenting methods we learned from our parents years ago. Things have changed. 

The perception of manhood some years back includes working hard and respecting and protecting the family at any cost. Men who watch their fathers act this way grew up with the same characteristics.

Over time, as innovation presents new job opportunities, there is almost no need to showcase fitness. Companies now operate hybrid workplaces; hence no need to rush to work. With a smartphone, you can order virtually anything and have it delivered to your doorstep, including booking a repairman.

Nevertheless, your children need to understand certain Do It Yourself (DIY) repairs around the home.

Think they do not need it? Well, what happens if the technician fails to show up? Would you encourage them to call a technician to change a bulb that can be replaced within a few minutes?

Giving them an all-around education, both book knowledge and practical experiences, is essential.

For instance, take them along or involve them when purchasing Shower Door Hardware. Let them know how to choose the right hardware for a shower door.

How to inspire your boys to be kid-fixers

Repairs can be a boring task for someone with no interest; below are ways to make it fun:

Engage and educate

Kids are more intelligent and braver than you think. When supervised, they can safely handle most repair tools, including sharp ones.

Invite your son whenever you are fixing anything. Educate them on what you are fixing and why you perform certain actions.

Explain why you handle the fixing yourself instead of hiring a technician.

Explore

Take them along on your next car routine maintenance trip. You may also visit a repair shop or repair café in the neighborhood to show them the beauty of machines.

Let them see first-hand that the appliances they use at home are not powered by magic but made up of different parts designed to sync.

Supervise

Kids need supervision when working with tools. Teach them about safety features, correct their mistakes, and show them better ways to do it. Only allow them to repair plugged or powered appliances with supervision, except those that use batteries.

5 easy steps to teach your son about home repairs

You do not have to be handy yourself before teaching your kids how to do minor repairs around the house. There are lots of videos online to watch.

It would be fun to watch it along with your sons while you try out the recommended steps. However, here are five easy steps you can use to teach your kids about home repairs;

Introduce them to the tools

Familiarize them with the required tools for the repair you are willing to train them. If you are unfamiliar with the tools and their functions, watch videos to learn what they are used for, and then pass the knowledge on to your kids.

Teach them safety

Once they are familiar with the tools and their uses, the next thing to do is train them on safety. Do this irrespective of your boy’s age.

Also, teach with examples. For instance, narrate how you got injured while repairing something.

Make it fun instead of being similar to their typical school class.

Create a workshop

Purchase a child-size toolset and set up a workshop if you do not have one already in your garage.

Make them write out the names of the tools and have them added to the toolbox. This will help to memorize the names of the tools.

Buying them tools and creating a garage will give them a sense of ownership and could pique their interest in the lesson.

Allow them to practice with the tools

Assign them tasks that will require the use of one of the tools. Instead of loosening a screw yourself, ask them to do it.

Finding the right tool for the task will help them become more familiar with the tools.

Design a project

The project should be age-appropriate. You can start by loosening the screws of the drawer and instructing them to screw it back.

Painting is another project you can make them execute but ensure all necessary areas, such as floors and furniture, are well covered using drop cloths.

Home maintenance and repair skills to teach your children

Plumbing

You can teach kids how to fix a blocked toilet or sink. Direct them to fix a leaking tap and educate them on the importance of conserving water. Let them know about the water bill.

Electrical fittings

There could be a time you may not be around to change a faulty bulb or fix a socket that does not work. Teach them how to do this safely. Show them the circuit breaker box and how to operate it.

Let them know it is safer to switch off the power before performing any electrical repair.

Woodwork

Woodwork encourages creativity. Let them build anything of their choice or something they will find amusing. This may be a birdhouse or a doll house for their sister.

Likewise, you can show your kids how to fix home furniture with minor issues, like removing stains and discoloration.

Painting

Painting is a fun activity that your kids will surely like. Give them the brush and watch them unleash their creativity.

Auto mechanic

Train your son on basic car repairs, such as changing a flat tire and car oil.

Show them the normal car maintenance routine and how to interpret warning signs such as dashboard indicators.

Repairing fences and patching drywall

Your boys might not be strong enough at the moment to help you with repairing the fences. But watching you do it will undoubtedly help them later.

Cleaning

Reinforce in your kids the importance of cleaning. Establish a routine. You may mandate all used dishes are washed after dinner, before they go to bed. They should be able to vacuum and dust furniture.

At an appropriate age, make them take out the trash and wash the trash can when needed.

If you have a lawn, teach them how to operate the mower.

Other repair skills to teach your children include:

• Cleaning gutters
• Tightening or replacing a doorknob
• Vacuuming
• Changing air filter
• Hanging pictures
• Washing windows
• Watering plants
• Washing car
• Gardening

When you teach your sons home repairs, everyone benefits. Your kids become more confident in their own abilities, and your future daughter-in-law will thank you for sure.

The post 5 Important Things to Teach Your Son About Home Repairs appeared first on Stories of Our Boys.

This is one of those questions I get asked the most from friends who are not local to the D.C. area. We have lived here off and on since 2009, and we have ALWAYS loved hosting our friends and family when they come visit the DC area.

One time we had so many guests that the older boys’ room looked like a summer camp type situation, with 5 young kids on air mattresses in one bed room. That was so much fun! I wish we had a bigger house so we could host more people more often!

Everyone always wants to know where are the best places to go, what are the best things to do, especially when it is their first visit to our nation’s capitol. You want to pack only the best places into your vacation, and usually you are limited on time.

There are always so many places to go in DC, and most of them are FREE.

This city is so special. You will love your vacation here. I think the fact that it will not leave you completely broke really seals the deal. The main expenses are lodging and food, no need to buy pricy admission tickets.

#1. DIY Moonlight Monument Tour

This is by far our favorite DC activity. And when I say “our”, I mean my husband and me. We wait for rush hour to end, pile whoever is visiting into ye old minivan, and go see visit our favorite monuments without having any trouble finding parking spaces.

If you are wondering what to do in DC in only a weekend or a night, do the moonlight monument tour. It is such an easy trip add-on because it costs nothing, and it is after business hours.

Most of the museums close around 5:30, but the monuments are open and well lit at night too.

There are also tour buses downtown that will take you around. I would only do that if someone is your group has a hard time with walking because those are around $59 a person, and this stuff is fairly accessible on foot. However, some times of the year you can get these tickets more cheaply.

It is super easy to park around the National Mall once the Smithsonian museums close at 5:30. You will find plenty of parallel spaces open.

We tend to park close to the Lincoln Monument. Then we go hike around that area. You can see the Lincoln, the famous long reflection pool overlooking the Washington Monument, the Vietnam Wall, the Korean War Memorial all right there, fairly close together, without having to move your car.

If you are spry, you can hike a bit and also see the World War II Memorial, but honestly we rarely make it that far.

If we are suffering from sore feet or backs, we sometimes skip the Korean War or the World War II at that stop because, well, people can only do so much, and those are a little further from where we tend to park.

However, the cool thing about where we park is that it is also fairly close to the White House. So before or after we go see the Vietnam Wall/ Lincoln Memorial area, we walk in the opposite direction to where you can get a glorious view of the White House.

So that is several major landmarks, with only having to park once and no train riding required.

Actually, I could go on and on about this, so I should make the Moonlight Monument Tour its own post in the near future with even more details.

#2. Tour the Capitol Building

You can go online and sign up for a time about a week out or more from when you want to go. I went online to check how far out it is currently booking in January. Currently Capitol tours are booked out 4 solid days in advance, and then a few times are left for each day after that.

So make sure you book your Capitol tour at least a week in advance, especially if it is over a weekend. Saturdays book a month and a half in advance, currently, and that is in January.

The Capitol building is beautiful and has so much history on display. You can even eat lunch in their food court.

#3. Tour the White House

This one takes a little more planning. You have to do this at least a month out, through a request to your state’s Congressional office. Go here to read how to do that.

Of all the places I have visited in DC, this one felt the most exciting and surreal to me. My mother-in-law arranged a visit for us many years ago. Back then, in 2010, we were not allowed to take photos, so I have no photographic evidence, but it was AWESOME. I loved getting to see all those famous rooms!

#4. Library of Congress

(closed Sundays and Mondays)

You will love the inside of the Library of Congress! This is the most underrated place to visit in D.C. Well, this and the art museums. The actual art museums are incredible too.

Of all the buildings you can tour, this one is the most ornate. The ceiling is a marvel. The decor! The books! And anyone can go in!! Go online here to schedule your timed ticket. This one is much easier to get than the Capitol. You can log in any time in the day and probably find a good time available at any time of the day that the library is open.

It is breathtaking in there. I hope you get to go inside!

#5. Smithsonian’s National Zoo

They have pandas!! And orangutans!

Just be warned that if you go on a hot day, this will be a physically exhausting day. Plan to buy yourself an ice cream or an ice cold beverage, which the zoo does sell.

It is an excellent zoo. It is a one-way giant hill though. Just know you are going to get good exercise. If you have small children or babies, bring or rent a stroller for sure.

Do check their website for parking and pass information. Admission is free, but parking is not. It is north of DC, not near downtown, so you will need transportation of some kind.

#6. Go see a Nationals Game!

This is another huge favorite of our family. We love the Nats and watching them play. Did you know you can make any kid like just about any sport if you buy them enough concession stand food? Ha! But at this stadium, especially in the summer, my other advice is to look for seats in the shade.

The mascots are four former presidents, and they race, and it is hilarious. Sometimes they fall too, with their giant heads, and it is just adorable.

Also, this activity is not as expensive as some of the other professional sports, which makes it my favorite. Ha!

#7. Smithsonian Air and Space Museum

Did you know that out of all the Smithsonians this one gets the most people going through it each day? I guess it is just insanely popular with kids and flying enthusiasts. Also, it has a McDonald’s in there. I remember that being a selling point when our boys were little. Those other museum cafeterias were so much more expensive.

So yes, this one is wildly popular, and it is thoroughly interesting and fun. Can you tell it isn’t my personal favorite? I like it though. It just isn’t my number one pick.

#8. Smithsonian Carousel

We tried to fight it at first, but the fact is the carousel is kind of a lifesaver for kids. Sometimes they are selling ice cream cones near there too. They know where the kids are.

But after a day, or even an hour, of walking around in the hot sun or cold wind and hiking through all these museums and trying to figure out Metro train schedules, the carousel is a necessary treat for the whole family.

My best advice is if you want a happy day out in DC with children, do not skip the carousel and a good ice cream stand if it is hot outside. It will keep the family from staging a mutiny. That way you can stay out enjoying your time in D.C. longer.

You can find the Carousel on the side of the mall kind of close to the Air and Space Museum.

#9. National Gallery of Art

This one is free admission to everyone! In fact, all Smithsonian museums are free to all.

I wrote all about taking our kids to this museum here. It made for a pretty hilarious day. They aren’t supposed to touch things, and jumping up and down on the benches will get them reprimanded by the gallery security guards. There are security guards everywhere, and I think kids make them nervous.

So if you go with little ones, or even energetic big kids, do your best to just keep the group moving so they do not get bored and rowdy. Have low expectations for how long you will get to stay in the art museums.

But these museums are incredible, and I think you will be glad you went. One day I went in there alone and had the BEST day, calmly perusing the galleries. D.C.’s art galleries are actually my favorite museums in the city.

If you go alone or with other adults, you could have the BEST time.

#10. Smithsonian Museum of Natural History (the dinosaur museum) is right next to the Smithsonian National Museum of American History— so you can knock these out back to back.

I want to reiterate that all Smithsonian museums are free.

These are both fascinating museums. You can fill up a whole day between the two of these. You could do one in the morning and one in the afternoon. They are right next door to each other.

No advanced tickets are needed for the Museum of Natural History or the Museum of American History, and all Smithsonians are free.

If you are quick, you could also squeeze in the new Museum of African American History & Culture, which is also next door to these.

The African American Museum is very new, so you still have to get a timed ticket for entry to that one. The good news is you can get one for the same day you request it, fairly easy, so long as it isn’t a Saturday. That is why I have not been yet, but one of my teenagers went. He said it was very good.

If your kids love dinosaur bones or animals, the Museum of Natural History is a must-see.

I think I have seen every inch of this museum a dozen times, but it is exciting to see so many dinosaur bones. If that is not your thing, they also have the giant Hope Diamond there in another section of the museum.

The American History museum has a wide variety of exhibits, from the history of transportation to First Ladies gowns.

They used to have a huge presidential section that seems smaller to me now, but it is still there, and it does include President Abe Lincoln’s hat. For more information, this is another of my favorites, so I have written about this museum twice, both here and here.

#11. National Portrait Gallery-Smithsonian

This one is my favorite for how well it tells the story of America. Also, I love the complete collection of Presidential portraits upstairs.

It is not on the National Mall with many of the Smithsonians, but it is only a couple of metro stops away, and it is AWESOME. I actually like it better than the Smithsonian American History Museum. I feel like it tells the story of real America better.

There are halls of portraits and art from famous Americans, going all the way back to our country’s colonial period. Then on the opposite side of the building there is the most enjoyable collection of American folk art I have ever seen. No stuffy art here. This is entertaining, and you will really connect with it.

Then upstairs, they have every single Presidential portrait. I absolutely love it.

#12. US Holocaust Memorial Museum

I have been a couple of times, and it is such a moving and impactful place. My favorite part is the videos of survivor interviews at the end. You get to see all these elderly people tell their story of how they survived. They tell about their fears, their triumphs, running from Nazi soldiers, life in a concentration camp, and fleeing to other countries.

These stories at the end enrich the experience so much because they are stories of hope after a whole museum of horror and sadness.

You will need to get your timed ticket for this museum here. Some times you can get them same day, sometimes you need to book it prior, depending on when you visit and how busy they are.

#13. Arlington National Cemetery

This can be exhausting if you try to do it all on foot. If you are spending a lot of time at the cemetery, and you want to see it all, you will want to buy an Arlington National Cemetery bus tour ticket, which they sell at the visitor center where you first arrive. You can buy those same day.

If you opt to go the free-on-foot route, just chart a course to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. That is the main attraction.

It sounds funny to say, because this is a cemetery, but it is a beautiful place. If you travel up the hill to the Robert E. Lee house, which is called The Arlington House and museum, there is a perfect view of Washington, D.C. You can tour the house too.

The Northern generals felt like they had the perfect revenge on Lee when they took his estate and turned it into a giant graveyard.

The whole park does have a quiet, solemn vibe. You might want to warn your children to think of it as a quiet place.

#14. Museum of the Bible

We actually just went there for the second time the other day. This is good for the whole family too. I mean babies and toddlers will get tired of any place, but this museum is surprisingly interactive.

Some exhibits are more traditional, but even those have lots of good videos and statues to look at. For more about the Bible Museum, you can read the full article I wrote here.

This one is not free, but children, military, and seniors do get a discount. Anyone under 18 qualifies as “children.” The child ticket is way cheaper than the adult price. You do not need these in advance. Tickets can be purchased same day on site.

#15. Mount Vernon, Home of President George Washington

This is the number one choice field trip destination for kids in the D.C. area. It is so kid friendly because it is not just an antique house to explore, with a museum feel. Mount Vernon is also home to many farm animals and outdoor displays. Some times of the year there are also hay rides. We have always had a great time taking our children to Mount Vernon.

At Christmas you can sign up for a candlelight tour, and you get to meet Martha Washington on your tour. They also do colonial style dancing, hot cocoa and fires, and live camels at the candle light tour.

But be warned. Mount Vernon is not free. For more info, go here.

#16. Old Town Alexandria

You may be able to find a hotel more affordably in Alexandria, and if you do, take a little time to check out Old Town Alexandria. Most of Old Town predates Washington, D.C. There is so much history here. Stroll the streets. Go shopping. Have a lovely lunch. There is rarely ever a wait for lunch at most places.

#17. Thomas Jefferson Memorial and surrounding monuments

Park your car close to the Thomas Jefferson monument. They have a ton of parking over there, divided into several different lots, near the Tidal Basin. There you walk along the path beside the water, and you can see the Martin Luther King Jr. Monument and a huge display dedicated to President Franklin D. Roosevelt and the Great Depression. Plus, it has a beautiful view of the Thomas Jefferson Monument and the tidal basin. There are even rocks that kids love to climb on in some areas near the FDR Memorial.

If you come in spring, be warned the Thomas Jefferson area becomes the most popular spot in town as the gorgeous cherry blossom trees that surround the tidal basin bloom. It is a breathtaking sight to behold.

#18. National Botanical Gardens, right in front of the Capitol

When our kids were little, we used to LOVE to go through the US Botanical Gardens. It is just a quick, easy thing to do that our kids always enjoyed. At Christmas they often have electric trains running through there too, an added bonus for our little boys.

#19. The Pentagon 9/11 Memorial

This is a powerful tribute to those who lost their lives on September 11th, 2001. The Memorial is located outside in front of the Pentagon, easily accessible through the Pentagon parking lot.

If you get to go inside the Pentagon, there are even more tributes inside.

#20. Chinatown– At least drive or ride by it.

DC’s Chinatown is not very big, but they do have a beautiful archway that is worth seeing, and there are good restaurants near there too.

#21. Go to a Wizards Game

Disclaimer: This list is not in preference order because I can assure you my oldest son would put this as number one on the list. Alan took two of our boys this year, and they had the best time. If your group likes to eat popcorn, yell, and carry on at a basketball game this is for you.

#22. Visit the National Archives building where they have the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence on display.

One time I even happened up on a genealogy conference going on down there, and I got to attend for free. You can check the Archives’ website to see if they will be hosting anything special during your visit.

#23. And so much more. Take your pick from the MANY MANY other museums and attractions in town.

This was just a quick list of our favorite 23.

The US Navy Museum on Washington Navy Yard is also so good, as well as the US Army Museum on Fort Belvoir. Come to think of it, there is also a humongous US Marine Corp Museum on I95, South of the D.C. When the kids were little, they actually deemed the US Marine Museum playground, which is practically in the woods by the parking lot, the BEST playground in all of DC.

We actually went to the US Army Museum recently because it is new. I will have to write about that one soon.

Oh! And if you come in winter, the crowds are so small, and there are ice skating rinks!!

Plus, you can go to Ford’s Theatre to see where Lincoln was assassinated. That is on my list of places I still have not made it to but want to. You can go see a show there, or you can take a tour. Tickets are free and available same-day from what I can tell, so long as there is no show going on at that time. Here is the website for tours.

And! You can even go see a top notch, but probably pricey, show at The Kennedy Center.

We have done a lot of traveling as a military family, and Washington, D.C. still holds a special place in my heart as my favorite city.

It is just so clean!! The Metro train throughout DC and its suburbs feels so much safer to me than New York City’s subway system.

The National Mall has a feel of crisp, green optimism with all the grass and the white marble-looking architecture. I hope you get to come and enjoy it as much as I do. Feel free to ask any questions you have about touring DC in the comments.

The post 23 of the Best Things to Do in Washington, D.C. appeared first on Stories of Our Boys.

Welcome to 2021, my friends!

For my first blog entry of 2021, I thought I’d share a funny story that is sort of at my own expense. I’ve found it’s best to stick to that sort of tale to avoid angry phone calls or emails… Haha!

Sometimes I can be a little oblivious to my surroundings. It is true. This is how my brain works. I am that rare woman who finds it necessary to focus on only one thing at a time. Sometimes this leads to an extreme form of tunnel vision.

Yesterday my mission was this: Operation Unpack All My Suitcases

All four boys had already full unpacked because they had to do so before they could go play.

Alan was also completely unpacked because he is Alan. He hates to pack and waits until five minutes before time to go to do so, but when UNpacking, he is the speediest.

Me, I can do some serious unpacking procrastination, but not this time. It was day one from the road trip, and I was all in. I had three suitcases to unpack: my clothes suitcase, my extra stuff suitcase, and the Christmas present suitcase. All were packed to bursting with Christmas galore.

The first suitcase was the present suitcase, and I was halfway through it.

I came to the stack of Christmas stockings. Each one had a few things left in the bottoms. In dismay, I realized that our youngest two boys had about 100 tiny Nerd candies in the bottom of theirs, no longer in any kind of box. There was not even a box in the stocking. Just loose Nerds–who does that!?

Being the thrifty, non germ-phobe that I am, I decided to pour these Nerds into a sandwich bag. Why waste good candy?

As I was doing the pouring, about three or four individual tiny Nerds escaped onto the carpet. Drat.

I decided the floor must be vacuumed promptly so that these candies didn’t end up smooshed in the carpet, eventually turning into brightly colored stains. So like any good, logical housekeeper, I trudged downstairs and retrieved our vacuum cleaner from the coat closet.

The Kirby

Our vacuum is a heavy eleven-year-old upright Kirby. It still has excellent suction, but it has caused me several different problems in recent months:

1.) It weighs so much it is hard to lug up and down the stairs. With six people at home 24/7 this year, this is a significant issue.

2.) The Neutral/Drive switch jammed. Alan took apart the vaccum and fixed it for me.

3.) But then the on and off switch actually broke. It can no longer be turned off. You have to unplug it to turn it off.

4.) Did I mention it is heavy? Also it smells like dirt, so I have to spray the carpet with essential oils each time I use it.

I just don’t love my vacuum anymore, obviously, but it does still work.

Ignored Warning Signs….

I noticed that in front of the vacuum there were big dirt smudges. See, I’m not always totally unobservant. I shrugged it off and hauled Kirby on up the stairs.

Usually, I stop to check and see if the bag is full before I start vacuuming, but I wanted to get back to unpacking my suitcase, so I decided to skip it. Mentally, I criticized myself even then for skipping this step, but I forged on nonetheless.

As soon as I turned it on, I noticed the air in the room seemed to be filling with dust. What in the world? This I also shrugged off and kept on going. It seemed like some dirt was just getting blown around and there was more dust than usual, but that served to only make me vacuum harder.

Once I finished vacuuming my room, I unplugged the vacuum, and shook my head at this monstrous machine. I was sneezing. This was ridiculous. The old thing needed to be replaced soon!

I got out my Flonase nose spray and then popped a Claritin. I didn’t know why the air was full of dust, but I did know I would end up sick if I did not manage my reaction to it.

John David was in his room across the hall. He called me in there, and that’s when I looked down at the hallway behind me!

OOPS!!

The entire hallway, which is thankfully hard wood floor and not carpet, was covered in hair, dirt, and dust bunnies. It was dirtier than the floor under an old sofa. “What in the world??? John David, look at what this old vacuum cleaner did. Man, what is wrong with this thing? It was blowing everything out from behind the whole time I was cleaning. Gross.”

Clean up from the clean up

So then I had to go downstairs and grab my Deebot. That is the robot vacuum I bought this fall. I love that thing, but it cannot handle thick carpet. It handles hard woods expertly though. I had to clean all my (constantly shedding) red hair out of the brushes, and then I set the Deebot to work on cleaning up the hallway and hall bathroom from the massive vacuum cleaner incident.

Now most people would stop and wonder why that dust explosion happened and stop to examine the offending vacuum cleaner.

But I am not most people. Ha!! This was my chance at a new machine, and even Alan would surely see that!

I hopped right online, researched the best bagless upright vacs of 2020, picked one, and ordered it, all in less than ten minutes. I may be oblivious, but I can be very decisive.

Next, I finished unpacking all three of my suitcases. Feeling all sorts of accomplished, I headed on downstairs, where I forgot all about the vacuum cleaner until I told Alan about it a few hours later.

We all sat down to eat dinner, and I literally brought a list of things to talk to Alan and the boys about. At the very top of the list was this story.

I did not get halfway through my story when Alan said, “There was no bag in the vacuum cleaner.”

“Huh???”

“It was not even zipped shut! You didn’t notice?”

Oh.

Well, that does explain the whole back blast thing.

I defended my purchase anyway. My new one will be lighter and easier to carry.

Later I came back upstairs and looked for myself. Sure enough, the vacuum bag compartment was wide open with no bag at all inside. I shook my head at myself. How did I never even notice? Why didn’t I even look?

So in conclusion, don’t ignore your conscience when it tells you not to take shortcuts, like skipping checking the bag.

And if you ever need to borrow a vacuum cleaner, I guess you should come see me because I now own several. haha! We will just call it my New Year’s present to myself.

We hope you all had a jolly Christmas. It has been a long time since our world was this ready for a NEW year. I hope your 2021 is off to a wonderful start.

The post How Three Tiny Nerd Candies Got Me a New Vacuum Cleaner appeared first on Stories of Our Boys.

I am so happy to announce our first giveaway in months, and it is an EXCITING one, just in time for Christmas!

***This post and giveaway are sponsored by Picturesongold.com. All opinions are my own.***

Let me tell you all about what you could win in this giveaway from PicturesonGold.com.

This is a $140.00 value sterling silver locket with your chosen photos laser engraved into the locket. That is my favorite part about it. You do not have to go hunting through your house for some tiny pictures. This is the problem with me and all those “personalized Christmas ornaments.” Who has time to go hunting for photos?

With this jewelry, you upload the photos you want in your locket straight from your phone or computer. I customized mine using the photos on my phone, and it took all of five minutes. Most of those minutes were spent just deciding which pictures to use.

First, you get to pick your locket shape and cover.

They have circle, heart, oval, dog tag, and square lockets. You can also order all sorts of pendants or bracelets, but this giveaway is for a locket. There are so many choices!

Choose whether you want gold or silver. I chose sterling silver.

Then you choose what you want engraved on the front. I am a sucker for a monogram, so I went with that on both my necklace and my mom’s.

Isn’t the monogram so pretty??

I ordered mine back in 2017, and I wrote about it here. This year I designed one for my mom, and it will be her Christmas present this year.

Personalized gifts are such a significant thing to give to your family and friends. I am a total sucker for a #1 Mom necklace or jewelry with my kids’ birthstones. This locket goes even above and beyond that with photos that feel like a hug each time you wear it and open it up and look at their smiling faces.

Choosing which photos to put inside is always the hardest decision for me. I was designing mine for my mom. Who do I choose?? She has so many of us to love!! I chose group photos to try to include as many family members as I could.

The photos in the locket turned out well, but it was hard to get a good picture of the engraved pictures. The one on the left side of the locket is of mom, dad, my brother and his wife, and my husband and me, along with our two-month old first baby. That was an extra merry Christmas, with the addition of the first little grandchild.

The picture on the right has all five of mom and dad’s grandchildren, all together for last Christmas. Plus, it was a good picture of everyone, which is always an amazing accomplishment in itself.

This locket holds up extremely well.

I still have mine that I ordered in 2017. In fact, I am wearing it right now, and it is still in perfect condition, though I did change out the chain this year for a shorter one.

Be sure to enter the giveaway, so you can win one of these beauties for yourself or to give as a gift this Christmas!

***Rules to Enter***

-Must be 18 to enter and win

-Must be U.S. resident

Don’t wait for the giveaway though. Check out all the ways you can make photo-engraved jewelry for your family this Christmas here: PicturesOnGold.com. Here is a discount code just for my readers: FESTIVE10

The post The New Perfect Christmas Gift Giveaway 2020 appeared first on Stories of Our Boys.

One thing I appreciate about Maryland is the sheer number of state parks.

Our state boasts fifty-three state and eight national parks, not bad for such a small state. There are also islands to visit in the Chesapeake Bay. Maryland also borders D.C., Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Virginia, and Delaware, so it feels like an excellent spot for an adventurer.

Not long after we moved in, I heard someone mention the King and Queen Seats at Rocks State Park, in Jarrettsville, Maryland. I figured that meant rock formations in the shape of two thrones, and I added this to my mental list of “must sees.”

We went to Rocks State Park and explored a little several times during the pandemic.

At times, it was actually swarming with people, and it was hard to find a parking space. With all the malls, theaters, and cities basically closed, the people were driven out into the outdoor areas. That was probably one of the better things that came out of the 2020 corona hysteria.

our favorite swimming area at Rocks State park

On our first several visits to Rocks State, we found an excellent swimming hole and lazy river type spot.

We walked the dog, swam, skipped rocks, and played frisbee.

What we did NOT find was the king and queen seats. Granted, we did not go out and hike up the hills looking for it too hard. We just parked at the first picnic area and headed over to the swimming hole.

Now that it is November, we decided it was time to hunt this locally famous rock formation down.

We have been inside far too much since school started. Saturday was the perfect day. The sun was out in force, and the humidity was gone, leaving the air a lovely, inviting 70 degrees.

Glorious!

Oh, and yes! Dogs are allowed on the trails. Rosie saw many of her kind!

(part of the Red Trail, not near the King and Queen Seats)

If you follow the brown road signs within the park, they will lead you to the parking lot uphill that is literally right beside the entrance pathway to the king and queen’s seats.

Of course, if you have never been, you might park your car and then take off walking half a mile in the opposite direction from your destination on the “red trail.” Ha! That is what we did anyway. We took a nice stroll through the fall foliage for a while before we asked someone where the King and Queen seats were and were pointed back to where we had started from..

So we turned back around, hiked right past our car in the parking lot and on that same trail mere yards from our car, and found all these rocks.

Giant rocks everywhere.

There was also a sign which explained why it is called the King and Queen Seats. It turned out to be from a legend. The story was that our local Susquehannock tribes would meet up there and their king and queen would take their place on these rocks in ceremony. The expert sign at the park explained that there is no evidence to back up this claim, but that it is probably a myth. Ah, well.

Honestly, none of it really looked like a throne to me either, so that was not exactly what I expected.

The climbing experience does not disappoint though.

You can truly feel on top of the world up there. Some of it even looks like a giant bridge. The rocks juts out over this cliff. With small children and dog in tow, I honestly did not climb it to its full potential. I find myself playing it extremely safe these days. Rocks State Park is one of those spots where someone is occasionally in the news for having fallen to their death from up there. Of course, I told this to all of our boys to make sure everyone was cautious, and they were.

Alan and the older boys explored the rocks more fully than I did. Rosie climbed to surprising heights too. She was so funny, whining about wanting to go visit all the other dogs.

I mostly hovered over John David and Daniel, making sure no one made any missteps that would lead to them plunging to their deaths. Out of all of us, I was the only who ever actually tripped, which I did a few times. Thankfully, I tripped on the trails though, not the rocky climbing area.

Of course, I also took tons of pictures. Every group has to have that one person. For now, I am that person. Caleb is the one for our next generation. He is very good about remembering to make photo and video documentation.

I think it actually looks scarier in pictures than it did in person. We did not actually engage in any risky behavior, really.

All of our family enjoys a light rock climbing excursion. This reminded me of places we have climbed in Harper’s Ferry, West Virginia, or Great Falls, Virginia, or Yosemite National Park in California.

Alan and Daniel in Harpers Ferry, WV, 2012.

Isn’t it silly how people ask if you are a mountain person or a beach person, as if you cannot be both?

Both, guys, both! We get to like both!!

But yeah, if I were to build a house anywhere I wanted, it would be on the shore. Mountains and cliffs and rocks like this are gorgeous and inspiring too though, and that is why God gave us both.

The post In Search of the King and Queen Seats appeared first on Stories of Our Boys.