Fires and Bears and Rocks?? Oh my!

It's been a fun and busy summer here at Schrallville. I often have lulls in my business and I try to take advantage of those by spending them with family. This summer has been no exception - beach, mountains, lake - we've pretty much covered it all. 

Just a few weeks ago we went to Banner Elk, NC. I admit I was happy to go but wondering what we'd do. I'm a beach bum so the mountains in the summer were throwing me off. Little did I know it would totally make all three of my boys super happy AND bring up so many fond childhood memories spent in the mountains. I even realized that this was our FIRST FAMILY VACATION with just the four of us. That in and of itself was special. 

Our first stop was Grandfather Mountain, just 10 minutes away. Cole was especially excited to go see the B-E-A-R-S. Seriously, he couldn't wouldn't stop asking about them. The boy loves a bear...and a lion...and a tiger...and a wolf...and a dinosaur. Those are his favorites at the moment. 

Here we are at the bear exhibit (we visited twice that day)...

Note the sign in the bottom left corner "Do not feed the bears" so this is pretty much how it went down: 

Cole: Mom can we feed the bears? 
Me: No honey, we aren't allowed. 
Cole: whyyyyy? 
Me: Because the bears would bite you.
Cole: They'd eat me? 
Me: Yes
Cole: whyyyy? Can I touch the bears? 
Me: No honey, they are dangerous.
Cole: whyyyy? Can I go down there? 
Me: No
Cole: whyyyy? 

You get the picture.  

We also went on a little hike while at Grandfather Mountain; a simple 0.4 mile trail that was a good tester. The boys really got in to seeing what was under rocks with daddy, especially when we found a newt or a salamander (I forget the difference).  

And Cole began continued his life long obsession with rocks. 

He carried that rock the entire trail. It's now back home with us because he couldn't bear to part with it. Get it? Bears. Bear to part. I'm so not clever. 

There was even a "I'm the king of the world!!!" moment. No literally, Charlie screamed this when he was on the rock. And well Cole...he was just happy to be near another big rock. 

The next day we ventured to the original Mast General Store just to look around. Here is where we discovered one of Charlie's favorite things: Coke in a bottle. Seriously, it's like crack for him. I understand. Truly I do. If they had had Coke Zero in a bottle, I'd have been there every day. 

Oh who am I kidding. Twice a day. 

Then there was Tweetsie Railroad. The promise of riding a big train (one of the original steam engine trains). The promise of seeing Cowboys and Indians. The stage was set...

And then we made them ride a ride first. Take a close look at Charlie's face. FOUL would be an understatement in describing his mood. 

Finally we made it on the train and it was full steam ahead (no pun intended). They were mesmerized by the skit they do throughout the train ride through the mountain trail. Watching the Cowboys and Indians "fight" and the "gunfire". It was game on. 

There was candy...(they tossed these two licks in)

There were animals...

There were snow cones (also a bust)...

And mining for gold...(a huge hit)

And one of my favorites...riding the ferris wheel.

It goes fast giving you a tickle in your tummy since it's also looking over a valley. Perhaps the funniest comment of the entire trip was from Cole as he cackled and said "Mommy! This makes my pee pee laugh!" 

Tweetsie brought back memories and flashbacks of when I was a child and our 4-H trips. We'd camp every year as a group and take our horses (yes we brought our own horses) along the trails. So much fun. 

There was an abundance of things to do for toddlers and we stayed for f.i.v.e hours. I literally carried Cole out of the park sound asleep. He just passed out. 

Then the big hiking came the day before we left. We found a hiking trail just around the corner from our condo that was beautiful and more difficult (difficult = more fun). Cole christened the trail by of course, finding a big rock. Charlie christened it in another way which we won't discuss in a documented way. 

And then we hiked...

Surprisingly, this was right up Charlie's alley. I knew he would like it but I didn't realize how much he'd love it.  He led the way and we often found him singing to himself looking at nature. Totally and completely content to be in his surroundings. 

Made my heart smile! I'm a total nature girl (despite also being a girly girl) and can't wait to do it again with them. 

The trail followed a creek for a good bit and of course both boys couldn't wait to get in and throw...wait for it...wait for it....rocks. So in they went. 

We could be those parents that say "no you can't get in, you'll get your shoes and clothes wet" but I say "why not?" That's the fun of being spontaneous! Speaking of spontaneous, they also wanted to hike back...in the creek. They saw two other boys doing it so they of course wanted to try. I quickly realized they couldn't really do this safely on their own so...in I went. 

The boys had *the best* time hiking in the water. It was a complete adventure and I have to say, I totally enjoyed it too. Reminded me of camping with my extended family at Cherokee each summer and the fun I had with my cousins in those creeks. Although I did forget how cold it is!

The trip wouldn't have been complete until we roasted s'mores in the fire pit. They didn't really care about eating them; maybe each took only one bite. It was more about the fire. I daresay that this might have been the pyromaniac Daniel's favorite part of the trip. 

We are so excited to go back again next year (and have Nana and Pop-E join us...or since it's their timeshare maybe I should say join them). A fun new annual family vacation has begun (thanks Nana and Pop-E!) 

How about you guys? Where do you like to vacation? 

Hippity-Hop

Easter has come and gone...Mother's Day has come and gone and Memorial Day is almost here. I seriously cannot let myself post a blog update on one holiday out of order. I have to do it in order. It's a weird quirk. 

So without further ado let's talk about our Easter albeit a few weeks late. 

I had already planned on taking part of Good Friday off and we invited their best little friends over for an Easter Egg Hunt. There are "the blondes"...

and "the brunettes"...

And of course Miss Ava. Cole loves him some Ava. Here they are all waiting for the hunt to start. 

I took 150 eggs and stuffed them with candy the night before while I was watching TV. That may seem like a lot but when you have 5 kids on the hunt, you want it to last longer than 2 minutes. I also made buckets with their names on them (thanks to the Dollar Store and a sharpie). They were seriously SO excited! As I was hiding the eggs (and before the Majures got there), Charlie and Cole followed me. It was their first true Easter Egg Hunt. Charlie was literally shivering with excitement and kept saying "this is the best day ever!!" Talk about a boost to a mom's ego! 

And off they went! 

I love this picture of Cole near a tree. It makes me want to scoop him up and give him a giant squeeze. 

I hid eggs all over in both front and back yards plus on the porch. It was a giant free for all and because there were so many to find, everyone felt like they were getting a lot. 

I did hide one special egg.  I told them that the special egg was a special reminder of why we celebrate Easter - Jesus. On the third day, the tomb was found empty so that's why the special egg is the empty egg (inside it said "He is risen!"). Cole and Christopher found the special egg up in the swing set. They were so proud! 

Charlie surprised me with how "in to" the Easter egg hunt he was - I mean he was all about getting as many eggs as he could. He is fiercely competitive and this was right up his alley. Check out his bucket...he found a pocket of eggs under the magnolia tree and was super focused. 

They all had a blast when the last eggs (or so we thought) were found and we headed back to divvy up the loot. Charlie could barely carry his bucket it was so full. 

When it was all said and done we shared all the eggs so everyone got the same amount. 

Once again, Charlie surprised me with his focus. He took all his eggs, emptied the candy out one by one in a pile and then put the candy back in his bucket. That's all he wanted to do. I mean just look at that happy smile! That expression is total happiness. 

Then there was Cole who opened each of his eggs and ate as fast as he opened. #opposites  Seriously, he had chocolate dripping off his chin and his mouth was stuffed. 

I was so thankful that the rain held off that day because it sure did pour the rest of the weekend. But no worries, I had already planned another fun activity for a rainy day - dying Easter eggs! Last year this was a huge hit for both boys so it was no surprise this was a hit again this year. 

I strategically planned it right after naps so they would wake up and it would instantly take the cranky's out. They each had their own station. This mama ain't stupid. The last thing I want is a flying cup of dye when they start to fight over the same color! 

Cole had a blast being able to "do it his self". I heard "LOOK MOM! It's blue!" or "LOOK MOM! It's pink!" He talked the entire time and loved it. 

Charlie was even more in to mixing colors and seeing what he could get. I just doing "arts and crafts" as we call them, with the boys. I want my boys to tap in to their creative sides and keep that imagination growing. As you can see, I don't really worry if their hands and fingers get in the dye. I put down Press N Seal all over the island so that if it spilled or dripped, it didn't matter. 

I think the eggs turned out beautiful and we ate a good majority of them the next day for part of our Easter Sunday lunch. Slightly colored deviled eggs make me smile. 

Here they are all dressed and ready for church on Sunday morning. They were super excited that we were going to ride the bus to church. That's how I tore them away from their Easter baskets to get dressed; the promise of riding a cool bus. Really it was us parking in a shopping center beside our church and riding the shuttle over to make room for all the visitors. But to them, it was a super fun adventure. I love that they love going to church on Sunday morning and as Charlie says "learning about Jesus". 

It was a super fun weekend filled with all kinds of activities. Of course I didn't even think to get a family picture that weekend. Go figure! But perhaps my best memory, aside from Charlie saying at each activity "this is the best ever, mom!" was when he told their sitter on Monday that we celebrated Easter that weekend because "Jesus died and rose from the dead!" I was proud he remembered the real reason and wasn't just caught up in the candy and eggs. Boy do they grow up fast!!

See mom! I did get pictures posted for you...just a few days weeks late.  

I think the Easter Egg Hunt will have to be an annual thing. It was just too fun to put together and watch not to. Anyone else have a favorite annual tradition for Easter? 

Visiting the Villes

This post is about 2 weeks late but I like to keep you guessing. You know like posting about New Year's Eve before posting about our Christmas. I like to live on the edge. This is more for posterity than anything else so feel free to skim or just look at the pictures.

Each year, regardless of my age, I've always traveled to the "Villes" for Christmas. Never heard of the Villes? Specifically Waynesville and Reidsville in North Carolina. I've never spent a Christmas anywhere else in all of my 30-something years. So of course, we continue to do the same with my kids. I know that this will eventually end and we will establish a new tradition but until then, we keep it up because it's important to me and I have an awesome husband.

The first leg of our trip was to visit my dad's side of the family. They rented a cute little two-bedroom condo in Maggie Valley (near Waynesville) for the 6 of us to stay in, which was nice. It was especially fun for the boys because there was a river just behind it where they could throw "BIG GIANT ROCKS" (imagine that being said with huge inflection, as Cole often does when something is big)

It was very warm on Friday when we arrived and again on Saturday so they got plenty of rock throwing fun in a short amount of time.

That Saturday night we spent with the family at my Aunt Janie and Uncle Randy's house. I would post pics...but I apparently forgot to bring my camera. Smart. Real Smart. Hoping Aunt Janie will email them to me (hint, hint).

Sunday, while Daniel headed back to Columbia for the night, we headed to Reidsville. Daniel had to travel home to pick up his mom who also travels with us to Reidsville so she can spend Christmas with us. She's now a full part of the Rothrock clan, especially since she discovered moonshine. While there, we had a chance to go out to my Uncle Si and Aunt Carol's house. They bought an old girl scout camp (that my mom actually attended as a child) and have a great pond. They also have a mule named Leroy.

I had hopes that the boys would sit on him (Aunt Carol even put the saddle on) but they refused. They petted him, gave him some apples and carrots then promptly asked if they could go throw rocks in the pond now. Equestrians in the making they are not.

Another huge hit in Reidsville was my cousin Graham. He and his new wife are living in my grandmother's house right now. My kids attached themselves. No really. They stalked him. He would chase them around the house, wrestle with them and build fun pillow towers for them to jump on.

I think what was so meaningful for me was to see the kids play with family. I grew up playing with all my cousins, aunts and uncles and so desperately want that for my children as well. Thanks Graham and Courtney for allowing all of us to descend on your home!

I must also comment/document on the Christmas tree. When Daniel first came to Christmas with me, right after we got married, he first walked in and said "what is that tree? Is it cut off the top of a pine tree!?" and was absolutely incredulous. You see, we have never had a "real" Christmas tree...the kind you get from a Christmas tree farm...that I can really remember. Every year one of my uncles goes out to who-knows-where and cuts down a little pine tree of some sort. My mother-in-law and Daniel find that hysterical.

Some years it's bigger and wider than others. Most years it doesn't fit and then the top gets cut off. It's just another way our family is quirky and uniquely "The Rothrocks". (the decorations are old ones from my grandmother)

Finally it was Christmas Eve dinner. This is when we do a huge dinner, always with roast beef, and get to celebrate. This year we had my grandmother's best friend, Judy, join us again. I remember seeing her every time we visited and I just love her to pieces. She reminds me so much of Gimmer (my grandmother).

We also had my great-uncle Ed come along with one of his daughters, Jane. Uncle Ed is fascinating to talk to and hear about the "old days" and his war days. Reminders of a by-gone era that I still love to learn about.

I believe we had 24 for Christmas Eve dinner this year. We used to have a long table and use silver goblets. Despite things being slowly moved out of the house, we still find a way to get us all around one table, albeit a little less formal. I think I get a lot of my love of hosting and entertaining from my grandmother (and mom for that matter). I would LOVE to host a formal dinner sometime. You know, like a Downton Abbey type dinner. But I digress...

On Christmas Eve we also have a tradition that the youngest (who can read) reads scripture from the bible speaking of Jesus' birth. Cousin Graham has been reading like forever. Charlie is next in line but I think it may be a few more years before he's up for it. Just like his dad (seen in the bottom corner of the picture below), Graham has been reading it for over 20 years.

Then we put birthday candles on a coconut cake and sing happy birthday to Jesus. I always love these traditions. It's what makes family, well family, and I find them extremely important. I'd show you a picture of the cake but I was too busy trying to chase the two rugrats around that I forgot to take one.

Finally it was time to hang stockings. The boys didn't really understand why but did it anyway. Rest assured, next year they will totally remember after seeing all that Santa brought.

If I could, I'd jump into the above picture and squeeze Cole again. I could eat him up in that picture. Charlie was too busy to sit still for a good shot. Maybe next year.

Christmas morning came and Charlie was beside himself. The rule is we all go in to see if Santa came together. And by all I mean all 19 of us. That's hard for a little toddler to wait!

But they did it! They got to go first to see if Santa came and I wish I had been able to capture the sheer delight Charlie had (Cole was still figuring it out). When he saw his pile of presents, he stopped, opened his mouth in a huge grin and then raised his hands in the air out of joy. Cole watched Charlie to make sure it was OK and then dove in.

It was game on. Toys were flying left and right and E.V.E.R.Y.T.H.I.N.G had to be opened right then.

The fun thing is that we all get to sit and open our presents from Santa together. After all, Santa still visits each and every one of us, no matter how old you are. The boys really enjoyed playing with so many people (Their Great Uncle Si is putting together their race track to play with them below)

Then it was off to breakfast, another tradition. Egg/sausage/cheese casserole, applesauce and Moravian sugar cake. Oh how I dream of that breakfast often. I pretty much eat an entire sugar cake by myself. And I *might* steal the sugary-est pieces and hoard them. Hey Santa's already come. I don't have to be nice anymore.

Just kidding Mom.

Not really.

The joy of Christmas was definitely seen in our little family and our extended family. It's always so fun to get together with a loving family and time honored traditions to celebrate our Savior's birth. It's so important to me and I can't wait for my boys to experience the same as they grow up.

Do you have any time honored traditions you hope to pass along to your children? I'd love to hear about them!