Water! Park!

This is the second of my Pocono posts. See below for post number one.

If you ask Hannah and Lizzie their favorite activity in the Poconos they will tell you in no uncertain terms that it's the indoor waterpark H2oooooh! It opened last year and the girls had a blast running around in the temperature controlled (82 and humid which did WONDERS for my hair!) playground. This year the water park was also Rob's favorite activity, since he didn't go. :)
Since the girls are almost eight and they (not I) were feeling brave I let them try several of the rides and slides that were off limits last year. That included the Flow Rider which is this huge wall of water upon which you ride a boogie board. Here's Lizzie waiting in line for her turn. She's looking at me with that sort of resigned smile on her face because I am yelling, "NO MATTER WHAT, JUST HOLD ON."

Hannah gets her lesson from a David Cook (at least I thought so and if you don't watch American Idol you don't know who he is so you'll just have to take my word for it) look-alike. He's telling her how to push herself off the sides with her feet and I am yelling "NO MATTER WHAT, JUST HOLD ON...":

Hannah was so steady on the Flow Rider that one of the life guards came over and started to shoot the water different ways to see if he could shake her off. (yeah THANKS for that...) He even bounced up and down so that the board would bounce, too. Hannah loved every single second of it, and rode for quite awhile:

Uh-Oh, looks like the ride is almost over as she starts to bounce towards the side of the wall...:

CRASH ... Hannah drifted over to the side of the flow-rider and hopped off to the applause of those watching, except me, because I did not want to encourage another ride (although they both did the Flow Rider twice!):

Lizzie's turn! She hung on for dear life just as suggested by her mother, and managed to get a good long ride:

Until... This is starting to not look good. Once you drift to the left or right of the Flow Rider you get stuck in the rapids, white water, swirling vortex and usually get tossed out. Lizzie managed to hang on a while longer:

Ooops, Lizzie lost her board and started to swirl around in the waves. Should I jump in and save her?:

T.A. and Tommy did not look concerned as they watched the action:

Finally the waves took her back UP to the top of the Flow Rider and deposited her there (all under the watchful eye of the lifeguard who could see she was having fun, but could NOT see that I was NOT having fun...)

This is more my speed as Lizzie hangs out under the mushroom water sprayer:

Tommy working the water guns:

Lizzie getting off one of the slides:

Hannah getting ready to go up the stairs (three flights of them at least) for another turn on the slide. Last year they weren't allowed to go down the slides alone so this was a huge treat for them:


Tommy getting ready to drag a double innertube up the stairs:

Up, up, up, up, up they go:

Here's comes Hannah down the slide:

Then Lizzie came down (this one was in total darkness):

Then Tommy and Lizzie:


I did go down the Family Slide a couple of times, but am grateful there was no one taking pictures! We spent a good five hours at the water park after which I needed a nap. The girls were ready to go back! And are already talking about next year. And with the joy on these faces:

I could hardly say no:

Back Home and Broke

We're back from our annual vacation in the Poconos with the Garrity side of the family, so in honor of my mother's father I used his favorite phrase to title this blog post. He was likely referring to a trip home from the track, but it works here, too.
And speaking of family, this first (of at least two and possible three) Poconos post is all about family, which, for me, is what this vacation is all about. (That and the ice cream at Hog Heaven...)
For the first year ever we were all there (five kids, four spouses, six grandkids, Grandma and Grandpa) at the same time and my mother's sister Brenda and her husband Dick visited too. We were a huge, happy and probably quite loud family group. So I'll take this time to introduce you to my huge, happy and definitely quite loud family as I describe our vacation.
First, the matriarch of the clan... my mom. Mom lives in Florida where it is apparently normal to wear a shirt, a sweater and a jacket to the beach. ;) Seriously, it was cold this week in the mountains so it was actually all the small people in the water who were crazy:



The Patriarch ... my dad, relaxing by the lagoon with his children, grandchildren and gin and tonic:

Sisters! This is my mom and my Aunt Brenda. Brenda lives in Florida, too, which is why she is wearing a sweatshirt jacket indoors:

Aunt Anonymous ... I could tell you more, but then she'd have to kill me:

My brother T.A. and his beautiful wife Ann at Hog Heaven, where we ate lots of ice cream and almost got into a fist fight (okay, not really) with one of the other people in line.

My nephew Tommy at the Lagoon where, since he is under 10, he is not wearing a snowjacket and boots. I heard the water was about 4 degrees about freezing, but since I was so busy taking pictures I ran out of time (ha, ha) to jump in. Tommy, Lizzie, Hannah, Rob and T.A. all swam out to the float, though, and suffered only a little hypothermia:

My niece Brenna charming her Great Uncle Dick with her rendition of "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star."

Great Aunt Brenda and Brenna ... they were singing "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" as part of the G-Family Talent Show:

Aunt Anonymous teaching Hannah and Liz "Stop in the Name of Love" for the Talent Show:

Hannah tries her first fried pickle under the watchful eyes of Aunt Tina and Aunt and Uncle Anonymous. She loved it. Lizzie was next and she did not like it. But she doesn't like pickles. And a fried pickle tastes, well, like a pickle...

The ladies who lunched: Aunt Brenda, my mom, my sister Beanie, my sister Terry and my niece Shelby. This was at Sunset Grill at the resort where we had a delicious meal despite the lack of cranberry juice (although when we left we saw them carrying in a case of it, so that problem was remedied for next year...):

The boys who golfed: My brother T.A., my nephew Casey and my dad. I have no idea who won the game, but I did hear a rumor that Casey won (for most balls lost...):

Hannah and Lizzie at the Francis Walter Dam. They are not from Florida, but needed sweaters (that I had to go out and buy for them because I'm such a great packer - not) because the temp was in the low 60s when this picture was taken:

Me and the Mr. Lizzie took this picture and I'm sure Rob loves it extra because she managed to get our car in there, too:

The whole gang:
Stay tuned for more photos (maybe even later today!) about the activities, including knock-down, drag-out dominos and the WATER PARK.

Simple Women's Daybook

For August 20, 2010

Outside my window... you can just start to get a whiff of fall in the air. It's hot, for sure (as it has been for every single day of this summer) but when you look around you can see some of the leaves starting to get a little blush of red and in the evenings when I take Cash for his midnight walk I have even considered grabbing a sweater. Fall is coming.

I am thinking... that at this time tomorrow I'll be with family in the Poconos. Probably eating pizza. Definitely laughing.

I am thankful ... that Lizzie has finally developed a sense of humor. I'm still hopeful that Hannah will, but for now I'm happy that Lizzie falls on the floor laughing at my jokes because she really does GET them.

From the kitchen... tuna salad made for dinner and not much else. The kitchen is totally in vacation mode although I'm wondering if anyone would think it weird if I took my Keurig coffee maker with me to the mountains. I'm not sure I can be separated from it for a week.

I am wearing... blue polo shirt, blue (a different blue) capri leggings. Everything else I own is either in the laundry, waiting to be packed or packed.

I am creating... my plan 0f action for once school starts. At the moment I'm all about working more, buying an elliptical trainer and working out, baking my own bread and cleaning my house from top to bottom. But I'll probably just take a lot of naps at first.

I am going ... to the Poconos ... haven't you heard??? ;)

I am reading... Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. It was a free Kindle download and I'm liking it much better than I did when I HAD to read it in college.

I am hoping... that we have an uneventful but extremely fun vacation. And that Hannah and Lizzie have at least one good friend in their classrooms next year. Teacher assignments come out next week.

I am hearing... Hannah talking to Rob about the Jump Start program she just finished at school. Cash dreaming that he's chasing something that requires yips an growls.

Around the house... lots of clothes in piles, suitcases open and still pretty empty, phones, ipods, dvd players and all sorts of other electronics charging. Once all that is packed up, things will look pretty good. I like to leave the house in some sort of order when I go away since it stinks to come back all relaxed and have to vacuum right away. (Not that I have ever done that...)

One of my favorite things... The Vicar of Dibley on PBS. I've been watching it via Netflix Watch Instantly and it is so so so so so funny in a Tracy kind of humor way. I seriously stayed up way too late last night watching six episodes and I was laughing so hard I thought everyone else in the house would wake up.

A few plans for the week ahead... eating out, laughing with family, Piggys, Terra Cottage, hiking, swimming, turtle races ... and that's just Sunday... :) VACATION!!!

A picture I am sharing... My friend Kim(berly) visited earlier this week with her absolutely delightful daughter Vivienne (Vivie) whom Hannah an Lizzie tried to impress with their dog imitations. They also played with the zhou zhou pets, american girl dolls and went night, night. Total girly girl afternoon:

For other daybooks go to http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/

Sliding through summer

This is the scene of my almost first heart attack. I know. It looks so innocent and pretty. It's a lovely scene from nature. And, in fact, it IS pretty. This is the backyard of another branch of the Bentley family (my sister's family by marriage) and we were invited for a late summer barbecue and to swim.

And the swimming was lovely. Here's Lizzie enjoying floating around in the baby pool. Better watch out you don't go over the falls... ha, ha, ha.

Cue the scary music. Because right after I saw the above scene, I saw THIS one. Those are Hannah's feet that appear to be sticking out the side of the SLIDE (yes, that's a slide into the pool...) Let's take a look at it from another angle, okay...

Oh yeah, there she is, careening down the water slide flying all over the place at about 127 miles per hour... This is a picture of Rob watching her (these are all different runs on the slide, by the way, which is why the innertube color keeps changing -- you are not losing your mind Aunt Brenda...) and, as you can see, he's very concerned (not) and ready to jump in and save his daughters (double not.) I was having a heart attack every time either one of them came down the big slide. And there WAS a little slide that merely gave me some indigestion...

Hannah, floating happily among the innertubes. I wanted her to STAY in the water, but it didn't happen. For approximately 2 hours ALL they did was go flying down these slides. Eventually I made them eat a hot dog and go home, but I swear to you that they'd still be there trying to kill me with their daredevil moves.

Here's Lizzie landing in the water. Yes, she looks like she's having fun. I guess ONE of us should be having fun.

Here they both are coming down the slide one after the other. Because a SINGLE heart attack was not enough for their poor mama.

Hmmmm, Hannah is thinking, what can I do NEXT to scare Mommy?Oh, I know, I can come down the slide and try to kick another innertube out of the way, right after Lizzie fell out of it...

Ha, Mom, how was THAT???

I just love this picture of Lizzie, which I managed to take after calming down a little, once I realized that they were actually pretty good at sliding. Doesn't she look like she's having a blast?

And here they both are, trying to kill me at the same time again. Lizzie's just come down the small slide and Hannah's trying to catch some air (trust me there was LOTS of air caught) coming down the big slide.
We really all had a great time. Them in the pool and me getting to spend some time chatting with family and eating barbecued chicken. Thanks Scott and Susan! Oh, and Rob thinks this means we don't have to go to the water park in the Poconos this year. I'm pretty sure the girls will NOT agree! They're just practicing.