Poconos Part 1

Regular blog readers know (or if you just know me) that we take at least two family vacation weeks each summer. The first is to the shore to spend time with Rob's family and the second is to the Poconos to spend time with my family. We've been going to the Poconos for six years, and this was our fourth at Split Rock and we had our usual good time. It was very different this year, as it was the first without mom (and grandma) and I'm sure we all had our moments of missing her ... but, as she would have insisted, we found new ways to have fun and enjoy our time with each other.

This blog has photos from the beginning part of the week. First up, we have Hannah and Lizzie at the Walter Francis Dam. We usually go there to walk along the road by the reservoir, but this year there had been waaaaaay too much rain in August (and this was before the hurricane) so the road was under water. Instead we picked weeds flowers and had a picnic:

Rob and the girls standing near where the road is supposed to be, but isn't (well, it's there, but it's covered with water...):

Here's the picnic that we had. Rob had fish from Long John Silvers and Hannah had shrimp. Lizzie and I got stuff from A&W which is (very intelligently) in the same building as LJS, for those of us fried fish/shrimp haters:

It was a little cold or some of the week, but Lizzie managed to get through it in her own unique Little Bit way. That's my jacket she's wearing:

The water park is a huge part of the fun we have at Split Rock. Unfortunately my camera battery died (I was NOT happy that I was relegated to use my point and shoot but did the best I could only to be rewarded with a dead battery!) So, this is Hannah getting ready to go down one o the big slides:

And this is Lizzie getting ready to do the same thing:

This is Hannah on the Wave Rider. I have video of this that I'll post once I edit it:

BRENNA!! We weren't at the Poconos alone ... here's my niece Brenna looking particularly adorable. Even Lizzie referred to her as "so stinkin' adorable!":

Hannah and Liz on a double innertube slide:

Tommy was there, too, and the kids had a lot of fun just playing in front of the condos:

Here are the three girl cousins watching "Victorious" on afternoon:

And here's Brenna taking a picture of Hannah and Lizzie during our annual family dinner in the Poconos:

Hannah waiting NOT patiently for her shrimp:

FINALLY dinner arrives!

Ann, T.A. and Aunt A at one of the tables. (Yes, our family dinner was spread amongst three tables but we were able to make it work because we just played musical chairs -- which was nothing compared to another large party that did get to sit mostly together -- they were arm wrestling and tackling each other around all the tables...):

And here's Uncle A, Beanie and the patriarch and benefactor for the evening Dad (aka Grandpa):

And one of my favorite pictures from the dinner. This is Rob holding court with all the kids as we waited for dinner to be served. It makes me laugh everytime I look at it:

There's more to post! Watch for swimming (which I didn't do), golfing (which I didn't do) and an actual BEAR sighting!! Oh, and off course since Aunt A was there, we had a talent show.