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Georgia National Parks State Parks

Skidaway Island State Park – Georgia

On the suggestion of multiple full-time Instagram friends, we stopped at Skidaway Island State Park for a few days on our journey south to Florida. There is a reason they all said it was their favorite spot in the entire country.

Skidaway Island State Park

When we visited: November 2013

Ages of kids: 8,6,3

Highlights: Beautiful trees, spacious campsites, full-hook ups, trails, playgrounds, nature center, clean showers, washer and dryer

I now have a love affair with Spanish Moss and those gorgeous trees. I’d never really even seen Spanish Moss before and this was a perfect introduction. I seriously couldn’t get enough of it, and neither could the kids.

We spent a relaxing 4 days at this state park, but I think I could have stayed for 2 weeks. Located about 25 minutes south Savannah, Georgia, the park is easy to get to, has plenty of activities for kids, and is in close proximity (20 minutes) to a grocery store. There are 2 playgrounds, a nature center, and miles of trails to explore either on bike or on foot. We took the kids on a 3 mile bike ride (we walked, they rode) and explored an old moonshine still (from bootlegging days), and a civil war battery site. They also have patches the kids can earn similar to the Jr. Ranger Badges at National Parks.

My kids also made friends with some other full time kids and they spent hours making “forts” among the palm trees, creating spears out of dead palm fronds, and generally running around having a good time. I definitely recommend staying here and we can’t wait to go back someday!

 

 

Categories
Faith Musings of Sam

Enjoying the Moment of Rachel’s Baptism

photoEvery once in a while, some life event sneaks up on me and suddenly brings me to terms with my age. In September, my oldest daughter Rachel turned 8. I was suddenly reminded that yes, I was old enough and had been married long enough to have an 8 year old child.

Turning 8 is a special milestone in a Mormon’s life, as at the age of 8 you become eligible to be baptized.

Why 8? We believe that young children are unable to commit sin until they have matured enough to be personally responsible for the exercise of their agency. Being baptized is their choice, based on what we’ve taught them  and what they’ve learned from Christ’s life. Is 8 old enough to FULLY understand their choice? Perhaps not. Looking back to my own Baptism (also at 8) I’m satisfied that I knew enough to make the choice. I have certainly grown in my understanding of the Gospel of Christ since then, but I believe that 8 was old enough to make the decision to follow Christ.

In preparation for Rachel’s Baptism, she and I read The Book of Mormon cover to cover. Her reading ability was good enough to navigate scriptural text, and increased dramatically over the months we read together. We started a good 8 months before her birthday, but didn’t really get serious about it till just a few months before our goal. For the 2 months at the end, we were reading 6 pages each evening together. We made it with a few days to spare.

I read The Book of Mormon before I turned 8, and I was happy to share a similar experience with my own daughter. Though her understanding of the scriptures is basic, my own experience hints that the practice of scripture study will benefit from starting at such an early age.

They day of her Baptism was very special for me. Despite a little hectic here-and-there to get ready, it was a very peaceful day. In the LDS faith, every adult male is able to hold the Priesthood and participate in ordinances. Because of that, I was able to be the one to baptize Rachel. As I stepped into the water with Rachel, I was struck by the significance of the moment, and I wondered if I was going to be able to speak clearly enough to perform the ordinance.

I paused for a moment, found my voice, and performed the ordinance. I  gave my big (little!) Rachel a hug, and we climbed out of the water to get changed.

It was a great day, and I’m grateful for family that traveled so far to be with us. I’m grateful for our friends in Virginia that shared the experience with us. I’m grateful for the Gospel of Christ, eternal families, and the blessings of the Priesthood.

And most particularly, I’m grateful for My Rachel.

Categories
This Week on Instagram

This Week on Instagram: Nov 30 – Dec 6, 2013

This Week on Instagram Nov 30-Dec 6

This week: Airstream Ranch in Tampa, Family bike ride (and Sam & I took turns riding a 7 mile lap as fast as we could possibly go), The Tampa Aquarium, swimming at Manatee Springs State Park, put up Christmas lights and had a movie night, parked at St. George Island State Park and played at the beach until after sunset. Its been a good week.

Categories
Holidays & Bdays Mommy Diaries

Thanksgiving Holiday Wrap Up

I’ve always had mixed feelings about Thanksgiving. Growing up, for me, it was a holiday to get together with all of my extended family, play games all day, eat around 3pm, play more games and then eat dessert when we finally thought we could fit it in before heading home late that night. Sam, on the other hand, grew up doing work/service projects in the morning, and eating during the late afternoon after everyone showered. The last 10 years have been a mix of both – sometimes with my family, sometimes with his, always trying to find a holiday routine that fulfilled the needs of our young family.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned as a parent, its that your family needs will change. Constantly. Young kids don’t have the attention span to play games all day (Mom! I’m bored!), nor do they have the skills to engage in an all day work project. Modeling our holiday solely after either family’s traditions has usually ended in frustration. This year, however,  I felt we finally found a good balance for us.

We spent the morning in our pajamas, lazily playing Plants vs. Zombies on the tablet. No kidding. It was fantastic. We showered, got dressed, had a normal lunch and then headed over to our friend’s house in the early afternoon armed with art supplies so the kids could work on their crafts while I helped Cassie with the food. It was great! I helped the kids paint, we made Indian headbands and vests (found via Pinterest, of course), we listened to music, chopped vegetables and talked and laughed in the kitchen.Thanksgiving Wrap Up 01A lot of our success with the kids came down to being prepared. With no cousins to run around and play with, my kids really want to play with us. I’m totally okay with that, it just means that I usually have to bring something to do, and it also means that holidays don’t generally feel like a day off. In fact, they are probably more work. And that’s okay because I want our holidays to be memorable.

Maybe one day we’ll cook our own Thanksgiving feast in our Airstream, but this year we were completely content to be on vegetable chopping, table setting,  and dish washing duty. Thanks again to our amazing friends who helped us create a memorable first Thanksgiving on the road!

Categories
National Parks Washington DC

How to Bike or Walk the National Mall with Kids

During the months we stayed in Northern Virginia, we visited the National Mall and Monuments at least a half dozen times. We learned what worked and what did not. When some friends visited, we planned a tour around the mall with the ages of our kids (and theirs, which match pretty close) and it turned out great. We thought we’d share, for the interest of anyone attempting the same thing.

When we visited: Fall 2013

Ages of Children: 8, 7, 6, 5, 3, 2, 2 months (combined kids of two families. NOT all ours!)

Time: 2.5 hours

Bikes: Three older kids on bikes, and 3 year old on a strider bike. Adults walked, which nicely matched speed of our littlest on the strider bike. Also bring a bike lock  long enough to lock up all the bikes.

Strollers: The 5, 2, and 2 month old rode in 2 different strollers, which also contained stacks and water. If strollers are not needed, those items can be easily carried in a backpack.

Don’t forget to bring: water, snacks, bike lock, the National Mall smart phone app, and pens for your Junior Ranger booklets.

I can’t remember who it was that originally suggested we bring the kid’s bikes with us to the National Mall in Washington DC, but whoever it was, they are a genius. Having their bikes helped our kids last a lot longer, see more, and made the whole outing feel more adventurous. That said, you can still walk the route I propose, just know that if you have little kids you’ll probably need a stroller as the distance is quite far.

Where to park your car? I was so nervous for first trip into Washington DC. I had heard that everyone takes the metro, there’s no parking anywhere, and traffic is terrible. While that last statement is most definitely true, we parked in downtown DC dozens of times and I always seemed to manage to find a spot. To see the National Monuments, there are 2 different places I’d recommend to park. Both are free, 3 hour parking. The first is along Ohio Drive (see bottom of the map). This street runs parallel to the Potomac River and is pretty lengthy, offering many opportunities to park your vehicle. Choose a spot farther south near the FDR Memorial for easiest access to this route. The other option for parking is up behind the Lincoln Memorial on Rock Creek and Potomac Pkwy. If you are coming off the Memorial Bridge, take two quick left hand turns (there also might be a U-turn necessary in there somewhere). I believe there is generally parking on both sides of the street.

After you park, its time to go! Make sure you grab water and snacks and head across the street towards the FDR Memorial. They usually have rangers stationed outside, and you can ask for your Junior Ranger Booklet for the kids. From there you basically walk in a very large circle. FDR Memorial

From the FDR Memorial, walk north to the Martin Luther King Junior Memorial, and then across the street to WWII. There are restrooms located near WWII Memorial that are clean, well-kept and close by. From there, cross the street and head east towards the Washington Monument. At the time of our visit, the WM was under construction (earthquake retro-fit) so we were not able to get tickets and go up to the top. Cut across to the north side of the monument, and then if you go just a little farther east you can get a glimpse of the White House.
Martin Luther King Jr MemorialWashington Monument and White House

Head down the north path back towards the WWII Memorial. Follow the signs for the Vietnam Memorial. The path will take you through the Constitution Gardens, and on the opposite side of the lake you can see the memorial dedicated to the signers of the Declaration of Independence. Walk your bikes through the Vietnam Memorial, and you’ll come out within sight of the Lincoln Memorial. Head over, lock up your bikes and climb to the top. Spend some time checking out the Reflecting Pool, and then when you are ready grab your bikes and head over to the Korean War Veterans Memorial.

Korean War Veterans MemorialOnce you are finished there, you just need to head back! We stopped by the FDR Memorial one last time to turn in our Junior Ranger Booklets and pick up our badges. The kids were also not quite ready to go, so we walked the length of the Memorial (when we started we just saw a small piece and decided we wanted to see the WHOLE thing – totally worth the time) and came out the other side pretty close to our car.

Don’t be afraid to bring your kids to enjoy the National Mall and create some great memories. Our kids loved it, and yours will too!