Poconos - 4th Annual Vacation

We look forward to this special trip every year - at least over the past 4 years.  I can't believe this was our 4th annual trip to the Poconos.  A week of Uncle Joe & Aunt Nancy.  We've been home for almost 2 weeks and Owen & Cammie are already asking when we are going back!

The older Owen and Cammie get, the better this trip gets. 

After our long 9 1/2 hour car ride with a pitstop at Pop and Grammie's for dinner, we arrived at midnight on Friday. This was perfect because cousin Doug and Maria came for the weekend and we wanted to spend time with them.  The kids loved playing with baby Gemma, who is not a baby (almost two).  She loved on Owen and Cammie, hugging them gently and following them everywhere.

First up, feed the deer.  Second up, four wheeler rides.  We ate gourmet breakfast consisting of chocolate chip pancakes and taylor egg and cheese sandwiches. We must mention Alpine Bakery, the best pastries!

We hit the beach where Owen and Cammie learned to kayak.  They had plenty of water gun fights with Uncle Joe.  We watched a momma duck and her six ducklings play in the water and wonder on the beach in search of food.

We visited the Crayola Factory. This is our second visit but it's been two years so this trip was much more fun as the kids were a little older. We made our own puzzles, binoculars, and satchels as we collected crayons around the exhibits to fill our own little box of four and a special certificate.  We added ourselves to coloring pages we got to take home. We colored pictures at the biggest carousel of crayons, a zillion to choose from!  We drew on the indoor sidewalk with chalk and colored a dinosaur cutout with a stick dipped in hot wax. We watched how crayons and markers were made. Do you know how to fix dried up markers?  Drop the tip in warm water for 30 seconds, put cap on and stand marker cap side down for 24 hours.  This extends the life of your marker.  We drew in the dark room with glow in the dark markers and we played with modeling clay.

We had our annual seafood spread with raw oysters, raw clams, and steamed shrimp. Followed by clams steamed on the grill, bread to soak in the juice.  Owen loves raw oysters and clams, topped with just a little cocktail sauce for flavor.  Cammie tried a raw oyster but did not care to swallow it. But she tried!

Owen and Cammie loved evening book time with Aunt Nancy.  Their favorite is "There's no such thing as a dragon".

We had our first "Family Float Trip" down the Lehigh River with Pocono WhiteWater, located just minutes from the house .  It was a Class II rapid with maybe a Class III along the way.  Owen & Cammie were so excited for this 8 mile trip down the river; they had no idea what to expect.  The first hour was a little rough for Cammie - she was scared!  The river was low, so it was the boat going over a lot of rocks - us struggling to get through the super small rapids with Cammie screaming to get off the river.  FINALLY we came to a swim spot, time for play.  Erik and Cammie got in the river (where she peed, huge relief for her) and then the trip took a huge turn.  Cammie LOVED the new adventure and embraced the bumps, rocks, small rapids, and even helped us paddle.  Owen was a little quiet at first but kept an open mind.  He warmed up as well, helping us paddle and even going for a swim in the river.  It was a fantastic (exhausting) day - what an awesome adventure for us all!

There was plenty of rides of the 4-wheeler and 3-wheeler; this adventure sometimes included the spotting of a brown bear, a buck, and even a rattlesnake (yikes)!

We took a quick trip to "Split Rock".  The picture says it all....

Owen and Cammie are getting very creative with their own adventures through the woods, up and down trails, climbing over rocks and sometimes just sliding down the dirt.  Always next to the house, their imaginations took them to a far away place.  It was awesome to watch!

Can you believe that a brown bear came back to visit us... our very last day!

See you in August 2013 :)