Got up, got showered and dressed, and ate. Seems like any other day, doesn’t it? Well, when there are 8 people to get ready and 4 of them basically can’t or won’t fend for themselves and you’re outside (and have been all night) it just gets a lot more….interesting. Thankfully, Josiah and the other kids slept well overnight, so we were pretty much ready to hop up and go. Josiah woke up first, around 6:30, so he was tired pretty quick. We had extra chores this morning because Papa &Grandmere had to pack up all their stuff and be ready to head home after lunch, not to mention the battery in their vehicle was dead because something (trunk light?) had been on for a very long time.
We made it to the Crossroads area and immediately got in line for the SkyHike. This place is basically an ultra-safe ropes course. Each person wears a harness and is attached via rope to a channel above you. The channel allows you to slide your rope with you along each challenge and on the platforms between challenges. Zoe decided she wanted to do it with Abbie and I, so we waited in line for nearly an hour while Papa and Grandmere played with the boys on a smaller course and playground. We would have been able to do it about 2 minutes sooner if the folks in front of us had not kept allowing more kids to “literally” jump the fence and join their party. It made me think of an adaptation of an adage I learned in school…”Failure to prepare for the adventure (i.e., wearing the proper footwear) does not constitute me allowing you to jump ahead of me in line.”
Nevertheless, we suited up and got locked in the channel. There were various spans you had to cross via 2 possible tracks – one was relatively easy and the other more difficult. Zoe did a great job of overcoming her fear and focusing on crossing the 25 foot or so span. Some were just narrow boards to walk on, others were various adaptations of a rope bridge. She got scared a couple of times but with some encouragement and direction made it all the way around the lowest level of the course (12 feet off the ground). Abbie enjoyed it, too, but after trying some of the “hard” obstacles stuck with the easier side for most of the level. I enjoyed watching Zoe do so well and being able to help her and swing along off the ground without fear of falling (because of the harness). >>Abbie note: Zoe also had several people on the ground cheering her on through one part. And a gracious Stone Mtn. worker helped her through the low course which was very sweet
Camping on Stone Mountain Day 2
Got up, got showered and dressed, and ate. We headed over to Stone Mountain for some of the attractions. We rode the Skylift. Mark had Liam on his pack, I had Josiah in the sling and Ace and Zoe were set with walking. They loved the lift and the mountain. Me??? Well, I survived it and was glad to be on the bottom at the end. It was a hot day. We were blessed that everywhere we went, there was no wait. We got right on the Sky Lift. Got our lunch and headed straight to the Great Barn without any trouble.
The Great Barn was a neat indoor/air conditioned place where the kids could collect foam balls called fruit to get points etc…they could also shoot them at each other, do different activities and go down two four story slides. And they had three little climbing/playing areas for little ones Josiah’s age. He loved it but was really tired. It had a mesh area around it so the littles wouldn’t get hit by balls. Ace and Liam got to go down the slide, but Zoe was busy and missed it. She was also really tired that day and took a good nap when we got back to the campsite.
Then we all slathered up and got our suits on and headed for the pool to cool off. It was wonderful to get wet and cool. The kids all loved it.
After swimming, it was back to the site to enjoy supper, watermelon, s’mores, and sleep. The kids all got to sleep by 10 and were happily close to sleep when the fireworks started across the mountain. They mostly slept through them, although they were pretty loud. All in all, an “uneventful” day…again, the kids loved every single part of the trip. Josiah slept much better, too.
Camping on Stone Mountain Day 1
We arrived on site and rushed to set up the tent and get unloaded so the kids could take a nap and we could eat and go to the laser show. Phew! Busy time. Josiah was so excited about being here he couldn’t sleep.
In our rush to get things unloaded, the boys down, etc, we had our first adventure. Zoe was inadvertently directed to some clear fluid that we thought was water but turned out to be lighter fluid. We did not realize that it was lighter fluid and she took a small drink of it. Mistake #1.
We realized pretty quickly what had happened (thankfully before Grandmere could drink some) and proceeded to figure out what to do. Now, I know what to do and what not to do…I didn’t then. Don’t make someone throw up that’s swallowed a liquid chemical. Typically, the liquid will flush out of their system on it’s own. However, if they throw up, it could go back into the lungs causing chemical pneumonia. Mistake #2.
God was watching over us so sweetly and even though I made Zoe throw up, she did not have any adverse reactions. Praise God for His mercy on Zoe. That was enough adventure for her. After a couple of hours of cuddle time with Grandmere, she was up and her normal self.
After our adventure and supper, we headed to the laser show via the water taxi. To say the kids enjoyed every part of this trip is putting it mildly. The taxi was a hit. As was the laser show.
We decided to go on the 3rd instead of the 4th thinking it might be a little less crowded. You’ll see in our pictures from day 2, we made the right choice. We got there, found a great spot and settled in. We also saw the exact same show and fireworks as was done on the 4th…they do them the 3rd through the 5th for the Birthday celebration. This is the 25th anniversary of the show and it was absolutely wonderful. The fireworks were beautiful! The kids were amazed and loved all of it. Ace got tired towards the end, but he made it without much complaining. Liam loved it…Zoe thought it was cool and gave it a thumbs up.
Josiah didn’t make it though and because of his lack of sleep that day and falling asleep on the boat to the campsite, he was up and down all night.
While waiting on the water taxi, one of the workers at the marina gave the kids some food to feed to the ducks. They thought that was really cool.
Oh, and happy birthday to my wonderful husband! Enjoy, because next year, you’ll finally be 30!!! I love you and am so glad you are mine. I hope you had a wonderful birthday even though we forgot the dutch oven (among other things) and had to have your “cake” three days later.
