For several years now, the Longmires (my Mom, step-father and youngest brother) and the Giorgios have been taking family trips together every August. We have a really good time. They are easy going and love fun. Ryan was another story... This year we headed south through Southern Virginia into North Carolina and west into Tennessee. Here are the highlights (as brief as I could get for 10 days of travel).
Day 1 (above): Road Trip Shot; headed south.
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Day 1 (right): Poplar Forest. Clearly Ryan was thrilled to be here.
Day 2 (above): D-Day Memorial. Here I did my best to explain D-Day to Ryan without totally freaking him out. He turned to me with tears in his eyes and said, "you should not have told me that. It's too sad." One of his sweeter moments on this trip.
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Day 2 (above): Appomattox. Tristan was amazing this trip! He just went with the flow. He IS Superbaby.
Day 2 (above): Appomattox. Tristan was amazing this trip! He just went with the flow. He IS Superbaby.
There was a lot of this. *
Day 3: No picture. We were in Raliegh-Durham, NC for my brother Nathan, who ended up not coming with us. We had already paid for the hotel...so we went.
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Days 4,5,& 6: Fontana Lake, Western North Carolina and stayed at the Fontana Lake Village Resort (recommend it highly). A lot of water sports. We rented a Pontoon Boat. Ralph drove.
We swam. These were also Ryan's best days. Note to self: Kids don't really care for Historical Sites...odd.
We also rented WaveRunners. I officially want one.
Above: Tristan desperately wanted to go into the water.
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Right: So we finally took him in. He LOVED it!
Day 7 (below left): Drove through the Great Smoky Mountains. Absolutely stunning! Climbed to the top of Clingmans Dome to the Observation Tower. Highly recommend it.
There was a lot of this.
Day 8: We visited an old family friend in Tennessee. She owns a farm and when I was Tristan's age, my family spent quite a bit of time here helping out. Somewhere there is a picture of me peeking out of the top of this barn, so I wanted a picture with my boys. Again, Ry was beyond thrilled to be here. You getting the re-occurring theme of the trip?
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Personal Trivia: I was born in Morristown, TN
Day 9: Natural Bridge in Virginia. Ahh, yeah, that's right, Ryan was...THRILLED to be here too.
Day 10: Home to NJ.
Day 10: Home to NJ.
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We really did have a wonderful time...despite Ryan. In his defense...ah...I've got nothin. How's this? He's 4. Guess I need to remind myself of that more.
Thanks to the Longmires! It was fun as always!
7 comments:
I'll bet if you asked him, Ryan would say he had a blast and he'll remember it as a "great trip when i was a kid!"
I want a waverunner....today.
i think Ryan is headed for the chess olympics - is that a sport? can it be coupled with his running like the wind?
thanks for the highlights - sounds like a great (and exhausting) trip.
i know it was tons of fun and traveling with any child - 0 to 19 - is not always a delight but it also sounds exhausting. however, i would've loved to see all those sights and would be at fontana lake tomorrow.
i agree with rita...ryan is headed for something otherworldly with this chess thing!!!
props to you for even ATTEMPTING to have fun on a family vacation with your <5 child. i won't even try because the whining makes me nuts. i think ryan and henry were cut from the same cloth, and perhaps tristan and charlie as well.
i also...want a waverunner...yesterday.
I am very very jealous of this trip. I would loved to have whoever planned this itinerary do it for me. However, I can so see how Ryan would have been going nuts for most of it..... I remember such trips as a kid.... being in the water and the hotel (and eating) were all I cared about too! Even crabby, he's still cute! And Tristan is just an unadulterated bundle of sweetness.
okay - this sounds exhausting but also sounds like a fabulous annual tradition that you guys have. lake fontana sounds awesome, as does the lodge.
i admire your effort to give ryan a history lesson. i can imagine that this be important to you. my parents took their 3 kids at a young age to D.C. they walked us all over the city giving us history lessons. my little brother threw rocks at my mother as we walked to the lincoln memorial. i don't recall any of the history lessons, but i do recall getting to order room service for dinner.
point being, you'll look back feeling good that you gave your kids some culture. ryan will look back with fabulous wave runner and football throwing memories!
it does sound exhausting, however i'm with the majority, also sounds like a pretty cool time had and lots of sites seen. i'm sure ryan if asked had a great time. i totally understand the need for a vacation from your vacation, we have had a few of those ourselves. thanks for sharing some of the pics and the lake looks pretty cool, maybe we could do a girls trip there next time around????
For anyone still taking the time to look back at this blog entry:
Jessica, we know you didn't mean to suggest that Ryan is an unhappy boy. He's anything but, for all who know him.
However, he's in need of constant stimulation and action, and some of the more boring (to children) things that we grownups do on vacation will, most assuredly, drive someone like Ryan into a funk.
I love you to pieces, precious Ryan!!!
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