Tag: Sisterly Love

The setting sun casts its magical warmth over Cedar Key Beach as my girls and I explore all that we can find in the salty sands beneath our feet. Sand, surf, and the everchanging tides make way for starfish, shells, crabs, jellyfish, barnacles, seaweeds, and more! Check out all our albums below to see everything we found! But, most importantly, no matter what we find along our journeys, we’ll always have each other. I took a few hundred photos, so I broke them down into a few albums: Album One: Starfish of Cedar Key! Album Two: Shells of Cedar Key!…

One prominent feature of the Columbus, Georgia skyline is the Eagle & Phenix Mills Water Tower. It can be seen from countless vantage points throughout the city, and lends well to the historic, industrial vibe of the entire downtown area of Columbus. And it makes for some great photo fun! If you’d like to see a list of all the Family Friendly Things to Do in Columbus, Georgia, CLICK HERE Columbus is a FABULOUS destination, and we love it! If you are interested in reading up on the history of Columbus, Georgia, Click on any photo below!

Love my girls… And, fortunately, they love each other! #siblings#love

No trip would be complete without Boba Tea! I mean, uh, no trip could start without Bubble Tea! Oh, heck, Honeydew Bubble Tea, what a way to welcome us to Canada! Our first stop in Winnipeg, getting started right!

One of the most geologically active cave systems in the United States, Raccoon Mountain Caverns makes a great family-friendly activity while visiting the Chattanooga, Tennessee area. Cave Tours allow you to get up close and personal with all the underground rock formations. The gift shop offers a plethora of geologic specimens; beautiful handcrafted jewelry; and fun, educational souvenirs for the take-home. If you’d like some real hands-on learning activities the whole family will enjoy, try the mineral panning experiences. They offer many different specimens, via your choice of gems, emeralds, fossils, and even arrowheads. Dig, sift, sort, or pan your…

Chattanooga, Tennessee is another absolutely HOT Family-Friendly Destination! Hanging out at the Chattanooga Choo Choo is definitely one of the fun things on that list! You can check out the gorgeous historic train station; and then exit towards the back to enjoy the Glenn Miller Gardens, a myriad of manicured gardens, flowers, fountains, and, of course, the train cars on the tracks! The historic train cars can be rented as hotel rooms, and many are set up for an ideal romantic evening if you happen to be looking for a lovely date night experience. And the hotel itself offers less…

Most kids LOVE trains! Mine always have! The Historic Huntsville Depot has an extensive collection of both indoor and outdoor exhibits through all eras of railroad history in and around the Alabama region. The Huntsville Depot was a passenger station until the late 1960’s. Now listed on the National Register of Historic Places, this preserved historic facility offers great fun for all ages. Even the youngest kids will enjoy playing in the Little Toots play area! Historic Huntsville Depot is a unit within the Early Works Family of Museums, which also includes Alabama Constitution Hall Park and Museum, and The…

Oh, what a fabulous way to spend an afternoon! Early Works Children’s Museum is a HUGE history museum, focused on the timeline of the State of Alabama, but geared specifically for kids! Hours upon hours worth of fascinating hands-on exhibits throughout a VERY well done series of rooms themed by historical era. Run an old-fashioned general store market, hear legends from the Story Tree, make music, dress up in period costumes, cook a meal over an open hearth… Spin cotton, board a wagon towards new discoveries, work on a flatboat… Immerse yourself in Black and African History, and honor the…

In the very heart of Downtown Huntsville, Alabama you will find Big Spring International Park. Be sure to spend time with some of the park’s most popular permanent residents! The friendly ducks, spirited geese, and colorful koi fish! Pay stations set up throughout the park give kids a chance to feed their new avian and aquatic friends a healthy diet for just a few quarters in the slot. We visit Huntsville pretty frequently and never miss a chance to stroll along the lake and canals, feeding our hungry buddies along the way! Check out all the baby ducklings, too! They’re…

A lovely day on the Lora Blevins Farmstead in the Bandy Creek region of the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area. Click on any photo below to learn more about planning a trip to the Big South Fork Region! Located in Upper Middle Tennessee, the Big South Fork NRRA, a unit of the National Park Service, is one of the most beautiful mountain regions in all of the United States! Some of the most breath-taking scenery along hiking trails can be found here. Prettier than the Great Smoky Mountains, in my humble opinion, with none of the traffic!

A beautiful Spring Day calls for a lovely hike in the woods! We hit up the Bandy Creek Loop in the Big South Fork NRRA between Jamestown and Oneida, Tennessee. Lots of unique birds and insects, as well as colorful wildflowers were also making their way out into the warm and pleasant sunlight! Check out this adorable grouse! And an even cuter tiny human!

Cave Tours are the big draw to Mammoth Cave National Park, in Mammoth Cave, Kentucky. But, before or after you’ve done yours, make sure you spend some time relaxing, having fun, and letting the kids be kids! Working on a Junior Ranger Badge will have you exploring caves, trails, museum exhibits and the grounds… And in between making progress in their books, the kids were having a blast in the sunshine! These are the best moments in life. No rushing, no worries… Just the natural moments of joyful play, siblings loving one another, and LOADS of happy shenanigans! These ARE…

Hiking down the River Styx Spring Trail in Kentucky’s Mammoth Cave National Park makes for a lovely afternoon! Hiking back up, notsomuch! Ha! It was a little rough in spots on the up hill for our gang, but it was definitely worth it! Are you planning a trip to Mammoth Cave National Park? Click on any image for Resources to Help Maximize YOUR Family’s Fun Efficiency!

After an early afternoon flying kites at Cumberland Mountain State Park’s Kite Day Event, we spent some time hanging out on their playground with some of our new friends. Cumberland Mountain State Park maintains a regular schedule of fun events throughout the year for families. It is also a lovely destination for camping, hiking, biking, and paddling. If you find yourself in or around the Crossville or Middle Tennessee area, be sure to check them out. Over the years, we’ve attended Easter Egg Hunts, Birds of Prey Shows, Kite Day, and more! It’s always a great time in a gorgeous…

I don’t believe any of us are particularly GOOD at flying kites, But we sure had a blast! In all honesty, we did better than we ever have with them! Cumberland Mountain State Park maintains a regular schedule of fun events throughout the year for families. It is also a great destination for camping, hiking, biking, and paddling. If you find yourself in or around the Crossville or Middle Tennessee area, be sure to check them out. Over the years, we’ve attended Easter Egg Hunts, Birds of Prey Shows, this Kite Day Event, and more! It’s always a great time…

After a busy day Exploring Rock Island State Park in Rock Island, Tennessee, we spent the rest of the afternoon on the beach, building a driftwood fort along the banks of the Caney Fork River! The kids gathered wood, constructed a fort, and then pretended to be a wild family; hunting their food, planting their gardens, cooking their meals, and tending to their daily homesteading duties. Some of my most precious moments as a mother are watching my kids engaged so deeply in creative, imaginative, cooperative play that lasts for hours! I love witnessing their imaginative wheels turning; listening to…

My little monkeys… They almost got the See No Evil, Hear No Evil, Speak No Evil Monkeys down pat! Sometimes you’ve just to stop and be silly! See Silly, Hear Silly, Speak Silly! Oh, and something about The Falls City Cotton Mill and the gorgeous waterfalls below! Check out ALL our adventures in Rock Island State Park in Rock Island, Tennessee! We’ve been working our way through the beautiful units of the Tennessee State Park System. Today’s adventures took us climbing, hiking, scrambling, waterfalling, and playing on the beach at Rock Island State Park in Rock Island, Tennessee! What a…

In the heart of Rock Island State Park, Spring Castle is a quaint little late 19th century-era structure, that remains today, looking quite magical, and even fairy-like, upon the hill on which it towers! Back in the day, it’s much more practical purpose likely consisted of providing refrigeration for the workers of the adjacent Falls City Cotton Mill. But, for now, it is, indeed, a majestic Fairy Castle deep in the enchanted woods! We’ve been working our way through the beautiful units of the Tennessee State Park System. Today’s adventures took us climbing, hiking, scrambling, waterfalling, and playing on the…

We’ve been working our way through the beautiful units of the Tennessee State Park System. Today’s adventures took us climbing, hiking, scrambling, waterfalling, and playing on the beach at Rock Island State Park in Rock Island, Tennessee! What a wonderful collection of adventures, and the kids had such a great time enjoying their hands-on fun in The Great Outdoors! I think we could all use a little more unstructured time outside, just playing, exploring, digging, building, pretending… Just living naturally…

One of our most valued traditions… Easter Egg Hunting! With over 400 chocolate-filled eggs hidden on 4 acres of land, it’s always quite the adventure!

Let the Easter Fun begin! Build-a-Bears! LEGO Minecraft! NERF Guns! Eeboo Games! Bubbles! And a whole lot of chocolate goodness! Ribby loves her new Bunny Babies, and Trillian dove right into her LEGO set! I’d say the Easter Bunny treated us well!

One of our favorite day trips is heading to Cookeville, Tennessee to check out The Heart of the City Playground located in Dogwood Park! So many fun activities on all of the awesome equipment! Look at all the smiles! I often recommend that families traveling along Interstate 40, that are looking for a stop between Knoxville and Nashville, consider taking a leg-stretcher in Cookeville to let the kids burn some energy on The Heart of the City Playground! There’s also a great free history museum, the Cookeville History Museum. And the fun, also free Cookeville Depot Museum and Train. Cookeville,…

With some of the most scenic trail options in the Georgia State Park System, Cloudland Canyon State Park offers up incredible hiking opportunities with highly rewarding mountains vistas! With mostly mild Georgia winters, hiking in the mountains can be enjoyed year-round! So, c’mon, and join us on the trail into Cloudland Canyon! Need some Toddler Hiking Gear? We’ll be working on a guide for that, but in the meantime, check out some carriers and hiking boots HERE!

Trillian’s 12th Birthday was celebrated in grand historical style, spending the afternoon touring the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina. Biltmore has long been one of our favorite family destinations. I’ve been coming here since I was a kid, as a matter of fact. I remember all the trips I’ve taken with my mom and my grandmother. We’ve been Biltmore Annual Pass Holders pretty consistently since I was about 15 or 16. Easter, Christmas, Birthdays… Many a family holiday event has been honored with an afternoon on the estate of America’s Largest Home!

After a day of hiking, rock scrambling, birding, wildlife viewing, and Junior Rangering throughout Antelope Island State Park, we’re finally here, along the sandy shores of the Great Salt Lake! If you know anything about the Great Salt Lake, I’m not going to sugarcoat it and tell you it’s a lovely day at the beach. Because, well, it might LOOK absolutely stunning…. But, the “noseeums” are a rather pesky species of insect that resides in the sand, thus making your time on the beach more of a wild safari experience, instead of a quaint time to relax and unwind. And,…

Bison, Coyotes, Antelope, and Mule Deer, oh my! Wildlife is everywhere on Antelope Island! And Buffalo Point Trail is an excellent choice to see it all! Check out ALL of Our Adventures on Antelope Island! Or, better yet, check out Everything We’ve Done in the Gorgeous State of Utah! Looking for travel inspiration for your own vacation planning? Check out our Utah QUIKLISTS! If you need Utah travel books, CLICK HERE, or on any photo below!

Even to the day you are reading this post, rock scrambling along Lady Finger Point Trail at Antelope Island State Park remains one of our favorite things we have ever done together as a family. My kids absolutely LOVED every second of climbing, scrambling, scooting, and hiking through these fun rock formations along the coast of the Great Salt Lake. If your kids love to rock climb, consider a trip to Antelope Island State Park, and take some time to play along the Lady Finger Point Trail! I hope you love it as much as my crew did! Lady Finger…

Two very happy girls tonight… Trillian with her Birthday Loot… And Alysia… Because Trillian is an awesome sister, and shared most of her Birthday Shopping Spree Money with her… They each got some new dolls… And TONS of clothing and accessories! Birthday Bliss, for sure! Because even the best moments… Are all the more magical when they are shared with those you love!