Family Outings: SkyTop Apple Orchard
We made it to SkyTop Orchard this year! We surprised the girls one Saturday morning by taking a road trip to SkyTop Orchard in North Carolina. Several friends had told us that it is a great place to go apple picking so we decided to check it out!
Too busy watching everybody and everything around them to look at the camera! Pausing for a moment to take a picture by the Sky Top 2011 Apple. There were so many people and activities going on that they girls were just mesmerized.
Hey MOM! Is this a good one? Karlie loved picking the apples straight from the tree. It didn’t take us long with four people picking to fill up our baskets!
Looking for juicy apples to pick! Karlie and Brina looking through all the apples on the branches for the ripe and juicy ones to pick. They got pretty good at picking out the perfect apples!
Brina pleased with the apple she found. Brina found a good one! She was so excited when she found a perfect apple to put into the basket.
Walking with Daddy through the apple orchard There were a lot of apples on the ground. Some of them were whole while others were turning into mush. If you stepped on a mushy apple you feet would slide. The girls held our hands when we were walking longer distances to help prevent them from sliding around so much on the slick apples.
Girls - Look Daddy there's a good one up there! Daddy - You want which one?! You know the saying “the grass is greener on the other side of the fence” well the same thing applies to apple picking. The perfect apple is always at the top of the tree out of reach!
Daddy gave the girls a few boosts to get some of the "perfect" apples at the top of the trees! Thankfully with a little boost from Daddy the girls were able to get some of those pretty apples up on top. They thought it was neat that they could reach the apples without climbing the trees.
Brina and Karlie playing on SkyTop's playground Another highlight for the girls was playing in the houses and on SkyTop’s playground. They had a blast checking out all the fun houses, slides, and fun activities.
Two sweet girls peeking through the playhouse window at me! As I was watching them play I caught them peeking at me through the window. Cute! Love those two girlies so much and thankful for an opportunity to go on a family adventure together. Great memories!
Brina Bee climbing up the wall Brina proudly climbed up the climbing wall. She came over to me and said Mom that is a lot easier then the ones that you have to get buckled into. Brina loved seeing all the babies and little kids at the orchard. Glad she had a great time!
Karlie Kook Kat peeping through the window. Sweet picture of Karlie peeping out the window. It is amazing to see how much they have grown up over the last few months.
Giant haybale spider The girls thought this giant spider was hilarious! They had fun climbing all over it!
Our family at SkyTop! We had a blast together picking apples and playing at SkyTop Apple Orchard!
One bushel of apples We picked one bushel (approximately 42 pounds of apples)! These apples were delicious! It was a lot of fun to eat them plain and in a lot of dishes from apple crisp to apple pie to applesauce to apple smoothies and more!
Family Outings: All Star Greenville Drive Baseball Game
Karlie and Brina in their Greenville Drive All Stars Shirts Karlie and Brina received their Greenville Drive All Star TShirts for completing the reading program through the library. They were super excited to get the free Tshirts, to walk in the parade, and to get free tickets to a Greenville Drive baseball game!
Brina and Karlie walking in the "All Star" parade before the Greenville Drive game The girls were loving the “parade” around the field before the Greenville Drive game. They were amazed at all the dents in the scoreboard from all the baseballs hitting it. I think it surprised them that the balls would hit it so hard. The shirts were really big (one size fits all) so they had a hard time figuring out how to wear them without them being a dress, in this picture Brina is just holding hers up and Karlie has her tied up.
Watching the Greenville Drive play baseball! The girls loved watching the Greenville Drive baseball games. They really started getting into the games, really cute. It was a great activity with the family and we had extended family join us for this game (Luke, Kristen, and Hudson) as well making it even more fun!
Hanging out at the game with Daddy Thanks Daddy for getting us great seats! The girls got free tickets for finishing the reading program and Daddy was able to get the rest of us seats through work! We had a blast even though the Greenville Drive didn’t win that night!
Travel & Vacation: Family Fun – Boston, MA
Going to church with our cousins! The girls had a blast spending time with their cousins in Boston. They thought it was great getting a chance to go the early service at their church!
Beach time! The girls having a blast at a Boston beach. Their first exclamation after getting out of the van was “BEACH ROCKS” and then proceeded to collect all the beach rocks they could carry. The beaches in the South have seashells but not beach rocks so they were convinced these were amazing commodities and should gather them all. They quickly learned that the New England beaches contained MANY beach rocks. I think we still managed to collect a few but not nearly as many as they initially intended.
Jen picked up some fun Red, White and Blue Star Marshmallows for S'mores! Both the kids and adults had a blast roasting these cool marshmallows over the fire! They made awesome S’mores!
Daddy and Beanie watching the waves on the edge of the water! The water was MUCH colder in Boston (compared to South Carolina and Georgia). Everyone had a grand time swimming in the water. I was actually surprised how long the kids stayed in the water with it being so chilly!
Brina concentrating on roasting her marshmallows. It’s not every day you get to roast marshmallows on the beach in your swimsuit, life jacket and covered in sand. What a great day!
Karlie roasting her stack of Red, White & Blue marshmallows! Karlie talking and roasting. We had to make her go wash off before doing the marshmallows because she was covered in sand from head to toe, she loves playing (digging) on the beach!
Brina at the beach! Brina being festive at the beach. It was a lot of fun playing at the beach for several hours!
Karlie hanging out at the beach! Karlie stopping only for a moment for me to snap a picture. She was enjoying her time swimming and playing the in sand!
The base to a bonfire near us on the beach! It was hilarious watching the guys carry out the jungle gym, it was the base to a big bonfire next to us.
Karlie contemplating her next sand project! Karlie was frequently found creating a castle, a big moat, or some other creation in the sand.
Beach chickies! They love the beach so much it is such a chore trying to get them to pause for a picture! Jen picked up the snazzy head bands and stickers, super cool!
The jungle gym is now buried under all the other stuff, it's going to be a big bonfire! The bonfire is getting bigger! There were HUGE bonfires up and down the beach. This was one near us. From where we were located we could see 12 other ones!
The jungle gym bonfire is up in flames! It was amazing how big the bonfires were on the beach. You could look down the beach and see rows of them!
We had a blast spending time with our family up in Boston! Thanks Matt and Jen for sharing your weekend and family with us. We had a lot of fun relaxing and seeing the area with the whole family. Thankful for the opportunity to spend some time with everyone. It was a lot of fun hanging out and exploring the area. Many amazing memories were made over the weekend!
“A Vacation To Remember” series is a reflection on our recent trip and ways we relaxed. Life is short and we were thrilled to have the opportunity to build memories with family and explore of of the most amazing places during our time away. Go with a good attitude and looking for fun and it will be an awesome trip jammed packed with positive memories. It is refreshing having some time away from the regular routine. Make it a once in a lifetime opportunity to meet new people and learn. You just might see or try something new that takes your breath away!
Travel & Vacation: Downtown Charleston, South Carolina
Daddy's Girls! Brina and Karlie walking with Daddy in downtown Charleston. They love their Daddy and always are full of so many questions that he so patiently answers for them. Thankful they enjoy exploring with us!
Exploring the "Charleston City Market" We walked through the Charleston City Market during a recent trip to Charleston. The Market has a variety of different vendors including people hand making baskets, the girls found it very fascinating.
Brina taking a drink of the soda. Daddy bought us a Peach Soda to share, Brina thought it was yummy!
Karlie enjoying her drink! Karlie thought it was so funny that they made soda out of peaches!
Karlie and Brina running through the fountain. This was their first run through the fountain as they were running back to me they stated, that water is COLD! They eventually got soaked and had a blast even though the initial water was chilly.
Karlie in the middle of the fountain. Karlie was the first one of our girls to make it to the middle of the fountain. The water had some force behind it, most of the kids in the middle were older. She was thrilled to make it to the middle all by herself!
Brina made it to the middle too. Brina didn’t want to hang out in the middle of the fountain. She was excited to make it to the middle and just as excited to run out of the spray from the water.
Thankful for our opportunities to explore Charleston, SC this summer. The girls have been enjoying our time traveling together. It has been a fun summer full of new memories with the family.
“A Vacation To Remember” series is a reflection on our recent trip and ways we relaxed. Life is short and we were thrilled to have the opportunity to build memories with family and explore of of the most amazing places during our time away. Go with a good attitude and looking for fun and it will be an awesome trip jammed packed with positive memories. It is refreshing having some time away from the regular routine. Make it a once in a lifetime opportunity to meet new people and learn. You just might see or try something new that takes your breath away!
Family Outings: Strawberry Picking
We went Strawberry picking this past weekend and had a blast! The entire family was picking so we had our gallon done in no time. We stopped by Hunter’s Farm in Easley, South Carolina. The strawberries were $8.50 a gallon if you pick your own and bring your own container. Here are a few pictures from our adventure Strawberry Picking:
Karlie and Brina picking fresh strawberries at Hunter's Farm! 
Brina with a handful of strawberries! 
Karlie with a handful of strawberries! 
Brina showing off her strawberries! 
Karlie showing off her goodies! 
Brina enjoying her time picking up strawberries! 
Gallon full of fresh strawberries! 
Fresh Strawberries!!! Family Outings: 2011 Reedy River Duck Derby (Greenville, SC)
Are you looking for something fun to do this weekend with your family? If you are near Greenville, South Carolina and want to participate in a fun activity with the family you should check out the 2011 Reedy River Duck Derby.
Specific Date / Time Information:
- Event – 2011 Reedy River Duck Derby
- Date – Saturday, May 7, 2011
- Time – 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM
- Location: Falls Park on the Reedy River, Greenville, South Carolina
- Duck Race – 2:30 PM
- Starting Point for Duck Race – Main Street Bridge
- Duck Prices – $5.00 each or 6 for $25.00
What is the Reedy River Duck Derby?
- The Rotary Club of Greenville puts on a great event to benefit local charities such as Mauldin Miracle League, Greenville Area Interfaith Hospitality Network, EarlyAct FirstKnight, and other local charities. You can adopt a duck(s) for your family for $5.00 each or 6 ducks for $25. You can cheer for your duck(s) as it races along with thousands of other ducks down the Reedy River, over the falls and to the finish line. The winning ducks will be awarded prices.
How many ducks can I buy?
- As many as you want. It is $5.00 per duck or $25.00 for 6 ducks.
What are the Prizes for winning?
- Grand Prize – 1 Year Supply of Groceries at Bi-Lo
- 2nd Place Prize – Painting by Kavita Ball sponsored by Urban Peacock
- 3rd Place Prize – Child Care Tuiton Fees sponsored by Park Place Children’s Center
- 4th Place Prize – Greenville Charm Bracelet sponsored by JB Lacher Jewelers
- Plus Over 30 Additional Prizes to be awarded sponsored by local businesses (here are a few)
- Theater Ticket Packages – Camelot Theaters
- Park Passes – Greenville County Recreational District
- Pottery Lessons for 12 – Vitti Tile and Pottery
- Photography Sessions – White Blaze Photography
- Guest Package with golf 2 Guests for 2 Nights and 2 Rounds of Golf – Embassy Suites
- Gift Package – Hampton Inn Riverplace
- Weekend Gift Package with Breakfast – Courtyard by Marriott Downtown
- And Many More Great Prizes!!!!
What other activities are going on downtown Greenville during the Duck Derby Event?
- The Duck Derby Activities begin at 10:00 on Saturday, May 7, 2011
- Games
- Activities for Kids
- Entertainment
- Local Artist Exhibits
- Mauldin Miracle League Game
- Balloon Artists
- Face Painting
- Magicians
- Hoola-Hooping
- Musical Groups
- Demonstrations & Interactive Activities for Kids
The Reedy River Duck Derby is a fun filled day with activities and entertainment for the whole family, plus it benefits many wonderful local charities. For more information about the upcoming 2011 Reedy River Duck Derby please visit the Reedy River Duck Derby website.
