A Week in the Shenandoah Valley

Last week we got to spend some time with family. Grandma and Papa, Aunt Vi, Airalyn, and Addison came into town, and we headed out for a week in the Shenandoah Valley. They also brought Sophie and Bella, and Maddie was basically on cloud-nine all week :)

One of our activities for the week was zip-lining and a ropes course! We were able to do that at Bear Mountain Ziplines, and it was a great day for it. You had to be a certain weight for the Mama Bear Zipline, so the kids were able to do the Baby Bar High Ropes Course. 

All ready for the zipline!

Ready for the ropes course!

I was so proud of all three of them for braving the course and conquering their fears! Eli was initially unsure if he even wanted to do the course, but in the end, he jumped right in and had no problem completing the course. Maddie was eager to try and on her first round felt a little uneasy. But she kept at it, and was excited to go again, zipping through like a pro! Aiden was also eager to try, but needed some coaching along the way. But each part that he completed, he grew more confident, and he ended up having "the best day ever!"

We got to see Papa on his final zipline!

The house we were staying at had a pool, and the kids definitely LOVED that. We had a little bit of rain during the week, but there was still plenty of sun to enjoy the pool.

We also made a trip to Luray Caverns. Mike and I had toured them on an anniversary trip a few years ago, but it was fun to take the kids and the rest of the family. It was a lot less crowded this time around! We also walked through the Car & Carriage Caravan Museum, which was fun to see the different cars through time.

We took advantage of the fire pit and had a s'mores night! We had beautiful weather, the view was amazing, and the s'mores were delicious :)

A trip to the Shenandoah Valley is incomplete without a trip to the National Park. We hiked the Little Stony Man trail, and even though it was warm, most of the trail was under trees, and the wind at our peak provided the perfect cool down. It was a great morning hike with Grandma and Papa!

We enjoyed a delicious dinner at The Chop House Bistro in downtown Luray and got to watch a big thunderstorm roll in. It cleared up enough for us to walk down the street for some ice cream and to snap a family photo. 

The rest of our time, we got to play a lot of games {both board/card games, ping pong, and the arcade games in the basement of the house we rented}, watch the NBA Finals {which made Grandma so very sad...}, and just enjoy the beautiful scenery of the Shenandoah Valley. 

It was a great week, and based on the checklist I found in Aiden's things, I think we accomplished all that we needed to :)

{iPhone Rewind} :: January

Maddie made us a "New Year" sign

Enjoying chocolate covered pretzels leftover from our Community Group New Year's Eve party :)

Our friend C had a birthday party at Pinot's Palette, and we got to enjoy a morning of painting!

We had McCullough Christmas over Zoom, and all the cousins got to open presents while wearing matching sweatshirts that Aunt Lindsay made them!

Aiden got an orb for Christmas, and it has been zooming around our house {and getting stuck on the tops of bookshelves} all throughout the month.

We have started some computer adventures! Eli and Madde are learning to type, starting with the basics.

These are the days...

Granny brought some fun Bible books, and Aiden spent hours working on them :)

I had the opportunity to talk to our MOLO ministry about what it looks like to stay committed to spiritual disciplines as a busy mom. They were so gracious toward my lack of speaking skills, but I pray that I was able to share my heart and encourage the young moms in their pursuit of Jesus.

Miss Scarlett went on a mission trip to Jamaica and brought back some Jamaican money for the kids!

Waiting for fresh-baked cookies!

We got a little snow teaser early in the month

We had just finished reading about how Joseph had experienced repeated bad things in his life. Our next subject was cursive handwriting, and Aiden said that "this was the baddest thing he had experienced in his life." Haha. Tough life as a 2nd grader.

We also got a cold temp teaser...

Our church had a family game night, and the kids had a blast!

I will never get tired of this view...

Working hard :)

A little chess on a cold day

And some pretty flowers on a cold day :)