Caleb loves his cousins and he also loves birthday parties so when he heard that Bryce was having a party at Conder’s he was all in. Bryce comes from a family of paintball players; Dad, big bro Michael and big bro Jonathan all play and now he’s at a good age to dive in to the field and get marked up. Bryce had a good crowd of friends and a couple of their dads played too. We had about 14 ballers on the field today.
Halloween Festivities
Halloween is coming to a close for the MeddersNation, but I have to say we had a wonderful time and it was exciting to watch Caleb pridefully glide around on his Strider balance bike in his Evel Knievel costume that Aimee and I had the pleasure of putting together.
Festivities officially started on the 16th when we went to Bernheim Forest for Colorfest with the FirquinNation and then a little over a week ago Caleb visited a farm down the road from our house called Wooden Farms to pick out some pumpkins and gourds. This past Saturday, we attended the 2nd Annual Barzee Pumpkin Carving Party at John and Beth’s house followed by Trunk or Treat at Allen and Beth’s church on Sunday. The parking lot was blocked off, trunks were decorated, and flash mob dancing was in full effect. Caleb wore his M and M costume for this event and his day care party on Monday.
Halloween night: Daddy rushed home from work a half an hour early to help get Caleb ready, then we headed out the door to catch up with the rest of the gang, and to tear up the streets! Caleb rode his Strider practically the entire time we were trick or treating; only showing fatigue with about a block and half to go. He climbed up hills, through the grass, and up stairs to get candy from happy greeters. He said the magic words, “Trick or treat” and kindly said, “Thank you” after receiving treats. Riding his Strider and sporting that awesome Evel Knievel costume drew a lot of attention from kids and parents alike as he strode from door to door. Most of the time, he just wanted to ride down the sidewalk and we had to remind him to, “Follow your cousins” so he would make the sharp rights towards candy-giver’s doors. Aimee had such a great idea and I’m thankful we were able to compile it into a costume he was comfortable wearing. Great job Aimee! What will you come up with next year?
Thanks to all the family we walked along with tonight! We know that Caleb absolutely loves being around his cousins and it is times like this we cherish most of all.Â
Summer Fun at Holiday World and Splashin’ Safari
On Thursday, we loaded up 3 vehicles with 14 people and voyaged to Santa Claus, IN for a day full of fun at Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari. We arrived as the park was opening, excitedly unloaded our cars, purchased our tickets with a group discount, and half the crew went to secure a shady spot in the water park where we spent most of our day and the rest headed for the roller coasters before the lines grew.
Caleb spent most of his time in the water park. Particularly in the area called Safari Sam’s SplashLand with the water slides pictured behind Renee and Caleb in the slidshow below. We brought a couple floatation devices for him, but he did rather well with us keeping a close eye on him so he didn’t wear one all of the day. Aimee held him while we drifted down the lazy river which he really enjoyed splashing around in. I was able to take him down some of the slides and chase him around in Mansoon Lagoon and Kima Bay, two similar areas with large play areas for children. The water was a bit chilly a times and you will see Caleb shiver for a couple seconds in the video embeded below though it didn’t slow him down much.
To see a detailed map of the park click HERE
Aimee and I had a chance to go on a couple water rides together; the ZOOMbabwe and the Zinga, and later one of the best roller coasters around, the Voyage. We enjoyed a funnel cake together and some soft serve blueberry and rasberry ice cream.
A few of us rode the large carnival like slide called the Jungle Racer. Tim and I caught air on the second bump on the way down. You will see a picutre of Tim starting to go airborn in the slideshow.
Splashin’ Safari closes before the rest of the park so we headed over to Holidog’s Funtown so the younger kids could play on the jungle gym equipment and slides. Caleb had fun in this area and also enjoyed driving his momma in down the Doggone Trail as it rode along side the Freedom Train.
A few of us paused for group shots with Santa as we prepared to leave the park and Caleb got to ride Prancer’s Merry-Go-Round while we waited for others to reach the rally point. Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari provided a funfilled day with lots to do for everyone. I highly recommend it for something close enough to visit in a day trip with the family. The family friendly park offers free soft drinks, free sunscreen, and reasonably priced meals.
Not pictured: Beth, Jon, Michael, Bryce, Jamilyn, & Jennye (Sorry!)
Easter 2011
Our focus on Easter started when we attended the brilliant Easter pageant at Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, KY. The event was amazing, the house was full, and I imagine everyone in the audience shed at a tear or two during the dozen or so performances put on this year. Southeast Christian Church spared no details making the experience feel realistic with livestock like camels, sheep, goats, chickens, and more. They also had angels descending from the ceiling, a waterfall at one point, a large, lazy-susan on the stage to add and remove scenery enhancements, and Jesus ascending into heaven at the end.
- Southeast Christian Easter Pageant
Mentioned in my last post was the pre-egg hunt Caleb was able to attend in New Haven, KY thanks to Allen and Beth (see previous post here).
The Thursday before Easter, Aimee and I attended the Stations of the Cross exhibit at The Bridge Community Church in Elizabethtown, KY. The event was very personal as you take a self paced tour looking at several paintings of what Jesus did for us  from the Garden of Gethsemane to his death on the cross. It was an intimate to reflect on how He must have felt during his final days on Earth. See the online gallery on Facebook.
On Saturday, we headed to John and Beth’s house in Hodgenville, KY for time with family and friends. The weather had been pretty bad the day before and we were expecting more rain that night, but we still managed to keep the kiddos semi-dry as they hunted for eggs in the front yard. Caleb had lots of fun carrying his basket and putting eggs in it one by one. Near the end it got a little heavy for him and it was cute to watch him placing his elbow to his hip for extra support. See the slideshow of Saturday and Sunday below.
Sunday concluded our Easter experience with a trip to Severns Valley Baptist Church for their Easter service and then to Tim and Renee’s (both in Etown) for a Turkey lunch and some egg painting. This was Caleb’s first time painting eggs and he had his cousin’s Sami, Brittany, and Trey to help him out. Thanks to everyone for letting us share this time with them and we look forward to doing it again next year! Here’s a video of him painting an egg and another video of Southeast Christian’s Easter Pageant on my YouTube channel.