Vacation Part One: Lexington

Our family enjoyed a fabulous vacation last week as we went to visit family in Lexington and then Columbus. Since there is so much to share I decided to break the blogs down into more than one part! This will be a rather picture heavy blog since there were just so many cute shots and I wanted you all to be able to enjoy them!

We enjoyed several outings while in Lexington many of which are chronicled on Dan and Rebecca's blog. Below are some pictures of us enjoying the many outdoor activities Lexington has to offer! Here Jake flies his first kite at Jacobson Park. He loved watching the kites fly (especially Uncle Dan's stunt kite).

Here Abby and Aunt Katelyn watch everyone fly the kites. Abby and Annika both took turns flying the kite too. Annika even tried the stunt kite. It was pretty tricky to control!

We went blackberry picking one morning. It was beautiful outside and the berries were great! After picking we enjoyed a lunch at the orchard's cafe and then the kids played on the playground connected to the orchard. That night Rebecca made Southern Blackberry Cobbler - delicious!

Jake also experienced his first every mini-golf lesson (there were lots of firsts on this trip). We went to a biblical golf course where they had three courses to choose from: the Old Testament, the New Testament, and Miracles. We played the Miracles course. We weren't sure if that meant it would take a miracle to do well or if that meant the course was full of miracles and therefore we might all do better than usual. As it turns out, it just means that all the holes are based on biblical miracles! What a hoot!
Abby and Annika took the lead as the rest of us followed them around the course. Other than the heat (we were in KY after all!) it was great fun!

The highlight of the trip for the girls was our day spent at Southland Aquatic Center which is located just a couple blocks from Dan and Rebecca's house. This public pool has two large pools designed for family entertainment. The largest pool features a zero depth entry, water mushrooms, a diving board, and a water slide. There is a smaller area designed for children under 8 which is anywhere from 1 to 1 1/2 feet deep and has a child-size water slide, water fountains, and endless water showers. The kids LOVED it! Jake was fearless as he tromped through the water and waded into the fountains. It was a riot to watch!

One of the best parts of vacation was just hanging out with family. We all enjoyed getting to spend time with Greg, Katelyn, Rebecca, Dan, Deacon, and Sunny. Our children enjoyed playing around with their aunts and uncles and seeing where they lived and spent their days. Mike and I enjoyed seeing their homes too and seeing all the preparations being made for the newest member of the Dekker family.

We feel so blessed to have such a wonderful family and so grateful that they would open their homes and welcome us in! They were very gracious hosts and we look forward to being able to return the favor someday!

Stay tuned for more to come when we travel on to Columbus...