Kentucky Camping Trip

About a week and a half ago, we set out for the Renfro Valley in Kentucky. This was a good spot as it was centrally located between Andy's family and us. We packed up our car after church on Sunday and started to make our trek west. We knew that we probably wouldn't make it that day since we didn't leave until noon and the drive was just shy of 11 hours, minus stops. Around 9:30pm that evening, we were somewhere in West Virginia. Bella was getting really antsy and we knew it was about time to stop. The problem: we were driving through the mountains and there really wasn't anywhere to stop for another 50 miles. While I'm doing my best to keep Bella calm, she starts coughing. . . her face loses all color. . . she starts gagging. . . and before I know it she has thrown up all over herself. This was her first time ever throwing up. Now she's really upset. Andy does his best to find an exit. We end up at a run-down gas station and get Bella cleaned up. Thankfully, she was feeling better after that episode. We got in the car for another 30 miles and found our hotel. The next day we finished up our drive and arrived at the KOA campground where we'd be staying for the week.

One of the first things we did was check out the pool. Bella hung out on the steps for most of the time. She was really proud of the fact that she could get in and out of the pool all by herself.
That night, the camp had some country singing as the entertainment. Bella had a blast dancing to the music.Jacob and Bella having a little snack before bedtime.We spent much of the next day at the lake. Bella thought it was fun to walk in the water.Tim and Laura brought their canoe, so we were able to get out on the lake a little bit. I think Andy did most of the work in actually moving the boat. I did my best but am the first to admit that I do not have much upper body strength. We went into town one day. The kids had fun running around on the grass of a local college. Craft time at the camp! The kids made little snack packs.Our last day there went a little differently than planned. The camp accidentally double-booked our cabin/campsite. They tried to accomodate us in a local bed and breakfast, but that didn't work out. We decided to just drive up to Lexington (which gets us all 1 hr. closer to home) and get a hotel. We found a nice place that had a heated pool, which we spent a lot of time in. Before we could check into the hotel, we stopped to eat at Cracker Barrel. Here are Bella and Jacob while we waited for our table. Bella, Tyler, and Jacob in the hotel room that night. Sibling photo: Andy, Laura, and TomCousins: Bella, Jacob, & Tyler (minus Charlie)Kids and grandkids. As I looked through these photos, I realized that the next two photos are the only ones that we took of baby Charlie.
The whole family. Tim's sister Vickie was with us and she was nice enough to take this photo.
Time to say goodbye: Jacob and Bella giving hugsBella and Tyler tried to hug. Just a moment after this photo, Bella fell on top of him.We pretty much parted ways after this. The drive back went well and it sure felt nice to finally get home. We're staying put in New Jersey for a month-and-a-half and then it's off to Texas for a Benetti family vacation!