October

The beginning of October didn't go quite as planned...

Last year we had such a perfect fall break on Bald Head Island that we decided to go back this year. Incredibly, for the second time in just three years, we had to cancel due to a hurricane. Bald Head took a direct hit from Hurricane Florence, as the eye passed right over the area. 

Because the boys were out of school, and Creed had already taken off work, we decided to make the most of it and go up to Cincinnati for a couple of days.

First stop: Great Wolf Lodge! We got there late Wednesday afternoon and it wasn't crowded at all. 

Next we headed to the Marriott in Covington and the boys loved the "fancy" hotel, as they called it.

Our room had a great view of downtown Cincy.

That evening we went over to Newport on the Levee to have dinner and let the boys play.

The next morning we headed back to Newport to visit the aquarium. Luke is obsessed with sharks and really all kinds of fish so it was the perfect place for him. He kept saying "fun fact" and then would tell us some interesting fact about the fish we were looking at. Apparently he learns a lot from Chasing Monsters and all the other fishing shows he watches. I actually learned a lot from him that day.

The second half of fall break we spent at the Lake Cumberland, enjoying 85 degree days! The boys tubed behind the new boat

and Caleb got in a few wake boarding runs.

PeePaw came and stayed with us, which made it extra fun!

The highlight was Caleb finally being able to get up on a surf board! He was so happy!

Luke caught up on his sleep (apparently Cincy really wore him out!)

 
and...Caleb learned to surf! He is such a natural on all things water- he found the sweet spot, threw the rope back to the boat, and surfed!

The boys got in some good wrestling with PeePaw on the LilyPad.

PeePaw brought his fishing boat and the boys loved riding on it!

One evening we had dinner on our friend's houseboat and while we were up top, Luke was in their living room snoozing away...another nap. ;)

Our happy place...

Another day...another surf run

 Another day...another boat nap

At the end of fall break, we put the boat up in dry store, knowing that would be it until next spring. While we were disappointed that we had to cancel our beach vacation, we were so thankful for summer like weather at the lake!

Caleb, Luke, and Matteo celebrating Nana's 94th birthday

One weekend Creed took Caleb to the cabin so Luke and I had the weekend together. After church, we headed out to Farnsley Moremon landing for their Archaeological Day. Luke loves mining- rocks, fossils, gems, etc., so this was right up his alley!

At the cabin....Caleb, Creed and Grandmom hiked the creek behind our cabin all the way to the lake! They said it was the most beautiful hike!

Town Branch Creek took them all the way to Lily Creek!

Luke & his buddy Tey at Huber's

Happy Halloween!
Our neighborhood actually trick or treated on the 30th due to the rain storms that were expected on Halloween,

Luke as DJ Marshmello

Caleb wanted to stay home this year and pass out candy...but Luke was happy to share his loot.

September

September was our month of squeezing in a much lake time as possible before fall.

We spent part of Labor Day weekend at the lake and had my friend Kristen, and her family, down with us. They loved experiencing all that Lake Cumberland has to offer and have already been on BoatTrader.com since. Ha!

We also bit the bullet and ordered a LilyPad for the kids. It was a huge hit...and takes up a huge amount of space on the boat. ;) So worth it though!

Caleb and Luke

with Kaelyn, Kamryn, and Ethan

We spent a majority of that Saturday afternoon tied up with the houseboats. Uncle Mark scored more points by taking all the kids on jet ski rides. First the boys...

and then the girls!

Lake Cumberland is pulled down as the season goes by and Caleb was the only one brave enough to jump off the waterfall this weekend. 

We saw the most beautiful rainbow that evening as we headed back to the marina.

Creed and I left the boys at home with Marshma and Papa and spent the second weekend of September at our first Lake Cumberland Poker Run. 

Friday we had some friends take us to Harmon Creek to meet up with Uncle Mark and Aunt Cathy. They had their houseboat out there and we spent the afternoon and evening there.

I thought I saw a lot of boats Friday...

We ended up staying out in Harmon fairly late so that most boats had cleared out. Cathy made a delicious dinner for everyone and then the ride back to the marina was beautiful!

All the race boats were back at the marina that evening.

Nothing could have prepared me for Saturday at Harmon Creek...
(I found this picture online!)

We were tied up in the middle of "the gauntlet" and these are a few pictures I took of some boats circling through. This went on for hours and hours...the parade of boats never stopped!

Mark and Cathy went out with a group from their "row" of houseboats, but they were pretty packed on that boat. So, another sweet neighbor let us hitch a ride with them! Love the hospitality! Here is some of our group...

The middle of September brought BIG changes...we (tearfully) said good bye to Misty....

and hello to our new surf boat!

We bought it from Lake Cumberland Marine's satellite store in Taylorsville, so we took it out for a quick test drive at Taylorsville Lake.

It is now in dry storage at Cumberland...waiting for 80 degree fall days. ;)

Our cousin Nathan, and his wife Katie, live in Las Vegas, so we were beyond excited when they came to visit. This is the 1st time we met our cousin Brady...he is just precious!
Brady, Matteo, Caleb, and Luke

Happy 3rd Birthday, sweet Claire!

Luke went to a birthday party at House of Boom and loved the new layout...we need to go more often. All of my pictures are blurry but he did the zip line at least ten times.

80 degrees the last weekend of September...YES! We figured out the perfect configuration of ballast weight and found our perfect surf wave.  We still have a lot to learn but we are loving the new boat so far! 

We were out on the water until around 9pm so after the sun went down it got a lot cooler...Luke took advantage of the heater and huddled near it.

While we sure loved Misty and will always cherish the memories of our first family boat, we are excited for what's to come...