Sands Family: September 2014

Saturday, September 13, 2014

Katie Playing Soccer

Katie going head to head.

Katie before the game.

Katie going after the ball.

Saturday, September 6, 2014

Friends are the worst (just kidding)......They always move away.

Katie and her friend, Valentina.

She and her family recently moved away.

We will miss them.

Nicolay and Jenya (Valentina's brothers).

Andrew and Gracie, and their friends.

Best friends forever!

Deep Creek Lake - Wisp Resort (Obstacle Course & Zip-Line - KATIE)

Deep Creek Lake - Wisp Resort (Obstacle Course & Zip-Line - KATIE)

Katie successfully completed a VERY challenging obstacle course and zip-line at the end. There were several obstacles (some not pictured here) suspended at a staggering height. It was a good reminder that she CAN DO HARD THINGS.

The moving platforms.

More moving platforms.

The spider web.

The zip-line.

Deep Creek Lake - Wisp Resort (Obstacle Course & Zip-Line - ANDREW)

Deep Creek Lake - Wisp Resort (Obstacle Course & Zip-Line - ANDREW)

Andrew successfully completed a VERY challenging obstacle course and zip-line at the end. There were several obstacles (some not pictured here) suspended at a staggering height. It was a good reminder that he CAN DO HARD THINGS.

The moving platforms.

More moving platforms.

The spider web.

Deep Creek Lake - Wisp Resort (Obstacle Course & Zip-Line - GRACIE)

Gracie successfully completed a VERY challenging obstacle course and zip-line at the end. There were several obstacles (some not pictured here) suspended at a staggering height. It was a good reminder that she CAN DO HARD THINGS.

The zip-line.

The spider web.

The bridge.

Deep Creek Lake - Wisp Resort (Hiking)

We hiked Swallow Falls Canyon Trail together.

We saw lots of white water from extraordinary heights.

There was even a swimming hole.

Great views from up top.

Deep Creek Lake - Wisp Resort (Boating)

Rented a boat and took the kids tubing on the lake for about four hours.

Even the little ones got in on it.

The kids loved being out in the sun on such a gorgeous day.

We had a great day that we'll all remember for a long time!

The Moms up in the air on the tube!

Deep Creek Lake - Wisp Resort (Go Karts and Bumper Boats)

Katie LOVED the mini go-karts. It was her first time behind the wheel. She could not stop smiling as she raced around the track and periodically bumped into other racers. She went so many times that she got blisters on her hands!

Gracie loved the bigger, faster go-karts.

So did Andrew.

(We got day passes, which were well worth the money. With no lines, the kids raced over and over and over again, bringing the per race cost down to next to nothing!)

Grant loved doing bumper boats. He also raced the go-karts with Mom and Dad.

Deep Creek Lake - Wisp Resort (Rock Climbing Wall)

Up......

All the way to the top!

Deep Creek Lake - Wisp Resort (Fishing and Kayaking)

Kayaking on the pond near the cabin. The kids loved it.

Fishing at the pond. Didn't catch anything, but had fun.

Deep Creek Lake - Wisp Resort (Segways)

Sarah and I went on a Segway tour, but it was not your ordinary Segway tour. We started in the parking lot and then were taken off road -- all the way up to the top of the Wisp ski resort! It lasted 1.5 hours, and was awesome!

Deep Creek Lake - Wisp Resort

Went to Deep Creek Lake near the Wisp Resort in McHenry, Maryland about three hours away. We stayed there for an entire week in August. This was the cabin we rented with some friends called Fairway by the Slopes. The backyard deck faced the 17th fairway of the golf course and the front yard faced a pond across the street that the kids kayaked in.

This is an aerial view of the cabin and surrounding area taken from Google Earth. There were a couple of ponds across the street.

The perimeter of the lake (not pictured here) is about 60 miles. In the winter, the area is a ski-in, ski-out resort. We played laser tag, went on a down-hill mountain coaster, and did a number of other things. We had a blast (see additional pictures in posts to follow)!