Father's Day 2010

Matt enjoyed going out and golfing this morning with my dad and brother. When he came home, the kids had their homemade cards ready to give. We all sat around the coffee table while Matt openened his father day gift...a mini fridge/heater that he can plug into the car or under his desk at work. We thought it would come in handy for him to keep his lunches cool or his AMP drink cool for his long ride home from work. Matt kept asking where we were going and to keep it a surprise, I had to tell the boys we were going ice skating. So they were blabbing away that we were going ice skating and Matt kept questioning what to wear b/c he knew we were not going ice skating by seeing the kids wearing shorts and t-shirts. None of us had ever been to this place so it was a new adventure for the Gillespie's. While Matt was golfing, I packed up the van with lunches and extra clothing. The plan was to have a picnic lunch and do some hiking. We drove to Rocky Gap State Park. The drive was beautiful! You could look out and see farms below in the valley. When we arrived at our destination, we unloaded and found a shady spot under a tree on the hill that overlooked one of the beaches. We ate lunch and decided to try canoeing. The kids did not want to go and once we were in the canoe, Brian freaked out and told everyone to sit still and not rock the boat. He didn't want it to flip over. Eventually he warmed up to it and when our hour was over, he asked is the kids could paddle next time. :D We then went for a hike. We walked up to the aviary and saw owls and falcons in the aviary and then we continued to hike to the Canyon Overlook. It was beautiful! Ethan was our trail leader. Once we returned to the picnic area, we changed into our swim suits and headed to the beach area. The boys and Matt enjoyed swimming in the lake. Brian was fascinated with the minnows swimming nearby and Ethan was riding on Matt's back....Matt was a dolphin. Dinner was at Friendly's and once home, we lit up the firepit and it seemed the entire neighborhood was in our backyard for marshmallows. It was an awesome day!!