Its an annual tradition for Mo’s family to go to Clifty Falls state park. We go every year at the end of July/beginning of August. It also coincides with Bryson’s birthday as well and he wanted to have his party during the weekend. It all started with Mya complaining of ear pain. We thought that we should check it out and sure enough she had an ear infection. We got some medicine and finished packing in time to get to Clifty for the end of the lunchtime picnic. The kids went to the playground and Landon went to grandmas arms.
We then walked down to see the main ‘Big Clifty’ falls. It was gushing and we were a bit worried of having the kids so near the edge as there is a very low wall that any big kid could fall over. Bryson and Mya didn’t seem to care about the height and were gleefully going up to the wall. We then walked down to the ‘Little Clifty’ falls, which most of the time was barely a trickle of water and we could actually stand in it. This day it was gushing and almost overflowing, it was the first time I had seen any action of this secondary falls. Both were very impressive.
We then headed to check-in and then a grill out for dinner. For dinner we went to the same place and cooked some chicken sausage and hotdogs for dinner. The kids had fun running around.
After dinner we had filled up ~60 water balloons and had a water balloon toss. During the toss the kids were running around and taking the balloons and throwing them at Grandpa and other Grandpas. Kevin and Karen won the toss and the kids had a fun time getting wet and making people wet.
Then it was bed time. Bed time went the best it ever had at Clifty post kids.
The next day was a morning hike to the look-out tower and further. 
Landon in the carrier, Bryson and Mya walking. We actually made it to the tower without Mya complaining too much. Bryson actually climbed up into the tower but Mya did not make it up. After that we continued on a hiking path further down and through the forest and back up to the road. A bit of complaining towards the end but we made it back and went to the Nature center. At the nature center we learned a lot of stuff and the kids asked many questions. One thing that made us uneasy was that there were copper heads all over and someone was bitten at the look-out tower that we were just by. The person was in the hospital 3 weeks and that was with a ‘dry’ bite and no venom. Yeesh!
After that I took the kids to the outdoor pool while Mo stayed with Landon during nap time. The pool was fun but COLD! After a few times of going down the slide at the pool it was all that Bryson and Mya wanted to do. Climb up the slide, go down the slide, and repeat. The problem was that the water was COLD and the wind out of the pool mad it COLD. This slide stuff lasted for a while until Mya was too cold. Bryson played a bit more in the water and Mya came in and out for small stints in the water. We ended up going back to goto the pool at the Inn. Bryson was excited he could use his new squirt cannons in the Inn pool which was much warmer.
After dinner it was another bed time. It started out the same but right when Landon was going to nurse he threw up all over and then later Bryson did. Bryson was out the rest of the night but Landon threw up a few more times throughout the night. Luckily Mya dodged a bullet and was perfectly fine.
In the morning we cleaned up and Bryson had his birthday party. We played pin the tail on Pickachu and made small toy pokeball launchers (catapults). Matthew Hoeper won pin the tail, as picked by Bryson, and receive a glow in the dark ball. We helped and showed everyone how to make the catapults and let them play for a while. Then it was time for Grandmas presents and then lunchtime.
After lunch it was pool time for Mya and Bryson while Landon napped and Mo played in the euchre tournament. We had fun down in the pool with the Slattery’s and then came back to take care of Landon and eat some snacks. It was a long tournament and Mo started off doing well but then had a bad streak and didn’t end out winning anything :(, maybe next year. After that we had some pizza and went to bed.
This bed time was pretty good and we were able to play some games at night before bed time. After that it was time to celebrate Bryson’s birthday and pack up to leave. We started a new tradition on the way out of Clifty to goto Tapatillos mexican restaurant for the last lunch.
It was fun and exhausting and always a good time.
Stay tuned for more on Bryson’s birthday.