This year was my big 4-0, as hard as it is for my mind to wrap around! I dreamed (and maybe searched on several occasions) about a trip to Europe to celebrate but it definitely is not the timing for many a reason. Instead we decided to do an overnight trip with the whole fam to an adorable AirB&B I found in the upstate.
Amazing touches throughout our stay, what really drew us was the castle (brick oven/sauna/play place) in the backyard. I mean how magical and European right here in SC.
They had many different rope swings throughout the property which were fun to find, explore, and play.
The adults got in on the actions as well.
It may not look like it, but this swing could get some height, and may or may not have made me scream a time or two.
The skies began to look a little problematic, so we quickly checked the pond...
before the rest of the family raced back to the house in attempt to beat the rain.
I, on the other hand, took my sweet little time and went the long way, not worried to much about getting wet... But did pray that God would hold the rain since we planned to cook/eat outside!
In getting back to the house, we got to meet our amazing hosts, and Beach got to work making the pizzas (with some help from Shiloh)!
Perfection gluten free goodness!
Part of the sweet perks of this AirB&B was the basket of s'mores supplies!
All the kids were thrilled at the idea!
Even momma...
The amazingness of the pizza oven is that it is also a sauna, that I enjoyed greatly!
God's blessing of timing was that He held off the rain until right when we were gong inside. Such a gift. We then took turns with the shower, and I found that Ezra was having so much fun rapidly cleaning the glass with the squeegee.
Then a relaxing evening of snuggles....
and teaching Chinese Checkers.
5-year-olds prefer silly faces.
The next morning was quite drizzly, but I explored a little with the kids, checking out the animals we missed the day before.
They were as eager to greet us or at least check and see if we had a treat to share.
One last castle goodbye.
Unbeknownst to us upon our booking, our host had just opened a coffee house in a tiny house setting. So of course we had to check it out on the way to more adventure!
It was adorable and we enjoyed our time there.
My littles are always asking for a sip of my drink!
Then we went to downtown Hendersonville to visit the rock store for some mining.
The littles are very into rocks right now, so they thought this was a blast, and they each ended up with a large bit of treasure to go!
Love this little free museum that was open for us to marvel at all of God's creations.
Friendly staff for closer looks.
Then it was off to pick apples. Our AirB&B host recommended their favorite spot, Steep's Farm.
After a picnic lunch, the kids really enjoyed their creative playground made of pipes and hay bails.
Our kids were just the right size to be able to jump and climb all around.
There were many fun photo opts spread here and there throughout the property.
We were able to get a wagon, which while meant for the apples, our kids loved taking turns on.
The biggest sunflowers I have ever seen!
They had countless rows of apple trees, although, few that were in season when we went.
Daddy thought it would be a fun idea to ride down the hill on the wagon (an idea I'm pretty sure was sparked from his youth).
Only the girls were up to it, too...
While Ezra and I just enjoyed a calm walk down.
We finally found some apples that were a good fit for our family.
It was unseasonably warm and bright that I rocked our family selfies!
Here for all to enjoy!
We topped it off with donuts (although they did not live up to the hype that my heart anticipated).
I had wanted to go on a little hike afterward (thus, is my nature as I want to do all the things), but Beach, being the wise man that he is, knew that was the end for our crew. It wasn't long before sleep visited our van...
and they were all out on the way home (which is always a relief to save from any potential car sickness).
I will say I had a fabulous birthday and such a wonderful time with my people! While it may not be Europe it was a blast and left my heart full!
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