First Day of 1st Grade

Doesn't look too bad after a long day of 1st Grade!

Camping at Claytor Lake

Last weekend was our first experience at camping, or "glamping" as a sweet friend calls it. Our camp-out in the backyard went so well, we decided to give the real thing a try. We decided that we'd transition our way into "roughing-it" by renting a cabin.

The accomodations were rustic but adequate. We had running water, electricity, beds, linens, a refrigerator, microwave, etc... It was situated on a beautiful picturesque piece of property right on the lake surrounded by a large grassy area. The screened-in porch equipped with two rocking chairs was my favorte feature.


We got there fairly late Friday evening so Saturday was our first day. We leisurely woke up, ate breakfast, and decided that we'd go fishing on the nearby dock. Connor was lucky enough to catch two fish (Carly was too impatient) so he was pretty excited. After our 1 mile hike, we decided to hit the beach. It was part of the Park and included a nice sandy beach and a floating dock with a diving board. The kids loved that and spent a great deal of time taking their turn jumping off it into the lake. I insisted that we roast hot dogs over the campfire so we enjoyed those along with some other typical camping fare and then roasted marshmallows and made s'mores. Connor really wanted to sleep in the tent so Matt set that up and I (yep, me!) chose to sleep outside with him. It was delightful and I enjoyed every minute of it!


Sunday we decided quite spontaneously to rent a boat and spend a few hours riding around the lake. Both C&C each took turns driving the boat with Daddy and loved anchoring the boat and jumping in repeatedly.


It was a great first experience for us all and I know we'll go again! Heck! Why go hard-core when you can go "glamping!"


Check out some of our pictures...

Llamas, Zebras, and Camels Oh My!

So it's been just over a month since I blogged, not because I've had nothing to blog about, I've just had a lack of time because I've been doing other things with my time...like reading. Yep...reading. Those of you who know me know that I do. not. read. Unless I am reading a parenting book that I'm hoping will help me through the latest phase/behavior problem, etc... Other than that I've just never had an interest in reading. In an attempt to get to spend some extra girly time with some great women whom I deeply admire, trust, and care for I agreed to join their Book Club. More on that later but, needless to say, I have become obsessed with reading and spend most of my free time doing that. So...hopefully it won't be another month until I blog again. There is so much I've missed - I need to get caught up.


Anyway...the kids were super naughty today and are spending the evening in their bedrooms so I have some extra time. I thought I'd share a little about the field trip we took yesterday.


If you've never been to the Safari Park in western Virginia, you have to go! It has been on my "to do" list for about two years and I wasn't going to let this summer end before going this year. Our admission price included unlimited drive-throughs the 180-acre park, so the first time we went through we opened the windows, kept the feed buckets (which we purchased 4 for $10) close to us (in the car) and realized that we were too eager too feed because we ran out of food before the end. We brought lunch with us so we enjoyed that and then walked through the Safari Village which reminded me a lot of a smaller version of the Richmond Zoo - similar animals, layout, etc... Then we headed back into the car for trip #2 through the Park. This time we opened the sunroof, windows, AND the sliding side doors. We went through (with 4 more buckets of food) and had the best time getting up close and personal with the animals. We laughed so much and learned a thing or two...


Camels are sloppy eaters and will snatch the food bucket right of a willing hand
Deer really don't care to eat from humans
Ostrich are ferocious "peckers" when trying to get food
Animals in the wild are smelly, smelly, smelly (we tried to encourage them to brush their teeth)
Watusi have really BIG "horns"
Zebra are slightly stubborn
and, last but not least
Hold the feed bucket outside of the car! (I think we ended up with an entire bucket of food spread all over the floor of the van)

We would highly recommend this day trip and may just go again someday!

Camping with Connor

Saturday night, Carly spent the night with Nonnie so Matt and I got to spend some good one-on-one time with Connor. We decided to go camping with him. We pulled out a tent we've had for 2+ years (still in the box), an air mattress, sheets, sleeping bags, pillows, and flashlights as well as all the fixins for roasting hot dogs and s'mores over the fire and headed out to find the perfect spot to camp for the night.
Once we found it, Matt set up the tent and I prepared the sleeping quarters and then we enjoyed a good 'ole campfire dinner topped off with s'mores. Afterwards, Connor and I had a fun time catching fireflies. Just before bed, Matt and Connor played their guitars as we all sang a collection of campfire songs.

The weather was perfect that night - not too hot, and not too chilly so we all slept comfortably. We awoke to the sounds of birds chirping and a beautiful sunrise. Who would've thought camping would be so much fun...all in our own backyard!

New Addition

Here she is...isn't she beautiful?

I spotted this door throughout our neighborhood just after we moved in almost three years ago (wow...the time has flown!). It seemed like every other house had one and I immediately fell in love. It took me a while to find it, but alas...here she is and she's all mine.

Notice the flag? That's new too! Happy Father's Day to Matt!

Happy Father's Day

We love Daddy for so many reasons...
"he wrestles with me"
"he gives me piggy back rides"
"he lets me ride on his shoulders"
"he gives us food"
"he has blonde skin like me"
"he loves me"
"he loves Mommy"

Matt, you are truly a wonderful man and an amazing father. You love being a father and it shows in everything you do. You have a tremendous amount of patience and an incredible ability to take advantage of each and every teachable moment that presents itself to you. Your sense of humor is untouchable and I am so thankful for the laughter you encourage in our children. You are truly interested in every aspect of our children's days and the time they spend away from you, and your ability to draw information out of them is just unbelievable. I knew when I married you that you'd be a wonderful father...that has turned out to be an understatement. We love you and are so grateful for the ways you have enriched our lives. Happy Father's Day!

Corolla, NC

Carly and I are back. We've been in Corolla since Monday visiting with a close friend of mine from high school. She and her husband rented a house in Corolla for the week and invited me down to visit while they were there. Since Connor and Matt were still in school, Carly and I went down together. We had such a nice time catching up and relaxing by the beach and the pool. The kids got along great (Monica has two boys and a little girl) which made it even better! Some snapshots of our time together... Now it's back to reality...

Picture Catch Up...

I'm back! At least for a little bit. I know I have a lot to catch you up on so I'll do it through pictures.

We spent Easter at home this year. C&C searched for their Easter baskets in the morning and then after church they enjoyed an Easter Egg Hunt. Instead of the traditional Easter dinner, I suggested a picnic at Maymont. It was a beautiful, relaxing afternoon!

Carly is wearing the pillowcase dress I made for her. I found the tutorial online. It was super easy!

Happy Birthday, Connor

My sweet boy is 6 years old! Although I've said it a dozen times, I still can't quite grasp the fact. This year has been such a time of growth for him. I can see the beginnings of a little man. He continues to be such a passionate, tender-hearted soul with an overly-energetic spirit and a contagious smile. He is very curious and has such an innocent, inquisitive mind. I always enjoy the conversations we have and the many teachable moments we encounter. The time we spend lying together in his bed right before bedtime is my favorite. It's a time of sweet and quiet conversation that I look forward to and treasure.

Connor had been hinting that he wanted a Star Wars themed birthday party but I think I was in denial and confident that I could talk him into something more "my" style - something more "party-like" that didn't scream "B-O-Y!" Then I finally came to my senses and remembered that this was his birthday, and his party and that I just needed to go with it. From that moment I spent a lot of time reading blogs and thinking about how to make this party a hit for Connor. Throughout the process Matt and I also decided that this would be a drop-off party...a first for us. We allowed Connor to invite six of his classmates and then some additional close kindergarten friends, so we were going to have a lot of energy to contain/direct! I decided to develop a Jedi Training party in which the children would have to participate in four trials in order to complete the Training. I think the most difficult and time consuming part of the planning was the invitation. Once I came up with the idea of a video invitation, I was determined to see it to completion. Had I known how difficult it was going to be, I would've come up with an alternate plan. I was super-excited with the outcome...

I made jedi robes for all of the kids (brown for the boys and white for the girls) which they received and put on as soon as they arrived and lightsabers out of pool noodles and duct tape (which were kept secret until the time came to use them).

The four trials consisted of:

Rescue the Princess (popping balloons and looking to see if a princess is inside)

Storm Trooper Blast (shooting Nerf darts at, and tring to knock over, storm troopers on cups)

Use the Force (blindfolded and trying to hit a ball with a lightsaber)

Lightsaber Duel (dueling with lightsabers on a balance beam)

And then they enjoyed cupcakes (arranged to look like a lightsaber)

I think we wore them out!

Hopefully a good time was had by all participants. I know Matt and I had a blast - more so than I ever thought I would. I kinda' like the drop-off concept!

Happy Birthday, sweet boy!