Fall is coming...

Fall is coming and I am going to take a moment to reflect on our blessings and our accomplishments. I called my folks this past week to ask them if time seemed to fly when they were in my shoes (or I am in theirs?) They told me that if they could turn time back they would slow down a little bit. That's exactly what I am going to try to do for the next few weeks at least. At least it will give me time to reflect on God's grace in our lives these past few months and the coming months ahead.

We spent a lot of time this summer at "Dinosaur Island" also known as Belle Isle in Richmond (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belle_Isle_(Virginia)) The kids love it and it's a nice refuge from the hustle and bustle of the day. ALL kinds of families, couples, and outdoorsy types are roaming the isle during the day.



This is Dan's version of "You Take the High Road..." but, he insisted on taking the High Road.



We attended Liberty 101, which was sponsored by We Surround Them and the Richmond TeaParty.


Dan makes me laugh! One night when I came in to tuck him in he was wearing his lifevest and a magic hat to bed. The little girl across the street (actually she is 9... an older woman) that Dan has a crush on gave it to him and I find him wearing it around the house on a regular basis.

Here is Fi being a ham.


The kids love that Wallace!

Daniel making an Uncle Ken face.

Sophia dressed for church


Fi insists on making her BIG SMILE every time the camera is pointed at her!



Here is Sophia in her Kitty transformer outfit:


Pop came to visit us this month as well:

Dan and Fi have had the cold that is going around this past month. Sophia has certainly been very motherly towards Daniel though when he doesn't feel good. Her teachers at school says she does take care of everyone else in the room. Here she is feeding him his dinner.

Here she is taking his temperature.

And finally, a rousing rendition of The Boys helping to sing one of Sophia's favorite songs:

Vacation 2009!

Maybe I should call this post, Vacation: Our First. Really, this was our first family vacation. I got awfully ambitious and planned a vacation to last for seven days. We were gone for 4. Poor Fi didn't like sleeping away from home very much, so before we were all miserable (or in Em's words: We were all Oscar the Grouch in the same garbage can), we decided to count our blessings and pack it in a little early.
Here are the highlights of our family trip.

First stop was Indian Echo Cavern in Pennsylvania. Dan wanted to look for the MudMonster while we were in the cave. (Scooby Doo fans will remember the mudmonster reference).



The next day we were up bright and early to have breakfast with Cookie Monster. Mark will tell you we were there too early. Like, second car in the parking lot early. But, with my vast experience with amusement parks, I can tell you that you can NEVER be too early to get a good spot at breakfast with the characters. It did feel a little like the Griswolds arriving at Wally World and parking as far away as they could when we got to the empty parking lot, but we persevered!

The boys loved the characters.

Sophia... not such a fan. At least not up close. Far away she did much better.

She really loved the teacups.

And the boys liked the nets and tunnels.

Here are Dan and Daddy.

And Woobie.

And Dan === look at how high up this is. I was terrified!
Here are two familiar Sesame Street scenes... Bert and Ernie's apartment building and Mr. Hooper's store.Across from our hotel was a fancy car lot... Eric enjoyed dreaming about his first car. Did I mention Eric's birthday was this past week. He turned 12. He has started saving money for the car already!
Hershey and Chocolate World were our next stops!
Here are the boys with their factory worker hats on.

Our final stop was Gettysburg. Here are the boys looking out over the battlefield.No Fi in the Gettysburg pics b/c she was sleeping most of the time.
However, here is a good picture of her with her big brother eric having a good time!

Fashion Statement

Spring is DEFINITELY here! The weather fluxuates from 95 to 65 depending on the day and the car is covered with about two inches worth of yellow pollen. Ugh. (on the pollen part... not on the weather :-)

Sophia is growing-up by leaps and bounds. She said "bye-bye" for the first time yesterday to her teacher at school. Out of the blue tonight in the bathtub she said "bubble" and when she went to bed she told Dan "Night-Night." Fi has an uncanny way with the Magic. He doesn't run when she approaches and hardly meows when she yanks his tail. Here she is taking his heartbeat and bloodpressure. Hopefully this means she'll be a doctor!

She also has cultivated an Imelda Marcus fascination with shoes. She got a pair of sandals for summer and insists on taking off her gym shoes and putting her sandals on when she gets home from school. She also insists on wearing them around the house at all times and will not let us take them off to put her to bed. Many a night she has fallen asleep with them on and we have to slip them off her feet in the dark.

Then of course, there are her fashionable spring boots to go fishing down by the lake.

And, look Grammy, flowered pants!!!

Shades aren't just for the sunshine...

When she wants you to do something she points at you and then at the thing she wants done (a chair if she wants you to sit, a cracker if she wants you to get it for her, the fridge if she wants some water, etc). She can also sit at the table to eat. This is Fi praying that someone Magic will eat the hot dog in front of her so she doesn't have to.

Dan and Fi had swimming lessons today. The first real lesson for Dan -- they gave him a little paddle board and all. The first time ever in a pool for Sophia. She got the hang of it pretty quickly and kicked up a storm (in a dignified fashion of course - that is her style) She laid on her back and her tummy. I don't have pics of this yet, but will next time. Dan had another first last week: his first campout. Actually, they had so much fun in the tent in the backyard that Daddy and Dan slept out there Friday AND Saturday night. Brave, brave Daddy.

Dan also helped me plant our new square foot garden -- as you can see his favorite part was the dirt!



That's all for now. Look for pics next time of Grammy and Grumpy's visit!

Happy May!