Cousin Camp Weekend

 Kaye K and Big Daddy hosted another weekend of Cousin Camp!  All cousins ages 6 and older were invited, which left Aubyn and Maisy to play with us all weekend!  We had one full day all together before Cousin Camp took off, so we went to the pool!

Bridgette went off the diving board for the first time!!

Gretchen and Evelynn coordinating their jumps:

After the pool, dinner was back at our house with Steve and Valerie

Aubyn and I took our girls on the metro for an adventure day in DC . . . we played in the kids area at the American History museum, treated the girls to the carousel on the Mall, ate yummy lunch, did a little shopping, and enjoyed time with our five-year-olds.

Latte on tap.  It's a game-changer.  Sharing this new treat with my sister (twice) made it ever better.

On Saturday Ryan joined us for a trip to the zoo!

We spent a long time watching the gorillas, who were so entertaining, and then the girls were startled by this:

a failed attempt at pedicures ended up with a frozen yogurt treat and some thrift store shopping

picnic dinner in the shopping cart while the mommies find the deals

Aubyn helped me give our front porch a little makeover.  Reason number 25,284 I love my sister. 

And while we were playing, the kids were having a blast at Cousin Camp! 

We had one last lunch all together before everyone headed back home.

Thank you, Kaye K and Big Daddy, for a wonderful weekend!

North Carolina

Last month the kids and I took a trip down to see my mom and dad.  The drive went great and time with Kaye K and Big Daddy is always special!  Big Daddy was away for the first part of the visit because of a work meeting, but Kaye K started the weekend out right with homemade donuts!

We went for a beautiful hike with amazing views of the Blue Ridge Mountains.  The weather could not have been more perfect.

  

(it's not as scary as it looks!)

We stayed up for a local performance of the story of Daniel Boone,  performed in Boone, NC!

One of the coolest things we did all summer was the Virginia Creeper Trail.  We rented bikes and were then transported, with our bikes, to a starting point 17 miles up the trail.  I wasn't sure if the kids would be able to handle the 17-mile ride, but it was almost entirely downhill, making for an easy and fun glide with a yummy snack stop halfway through.  Bridgette would have enjoyed a tag-along bike more than the kid cart thing I chose.  The hardest I rode all day was at the very end when I had to pedal fast to catch up with Rooke!  It was a memorable day. 

We love eating breakfast out with Kaye K and Big Daddy.  This was our third visit to the Sunrise Cafe and I think they might re-think their offer of all-you-can-eat-kids-pancakes for $1.49 after Rooke was finished!

We are crazy about watermelon! 

Porch sittin'. 

While we were in Boone, Ryan was in Charlottesville starting a work training course.  We stopped and stayed a night with him on our way home.  The kids and I spent some time at Monticello, learning more about Thomas Jefferson.  Gretchen tried her hand at Jefferson's polygraph invention. 

"As a young man, he had red hair and a freckled face."  =)

quill pens

Behind Jefferson's home, the view you see on the nickel. 

Fun with the Paynes!

We're always grateful when Kevin and Deborah take time to come see us!  They are loving, generous, flexible, and their visits always provide a good excuse to get out and experience new things!

We started our first day together at the Kennilworth Aquatic Gardens.  The lotus flowers were still in full bloom so, even though it was extremely hot, we made our way around some of the ponds to admire the beauty.

The kids participated in a free art event at the National Gallery.  The docent taught the kids about Kandinsky, helped them look at one of his pieces on display, and then they had a chance to create their own art!   

We also spent time at the Building Museum - it was our first visit and had extra fun hands-on activities for the kids 

Saturday we headed out to the Air and Space Museum near Dulles which was fantastic!  This time of year, the Air and Space Museum on the Mall is ridiculously crowded, but if you're willing to drive a little out of town, you can get an equally impressive display, including an up-close view of the Space Shuttle Discovery!

Dairy Queen for the win!