Grandma and Poppy came to visit a few weeks ago during one of our particularly hot weeks. There wasn't too much to do outside except go for a dip. The girls had fun playing with Poppy at our YMCA pool.
Felicia shows off her skills on the diving board. I didn't get good shots of this, but that girl can flip like nobody's business!
Ellie enjoys a cool treat after her hard work swimming.
What kind of Mother doesn't take her child to play miniature golf for the first time until they are 6??!! Well, technically, she has played when we were at the beach 4 years ago (she was 2), she just doesn't remember, ha ha! It turns out that mini golf was not that much fun for her, she was frustrated by not getting that ball in the hole. She actually played VERY well for a child who has never played before, but you couldn't convince her of that. She spent a lot of time on the course looking upset or bored. Not to mention that it was downright steaming that afternoon, probably 95 degrees.
She really wanted to get a hole in one like so many of us had gotten, so we staged her jumping up and down, pretending she had just made a perfect shot !
Poppy helps line up the shot.
Okay, so Sam's birthday is on July 11th and I'm a little lax in new postings this summer...I have vacation mentality without having left to go anywhere yet, BUT, we did indeed celebrate our only son's birthday the day after he arrived home from his 2 week stay in PA.He is now 13 and the proud owner of a cell phone, which he's been wanting for 2 years.
Opening cards -- Grandma makes the best homemade cards !
How did my little boy get to be a teenager? He is now taller than me and wearing men's clothing and shoe sizes, but he'll always be my little boy !! Love him !!!
Last week I took the kids to Water Country USA, a water park in Williamsburg VA. They offer passes for VA residents to be able to go all season for the cost of only one visit. We went with friends, which is always double the fun ! Here are Felicia and Bethany and Brooke on the Hubba Hubba Highway, where the current just carries you as you float along in your life vest.
It was Ellie's first time at Water Country and she loved the slides !! This last one she is riding with my friend Sharra. She was a lot more adventurous at the water park than she normally is at the YMCA pool. she had a blast !
Last week Ellie and Felicia attended a local church's Vacation Bible School. The theme was Western Ranch and after Ellie came home on the 2nd day, she asked if we had cowgirl boots she could wear. She was really into the theme and wanted to wear something to reflect that, so I asked a friend to borrow a hat and found the cute top at a consignment store for only $2.50. We had the bandana at home. She was such a cute cowgirl that I told her this would be a good idea for a Halloween costume idea!
My 3 beauties on the 4th of July before we headed down to Franklin, VA for the day. We enjoyed a fun day with friends on their lake, swimming, fishing,playing, eating and drinking. We ended the evening watching their own firework show on the sand. 
One of Felicia's favorite activities of the day is when the Dads swing the kids and throw them off the dock into the water below.
"Higher ! Faster !" were her words and the guys happily obliged.
Bethany invited her friend Rachel to join us. Here they are, 2 cool chicks, out on the lake in the paddleboat.
One of the biggest hits of the day was riding around in the golf cart. The kids took turns driving this around ALL day long.
Something our kids had never experienced but we grew up doing was going to the drive in ! Last year, a drive in theater opened up about 45 minutes away. We took the trek out there last night to see Toy Story 3. They had a nice playground that Ellie enjoyed and a great snack bar with very reasonable prices.We opened up the back of our Yukon and spread out with blankets.
A little pre-show entertainment by Ellie. They were playing music from Grease and we were all singing and dancing.
On Friday, my friend Sharra and I took her kids and Felicia and two other friends to Busch Gardens for the day. My Yukon was full of noisy fun heading down I64 to the park !
Here is Felicia being measured as we crossed our fingers. The last time we went in May, she was too short for 2 of the roller coasters that she desperately wanted to ride. This time, she wore her tallest shoes, which the attendant DID take notice of, but she squessked by with the green band, liscensed to ride ALL the rides !! We all clapped.
even waiting in line is fun when you're with your friends !
on one of the many coasters ridden that day !!
On the Roman Rapids
It's a better idea to go on this ride at the hottest part of the day -- they were wet and cold for a while after this ride.
After the fireworks,
The other day, Ellie was so quiet in her room, I walked down the hall to peek in at her. She was sitting at her desk, singing while she worked with paper, scissors and colored pencils. When I asked what she was making, she said"What is that called when you watch a movie with those funny glasses?" I said"3D"? She said "yeah, this is my 3-D dollhouse I made" So cute !! She made the whole house with a door, window, tree,mailbox, etc. and a doll to go inside. This activity kept her entertained for 2 solid hours.So, the Fisher Price dollhouse, complete with all the accessories, sits in her closet while she creates her own. Gotta love a creative kid !
Happy Father's Day to our #1 man, Daddy ! On a whim, I passed by the crab legs in the grocery store a few days before Father's Day and purchased them in anticipation of a big surprise. Of course, in our house, no surprise lasts for long and Steve found these behind other things in our second refrigerator out in the garage!! Oh, well, I suppose it was STILL a surprise, just not at the moment I had wanted him to be surprised.
Sam has been a fan of crab legs since our Nags Head vacation about 4 years ago when we ate at Dirty Dick's one day and ordered the All you can eat crab leg feast. He was super excited to see this dinner at our table. The girls weren't sure about it, but after each tried some, the legs were disappearing off the plate faster than candy around Felicia!
It's very rare in our house to find something that EVERYONE likes, but we had success with the crab leg dinner ! Unfortunately for Dad, there was a lot less in this feast for HIM to eat on his special day, but I think we were both glad we could enjoy this meal together and grateful they were eating something good and fresh, instead of Hotpockets, chicken nuggets or hamburgers!
