goofy family fun

We had a pretty productive weekend, working on the yard... which looks horrible, I'm aware and apologize to the neighbors. Matt swears he'll have the huge swath of dirt and tangle of roots cleaned up and seeded within the next few days. (the fact that he spent 3 days and about 9 hours trying to coax a dead rotatiller back to life will go unmentioned). Here's the boys playing with some new Micro Machine cars... they're SO tiny and cool; we all love 'em. A BIG ole thanks to Dave for passing them (and the ginormous tub of Lego's) along!! I'm getting the house, errands, laundry, groceries and such wrapped up before I leave for Dallas early Thursday morning....4 days of women, music, good food and more! Carly and I also dug out an old bag of costume stuff from when I was little. There is NO photographic evidence of this, BUT. I can still fit into a ballet costume I wore when I was 14. So there.

I thought this was so cute. Carly says "look, Mommy! I made this for you!" Boy, she got Nick's ears spot on.

Special 'cooking' project for me and kids Saturday....it's sushi made from Rice Krispies, Fruit Roll-Ups, Gummi Worms, and Swedish Fish.... so yummy and fun to do!

Carly and I are chopstick experts....

It's Kangaroo Jac's!!

Luke turned three recently, so it's time to party!! 

I'm pretty sure Carly has a bit of a crush on Zach... she giggled and followed him around most of the time.  At one point he had to go 'rescue' her because she was stuck somewhere and 'couldn't get out'.... He's such a good sport, maybe a babysitter for us one day?? Here she is really sweaty and one of him going REALLY fast.... 

Nick wasn't quite so daring, but did go down a couple of slides, spent most of his time trying to climb UP them, though.  

blowing out the candles! 

look what a good, big sis!  

Ice cream, too!  and look what happens when he gets a blue ring pop.  That's pretty cute, huh?  

Is it Friday already??

I'm sitting here, relaxing for a quiet moment, enjoying the new Lindsey Buckingham "Gift Of Screws" record....lovin' it.  Especially "Right Place to Fade". Too cool.  

Anyway, I'm trying not to see out the windows to our backyard, where many a limb lies after this week's wind and rain.  We'll take care of it tomorrow, I guess... 

To catch up with this week: 

First, I had one of those parenting moment's I'll never forget.  I was in the hallway at Carly's preschool with Nick, talking to her awesomely talented music teacher (and MOPS DGL extraordinaire) Julie.  I was turned to the wall, signing Carly out and Julie was talking with the kids when she suddenly held up one finger and calmly said "oh look.  Nicholas just handed me a booger."  Good grief, I thought I'd about die.  But to her credit she just laughed and wiped it off with a brush of her hands.  Paul says, "hey, that's a compliment!  It means he likes her!!"  

Speaking of Nick... here's what NEVER to get him for Christmas.  Like, EVER.  I emailed the pic and instructions to Dad, who replied: 

"Huh??  But I've already built the cage and risers!"  Funny. :)  

We saw one of these at a crafts show in Massanutten recently and I did one of my usual snorts "Pffbt.  I can do that." Soooo... I started collecting up our old credit cards and gift cards, gave 'em to Matt, he stamped 'em out, drilled a hole, and I threaded 'em on to some old gold jump rings and a gold clasp I had.  Voila!  I call it "Charge, please"  If you look real close, you can see Visa, Trader Joes, Starbucks, Victoria's Secret, Target, Michael's, The Gap, Omaha Steaks... etc.  All my favorite places!  

Went to Mom's today to pick up Nicholas.... She'd made this arrangement in a Garden Club workshop.  Isn't it beautiful?!  I wanna go to one soon.... 

playin' catch up!

On Sunday, we grabbed Mom and took everyone down to Carolina for a couple of hours on the Currituck Sound and boy was it windy!  Here's Nana trying to coax Carly to cross the space where a couple of boards are missing.... come on, sweetie... you can do it!! 

He headed straight to the "big" John Deere and climbed on up!  I'm hearing a chorus of "She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy" now, aren't you?  :) 

nuttin' like an impromptu nap on the front porch!

Hey!!  We saw an eagle!!  

a little dancin' in the streets and Uncle Jeff provides more fun for the kiddos 

The adults get in on the action...

...headed downhill fast... hoping he realizes that this thing does NOT have brakes!!!

a boy and his tractor working the land... 

  

Put him to work, Uncle Jeff!! 

just sayin'

I'm going to veer for a moment from the usual inane postings here about our daily doings with the kids, with work, with meals and just get some things off my chest, I guess you could say. There is a pretty good chance I won't even hit "post" at the end of this, we'll see.  I really hate confrontation, and offending anyone, but I feel if you can't stand up for what you believe.... well then, what good are you?  

First off, I'm not really what anyone would call "politically involved" but I don't see how anyone recently can not feel some frustrations with all that's going on in the world.  I'm a proud American; aren't we all, though?  For me, it means proud to call this country my home, proud I have the opportunity to live, work, and raise my kids here.  I know I'm ridiculously blessed with a solid childhood, supportive parents and a college education, and I know that there's plenty of people out there who are not.  However, I'm also very proud of the decisions I've made in my life, and I believe I've learned well from the mistakes I've made.  That being said, I'm just trying to wrap my brain around the feelings of shame and worry I have about America's reputation.... I see nightly, the talking heads sling mud back and forth at each other and try to point out the shame, lies and skeletons in their opponents closet.  I see the "news" of the crazy things Americans will read or hear about and take to be absolute fact, and am scared by the fact that these are the same people that will be voting in a little over 40 days.   I also see the erosion of personal responsibility in our lives, and know I'm guilty of all these things a little myself and will work to change it, promise.    

To lay out exactly where I stand politically is tough... I don't really consider myself in agreement completely with any particular party or candidate.  There are, though, a few things I CAN say to express where I'm coming from: 

1) Like I said before.... I'm not all that educated on politics and admit it.  Most important to me right now is raising my kids; teaching them manners, respect, and how to be productive members of society... but for now, I'm buried under the minutiae of our daily lives and am lucky to just have taught them "please" and"thank you".  But that's ok.  I do have lofty goals for the future.  But... when I do have time to learn a little about the world around me.... 

2) I listen to and believe Neal Boortz.  To me, he is one of the most educated, dedicated, and actually (gasp!!) reasonable people out there.  While I don't agree with everything he says 100%, and do feel quite sorry for some of his callers who have to deal with his marked impatience,  I do trust what he says because I KNOW he is a fact-checker above all else and that is admirable and honest.  My first edition, signed copy of "Somebody's Gotta Say It" is one of my prized possessions.  I also like to watch and listen to Glen Beck... he's entertaining, fair, and thought-provoking. 

3) I did a little Elaine Bennis dance of joy in my head when I heard MSNBC had bumped Keith Olbermann off the main anchor desk.  While I absolutely know it's fine and good for him to have his own ideas and opinions,  his idea of "journalism" is a cruel joke and an embarrassment to those in the business, in my humble opinion.  

4) I wish instead of having to learning algebraic equations and other nonsense in public school math classes (none of which I remembered, or was EVER called into using), that I had been taught important lessons focusing on interest, compound interest, savings rates, percentages, and other actual things that would help me understand the ridiculousness of what's going on now in the financial markets.  Plus, maybe if we'd ALL have been taught these things, I would bet we wouldn't be IN this mess in the first place. 

I'm just so frustrated and disappointed in the select power-hungry politicians we've voted in office that become complacent; and in the dirty, greedy CEO's that've been chosen to run companies that we depend on who are "forced" to make bad decisions, then don't stand by them when the sh*t hits the fan, but yet feel zero remorse in taking (and keeping) the ludicrous bonuses paid out to them.   

OK, that's about it, I guess.  I hope I don't feel compelled to address this again, I don't like the way it makes me feel.... but I'm going to continue to try my best to be responsible, to be positive, and to help out those that need it through my many opportunities at work, church, and family.  

Change?  Yep, you better believe America needs change.  I hope we get it right....no, I'm counting on it.  

Eeek!!! BUGS!!!!

Here's Dick Lamb this morning... doing his thing, waking up Hampton Roads with his wit and wacky singing.  Little does he know that right over his left shoulder, there on the studio window ledge is....

THIS!!!!  

Now really, how did he (or she, who'd want to check??) even get IN here???  

Jim Long, says it's a Katydid and used the infamous "two cup method" to remove it, all after Dick tried quite UNsuccessfully to coax it onto a sheet of paper... it took flight and bounced all over the studio, landing on computers, desks, and finally the wall.  Me?  Over in the corner screeching.  

Here's our very own "Katydid Hunter" displaying part of the "two cup method".... Crikey!!  

On a completely different note, here's the red potato, yellow squash, goat cheese gratin I made last night....  It was SOOO good, kids even liked it.  Thank you, Grey!!  You'd have been so proud seeing me slaving hard over our mandolin.  

my "To Do" list

Every day seems to include some moment of panic for me that "I can't do ALL this". Matt always reminds me that ALL of it doesn't need to be done "today", but really. My arguement always is "what, I should wait for tomorrow? When I'll have an ENTIRELY NEW list of things to get through??" I mean, does he have any idea how buried I would get, WE would get as a family in general, if I didn't plow through my list daily?? Anyway, in my Gentle Spirit moment this morning, I was relieved to read a wonderful piece on a Psalm talking about time, rushing, accomplishment, etc. It really gave me pause to remember that people have been struggling forever with having just 24 hours a day to get everything done .. this isn't something that our generation has just invented as of late. I had to go back to a MOPs email I'd saved from months ago. While reading it through that first time, I remember it clearly... it was a Monday, when my "list" always seems most daunting. I've kept it in my inbox as a daily reminder to cut myself some slack and to endeavour to have one of those "Today I did nothing and it was fabulous" kind of days. Not going to happen today, of course; I have to get to spin class, iron some clothes, pick up the van from the shop, and cook up the potatoes/squash gratin recipe before the squash rot and the potatoes grow eyes and roots in the pantry.

To-Do List
Rhonda Headley, Council Coordinator
“I did three loads of laundry, emptied the dishwasher, called the vet, cashed the check, went to the post office, made brownies with Jessie, helped Katie Anne with her homework and filed my report.” That is a very realistic answer to my husband’s question at dinner, “How was your day?” Funny though, he didn’t ask what I accomplished, he simply wanted to know how the day went. Knowing the girls and I and even the dog are happy and healthy is enough for him, but I find myself equating the success of my day with what I can check-off of my to-do list. It alternately annoys and concerns my husband that I let chores and responsibilities dictate my definition of a “good day.” As Mom, our household often relies on my ability to get things done efficiently. When I let an undone load of laundry or pile of mail mar my day, I have to seek my husband’s more balanced perspective. He can focus. He can watch TV, and not feel compelled to fold laundry at the same time. He can leave the dishes until after bedtime and tickle the girls longer. And he can pretty easily ignore the mulch the dog drags in from the yard. What bothers him is my inability to see that some mulch on the floor is not that big of a deal in the grand scheme of things. I’m learning to cut myself some slack and adjust my expectations accordingly. I’ll focus more on my relationships and not my to-do list. Maybe, I’ll even learn to say, “I did nothing today, and it was fabulous.”
Prayer From a Mother's Heart
Dear God, help my child to understand that what he accomplishes or doesn’t accomplish does not affect your love for him.

Totally sedated...

Darling little Nick discovers a new trick with his sunglasses....
also funny and a bit embarrassing ~ when I first heard this song, I think at a college party while visiting Mary Washington, I thought they were singing "I want a piece of David". Duh.

TGIF!

Big shoes to fill, huh kids?  And look at my sweet baby face... 

This is the pizza Carly and I made FROM SCRATCH... well, if scratch means rolling out a pre-made ball of herb dough.  And I for one, think it does.  We put spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, and goat cheese on one side, and pancetta and ricotta on the other... it was ridiculously delish.  

A couple of Foodstuffs

While thinking about an Organic Pineapple yogurt smoothie, I was reminded of a couple of food bits that have come my way recently.  This one not near as healthy....Paul Richardson told me he'd had his famous Sloppy Joe pizzas the other night.  Sloppy Joe meat, on an English Muffin, covered in mozzarella, popped in the oven and melted.... That reminded me we hadn't had Matt's Mom's Sloppy Joes in a long time... here's her old, well-worn, and much loved recipe.  Good by the spoonful, right out of the pan. 

ESPN's Tony Mecurio is always on me to eat more, and believe it or not, he's the king of all things produce, being that he grew up in a produce-shipping family.  His favorite apples in the world are the HoneyCrisp, a relatively new variety that's got quite a following.  They're in season now, and on sale at the Fresh Market.  He gave me one today, and he's right.... best I ever had.  

Lastly, while reading Rachael Ray's magazine, I was happy to find that she said the best pizza around in these here United States can be found at Lombardi's in NYC.... and that's where Matt and I went in 2003... I was about 7 months pregnant and dying for some good pizza.  We had a great time; shopping, checking out Regis and Kelly VIP style, David Letterman, Ground Zero... it was a phenomenal trip.  

Lombardi's is the countries oldest pizzeria (established in 1905) and still using a coal burning oven... it was the first place we'd had ricotta cheese spooned on as a topping and still order it that way to this day, even though it garners plenty of odd looks.  

While I was looking through my NYC pictures, I found this little gem.  Took this outside David Letterman's studio while we waited in line to get in.  He was a riot.  

Speaking of food, and looking through my "travels" photo album, I came across this one, which I've written about before, but didn't have this picture... Austin girls trip 2002 courtesy of Anne.  20-something of us went for a weekend of fun.  I can't remember this place's name, but we ALL got a Flaming Dr. Pepper shot... here's all (looks like) 27 of them lined up, beer in the big glass, you can see the shot glass, layered with Amaretto and 151.  They're lit on fire, blown by the bartenders and then like dominos, all knocked 

down into the beer glasses.... 

It wasn't long after, this practice was outlawed in Texas. Seriously.  

That's about it...tonight we've having appetizers for dinner.  Pork Qyoza potstickers and Lemongrass chicken lumpia from Trader Joes.  I'm starving..... 

1,2,3.... he can count to ELEVEN!!

Click the arrow above to view my little lovelies counting together in the tub. This is a cute moment of sibling harmony that the grossly uninitiated would believe exist all the time. Trust me, they do NOT, so it's a darn good thing I grabbed the camera to catch this particular one.

Last day of vacay!!

We wanted to go enjoy one more day of vacation before heading back to work, so on Sunday we went down to the beach to Catch 31 for some dinner and moon watching.... Look at those kiddos.  My heart just aches when I see that little profile and that great big smile!  

Carly took this one of us; I took the one of the goat cheese rav's.. very yummy, but not near enough for my infamous appetite.  

Here's the kids coloring, check out the sunset.  And when we walked out on the boardwalk for a bit, I snapped one of them at the railing, but apparently I moved the camera a ton, since the moon looks like a giant shooting star.  Or maybe a cute dangly earring, depending on how you look at it!  

We look like we're being blown away on the deck of a cruise ship or something, doesn't it?  

I cropped this one in real close and showed it to Carly and said "look at that, isn't that cute??" and she said "What? What IS that?" She just couldn't figure out that it was actually HER... I guess she's never seen her belly button from a head-on position :)   

the weekend stuff...

Hangin' out with the Bejarano's for Kaylee's 5th birthday!  It was Oscar's, too... so one Tinkerbell cake, one fruit "cake" made from watermelon slices, cantaloupe, berries, kiwi, and more!  It was super cool. 

His Nick sportin' things up.  Hanging like that really reminds me I need to feed him more high-calorie sugary drinks, Happy Meals, and doughnuts....man, he's a skinny bird.  

Oscar and the boys in a moment of pure swingin' joy.  

Kaylee splashes down the slide! 

Carly does it, too!!  I was so proud of her... she's really coming out of her "scared" shell.  Taking lots of risks and loving it!  Go, big girl!  

Peace, man.  Pic of us with the t-shirts we made on Mountain Vacay Part I.   Part II still soaking in trash bags in the garage... stay tuned.  

And a pic Carly wanted me to take of all her hair bows.  She's the Imelda Marcos of hair adornments. 

little bits...

Carly just said to me... "So now I have a boyfriend at school."  I asked her what his name was and she said "Well, I don't remember it.  At least most of it.  But I remember today he had on white and blue shoes and they were sneakers without bows or ties".   She is going to be a high maintenance princess all the way... Oh, now she says his name is Nathan and he's taller than her.  Lucky.  I can't remember ANY boys being taller than me when I was a little girl!! 

So at some point during our vacation, Carly, Mom and I were in the middle of a conversation and Carly let out with an "Oh, snap".... it had me bent over laughing while Mom just looked like "what? what does that mean??" I guess the little one's been hanging around with David and Christopher too much!


Yesterday afternoon, I heard Nick was upstairs wandering around after his nap (I hate this whole 'no more crib' thing...) so I went up there and he was standing at the top of the stairs in his tshirt and nothing else... no diaper, nothing. I asked him "where's your diaper?" He said in his room and that he had to go Peepee.... Ok. So I went in to his room and yes, there was his diaper on the bed. Also, a pile of poop on the floor and several smears of it on the carpet in different places. (*sigh*) Good grief, what a mess. BUT, he's never done anything like this before, so I guess I should consider myself lucky I've never walked in on a "poop painting" like other parents I know. And, technically, Matt had to point out that the whole ordeal was my fault, since it IS an unwritten rule that Nick be put down for a nap WITH pants on. I plopped him in the tub, washed him down while Matt was on carpet cleanup. When I took him out and swaddled him up in his yellow duck towel, I held him real close and told him about the potty and how he needed to go there from now on... he looked at me and said "I love you SOOOOO much". Awwww....

On the way out of the VB Public Parking garage last night, Matt had to dig out his license from his wallet so he could pay the $1 resident fee.... Nick said from the backseat "are you getting it out of your butt?". We all laughed, and I asked "hey Nick, where do you think Daddy's brain is?". God love him, he replied "it's in his butt, too!"..

We're baaaaack!!

Last morning in the resort; we had a hot sausage and egg breakfast with homemade sausage we found at a little gas station in the hills.  Hope that's safe.

It didn't take us too long to pack, we did pretty well eating up all the food and stuff we'd brought...the hard part was dragging Nick away from the spring-y doorstop things all over the condo.  Why is it that the silliest, most innocuous things bring the toddler set such immense joy and hours of playtime??? I'll always have in my head from this trip, the sound of "DOOOOOIIINNNGGG...." 

So we loaded up the van, it took Matt about a hundred trips up and down, and we hit the road for 81 South.  

Saw this truck along the way.... okay, really?  Is that a real company?  What in the world were they thinking when they picked that name?  It's a cute bear, though...he reminds me of the Grateful Dead bears.  Hmm, maybe that explains a lot.  

This is what we saw off the "scenic view" overlook coming through Afton Pass.  :)  Breathtaking, isn't it?  

Lunch and shopping at "the Nook" in Charlottesville; yeah, we're ready to come home!! 

Finally, the loot I bought:  
A print jacket for autumn and some dishclothes for the kitchen.  We use WAAAAY too many paper towels for spills, cleanups, and hand wipings.  So, I'm just trying to do my part for the environment.  

Silver dangly earrings that'll go with all sorts of colors!  And the kids bought these marbles and shooters from an antique store.  Matt tried to teach 'em the correct way to play, but they were just interested in slinging them from one end of the living area into the kitchen where they made tons of clanging noises.  I'm sure we left handfuls of them behind.  

Picked up these cool "leave me alone, paparazzi" shades at a little store in Staunton.... love the red.  

We saw stars, stars, and more stars on the houses up in the mountains, so it finally wore me down and I bought this one for a bargain in Harrisonburg... I like the fact that it has the raised design on it.  We've already replaced the "paradise" hanging with it outside the front door.  

Also pictured are two Christmas ornaments for the kids this year; an angel and a moose, each made out of jingle bells!  I bought them at the craft fair up at the ski lodge one afternoon.  

It's Thursday!

We started off a bit lazy and late; Matt went fishing, then we ate cereal and stuff for breakfast and headed out for Skyline drive for some more hiking!!  It was a bit chilly, so we had on coats, it felt great!  

a pic atop Powell Gap overlook.... 

A cutie grasshopper and a cool looking flower puff.... 

Oh, how many sweet memories we have of times spent here.  We drove through the campground showing the kids all the sites we'd stayed at, the fire pits, the amphitheater.... they really want to go, but we told 'em Nick had to learn to be quiet first.  Maybe next year?  

Hey, look!  We finally DID see some bear!!  Aren't they precious?? 

We had a delish lunch of BBQ, burgers and grilled cheese at the wayside... the fries were amazing!! 

a foggy view down Blackrock... it was so misty, we were quite damp.  

Some nature shots of amazing things found along the Blackrock Summit trail.... 

Kids trailblazing the way on the Appalachian Trail, and one final walk through the woods...  

Well, I guess that answers THAT age old question.  :)  

We then headed back into town and went shopping for a bit: Old Navy, Target, etc.  Oh, and one last caramel macchiato.  
Now it's back to the condo for dinner... Carly crashed again.  We all picked out our meat at Martin's and cooked out on the grill.  Then  lots of packing up for check out tomorrow!  Bittersweet tonight.  I'll be sooo glad to get back home to my bed, my couch, my friends; but hard to leave knowing it could be a whole year before we're back :( 

Wednesday!

Wednesday's the day mom's leaving, so we woke up and were helping her get all her things together before heading out for our last adventure all together.... It was cloudy and misty again, but no worries.  We went up to the Fareways Clubhouse for a big, hot breakfast of pancakes, omelets, bacon, eggs and waffles.  Oh, and a Bloody Mary (yick) for us and fruit smoothie for the kids.  Then it was off to Natural Chimneys... southwest of Harrisonburg and a beautiful drive through rolling farm country.  Enjoy the picture of Carly a la Blair Witch Project. 

Mom took this of us gazing off one of the cliffs we found after hiking up the trail.  

The Hungry Caterpillar? 

And a view over the chimneys... what a natural wonder! 

Okay.  Does this mean both the rocks AND the snakes are falling???  Because I can't think of anything more scary than not only snakes, but falling snakes!!  

To put it in perspective.... see the kiddos?  

Matt playing leapfrog with Nicholas! 

And you thought only jousting happened here at Natural Chimneys... apparently so does the age old sport of "mushroom throwing" 

After our hike and exploration was over, we went to..... Taco Bell.  Yep, back to Harrisonburg to say goodbye to Mom and Nana!!  So sad to see her drive off... we completely enjoyed the extra set of hands and ears and eyes for the kids!  I hope she didn't get too stir-crazy  :)  

We set off for Luray to let the kids enjoy a car nap... look at Carly... Now THAT'S tired.... 

then it was a quick stop at the ice cream store from a coffee and some Bear Track Fudge Ice Cream.... yum!! 

This was quite the interesting store....Matt went in and looked at the scary, weird tshirts and music collection.  The kids and I went antiquing for a bit and bought one of the world-famous metal stars that adorn nearly every house up here... Ours is burgundy with a raised pattern; perfect for beside our front door!  

We came on back to the resort then and loaded up the car for a little bit of fishing... As soon as Nick put his line in, he caught a fish!  And it happened twice!!  He was sooo proud.  The funniest/scariest moment, though, came when he walked into my pole and the hook went RIGHT into his little nose.  Of course, he instantly threw his fist up to it and tried to pull it out, which led me and Carly to scream like banshees... it was quite horrible.  But cool-headed Matt calmed everyone down enough to "fish" it out.. and only a little blood.  I felt so bad for him, but he made it up to us by coming back to the condo, taking a bath, then peeing on the couch.  *sigh*  

Tuesday!!

Tuesday morning was a bit rainy and overcast, but we took off for a little shopping excursion.  First we went to Target, to get pillowcases for the tye-dying we'll be doing later in the day.  Mom ran in to the adjacent Starbucks to get us some coffee.  When I walked up, she and the barrista were laughing over something and Mom was looking sheepish... I asked what's going on and apparently Mom had stepped up to the counter and ordered "two Tall Ventis".  She's still getting the hang of ordering specialty coffees!  Yeah, she'll be the talk of this month's barrista meeting.  :)  

Next we were off northward to The Shoppes at Mauzy, an old stagecoach inn turned into a grouping of antique stalls mixed with new furnishings.  I bought a couple of little Christmas gifts for friends and the kiddos tried on some hats! 

Then it was off to Harrisonburg for some lunch at Cally's (fish tacos) and some shoe shining at the courthouse! 

Mom and Carly have been watching some of the recent US Open and decided to head out to the parking lot for some 'back and forth'.  Carly really seems to enjoy it and tries hard to get the moves right!  Who knows, maybe she'll get good enough to carry us through old age and retirement!! 

We went to an artist's gallery and workplace...the kids worked along with a guy who designs stained glass windows (even did one at a Methodist Church in Chesapeake) and now does paintings with markers that look just like them!  

This afternoon Carly, Mom and I went to the sunroom at the Ski Lodge for the tye-dyeing class.. we did t-shirts and pillowcases; here's mine all wrapped up and ready to soak.  You have to leave it in for WEEKS!!!  Can't wait to see how they all turn out.  

Is that Elton???  He really is quite the fancy little guy sometimes.... 

Mom offered to hang out with the kiddos tonight, so Matt and I hit the road for some adult time!  As much as we love, love, love our babies, it was ridiculously heavenly to not hear their little voices for a few hours.... ahhhh, peace.  :)  We went to a Japanese Steakhouse for some sushi and hibachi; met a nice older couple and chatted about times 'achanging.  

Monday, Monday

Monday morning: Matt and I went to an owner's breakfast and earned ourselves a hundred bucks while Mom and the kids stayed back for some pancakes and playtime.  Then we went up to the Ski Lodge for the chair lift ride to the top of Massanuten Mountain... Always fun, but you have to hang on to the little ones!  Here we are waving back at Matt and Nick.  

Care to take a flying leap??  This is the hang-gliding ramp... 

And Carly standing at the top of the summit trail. 

Ahh... that's more like it.  A beer and wine tasting.  With free meatballs and cheese.  What could be better???  The Hawaiian beer was really calling to me, but it was actually quite icky, so I stuck with the Bud Lime.  That I know.  

Matt must've been feeling a bit tense, I guess, because he jumped at the chance for a 5 minute massage... Probably not too relaxing, though with the kids poking at him and saying "Daddy, what are you doing??" 

Gem Mining at Misty Mountain... they both got a Ziploc bag full of goodies!  $10 worth of fun?  not so sure..... 

This is the Mountain Tube ride that we hadn't tried yet... but Mom decided we probably would like it and could talk the kids into it.... so up we go, riding the moving escalator up to the top.. Nick and Matt went together first, with Nick in front.  Then Mom and I went with Carly in her tube tied between us.  She LOVED, LOVED it... the guy at the bottom said "yeah, I heard you scream ALL the way down!"  I wish I had a better picture of the actual slide.... but I literally couldn't pry my fingers off the handles. It was quite scary to us, and much longer and faster than any of us imagined.  Trust me.  Nicholas?  He didn't like it AT ALL and was crying by the time he got to the bottom.  Problem was you could only buy a ticket for TWO rides.  So we HAD to go again.... Mom and I were going to put him between us to see if he liked it any better... I did manage to snap a few pictures, one of Mom trying to get in for a second time.  The first time Nick took off running for the hills and we had to go fetch him.  He sure looks happy, huh??  See the orange stuff that lines the side?  Hard sharp plastic and I'd removed my flip flops since I'd seen a lady ahead of me loose her shoe.  So I really spent most of the way down, between screaming, trying to keep my bare feet from being flayed open to bloody stumps as we zoomed down..... Poor Nicholas, keep saying " I DON'T LIKE IT, I DON'T LIKE IT!!!"  I will say the weirdest feeling was my ASS ON FIRE at the bottom... I guess I had it pressed down too far and it was dragging (shut up, no snide remarks) and by the time the terror was over, it felt like it was literally ON FIRE.... yikes.  

After all the bravery Carly showed, she deserved a LifeSaver popsicle. Scaredy Cat Nick shared a Butterfinger one with Nana.  

Maybe learning your way around the Mac isn't so hard.  I mean, if Mom can do it!!  She checked email, opened PowerPoint presentations, ordered photos from Snapfish, and more!   Matt and the industrious kids built Lego thingys.  

we were filthy after the day on the mountain, so we jumped in the jacuzzi for some soaking!  

The sunset over the golf course.... every one is so different, like snowflakes, no two are the same.  Dinner was cold cut sandwiches, piles of different cheeses, and a cold strawberry/cream cheese dessert.... delish!  

the half-moon rising off the deck.... another beautiful day in the mountains draws to a close :) 

more from Sunday

Lots of driving around on this trip, from adventure to adventure... this was the view in the back of the van on the way to the Fashion Gallery outside of Verona... jackpot!  I found a cute black and white animal print jacket for fall.  The whole way there Nick and Mom were in a discussion that went that this: 

Nick: Where are we GOing?

Mom: For a drive. 

Nick: Where are we GOing? 

Mom: Just for a drive, Nick.  

Nick: Where are we GOing?  

Mom: Nick, read my lips: we're just driving, okay?  

Nick after a pause of about, oh 3 seconds: Read MY lips...where are we GOing?  

Heehee... it's funny to see someone else deal with what we go through on a daily basis.  It can truly be soooooo exhausting.  

Sunday evening was so pleasant as I drifted off to sleep to the sounds of the Sunday Night Football game on NBC ( I think)... nothing soothes me to sleep on a crisp fall night like a whiskey sour, football ref whistles and John Madden's voice.  I was out in no time..... 

Day two, I think?

Sunday dawned bright and beautiful, so we hit the road for Skyline Drive after a breakfast of homemade biscuits and country ham... so salty and we almost felt our arteries seizing, but well worth it.  Off to Skyline Drive and a hike along Bearfence Mountain trail.  

The gals, then the guys.... you can tell by these who the true "adventurers" are!  

Parts of the trail were pretty rough, but Mom hung tough and the kids did pretty good... just a few scrapes and tumbles.  I love this millipede picture, the colors, the shapes, the thought of all the strappy sandals, peep toes, and flip flops I could buy if I were to be reincarnated as one.... 

Here's the cave where we probably shouldn't have mentioned "Hey Nick, go see if you see any bears!"  

Family picture near the summit.  

One more summit; Mom almost made it, but decided to stay back and guard the food.  You know, in case of bears.  I set the camera up with the timer feature on a nearby rock and seriously nearly killed myself launching my body back over to this side... you'd never know from looking at it, huh?

Caught Carly in a sneeze here... doesn't it look like she just ran into a plate glass door??   heeheeee..... 

After cooling off, having some trail mix and Kool-Aid, we went into Staunton for some shopping at Grandma's Bait and other stores.  I bought some giant reddish sunglasses; here we are watching the glass blowing demo at SunSpots... very cool.  But hot.  

Check out this guys car.  Think he's got enough reading material??  Sheesh.  

One of our favorite drives is Goshen Pass.... Here we are looking down the pass from one of the overlooks.  

It isn't a Mountain Vacay unless we hit Edelweiss.  Here's Carly playing the accordian (his stomach Steinway) with Grandpa Dennis.  I have some video I'll try and post later.... Nicholas got to play, too.  They ate mashed potatoes, green beans and schnitzel...

Here we all are before the giant sampler platter of weiner schnitzel, sauerbraten, rahmschnitzel, jagerschnitzel, and goulasch plus spatzle, sauerkraut, red cabbage and more.  

Massanutten Vacay Part II

And.... we're off, caravan style with Mom and Carly following behind in her car. She's going to stay with us until about mid-week!  It's drizzly and overcast with Tropical Storm Hanna bearing down on us, set to come through the area tomorrow (Saturday), but hopefully everything's tied down and Aaron's got his eyes on the house.  

Waking up Saturday morning to the "storm" rolling by... 

Nicholas was sleeping, well... 'like a baby'.  That is, until the flash woke him up.  He wasn't too happy with me, but quickly found some fun with Carly in the shower.... leave it to my kids to play there.  

Since it was so drizzly and rainy, we went to the Shenandoah Heritage Market for some antique-ing, honey, apple butter, and apparently some giddy-uppin'!  

Hello?  PETA?  Yeah, this feels mah-ve-lous.... 

Two fancy ladies... 

Twilight visit to the water park...  The kids mainly stayed in the kiddie pool, we did the lazy river a bunch of times, and Matt drug me up the "Country Cooler" slide... it was amazingly fun, even though I thought my heart was gonna pound out of my chest.  

You can really see the joy in our faces!  well, not in everybody's.  

Ahhhhh.... a sweet treat of ice cream and a giant chocolate dipped cookie.  

Labor Day with the Lual's (some of them, at least)

So, I think I've mentioned before that my friend Anne (Aunt Crazy to the kids) is just the most amazing, generous spirits I've ever known and one of the many things she does to enrich the lives of others is tutor a family of Sudanese refugees... she's been doing it for nearly 3 years now and has certainly changed the lives of these 9 kids who have seen way too much horror and heartbreak in their young years.  She brought 4 of the older girls down to the beach from Richmond on Monday and boy, did we have some laughs.... Here they are first putting their feet in the ocean.... yep, first time ever!!

Pictured:  Awut, Ayak, Anne,  Achan, and Anger  

They quickly got used to it and enjoyed hanging out in the surf for hours! I can only imagine the amount of sand in their britches.... 

Making drip castles

Surfer Dude Nicholas 

My stomach is clenching in panic just thinking of all the sand that'll be in the van on the way home....

We had a picnic lunch.  My family premade turkey and American cheese sandwiches with mayo and mustard. Juice boxes and some stale Doritos.  That's it.  

Anne brought bags of fruit, trays of crudite and dip, (seriously), cookies, all the fixings for PB&J's, bread, varieties of cheese, turkey, pepperoni, banana peppers, red pepper spread, on and on and on... Here she is taking orders from the girls asking herself "What was I THINKING????"   

my little teenie wahine :)

 

Achan and Ayak bury Anger... she was an amazingly good sport! 

Jenni and Anne!  (yes, that's what she still calls me, after all these years... her, Mom, and Jeff are the last 3 holdovers and I honestly love it!!) 

It really was an awesome day for everyone.... when we got home Carly said "I love that Aunt Crazy, she crazes my bones out"...whatever that means!  

Parenting rocks!!

I came across this today while going through our morning show prep and it gave me such a sense of peace and joy.... especially number 10!! Don't we really know what true love is now that there are little ones in our lives?

Here are 10 reasons you are a better parent than you think you are: (from Parenting Magazine )

1) You are the best mommy or daddy in the world for your child - Regardless of what the experts or anyone else says, in your child's eyes you are their one and only. If you can live up to that kind of love and acceptance, you'll be happier for it.

2) You trust your gut - Most of us try not to get too worried or upset by the proliferation of news stories about lead-poisoned toys or tragic stories of kidnapped children, but it's not very easy. When push comes to shove, your gut can be your guide. If you feel more than a tingle of doubt, you'll do the right thing by your child. You're wired that way.

3) You give the best love you know how to give - Love isn't perfect or always kind, but you want to be a good parent and you try every day to be the best parent you know how to be.

4)You feed them every day- Not always meals with enough vegetables or fruit, but you feed them, and you worry about their health. And that makes you a good parent.

5)You smile at them, beam even, and they make you proud - When you smile at your child (and you know you do, often) you are transmitting your love and tenderness. Kids are sponges and they feel every iota of that sweetness.

6)You teach them about wonderful things -- You fill their heads with the wishes of childhood -- Santa Clause, the Tooth Fairy, the Easter Bunny and other wonderful creatures. Even if they don't believe you, their eyes light up with the spark of imagination.

7)You love them unconditionally, even when you don't like them very much - Most kids know that you love them no matter what. Even when they have tantrums in the grocery store and hit their sister or brother and refuse to eat their dinner. Even then you love them deeply.

8)You comfort them when they're scared - Monsters, bad dreams, and things that go bump in the night hold no power over the comfort of your arms and your murmured reassurance.

9)You want your child to be happy - Almost more than anything else, you want to see evidence that your child is happy, well-adjusted, and secure. You want this for them more than you want it for yourself.

10) You are their one true love - For so many years, you are your child's sun, moon, and stars. You are the keeper of their small open hearts, their only one. This essential truth, when fully appreciated, makes parenting the most fulfilling thing you'll ever do...

So let's pat ourselves on the back, Mom and Dad.... we're doing a great job!!

success!!

first off, I have NEVER, not once bought more than the $8.95 package at those portrait studios... because that's where they gouge you... more poses means hundreds of dollars and it's just too much, plus I've never had the best of luck with the kids at those places.  They have zero interest in sitting still and looking pleasant.  But yesterday, I took them up to a new place at Landstown Commons that was AWESOME!! And I got hundreds of pictures, different poses, and a CD of ALL the shots for under a hundred bucks... look how cute!!   There's even more than this, but I didn't want to get all carried away with their adorableness.  :)   They both got big bowls of frozen yogurt at the Skinny Dip after this shoot!  

First day of school!

Carly's first day at Preschool! She was SO excited; got up, ate breakfast (TWO granola bars!) and was jumping up and down by the time I got home to her.  Matt took Nicholas to Rhonda's and off we went.  I called in to the guys at the Wave and she got to yell on

 the phone "I'm going to school!!!" 

When we got there, she just blew right on by me and into the classroom to play.  She said she had a "gooder time than she thought she was going to!", which I suppose if great!  They both crashed for naps, but I'm getting ready to wake them up to go get a portrait done in the "first day of school" outfits.  Pray for me.  Oh, speaking of that....thank you, Shannon for praying for my hiney at spin class :)  Yes, I went back.... only to the 30 minute beginner class, which I suppose I can handle.  At least it's over quick.  The teacher said maybe I'm leaning over too far into the handlebars during the "jumps" and "stands" and maybe that's why it bothers me so.  I'm going to give it a few more tries :) 

I'm not exactly sure what the heck iPhone did here... but here's a shot from my seat :)   at least this is what it looked like before the lights went off and the sweating and torture began.  

Instead of playing soccer this fall, Carly says she wants to take piano lessons, so I'm going to really be more diligent about playing and helping her.  She was picking away at some keys last night, I could tell she was doing "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" and I went in to tell her she was sounding great; and she said, "thanks, but I can't find the piece of paper with the letters on it".... she was doing it by ear from memory!!!  I was so proud!  

Oh, and here's a picture Matt took Saturday night at Billy Idol.  There.  Now he can't say I "never talk about the stuff he does".  

Love you, hon!  

On the OBX again :)

What a beautiful weekend down in the Southern Shores of the Outer Banks!  We went down to Rick and Karen's cottage for some fun, sun, and amazingly good food!  Remember this picture, you'll see it again in our yearly Christmas card.  

The girls enjoying the beach: Carly, Mom, Leah and Karen.  We enjoyed the guys trying their hands (and feet) at surfing.  

And I've ALWAYS wanted to find a real piece of beach glass on the shores of Carolina and look!  Matt found one!  And in green, my favorite color!  Shhhhh.... don't tell him it really just looks like a shriveled up lima bean.  

Michael watching for the perfect wave, and the Roberts kids pose for Mom.  

I don't know where she gets that above pose from... I swear I did NOT teach her that.... 

A family shot and Nick and Uncle Jeff brave the surf.  

Loungin' by the pool....we won't talk about the moment when Nick fell into the pool.  Apparently it's NOT a pool party unless he does.  

This was on the walk to the beach; looks like radishes! 

Anyone have any idea what THIS is???? We dubbed it "the beach eye".  

All good southern kids eat Carolina bar-b-que.  And cole slaw, and green bean salad, and my mac 'n'cheese, and fried chicken and I could go on, but my mouth is literally started to water... man, I'm hungry.  

The group shot!  All 5 Chappell siblings and lots of family, too! 

Aunt Jeanne gives a push.... 

The sunset on our street when we got home, still sipping our Nags Head Starbucks .... a perfect ending to yet another perfect day!