Lake Anna

This past Sunday, our couples small group and their families got together for a social at Lake Anna. Brian and Heather Smith took us on their pontoon boat for a relaxing day on the lake.


As the boat started to move, Caelan and Micah got their life jackets on and braced themselves for the ride. This was their first time on a boat.

Eva looked like she was already a pro at this!

The weather ws perfect and it felt like a family vacation! Plenty of fellowship, food and frolicking in the lake. It was just so CHILL........

After a full day in the sun, Caelan crashed instantly in my arms.

The kids LOVED their first time on a boat.
Looking forward to the next time....

Son Rock, Kid's Camp! Son Rock, Kid's Camp!

Micah chanted this all week long as he went to Kid's Camp for the first time. His Vacation Bible School (VBS), a week long program where he and other 3-year-olds play games outside, do crafts, have music and snack time, and learn a story about the bible, was an absolute blast for him. They gave him a T-shirt that says Son Rock and I can't tell you what a struggle it was to make him part with it so I could wash it for the next day.


He was really excited for "school" each day. I was worried that maybe he would be afraid after I dropped him off. But, after he met some new friends, it was like "Mommy, Who?" Every morning, I got a quick wave goodbye as he would run to meet his new pals. He never looked back.


With a big sigh, I came to realize that Micah was growing up. He didn't quite need his mommy as much. That's okay. I love his independence and his desire to engage with people. Truly, I got to spend more one-on-one time with Caelan, something second-born children never really get.


Funny story: As we pulled away from VBS, two minutes into the car ride -- Caelan would look at Micah's empty carseat, and was quiet for a few seconds before discovering a startling truth. He started screaming, "UH OH! UH OH! Micah! UH OH! Micah!" It was simply hilarious. He had NEVER once been in the car without his brother. He seemed devastated. After we had breakfast together though, just mommy and Caelan, he got over it real quick. Smart little guy.

Introducing Two New Bundles of Joy

Remember, my two prego friends I went to Mexico with?

Jessel

Susan

Meet the newest miracle to their families.
Jessel gave a Hollywood Style delivery
(all the screaming just like the movies)
to Stephen Mark Newton, her third child.


Looks like he could be my party of five.
Oh, start praying for us! :)

And this is Susan's & Scott's first child.
Meet Shelby Em Sweat.


Little Shelby already got professionals photos
done. I think her parents also took 1000 pictures
of her within her first week! :)
What a beautiful little princess.

4-H Fair

Patrick is really fond of all the 4-H fairs that come to the different counties each summer, as he and his family growing up, went to the Maryland State fair pretty often. We missed the Loudoun Fair this year, but was able to make the Fairfax fair, at Frying Pan Farm Park.

First stop at the fair, was a booth that educated us on ticks and the Lyme disease epidemic in our area. Mommy got wigged out by the live ticks they showed us, but the boys loved it. Micah got tattoos.

A mom is proud of all her kids crafts.
Even the super-sized styrofoam tick. Joy!


They saw honeybees at work.

They got to pet bunnies and baby chicks.
Again, Caelan is not afraid to touch fuzzy animals.


Or big, live, panthers either.


This was the boy's first ride
on the swings.


No vomiting. Hooray!
Caelan was not of height to ride ANY
of the rides, but no one seemed to care.

Since this will be listed under the Things to Do list, please note that if you go to the fair, admission is free, but they charge you $5 per car to park. Also, there is not a cash machine in sight. The local restaurants also pitch a tent, so it's really good food. And the rides will run you about $3-4 a ride per child which could add up. It's a great community thing to do!

Micah's Nay Horsie Adventure

Daddy has never left us for five days straight. So, before Patrick left to Minnesota, Micah put his nay horsie in daddy's suitcase, and made daddy promise him that he would sleep with him at night. Daddy was good to his promise.


He also took it up several notches. Apparently, nay horsie had a lot of fun, and got to spend time with a lot of the family. To kick off his day, nay horsie starts off with a balanced horsie breakfast.

He gets loved up on by Auntie Heather and Uncle Eric.

Nay horsie meets new friends....

And picks up a few enemies.
Micah goes, "Aaaghh, scary alligator! Run, Nay Horsie!"

Nay horsie in the cornfields with Auntie Meghan.

Nay Horsie helps Aunt Marilyn with the packing.


Nay Horsie with Grandpa and Aunt Kathy.


This one was Micah's favorite:
Nay Horsie shoots a gun!


And scares himself
and jumps on Grandma's shoulder.


Nay Horsie winding down,
rocking chairs with Daddy.

Thanks to Uncle Eric for taking these pictures with his phone and sending them to us while daddy was away. Micah laughed at each one that came in, and enjoyed them tremendously!

Volcano Island Park

One suggestion to add to our "Things to do with kids" list was the Volcano Island Water Park in Sterling. When you walk in, you already feel like you're going to the tropics!


Their main attraction is that blue bucket that fills up to overflowing and then the sirens starts to sound and everyone underneath this thing gets completely and utterly soaked. Note: If you have a 1 -year-old, who hears the imminent danger noises, it can be a little scary.

Overall, it's very kid-friendly. Slides for Caelan...

And slides for daddy, too!

They also had mini-buckets that dunk water,
which Micah sat under and waited,
as well as fountains that shoot from the ground.


The Lauers joined for us a day of fun.
They lives 3 minutes away from the park.

When Caelan got tired, he wanted "up" from daddy.
The boys lasted about 2.5 hours
So, if you go after 4 p.m. weekdays, it's only $5.00.

When Micah got tired,
he sat by the beach and just watched.

If you're hungry, they also have a little food shop you can order a whole pizza, and a notable area is a fun sand pit in the shade. Perfect for toddlers. Excellent value. Close & cheap. Ten minutes away. The price for the whole family on a Saturday, was under $25.00.