Quote of the day

I was helping Madelyn with a drawing project, and she asked me to help her draw Pierson. As I finished, she said, "Wow, Mommy, you're a genius!"

Long time, no post

Our lives have been pretty mundane lately, hence the lack of posting. We just got back, though, from a long weekend visiting my parents and extended family. The kids had a great time and did relatively well traveling; it's just over 400 miles to my parents' house from our house. We did both trips with only one stop, which is pretty impressive with a potty-trained child and a squirmy toddler. It was so nice to see most of my family while we were there, and I usually get a little melancholy after we return from a visit. I hate it that we can't see my family more often. The kids have such a great time, and Madelyn kept saying, "I don't want to go home. I want to stay at/go back to Ma and Granddad's." So, family reading this--come visit!!! It would be a very cheap visit to Washington, DC. We have plenty of room, so you could stay here for free!

But I digress. Here are some pictures from this weekend:

This is Madelyn swinging with the daughter of one of my best friends from high school. This could almost be mistaken for a picture of Amy and me.

Madelyn with her little cousin Connor.

Kathryn giving Madelyn a ride on the tricycle.

Pierce loved all the attention from his great-aunts Alice and Sandra:

Water Mine

JD and I took the kids to a local watering hole yesterday. The Water Mine is a kids' water park in Reston and is one of Fairfax County Parks and Rec. sites. I forgot to take my camera, but I don't think I could have really gotten any good shots anyway since both JD and I were in the water most of the time. Madelyn had a wonderful time and loved riding the bigger slides with JD. She really has turned into quite the water dog. Pierce, as always around the water, was quite timid at first, but he really started having a good time toward the end. He even was willing to go down some of the slides with me.

Some info for the locals:

1. It's a bit pricey, but I think it was worth it.
2. If you have more than one child, it might be difficult to do with only one adult.
3. Get there early if you want an area in the shade to put your stuff/take a break.
4. When you look at the pricing, "chaperone" does not mean any adult with a child. It means a person who is only observing, not getting in the water at all. So, if you are planning on getting in the water at all, count yourself as the "above 48 inches" price.
5. It is really laid out well, as you wade further into the pool, the slides get bigger and water deeper. The sections are pretty obvious, even though they aren't roped off.
6. There is a "kiddie" area that is completely sectioned off for those under 4 and their parents/guardians.
7. The lazy river is not so lazy. Lots of waterfalls and buckets of water just waiting to be dumped on your head.
8. Admission to the water park also gives you all day access to Lake Fairfax activities and the carousel.

So, all in all, I give it two thumbs up! Take the kids; have a blast!

We need the funk

JD decided to teach Madelyn the lyrics "We need the funk, we gotta have that funk." Well, she sang it all evening. Guess what "funk" often sounds like coming out of the mouth of a 3 year old. I fully expect to get some interesting looks if this song continues to be belted out of her mouth. If you would like to hear more of Parliament's "Give up the funk", click here.

Boating on the Potomac

My brother-in-law recently bought a boat. On Saturday, we went boating on the Potomac River with my sister-in-law, her fiance, my brother-in-law, and a friend. I wasn't sure how the kids would do, but they had a blast. Madelyn even wanted to get in the water, and she loved it. Pierce got in to, but he wasn't nearly as thrilled. I think he became frustrated with the life vest, but he eventually stopped whining and played a little bit.

Pierce playing captain with Uncle Philip

A rare shot of Madelyn smiling at the camera

Pierce unimpressed with his situation

The kids with (soon-to-be)Uncle Brian

Madelyn in the river

A rare me sighting

Madelyn's got J-O-Y

Turn up the volume. This might be hard to hear at first, and in case you have trouble understanding, here are the lyrics:

I've got joy down in my heart
Deep, deep down in my heart
Spell it
J-O-Y down in my heart
Deep, deep down in my heart
Who put it there?
Jesus put it there and nothing can destroy it, 'stroy it, 'stroy it!
Huh! (With a karate kick for emphasis)

What the kids do while I'm getting dinner ready

More weekend fun

Granddaddy is so silly!


Gotta get Dada


Cousin lovin'

June Pictures

are posted here. Ballet class starts, warm weather takes us outside, messes are made, and friends come over to play.

Celebrating Independence and Life

This past weekend we visited with JD's family. His grandmother always hosts an Independence Day bash at her house on the Rappahannock River. We swam in the river, dug in the sand, ate some hot dogs, and enjoyed some fireworks. In addition to the 4th of July festivities, we also celebrated Granny's 90th birthday. On Saturday, nearly the entire family, as well as many of Granny's friends, joined her for a party in her honor. Before the party, we were able to get some various pictures of the family. This is one of my favorites. Granny has 16 great-grandchildren. Fourteen are visible in this picture. You can see the 15th's legs under the chairs to the right, and the 16th was busy trying to find her mommy.

Yard care confusion

Some of you might find this interesting. Not the funniest conversation we've ever had, but I wanted to jot (type) this down, lest I forget it.

Madelyn: Mommy, it's raining.
Me: I know, honey.
Madelyn: The yard is wet. (Said in a somewhat panicked voice. She is very concerned when things are wet. She doesn't like it when her clothes get wet, and she insists on changing at the slightest drop of water.)
Me: It will dry really fast once the sun comes out.
Madelyn: No, we need to mow it.
Me: We can't mow it until it dries.
Madelyn: (Almost hysterical at this point) No, we have to mow it so it can dry.
Me: No, honey. Mowing doesn't dry the grass. It makes the grass shorter.

No wonder she's been talking about mowing the yard when it rains. It also clears up some confusion from a conversation before when she asked why the men were mowing when it hadn't rained. I'm often amazed at how well Madelyn can communicate now. However, I am more amazed when it sometimes takes two or three or more conversations to figure out what's going on in her head. Although, I don't know why this surprises me. Sometimes it takes that long when adults communicate with each other.