GoMomYouRock

C16

2011-10-29T23:41:00.003-04:00

Here she is on her Sweet Sixteen on her way to a costume party. Happy birthday Caroline! Maybe we'll celebrate sometime in November.

Slowly...like molasses in winter...catching up...

2011-10-24T22:08:00.000-04:00

I've added September & October 2011.

Ninja

2011-10-23T17:42:00.007-04:00

Getting ready for Halloween...the real Halloween, not to be confused with the dress as a book character day at school.

Burley Blue v Henley Lavender

2011-10-23T17:42:00.006-04:00

Pizza For Sale

2011-10-22T17:41:00.003-04:00

Work is good. Work is fun.

Granddaddy & Will came to the game today!

DI DAZE

2011-10-22T17:40:00.003-04:00

This is all I saw of my team at DI Daze. I had to leave them to go sell pizzas and sodas to the masses at the football game!!

I think they managed quite well without me there!

Gap Year

2011-10-20T22:58:00.003-04:00

So I've managed to post through the end of October 2010 - & started up again October 1st, 2011. The months in between will just have to wait. I'm pretty sure that I'm the only one for which any of this matters. :)

AHS v. Brooke Point 2-0

2011-10-20T21:30:00.004-04:00

Last game of the season - another win with a score of 2-0. This puts the girls 2nd in their district! I took no pictures during the game - just enjoyed watching. These are post-game pics of the girls goofing off for the coaches.

AHS v Riverbend - 5-1

2011-10-18T21:27:00.002-04:00

Tonight was the second to last game of the season for Caroline's field hockey team. It was also the second time they played this particular team. The girls won 5-1.
Here's Caroline (#11) moving into place before she scored the final goal.

And here's a really awesome picture of her carrying the ball to the center line. (I'm not sure what setting I had the camera on today!)

Car Whisperer

2011-10-16T21:52:00.003-04:00

Caroline's Health homework for the last month was all about learning everything about the car, including changing the tire. David showed her where everything was, and then set her loose!

AHS v Colonial Forge

2011-10-10T23:24:00.005-04:00

Burley Blue v Henley Red

2011-10-09T23:42:00.003-04:00

DI Fun!

2011-10-03T23:06:00.001-04:00

At DI today, the team had to build something as tall as possible with the materials they were given. Simple, right?

The next challenge was to create up to 12 launchers - the idea was to launch popcorn over a line on the table. The team had a blast!!Then they ate the rest of the popcorn!

Burley v. Walton

2011-10-02T22:20:00.004-04:00

Pizza Concessions

2011-10-01T23:22:00.001-04:00

Caroline's school choir plans a big trip every spring. The students are able to earn money to pay for their trips by working concessions at UVA & JPJ. Parents are also encouraged to help out, too. Today we worked in the tiny Domino's booth upstairs. Mostly, we filled drinks and handed pizzas over the counter. The students handled the registers. Molly was the only one to learn how to make the pizzas!

Bearettes Sing at BMS Room Dedication

2011-09-30T23:51:00.001-04:00

DI Fun! 3rd Meeting!

2011-09-26T22:37:00.001-04:00

Burley v Henley

2011-09-25T22:26:00.001-04:00

First BMS field hockey game today - Katherine managed to get 3 different shirts, and none will be her real shirt! Crazy league - completely disorganized and mind-boggling that they can register the girls for a team yet not know how many t-shirts to order.

#7NAVY

#10NAVY

#16FOREST

Bottom line, though, the girls are having fun and learning to play a really cool sport.

Family Weekend

2011-09-24T22:03:00.004-04:00

We all - grandparents, parents & siblings - traveled to LU today for Family Weekend!

It looks like she was happy to see us!

The new mascot is Elwood - get it?

The girl was so very happy to see her baby brother, who was also very happy to give hugs & loves all day long!

Although it rained off and on, we never got really wet. We walked all over campus and wore ourselves out.

Will learned the combination to Morgan's mailbox - top secret!

We tried to get a good picture of all of the kids - too late in the day for that nonsense!

We did manage to get a nice one of the kids with their grandparents, though.

Then off to home, with a return trip planned tomorrow. Since we left Caroline behind for a college sleepover experience, it's probably best to retrieve her.

DI Fun!! 2nd Meeting!

2011-09-19T22:00:00.002-04:00

DI Fun - 1st Meeting

2011-09-12T23:02:00.003-04:00

SRE's 3rd Grade Destination Imagination Team!! Back for more creative fun!

Will's a Bear Cub Now!

2011-09-12T21:57:00.002-04:00

Halloween 2010

2010-10-31T23:05:00.003-04:00

C15

2010-10-30T23:00:00.002-04:00

DI DAZE

2010-10-23T22:46:00.003-04:00

1st Tooth Lost!

2010-10-21T22:42:00.000-04:00

Learning New Things

2010-10-20T22:39:00.000-04:00

According to Will's diorama, the Native Americans used radar to catch deer.

DI Day & AHS Concert

2010-10-18T22:34:00.003-04:00

Quilt Retreat - Fall 2010 - Day Three

2010-10-17T22:25:00.004-04:00

Here are some other color choices for the mystery quilt. I think the Christmas colors are going to be beautiful. My quilt has been dubbed the salsa quilt because the red fabric looks a bit like salsa.

At the end of Day Three, I've completed two of these blocks. I've also pieced a many of the pieces that will make up the rest of the quilt. Now it's a matter of putting them all together!

Quilt Retreat - Fall 2010 -Day Two

2010-10-16T23:59:00.003-04:00

At the end of Day Two, this is what I've accomplished.

On Saturday night we always have a Show & Tell. The ladies bring things they've made since the last retreat. There are always lots of beautiful quilts, and hooked rugs, and knitted everything. I rarely have anything new to show since I rarely actually do anything between retreats!

This is what the mystery quilt will look like when it is done. I think mine will be just fine.

Quilt Retreat - Fall 2010 - Day One

2010-10-15T23:59:00.003-04:00

The whole mystery quilt thing really makes me nervous. Not knowing how the fabric I chose will go together is really unsettling. But I know I can trust the retreat coordinator, so I let all my worries go and cut & piece. It's a slow process. At the end of day one this is all I have done.

Wait! Another Home Game!

2010-10-14T22:09:00.001-04:00

Singing at School

2010-10-13T22:05:00.000-04:00

The Bearettes sang the National Anthem for the basketball games after school today.

Another Game

2010-10-12T22:00:00.002-04:00

Another Mystery Quilt

2010-10-11T21:53:00.002-04:00

I'm heading to another quilt retreat and needed to pick up some fabric for a new mystery quilt. The instructions said the pattern would look great with Christmas colors so this is what I picked.

Playing* Playing*Playing

2010-10-11T21:40:00.002-04:00

No school today, so there was a Girl Scout visit to the SPCA. While we waited for everyone Will and Katherine played with the Playmobil set that we keep in the car.

Then Caroline's team had a game. She rocked and the Playmobil set came out again. Will thinks field hockey is dull.

Saturday Rehearsal & Apple Picking

2010-10-09T22:48:00.003-04:00

The Bearettes held a practice this morning with pizza lunch and a trip to the local apple orchard afterwards.

The weather was perfect for a day on the mountain. Unfortunately, traffic was horrendous - we didn't know if was a festival weekend - and it took more than an hour to get up to the orchard. Without everyone there, we had no organization. After waiting for awhile the girls went off in groups to pick apples. As we were leaving, Mr. J's little red car finally made it up the hill. It only took us 45 minutes to get back down!!

Soccer Boy - Picture Day

2010-10-09T21:55:00.002-04:00

AHS Homecoming 2010

2010-10-09T21:28:00.000-04:00

Will's Teepee

2010-10-08T00:02:00.002-04:00

Will made this teepee at school. Ten years ago when Morgan was in 2nd grade, she made one too. I just have to find that picture.

Dresses Made for Singing

2010-10-06T23:56:00.001-04:00

Caroline's singing in the Women's Ensemble at her school and Katherine has joined the Bearettes, her school's women's chorus. Just had to get a picture of the dresses.

How Many Computers Does One Family Need?

2010-10-02T23:54:00.000-04:00

UVA Field Hockey Game

2010-10-01T23:47:00.002-04:00

The UVA field hockey game against Maryland was fantastic. Just before going into sudden death overtime they decided to water the turf again. We saw all of the colors of the rainbow.

The Flipper

2010-09-30T22:13:00.000-04:00

Wallops Bound

2010-09-29T22:08:00.001-04:00

This our K at 6:15 this morning. She's on her way to Wallops Island with a group from school. It's a fun, messy, and smelly trip. The laundry is smelly anyway.

Early Morning Practice?

2010-09-27T22:03:00.001-04:00

GI Joe Needs a Car

2010-09-26T21:59:00.002-04:00

Will decided his Man needed a car so he dug up some construction paper & all of my scotch tape and made him one.

Morgan Gets The Boot!

2010-09-25T22:05:00.001-04:00

It turns out that Morgan has two stress fractures in one leg and shin splints in the other. This was diagnosed after a really cool bone scan! For now she gets to wear this really clunky boot and go to PT several times a week.

Turtle Rescue* Piano PracticeCub Scout HikeBunny Love

2010-09-25T21:34:00.004-04:00

David found our turtle friend swimming in the pool this morning. For the life of me I can't remember his name. After dubbing him "Jack", we repainted his "W", watched him scramble all over the deck, and then sent him off with Katherine to find a safer place to play.

This boy loves his piano.

David took Will, Katherine and another scout on the cub scout hike today. They joined some others from their den and hiked Humpback Rock. Scary adventure, taking those boys up that hill!

Savannah Sweetie is the best bunny ever! She's so soft & cuddly.

AHS v Brooke Pointe

2010-09-23T22:34:00.002-04:00

While Caroline played field hockey, Will played with his toys!

Learning Scales

2010-09-21T22:29:00.001-04:00

Once a Bearette always a Bearette. Katherine's pretty lucky to have a live-in vocal tutor!

New Loops

2010-09-20T22:28:00.001-04:00

Soccer!

2010-09-18T22:16:00.003-04:00

You know it's a good day when you start out with minifigs, go to soccer & then get to spend time with your good friend at the end of the day!

AHS v Stafford

2010-09-14T22:07:00.001-04:00

Girls Night Out

2010-09-10T21:37:00.004-04:00

The girls got together tonight for a Youth Girls Night Out!! They brought things to dress up in and then went on The Corner to get something really yummy to eat.

The moms and various mom-friends also spent some time together while waiting for the Youth Girl Fun to come to a certain stopping point. While we were enjoying the quiet we noticed gaggle of girls wandering closer to us. I had to get a picture of them.

Soon the time came to gather some of our girls and go home. The others stayed for the night and probably didn't sleep much at all.

AHS v. Massaponax

2010-09-09T21:32:00.001-04:00

First Born, First Done

2010-09-09T21:29:00.001-04:00

Someone got her braces off today!!

2010 BTS Dinner/Crowns

2010-09-06T21:52:00.000-04:00

Due to over-scheduled school events & travel plans we had to wait to have our annual Back-to-School dinner celebration. Dinner was homemade Macaroni & Cheese a la David's Grandmother Wagoner, baked chicken & sundaes...everyone's favorite. Pictures weren't complete without the pets - all but Charley who prefers not to join in such pedestrian endeavors.

Fun Times

2010-09-05T21:46:00.002-04:00

Women's 4-Miler 2010

2010-09-04T21:26:00.003-04:00

This morning was the Women's 4-Miler. Some of us volunteered at the finish line & water stops, and some of us participated by running or walking the course.

M17

2010-08-26T21:13:00.000-04:00

Today is Morgan's 17th birthday!! Wow, how the time has flown by. Yesterday she started her Senior year of high school and today she started her day with bacon & chocolate. What more is there?

Back to School

2010-08-25T21:09:00.001-04:00

The running around begins again! This year we have 4 students attending 4 different schools!! Time to hang on and enjoy the ride!

#35

2010-08-23T21:04:00.000-04:00

Caroline is playing on AHS's JV Field Hockey team this fall. Go Patriots!!

Cubs Go Riding

2010-08-22T20:52:00.000-04:00

Will's cub scout pack went to a local farm to learn about horses so they could earn their Horseback Riding belt loops.
Now he wants a horse.

Blowout

2010-08-22T13:18:00.000-04:00

Our super fun and uneventful day at Busch Gardens ended with a thump-thump-thump-thump! It sounded like a helicopter was landing on our roof! Instead it was the tire -totally blown! Luckily we got a GPS on Friday so we were able to easily find a hotel close to the nearest tire store.
The kids were all wide awake at 3 in the morning so we slept late while David dealt with getting us back on the road.
UPDATE: It turns out that the beautiful tires that we got when we bought our car were all dry rotted. Lovely. So glad they didn't blow on the trip to Savannah.

Busch Gardens

2010-08-21T23:59:00.010-04:00

So, we took five of our kids to Busch Gardens today. Well, G's not really ours, but she could be!!
First stop was make sure everyone was tall enough to ride the rides! Yay! Will was tall enough for what he wanted to ride!
We were a little nervous when it came to K's turn...you never know. But yay, she was also tall enough to ride all the rides...not that she wanted to.
Touristy shot...and move along...
I've always wanted to go to France...this may be as close as I get.

Lost Children...they look so sad.
Oooh! The log flume. I did this ride once...a long time ago. Never again. These guys were so brave. They get points - and wet clothes!

The Merry-Go-Round is more my speed.
The little kid section is always a draw.

The Loch Ness Monster lured 3 of our group in. This was G's 1st roller coaster ride - again so brave. She earned her shirt! The rest of us ran back and forth to see what we could see.
Oh! I got spoken to when I took this shot...
Love, love, love this picture!
Next came some more water fun! This time we were spending quarters to get other people wet.
Whack-a-Hun!

Roman Rapids

Tea cups...dizzy riders!

I love the swings, but I'd rather they stop the ride after about 6 spins. This time it was was fun though because they started the fireworks while we were still on the ride.
Time to go.

4-Miler Fun Run

2010-08-21T21:12:00.004-04:00

Today was the Fun Run day at 4-Miler Training. This is the first time some of the participants actually completed 4 miles. The pink ladies are always full of energy & enthusiasm.
We were in charge of one of the water stops, and got to cheer on a lot of our friends.

K's friend G came in 2nd for her age group!

Adventure People

2010-08-16T21:08:00.002-04:00

They just don't make toys like these anymore.

Summer Sundays

2010-08-15T22:25:00.002-04:00

Summer Sunday at Our House - Swimming, Pizza & Sundae Bar

Heading Home

2010-08-15T22:23:00.001-04:00

Fun at Grandma's

2010-08-14T22:11:00.003-04:00

Grandma's means tea.
Trying on clothes...
Working outside - planting trees, sweeping the deck, and shooting at varmints. David was so intent on getting rid of Grandma's pesky groundhog. It must be a man thing.
Quilts - this is my latest almost finished project - it just needs a border and tag, and then it'll be sent off to live elsewhere. Around here that could mean years from now!

Grandma's House of Treasures

2010-08-13T22:05:00.002-04:00

We travelled to Grandma's today for a quick trip before school starts. We picked up this little guy at Messina's, the restaurant where Grandma has a weekly date with her friends!
When we got home the girls were delighted to find several trash bags with fancy clothes & beautiful shoes! They gasped over a few pairs and saved the rest for tomorrow!

Summer Sundays

2010-08-08T21:38:00.003-04:00

Summer Sunday at Emily & Mattie's - Swimming & Frito Bag Tacos.

Pirates

2010-08-07T21:30:00.001-04:00

Pirates tend to run amok around here. We have Lego pirates, Playmobil pirates Veggie Tale pirates & Fisher Price pirates. When they all come together we have a real mess on our hands.

Today's skirmish was between the VT pirates (who looked a lot like the FP pirates),and the FP pirates. The VT pirates held their own and ran the FP pirates off. Not satisfied with that result, Will made sure the VT pirates never won another battle. The FP octopus got the last word...or something.

Cousins Visit

2010-08-03T22:56:00.001-04:00

Savannah Trip

2010-08-01T21:49:00.002-04:00

Katherine's Girl Scout troop has been selling nut & cookies and saving money since they were itty bitty Brownies!! They decided to go to Savannah to visit Juliette Gordon Low's birthplace.

We rented two sides of a duplex and the cottage in the back, moved right in and made ourselves at home. We toured the city of Savannah & Tybee Island over a period of 3 days, and headed back home on the fourth day. We wore ourselves out seeing everything we could possibly see. We even ate at The Lady & Sons for lunch one day. Afterwards we toured Juliette Low's birthplace.

We climbed to the top of the Tybee Island lighthouse and went on a dolphin tour. We spent one afternoon learning all about Georgia coastal life. We had a great trip and we all want to go back!

Emerald Isle - Day 7

2010-07-23T21:13:00.006-04:00

Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale, a tale of a fateful trip, That started from this tropic port, aboard this tiny ship...

For years David's been talking about going out on a fishing boat...every year since I started going to the beach with him and probably even before that. He went out as a teen and loved it, and then waited another 30 years to do it again. Finally, this year the kids were all old enough, and there were no more reasons not to go. We asked everyone in the house to come along, but only our 6 signed on.

We got up very early, making sure not to wake the rest of the family. Not sure we succeeded! We drove to Morehead City and collected our tickets to board the Carolina Princess! Three would fish and three would not. David figured he'd be too busy to fish his own rod, so Morgan, Katherine and Will were the official fisherpeople.
We climbed to the top deck because someone who looked like he knew something told us the kids would like it up there. We sat and waited and got more and more excited. We had visions of a boatload of fish to take home for dinner! Some of us anyway - Caroline doesn't do fishing but thought she'd like the boat ride. She brought a book!

We left the dock and drove forever until there was no sign of any land at all. No sign of anything and heaven forbid the boat would sink and then where would we be? In the middle of the ocean, or close to it, with a bunch of people and not nearly enough life boats. Is it possible to be claustrophobic in the middle of the ocean?
Anyway, we stopped and dropped anchor and David & the fisher people went down to claim their spots along the rail. The boatmen did everything - they dropped gross bait in the trough front of everyone, if a line was tugged they were right there to help get the fish off the line, they clean the fish (bonus!), and they even washed upchuck off the deck. Thankfully I didn't witness that...though I almost added to it!!!

Caroline and I were feeling queasy from the start - the combination of the diesel fuel and the rocking up on top made for a difficult decision to stand up and try to get down the ladder to the fishing deck. I knew I couldn't stay up there and not experience some of this thing that David had so wanted to do for so long. So down I went, stopping at the trashcan to make sure I didn't need to leave an offering.

I found a bench and stayed there, watching my family enjoy casting and re-casting. They really were having a great time! Even Katherine loves to fish. David was kept pretty busy keeping up with the kids' rods, making sure they did get dragged into the ocean! Periodically, the captain would pull up the anchor and we'd turn around or move to another spot to try to find more fish. Moving really is overrated.

Everyone caught something, but only Morgan caught something big enough to keep. One of the deck boys came and took it away on a line with our family number #42! the hope of course is to catch lots of fish so that your family number line is full! Not today. Maybe next time, when Caroline and I are shopping instead!!
After a while even Will started getting a bit green. We stayed outside as long as we could because being inside meant facing the smell of the galley. The boat cook was frying up fish of all things! Finally we couldn't stand the heat and I took Will inside where we joined a bunch of other seasick people. We found an empty bench to rest on, and here we stayed until the boat headed back to port.
Once we headed back, the feeling of queasiness passed and we all enjoyed the ride. We heard all about how big the ones were that had to be thrown back!
So we left the boat with lots of memories and one fish, which we ended up giving to one of the crew.
When we found our legs and were able to walk on land again, we headed to DQ for the biggest sundaes ever!!

Emerald Isle - Day 6

2010-07-22T21:17:00.007-04:00

Some of us had to take it easy today, as in stay off the beach. We have big plans for tomorrow and just cannot let too much sun ruin what is sure to be a fun day!

We always have binoculars nearby and it's a good thing. There's always a ship of some sort out on the horizon. Uncle Bill, is handy to have around because he can always tell us what kind of ships are out there, especially if it's a military ship.

Grandmama tried to enjoy the warm breezes on the deck while reading her book. Her calm and quiet didn't last long. Where there's Will, there's chatter.

David & Morgan went off to explore the sound in their kayaks. After a while Will and I walked down to where they put in to see what we could see. There they were, off in the distance. They came closer and Morgan shouted that she found something for Will. What is it?! She'd found a shell on a small island in the sound. Then Will found another, larger one in the sand by his feet. We took them both back to the house. On the way we met our little beach friend Corbin, who immediately told us that the little shell had something living inside. Bummer - we returned him to his home. At least we still had the big one.

The second puzzle of 2010. Shells.

We used to always celebrate Grandmama's birthday at the beach, but since we moved our vacation into July we get to celebrate Granddaddy's birthday instead. Today we celebrated his birthday a few days early. He got silly bandz!

Emerald Isle -Day 5

2010-07-21T12:10:00.006-04:00

The kids made extensive plans at dinner last night to get up early and run before making pancakes and getting to the beach by 8 am. I had my doubts even then, but I got up and tried to wake everyone for a run. No luck at all. In fact, I was so luckless that I crawled back into bed myself! Not only did we not get on the beach by 8, most of us were not even awake by 8!!

We did have pancakes, and there are people on the beach as I type this. Some are on the beach, and some have gone to scout out a put-in place on the sound for the kayaks. Grandmama is heading to the grocery store -again. Gone are her plans for a shrimp dinner, as most of the people in the house are not seafood eaters. It'll be lasagna instead.

Katherine tried out her new watercolors and painted a postcard.

Emerald Isle - Day 4

2010-07-20T22:54:00.019-04:00

The girls and I headed out early this morning for our run. I was hot early, making us think that tomorrow's run should start even earlier. Once home, it was time to make the bacon! Lots of bacon later we got ready for the day!

Today we finally made it to the beach at 11:30. Who knew breakfast could take so long? It was going to be a short beach day. We decided to go to Morehead City for dinner, but want to get there early enough to see the fishing charters come in with their catches.

After throwing some laundry in, I headed down the the beach. I found Caroline and Will in the water playing with their new friend, Corbin. Katherine decided she needed to be buried in the sand. David buried her and left her to rest for a bit. Since her face was covered with a hat, no one knew she was there!

Morgan packed for the beach and decided to leave her one-piece suits at home. Unfortunately, her two piece suits were too old to wear any longer. Fortunately, her Grandmama took her shopping for a new bikini!

After a short time on the beach, we came up to the house for a quick lunch and then headed to Morehead City! We got there in time to see the boats come in, but most of the boats had not gone out! The boys stayed on the dock to watch the birds and boats, and the girls checked out some shops!

We met up at The Sanitary Restaurant for a delicious supper of fried seafood. Well, some of us did anyway! The fried shrimp and scallops were awesome! Hushpuppies were plentiful. Sweet tea flowed!

After supper we wandered further to see some more boats.

We attempted to take some Christmas card pics.

Then we headed back to Salter Path for Dairy Queen! It was a red-letter day! Will finished his cone for the very first time!

Then home to bed - oh wait. How'd they get into MY bed?!??!

Emerald Isle - Day 3

2010-07-19T18:07:00.009-04:00

Granddaddy, Uncle Bill, Morgan, Caroline, Katherine & Will spent the day at the beach. We didn't get them out there until almost 11:30! It takes so long to get everyone fed, and sunscreened...

Just as we were thinking about getting some lunch together, Caroline & Morgan came back to get lunch to take to the beach folk. Once home, Caroline decided she'd stay. Morgan and I took the coolers up to the beach and fed the sandy people! Katherine joined me for the walk back! My intention was to get my own suit on and help out with the boy watch, but I made the mistake of sitting down on the comfy sofa!

Several hours later I wandered up to the beach to rescue the boy-watchers. It turns out only Bill and Will were left! Bill scooted his sunburned body back to the house, but Will was having so much fun that we stayed another hour. Every time he thought he wanted to go back to the house, he'd get distracted by the waves!
We gave up trying to get the sand out of his hair after two washings! He still has half the beach in his hair!!
After dinner we had homemade blueberry cobbler with homegrown blueberries - yum!!

Emerald Isle - Day 2

2010-07-18T18:06:00.005-04:00

Everyone hit the beach and Grandmama and I hit the grocery store. We managed to get there before the rush so it was a fairly pleasant experience! We timed our arrival home just right, too! We had all kinds of help bringing up the bags of food!

The kitchen is on the top floor of this 3-story house! Lots of stair workouts this week!

Thunderstorms brought the gang in from the beach so much of the afternoon was spent in the game room, or watching bad television.

After taking a run and making dinner, I found a puzzle in a basket of games and spent the evening working on that. Thanks to Bill and Katherine we did not go to bed with the puzzle unfinished!

Emerald Isle -Day 1

2010-07-17T18:05:00.003-04:00

Despite our best intentions to leave for the beach immediately following the 4-Miler Training, we didn't leave home until after 2 this afternoon. The silver lining is that we'll come home to an almost beautifully clean house!

The drive down was almost without incident. There were horrible thunderstorms as we headed toward Goldsboro, and I took the wrong exit after Goldsboro. We ended up stopping for a very late lunch and then backtracked to get back on track. Another wrong turn took us through the same back roads that last year's wrong turn introduced. Morgan drove the rest of the way and we got to the beach house by 8:30. A few minutes later David & Caroline arrived, and we had McCall's barbecue for dinner!

This year's house is a new one. We seem to have a knack for picking houses that the owners really love. The last two houses have been pulled off the rental market so that the owners can live in them year-round.

This house is further back but still has a great view. The rooms are large and beds are comfy. The garage has been transformed into a game room, complete with pool table, Foosball and darts. Morgan snagged this room as hers and has taken over one of the futons down there!

After making the beds and playing several rounds of pool, we're all heading to bed with thoughts of getting to the beach early!

Bridging Ceremony - Troop 157

2010-07-16T22:29:00.003-04:00

This group has been together since Kindergarten when they started out as Daisy Scouts. Then they were Brownies, and then Juniors. Now they are officially Cadettes.They celebrated their Bridging with a pizza and pool party! They'll celebrate earning their Bronze Award with a trip to Savannah later this month!

Eagle Eyrie Pick-Up

2010-07-16T18:10:00.008-04:00

Will, Morgan and I grabbed Molly and went down to Lynchburg to pick the girls up from music camp. Actually, it's now called Worship Arts Camp at Eagle Eyrie.

Diane was the leader of an easy group of girls! Caroline, Katherine, Anna & Angela all made the auditioned vocal ensemble. Angela and Caroline also tried out and made the handbell choir. The handbell choir played one song for the parents. The vocal ensemble sang last night - sorry we missed that!

Katherine took a guitar class. The other three took something called "Scapes. I'm not really sure what that was but they came home with plaster angels.

After the closing session, we caught the obligatory stair pictures and headed to McDonald's for our traditional lunch after music camp.

Always Building

2010-07-14T22:13:00.001-04:00

Eagle Eyrie Bound

2010-07-12T22:51:00.000-04:00

These girls left today for a short (but packed) week of music camp at Eagle Eyrie.

World Changer 2010

2010-07-05T21:57:00.000-04:00

Morgan left today to spend a week replacing roofs in Rockingham, North Carolina with World Changers. She and 5 others from our youth group went down to work hard with 320 other youths in the name of Christ. They will spend the nights in a local school. I doubt it will be comfortable even with the inflatable mattress, but I suspect they'll all be so tired it won't matter a bit. We'll be able to keep up with their activities on the WC blog.

Happy 4th of July!

2010-07-04T23:09:00.002-04:00

and Happy 12th Birthday Katherine!

Card Holders

2010-07-03T20:17:00.000-04:00

Will couldn't hold all of his cards so he made a card holder. Katherine decided that she wanted one too!

SB2W Pick Up

2010-07-02T23:53:00.008-04:00

When we arrive at camp pick up, the campers have usually packed up their stuff and are on their way to brunch. Everything is piled up outside each cabin in hopes that the parents will recognize their child's gear!
AJ found some local wildlife!

Caroline found Will and scooped him up!

Campers, wave to your parents!
Which team flag will fly? Galatians!

Time for cabin awards:

All camp awards: The entire camp gathered for prayer & additional awards. Morgan & Caroline received fish charms for finishing their 6th year at camp. Katherine & Mattie each received a cross pendant for finishing their 5th year at camp. Morgan & Mattie each earned a mini S. Katherine received the Honor Canoer award.

Close up!

The zip line! Caroline checked this off her list of "Gonna Do Once"! Katherine won't go near it, especially after Emily got stuck halfway across!

Will had to check out the inside of boys' side cabin #1:

Last stop on our way out of camp!

SRE Day Camp

2010-07-01T21:03:00.001-04:00

Will spent the week going to a day camp at his own school. Today was pajama day, and was apparently also a day for making all things patriotic. The flag has a handprint turkey and some stars on it. The hat is just wild! He's skipping tomorrow because we're picking up the sisters!!!!

Swim Party!

2010-06-26T23:52:00.000-04:00

Bringing good food and lots of boys*, friends gathered on a hot summer night. The kids swam and parents chatted. At one point a line of boys walked by and we wondered what they could possibly be up to. Whatever it was it was, they were busy and happy. * There were girls there too, but not many. Ours were still at camp, having all kinds of camp-like fun!

Softball

2010-06-25T23:44:00.003-04:00

Microburst?

2010-06-24T22:13:00.000-04:00

Our post-Cub Scout Camp trip to Arch's was abandoned due to power outages caused by a microburst. I left work in beautiful summer weather - no wind, no clouds, no nothing. David & Will left camp north of town in the same. Five minutes later, leaving downtown I was surrounded by twisting trees and rain so heavy & thick I couldn't see in front of me. I parked at Arch's and waited it out. David & Will showed up 25 minutes later. No power meant no yogurt, so we decided to go have dinner with David's parents since Will was going to spend the night. The trip should have taken 15 minutes. Trees were down everywhere & the major roads were blocked. I was able to call landlines but not David's cell. It was an hour and a half later that I pulled into their driveway. There was no hint of bad weather at their house!

More pictures and comments can be found here. The storm took less than 20 minutes and was pretty scary. The whole event brought home the idea that we really aren't prepared for any kind of emergency around here. 911 wasn't answering. People were without power for days. Cells wouldn't work. Roads were closed. Luckily 3 of our kids were out of town and weren't part of the equation. Good things - no one was injured badly; the cub scouts were all picked up before the storm hit - picture a hundred boys at a local park with no real shelter! Yikes!

Oh, and we had BBQ from North Carolina for dinner - definitely worth the drive!

Cub Scout Camp - Day 3

2010-06-23T19:35:00.002-04:00

Day 3 - I got to pick up and see the well-managed chaos! Friend Jacob was there, too! Also, Jacob's mom, who was in charge of making sure the guns were loaded! I can't remember how many BBs they went through each day, but I'm thinking she's having BBs in her dreams!!

Cub Scout Day Camp

2010-06-21T15:32:00.002-04:00

Day One -Both boys went!

SB2W Drop Off - Year Six

2010-06-20T23:21:00.006-04:00

After 6 years it has gotten easier. Today's weather was beautiful. We had several friends from home attend camp this term so there were lots of familiar faces at drop-off!

Morgan is in Cabin #14!!!! That's the SENIOR cabin. Caroline, Caroline P & Mattie are in #10, and Katherine is in #5. We got the girls all moved and then Will did some exploring. He's all set to come next year and has decided he'll be in cabin #1 on the boys' side. It's a pretty safe guess since he'll be one of the youngest ones in camp! When it was time to go, Will gave the girls hugs (and tackles!). He misses them so when they are gone, but loves the quiet at home!

First letters mailed from Jennerstown - just minutes from camp!

Great Fun at the River!

2010-06-19T22:10:00.010-04:00

Pink Madness - W4MTP

2010-06-19T11:56:00.003-04:00

GoMomYouRock

C16

Slowly...like molasses in winter...catching up...

Ninja

Burley Blue v Henley Lavender

Pizza For Sale

DI DAZE

Gap Year

AHS v. Brooke Point 2-0

AHS v Riverbend - 5-1

Car Whisperer

AHS v Colonial Forge

Burley Blue v Henley Red

DI Fun!

Burley v. Walton

Pizza Concessions

Bearettes Sing at BMS Room Dedication

DI Fun! 3rd Meeting!

Burley v Henley

Family Weekend

DI Fun!! 2nd Meeting!

DI Fun - 1st Meeting

Will's a Bear Cub Now!

Halloween 2010

C15

DI DAZE

1st Tooth Lost!

Learning New Things

DI Day & AHS Concert

Quilt Retreat - Fall 2010 - Day Three

Quilt Retreat - Fall 2010 -Day Two

Quilt Retreat - Fall 2010 - Day One

Wait! Another Home Game!

Singing at School

Another Game

Another Mystery Quilt

Playing* Playing*Playing

Saturday Rehearsal & Apple Picking

Soccer Boy - Picture Day

AHS Homecoming 2010

Will's Teepee

Dresses Made for Singing

How Many Computers Does One Family Need?

UVA Field Hockey Game

The Flipper

Wallops Bound

Early Morning Practice?

GI Joe Needs a Car

Morgan Gets The Boot!

Turtle Rescue* Piano Practice*Cub Scout Hike*Bunny Love

AHS v Brooke Pointe

Learning Scales

New Loops

Soccer!

AHS v Stafford

Girls Night Out

AHS v. Massaponax

First Born, First Done

2010 BTS Dinner/Crowns

Fun Times

Women's 4-Miler 2010

M17

Back to School

#35

Cubs Go Riding

Blowout

Busch Gardens

4-Miler Fun Run

Adventure People

Summer Sundays

Heading Home

Fun at Grandma's

Grandma's House of Treasures

Summer Sundays

Pirates

Cousins Visit

Savannah Trip

Emerald Isle - Day 7

Emerald Isle - Day 6

Emerald Isle -Day 5

Turtle Rescue* Piano PracticeCub Scout HikeBunny Love