Richmond Zoo

On a teacher workday back in November I took the girls to the Richmond Metro Zoo with some friends. The weather was fabulous and we had so much fun. 

Feeding the giraffes and the goats were a huge hit. The giraffes tongues were so long and they would just reach and reach for that food. Notice the goat standing on the donkey's back in the top right picture. He obviously didn't want to fight the crowd on the lower end of the fence. What a nice friend that donkey is.

These kids see each multiple times a day and cherish every minute they get to spend together.

The fall leaves were gorgeous.

Proof that I can overcome fears for my children and purposely walk inside an inclosed space full of birds. My heart starts racing just thinking about it.

I love this zoo because you can see a lot of animals pretty close up. It was such a fun day.

Friends Forever

It has been about 2 years since we have seen the Cumberworth Family. Between our two families, there have been 3 babies born, 2 law degrees obtained, and 3 moves since we saw each other last. We were so excited when Adam had an Air Force JAG training at UVa so we could get together.

I picked up Shana and the kids and brought them to Richmond for a few days. Her kids are so stinkin' cute.We had fun just hanging out at the house, going downtown, and walking around Maymont.

Eli loves to give kisses. Charly and Eli were so cute all week just hugging and kissing on each other. For the bottom right picture, I balanced a cookie on top of the camera to get them to look at the camera. It was pretty funny and kind of worked. One of the last times we saw them our girls wore the same t-shirts, but it was Leland and Lucy. (Those t-shirts were actually my 9 and 11 year old nieces' shirts. Those hand-me-downs have definitely gotten their use.)

We only got to see Adam one night. We all went to Charlottesville, walked around the gorgeous UVa campus and the historic downtown mall. No late night game playing like the old days, but still lots of fun just hanging out chasing after all the kids. Having 5 kids in tow instead of just the one (Leland) like we had years ago was quite different. It was so fun to see Adam and Shana as parents. Thanks for coming to VA. We can't wait to come visit you in FL.

As we walked around the lawn at UVa, Chuck and I kept telling the girls that this is where they were going to go to college. The fall colors were amazing.

Law School Friends

A few weekends ago the Rufener's, some friends from law school, came down from DC for the weekend. Abbie is a photographer and came down to shoot a wedding. It was nice to have them at our home and take them around Richmond a bit. See, I knew the "see you soon" works, but for all of you that moved west, when are you visiting VA?

We went to Maymont. It was HOT! I love Ella's look on her face staring up at Leland. The girls all played well together. It was fun to see Ella grown up. She was under 1 when we lived by each other last.On Saturday, both Abbie and Chuck worked for most of the day. I took Scott and the girls to feed the ducks, then down to the walkway out onto the James River. We also did a quick tour of the Civil War Center at Tredegar National Park. That evening we went to delicious Bottoms Up Pizza and walked around Main Street Station waiting for the attack of the birds at 17th Street Market (more on that later).I love Main Street Station. Even before we moved to Richmond I have loved this building. Every time we drive by Leland will yell, "There's mommy's favorite station!"
Be sure to check out a museum for free on Museum Day, Saturday, Sept 25th. Find a participating museum here.