Camping Fun - Part 1 of 2

This weekend we went camping at Douthat State Park. It was so much fun. This was sort of a trial run because we are going camping in a few weeks at Harper's Ferry (3 hrs away). We had nothing planned and we have never taken our kids so we needed to test the waters a little bit. They did great and we had so much fun.

Chuck took off a day from work and we left early on Friday morning. Douthat is less than as hour away so this would give us most of the day on Friday to enjoy the Park. We would have loved to stay in the Lakeside campground but they were full. Whiteoak was a fine option because the sites were very spread out. We chose our site and started setting up camp. The girls loved climbing in the tent. Leland called it her castle for a while. The bad part was the sites were all loose gravel. The girls have bruises on the their shins and knees from crawling around in the tent. Lucy even got a big knot on her forehead from diving off the air mattress.

Quote of the weekend: We had been there maybe an hour and Leland says, "Mommy how do we watch television in the forest?
Note to self: Turn on the TV less, go camping more.

A river runs through the park and has some gorgeous dams to create the lake. As we were driving around checking out the park we saw a baby black bear running through the forest. We watched him for a little while but could not get the camera out to take any pictures.

We (actually Leland) decided swimming was # 1 priority once she saw the beach area. It had a playground on the sand with buttons on several poles that would turn on sprinklers on the equipment. Leland enjoyed being in the lake a lot more than the slippery playground. There was also a platform out in deep water with a slide and diving board. Leland and Chuck enjoyed playing in the water while Lucy and I hung out on the beach. Lucy was extremely tired but put up with us dragging her around very well.

Lucy finally got to take a short nap in the car while Leland played on a playground and Chuck tried to do a little fishing with Leland's Barbie fishing pole. With no success fishing we headed back to our campsite for dinner.

We cooked hot dogs on the campfire which I think is one of my favorite things to eat. We took a walk to the small river that ran next to the campground to take a few pictures. We then enjoyed some roasted marshmallows and S'mores.

Leland went to bed just fine because she was so tired. Lucy on the other hand thought it was so fun to be by us she just wanted to play. We will take her pack-n-play next time and I think she will have an easier time sleeping.

July Update

Summer is quickly coming to a close. We are packing as many activities as possible in these next few weeks before Chuck heads back to school. Hooray that this will start his LAST year of law school!!



Leland - She has really grown up in these last few months. She loves everything that involves dancing or singing. I hope to find some sort of music class for her to be a part of in the fall. She loves to look at books, have us read her stories, or she reads to her dolls. She is a chatterbox and loves to talk.



The other afternoon Chuck was lying next to Leland while she was watching a movie. He said he was falling asleep and everytime he did Leland would shake him telling him to wake up. I later asked Leland why she kept waking Dad up while they were watching the movie. She said he was being too loud. When I asked what he sounded like she replied "He sounded like a hippopotamus!" and started cracking up laughing.



Everything in her world is a mommy, daddy, or a baby. If there is less than 3 of anything, one is lost or missing. For example, if she sees a horse all alone in a field she will say "Oh No! The baby lost his mommy and daddy." When she colors there is a "mommy crayon", "daddy crayon", and "baby crayon".



She is also set on having a baby brother (NO this is NOT any sort of announcement). There is no baby on the way, but whenever there is let's hope for Leland's sake it's boy. She will take toys and put them to the side to tell me that she is "saving them for her brother to play with." She has also started telling people that her baby brother is in her mommy's belly, which is obviously a little embarrassing. I have been trying to tell her that she may get another sister someday and she says "No, I only want a brother."



We have started playing some new games. Apparently she thinks she has grown out of Candy Land and High-Ho Cherry-O. She now asks to play Jenga and Scrabble. Obviously we don't really play Scrabble we just line up the letters and she asks me to spell different names and words. Jenga she's gotten figured out and it is hilarious to watch her face when the blocks fall.



Leland's ultrasound of her kidneys and bladder came back fine. The antibiotics having been working great. She will have one more test in a few days to make sure the infection is completely gone.



Lucy - is no longer a baby and has shot right into toddlerhood. She is walking all over the place and will climb on everything, luckily nothing too high yet. She is taking after her sister and loves to dance. If she hears music she will bop up and down or will come get someones hand to dance with her. It's pretty cute.



She loves to wear her daddy's hats. Her own hats while out in the sun, not so much, but loves her dad's. It's pretty funny when it falls over her eyes and she walks around not being able to see where she is going. Lucy also loves to wear necklaces and bracelets and "talk" on the phone.



Her hair in the back is growing longer and there is CURL!! What?!?! My 1st child has blue eyes, now my 2nd has curl in her hair. Genetics are so unpredictable.



Lucy is a tough little girl and puts up with her sister wrestling her to the ground. She is learning to hold her own quite nicely. I can only laugh when Leland starts to cry saying, "Lucy hurt me."

Dinosaurs and waterslides

We had a fun weekend in Charlottesville. We stayed at my Aunt Barbara's house. Friday night Chuck spent the night in the Sleep Clinic. Trying to get a good nights sleep with monitors taped to his head, neck, back, arms, up his nose, and down his pants was nearly impossible.

Aunt Zebra (as Leland calls her) loves having the girls visit. She always pulls out lots of old school toys from when her boys were little. They are now in their mid to late 20s.

On Saturday we met our friends the Crofts for a Dinosaur story time at Ash Lawn-Highland. It was 2 ladies - one sang and the other was an AMAZING puppeteer. I've never seen so many little boys at a story time.

Afterwards we walked around the grounds where they had peacocks, sheep, chickens, and an amazing view of the mountains. All the kids needed to have their own peacock feather; luckily there were plenty lying around.


We then headed to the pool (which Leland calls the beach). They had a water slide, diving boards, and basketball hoop. We had a lot of fun.

Leland loved going down the water slide. Lucy on the other hand kept wanting to crawl in the baby pool which obviously didn't work that well.

W&L campus pictures

It was gorgeous weather on Friday afternoon so we took a walk on campus and took some pictures. Chuck loves to take pictures and he does a wonderful job. One day I hope to buy him a really fancy camera, but for now we will stick to our fits in the palm of your hand and in your back pocket camera. I love that it is easy to carry around and still takes pretty good pictures.

Click on the pictures to make them larger.

We have seen some great pictures of the campus and want some to print large and frame. I think Chuck got a few that are worth framing.

The Colonnade

Lee Chapel

200 Have and Have-nots

I've had 2 friends do this recently and thought it was fun to read. So I'll give it a go.

Go through the list and BOLD everything you have done. Quite the list but fun to think back on your life. Try it!

1. Touched an iceberg
2. Slept under the stars
3. Been a part of a hockey fight
4. Changed a baby's diaper
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Swam with wild dolphins
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a tarantula
10. Said "I love you" and meant it
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea (from the beach looking onto the sea)
14. Stayed up all night long and watched the sun rise
15. Seen the Northern Lights
16. Gone to a huge sports game
17. Walked the stairs to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
19. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
20. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Bet on a winning horse
23. Taken a sick day when you're not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Taken an ice cold bath
28. Had a meaningful conversation with a beggar
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Ridden a roller coaster
31. Hit a home run
32. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
33. Adopted an accent for fun
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Felt very happy about your life, even for just a moment
36. Loved your job 90% of the time
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Watched wild whales
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Gone on a midnight walk on the beach
41. Gone sky diving
42. Visited Ireland
43. Ever bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited India
45. Bench-pressed your own weight
46. Milked a cow
47. Alphabetized your personal files
48. Ever worn a superhero costume
49. Sung karaoke
50. Lounged around in bed all day
51. Gone scuba diving
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Done something you should regret, but don't
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Been in a movie
60. Gone without food for 3 days
61. Made cookies from scratch
62. Won first prize in a costume contest
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Been in a combat zone
65. Spoken more than one language fluently
66. Gotten into a fight while attempting to defend someone
67. Bounced a check
68. Read - and understood - your credit report
69. Recently bought and played with a favorite childhood toy
70. Found out something significant that your ancestors did
71. Called or written your Congress person
72. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
73. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
74. Helped an animal give birth
75. Been fired or laid off from a job
76. Won money
77. Broken a bone
78. Ridden a motorcycle
79. Driven any land vehicle at a speed of greater than 100 mph
80. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
81. Slept through an entire flight: takeoff, flight, and landing
82. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
83. Eaten sushi
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read The Bible cover to cover
86. Changed someone's mind about something you care deeply about
87. Gotten someone fired for their actions
88. Gone back to school
89. Changed your name
90. Caught a fly in the air with your bare hands
91. Eaten fried green tomatoes
92. Read The Iliad
93. Taught yourself an art from scratch
94. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
95. Apologized to someone years after inflicting the hurt
96. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
97. Been elected to public office (Does Elem. School President count?)
98. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream
99. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
100. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you
101. Had a booth at a street fair
102. Dyed your hair
103. Been a DJ
104. Rocked a baby to sleep
105. Ever dropped a cat from a high place to see if it really lands on all fours
106. Raked your carpet
107. Brought out the best in people
108. Brought out the worst in people
109. Worn a mood ring
110. Ridden a horse
111. Carved an animal from a piece of wood or bar of soap
112. Cooked a dish where four people asked for the recipe
113. Buried a child
114. Gone to a Broadway (or equivalent to your country) play
115. Been inside the pyramids
116. Shot a basketball into a basket
117. Danced at a disco
118. Played in a band
119. Shot a bird
120. Gone to an arboretum
121. Tutored someone
122. Ridden a train
123. Brought an old fad back into style
124. Eaten caviar
125. Let a salesman talk you into something you didn’t need
126. Ridden a giraffe or elephant
127. Published a book
128. Pieced a quilt
129. Lived in an historic place
130. Acted in a play or performed on a stage
131. Asked for a raise
132. Made a hole-in-one
133. Gone deep sea fishing
134. Gone roller skating
135. Run a marathon
136. Learned to surf
137. Invented something
138. Flown first class
139. Spent the night in a 5-star luxury suite
140. Flown in a helicopter
141. Visited Africa
142. Sang a solo
143. Gone spelunking
144. Learned how to take a compliment
145. Written a love-story
146. Seen Michelangelo’s David
147. Had your portrait painted
148. Written a fan letter
149. Spent the night in something haunted
150. Owned a St. Bernard or Great Dane
151. Ran away
152. Learned to juggle
153. Been a boss
154. Sat on a jury
155. Lied about your weight
156. Gone on a diet
157. Found an arrowhead or a gold nugget
158. Written a poem
159. Carried your lunch in a lunchbox
160. Gotten food poisoning
161. Gone on a service, humanitarian or religious mission
162. Hiked the Grand Canyon
163. Sat on a park bench and fed the ducks
164. Gone to the opera
165. Gotten a letter from someone famous
166. Worn knickers
167. Ridden in a limousine
168. Attended the Olympics
169. Can hula or waltz
170. Read a half dozen Nancy Drew or Hardy Boys books
171. Been stuck in an elevator
172. Had a revelatory dream
173. Thought you might crash in an airplane
174. Had a song dedicated to you on the radio or at a concert
175. Saved someone’s life
176. Eaten raw whale
177. Know how to tat, smock or do needlepoint
178. Laughed till your side hurt
179. Straddled the equator
180. Taken a photograph of something other than people that is worth framing
181. Gone to a Shakespeare Festival
182. Sent a message in a bottle
183. Spent the night in a hostel
184. Been a cashier
185. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
186. Joined a union
187. Donated blood or plasma
188. Built a campfire
189. Kept a blog
190. Had hives
191. Worn custom made shoes or boots
192. Made a PowerPoint presentation
193. Taken a Hunter’s Safety Course
194. Served at a soup kitchen
195. Conquered the Rubik’s cube
196. Know CPR
197. Ridden in or owned a convertible
198. Found a long lost friend
199. Helped solve a crime
200. Commented on a friend's blog today.