GOD BLESS AMERICA

The Fourth of July weekend brought a fun trip to our favorite place (aka Grandma's). It was so nice to be back in a small town surrounded by slowness. I love N.C. for that, all you have to do is cross the border and the air gets thicker and the speed of everything slows down. I let out a deep sigh every time we pass the "Welcome to North Carolina" sign.

Dwane and I took a stroll into town and got an ice cream at the local gas station, we waited in line for an extra 10-15 minutes while the customer in front of us discussed grocery items for a fourth of July party she was having, with the cashier, who we soon found out was the woman's daughter. The menu items included sides and paper ware and her husband sounds like he is quite good on the barbecue. (I wasn't ease dropping or anything.... I was waiting for an invitation) No invitation and no hard feelings Dwane and I had other things to do.....

..... the slip and slide

.... Eating

Le Chef ... a la Carrot Cake... Madeline was very proud of her carrot decor.

And a Baseball Game

A Night at the MUDCATS

(It's best if you sing the next captions)

Take me out to the Ball Game.....

Take me out to the crowd....

Buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jacks....

Oh Wait...I got some popcorn in my teeth...

It's root, root, root for the home team....

If they don't win its a shame.... (and they didn't)

But we'll still sing hip, hip, hurray Grandpa caught a ball at the game.

(And Kate had it signed by the Mascot Muddy)

What a wonderful night... weekend, and well everything.

D.C.

What does it stand for... And why?

This was the first kid question of the day that I could only answer half of. I knew what the D.C. part stood for, it was the WHY that stumped me. For all you smarty pants who know, just skip to the pictures, for everyone else, let me share a little history lesson. (Thanks Wikipedia)

Washington, D.C. (pronounced /ˈwɒʃɪŋtən ˌdiːˈsiː/), formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States, founded on July 16, 1790. The City of Washington was originally a separate municipality within the Territory of Columbia until an act of Congress in 1871 effectively merged the City and the Territory into a single entity called the District of Columbia. It is for this reason that the city, while legally named the District of Columbia, is known as Washington, D.C. The city is located on the north bank of the Potomac River and is bordered by the states of Virginia to the southwest and Maryland to the other sides. The District has a resident population of 591,833; however, because of commuters from the surrounding suburbs, its population rises to over one million during the workweek. The Washington Metropolitan Area, of which the District is a part, has a population of 5.3 million, the ninth-largest metropolitan area in the country.

Now you know!

About the day... We met up with friends having 11 children between 3 moms, we toured some monuments, splashed in some fountains, fed some ducks, and ate hot dogs and frozen treats on the street. It was a wonderful day. Robb was my part time photographer, I loved seeing D.C. from his point of view.

Picture of the Washington Monument by Robb

Lincoln Memorial

The Ducks

A little fountain wading

Sky by Robb

Friends

More wading at the World War 2 Memorial

Sitting on a bench at the edge of the tidal basin.

Jefferson Memorial

another little dose of camp

Here are just a few more wonderful things we were able to do

The trail gave us this peek of the Blue Ridge mountains

The Falls

The fun

Making our Lamps and a few other things

Skit night.....

And last...

I was so moved by this beautiful girl that I just felt I couldn't go on to the next summer event, without sharing this little experience. My friend Brittany by an unfortunate event is now almost completely blind, yet she looks at life with an energy of hope, forgiveness and joy....

As I watched Brittany hug her knees on the side of the bank next to the falls, I sensed the need to ask her if she wanted to get closer. Knowing that on her own she would not be able to navigate the falls. When she replied with a joyful yes, we were on a mission. In her excited giggle, I soon came to find out that she had never been to a waterfall before.

As we braved the frigged water she started to feel the spray of the water on her face and then she asked, "Can I put my hands in?" Then once her hands were in the water she asked, "Can I put my head in?" She slowly scooped up the water and splashed it on her face, her radiant and beaming countenance are something I will never forget. To see her experience something new for the first time made me appreciate so many things I take for granted.

Here I go...

... the goal is to be able to blog all the summer happenings before the summer is over, so...

Week 1 - summer happened upon us very suddenly, getting school finished with all the activities then starting up camp the day after...wooohooo... and they call it summer break!

Madeline and Robb headed off to Activity Day and Scout Camp and had a marvelous time. Madeline's favorite part was carving a fairy out of soap and Robb loved duck taping a piece of PVC pipe and using it as a golf club, whistle, bat, telescope, digger..... definitely multipurpose. Much thanks to all those who put that together, the kids came out greater little people.

Week 2 - Dropped kids off at the Grandparents- Headed back home for Girls and Girl Scout Camp - Dwane was able to attend Girls Camp with me for a couple days, which was a delight. He left with the nickname BungoBoy and shared his biology and boy scout skills to teach us all about nature, fires and just how to have fun.

Madeline stayed with our wonderful friends and had some alone time with Dad, which for all of my kids is a huge treat. She and Dwane changed her room around and hung up some decorations. (I love this guy)

Camp was so fun, with a big deep sigh of relief, I honestly think I can say it was a success. The experience to work with amazing girls, and talented women, built my confidence and made the week one to remember. We laughed, hiked, played, created, learned, bonded, and have many wonderful memories to savor. (with 200+ pictures recorded here is just a little taste)

AQUIA GIRLS CAMP 2009

Water coloring the Blue Ridge Mountains

First Aid

Shooting

It all came to a close.....

Preschool

Chorus

Book Club

Earthlings

Flag Football

Piano

Girl Scouts

Last Day of School

Activity Day Camp

Boy Scout Camp

Girl Scout Camp

Softball

Girls Camp

Here are a few pictures that captured our happy endings!

Softball...Madeline had a great time playing ball for the second year... her favorite position was catcher, Dwane and I both got a kick out of her flicking her ponytails under her heavy blue mask.

I survived Girls Camp and I have to admit it really turned out great. Lots of fun nights staying up laughing and being silly.

SCHOOL IS OUT... NOTHING BRINGS ME GREATER JOY! (truly I promise I am not being sarcastic) Our neighborhood gets together and we head for the ice cream shop. It is always so fun.

Girls Scouts...we achieved our bronze award by doing a jump-a-thon for a girl a the elementary school who has failing kidneys. We raised 2600 $ Troop 3187 YOU ROCK!!!

Piano... we are just on a short hiatus for the summer. But not really I can't keep Madeline away.

The Football Coach and his son. What fun!

The Huddle...

The Play....

Chorus....Anthony Burns Elementary took a trophy for Excellence...Yeah Dragons!

Preschool Cuties. What a fun year and a fun time!

Stay tuned for our summer happenings...we have already had many fun adventures... hope your summer is going wonderful too.

Berrilicious

The best part about these precious little fruits is... when you pick them yourself you get

to eat as many as you want. Three cheers to a berry - fun filled day.

Look what we found in the berry patch, just bran- new.

Kate stops and poses while Alison just keeps eatin'