NEED I SAY MORE?

Gone Fishing!

So, Nana calls and says that she found something fun to do at the State Park.
Early Saturday morning, we were going fishing. Sounds fun but I had never done this.

My friend Paula could not believe that I had never taken my seven year old son fishing. Shame on me. He did not even have his own fishing pole.
Well, she fixed that. She arrived a few hours later sporting a bright blue and red Spiderman fishing pole.
Stacie rigged it up with bobber and weight and we were ready to go.
I had lots of instructions about baiting the hook, casting and reeling in our big catch. I had the supplies, the pole, the rag, the glove, bug spray, the hand wipes, the chair, our lunch and some drinks. (Forgot the sunscreen and the baseball hat.)
We are off. When we got to Nana's ....Pop had decided to go!
Thank goodness and Thank GOD for Grandfathers.
Nana and I quickly became spectators to a guys pastime. How wonderful!!
Oh Yeah - We did not catch a THING!!

Weekend at Grandma's

Everybody loves going to Grandma's house. You get to have all of her attention. You get to see Pop. Lots of food to eat and fun things to do. This Nana - she plans the whole weekend with her grandbabies - right down to the water balloon fight. After playing all day in the yard, she put me and Pop to work filling up balloons. And then it began! Splash! Whop! Soak and Wet. Mason did not know what to think about his Grandparents throwing stuff at him. Aaron and Ashlyn caught on fast and before I knew it my bucket of balloons was empty. We laughed so hard we cried. Our Nana knows how to have fun!

Build it and they will come.

Last year we dug a small pond in our front yard. We added fish and plants and enjoyed the calming sounds of the water fall. The fall and winter proved to be a bit challenging. Leaves and acorns by the thousands. Ice and snow made me worry for the little fish trapped deep below the surface. At the first hint of warm weather - we cleaned her up and got things ready to flow again. Our fish really grew over the winter and we found a few more residents. Yes our water frogs. We had three when we cleaned things up and who knows how many we have now. They have claimed their territories - plants, rocks, and the waterfall. They must really enjoy their new home because they sing for hours each night. They must have called their friends over for a pool party. I was sitting at the kitchen table the other night when I heard something outside that I could not place. When I opened the front door to investigate - this is what I heard. It was so loud!!!

A Sweet Treat To End Our Fun Day!

Have you ever had a vacation or time off that did not work out like you planned? This past week was a vacation that was planned months in advance and was changed around a couple of times then almost completely changed. Dallas and I were going to both take the week of Aaron's Spring Break off to play. We would visit Jason and his family in NoVA for Easter, go into Washington to the Zoo and then the Smithsonian and then home to work around the house and yard. When we had to cut our trip short to be with family here in Richmond, I was a bit disappointed that we once again would not get to take Aaron into DC. Jason and Robyn with 3 little ones, followed us back to Richmond and spent a few days here with us. We had planned to go to the Richmond Metro Zoo yesterday if it did not rain - but it DID! :0(.... So, thanks to Robyn, we tried again today. And what a wonderful day it was! Thanks it made my week!

YOU ARE LOOKING AT PRIDE!

The last two weekends we have been working on a little family project. It has been a confidence building event. For those who don't know, we live in a little neighborhood in Amelia. Our house is on a dead end road at the far end of the neighborhood. We have lived here a little over twelve years and we have watched our older kids run up and down the street on bikes, go-karts, mini-bikes then cars. That older group of kids have all grown, gone to college or moved out on their own. Now there is a younger group of kids, ranging from about 14 down to 7. Our Aaron is the youngest kid in the neighborhood. Which leads me to our project.

Aaron has spent weekends upon weekends watching the "big kids" race on their bikes down the street. He would get on his bike and ride up and down our short sidewalk or around the house. Last years yardsale was a turning point, he sold his bike with training wheels. My co-workers parents shared a big bike with Aaron and he was happy to have it. He cleaned it up, he sat on it, he pushed it around - but refused to ride. Dallas and I ran behind him holding onto the seat, helping him balance and learn to stear this new bike. He caught on but still only wanted to ride in the yard. Then it happened! Last weekend, he decided he was READY to take on the street. Dallas and I dusted off our bikes, pumped up the tires and set out to see the neighbors. Aaron rode this red bike so proudly. We went all the way to the far end so that the big kids could see him. Now he was one them.

As a parent, you hold your breath alot as you watch your kids try new things. This accomplishment made me take a trip down memory lane, remembering when Megan and Dallas learned to ride their bikes. Times flies by, so enjoy the little things like taking a bike ride around the block. Think twice before you say maybe later. You just might watch someone you love have the time of his life. Sporting the biggest grin because he just accomplished the hardest thing that he ever tried to do.

Friends Reunite after 26 years

WHAT FUN! 26 years after graduating from High School. The four of us had a blast catching up. We had not seen Monika since beach week Summer 1983. Our lives had changed so much. Time was spent getting married, getting our education, raising children and working hard at our jobs. Time flies when you are busy. We clicked again just like old times. I hope we make plans to meet up soon for some more laughs and girl fun.

Thanks to Kathy for driving down for the celebration. You look fantastic and just as sweet as ever.

A few of our close buddies did not make it - maybe next time.