July 4, 2008

Happy 4th of July! We tried to stick with our new family tradition of celebrating in the community. We started off with a parade. It was delayed almost an hour due to someone passing out in the start area. It was completely understandable since it was so hot in the sun. We went to Sunday Park for a little while after the parade. It was more crowded this year so we didn't stay long. After having lunch at Burger King, we went home and played until dinner. The afternoon brought rain, thunder and lightening! It stopped raining long enough to grill but then started up again, stopping as quickly as it started. After hot dogs and hamburgers, we headed out to Fort Lee to watch the fireworks only to be told when we got to the gate that they had been canceled due to the thunderstorms! We were able to make it back to Swift Creek Reservoir to watch the fireworks there. It was a long hot day and most of the pictures I got were of the kids waiting very patiently for the parade to start.

Belmead Plantation

June 1st, we took a trip to Powhatan County to attend a meeting with The Knights of Columbus about helping to restore the buildings at Belmead Plantation, an old historic house and granary. The house is rich in history that dates back to the mid-1800's. The house is lovely and needs work inside and out. The land is peaceful and breathtaking. Currently, the plantation is a popular choice for riders with horse stalls still in use. With 1200 beautiful acres along the James River, there are over 30 miles of trail riding. Belmead Plantation is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Belmead Mansion


I was so busy admiring the house when we were inside that I forgot to take pictures! After our trip around the grounds, we stopped back by the house and I got this shot of the outside. It doesn't do the "castle" justice.

The Granary. Its currently being restored. Its a painstaking process that requires a lot of knowledge, care and patience.




Jim and Julia in the granary. It made me very nervous having the kids in there but they did a great job listening and staying safe.


Jim and Katie looking into the other room.


The view from an upstairs door.


The sisters who live on the property and look after it invited us back anytime. I can't wait to return. Its such a lovely place.

After looking through the buildings, we drove down to the James River. It was also beautiful, calm and quiet, well, until we got there!


Throwing rocks into the water despite Jim and me saying not to.

Pocahontas State Park

After being stuck in the house for what seems like an eternity, Jim and I decided to pack up the kids and go "hiking" at Pocahontas State Park. Hiking with a toddler, a couple of preschoolers and a 6 year old is not the same experience we used to have when we would go hiking in college. The weather man forecasted cooler temps and lower humidity. While it wasn't quite as hot as we had been experiencing it was still in the 90's and the weather man was dead wrong about the humidity. It was worse than it had been. We were only out there for a couple of hours but we were all a sweaty mess by the time we packed up and left! Still, the kids had fun, got to burn off some energy and I got a few pictures with an older camera I have.

Virginia Beach

While Jim was on vacation this week, we went to the beach. The weather has been miserably hot and a day at the beach in the cool water was a welcomed reprieve. It was a great day to leave Chesterfield as they set record highs for Wednesday, August 8th. Sandbridge was lovely, not very crowded, and loads of fun. The waves were very strong and very frequent. The water crept up the beach closer and closer to our blankets. We moved them a number of times; it felt like the ocean was chasing us! The water collected on the beach and created a little pool for the girls to play in and for the boys when they needed a rest from the forceful waves.

Unfortunately, this may be the last edition to the blog for a while. Julia was knocked down by a wave and while trying to pick her up out of the water, I was knocked down by another wave and the camera drowned. I'm not sure when we'll get around to replacing it. The ocean also claimed my sunglasses and a pony tail holder!

After the reunion, we took a day trip to New York City. It was the kids' first time on a train. We took a bus tour of Manhattan so the kids wouldn't have to walk all over the place and I wouldn't have to worry about loosing someone. We saw so much in our one day in New York, even famous people!

Waiting for the train.


This sure beats walking!




"Tiles For America"


The Statue of Liberty


"Wadur"


The kids had the most fun with the vent. The waves would come in forcing the air up the vent and the kids had the best time playing above it.








Stopped for something cold to help cool us down. Julia shares!


Andrew fell asleep on the bus!


So did Julia!

Playdough

After dinner, we played with playdough. I make it from Aunt Lucille's recipe she used for years. It's going on two months old and still in good shape. Katie's color went from purple to icky but she was still able to make "cookies" out of it!

Putt Putt Golf

We took the kids to play putt putt golf at Oasis Sports Park today. The boys have been showing a lot of interest in golf and have been using Jim's clubs to hit balls in the yard. We thought it would be fun to take them to play a round. The boys had a good time. Katie grew tired and hungry about half way through. Julia provided another hazzard for the players by being in the way, picking up the balls and trying to take Katie's club away from her. We had some lunch after playing and the boys wanted to play again!

The "Riva"

We were invited to visit family friends, Judi and Tommy Strickland. They have a lovely house over looking the Tappahannock River. The drive was lovely and a little over a hour long. It was a beautiful day to share lunch with good friends, swim, visit a bit and walk down to the "Riva". Thank you to Judi and Tommy for opening their home to us.

Maymont

We spent the day exploring Maymont. It is a great place to take the children. There are animals they can feed and touch, and then there are the animals we admired from afar. The gardens weren't as lovely as they were last time we visited but they are still peaceful and beautiful. Although, the children and I have been there before, this was the first time we wandered over to the house. Thanks to Tommy's adventerous spirit, we took path less traveled and found oursleves near the house and other buildings. Despite the 90+ degree temps, it was a wonderful day for the whole family.

Waterslide

Hot days call for water fun. The kids enjoy the water slide in the back yard.