HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

TRICK OR TREAT

OUR SCARIEST FACES!!

I know better than to try to take pictures before Trick or Treating but I was afraid they would be too tired and half undressed after walking the block with 2 pounds worth of candy each. So they weren't in the mood to sit "pretty" until I asked for their scariest faces! That got their attention. And I was right! After walking our block and the short cul-de-sac next to us, they were half undressed and too eager to bust into their candy baskets to sit for pictures.

Gone Fishin'

Grandpa Dave and Grandma Ione drove from Arizona to Virginia to visit us. The fun has been non-stop since they got here with a birthday party, dinner at Topeka's and fishing. This was the first time any of the children have been fishing. While we didn't catch anything, they still had a great time. Sneaky fish were able to eat the worms without being caught!

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!

Cooke Family Reunion

We drove up to Denville, New Jersey for the Cooke Family Reunion. There were a total of 143 people there and although the day was hot, it was a lot of fun. We enjoy getting together with the extended family and are looking forward to the next one.

Kids playing in the water.


Partied out


Our little model!

Dancing with Daddy

We turned on the player piano and Jim and the kids had a blast dancing around the living room.

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.

July 4, 2007

In an effort to re-establish our 4th of July traditions here in the Richmond area, we had a day jam packed with activities. We started off at the Brandermill Parade. The children enjoyed it. It was Julia's first and she was so cute waving to everyone who went by. She sat in Daddy's lap the whole parade. Luckily, it was only 30 minutes long! Tommy, Andrew and Katie came home with pocket fulls of candy! The area Boy Scouts provided lunch in the park. The children played on the playground and we all cooled off in the mist tent. Julia cooled off in the soda pools! After a quick nap at home, it was off to dinner at Burger King, ice cream at Bruster's and fireworks at the fairgrounds. To keep everyone in the same spot and entertained, we got out the camera and started taking pictures. My favorite is the one with all of the children and me.