Nationals Game

Today after church, we decided to go to a Washington Nationals baseball game. Even though they're not doing so great this season, we like baseball and like checking out parks we haven't been to. Will was a little squirmy considering it was his nap time, but he pushed through and we all ended up enjoying it. It was a "Family Fun Day" where you get a ticket and lunch for $14. Also, we scored on finding a free parking spot on the street -- otherwise we would have paid $40 to park! Highlights for the kids were playing in park/play area, the grape snow cones and seeing the fireworks after the home runs. We called it a day when it was tied in the 10th inning and the kids both crashed as soon as we got in the car.

Aubrey got her first haircut at home on Thursday. Her hair grows so fast, so we took a couple inches off for the rest of the summer.

Here's an "after" shot. Notice the faux fur lined boots -- a must in July!

Tricycling on the deck with her new cut.

Weekend

-We ran to the mall on Friday for a couple things and the kids of course rode the carousel. I was really brave and even let them play in the mall play area -- I usually skip it because of my germ issues.

-We also went to the pool and Aubrey & Will loved playing in the sand volleyball court. Since Aubrey was still wet, it looks like she has on sand knee socks.

-Aubrey and I went on a little outing to get our toes done. Aubrey picked purple polish with a butterfly and glitter on her big toe. It was a fun girly time!

-This afternoon while Will was napping, I made Aubrey a batch of "slime" that I used to make for my preschoolers. That occupied her long enough for me to clean the rest of the kitchen.

-I am just really loving watching Aubrey & Will together lately. Yes, they do fight over toys, etc., but overall, they are very affectionate and sweet to each other lately. I keep finding them cuddled up on the couch together or hugging or hearing Will say, "I want my Aubey". I love those two so much and I feel blessed everyday to be their Mommy!

Blueberries

The kids loved the apple/pear picking last fall and the strawberries earlier in the summer, so we thought we'd go to another farm on Saturday and pick some fresh blueberries.
Taking a stroll down to the pond after the picking.

We picked about 2 pounds of berries in about half an hour.

Will holding up a blueberry before popping it into his mouth, they were so good!

Aubrey is holding a tiny orange flower that she found -- she liked that it matched her skirt and Will's shirt. It was really bright so she couldn't keep her eyes open for long, but I liked the picture anyway :)

Robert showing Will to only pick the ripe, blue ones. We just love getting outside, seeing all the beautiful scenery around us and enjoying God's creation!

4th of July

July 4th just about marked our year anniversary for living in Virginia. Crazy. We actually left TX a couple days before, but close enough. I posted about it last year, but I am still so thankful that those two neighbors, Caroline & Kristi, came and knocked on our door and invited us to two parties going on for the 4th. It was such a blessing to meet so many neighbors with kids right after we moved in. I feel like our transition here couldn't have been much smoother. The neighborhood has so many activities, events, concerts, playgroups, cookouts, etc. that it is so easy to be connected with your neighbors. So, it was fun to go back to those parties this year to celebrate Independence Day and a one year here, a really good one. We are thankful. Yes, we still miss Texas (and our family, friends, church) and plan on moving back, but I'm just trying to make the most of the time we live here. I do think I'll miss this weather -- the temps have been in the 80s almost all summer :). Anyway, we also went to a friend's birthday party on the morning of the 4th and watched the Leesburg parade that went by in front of their house-- that's what the camel pic and the Chinese dragon costumes are from. We also went to a neighborhood concert where Aubrey & Will sat on the edge of the stage and danced the whole time. Then, we drove to park and watch the fireworks to finish off the night.

VA Beach

Robert had a meeting close to Virginia Beach last Thursday, so we decided to tag along. It was only one meeting, so we had the rest of the afternoon and the next day to relax on the beach. Both kids loved playing in the sand and building sand castles. Will wasn't so sure about playing in the water, but Aubrey would've jumped in the waves forever. She also liked finding shells, crabs and even a few small jellyfish. We had a great time!

But, our drive down there was another story. We left Wednesday when Robert got off of work, around 6 p.m. It was supposed to be about a 3.5 hour drive, but we drove through tons of heavy rain which made it longer. Will fell asleep around 8:30, but then woke up around 10 -- he was hot and crying and had a horrible bark-like cough. I probably would've been a little more relaxed if we were at home, but since we were hours away and in the middle of nowhere, I panicked. I asked Robert to find the nearest hospital in the GPS. I knew Will was okay, but I wanted to make sure his breathing was fine and I didn't want to be worrying about him all night in the hotel. We made it the the Williamsburg ER around 10:30. The doctor was really nice and gave Will a breathing treatment, brought down his fever, a throat X-ray to rule out something more serious, and then he had to be monitored until 2:30 am. He was doing much better when we left and the barking/croup cough was pretty much gone. We still had 30 minutes to drive to our hotel, so we all crashed a little after three in the morning. Me and the kids slept in on Thursday while Robert went to his meeting. We contemplated just heading back home after Robert's meeting, but decided to just take a long nap and then go to the beach in the late afternoon. I'm glad we went because Will's fever was gone and he really seemed fine. I'm very thankful our first visit to the ER wasn't too bad!