Fun With New Friends

This morning the kids and I travelled southeast to visit my bloggyworld friend Annette and her children, Meghan and Evan.



Some of you may think it odd to find friends this way. I admit it is very non-traditional. But I am grateful to have found a new friend--and one who is similar to me in so many ways.



We had a welcome break in the heat and humidity this morning, so it was a beautiful day to spend outside.





We are still attempting to get a nice shot of all 4 of them.

Oh that our efforts would have materialized. Alas...

My little boy is such a thrill-seeker. He LOVED the slide!

The girls.

Stauffer Camping Weekend 2010

It was a hot and humid one, but this past weekend is one I look forward to each year.

It's an action-packed, laughter-filled weekend with my dad's side of the family.

We pack our sites full of tents, strong-arm 4 or 5 picnic tables together, raise the big blue tarp, and set up the fire pit. It has become a science over the last 3 1/2 decades.

(Double click on the slideshow box to see it enlarged.)

Stauffer Camping Weekend 2010

A few of my favorite things:

*worship and sharing time on Sunday morning
*the meals prepared over the campfire
*my family's ability to make even the most mundane task into a game or competition
*the endless supply of funny stories
*my grandpa and grandma, still toughing it out in their 80's!
*having my children experience a piece of MY childhood

It's certainly not easy--this camping with little ones thing--but I know it'll get easier. For now I'm thankful for lots of cousins, aunts and uncles, and grandparents around to help.

~~~~~~~~~
To see last year's slideshow, go here.

Anniversary Weekend

While we would have loved to travel internationally for our 10th, we knew it'd be better for our kids if we waited till they were a bit older...and our finances. Ideally a trip to Europe is about 2 weeks long. Maybe our 15th...or when the kids are in junior high. :-)



My parents were able to keep the kids, and we decided that instead of spending money to stay elsewhere, we'd do things in the area along with a daytrip to Washington, DC.



Since Pete is working construction this summer and this was his first full week of work, I made steak, salad & orzo for dinner Friday night after dropping off the kids. We decided on a movie to go see, pick up our tickets ahead of time, then stopped at Pine View Acres Dairy for some homemade ice cream. (It's incredibly yummy and organic!)



Saturday we took our time getting ready (no diapers to change!!!!) and were headed to DC by 8:30. We wanted to visit the Museum of Natural History, but also wanted to be free to wander, so we purchased a day pass for the Metro. It's perfect for daytrips, especially since parking is plentiful and free on the weekends.



We found some lunch at a Panera-ish place called COSI on Pennsylvania Avenue. I'd rate it "good". It was cool, clean, and worked for what we needed, but I'd probably try another place the next time we visit.



We walked through the National Post Office en route to the Museum of Natural History. It was a beautiful old building, but when we saw the mini-mall they had created inside we kept going.



The Museum of Natural History seemed the place to be that morning. Literally everyone and their motherwas there...but we got to see what we wanted. I especially liked the Mammal exhibit. Perfect for kids (or "big kids" like us) who want to see to-scale animals up close, albeit still life. The two lions taking down a water buffalo, the giraffe, and the hippo were my favorites.



Other highlights were the Dinosaur and Ocean exhibits, the elephant in the atrium, and the Hope Diamond.







We also enjoyed a visit to the National Gallery of Art and the various gardens and fountains nearby.






















The Impressionist gallery was moved due to them grouping together one contributor's varied collection, so I'd say our favorite part of our visit was the Dutch gallery...and watching these overly enthusiastic gentlemen. Tee hee. Such a sneaky shot.






Flies, beware!



The next time we're in DC I'd like to go to the American History museum, Union Station, and Ford's Theatre. We just ran out of time and steam--it was a very hot and humid day.


During our drive to and from DC I co-piloted and read excerpts of "The Glass Castle" by Jeannette Walls to Pete. I had recently read portions of her "Half Broke Horses" to him. What a C.R.A.Z.Y. memoir! (Which reminds me of some more book reviews I want to post.)


The rest of our weekend included a stop to Five Guys for burgers, Carrabbas, alittle window shopping and time to relax.


My favorite part? Time alone with my best friend.

10 Years Ago Today...

...I married my best friend. At the time I couldn't imagine loving him more than I did that day.

Today I know I do.

Happy Anniversary honey!

Madness At SPAZ-ROAD Railroad

That's what Natalia calls it: SPAZ-ROAD.

Natalia has loved trains and specifically Thomas the Tank Engine for awhile now.

I've had a few friends share that when Thomas comes to visit Strasburg Railroad, they simply pack some snacks, walk around and enjoy the little rides, and watch Thomas come in and out of the station instead of purchasing a coach ticket to ride behind him. (They can't even see him when they're riding.) This rationale of course works better on younger children who are just thrilled to see the trains.

I thought it to be a great idea, especially since we will visit Strasburg later this summer as a family and will cash in some free coach ride passes thanks to our local Library Summer Reading Program, and an Educator's Day event. (And the coach ride price is hiked up when Thomas is in town.)

Since my mom is now retired, she joined us. The weather was looking really overcast and they were predicting thundershowers for the afternoon, but we thought we'd be okay going in the morning. We pulled into the parking lot at 9:30, just as the heavens opened with a downpour. FUN FUN!

Thankfully, it was over within 20 minutes, and we used that time to fortify ourselves with some snacks in the car before joining the accumulating crowd by the station.

You should have heard Natalia's squeals! Oh my word. To say she was excited would be an understatement. She was especially delighted that Thomas had his face on. (See last year's post.)

She got to ride the two little rides for $1 each, while Adam was wide-eyed and content to sit in his stroller and say "choo choo!"

We were in and out in 1 1/2 hour...and that was enough. :-)

Natalia is tickled pink with her Thomas puzzle and Pez dispenser. Thank you Grandma! (Thanks for helping me brave the madness, Mom!)

Houston, We Have A Problem

There are a few blog posts waiting in the wings here. Alas, you'll have to wait a bit longer for them.

Last week my computer was attacked by a virus and while Pete got most of it up and running, it's still not 100%. It doesn't appear that I've lost anything, which is good. I'm just taking a break from blogging and throwing off any mental deadlines until my hubby's full plate lessens.

We had a great 10th anniversary weekend though, and the kids did really well for my parents while we were gone. I look forward to sharing about it and our most recent adventures with you all soon!

Lovely

My friend Danielle posted "A Little Bit of Lovely" earlier this week. Check out her beautiful hydrangeas.

I decided to follow suit and share my roses that are climbing the trellis out front.

As soon as I brought them in the dining room smelled so wonderfully fragrant.

And though they aren't fancy, I just love my petunias. They make my deck look so colorful.