Virginia Beach!

Tuesday we headed to Virginia Beach with Grandma Hen.

P absolutely loved the entire experience!

He played in the water and jumped in the waves. Eventually he got braver and went to bigger waves... and sometimes those bigger waves knocked him down. He popped back up (most of the time) and went right back to jumping! Once or twice he stopped for kisses and cuddles, but then he was back in the water in no time at all!


C was content to play at the water's edge and dig in the sand like crazy.

He even made a new friend and introduced P to her. Then the three of them worked on a massive construction project.


We took frequent snack breaks, too, of course!

When it was time for lunch, we headed back toward Grandma Hen's house and stopped at a deli. I'm pretty sure I can re-create a beach in our backyard using the sand we brought back in our car! It was worth it, though, since all five of us had so much fun!

We finished up our visit with dinner out with Uncle Mike and his family, and after the boys went down tonight I convinced Grandma Hen to help me with some sewing do some sewing for me. I really appreciated her help! We have had a wonderful visit and are sad to leave tomorrow! (We are all anxious to get home and see Tat tomorrow, though!)

things are going swimmingly

Monday night, we visited some of Grandma Hen and Granddaddy Rooster's neighbors and took a dip in their pool.

C is getting more and more comfy in the H2O!


P loves to go off of the "jumping board" (when Mommy or Daddy is there to catch him, of course!).

This was one of many fun water-related activities our family has enjoyed this summer!

fishing on Granddaddy Rooster's boat

Following our week at Camp Hanover, we headed to Virginia Beach to spend some time with Grandma Hen and Granddaddy Rooster. P had been wanting to go fishing and spend some time on his granddaddy's boat, so we combined those activities on Monday morning.

Both P and C helped reel in some fish.

After the first couple of fish, C got impatient and wanted to reel the line in without waiting for the fish to bite!

As soon as C caught his first fish, he proclaimed, "I catch a fish! I touch it!"

When it was time to head in for lunch and naps, each of the boys took a turn helping Granddaddy drive the boat back to the dock.

We had a great time. Both the fishing and the boat more than met P's expectations! Thank you, Granddaddy Rooster!

Camp Hanover, part 7 {cookout night}

At Camp Hanover, there are two scheduled dinner cookouts every week. When no one had invited either Pastor-in-Residence family to Saturday night's cookout by the end of breakfast Saturday, we decided that we would use an empty campsite to make our own group and cookout. I know I shouldn't brag, but I'm going to anyway. :) We had a creative and delicious meal.

I couldn't resist putting up this picture of P and his new friend. Her name is Rachel, but he calls her Herschel almost all of the time. We all thought it was adorable! She let us know that no one else can call her that - only "Carter" can. (It seems fair, since she mispronounces his name frequently, too.)


The men handled the majority of the cooking, while Anne and I worked on the fresh fruit, salad, and desserts. When the food was ready, we sat down to a great feast and some great fellowship.

Why am I so confident that our food was good? Bobby James came to our cookout and ATE OUR FOOD. That is some high praise, people! He was even heard calling other staff on the radio to come and eat!

The food was delicious, but from my point of view the fun of preparation and the wonderful fellowship was even better! Thanks Smith family!

Camp Hanover, part 6 {arts and crafts}

As much as P and C love to paint, I'm sure you won't be surprised to hear that we visited arts and crafts more than once while we were at camp. One afternoon, I took a break and Daddy A headed to the arts and crafts pavilion with the boys.

It started innocently enough. The boys painted several pictures apiece.

Then a group of campers decided to be "warriors"... complete with war paint!

The other "warriors" helped P and C with their paint.

Then I arrived at arts and crafts, and P and C helped me with my war paint.

It was a fun afternoon at camp, but I hope this activity doesn't follow us home!

Camp Hanover, part 5 {the lake}

We couldn't visit camp without stopping at the lake, especially since P has shared - multiple times - that he "loves loves loves lakes". We headed to the lake for some fun tubing one afternoon.

P had a blast! He tubed with Daddy A, and then he "swam" in the lake (while following the rules and keeping at least one hand on his tube at all times). Then he switched places with C and "swam" with me and took a ride on my tube.


It doesn't show in this picture, but C had a good time tubing, too. He stayed on a tube in either my lap or Daddy A's lap the whole time he was in the lake.

I love times like these! I am so blessed that we can spend time together as a family, and I will have fond memories when P and C are teenagers and I'm not cool enough to hang out with them. :) Maybe that won't happen to us... here's hoping!

Camp Hanover, part 4 {the pool}

It was pretty warm the week we were at camp, and we were living without air conditioning. The pool became a pretty popular place early on in the week.

C is still somewhat tentative around the water, although he is willing to get in if Daddy A or I is available to be in the pool with him.


Meanwhile, P is becoming quite a little fish! He gets more and more comfortable in the water every day. (I guess those swim lessons are paying off!)

Daddy A and I both love swimming, and we are glad that's an activity we can do as a family!

I look forward to many more summers at the pool with all three of my boys!

Camp Hanover, part 3 {the animals}

Camp has always had quite the collection of creatures - Bentley the dog, of course, and your various bugs, snakes, and furry critters. :) Since Daddy A and I have been to camp, they have added goats and chickens to the mix. P and C loved visiting the animals every day - it was like having their own petting zoo! It was a great way to pass the time while Daddy A worked on morning devotions or Bible studies with small groups.

C got into the pen with the goats two different mornings, but the second time he did that a goat butted him in the leg. After the "goat hurt me" he was content to remain on the other side of the fence, but he was still conmfortable roaming with the goats when they were grazing in the field.



P loved to walk to the chicken coop and encourage the chickens to "bawk at me". C loved to watch them walk around the coop. Most mornings we saw several of the chickens lay their eggs, which P, C, and I all enjoyed.


P also liked counting and collecting the chickens' eggs in the morning.

C even had a chance to pet a chicken living in the "cowboy potty" (an old outhouse building converted to a chicken coop).

Knowing how much fun the boys had playing with and caring for the animals at camp makes me want to check and see if we can get some more pets of our own... I'm relatively certain we aren't zoned for goats, but I wonder if we can have chickens in the city limits. Does anyone who lives nearby know? Kidding, kidding! I'm pretty sure Daddy A doesn't want any goats or chickens. :)

Camp Hanover, part 2 {the mudslide}

We couldn't head to Camp Hanover and skip a trip to the mudslide. A favorite among campers (particularly the younger males), this messy treat involves a man-made slide down the side of a small hill into - you guessed it - a big ol' honkin' pit of MUD.

Typically my boys don't like dirty hands, but when they are given permission they will happily make quite a mess.

P was a bit tentative at first,


but after a trip down the slide he was happily splashing away.

When the lifeguard asked him how he liked the mudslide, P happily shouted, "I'm dirty!"

C was a bit more subdued. He was worried about how "slipadee" (slippery) the mud was, so he stuck close to me or Daddy A the entire time, but he still enjoyed himself.

Watching my boys enjoy the mud (and playing in it with them) was worth every piece of nasty, muddy laundy. Their shoes were the only casualties - the rest came clean after four cycles in the washer!

Camp Hanover

Daddy A used a week of continuing education this summer to be the Pastor-in-Residence at Camp Hanover. Camp is a very special place for us - Daddy A and I met while working there, and that's also where he proposed. We took P out there when he was just a couple of months old (before we moved to North Carolina) to meet some staff, but this was C's first visit.

I've always loved the simple beauty of camp. I can truly see God in the things he has created on camp's beautiful natural acreage.



I managed to stay "unplugged" from the phone and internet all week, and it was wonderful. Even though electronics are discouraged at camp, I did allow the boys to use their Leapsters once or twice on rainy afternoons during rest period. (They went all week without television, though, and didn't even ask for it!)

Another of my favorite things about camp when I was a counselor was forming new friendships. This time I made friends with another pastor's wife. Our families had a blast together!

Once again, I find myself grateful for this "place apart". It is truly one of God's great blessings!

Prince(ss) dance camp

June 30th was P's last day of dance camp. Each dancer dressed as his or her favorite prince or princess. P chose Flynn Rider, since Tangled is his favorite movie.

I was still working on his costume (the vest part) the night before the tea party, but with help from a friend (and her serger) I managed to pull it off.

When the dancers entered the studio, they had a chance to pose with some princesses.


I tried to get a picture of Flynn and Rapunzel. There were three Rapunzels at the party, so it seems like that wouldn't be too hard, but it was actually a pretty daunting task.

I did manage to get a good group shot, though.

I spent most of the time enjoying watching P and his friends dance, but I did snag a few photos.

Here is P during the "shape dance":

This is the "open, shut song":

We rounded out the entertainment by watching the girls do "princess walks" with a wand and the boys "slay dragons" with foam swords. Then there were refreshments and it was back to life as P, rather than Flynn!

Camp Lake James

While Daddy A was leading a mission trip, the boys and I were invited by some friends to spend the day at Camp Lake James.

The boys and their friend Greyson made it for several hours in the sun! We were surprised how long the three boys lasted.

There was time for swimming...


...and time for snacking.



P and C took the plunge into both the baby pool and the "big pool".

I took the boys out on the lake in a kayak. P said the lake was his favorite part, but we weren't there long before it was time for a delicious lunch at the canteen. That was followed by more swimming, a frozen treat, and a nap in the car on the way home (for the boys, of course, not me!). We all had a great time!

fun at Busch Gardens

While we were in Fredericksburg, we took a day trip to Busch Gardens in Williamsburg to visit our Sesame Street friends again. The boys both had a BLAST this time. P mentioned before we left that Elmo was really for "little kids" and he was just going "for my bruver," but he sure did a good job of having fun for someone who was just tagging along!