gardening with Granddaddy

 

 

 

 

 

Funland!

Earlier this summer, Grandma Paige and Poppa Fred treated the boys to a visit to Funland, which I assumed was going to be a lot like a trip to Chuck E. Cheese.  I'm not too proud to tell you that I was wrong.  Funland is not limited to arcade games and tickets.  They have all manner of rides and amusements, including an indoor roller coaster.

The boys played several games of air hockey.

And, of course, they also hit up the arcade games that dispensed tickets.  P won 1,000 tickets at one game and traded in his morning winnings for three Sonic the Hedgehog characters.  I'm sure glad he did that, because that's what clued me in to his love for Sonic and pals, seeing as we don't own the game or any other Sonic paraphernalia.  And as cute as he looks in this photo, I'm just going to tell y'all now that it's nothing compared to seeing him snuggled up to these guys in bed.

I have a feeling Funland is going to be a requested stop every summer!

a night at Aunt Tiffany and Uncle John's condo

Late in June, we went to Fredericksburg and the boys had their opportunity to spend the night at Tiffany and John's condo.  And y'all, do NOT slip up and call it their house, because P and C will be all over you like white on rice and a glass of milk in a snowstorm.  I lost count of how many times I heard, "Mo-om!  It is a CONDO!  NOT a HOUSE!"  Okay, then.  I am not up on my real estate terms, plus I tend to use the words "house" and "home" interchangeably, although I do realize the terms are not always interchangeable.

Daddy A and I drove the boys to Northern Virginia, and the boys posed for a photo in front of Tiffany and John's building.  Yes, I said posed.  The boys made those faces on purpose.  So after we got the silly pictures out of our systems, we went upstairs and said hello to Tucker.

Then it was time for lunch, so we went out and looked around at our choices.  And wouldn't you know it, we happened upon a Cheesecake Factory, and C thought it was "Jasmine's restaurant" and wanted to eat there.  Tiffany jumped all over that, and then I realized that my youngest was a pawn in her game, because John never picks the Cheesecake Factory for a meal, and sometimes Tiffany wants to eat there.  Well, we settled in and it turns out that the restaurant, like other Cheesecake Factories the world over, was super exotic - as implied by C's suggestion that the restaurant belonged to a Middle Eastern princess - and served all sorts of delicacies, including  mac and cheese and pizza, pleasing both P and C to no end.

After lunch, Daddy A and I headed back to Fredericksburg and left P and C in Tiffany and John's capable hands.  They went swimming, and had a birthday party for Tucker, and then went out for ice cream.

Everyone stayed up past the boys' regular bedtime playing the Wii, and in the morning there was homemade french toast with whipped cream.  Also John did all the boys' laundry, which I enjoyed.

 

The boys had a blast!  At last count, I had heard, "When can we stay at the condo again?" over 153,842 times... so I'd call that a winner!

Best. Ice cream. Ever. :)

how to make a volcano

Dora, Diego, and C!

While Daddy A was in Jamaica, the boys and I ventured to Tweetsie while Dora and her cousin Diego were visiting the park.  P, who considers himself far "too old" for Dora and Diego, wasn't thrilled about our field trip, but he did agree that it woud be a nice thing to do for his brother.  I assured him it would be different from a "regular" Tweetsie experience, and I didn't disappoint.

One of the nice things about season passes is that I feel no pressure to do everything while we are at Tweetsie, because I know we'll be back!  The only "to do" on my list was to see Dora's show and go to her meet and greet for C.  We started the morning with ice cream {told you it would be a different sort of day!}, which we finished on the first train ride of the day.

Then it was off to the Hacienda for some fun in the bounce houses before the Dora show.  As soon as the show was over, we hopped in line so C could meet Dora and Diego.  He had a blast!

We took in the "dancin' girls" show and rode a few rides, but we changed things up again at the top of Miner's Mountain, where the boys panned for gold for what was probably a good hour.  I don't think we ever stay that long and let them play in the water, which they could do somewhere besides an amusement park, but I figured, "Why not?"  We had our one "to do" done, and they were having a blast!

Unfortunately, C suffered his first sunburn after all that time by the water.  :(  It wasn't too bad, and it didn't last long, but he was so confused at bath time about why his shoulders hurt!  Hopefully that will be his only sunburn, rather than just a first.

We all slept well after a day full of fun and sun!

a Tae Kwon Do demonstration

Earlier this summer, the boys spent a week at a Tae Kwon Do camp.  P was already familiar with some basics from taking classes there, but C was new to martial arts.  Both of the boys had an absolute blast!  Along with basic TKD skills, they had a chance to do some weapons and creative forms that aren't a part of everyday classes.  Daddy A was leading a mission trip in Jamaica so the three of us were on our own for a while.  P was particularly disappointed that Daddy A would miss Friday's demonstration, so I took pictures and videos.

Here's the entire group, showing off their sparring stances and looking fierce.

P and C each had a chance to show their self-defense skills.

P chose a bowstaff for his weaponry work, and C chose a fun.  {Yes, a fan as a weapon.  You can jab with it, and apparently back in the olden days in Korea people would hide blades in them - or make the outline of the fan with blades, I guess - and surprise people by attacking them with super sharp fans.  So I guess fans are not as innocuous as they seem.}

I videotaped pieces of each my boys' weapon forms and their board break techniques.  As a part of camp, they did a creative form and got to choose their own moves based on what they learned in weaponry lessons.  The wooden boards the instructors ordered didn't come in time for the demo, so each student used a board break technique to break a piece of paper.  This is much harder than it sounds.

I think weaponry was a hit with everyone.  The whole group posed with their weapons.

The instructors also gave each participant an award certificate.  C got the award for outstanding effort and P got the award for outstanding perseverance.  I was so proud of them both!  The camp was a wonderful experience for our family, and we look forward to a repeat of the camp in our future!

Flag Day Fest!

Every year, some friends of ours host a Flag Day Fest on the Saturday closest to Flag Day.  It is a blast!  I love pulling up and seeing all the flags that have arrived.  It looks so festive!

This year, it was pretty warm, so frozen treats with friends were definitely in order.

C made some new friends while P played with some classmates.

Our friends live on the river, so we took the walking trail down to the water.  Oh, didn't I mention that our friends went to the effort of making their property a certified wildlife habitat?  I don't know how I forgot to tell you that because I think it is so cool!  I also think I might could do that with my backyard, since this summer I have seen a family of groundhogs, some beavers {yes, beavers!}, and other assorted widlife in my backyard.., but I'm guessing that the shed and swingset might slow down the process.  So maybe not.  But our friends do have an area of property that's a certified wildlife habitat.  They have a sign and everything, see?

We spent some time down by the river, enjoying the beauty of God's creation, climbing around, and visiting with friends.

Then we came back up to the yard and spent some time with friends.

We found Miss Casey and P showed her the picture of Miss Sapphire that we took at Tweetsie.  Then the boys ran around with the energy that they hadn't used up at Tweetsie that morning while I stood to the side and chatted.  We had a great time!

a day at Tweetsie and a flashback

The day at Tweetsie started like any other.  We rode the train, went to Country Fair, and of course took in the "dancin' girls" show.  P and C both think that Miss Sapphire looks like our friend Miss Casey, so P had his picture taken with Diamond Lil and her girls so he could present Miss Casey with photographic evidence of his findings.

For a change of pace, when the boys asked to look in a train store we usually skip right over, we agreed.  C was enthralled with the Chuggington wooden trains {which, apparently, are very different from the Thomas and Friends wooden trains and tracks we curently own}.  He asked us to put this two level roundhouse on his Christmas list.  After we had played and played and window shopped and played some more, we decided it was time to head for the hills.  Wait, we were in the hills.  We decided it was time to head for home.

But nature intervened, because at the entrance/exit of the store, the cute girl working the shop found a frog.  And she picked it up to show the boys, who were instantly in love and asked for a turn to hold it.  {This is the flashback portion of the post, because when I was a kid I loved frogs.  I was looking for them and catching them and playing with them.  Those frogs and I all enjoyed it, except I bet those frogs probably only enjoyed the release portion of the event.}  So the boys held the frog and tried to pet the frog and then P accidentally dropped the frog and it got scared and wet the pavement and C was so excited he couldn't stand it.  For days afterward he told people, "P scared a frog by accident and it peed!!!!"  He still brings it up sometimes.  {Here endeth the flashback, because while a lot of frogs did use my hands as their own personal toilet, I always hoped they wouldn't rather than thinking peeing frogs were "the coolest thing ever!" as P and C did.}  So I decided the poor frog was traumatized enough and we bid him adieu and watched him hop away, hopefully back to his family for a rest.

Before exiting the park, we all shared a funnel cake.  P decided he liked these earlier in the season and it has become our go to treat.  C sometimes calls it funnel cake, but he usually calls it pie.  Now you'll know what to serve if C asks you for pie.  You're welcome.

We finished our snack, drove home, and headed to our friends' house for dinner at their annual Flag Day Fest!

a construction-themed party

P and C's friend Greyson turned four in June, and invited our family to his party. The celebration was at his house and it was construction-themed. There were games and decorations galore to fit the theme, and everything was well done!

The boys particularly enjoyed the swingsest, decorated with construction tape and equipment.

And y'all know the cake was a hit. The birthday boy's mother made it, and it was not only cute, it was delicious.

It was a wonderful way to spend a Friday evening - fun, friends, and delicious food {and cake}! Thanks for having us, G!

my Starburst

P's kindergarten awards ceremony was the day before his last day of school.  I wasn't able to go, because it was my last day of school with my students, but Daddy A went to cheer for P and took photos for me.  All of the awards were candy themed, so each recipient took home a framed certificate and the candy that related to their award.

P received the Starburst Award.

When P and I talk about school, I always try to stress doing your best and never giving up.  We talk about how school is his job right now, and he should give it his all.  I'm so impressed that he has really followed through on those discussions, and so proud of my "Starburst"!

Daddy A was able to get a group photo of P's class,

and another of the entire grade level.

There's also a photo of P with his cute teacher.  I'm so glad I have pictures of P with his teachers on the first day of school and the last day of school - he has grown and changed so much!

P's award is hanging in his bedroom, and the ceremony was a great start to summer vacation!