Fall Camping

 We kicked off the fall season with a camping trip to Raystown Lake in Pennsylvania with Dawn, Tim, and the girls.  The drive up was not fun. Kent and I didn't get on our way until 6 pm Friday evening.  We took the scenic route to say the least, went a good 17 miles in the wrong direction and had to backtrack. We arrived at camp around 11 pm and set our tent up in the dark. Once we finally arrived at our destination, every other part of this trip exceeded our expectations.

We enjoyed two cool nights outdoors, down to the upper 40's! We awoke to  brisk mornings and took in the scenery.  It was gorgeous!!  The sites at Seven Points are awesome! We even had a power hook-up which was luxurious!  With the electric kettle I brought, I was able to have fresh coffee each day! We dined on pancakes, eggs, and fruit for breakfast and grilled burgers for dinner.

It was warm enough to swim, but I didn't bring the girls' suits. Of course, that wasn't stopping anyone from swimming in the clear, cool mountain water.

Some friends of Dawn and Tim camped with us, too. They brought their little boy and this oh-so-fun wagon. Madeline had a blast pulling the little ones around in it.

A rare picture of the four of us. Not too bad considering it was taken on day 3 of the trip.

Boat Ride

I had some work to take care of last weekend, so Kent decided to take the girls on a picnic and boat ride. I was bummed to miss out on the fun, but some uninterrupted work time was greatly appreciated.

Eddy's Fifth Birthday

For Eddy's fifth birthday, she invited us to spend the day at the Reston Zoo. We had never been there before, and it was really, really a hands-on experience. After the kids donned their safari hats and sunglasses, we headed over to our private wagon ride.

While on the wagon ride, the kids were able to pet many different animals including deer, buffalo, and many others.

Isn't he neat?

After the private wagon ride, the kids went on pony rides.

During lunch, the zoo keepers brought over animals to pet including a baby alligator.

And we weren't done. The kids were given bottles of milk and cups of feed for the animals in the barn.

We had a great time!

Homework

Sophie had her first homework assignment last weekend; it was a family project. We had to make a life-size paper Sophie. I have to admit I wasn't looking forward to it, but it really did turn out to be a fun family project. Kent traced Sophie and drew most of her face, I made the clothes and hair after Sophie chose the fabric and colors. Madeline helped Sophie color, and Sophie chose and added the jewelry accessories.

September!!

September has brought so many changes to our lives, it is hard to believe we are only a week in!! Last weekend, we said good-bye to our pool. We had so much fun there this year.

And, we noticed the leaves were starting to turn.  The changing of the leaves is one of my all time favorite things to see. I love when you get ready to go back to school, and it actually looks and feels like fall. I am still waiting for that "feel" part as we have had some pretty warm days this week.  I have already seen bags of leaves (whole bags of fallen leaves) set out by the curb. The novelty of the changing seasons hasn't worn off for me yet.

And, of course, September brings the first day of school. This year is going to be great; I can feel it. Both girls love, and I mean LOVE, their teachers this year. I have to admit, they lucked out!  Another reason it is going to be great is all three of us girls are under the same roof. Sophie, our little kindergartner, is on the other side of the building, but that doesn't stop me from spying on her throughout the day. I have watched her in music and at recess. Madeline, our fourth grader, is on the upper grade side with me, so our paths cross all the time, all. the. time.  She is one happy kid this year.

A few more noteworthy changes . . . Sophie has a loose tooth, bottom front. It makes Kent and I sad with its obvious proof that our baby is getting big.  Kindergarten still seems small, but loosing teeth seems quite big. Sigh. Madeline started working out with her level 5 class, and she loves it. She is learning many new skills and says she likes the challenge.  Madeline has also signed up to play the viola in the school orchestra.  I don't even know really what that is, something with strings, I guess. I am curious to see how she feels about the "practice" part of playing an instrument.

With fall upon us, I noticed a new neighbor. I saw him in the backyard last week, but Leah chased him away before I could snap a picture. Yesterday morning, on the way to school, he was just hanging out a  few doors down. I pulled over and took several pictures this time. We were able to watch him for quite awhile before finishing our drive, our ten minute drive :), to school.

Happy fall everyone! Hope everyone had great back to school experiences this year!