Cardboard Boat Regatta

A couple of weekends ago, we went to watch some cardboard boat races at a nearby lake. The event brought back many memories!  Aunt Jessie participated in this event several times during her teenage years. Kent helped out rowing when he was 19, and they had their picture in the local paper.

It's fun to look at all the creative boat designs and to predict which ones will sink and which ones will float. It was really funny watching all the kids attempt to row in an efficient manner. We shared a lot of laughs at this event.

Madeline wants to participate next year.  She'll need some volunteers if anyone is interested in building or racing her boat. Start drawing up your plans!

Memorial Day Weekend

 We spent our Memorial Day weekend camping local at Burke Lake Park. We were trying to arrange a trip with our New Jersey cousins, but all the campgrounds booked up while Kent and I patiently waited to hear any news about our short sale. So, the weekend came with no news about closing dates (bummer), and as it turned out, our VA cousins were free and a nearby campground gave sites first come, first serve. As a result, we ended up camping close to home Saturday and Sunday nights.

The girls loved camping with Kyla, Ian, and Kellen. They went for a few adventures around the campground and found a dry creek bed filled with golf balls (over 100!) for entertainment.

On Saturday, we took a couple mile hike around the lake, rode the train and carousel, and had some ice-cream before returning to camp. It was hot, hot, hot with temps in the 90's and with high humidy.

Ralph and Shirley joined us for dinner Saturday night which was a special treat! Unfortunately, Sunday was filled with rain, rain, and rain. We all retired to our tents around nine o'clock. Luckily, it didn't thunder or lightning, but the plentiful rain did make packing up the Monday morning more challenging.

All in all, we had a really fun weekend!  We hope to meet up with our Jersey cousins multiple times this summer, too!

Mother's Day

For Mother's Day, I chose to go camping. We went to the same campground we were at last fall and even stayed at the same site. This time, it was warm enough to go tubing.  Kent and Maddie floated down the Shenandoah River for 90 minutes, while Sophie, Leah and I listened to the rapids and set up camp. We had a really lovely time enjoying the scenery and each other's company.

Princess

The closest Madeline has ever come to wanting to dress up as a princess. . . The third grade celebrated an end to their study of ancient cultures last week. Students dressed up in ancient wears, sampled different foods, and made various arts and crafts.  Madeline went with an Egyptian princess costume because, well, that's all this creative mama could find at Party City.  It is an adult medium, so I did have to get a bit creative to make it fit. I thought she looked beautiful.

Summer . . .

We heard that familiar sound last Tuesday evening that told us summer is not too far away! It was a very exciting evening to say the least.

School Stuff

 We have been busy at work and school. Madeline had an art show with a few pieces on display, and  . . . drum roll . . . Sophie went to her kindergarten orientation! She loved it! She even went on a bus ride around the school parking lot. She seemed to think it was better than Disney Land. Needless to say, she is amped up and excited for the fall. I am too, for so many reasons. Number one is no more full time daycare costs. Number two is no more dropping off or picking which equals less time in the car. Number three, I'll get to see my little one and even have lunch with her once a week.

Under Contract!

After many months of weekends filled with house hunting, offers, and counteroffers, we are finally under contract!  We found a home that is perfect for us, and we are crossing our fingers that the escrow process continues to go smoothly. The main downside about the house is that it is a short sale, so we won't let our selves truly celebrate its awesomeness until we close the deal and move in. Until then, we will just keep crossing our fingers!

Easter Sunday

Easter Sunday started out with Easter baskets and an egg hunt. I guess the Easter Bunny knows that our family tries to limit excessive amounts of sugar, so our baskets were filled mostly with small toys and the like. Can you tell whose is whose?

After the morning festivities, the girls got dressed up and requested braided hair. I will have to limit their time spent on Pinterest.

Then we finished up the afternoon at Blake's house where we enjoyed a great dinner and spent time with cousins and family. The kids had a blast digging for worms, hula-hooping, and enjoying some great pre-summer weather.

The Circus!

Heading out for an evening surprise . . .

Mom and I decided to take the kids to the circus during spring break. I told the kids I had a surprise for them about 24 hours before the show. They had no idea where we were going until we got there.

The show was great, and the girls loved it! I was a bit disappointed that there weren't any trapeze artists flying through the air, but there were plenty of other exciting stunts and tricks to watch.

Performance Sample

Here is a video I found of the Ropers performing at a Wizards game. Just to give you an idea of what Madeline will get to do next year, here's a closer look at the jumpers, too.

Blurry Cellphone Pictures

I love having Madeline at work with me. I catch glimpses of her in music class and PE. Sometimes our paths cross in the hallways. I can pop in and see her on special days like Valentine's Day. It is so nice.

So, these pics are terrible, but they capture some highlights of my days at work. Above is a jump rope performance in the cafeteria. The performance marked the end of a month long jump rope clinic meant to prepare students for the F.O.X. Ropers team. Madeline tried out yesterday morning. She said they were called in groups of four, had to do a routine, then they had to stay with the beat of the music while the coaches called out step changes. We found out yesterday that Madeline made the team for next year! She was thrilled!!

The third grade did a biography unit. Their study culminated in a parade of famous people. Madeline was Harriet Tubman; she had a written report, her poster, and gave an oral presentation. Here she is parading around the school and walking by my class. My fifth graders gave her high fives and cheered her on. Such a fun way to end the day before spring break!

Fun Fair and Cherry Blossoms

Last Saturday, the girls and I attended a school fundraiser, also known as Fun Fair. The kids ate pizza and hotdogs, played games, won prizes, bounced in moon bounces, and decorated themselves with face paint and hair color. It closed at 3:00, so I strategically arrived at 2.

Monday evening, we knew we were running out of time to see the DC cherry blossoms. They were to peak over the weekend, but the weekend was a rainy one. After school, we picked up Subway sandwiches, stopped by the house to let the dog out, and walked to the metro station. We made it down to the Tidal Basin about 6. Unfortunately, most of the blossoms were gone, but we got to see a little sample of what was left. Then we walked back to the metro, met Kent on his way home from work at metro center, stopped off in Clarendon to buys some new books, and finally made it home by about 9. It was kind of an exhausting Monday.

My girls do own other sweaters and jackets than those seem is recent posts. It's just these are their current favorites, and I like to dress them the same when we are out and about in crowded places. It's easier to keep track of them that way. :)

Early Spring

Last summer was horribly hot. Fall was unseasonably cold and rainy. The winter was mild and resulted in no snow days at all. Spring, I can't complain about. Spring has come early, and we are enjoying it!

Spirit Night!

Our school's Spirit Night was rescheduled because of the gastroenteritis outbreak last month for last night. Madeline was so excited to perform with her jumprope group during the staff volleyball game. You can't really tell in these pictures, but they all spray painted their hair blue and green. She did a great job!

The F.O.X. Skippers, which Madeline participated in, is done for the year. Now Madeline is in a clinic that practices three mornings a week for one hour before school to prepare for tryouts for the F.O.X. Ropers. The Ropers are a performance group, and they are pretty amazing jump ropers. Madeline is hopeful she'll make the team which is open to fourth, fifth, and sixth graders for next year.

In addition to jump roping three days a week, Madeline is keeping busy with weekly swim lessons (she wants to join a swim team this summer), and 90 minutes a week of gymnastics. She is an active and tired little girl!

How cute is my cheerleader??? Her kindergarten paperwork is all set, and she'll be attending orientation next month. I can't believe I will have both my girls under the same roof with me all day next year!! No morning or PM drop offs will be luxurious!

More Sickness . . .

Thursday was not fun. Madeline came down with a bug that was ailing many students at our school. Kent and I spent around seven straight hours cleaning up one fluid or another. It was bad, bad, bad. Madeline asked me to take her to hospital multiple times. Luckily, it lasted less than 24 hours, and hopefully, after a few hours of cleaning and laundry, this bug will be a thing of the past. Crossing my fingers!!! PS. The mom in the video is Madeline's jump rope coach and the parent of one of my students.

House Hunting and Bribery

We have all temporarily given up our regular lives for house hunting. Kent and I, with the girls in tow, have looked at maybe 3o properties over the last month in our quest to find our next abode. We looked at nine houses this weekend alone. The novelty of these adventures wore off long ago for our little ones, so we've resorted to bribery. Saturday included ice-cream sandwiches from 7-11, Sunday included a trip to the junk aisle of Target and a trip to the park, and Monday's adventure resulted in Costco frozen yogurt.

I have come to the conclusion that buying a house in Northern Virginia will require one of the following components: either Kent will have over a commute of 75 minutes one way, or we'll have to settle for less than ideal schools (or pay for private schools), or we will really have to stretch financially. So far, we haven't fallen in love with a property enough to accept one of the above mentioned sacrifices. But, we are persevering.

Here is an example of a possible backyard pictured below. It has a house we all really, really like. It's big, has .75 acres including a creek, large picture windows looking out to wooded views, has a large shed with power that Kent could convert to a dreamy detached studio, and the price is right. However, my commute would go from 20 to 40 minutes, Kent's would go from 60 to 80 minutes, and the high school it's zoned to is not desirable. But, the lot and the interior of the house are awesome, and we've been to look at it four times. We haven't ruled it out yet, but the search continues . . .