Shenandoah National Park

For the past six years we have gone camping over Memorial Day weekend to Shenandoah National Park.

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

Every year we camp at Big Meadows. It is one of our favorite campgrounds because it is very grassy and has lots of trees for shade. The boys look forward to this weekend every year. They enjoy sleeping in the tent, helping Dad build camp fires, roasting marshmallows, hiking, walking down to the Big Meadow and enjoying an ice cream cone from the camp store and not to mention looking for bears and all the other wildlife.

Ryan and I enjoyed being together as a family without all of the distractions you get when you are at home. We treasured the time we spent with our boys.

This year Matthew mastered the art of roasting a marshmallow. They were perfect all the way around. He was very pleased and was very willing to roast anyone a marshmallow who wanted one. For the second year in a row he helped Ryan build the log cabin and light the matches for the campfires. Once we had a fire, he kept a good eye on his little brothers to make sure that they didn't get to close to it. He loved going on the hikes and especially enjoyed being able to explore off the trails.

Christopher enjoyed hiking with his big brother. On our hike back up from the waterfall, Christopher found this huge rock and decided to carry it up the steep hill back to the starting point of the hike. The reason why he carried it was because he wanted to throw it in the river at the top and watch it splash. I had a good chuckled because this rock was big and heavy and he insisted on carrying it to the top. He wasn't afraid at all to go up to this buck, just so he could have his picture taken by it.

Joshua loved running around without his shoes on. It seemed like every time we looked over he had taken his shoes off. The second day was understandable because his shoes were wet. Earlier in the day he had ran under the road in a water drain pipe with his big brothers. Joshua loves to keep up with his big brothers. He tries so hard to do everything that they do. The picture doesn't do it justice, but the boys and Ryan did a little rock climbing up to this high rock. Joshua sat on top of the rock, just like his big brothers. Earlier on a different hike he was afraid to climb up on a wall to have his picture taken.

Thomas loved being outdoors and enjoyed the freedom of being able to wander around. He was very fascinated by the things on the ground. He enjoyed sitting in the backpack, but was thrilled to walk for part of the hikes.

On the way home this year, we stopped and visited Luray Caverns. We have wanted to do it for years, but have never done it. The caverns were amazing and the boys were in Awe. Our favorite part of the cave was Dream Lake. The water was like glass and it reflected the ceiling.

We had a great weekend together making memories that will last a lifetime!

Walk for the Cure

Thursday the boys participated in the Walk for the Cure for childhood diabetes. I was amazed at all of the children who participated in the one mile walk. The walk was held at Selden's Landing Elementary track. They had a DJ who MC the event. They had the children sign in and get an official number to wear during the walk. The DJ warmed the kids up by having them dance to a few songs like YMCA and Disney's Cha Cha. Then the children started the walk. After the walk the DJ played different games with the kids and gave away a few prizes. I am so proud of my boys for participating in the walk. It was a neat experience. To top it all off Matthew won two admission tickets to the local ice rink. He is pretty excited now to go ice skating.

Thomas

Thomas is such a cutie! He has the cutest personality and disposition. He will be 18 months in a week and a half. He loves to climb up in my lap and have me read to him. He loves his blankie and paci. He loves dogs! Anytime he sees one he will start barking over and over again. He loves to give kisses. When he is thirsty, he goes to the drawer where I keep the big boy cups and gets one out. He then takes it to the fridge and starts babbling away. When I ask him if he wants a drink, he smiles from ear to ear. I am sure he is pleased that I understood exactly what he wanted. He loves to be outside.

Batting Cages

Last night, we took the boys to the batting cages for a little batting practice. I love to watch the boys bat. I love the baseball stance with their bottoms out and elbows out. They are so focused as they watch and wait for the pitch. Christopher is so cute and little in the cage! We had a nice evening together as a family. .

Painting

It rained most of the day on Saturday. All of our sports games were canceled. With a new house comes a list of projects you hope to get accomplished sometime soon. We had no sports games to attend, so we decided to put the boys to work and paint our foyer. The boys and I painted the lower sections. Ryan spent most of the day on the 24ft ladder painting up high. Thomas napped part of the time. When he was not napping or being entertained by the boys he passed the time away climbing the ladder. He loves to climb! He must feel a sense of accomplishment when he gets to the top. We always knew he had made it to the top of the ladder when we could hear him babbling away.

On Saturday, the boys sold Cinnamon Rolls at our community yard sale to earn money to participate in a 1 mile walk to cure childhood diabetes. The walk will be held on May 22nd. The boys are very excited to do the walk.

Matthew's 1st game to Pitch

Matthew got to pitch in Saturday's game for the first time. He really had the pitcher stance down. Everybody comment on his stance and how he looked like a true pitcher. If you look closely at the picture you will see a wad of gum in his month. He chomped away on that gum as he pitched. If I can figure out to do a video clip I will post a little video of him pitching. It was fun to watch him. He did a great job pitching and made some great plays as pitcher.

Way to go Matthew!