Water Fun!

For the last day of school at Macfeat, the kids enjoyed a Water Day- Eleanor talked about it for weeks! She was so ready for it & the sno-cones were very popular with all the kids.

Eleanor enjoying sno-cones with her classmates, Lina & Maddie

There was also a little bounce house

Emerson was ready to get wet in his swim trunks too

The whole family joined in the fun & excitement

Looks like Emerson "caught" himself a tasty whale

Eleanor and Cayden are ready for a water battle with their squirt guns

The only time the kids sat well was for snack- cheese & apples, delicious!

Eleanor asked for seconds on the cheese

Seconds was the theme- sno-cone #2!

Almost the entire class drying off inside the classroom in their ocean/beach setting- we will miss Macfeat for the summer, but glad to be going back to the same classroom in the fall!!

At home, Emerson & Eleanor were thrilled to play with the water ring- it has a nice gentle spray so they don't get overwhelmed.

Also, the toys are fun to put in the water (& mouth, in Emerson's case)

I wonder if Eleanor was planning to dump this water bucket on her brother's head...

Looks like he is safe for now, but when he gets older, watch out for your big sister, buddy!

New Discovery

On our drive home from Baltimore, we discovered a park in Harrisonburg, VA, called Purcell Park that had an amazing playground. It was an old-style wooden one with lots to do! 

Eleanor is getting stronger & quite the little gymnast

Go, Eleanor, go!

Playing some hide & seek with Mommy

Eleanor was thrilled to find these baby ducklings in a little pond

Luckily, we had some bread to share with them

She is also working hard on pumping her legs to swing herself- look how high she can go!

A great big sister helps her brother in his swing too!

Emerson is learning that swings are so much fun!

Fun with cousins

Cousin Landon was ready to welcome us to their home!

Emerson and Landon were playing some tug-of-war with a balloon string

Emerson won!

Eleanor was a beautiful dance instructor leading her class in a lesson

Cousins Mikayla and Landon were eager to join in the class!

Time for a costume change and some shopping downstairs

Looks like a car ride to the grocery store

We love heading to the playground just down the street- aren't Landon & Mikayla great at sharing this swing?

Eleanor wanted her turn with Landon too

Eleanor is such a sweet big sister, giving Emerson a great ride on the swing & making him so happy!

He is ready to blast off!

The girls thought the swings were more fun when you twist them up and SPIN- I agree, it is fun!

The main reason for our trip was to see Mikayla's dance recital. She did a fabulous job and was beautiful in her costume. Eleanor can't wait to be dancing just like her cousin. Emerson was happy to nap during the performance.

A very difficult cousins picture- Landon, 15 months, Mikayla, 4 1/2, Emerson, 8 months, Eleanor 4, but so CUTE!

Off to Baltimore, with a stop in Norfolk

I know that I am a brave woman for putting a picture of me in my pajamas and bed hair. But it was a cute cuddle moment for Emerson and family TV Curious George watching moment, so it's worth it

The reason for a stop in Norfolk, VA, was two-fold: first, it's a nice half-way point for the over 8 1/2 hour drive to Baltimore; second, there was a Curious George art exhibit at the Chrysler Museum of Art. It was mainly the artwork of H.A. & Margret Rey, the authors of the Curious George books. We could not take photos in that exhibit, but it was impressive and educational. Eleanor did get a chance to sketch her own version of the statues in this room & she did a great job!

Artist Eleanor hard at work

The beautiful interior of the museum

The adorable dad and son near the museum store

Gorgeous waterway across the street from the museum

Emerson enjoys the higher view

Eleanor is fascinated with mermaids now so she loved taking her picture with this statue

Weekend in Conway

We were fortunate to take a trip to Conway for two important things: BBQ Festival that Uncle Andre was competing in & a baby shower for cousin Ryder (due July 24th)! Eleanor really enjoyed the BBQ and was trying to stay dry through a quick thunderstorm under the tent

Emerson even ate some BBQ!

Eleanor surprised us by playing in the sand by the river- she used to dislike getting dirty so we were proud of her!

It was Emerson's first time meeting Samantha- he was OK with her from a distance

We also went to the Aquarium in Myrtle Beach- Daddy and Eleanor thought the horseshoe crab felt a little slimy but neat

Check out all this treasure!

"Look, Mommy, it's the Dory fish from Nemo!"

Shadow girl in her favorite spot

Emerson had a good view of the sights and loved it

Thank goodness there was glass between us and him!

Daddy is more valuable than any pearl in a clam

Big sister-to-be, Memphis, couldn't wait to eat the delicious cake

Eleanor is showing off a cool rice krispie treat with green teeth!

It is hard to get a picture of the cousins together- Cody on the left

Our little sweet tooth girl has a blue mustache

Memphis was proud to show off her green tongue

The girls were very helpful to Aunt Heidi in opening the presents

Emerson was good at being cute and playing with the new toys!