The Stepstool

Benji can't resist it, and he climbs up it quick as a flash whenever we leave it unattended. Here he is sneaking up on the stool and grabbing Abby's water bottle. He was already taking a nip from it before we noticed what he had done.....

Fairy Cookies

Abby has been itching to try out the "Fairy Cookbook" that Aunt Barbara sent her. We finally broke it out and attempted these butterfly fairy masks. Abby especially liked the free reign to coat her cookie with every variety of fancy sprinkle, candy and frosting.

Summer Fun, part IV

The Popsicle, a time sequence:









I would post the end of this story, but I had to put the camera down to clean up a very soggy, red streaked boy.

Summer Fun, part III

Sprinklers!

Summer Fun, part II

Fun with a water table:

Summer Fun, part I

Fun in a hammock:

Back to Cville

We've made it back to Cville. Here's a recap of what our trip actually looked like:

Wednesday:

Too rainy for Hershey.

Thursday:

Too rainy for a baseball game.

Friday:

Zoo, with scattered showers.

Saturday:

Too rainy for a playdate in the park. Father's day bbq in the rain.

Sunday:

Picnic in the rain.

Monday:

Sesame Place in the rain. Did I mention it's a water park?

It is sunny and warm in Cville today - we'll try to wish some of this weather for the folks up north.

New York Bound

We're headed up to New York for the week. Probably no posts until we get back, but here is our crazy itinerary:

Wednesday:

Thursday:

Friday:

Saturday/Sunday:

Monday:

Phone Manners

I don't think he has them yet.

Renaissance Fun

The Virginia Renaissance Festival is camping out near Lake Anna for the month of June. (Yes, that is the Lake Anna located right next to Bumpass, an actual city in Virginia). Seemed like a good weekend excursion, so we headed out there with the kids. Turned out to be pretty good, as Ren Fairs go. Abby got to make her own rag doll:




And was excited to meet the queen:



Benji was significantly less excited to meet the queen, who fell into the general category of "stranger":


She's definitely better seen from mommy's arms:


After such an esteemed visit, Abby decided that she absolutely had to have her hair braided. Luckily, there are nice ladies who will do that for you:


Here she is half-done:



And all the way done:



Benji seemed most amused by the festival map, which he studied carefully:


After a hard day of pointing at the map, he was ready for a break:



Abby says she wants to go back to the festival again next weekend, but I think we are all Renaissance'd out for this year.

Camp!

Abby started camp this week, and boy was she excited. She especially likes the fact that she gets to go in the pool every day. Here she is getting ready for her first day of camp:

Big Sisters

On Sunday, Alex and Steph welcomed their new addition - Sophia Jane Lamy - in the wee hours of the morning. Julia was besides herself with excitement, and Abby seemed to get caught up in the spirit. Julia was particularly excited about her new "big sister" t-shirt, which led Abby to go on a hunt for her own big sister shirt. I had placed it in the "too small" pile, but declaring that it still fit, Abby donned the shirt so that she and Julia could show that they were both big sisters. Here they are mugging in their gear:



Note that they also both have skirts, green headbands, and sweaters tied around their waists. This standardization is very important.

Greensboro

We used Abby's time off to visit our friends Steve and Deb in Greensboro. Abby enjoyed Aviva, who is almost two, and Benji thought the two girls were very amusing.

Here they are playing in a band together:



Abby had enough, but the younger kids regrouped to make more music:



The girls, together enjoying the sun:

Goodbye Levana, part Two

After a slight delay, here are the rest of the pictures from Abby's last day of school, including her "graduation ceremony." The kids did a stirring rendition of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" (they voted on the choice of song), and then each received a certificate from their teachers. The ceremony was followed by a cake they baked (and decorated) themselves. Looked like the coat of many colors.....

Abby dressed up, with her nails done to match, to celebrate her last day:



Getting her certificate:



Shaking hands:



Benji, trying to get in on the action:



Always helpful, Benji appears to be giving direction to Adelaide: