Guitar Man

We are off to New Hampshire today, so no blog posts this week. Thought we'd leave this parting video of Benji at his guitar....

An Unusual Butterfly

New Clothes

Abby, showing off her birthday outfit from Aunt Barbara.

The Fuzzy Head is back

Turns out, if you cut his air short, it still sticks straight up...

New T

To her delight, Abby received the next in her sequence of age tee shirts from Aunt Steph.

Day Trip

With a rare free Sunday, we decided to take a day trip to nearby Staunton with the kids. First stop: Gypsy Hill Park, where we could feed the ducks (and some very large fish):



Ever seen a fish and a duck kiss?:


Well, you still haven't. They are fighting over a piece of bread.

When we'd had enough ducks (and run out of food for them), we raced sticks down the river for a while. Abby really liked making "boats" and watching them emerge from under this bridge:


After the river, we headed over to the train depot for a ride on the Gypsy Express:



We had a great lunch at a train-themed restaurant, and finished off the day at Pufferbellies toy store, where both kids wanted to ride the mechanical horse:

Happy Birthday Kevin!

Seventh Birthday Party

Abby chose a pool party again this year. She loves Washington Park Pool, where her swim team practices. Here she is with all of her friends, on a brief break from the water:


"Blowing" out the candles (for the second year, we were not able to get them lit outdoors):


Kaeli seemed to like the cake:


Opening presents at home, after the party:

Abby's Birthday

A week after the fact. We try to decorate her room each year before she wakes up on her birthday morning. It's hard to think up a new idea every year, but this go we plastered her walls with pictures of birthdays past:




We had a quiet celebration at home. A few presents:


And the all important brownie sundaes (which have somehow become her birthday tradition):


Benji seemed a little overwhelmed by all the choices:


We'll put up pictures of her birthday party tomorrow.

Teachable Moment

What child does not look cute in overalls with a baseball bat slung over his shoulder?:

Among the Flowers

Benji, part 2

Benji

Being silly....

Bowling Party

We took a girl scout trip to the bowling alley. The mechanic was nice enough to give us a behind the lanes tour:


We followed with some cosmic bowling:

Candle Making

As part of Grandma and Pop-pop's visit, we visited Ash Lawn-Highland and took part in some colonial crafts. The kids each made their own candles:




We made a quick stop at Carter's Mountain to pick-up some peaches, and Benji took full advantage of the comfy rocking chair. I can't believe how much he already looka like a good-old boy:

Happy 7th Birthday, Abby!

We are gearing up for a pool party this weekend, but we had a small, early celebration with Grandma and Pop-pop (and Gammy) last weekend.

The cake:



Birthday Poster, by Pop-pop:


Eight candles!:




And gifts, of course:

Big Boy Undies!

Leora's Bat Mitzvah

Our "little" cousin had her bat mitzvah in Maryland, so we all trekked up for the occasion. Here is a family shot:


Benji in his sweater vest:


Abby (with Julia, who wanted to dress up as well):


It was quite the dance party:




Gammy and Benji spending some quality time:

Swim Meet #1

Abby, warming up in the Crozet Gators Pool:


Swimming her relay leg:


Her relay team took first place in the race!


With friend Anya Rothman (swimming for the opposing team):