A Day on the Magothy

It was a bit of an adventure getting there, but we sure had a fun time visiting Grandpa and Grandma Johns last weekend.

Grandpa took some of us out on the river to go tubing on Sunday afternoon. I went along with the intention to supervise Mac, but I was pleasantly surprised by the chance to have a nice, long, relaxing "float" ride of my own. 

In the evening, Ellis and Grandpa took us to one of Ellis' favorite "swimming holes" growing up. Mac and Corrie enjoyed swimming at Dobbin's Island, and I enjoyed resting for a bit on the shore...taking in the scenery while enjoying the beautiful evening breezes and the long shadows being cast by the setting sun.

Later, Mac and Ellis braved the waters in the inner tube together. Here they are right before they flipped over backwards. At first Mac was really scared, but we decided to convince him that it was an epic, awesome flip, and we cheered and clapped for him and Ellis.

Surprisingly, our plan actually worked. Mac loves telling the story of the time he and Daddy flipped in the big tube. :)

Corrie was the last one to brave the "giant" water tube. At first she was scared, but Grandpa made sure to go very slowly. A few minutes after she got in the tube, I looked back and saw that she had disappeared!

After a few minutes of extreme panic for me, Corrie popped her head out of the tube and smiled at me. She had discovered that she could curl into a tiny ball and completely hide herself in the middle of the tube! She kept peeping her head out like a little smiling turtle for the rest of the ride. That's classic Corrie right there.

Thanks for a fun day on the water, Grandpa and Grandma!

Still Little

David is always acting so much older than Corrie or Mac did at his age. He truly does all that he can to manuever his way into whatever his older brother and sister are doing, and I think he is thoroughly convinced that he is just as old and big as they are (maybe older).

It's pretty sweet then, when I get glimpses of his "still little" self. The way he can still snuggle into a little ball on my lap, the way he giggles going down a slide, the way he insists on running everywhere instead of walking, the phrases that he tries so hard to articulate that betray his innocent toddler-ish understanding of the world...it is all special, and I appreciate it more with each child.

So, it warmed my heart to see him sleeping tonight in his crib when I went to check on him before I headed to bed: his cute, "still little" body was positioned with his face down and his bottom up in air. 

I remember when Mac and Corrie and used to sleep like that, and how they "grew up" and stopped finding that position comfortable. 

I am happy to see that Davey is still little, for little while longer at least. :)

Marble Shop 28

This morning I finished unloading the dishwasher to discover that Mac was passionately creating another "invention" at the kitchen table.

What did he need cardboard boxes, sticks, tape, glue, bath tub cup toys, paperclips, marbles, and a tape measure for?

A marble wash, of course!

I always wonder how these little inventions will turn out when they finally come to life, but I am happy to report that "Marble Shop 28," is a grand success! By "success," I mean that it has kept Mac busy for at least an hour, and has been enjoyable for all of us to behold.

Once the "shop" is really up and running, Mac plans to charge customers $28.00 for his marble washing services. (Which is how he decided upon the shop's name).

Who knows, maybe we will see Mac and one of his creative start-ups on Shark Tank one day. Good luck, Mac! :)

Happy Father's Day

Father's Day weekend was a pretty busy one for Ellis this year. He left early Friday morning, and we really didn't see him again until Monday. He ended up being on call on a weekend full of emergencies and babies being born. 

Thankfully, we were able to meet up with him at the hospital on Father's Day to bring him dinner, some special hand-made gifts from the kids, and cake that we baked for him. We all enjoyed our time together and Ellis seemed so happy that we were able to come and see him. 

The view of the mountains at the hospital is really beautiful. I hope I get a room with a good view in December!

I asked each kid to give Ellis a "free ticket" for something that he would really like, and we put them in a card for him. Corrie wanted to make her own special card for Ellis. She put her ticket inside, and it said "One free ticket for: You to come to my birthday party on my birthday!"

The rest of us gave Ellis a card with "free tickets" in them too. 

Mac's ticket said: "One free ticket for: watching a whole movie together!"

Davey's ticket said: "One free ticket for: wrestling! (but no biting)

My ticket said: "One free ticket for: playing soccer together!

Mac had made a little gift for Ellis at school for Father's Day:

I was reminded that Mac made a similar gift for me on Mother's Day. It is sweet to see the world through his eyes.

Happy 4th of July

The Lord really blessed us this Fourth of July. Ellis got the inside scoop from a co-worker on a sweet little parade in a town near us (Earlysville). We managed to get there just in time to find a spot right on the road before the parade started. 

The whole event lasted for a grand total of 13 minutes, and that was just right for us! The kids could hardly believe it when the firemen and parade participants started throwing out candy. The closest they have come to something like that is trick-or-treating (which has never really yielded much for them).

After watching the kids stuff their faces with tootsie rolls and twizzlers, we called Ellis' friend to see if we could meet up with him. It turned out that he and his wife were waiting for us at a little church near the end of the street: it was offering free hot dogs and two bouncy houses for the kids. What a treat! 

A few minutes later Ellis and I sat together in the little front lawn of the old church, savoring our free lunch and watching our kids fully enjoy themselves. The whole affair was so laid back and peacefully small - just the right amount of excitement for us. 

As the day went on, it became increasingly clear that there was no way Corrie and Davey would be able to stay up to see fireworks that night. I stayed home with them while Ellis and Mac walked up the street together and discovered a perfect spot to view (in Mac's words) "tons of bullets hitting in to each other and exploding!" 

I am pretty sure Mac had his hands excitedly squeezing his face the entire time as he watched (in his mind) and epic battle of exploding bullets in the sky. How sweet that they could see the whole city fireworks show right from our neighborhood!

We had a very happy 4th of July, and we hope you did too!

Family Reunion

Several weeks ago we had a really fun weekend in West Virginia for a family reunion. We loved getting to spend some time with Grandpa Dean and Grandma, and especially getting to meet more of Grandpa Dean's family. 

Davey got to sleep in a tent for the first time, although I should clarify that by "sleep" I mean that he at least remained in the tent all night. We have no idea how much actual sleep happened. 

All three kids loved being on the Potomac River for a couple days. They floated with their water wings and enjoyed the feeling of being pulled along by the gentle current. Mac managed to enlist a few older boys to teach him how to catch minnows, and Davey pretty much stayed close to my side while I relaxed in a lawn chair with my feet in the water. 

On Sunday morning we all piled into a canoe and took off up the river. It was fun getting to ride together in the same boat, but I will add that it becomes very difficult to paddle when all of the kids congregate around your arms. It became quite a challenge trying to stay clear of little heads and arms and still somehow get the paddle in the water!

By the time we turned around to head back, I was pretty tired. Thankfully, Corrie was more than happy to take over :)

Thank you for a great weekend Grandpa Dean. Mommy and Daddy were a little worn out, but the kids had such a wonderful time. We all did :)

House of Inventions

Honestly, even though it can be a bit of a pain stumbling upon the kids' (and Ellis') various "inventions" (which in the kids' cases, always seem to happen in the bathroom sink), I guess you can't deny that their creativity is endearing in its own, quirky way.