Creatures, creatures!

We've only been at the beach a few days, but what a bunch of experiences we've had already!  The kids are thoroughly enjoying exploring our rented property on the bay!   They are constantly bringing in more frogs and toads to show me!

We brought a minnow trap with us, so we threw it off the dock to see what we might catch.  On their first check they caught not only a little fish but an American Eel!  That was pretty cool in their eyes!

Fishing is quickly becoming a favorite pastime!  So far we've caught bass and catfish off the dock. How perfect for teaching the kids about clean and unclean fish!

We've also been to the beach where the kids have enjoyed hunting for sand fleas - little crab-like creatures that like to bury themselves in the sand right in the surf. We've had a good time catching them.

      

      

       

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A week in Nashville

DH and I went to Nashville last weekend as a little getaway - it was so nice!  We stayed in a really neat historic hotel in Downtown Nashville called the Hermitage Hotel.  We did all the touristy Nashville stuff - saw the Grand Ole Opry (again).  It was great!

Then on Monday, our two big boys flew down to meet us!  It wasn't *really* a solo flight as one of DH's co-workers was on the flight and looked after them.  But they still felt pretty grown up to be able to do that.  :)

The boys and I had a lot of fun while Daddy worked that week.  We took a ride on the General Jackson Showboat, walked around downtown, explored the Gaylord Opryland Hotel where we stayed and spent a day at the Science museum. It was fun and educational at the same time!

This next week (well, few days anyway) will be crazy busy trying to get ready for our next adventure!  We leave on Thursday for North Carolina to marry off our "Thai daughter" and then we're headed to the beach!   :)

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South Mountain Creamery

On a whim, on our way home from something else, we decided to stop by South Mountain Creamery. We just happened to be timing it right - the calves are fed every day at 4pm. And if you are there, you get to help! :) So we picked our calves, lined up and waited for the bottles to arrive. E wasn't so sure at this point that it was such a good idea to be anywhere near them!



Everyone ended up feeding a calf, although Little M got head-butted pretty good with the bottle as the calf was pretty aggressive while drinking!



E really enjoyed the calves - and they seemed to really enjoy her wheelchair arms! They sucked on them and got her and her chair full of slobber!



And of course when we were all done, we had to go inside and get a teeny tiny little scoop of homemade ice cream. {shhh, don't tell anyone - we're vegan!} 

 

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Junior Rangers - Antietam Battlefield

We jumped at the opportunity to be introduced to the Junior Ranger program by our friend LaRee and her girls! They were going to be visiting from PA and going to Antietam Battlefield which is not far from us, so we met them there!

This program is a great opportunity for kids to learn hands-on all about the history that took place at a national park. When you get to the park you just pick up the booklet from the visitor's center - there are age-appropriate options, so all of the kids can participate! While visiting the park, we explore and find all the answers to the questions, or complete an activity/hike/hunt/etc. Here are my two big boys with their friends completing a section of their booklet.


Once you are done, you go back to the visitor's center and a Park Ranger awards the kids a Junior Ranger badge! It's a very cool program. E was very proud to earn her badge!


M took over the camera for a while during the visit - here's one of his shots. :)


We climbed up a tall tower on the battlefield - LaRee's dad was nice enough to carry Emma up! Here's a shot of all our kiddos at the top. :)


If you haven't checked out the Junior Ranger program before, give it a try! There's a list of all the parks that participate in that link. Great history lessons that STICK with kids - because they have fun learning it!

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D.C. field trip!

Since DH had a business meeting in DC and had a hotel for a couple of nights, we decided to take a field trip! We were able to pack in a bunch of sightseeing, all of which the boys chose.

Here they are at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. I think they were pretty amazed to see all those names and realize the true cost of war.


The Lincoln Memorial was next as it is very close to the Vietnam one. They enjoyed running up the steps and seeing the huge statue of Lincoln inside.


The National Museum of the American Indian was at the top of the list for the kids. While there were some neat hands-on activities on one level, overall I was a little disappointed in how little detailed information there was for the various tribes. We were also not there for terribly long, so it may be that we missed some things.

            

We spent a little time hanging out around the water where we had some neat views of the Jefferson Memorial. The kids had a good time feeding the fish and the squirrels.


Arlington National Cemetery was a new experience for all of us - I had never been. What an amazing experience - even more awesome than seeing the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. There were tombstones just as far as you could see in every direction. We didn't have enough time to go see the changing of the guard at the tomb of the Unknown Soldier. We put that on our list of definite things to do in the future.

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Upcycled t-shirt becomes a market bag!

After seeing me make a a project by delia creates, M decided he wanted to try one! I think he did an awesome job! He's pretty excited about sewing now since his Nana started him on a quilt a few weeks ago.


Use an old t-shirt for this project - we've been saving old ones and also picking up a few at Goodwill for just about a buck.  Cut out the bag pattern you'd like - M did a simple rectangle with the corners cut out at the top to form a "handle."  Then simply sew the three sides together with the wrong sides together (there may not really be a "wrong" side to a t-shirt - just pick what you'd like to show.)

After the bag is sewn together, take a ruler and make marks about an inch and a half long from one side of the bag to the other.  The next row, about an inch up, mark them so that they are staggered from the previous row.   Mark a longer line where you want the handle to be.

Next you simply use scissors or a rotary cutting tool to make cuts where the marks are.  Of course you could do all that freehand without having made the cuts first, but for a child this certainly made it easier.  After the cuts are made, turn the bag outside right and stretch the bag from top to bottom to stretch out the holes.

    


I'm pretty excited to have a boy who's not afraid to sew. ;) We can't wait to try out our new produce bags at the market this week.

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Happy 4th of July!

We enjoyed a nice little hike to Cunningham Falls at Catoctin State Park. :)  The boys and I all decided to venture off the path and climb on the rocks.

    
The fun all ended for me when I spotted a snake in the water swimming towards us!  We quickly made our way back to the path where I snapped this sweet picture of the ones I love.  :)

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Goodbyes stink!

Today we said goodbye to our last and final au pair, Flavia. :( She has been with us for almost 2 years and is part of our family. We will miss her terribly!

The kids love their Brazilian shirts! :o)

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Crystal Grottoes

Today we learned all about stalactites and stalagmites at Crystal Grottoes! Before we went down for the tour, we were walking around outside and spotted a snake in the stream! We told the guy and he was happy to have it spotted because he'd been trying to catch it for quite a while. He was successful today - not sure if I was happy or not about that! lol

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One-on-One at the Monocacy River

Had such a nice time with N today at the Monocacy River. We were at a spot where a creek meets the river. We waded in the water, hunted for crayfish and fished.  This is definitely his element - and I'm thrilled to have been able to spend the day with him.  All-in-all it was a great day!  :)

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Loys Station Park

Our friend Mandy has been telling us about this park, so we decided to meet her and her kids there today! It's such a neat place. The bridge was originally built between 1850 and 1860, but it burned down and was rebuilt in 1991. Owens Creek flows under the bridge. Up the creek from the bridge it's quite shallow and great for playing and looking for crayfish. On the other side of the bridge is a nice swimming hole! The kids had such a great time! I know we'll be back!

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