Pillowcases with Aunt Connie

 We usually go and see my Uncle Mike and Aunt Connie while we are in Delaware.  This year, Aunt Connie had a special surprise for the kids- they got to sew their own pillowcases.  For those of you who do not know, my Aunt Connie excels in sewing, quilting, stamping, and pretty much every other type of craft known to man.  The kids love the pillowcases that she has made for them in the past, and they loved getting to help make one themselves. Aunt Connie had several different fabrics available, but both kids chose to make a Star Wars pillowcase.  Aunt Connie showed the kids how to work the sewing machine and let them press the pedal and take the pins out of the fabric.  The finished products looked great!

 After visiting with Uncle Mike and Aunt Connie for a few hours, we made a trip to Bylers for their outstanding ice cream.  It's always so good to see my aunt and uncle, and we are so glad that we were able to visit with them again this year.

Delaware 2014

As usual, we had a ton of fun visiting with the Sanders clan in Delaware this year.   We were gone for eleven days, and so we got to spend lots of time with Poppy and Nana.  Brandon was also able to come during both weekends that we were there.  The kids just love their Uncle Brandon, so they were thrilled to see him.   We did so much while we were there that the time seemed to just fly by.  

 Barb and I usually have a girls day at the outlets, and so we continued with that this year. We found some pretty good deals and had a delicious lunch in Dewey Beach.  Later in the week Brian went golfing with his dad, Brandon, and Uncle Mike.  Brian doesn't get to golf much, so he really enjoyed this.

The boys weren't the only golfers. Brandon spent time giving the kids some basic lessons on the front lawn.  

The kids were happy to be reunited with the dogs- Bear, Penny, and Duke.  

 One morning we drove over to the Air Mobility Command Museum to see the C-5 that was recently put on display.  This is the type of plane that Poppy flew.  We were hoping to go inside, but they were having some sort of event and were a bit short-staffed, so they did not have anyone available to go to the plane with us.  Oh well- this will just give us a good excuse to go back next year.

 We were able to see some planes taking off and landing on a near-by runway.

 Some planes were already open, so the kids were able to go on those.

 The kids took a real interest in the basketball goal this year.  Poppy was on hand to give Olivia some pointers.

Did I mention that the kids just love their Uncle Brandon?

Barb arranged an early celebration for Brian's 40th  birthday.  We went to eat at a nice little restaurant that was near a park.  The weather was just perfect for sitting outside.  At the end of the meal, the waitress surprised Brian with a delicious peanut butter pie and we all sang "Happy Birthday" to him.  He was most definitely surprised.

Even though we are back now, it will probably take a good week or so to fully recuperate.  I for one am seriously going to have to hit the gym and get back in shape.  Barb's brownies are like crack- I just couldn't stay away.  We always enjoy spending time with Poppy and Nana, and we were glad to be able to do so again this year.

Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel

We recently returned from our yearly trip to visit Brian's family in Dover.  We have made this trip every year since we've been married except one (when Owen had just been born).  Over time, we have developed our "preferred" route- which is over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel.  It's a little longer to go this way, but we save the time (and lots of headache) by not having to sit in slow-moving traffic.  Plus, the bridge/tunnel is really cool.  This year we stopped off at the lookout point / visitor's center to look around and take pictures.

Hiking Providence Canyon

On the way back from Alabama, we took a detour to Providence Canyon State Park.  This canyon was created by erosion due to poor farming practices in the 19th century.   We hiked the 2.5 mile canyon loop trail- which felt like way more than two and a half miles because of the elevation change.  The kids love to hike, so they were thrilled.  They pretty much left Gigi and I in a cloud of dust.  We didn't mind too much though.  The scenery was spectacular, and the weather was great- a perfect day for a hike!   The first half of the trail was a hike from the top to the bottom and then back up.  The going down was easy, the coming back up- not so much.  

 There was a small stream of water at the bottom of the canyon, so we had to be careful not to get too dirty (you can see how careful the kids are being).

 I like this one of mama in the bed of the canyon pointing to the rim.

The last portion of the trail was a hike along the rim.  There were some good views here.  

Olivia acting out the bridge scene from Lord of the Rings

After hiking for about an hour and a half, we returned to our car and began our journey home.  I have no doubt that we all slept soundly that night.

Around Montgomery

We decided to do a little sight-seeing while in the Montgomery area.  We saw a brochure for the First White House of the Confederacy in our hotel, and decided that might be interesting.  It took us awhile to find, but we did (eventually).  Unfortunately, it was closed when we arrived.  We were still able to get some pictures on the front lawn, we just couldn't go inside.  Right next door was an Alabama history museum, so we decided to check it out since we couldn't go into the White House.  I'm so glad that things worked out as they did, because the Alabama History Museum was awesome (and free).

Inside of the museum, we learned about the history and geological make-up of Alabama.  When we walked in, the lady at the front desk gave the kids a little scavenger hunt booklet.  The kids LOVED looking for all of the items in the booklet.  In the past I've had to drag the kids through museums.  That was not a problem here.  I actually had to get them to slow down because they were so anxious to find the items on their lists.  This little booklet also made the kids pay attention to the exhibits.  They noticed other things in the cases and asked questions about them.  I certainly got a lot out the afternoon, and I think that the kids did too.

Olivia hard at work on her scavenger hunt

Owen checking off an item on his list

Zachary's Graduation

This past weekend the kids, Cassie, Gigi, and I drove to Prattville, Alabama (outside Montgomery) to attend my cousin Zachary Cook's high school graduation.  For those of you who don't know Zachary is the oldest son of my first cousin, Pam.  He was also the ring bearer in my wedding.  Zachary is a smart young man and has done a marvelous job in high school.  Because of his hard work, he has earned several scholarships and will be attending the University of Iowa this fall.  We are all so proud of the young man that Zachary has turned out to be.

Here is a picture of the Cook clan. We were  happy to get to spend time with them before they move this summer.

 The kids were excited to see their cousins.  We had a get-together at Pam's house on the day following the graduation.  Olivia and Owen spent lots of time playing video games with Benjamin (while the adults stuffed our bellies with all of the delicious food).

The Georgia crew with the graduate.

The grandparents

Memorial Day Picnic

For the past couple of years, the kids and I have gone to Laura Walker Park for a picnic on Memorial Day.  We continued that tradition this year.  Hannah and the girls came with us last year, but Hannah had to work on Memorial Day this year.  Gigi was keeping her girls, so she brought them for the picnic instead.  We had sandwiches, bananas, chips, and granola bars.  While Gigi and I set up the picnic area, the kids played on the playground.

 After eating lunch, the kids wanted to go down to the lake.  Last year the kids did not want to do much in the water because it's not clear.  This year was a different story.  They played in the swimming area of that lake and had so much fun.   There were quite a few other kids in the lake that day, so they had plenty of playmates.  It wasn't long before they struck up a game of "Marco Polo".  There were also several boats / skiers out.  Whenever a boat would pass the swimming area, it would create a wake.  The kids got really excited when the wakes came.  They would run out and jump or body surf the little waves.  Needless to say, the lake was a hit.

 Julianna thinks that she is as big as the other kids and tried to go out in the lake, but she was just not tall enough.  She ended up having fun by "floating" (laying on her back) in the lake and by trying to splash Gigi.