The Summer Has Started!

One of the first things Nina and Lyla wanted to do after school got out was head down to Hartfield.  So, the girls and I packed up early Monday morning and headed down for a few days at the river.  When at Hartfield, there is down time and then there is boating time.  We had some down time in the first part of the day – catching minnows, taking bike rides, painting with Mousey, etc., but as soon as Poppy said he was ready to get out on the boat, these girls were more than ready!

We had some really beautiful days for being on the water.  It was hot, but the river was calm and quiet with boat traffic, and the sun was shining.  As always, getting in the tube was one of the main attractions.  For these two (especially Lyla), there’s no speed fast enough for riding in the tube.  From their seat in the tube, they call out to Poppy to speed up and drive in circles (so they hit the waves).  The tube is always a good time!

This was Cayenne’s first trip on the boat, and I was anxious to see how she would do.  She has a track record of not being the best traveller.  Ever since she was a puppy, she often gets sick in the car and actually throws up in the car quite often (fun times).  Being on the boat, we figured she’d be ok with all the open space and flowing air, but we were wrong.  Actually, it wasn’t the motion or the movement of the boat at all that I think made her sick.  She ended up throwing up on the boat two days in a row, but both times were after she was hot and quickly drank a large amount of water.  Needless to say, that part wasn’t fun, but other than that, I think she enjoyed riding on the boat and swimming in the river. 

Lyla is just like me when I was little.  I was obsessed with driving my grandfather’s boat, and to his credit, he always let me.  Lyla is also obsessed with driving her grandfather’s boat, and to his credit, he always lets her. 

We always try to find a good spot for swimming after we’ve spent some time riding on the boat or tubing.  The river feeds into the Chesapeake Bay, so the water is brackish in most parts.  As a result, there are jellyfish that always make their way down the river.  Last summer, the cousins started something called the River Girls Club.  There were several criteria that had to be met before being a true River Girl, and getting stung by a jellyfish was one of them.  They’ve all been through it, but of course they don’t like it. 

On our first day swimming, we were having a great time in the water until Lyla got stung.  While it wasn’t a terrible sting, it was enough to end our swimming session for the day.  Day one also ended on a sour note when Mousey’s wireless speaker took a dive into the river.  While day one on the river kind of ended on a less than happy note, the speaker fullly recovered after two days buried in rice, and day two on the river more than made up for day one’s little jellyfish sting.

I was hoping the girls wouldn’t be hesitant to get back in and swim, and I was pleasantly surprised when they jumped right in off the boat when it was time to swim.  Poppy took the boat a little deeper into the river (farther from the bay) where the water is more fresh, and we didn’t encounter any jellyfish.  We had such a great time swimming in the river on day two, and I think everyone (including Cayenne) enjoyed cooling off in the water, swimming, jumping off the boat, and having some fun!

Life is pretty simple down at Hartfield, and the pace of life is much slower there than Northern Virginia.  So instead of feeling like there are a million things you need to do, you end up looking for things to do or places to explore.  One of the things Nina and Lyla really enjoyed this past trip was biking down to a miniature horse farm to pet the mini horses.  They gave them names and fed them all the tender grass they could find. 

As the days wound down, everyone eventually got showers and the adults caught up World Cup games that were recorded during the day.  We enjoyed our time hanging at the river with Mousey and Poppy, but we were excited to get back home and see Mark (who had to work this week).  We now feel like summer is officially in full swing, and it’s off to a good start!

Father’s Day

I feel very thankful to celebrate two great guys on Father’s Day.  I was blessed to grow up with a father who was patient, kind, loving, and always put family first. Even though his kids are now adults, he still keeps connected to what is going on in our life and that of our families.  Having such a positive experience with my father no doubt was a huge factor in determining the person I grew up to be.

I am also very blessed to celebrate the father of my girls who, despite being an outdoorsy/sporty guy, actually loves life with little girls (although he can be known to be found the garage for “projects” when the drama gets a little much).  He rough houses, compliments them, puts our family first, is always at their games and performances, is the master doctor when there’s an injury, works hard so their mom can be at home with them, and pursues the calling to be a godly husband and father.  Plus, he’s “a handsome dad” (as Nina calls him, and I agree).

We were happy to celebrate Mark, Pops, and another great father, Garland, on Sunday!

The End of Kindergarten Celebration

I can’t believe we’re already here at the end of the school year.  We love the summer and the break from the routine, but the girls have both had a super year, and for that reason, we’ll be sad to see it go.   Lyla has thoroughly enjoyed Kindergarten this year.  It was her first experience with school, and we couldn’t have asked for two nicer teachers than the ones she had.  We were lucky enough to have had them as teachers when Nina was in Kindergarten, and we were so excited that we got them again for Lyla.

Kindergarten in Loudoun County is only 1/2 day, so like Nina told her sister, “Lyla, enjoy Kindergarten while it lasts.”  She went on to tell her that first grade starts the long day at school, more homework, etc.  I guess after Kindergarten, it’s all downhill from there. 

Lyla’s class (in blue) and the other two afternoon Kindergarten classes put on a little performance for the parents and families on Wednesday.  They sang some songs and had the parents back to their classrooms for awards, a video presentation, and an ice cream party.

Nina really wanted to come and see her sister’s performance, so her teacher allowed her to miss a bit of the 2nd grade day to attend the Kindergarten festivities.

  

 

Like I said, Lyla’s teachers are simply the nicest ladies ever, so we have loved having them this year, as has Lyla.  They gave her the “Superstar” award which she was very happy about!

  It has also been great to see Lyla come out of her shell a bit and be herself around her classmates.  She started out the year a little nervous about meeting new people and making new friends, but we think we can put that worry to rest!

We’re so happy for Lyla, and still having a hard time believing we’re already at the end of Kindergarten, but we’re very proud of this sweet girl.  Congratulations on a great start to your school career, Lyla!

Soccer

Lyla finished up her spring soccer season this past Saturday.  She has really enjoyed playing soccer, and we enjoy watching her enthusiasm and her skills develop.  Since it was the last game, the kids all got their hair sprayed in colors again (like the first game), played, then had a little medal ceremony and donuts to top it off. 

  

Eleven Months

Look who is almost a year old!  Our little baby dog (as we call her) is just about a month away from her first birthday, and while she is definitely maturing in a lot of ways, she’s still a big puppy.

Cayenne’s favorite things to do are run (the faster the better), eat treats, and snuggle with humans. She loves to play, loves to go to the bus stop to pick up the girls at the end of the day, she loves to show off her bone (and get lots of compliments on it), and she really loves “talking” which she has done a lot more of in the past few months.  We wish we knew what she meant with all the talking she does, but she’s definitely got a lot to say.  

She’s a very typical bird dog by nature.  She loves to stalk out bunnies and birds that stop off in our back yard, and she one of these days I think she’s actually going to catch one. 

While having a puppy has been a lot of work, Cayenne has added so much personality to our family, and despite her naughty antics at times, her loving personality, her sweet demeanor with the girls, and her funny ways have made her a great addition to the family (most of the time).  

Afternoon at the Pond

It was another beautiful Saturday for a biking adventure, so while Mark worked on a new border for our mulch beds in front of the house, the girls and I took Cayenne to one of the neighborhood ponds.  Since the weather is getting much warmer, Cayenne obviously gets hot on the run to the pond, so as soon as we get there, she goes right in the water to swim and cool down.

When I last blogged about her swimming, her style was pretty funny.  She definitely didn’t swim very efficiently.  Now, she motors all around the pond with ease.  She’s figured out to keep her paws under the water, and now she’s a great swimmer! 

  

While Cayenne swam all around the pond chasing dragonflies, the girls played in the rocks and water.  They found some cool water bugs and little snails. 

Cayenne, however, won the prize for finding the most interesting thing.  She came out of a wooded area with this in her mouth.  The skull was quite small, but the teeth seemed pretty big, so we’re thinking it belonged to a fox or a raccoon, but who knows?   She ran back into the woods and found the bottom jaw for us, so the girls were very excited to bring the bones home, clean them off, and show their friends.

We had a fun time but came home in much need of a hosing off (the pup) and showers (the humans), but it was a fun way to spend some time on a beautiful afternoon.