Spring Break Part 2

Aside from Busch Gardens, we took a trip into Urbanna, visited the Gloucester Walmart on the one rainy evening, got some fresh seafood to grill up from J&W’s, and the rest of our time was spent hanging out at the river - fishing most days, spotting the bald eages, paddle boarding, catching minnows, and the girls created an Easter raft to set sail in the river.  

 

 

Do you see the four turtles sunning themselves on the log? :)

Cayenne loves time down at Hartfield.  She is off leash a ton and gets plenty of swimming time, couch time (which she doesn’t get at home), and hanging with the family. 

 

 

   

 

Pops came down on Saturday afternoon, so we got to spend Easter Sunday with him.  Nina, Lyla, and even Cayenne, all got a chance for a river-style Easter egg hunt.  Cayenne actually loves Easter egg hunts, so we had to keep her inside while the girls searched for their eggs.  Her nose is the very best detector of candy hidden in plastic eggs, and she knows exactly what to do when she finds an egg in order to get the treat out.

 

So, after the girls found all their eggs, we took several eggs and hid some bread in them (Cayenne LOVES bread), hid the eggs in tough places, then released her from the house.  She took off running around the yard until her nose led her to an egg, she popped it open, ate the bread, and kept running to find other eggs.  It’s no wonder we have a hard time getting Cayenne to believe she’s actually a dog and not a human!  :)

  

 

We headed back home on Sunday afternoon, and the girls got back to the routine the next day.  However, it was just the “break” we all needed to spend Spring Break living life low-key and enjoying some relaxed outdoor time together.

Spring Break 2019 - Part 1

For the girls’ Spring Break week, we went down to Hartfield for some low key fun and relaxing family time. We had beautiful weather each day (with exception of a storm Friday night), so we spent a lot of time outdoors.  Mark challenged the girls to a "Bass Masters Classic” fish-off - their combined fish verses his caught fish.  The girls won earned themselves ice cream at Something Different in Urbanna.  Of course, we also had to spend some time visiting the horses and making a fire for s’mores once it got dark.  

 

We also planned to go to Busch Gardens while we were there.  The weather was sunny and 80’s when we went to BG, so the park was a lot more crowded than we thought.  The girls still did get to ride all the rides they wanted, although they had to put up with more waiting in line than we’re used to when we got there on summer weekdays.  Busch Gardens was another fun, but exhausting day!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

Last Father/Daughter Dance

This spring was the last Father/Daughter dance in our house.  The girls’ elementary school has hosted the dance for the last three years, and with Lyla leaving elementary school in a month, this was our last go around with the dance.  I may be a little biased, but I think these two had to be the cutest at the dance!  :)

 

Arrival of Spring

I’m so happy spring is here!  I love the warmer weather, the sun out, and the chance to be outside more.  Much to Mark’s joy, the girls have really gotten into fishing.  They each have their own rod now, and they’re pretty good with their technique and catching fish.  

  

Lyla took a diversion with a cattail, and I got to have some photo fun.  :)

 

 

Nina and Lyla had a long weekend with the ending of the 3rd quarter of school, and it coincided with the last day of the Williams girls spring break.  So, we met up to do a hike together at Weverton Cliffs.  We had nine girls on the trail (including the two 4-legged girls), and even though I got us hiking in the wrong direction to start (shocker!), everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves even with the challenge of the rather constant uphill to get to the cliffs.

Once we got to the top, the vew was beautiful.  It was a clear day, and we took the opportunity to hang at the top for awhile to check out the scenery, eat some snacks, drink some water, and take a few pics.

 

After hiking back down, Shen and Layne left to drop Layne off a friend’s house for a sleepover, then the four girls and I stopped by a really cool farm store for ice cream, then the Williams crew hung with us that evening for dinner and more hanging out.  It was a great way to spend a Friday - hiking and having fun with family!

Lyla Turns 11

I’ve got some catching up of March to do!  On 3/8, Lyla turned 11!  It’s hard to believe.  I say this every year with their birthdays, but it’s not lost on me that time is flying!

We started her day with donuts before school, then I came to school for lunch with Chick Fil-A.  Her birthday was on a Friday which was nice because that meant no homework to do, no practices to attend, and a day to just hang and enjoy.  We had Mouse, Pops, Bo, and Brittany over that night for Lyla’s requested dinner of MYO pizza night.

  

Since she shares a birthday with Uncle Bo, it’s always such a special evening to have them both together on their birthday.  We love them both so much!!

 

Heading into a few weeks before Lyla’s birthday, we knew there might be a chance that Nina would qualify to attend AAU Indoor Track and Field Nationals for high jump.  We also knew that the high jump event was going to be taking place during the afternoon/evening of 3/8.  After finding out that Nina did qualify, we made the decision to split up for the day, and Mark took Nina to Landover, MD (thankfully this one was close) for Indoor Nationals, and I would stay back at home to keep the birthday day special for Lyla.  

Nina did a great job at nationals, and out of the 14 girls that qualified in her age group, she finished 6th.  We were super proud of her for her hard work in her first ever track season.  She was also proud and happy to have been able to compete.  Nina and Mark left Landover immediately following the medal ceremony for Nina’s age group in hopes to make it back for some of the birthday celebrations for Lyla.  They got home around 9:30 but still had time for some pizza and cake with the birthday girl and family.