Fun at the Beach

Yesterday we took the kids to the beach for a couple hours to play. We went to Hunting Beach State Park and had a wonderful time. The kids and I really love the beach. The kids had fun playing in the waves.

Wesley and Lydia said, "We are pigs and we are rolling around in the mud." They liked playing in the warm wet sand and digging a big hole.

When we were leaving the state park, we saw this alligator. Very cool.

The kids got balloon animals at dinner.

Chris and I split this steam pot with the kids. They love crab legs and shrimp. If we go back to Joe's Crab Shack we will get the steam pot again. Of course, the youngest member of our party refused to wear a bib.

Walking around Broadway at the Beach was fun. The kids fed the fish and ducks.

As soon as the fish see people standing there, they come swimming over with open mouths.

We let the kids ride a couple of rides before leaving.

We had a great day!

Preschool Graduation

Today was Wesley's preschool graduation. When the class came out to the playground for the "ceremony" I started to get a little teary. Today when I was thinking about the fact that he is almost five I all the sudden thought, “Where did those years go? They have gone by so fast.”
Wesley's teacher asked him the same question she asked the rest of the class, "Are you ready to slide out of preschool?"

He answered an enthusiastic "Yes!"

He received a diploma and an alphabet book that contains pictures he cut out and pasted onto the proper pages. He also received a book of his work from the whole school year. His teacher saved over ten letter writing pages from each month of the school year. As the book progresses so does Wesley's handwriting. The teacher also put in a lot of pictures from throughout the school year of Wesley and his classmates. This book is a keeper for sure!

As soon as Wesley came out on the playground he asked, "Where is Lydia?" We let her stay inside with her class.

Here are all the boys from Wesley's class. No, I didn't give Wesley a graduation balloon. I didn't have it together enough to even think about that yesterday or this morning. The balloon belongs to another boy who let Wesley hold it.

After the quick ceremony, we all enjoyed ice cream.

Wesley and two of his closest friends from school.

Wesley found this cool little bug on the playground.

Wesley and some of his classmates in front of the sandbox.

I think Wesley had a wonderful pre-K school year. He and I both loved his teachers and they prepared him well for kindergarten. In addition to learning a lot he had a great time.

This morning when he was signing the thank you cards for his teachers he wanted the card to say "(the teacher's name) loves Wesley." I am glad that he felt loved by his teachers but I convinced him to write, "To (teacher's name). I love you. Wesley" on the cards.

Just Like Mommy -Wordless Wednesday

Except Mommy tends to use the car's Bluetooth.
This is what she did while I vacuumed the car.

Fun in the Sand

This afternoon, I met a friend at the National Harbor so the kids could play in the sand.
They happily played in the sand for about an hour and then we dragged them away. Getting a free sample of candy at the Peeps store made everyone happy.

In this picture you can see the Woodrow Wilson Bridge and the hand of the Awakening Sculpture.

Wesley jumped up on this post and said, "Here is the new president!" I don't know where he got that from.

Let's just say it wasn't my idea to let the kids rinse off their hands and feet in the water but at least no one got too wet.

It was a very fun outing this afternoon and the kids are more than ready for an early bedtime. Especially since no one had a nap.

Strawberry Picking

This morning we went strawberry picking at Homestead Farm.
Wesley did great picking the strawberries at first but once he had one bite he lost interest in putting more in the box. Lydia picked some strawberries but not as many as Wesley did.

I enjoyed picking the strawberries and I wouldn't have minded picking more of them.

After the thrill of berry picking wore off, the kids ran around for a little while.

Lydia took her hairbow out and her hair got a little crazy.

Yum! These strawberries are so good!

The kids enjoyed the wagon ride to and from the strawberry field. That box has 11 1/2 pounds of strawberries in it.

The kids liked petting the goats.

These little pigs were so cute.

It was a fun morning. Wesley is already asking if we can go back and pick cherries next month.

So far we have eaten a lot of strawberries today and made a strawberry pie and strawberry sherbet.

Building a Forklift

Wesley got an erector set for Christmas. He has enjoyed "helping" Chris build stuff. Yesterday while playing alone in his room, he got out the box and started building a forklift. He called me into his room so he could show me what he was doing and then he wanted my help. I was pleased that he could follow the directions and gather the parts and even put most of the parts together. He needed help holding the wrench so he could use the screwdriver.

Here is the finished product.

End of the Year Picnic

Last night, the preschool had its annual End of the Year Picnic. Every family brought a favorite dish to share and there was plenty of food. I took this cake because it easy and delicious.

As I waited in line to get food someone asked me which boy was my son. I looked around and found him rolling down the grassy hill. He did this over and over.
The kids had fun playing with their classmates.

Wesley spent most of his time running around with these boys.

Lydia ran and ran. A mother of one of her classmates commented on how much stamina Lydia has. I told her just not to ask Lydia to walk very far.

As we walked back to the car at the end of the picnic Lydia asked, "Can we come back tomorrow night for another picnic?"

Animal Picnic - Wordless Wednesday

Wesley loves imaginary play with the plastic animals. Lydia often joins in on the fun.

Children's Museum

On Saturday we did a short road trip to the Children's Museum of Richmond. This had actually been on my to-do list for a long time but it was Chris' idea to go on Saturday. We had breakfast at Cracker Barrell which is always a nice treat.

Lydia and Wesley loved the water play area. After Lydia's belly got wet we realized that the museum has aprons for the kids to wear. At least she didn't get as wet as her first visit to a children's museum.
Wesley liked this ramp.
He also liked pedaling this tractor around outside.
Lydia liked making music and playing in the house outside. The kids didn't notice the sand pit out there and we didn't point it out.
We spent a lot of time in the craft area. The kids love doing crafts and everything was setting out ready to go and there was very little mess to clean up so it was easier than doing crafts at home.
The kids milked a cow.

And posed in dinosaur eggs.

Chris put together the arch and then the kids knocked it down. The large climbing area was closed while we were there.

I thought it was funny that Lydia just got in the car with Wesley rather than waiting for her own turn.

The kids had fun playing with their shadows and affecting the falling coins. On another screen butterflies landed on them when they stood still.

The grocery store was Lydia's favorite area. She has already asked if we can go back so she can check out the groceries. The scanner on the counter beeped when the boxes moved over it.

Lydia was really happy to play with this cash register. It might be a good Christmas gift for her; I will have to remember it.

Wesley put the muffler back on the car.

Lydia changed a tire on the car and refilled the washer fluid.

The museum is small in comparison to one in Columbia, SC but our kids had a great time. They did a lot of imaginary play. When we got home they wanted to play with the puppets they made in the craft area. I am pretty sure we will be making more of these this summer.