Oxon Hill Farm

On the Monday after Easter, I took the kids to Oxon Hill Farm for the first time.  It is a nice little farm, inside the beltway, just across the Wilson Bridge. I wish I had known about it when I used to help plan special activities for my MOPs group. There isn't an entry fee for the farm.  I found out from the website what time they feed the chickens and milk the cow.

Here is Josiah looking at the chickens.

The kids got to feed the chickens and collect the eggs.

They all got to take turns milking a cow.

This was Lydia's turn.

Even Josiah got a turn.  Lydia took this picture and you can't see that Josiah was actually very successful at milking the cow.

It was a beautiful day but very windy so we didn't stay long.  On our next visit, it would be fun to have a picnic and go on a wagon ride.  

Ballet Recital

I was looking forward to blogging about Lydia's ballet recital.  You can only video the dress rehearsal during which I used my small camera and my iphone.   I was holding the small camera and the iphone was resting on the stage.  I had a lot of trouble uploading the iphone video to blogger but Chris figured it out.  The small camera focused on a spot on the floor and the girls are very blurry during the video.   (Some of the recent photos are also blurry.)  I can't get this iphone photo of Lydia turned for the blog.  I was able to rotate it on the computer but blogger turned it back.   I think I will be getting a new small point and shot camera that I can keep in my purse.  Or I have to get a lot more tech savvy on using my iphone.  

After the dress rehearsal, all the dancers got medals.  

Here is the video of Lydia's class dancing.  She had so much fun performing.  

Fun Morning at Kids N Motion

Last Tuesday, we went to Kid N Motion. I wanted to get in one more visit there for the "Six and Under" session before Wesley turned seven. We last went on Lydia's birthday which was four months ago.

This is how Josiah smiles for the camera now.

He loved this little "roller coaster".

He also liked climbing in the ship.

I love Lydia's hair in this picture.

Josiah learned to climb up the ladders by himself so it was less of a workout for me.

The kids waited on the blue mat to hear the instructions for the second room.

Wesley had a great time on the big obstacle course.

Josiah really liked climbing on the wooden train.

There goes Lydia up to the big slide.  Despite climbing everything else, Josiah wouldn't climb up this ladder.  Not even with me helping him.  He just refused to try so I basically pushed him in front of me the entire way up.  We only tried that once!

Later I caught him climbing in the little grocery cart (which was not made for that!).

All three kids on the train.

I had planned to go through the Chick-fil-a drive thru and feed the kids in the car.  I was hoping this would keep Josiah awake until we got home.  I was so surprised and disappointed to see all the signs that said, "Closed for renovations"  We managed to keep Josiah awake as we drove to the NEW Chick-fil-a in Springfield.

Now if only a Sonic would open close to our house!

Rock Climbing Birthday Party

Last year we celebrated Wesley's birthday a month late.  This year we celebrated a month early.  We wanted to have the party before school got out for summer and people started traveling.

We had the party at Sportrock, an indoor climbing gym.  The kids got to rock climb for 90 minutes and then we had cake and juice.  

Lydia is too young to rock climb; you have to be six years old to climb.  She went to see a movie with Alejandro's mom and his sister.  Our next door neighbor kept Josiah during the party.

Here are six, out of the eleven, kids listening to instructions before getting started.

Wesley was the first one to climb.

There he goes.

He first tried rock climbing on a cruise last year.  He has been to two kids nights at Sportrock. The instructors are very good with the kids.

There he goes down.

Evan climbing.

Two of Wesley's classmates climbing.

One of our neighbors and another classmate.

Wesley wanted a Star Wars cake.  Most of the kids in his class seem very into Star Wars now.

Blowing out the candles.

It was a fun party and very easy to host.  I think all the kids really enjoyed the climbing.  We put Star Wars Pez in the goody bags.

Toddler's First Dentist Appointment

Josiah recently had his first dentist appointment.  He was so good.

He loves brushing his teeth.

He was very cooperative and let the dentist look at all of his teeth.

He got a clean bill of dental health and will go back in six months.  I am happy that I got his appointments scheduled with Wesley's.

Grandfather Mountain

On the way back from camp Chris and Wesley went to Grandfather Mountain.

They enjoyed the gorgeous views.

Wesley practiced his photography skills.

Chris texted me this photo with the caption, "Oh No!"

Chris said I wouldn't have enjoyed the visit to the park.  He knows that I would not have enjoyed climbing out on the rocks or watching Wesley do it.

I think they had a wonderful time together.

The last time I went to Grandfather Mountain with my parents, I didn't walk across the bridge.  I waited patiently for them to walk across and back.  I'm glad to see that Wesley wasn't afraid.

Wesley liked his first Moon Pie.

The curvy road up the mountain.

Chris and Wesley hiked on this trail.

Chris was disappointed that you can no longer feed the bears peanuts.

Now Chris wants to go to on a vacation in the mountains of North Carolina.

Lad Camp

Last week Wesley went to church camp with Chris and his uncle Stephen and his cousins. This is the same camp that Chris went to every summer and worked at when he was in high school.

Chris said the meals were the same as he remembered. For lunch the first day they had chicken fried steak.

The dads had to pass a swim test before they could take out a canoe. Here is a picture of Stephen canoeing with some boys from church.

The boys, who were all rising second to fifth graders, got to go down the little water slide. There is also a bigger slide for older campers .  The lads did get to do the zip line into Lake Chilly Water.  Here's Wesley riding the zip line into the water and coming out of the little water slide.

They played kick ball.

Here are the boys listening to instructions for the sky glide zip line.

There goes cousin Daniel.

Wesley getting ready.

There he goes.  If the boys stick the landing they get a free snack and drink from the canteen.  Unfortunately Wesley almost made it, but fell down at the last second.  Chris said most of the boys came in oriented backwards and slid on their bottoms.

Here is a view of the lake from the chapel.  They had chapel services from 7:15 to 8:30 at night.  After chapel, the boys could buy a drink and a snack at the canteen.  Wesley only wanted a drink every night.  Gatorade is a real treat for him!

Wesley made some cool crafts.  Here he is staining a wallet.  Chris also built a ping pong ball cannon for Wesley.

Cabin 9 was Chris' cabin the summer he worked there.  It is the highest cabin on the mountain and furthest away from the dining hall and other main buildings at camp.

Wesley and Chris outside their cabin.  Wesley bought that headband at the camp store and wore it consistently from that point on.

Chris and his oldest brother, Stephen.

Chris said Wesley loved climbing up and down this bank outside of the dining hall.  Significant hand washing was required before he was able to eat.

Wesley said the creek walk was his favorite activity.  The senior staffer for their cabin made the new staffer sit down in the creek to show the boys how high they had to build a dam.

Little did the first year staffer know that he had to lay completely down in the water to make sure they dam was high enough.  Chris said the water was very cold.

Here is a video where the head staffer told a story about Chief Ugum Bugum. He told all the boys that they could hear the chief talking to his tribe if they listened really closely right above the water.

There are many reasons why only the dads go to this lad camp.  I had previously thought it was to allow the dads to have a great bonding experience with their sons but after hearing the stories and seeing the pictures I now know the real reason.  These activities are really geared for males and not females.  I love camping and being in the great outdoors but I wouldn't have enjoyed some of the activities like the Treasure Trail or the cold creek walk.

They go out seeking treasure at different spots in the camp.  They are equipped with "weapons" to defend against the imaginary attackers such as the ghost pirates.  Chris had to shoot his bow at the pink spotted hippo.  The boys also banged on a metal door where they found another surprise.

Another activity allowed the boys got to shoot BB guns at targets.

The boys rolled to their backs to cock the guns.

They laid on their tummies to shoot them.  Wesley did not wear his glasses at camp and he missed his target completely every time.  He told me the sites were too small but notice that he isn't in the right position to use them.

Here are the campers before chapel.  Stephen had told Chris that the only place that has cell phone reception is at the chapel because it is the highest point of the camp.  He said that before chapel services all the dads are usually checking their phones.  One night Chris texted me a picture of him and Wesley and sure enough all the dads in the background are on their phones.

On the second, and last morning, Wesley slept through everyone else packing up and getting ready to go. (Blogger re-oriented the picture the wrong way.)

Wesley with Zuko, one of the cabin staffers.

We might need a new little camera.  It isn't getting the pictures in focus a lot of times.  Half of this picture is in focus and the other part is blurry.  This is a picture of the group from cabin five.  This is the group from the church Chris grew up attending.

Wesley walked in the front door today and immediately said to me, "I don't want to be home. I want to be back at camp."