Another Riven Rock trip

Brian, Michael, Sean, Jack, Max and I explored a different area at Riven Rock this time.  We hiked up to the dam, where the water was deeper, especially after a full day of rain.  As usual, the critters were the highlight for Sean.  We found this bull frog tadpole, and injured dragonfly that we could get a close look at, and a millipede that gave some of us the heebie jeebies.   

Art

Another fun activity, which gives us a chance to talk about colors.  Max seems curious about colors right now, especially blue.   

Bean bags

I bought a sewing machine recently, which is really exciting.  Over the years I've used my mother's machine, then my grandmother's old Singer (which I still have and is probably an antique), and then a borrowed one from a friend.  I only made simple things with these machines, partly because I wasn't familiar with them and didn't have the manuals.  So, I'm thrilled to have my own now, complete with manual and a team of knowledgeable women at Patchwork Plus who say they are there to answer any questions I have.  I thought about taking a picture of my new Bernette, but a pictures of Max and my first project are way cuter.  Here he's showing you that I made bean bags out of Chris's old shirts.  Frugal, easy and fun!  He heard me say that I made them from Chris's shirts, so now he says "Beans" and then "Dada" when he's talking about them. 

Messy fun?

Max seems to be stretching his wings lately, looking for ways to expand his world.  I've realized I can spend my days keeping him from fishing scissors out of the drawers he can now reach and climbing on the furniture, or be proactive and find new things for him to explore.  I read about the wonders of flour for a simple and fun sensory activity.  Max's experience wasn't the same as the others I read about.  He kept eating the flour, which was not a big deal except than he wanted to wash his hands ,because the flour clumped up on his wet fingers.  And he liked sprinkling it on the floor, I guess he had some fun, but it sure seemed like a lot of work for me. 

Not sure if I'll try that again for a little while.   

Friends

Max and his friend, Sofia, playing in the river. 

They had fun throwing rocks and painting mud on their tummies.

Happy 4th of July!

It took some coordinating, and a little arm twisting for the family member who has an aversion to hiking, but my gang got up and out the door fairly early on July 4th for a hike.  We choose Riprap Trail, which had been pictured in our local Family Talk magazine.  The hike promised a beautiful swimming hole at the end of a 1.5 mile hike.  It ended up being a wonderful hike for our family- just a 30 minute drive and a gorgeous, well maintained trail for the hike.  The temperatures dropped as we walked along a clear stream and up towards the swimming hole, which appeared just when one of us was about to give up.  

Jack jumped right in and persuaded Chris and me to come into the refreshingly cool water.  The water was so clear and there was a waterfall at one end, which Sean enjoyed checking out.

Max hung out in a little nook where he was able to do one of his favorite things- throw rocks.

We had the spot to ourselves for about an hour, so we took the time to photograph Chris with each of his sons.  All in all- a great way to spend a summer day!

Mountain View Park

We rediscovered another wonderful river spot this summer, South River in Mountain View Park.  This river runs through Grotttoes, where we lived years ago, so we've visited it before.  This time, about 5 years later, we met there with friends who were with us on our last trip and Sean was thrilled by all the critters he found -lots of nimble crayfish, beautiful damselflies, big wolf spiders and a baby snapping turtle.  The picture below was taken on a return trip a week later.  I think it's a place we'll return to often now that we've remembered how wonderful it is.

The Longest Day- Summer Solstice

To celebrate the Summer Solstice we decided to watch the sunrise and experience just how long the longest day of the year really was.  At that hour, we were treated to cool temperatures on a day forecasted to become very hot.  We were also treated to this beautiful mist that hung low in the field as we walked to meet the sun.

The official sunrise was 5:52 and we were all surprised how bright it was at 5:30.  Here the sun is starting to peek up over the mountains at 6:00.

Once it started, the big pink ball rose quite quickly.  Here are some of the early risers- not pictured are Chris and Sean.  Friend and neighbor, Liam, joined us that long day- rising early with the boys after they had had just 3 hours of sleep!  

Later that day (it seemed like days later, instead of just hours) we went to Riven Rock to cool off.  Boys of all ages played with rocks of varying sizes.  And hours after that we watched the sun set from our porch.  We all agreed that the longest day was certainly long and were happy to be at this point in the year with lots of sun and fun.  I kept saying we should store some of this up for the short days of winter, just like Frederick the mouse.   

Max's first haircut

I love Max's curls!  He has just a few, at the nape of his neck.  They really come out when it's humid (just like his mom's!). So, I was putting off giving him his first haircut.  But, it was time- hair was growing into his eyes and over his ears. So, I trimmed just a little and tried to preserve some of those curls.  I have a feeling that once they are gone, they will not return- they seem to be just baby curls.  I'll enjoy them while they last. 

Rachel's Graduation Picnic

Rachel is the first of Becky and John O'Brien's grandchildren to graduate from high school.  We weren't all able to make it to her graduation ceremony, so we planned a picnic party as a way for us to celebrate.  We met at a beautiful park in Fredericksburg and had just the best weather.  Below is a picture of the bright and beautiful Rachel, who will be attending JMU in the fall. 

(Yay!! We're thrilled that she'll be joining us in Harrisonburg!!) 

After a cook-out and lots of sweets we took a short hike to this stream.  There were lots of rocks to throw and crayfish to find.

Max loved, loved, loved throwing rocks like his big brothers and cousins. 

 The 5 grandkids! 

 I just wish John was still alive to see his grandchildren playing together in the stream, celebrating the graduation of Rachel- the little girl who stole all our hearts when we met her 17 years ago.