Swim team

Bonnie and Riser tried the swim team for the first time this year. They were on the Wellington Waves (the closest team to us), but they did the 'Little Waves' program for the kids that weren't able to swim across the pool and compete in meets yet. 

They had fun, made progress on their swimming, and enjoyed pancake breakfasts on Tuesday. By the end of the season Bonnie was swimming across the pool and is excited to participate in meets next year. Riser is still a work in progress and has a lot to learn before he can join the official team, but has fun doing it!

At the end of the season, they have a meet just for the Little Waves. The kids had only been practicing in the shallow end (not the lap lanes) all season, so it's a chance for them to see how far they can get in the lap lanes. The coaches are there to help them along when they need it. It was very cute and fun for them to get an idea of how a meet runs.

See if you can spot Riser waiting in the chairs in the video below. The energy that courses through him is nonstop. 

They had a great season and say they want to do it again next year!

Blueberry picking

I decided to take the kids blueberry picking one day, and mom met up to join us. It was a beautiful day and always a fun adventure!

The ice cream is always a favorite!

Hiking Old Rag

Earlier in the summer a couple friends and I took a short weekend trip to hike Old Rag Mountain in Shenandoah. We drove up on a Saturday afternoon, grabbed dinner along the way and pulled into our little farmhouse Airbnb.

We went to bed early so we could wake up while it was still dark and get to the base of the mountain early. We heard it could get busy on weekends and parking could be tricky so we wanted to make sure we got a spot and also beat some of the heat. 

Old Rag:

According to Google:

Old Rag Mountain is a famous 3,284-foot peak in Shenandoah National Park, Virginia. It is known for a strenuous 9.4-mile circuit hike featuring a challenging, mile-long rock scramble and panoramic 360-degree views

We left early enough that we saw very few people for the first couple hours of the hike. And every time it opened up to a new view, I thought it couldn't get better. 

I was impressed with how steep and long some of the rock scrambles were. Some of them took multiple attempts to figure out how to traverse. 

Once we finally made it to the top it was absolutely beautiful!

Our trip down was much less eventful but beautiful nonetheless. The deer didn't mind us at all.

It was easily the best hike I've ever done and I would love to do it again. But my calves were pretty sore for a couple days. 

July extras

July was hot as expected. We went to Water Country, the pool, Busch Gardens, kayaking, Vacation Bible School, the beach, and more! It was a fun month.

The kids dressed up like super heroes. 

They caught a frog on one of our hikes and convinced me to let them bring it home. 

His name is Frank and we kept him for about a week before letting it go (it got a bigger cage). The kids had to go catch ants every day to feed it and give it fresh water.

Bonnie had to get a cavity filled.

Bonnie has done lots of biking around the neighborhood when we go on walks.

The kids had a blast at VBS this year.

In the hallway waiting for dinner.

There was a little fake snow station that the kids loved.

It rained pretty much the whole week.

We've done lots of coloring and painting. 

Bonnie ran all the way home from the beach to our house one day (about a mile). 

We went to Busch, and ran into some people we knew!

Bonnie got to go on stage and do the chicken dance.

Riser hung out while Bonnie and Benny went on all the roller coasters. 

Her favorite is currently Finnegan's Flyer.

Bonnie next to Loch Ness - her first upside down roller coaster. 

And we all love the log ride!

I took turns taking the kids kayaking through the canals behind our house. It was fun to explore the places you can't get to by boat.

Bonnie wanted to clean the table with shaving cream.

The kids got coupons for ice cream through the Summer Reading Program.

Bonnie set up a 'salon' and put Riser in the waiting room. She even had meditation music playing in the background.

We went to Taylor Farm Park one morning.

One of Bonnie's many home made crafts - shoes made out of tracing paper. They would crinkle loudly every step she took. 

We are enjoying summertime!