This Has Been The Week of the Papasans!!

      The kids have been playing remarkably well together this week! Of course, there has been the normal argument or small fight or whine here and there, but overall they have been quite content to play together nicely! And all week their playing (at least inside) has revolved around their little papasan seats! They have been in LOVE with them! And way to cute to pass up a picture:)

 Together and ready to watch Super Why....well, almost ready:)

 Emily decided that before they could really be comfortable they needed a blanket, and apparently she was right!!

 And then there was the day of the Tea Party which they even invited one of their baby dolls to!



And seriously, you can tell by the expression on his face, that Ethan was Super Excited to be on the Guest List too!

Picking Peaches is ALWAYS more fun with Friends!!

One thing about our family is that WE LOVE FRESH FRUIT!! And almost as much as eating fresh fruit, we LOVE to pick it!! So last week was BEAUTIFUL so our family and a few girl friends and their kiddos decided to take a trip up to Chiles Peach Orchard in Crozet!! And as you can tell from the first picture there were LOTS of kids, so that means LOTS of peaches were picked!! We all had so much fun though, running through the orchard, learning what a ripe and a not so ripe peach feel like, carrying our own bags and filling them (or at least partially filling them) and taking pictures too! It really was a great outing for us! And it wasn't too far away so we were able to make it home in time for lunch and naps!! And throughout the week we have put those peaches to good use by making jam, peach muffins, more jam and just eating them!!  So Fun and So Delicious too!

 



 

 The Whole Gang as we started out on our Peach Picking Adventure!

 

 Happy Haley finally found a good peach!

 Emily enjoyed checking each peach to make sure it was "Just Right!"

 And Ethan he enjoyed just holding on to his!

 She found another one!

Then we found some up super high for Haley so I gave her a little lift!

Splash Park with Friends!!

We LOVE a good splash park! And Green Leaf Park (near our house) has a great little splash park and since it is only about a 5 minute drive we LOVE to go! And we love it even more (all of us) when we get to go with friends!  And we had one of those days last week, where is started off a little shady and cool, but by lunch time it was sunny and warm at the splash park and we had TONS of friends there, so we had a BIG picnic and lots of fun times were had by each one of us! So happy for good friends, warm sun and lots of water to play in!!

 

 



 Ethan probably LOVES the splash park most of all!

 Of course since Emily has been going for a couple of years, she is our resident pro!

 And She LOVES going under the "water falls":)

 She also LOVES her little brother too! (Just sometimes he has had just a little TOO MUCH loves:)

 Haley really LOVED riding this purple dinosaur!

And last, but certainly not least, here was our group picnic!

Father's Day 2013!

     Father's Day, as it always does, fell on Sunday. And since we go to church this year from 1:30-4:30 it makes it tough to get together. My dad was umpiring and Dooders and Mimmi had Colton and Landon for the afternoon. Since they needed to meet Mark and Danielle they invited us over for a quick dinner after church. And as we usually do, we gladly accepted! It was a good time. We got to visit with Mark and Danielle and their boys a little bit and have a yummy dinner, followed by the usual Father's Day photos! Overall, it was a nice day and I am so happy to have wonderful men in my life to celebrate!!  Now for the Pictures..................................

 



 

Happy Little Haley!

Still kissing after 21 1/2 years!

Emily was full on smiles for sure!

And after dinner and baths everyone decided to tackle Dooders!

Silly but memorable times on the porch in the heat of summer ~ after baths but before we headed home!

Our Family Father's Day Photo!



I sure love my husband and the Father of our Children!

And I Still love to kiss him after 7 1/2 years!!

And Lily Turns THREE and afterwards we got to go to the Temple in DC!!

     After celebrating at the Park with Dooders on Friday night, then we got up on Saturday morning and headed to NOVA for another birthday party at the park! This time for our little niece (and the kiddos' cousin) Lily! She turned THREE and we didn't want to miss it!

      It was another beautiful day for a party at the park for sure! Everyone had so much fun playing together and the pizzas that Matt and Ruth bought from Costco were really yummy too! All of the kids played and played and played!

     Then Matt and Ruth decided to head back to their place for cake and presents! And even though it was a little tighter at their house, it was still a good time!! Lily had a blast as did the rest of the clan!

 

 



Ethan and Lily checking out "the baby" of the party!

So Fun!

Ethan chillin' with his Uncle Matt and Cousin Aveline!

Ready for a Photo Together!

The only park picture we have of all 3 of our kiddos.....all doing different things!

Ethan's got sticks and he is happy!

Ruth and Rachel.....two beautiful sisters!

Haley got brave and went down the slide by herself!

Back in Ruth and Matt's Living Room!

And it's present time for Lily!

And Horsey time for Ethan!

Here comes the lit Pink Princess Cake!

And there is the Excited Birthday Girl and her cousins!

And there she is even more excited to eat her pink princess birthday cake!

And Princess Lydia!

And Aveline, the Little Sister of the Birthday Girl!

And here we are Ruth and Matt with us at the Temple together.....don't think this has happened since they got married in 2008! And the only reason it was possible today is because Nathan and Sarah volunteered to have all of our kids over to play with their kiddos for the afternoon! That is TEN children in one place!! Yes it is, and YES Nathan and Sarah are Super Heroes!!

 

They even let us grab a quick (or what turned out to be not-so-quick dinner at Five Guys at the Tysons Corner Mall on our way back!). We had a really good day, and are so grateful for all of the opportunities that we got on this beautiful June Saturday!

Party in the Park!

     One Week Ago, Last Friday, us and most of my brothers and sisters and their families gathered at Penn Park to celebrate a milestone.....Dooder's Turning 61!!  It was such a perfect afternoon too! We all enjoyed some yummy barbecue, chips, and snack bars!!! It was really a perfect way to unwind and end a very busy and some what stressful week!

    I am so happy that Micah and I are blessed to live so close to all of our immediate family members! We only have to travel 2 1/2 hours to see his family and my family (well most of my family) is right in Charlottesville!!

     Now for some fun and funny pictures of our Party in the Park! Good Times were DEFINITELY had by all who came!!

 

 

 

A Classic Boy Shot with Ethan and Colton!! 

Something "Stage Right" caught these two sisters attention for sure!

Time for some "Cousin Love" in the forefront, while Emily steadily works on her birthday card for Dooders!

Our Silly Girls Enjoying some Time with Dooders!

Just when you think they couldn't get ANY sillier:)

Dooders with ALMOST all of his grandchildren!! (Only missing Emma, Luke and Iris)

Another shot, this time with other kiddos on the go!

Gracie is concentrating hard and doing a GREAT job!

As Haley enjoys a good climb!

And Last, but certainly Not Least....Jay, Phoebe and their dog!!