Fall Bonanza

Andrew's school hosted a Fall Bonanza with pony rides,
sno-cones, and a bouncer.
Here are some pics from the fun.

I waited in line for about 45 minutes so Andrew could ride the pony
(a bigger version of this guy),
but once we got the front of the line, Andrew did not want to ride.
He was a little scared, so we'll try again another time.

The sno-cones were a huge hit. Andrew tried a red one and a green one.

We also went to a local farm to check out the pumpkins,
farm animals, and hay rides. They had really fun slides for the boys to go down.

Check out my new firefighter hat Mommy bought me at the farm.

Now I can ride my fire truck and look like a pro.
I ride and yell, "weeyooo weeyoooo!"

I Can't Help Myself

So, I can't help myself...He is just so darn cute.
Here is pre-school day #2.
Still excited and still lovin' it.
He even ate his own lunch today. Hooray!

First Day of School

Andrew woke up ready to go.

He had his school bus in hand, and was excited to go to school.
We have been reading books about the first day of school,
and the children always get to ride the school bus,
so I think he was a little depressed that he didn't get to ride the bus.

Andrew saw his teachers, Ms. Pat and Ms. Fenimore,
(affectionately known to our family as Ms.Lawnmower)
and ran into the room to play with toys.

I was so excited to pick Andrew up,
and I wanted to hear the full report of the day.
It was a great sign that when Andrew saw us,
he pulled us into the classroom to show us his favorite toys,
and show us the pretty artwork he had made.

Ms. Pat told me that Andrew was such a good boy. When some of the other boys and girls cried when their mommy left, Andrew took them a toy to try to help. The kids made some beautiful artwork, and Ms. Pat said that Andrew was her "little helper." My greatest concern was lunch time. I didn't think that Andrew would sit still at the table, and I didn't want him to get in trouble because he can't sit still (if he isn't snapped into a booster seat). Ms. Pat said that Andrew was very interested in what the other children were eating for lunch. He walked around the lunch table checking out what the other kids were eating. Apparently, his new best buddy, Lilly, was eating bologna and cheese, and that must have looked good to him. He asked her for "a bite, paw-leez." Ms. Pat thought it was hysterical, and Lilly was happy to share her lunch. I'm glad Lilly was happy to share with her new friend. It was a great first day. Andrew had so much fun. He gave Ms. Pat a huge hug. We are thrilled that school is such a hit!

Farewell to a Fun Summer

We did a little bit of grilling out...

Played a little music with our friends...

Took a trip to a local farm to ride some tractors and see some animals...

Played silly games with Daddy...

Let the wind blow through our hair on Papa Gus' boat...

Chilled with family...

Went on wild adventures with Mommy and Daddy...

And ate some tasty pudding with our buddies.It was a wonderful summer.
We had a nice reunion with both sides of the family,
and went on some wild adventures.
Andrew starts preschool next week, so that is exciting.
Don't worry, Andrew, the fun won't stop just because summer is over.

Play Doh is Hysterical

Ready...Set...

It was a wild and crazy two and a half weeks, but we made the most of our vacation back home to Hawaii. Some of the highlights of our trip included an adventure to the Big Island where we hiked an active volcano, trekked through lava tubes, toured macadamia nut plantations, and stayed in a rustic (yet comfy) cabin. Andrew was a champ because we hiked every day, and that meant he had to ride in the backpack. There were cliffs and active volcanoes, so he was not allowed to run around outside very often. His favorite part of the trip was a tie between: (1) the bus ride to all of the island sites; (2) the dining hall (he could pick out what he wanted for his meals); and (3) looking for wild pigs with his binoculars. Yes, we saw several feral pigs (see picture of McPiggy below) on the Big Island. The island is over-run with them and anytime you see one, you are allowed to kill it. No, Charlton, put away your gun. In Hawaii, people kill animals the old-fashioned way--hand to hand combat with a knife. We ate pork several times on our trip. Don't worry, we didn't stab any pigs...they were killed and cooked for us. Other firsts for the family included tasting taro (a high protein purple potato), and Andrew truly enjoyed the soft serve ice cream machine in the dining hall.









Once we returned home from the Big Island, we spent time with our friends relaxing by the pool, playing on the playground, and lounging at the lagoon. Our friends and family (both near and far) are so wonderful, and give us such moral support. We truly appreciate you all. We can't wait to get back to our home and have things return to normal...well, normal for us.

The DOW did what???

Water, water, everywhere

As the temperature hit a sweltering and humid 98 degrees on Saturday, we were hanging out at Andrew Leitch Water Park in Manassas.

The water park was the perfect way to spend a toasty July afternoon. Andrew jumped in the fountains, played under the waterfall, sat on a floating hippo, and slid down the waterslides about fifteen times. Aunt Mary even met us at the park for lunch and a few slip n' slides.

Like Father, Like Son

Some things are genetic. Apparently, the gene for loving spare ribs is dominant.

Having Fun Down on the River

Here are some pics from our trip to Grandma and Papa Gus' house down on the river. Andrew and his cousin, Cameron, had so much fun playing in the river.