Grandma & Arlene's Visit to VA

Grandma Paulette and Aunt Arlene came to Virginia!!

We had a fabulous week together, filled with different (mostly hot) activities. The weather was scorching during their visit (90-110!!!), but it all worked out. We had lots of pool time to cool off! We visited the beach, the Virginia Childrens Museum, Norfolk Botanical Gardens, and the park! Oh, and no trip here is complete without a drive around the naval base! Here are many of my pictures from our time together. I should note....Arlene was gone for 4 days while she spent time at a friend's place in North Carolina, so she is missing in many photos! 

Virginia Childrens Museum

 Our little fire fighter

 Clearing the dishes

 Abby testing her strength. This section was FULL of fun science tools to learn levers, pulleys, and heat & weight effects!

 Heavier than an elephant??

 This red ball does not come out of the hole, but Maddy was determined to try.....to no avail!

 Norfolk Botanical Gardens:

 

 Military Beach:

 Aunt Arlene brought the girls these adorable matching REI swim sets with rashguard and shorts! Perfect for our summer sun fun!

 Abby & Arlene checking out the waves

 Maddy still isn't a big beach fan, but she found a few happy moments to play in the sand.

Dinner out at "Chicks Beach Oyster Bar" on the Chesapeake Bay

(We ate outside to avoid a wait, and were sweating our way through dinner. Still tasty!!)

Closest shot to us all looking in the same direction.....2 out of 4 isn't bad, right?

 Local Park near our house:

 Grandma....Great-Grandma......LOVE & FAMILY!

 

POOL TIME:

 Silly Aunt Arlene, monkeying around in the pool! Abby loved swimming with Arlene & Grandma!

They even swam this morning before heading to the airport!

Happy Anniversary to US!

Mike and I celebrated 7 years of marriage this past Sunday, and luckily Grandma Paulette was here to be our designated babysitter! She did a fabulous job, and Mike and I got to go out two nights in a row before he left for his work trip Sunday afternoon!

Our gift to ourselves was a new (upgraded) DSLR camera!! So here are a few fun shots Mike took of my anniversary flowers and the girls while he fidgeted with the new technology! So much to learn!!

More fun shots to come as we explore.

 

Hmmmmm

I had to post this because I'm starting to think I'm getting the raw end of the deal on Mike's "work" trips!

Last week he was in Sterling VA near DC for 2 nights, and was in a room with a hot tub next to the bed!!

And this week he is in Key West FL, and is staying in the Navy Lodge there on the beach. 

  Luckily I've had WONDERFUL company here with my Aunt Arlene & Grandma Paulette, so I'm not feeling so alone. Luckily our real vacation is just weeks away in Sept!!! And counting!

Enjoy your 9 more days sweetie!!! XOXO

Maddy Grooves

Maddy loves the fridge magnet singing toys we have! Her favorite has a handle, and she's strong enough to pull it off the fridge and carry it around. Here is a cute video of her enjoying the songs and swinging it around (thank goodness she didn't drop it.....its a miracle.....she drops EVERYTHING! The harder the better too!!!)

Zoo in July!

 We ventured out to the zoo this morning! The weather was warm, but the girls had fun!

Writing!

This has been a fun month of growth for Abby! She is preparing for preschool this Fall by learning her letters (which she now knows all by sight except for a few!), and starting to write them (and trace!!). I found this great wipe-off workbook at Costco and she loves to work on it each night! She even holds the pen so well! Can't wait to see what she learns in school this year!

Arthur's Visit

Grandpa Bob's brother Arthur and his girlfriend Cynthia were in town this week to visit her son and family for vacation in Virginia Beach.

They stopped by yesterday afternoon, I drove them up and around the Norfolk Navy Base, and to the Oceanfront, and then we met Mike at a restaurant for dinner (these first two pics are dark because of the restaurant lighting, sorry). Then we went back to the house and the girls played out back with the balls they brought for them. And then they got to see both girls in action swimming! 

We had a very nice visit, and it sounds like they are enjoying their trip.

 Maddy loved to sit on Arthur's lap and play with the sweet-n-low packets to keep busy!

 Abby sat with Cynthia!! They colored!!

 Fun with their new balls!!

 Cynthia, myself & Arthur

 Ohhhh, our little dirt girl. She started playing in the mulch, making a pile on the rock, then when we weren't looking, she decided to decorate her hair with it! YUCK! And the stuff is hard to get out too......SOLUTION......throw her in the pool!!!