One last, last summer hurrah

Check out the nut cliff diving (at impact), Rachel was aggravated we wouldn't let her do it also, despite her spraining her back and requiring a baywatch like rescue just two weeks prior at the Outer Banks.

Did someone say "Cheese" ?

Here's the crew... is that the Professor driving the boat?

Hope Float -- even with a rare Rachel shark lurking beneath

The Last Summer Hurrah

School is fast approaching as today was the first day -- August 15th!!! I still am trying to get used to living in the south, up north it was the first tuesday after labor day period! In the south it keeps getting earlier and earlier - so when we planned vacation who knew that Emma would be in school today???

This is the second whole week we have Rachel this summer so since she doesn't start school till the 22nd - we went on a road trip to Chattanooga and Knoxville on Monday and Tuesday. We hit the aquarium on monday and love the fact no one was there and no lines and crowds... we spent the whole afternoon checking it out then heading over to the hotel. What is it about spending the night at a hotel??? to the kids it seemed like that was going to be the best part of the trip. We got some food then hit the pool - nice to have it since it was 99 degree's in Chattanooga with a forcast of 103 on tuesday... good thing we were heading north to Knoxville, which was still rather steamy - walking around checking out the animals, most were asleep in a shady corner. We did see the dancing elephant, the rhino's, gorilla's ( with their large derierre's ) and the pooping penguins... who knew those birds number one talent is just that! ewww!

Lots of fun and again no lines or major crowds. This is how to take a few days off.

First Day of School

Emma's answer to "What was your favorite thing today?" was "EVERYTHING" !! I guess that is a good start to her higher education. I loaded up the girls this morning and we drove her to her first day of school, Mrs. Weaver said how nice it was to have her older and younger sister there to send her off to her first day!!

It was a big day - sitting at her table, sitting on the rug, meeting the Principal Mr. Cox, going to the cafateria... Emma said she bought milk and she didn't even need the money I gave her! They all have accounts and pin numbers so she keys in her number and get's food... looks like I will be needed to drop off a check to cover future charging. She had recess after lunch, need I mention that today was a mere 96 degrees... she said it was hot but it didn't stop her. Emma brought home a gold star today from Mrs. Weaver, oh mum, everyone got one today! Emma survived her first day quite well, I avoided crying when I left her, it took all I had, good thing there were so many people around. I will make sure we revisit her activites and attitudes about school in the weeks to come. Hope was glad to see her, she thought she left for good this morning ?!?

We all are still on vacation this week so to celebrate dad is making one last junk meal -- chicken wings and nacho's -- we toyed with brussel sprouts but decided to chuck it till tomorrow and let our bodies wallow some more in unhealthy pleasure!

Pollock Painters...

Forgot about these till I looked at the pictures again, yesterday the girls were doing some painting on left over wood from the stairs we are building inside. Rachel got the idea of splatter painting and the other two joined in. Should of seen Hope's feet today at church, didn't quite get all the spatter off her toes.

Balloon Rally

The Virginia Highlands Festival is wrapping up which means it's time for the Hot Air Balloon show at the 4-H center here in town. We have gone before but it has been cancelled for thunderstorms and high wind, this time we got to see the balloon heat up and take off! At the end the girls went on a tethered ride, per the riders - Rachel and Emma it was very loud and very HOT -- guess it's called a hot air balloon for a reason, you'd think the fire tank would be a little bit higher above their heads but since it works let's not question the mechanics of the thing. Not sure if they were more excited about the ride or the milkshakes dad promised to make when we finally got home last night.

So far today has been quite - church, lunch, nap -- then we are heading to the softball team cookout for dinner, there are rumors of a sprinkler set up for the girls so who knows what could be in store.

Tomorrow we set out for the last Hurrah of the summer, we are going to Chattanooga, TN to hit the aquarium and spend the night - who know what tuesday will bring on our way back. Wednesday will be Emma's first day of kindergarden so lots to look forward to on the blog this week.

Baby Froggie...

Frog's sure do like our house and seem to be ok being handled by the kiddo's. The baby frog wandered into our path last night and was put through the ringer... held while being photographed, dropped from the height of about 3 feet, perched on Hope's head ( and didn't pee on her thank heavens ) and held by Emma. Emma is trying her hand on photography and the picture's of dad's forearm, his armpit and the grass fantastic!! at least there were two with the actual frog. Ah summer.

You'd think by now there would be frog signs posted all over the yard saying "BEWARE".

Going to Grandma's House...

Transportation Museum

Mill Mountain Zoo

Bowling with the "PRO" Grandaddy.

We ate all kids of junk food.

We never cleaned our room.

We never took a bath or brushed our teeth.

We jumped on the bed.

An awesome time was obviously had by all!

( I took some poetic license with the story - Cheryl and Jim sent home a great book the kids made with pictures and the captions, I took all their pages and added a few more because I love the pictures they took)

Summertime fun

Well, it's been quite a week so far. Hope seems to enjoy spending time with mum and dad after all, she has gotten some extra stuff, extra time with us, extra meals out and about. She has helped us in trying to replace our stairs... the carpet that smells reminscent of old wet dog just had to go and we are putting pine riser's in it's place. However, for those of you that have seen our house and heard the horror stories of the shoddy workmanship we have found since moving in, would not be surprised at the underboards for the stair case or that fact that they are 15inch ( ish - each step is different ) deep, standard steps are 11 inches, so we now are making our own steps. Heavy heavy sigh. Hope and I have done the Highlands Festival here in town, we have done some shopping and gone to the pool, the girls sure has the back float down! Next year we will be throwing quarters in the bottom of the pool to get her just like we did Rachel at her age.
From what we have heard from Emma, she has had a great time with her grandparents... who really needs mum or dad right? We have gotten brief calls, they are usually busy so we are happy she is having a great time.
Rachel, we will be glad to see and have back with us on friday. She called sunday to let us know that she was ok... always a bad start to a phone call, she was taken to the e/r from the beach on Nag's Head - she was body surfing and got caught in a heck of a wave, they took her to be checked and was thankfully just a sprained back... I think we all just need to stay out of the water at the beach when there is any surf period, Shockley's and tide just aren't mixing. At least we don't have to worry about Emma.
So tomorrow Hope and I will get Emma and let her detox from her visit with the g/parents... then I'll get Rachel on friday for a week! Looking forward to vacation with Daddio and all my girls at home.

Summertime vacations

This is a busy week - Rachel is on vacation with her mother to first Virginia Beach to go to Busch Gardens and Water Country and visit with one of her many grandparents, then off to Nags Head for some more fun with more relatives.

Emma has just left this morning for Roanoke to spend until Wedsnesday with her Meemaw, Grandaddy, G-ma Rachel and cousin Nicholas, her cousin does not join the party till tomorrow so we are sure she is sucking up all the love and attention she can possibly get from her grandparents.

Hope is left in Abingdon with mom and dad. At first glance she was more than fairly disgusted with this hand she was dealt but as the day has gone on she is realising that it's just her with us, no competition, no sharing, and lots of attention, being the 3rd child, not too shabby. As mom it's really really weird to just have one kid in the house, but I know it's going to be special to just have Hope all to myself, again, tough when there are usually 3 girls running around.

A Week in Pictures...........

Whew....

Take a day off of the blog and life snowballs -- let's see, last thrusday the girls had their yearly checkup's -- poor Em's, 4 shots, finger prick, hearing/vision and peeing in a cup! ( at least she missed my hand ) all to start Kindergarten in two weeks, jeesh. Thought Hope was shot free but there is a new one for Hepatitis A so she got to join the bandaid party too. Dad met us afterwards to take the girls to lunch, their pick, Crapper... er Cracker Barrel.
Friday, let's see... trip to the mall, after all that trauma of thursday the girls got to go to Claire's... the cure all for all. That and a cookie. Rachel joined the gang and we ate and hung out - long week for all, early night.
Saturday was fun, dad and rachel cooked lunch, lo mien and egg rolls, we have another chef in the making, then some zzzz's and since it's festival week here in Abingdon, we hit the beach block party downtown. They block off part of downtown, truck in several ton's of sand, have a band and food. Rachel made the 11pm local news for her hoola hoop skills.
Sunday - church, lunch and dad had softball playoff's at 2pm, Rachel was nominated best cheerleader ever for our team, i am surprised jim/cheryl could not hear her all the way in Roanoke! Sinking Spring boys won so that meant another game at 5pm so Rachel and I headed back up the road to blacksburg for drop off. On route we passed our friends the Tolar's heading to their last week of vacation, point to Robert for not waving to a young girl in a passing car, at least till he figured out who it was.
Oh, Dad won the second game too - playoffs to commence on Monday night.
Monday - last day of summer school -- yeah for all especially mum too, no more teaching! Monday night 7pm playoffs... SSPC beats Suburban, ( sorry bill, our neighbor ) a win at 7 meant a second game at 8pm. SSPC beats 1st Christian ( in the rain and dark - only 1/2 the stadium lights work ) and the 3rd and final game was to be after this but due to weather and lighting, was deferred to thrusday at 8pm for the whole enchilada.
tues/weds.... life passing in the summer, the girls and I did hit the Highlands festival downtown, same stuff, ok food, HOT! But we will get a horse carriage ride here sometime this week.