It's March, and still no real snow! I made the 11 year olds go outside to play. I laugh that these 'big' kids still enjoy playing games like these where they roll around and pull each other down.
Boys will be boys!
My favorite thing ever...Costco cherry pie! Seriously.
They make it once a year and I feel like it is Christmas!
Cache and his friend, Derek, with their Magnatile tower.
We participated in a really cool feed the hungry service project. One night, we helped unload the trucks and set up stations. The next day, groups were assigned to each station and made meals. The twins were able to help a lot (the older boys had District Pinewood Derby).
Even at the end, we were still going strong!
Did I mention all the free, donated food from Panera and Wegmans.
They had so much extra I figured it was the least I could do to take a box home!
Rachel's creation during primary class. I love bringing little activities to help pass the time!
Xander's battle wound from the Macpherson's house the night before.
Our first snow storm of the year! Yeah! Not a lot of snow, but enough to get a day (or 2!) off school!
Easton practiced so hard for his spring piano recital. The night before the recital, he got really sick. He still performed, but honestly, it was pretty bad. When he heard about the school talent show a couple weeks later, he realized it could be his 2nd chance. He nailed it! It was seriously perfect!
Declan's photo shoot. I was playing with my camera (since I've been taking a photography class) and my instructor says how fun it is to work with texture. I couldn't help myself with Declan's great hat! It is a little over-exposed but I love the effect on his bright blue eyes!
We went to the Thurmont maple syrup festival. It wasn't much of a festival, but always good for kids to know where the things from the grocery store come from!
Oh yeah, and there were other members of the family with us too!
This is a funny picture but the idea is you focus on the face and as you look down the picture, the image blurs or kind of fades out.
Yep, not sure what this is. One of Declan's many talents!
Poor sick Xander.
Declan's and Easton's annual check up. They weren't so cool with sitting in their underwear so they made some make-shift clothing!
And of course hats to go with it!
(It's really the doctor's fault for taking so long)
Once in a while, you get a nice moment like this...
The boys sold over $10,000 of popcorn this year for the scouts. One of the rewards they earned was a carnival day. Easton loved this jumping/flipping station.
This log jump was really cool until it broke and then when it re-started it totally nailed Cache and he hurt his back really bad.
The fun continues, I mean, who doesn't want to stand in line for an hour to shoot 10 arrows?!??!
We decided to leave cold Virginia, and take a 15 hour drive to sunny Orlando, FL!
A nice heated pool is just what the doctor ordered!
Not to mention all the lizards along the path throughout the resort. (fortunately, no alligators)
Don't worry, we let this guy go after an hour.
Cache enjoying some down time with every pillow we have. We rented this timeshare from Easton's piano teacher for 7 days for $700. With 2 bedrooms, a kitchen, and laundry...it was a pretty great deal.
Xander thought that was a pretty good idea too!
Vacation is always the best time to check out those cool mini golf places.
Easton got a hole in 1!
Instead of going to any of the theme parks, we spent our time and money on a tour of the Peace River. The kids watch videos on youtube about all the shark teeth people find along these rivers. We hired a guide (and went with a small group of people) and canoed 45 minutes up river. Then we went waist deep and started digging in the ground. The kids had seives attached to their life jackets and we sorted through the sandy/rocky dirt to find over 1,000 shark teeth in 1 day...including several megalodon teeth! It was a bit scary (realizing alligators share this habitat...and we saw 1 3-footer) but it was also really amazing!
One kid's teeth...
I got the worst sunburn of my life on my legs. Seriously, who burns on their legs (and the tops of their hands!) I was so white from winter that I totally forgot to sunblock areas that just sat in the sun along the canoe ride (even though it wasn't even that warm). Poor me.
And if that adventure wasn't enough, my sister Emily and my mom both came for a visit. They were so fun. My twins immediately glued themselves to Emily. She convinced them she was a princess!
Here we are at Venice beach along the gulf coast. We were suppose to find a lot of shark teeth, but we only found 1. Honestly, anywhere we go from now on will be a bit of a let down after the Peace River!
We spent a few hours at the Disneyworld Boardwalk. We took this cute little boat to the end of the shopping area and walked back. I couldn't believe the prices here. We bought nothing, but the stores and restaurants were pretty cool.
It rained a bit this afternoon. Mom stayed dry with her towel and Emily and the twins played cards undercover!
The tub will have to work instead of the pool today!
And now for my favorite beach, a few hours north from Venice - Clearwater. It was beautiful. Also a gulf coast beach and across an amazing bridge (more of an island beach).
Cute Grandma.
And now for the journey home. Home always seems like a journey...not to mention the horrible spring break traffic up 95...ugh!
Grandma was a trooper. We have 2 queen beds, a pull out couch, and an inflatable queen bed. Barely enough room to walk around!
Cache found a cute little lizard at the hotel.
A nice little distraction as we were loading up.
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