Elizabeth Mitchell in the woods!

Elizabeth Mitchell

Children's folksinger extraordinaire.

Introduced to us by Sarah.

Lucky for us - she came through DC this summer!  

We went with our theater-group friends (you've seen them before on this blog!) in the beautifully breathtaking outdoor 'theater in the woods' - part of Wolf Trap.  An artistic venue unlike any I've ever seen.

Isn't this SPECTACULAR!?

A's friends have new little sibs.  Soon she will too!

4th of July

....still catching up...

Daddy decided it was the year to introduce self-lit fireworks.  I held my breath. :)

Ains?  Well, she just ADORED it. 

Only one small burn from a used sparkler that ice fixed up.

a bit obnoxious.... but this delighted our little girl

Her fav?  The little poppers that you throw on the ground :: they make a loud POP* and a tiny spark of light.  Mom stood as far away as possible -- again, holding my breath.

camping

Meant to get this post up long ago....

2 glorious weekends of "camping" (KOA style).  I personally think it's "campy" enough... but my outdoorsy husband begs to differ. :)  In any case, we love roasting marshmellows, snuggling in sleeping bags in a log cabin, swimming, playing with Jake-Puppy, and getting away from it all.

Near Luray Caverns

The caverns were truly amazing... but a complete tourist trap: crowded and a little claustrophobic.  There is even a musical organ (that really plays) designed using the stalagmites and soft mallets.  Ains loved the pool.  Mom enjoyed the hike in the beautiful Shenandoah Mountains!  Dad loved having a peaceful weekend away from the city.

Virginia Beach KOA

Mom needed a weekend at the beach - so we found a KOA at one.  Unfortunately, mom didn't google-map correctly so we ended up with a far longer drive than intended.  Still - a GREAT trip - and we happened to escape the mega heat, the powerful storms wrecking havoc and taking out power all over the DC area.  And this KOA had waterslides and a giant jumping pillow.  Oh - and Ains found a baby bird that had fallen from its nest (no - we didn't touch it - but got a photo of her finger near the bird to show how small it was)!