Letterboxing & Fountain Play

Last week we went letterboxing along the James River with friends. Letterboxing is where you use clues to find a box that is hidden in a park. Inside the box you'll find a stamp and a notebook. You bring along your own stamp & notebook and stamp each other's books. The kids had a blast, but were disappointed that the moms decided to avoid the one that had a clue that said, "Beware of the fuzzy vines. They might make you itchy." We weren't really up for having itchy kids!

After letterboxing, we took the kids to the fountains at Stony Point to cool off. It was a REALLY hot morning!

Sadie & Spaghetti

So, it was my turn to sit next to Sadie for dinner (yes, Danny & I take turns because she is SO messy) and we were all being entertained by the way she slurped her noodles, so I just had to take a video of it. Bon Appetit!!

Vacation Bible School...Rocks!!

We started the first week of summer with an awesome vacation bible school at our church. It was called Son Rock Kids Camp and the girls had a blast! I volunteered in the craft room and it was so much fun to see everyone & work with all the different ages. The following Sunday, all of the kids sang the songs they learned from the week and it was just amazing to see how many kids participated. It gave me goose bumps! Here's a clip of them singing.

Baby Bunnies!

On Saturday, Danny was mowing the lawn and all of a sudden I heard him yelling my name. I instantly thought..."SNAKE!!", but when I ran over to him there was a teeny baby bunny hopping through the fence. We scooped it up and discovered a nest right in the middle of our yard. Thankfully, Danny avoided hitting the bunny! He said he stopped to investigate a mound of gray fur and sure enough, there were baby bunnies inside. I guess the vibration of the mower made one brave little guy or gal hop out. We put the bunny back in its nest & covered it up as best as we could. We were worried that the mama wouldn't come back, so we put two pieces of ribbon over it to see if it had been moved in the morning. It wasn't until the following day that it was moved, so either the babies are old enough to venture out or the mama came back. The girls thought it was super cool to have a nest of baby bunnies in their yard, but to keep them & Buxton away, Danny roped the area off w/ caution tape. I wonder that the neighbors think happened here...ha ha!

Here is a picture of the brave little one we named Rex.

Our Trip to Utah

Here are some pictures of our family at the wedding. The bride & groom looked wonderful and the reception was beautiful!

One morning, we took some time to enjoy nature. We took a trip up to Snowbird & rode the tram to the top of the mountain. What an incredible view! The girls thought it was pretty cool that there was snow on top although they didn't want to stay long because they were wearing their crocs & were pretty cold!

The first day we arrived, there was a birthday celebration for two of the cousins. Macy was turning 7 and Bradley was turning 8. The girls LOVED the waterslide & had a blast playing in their playhouse.

Happy 6th Birthday Elise!!!

Elise requested a Smurf sleepover for her birthday this year, so we told her she could invite three friends. This was the Dow's first sleepover experience, so I thought it would be wise to start out small! The kitchen was decorated with lots of spotted mushrooms, flowers, & smurfs galore. The girls cracked open a flower pinata, played pin the tail on Azreal, Smurf n Seek, made mushroom jewery boxes, and friendship bracelets. Elise got a few cute smurf items, fun craft activities, a few games, and her favorite...Bakugans. Yes...my daughter asked for Bakugans for her birthday. For those of you who don't know...they're little balls that transform into robots, dragons, & the like. When I was in Target, I tried to pick out the most girly looking set I could find :0) and felt a little funny picking out a gift for my daughter in the boy's section!

We ended the evening with cake & ice cream and the Barbie's Thumbelina movie. At 11:00, we tried to wind them down with a story, but it wasn't until 11:45 that we heard the giggles finally subside. Thankfully, they slept until 6:50 and everyone slept through the night! Yahoo! As I type this, my girls are weeping & screaming...true Dow signs of fatigue. I think we'll have mandatory family nap time later!

The Word Wall Ball!

On Thursday, all of the kindergarteners celebrated learning all of their Word Wall words with a Word Wall Ball. They were dressed in their best and received certificates for their accomplishments. After receiving their awards, they danced for all of the parents. Here's a picture of Elise doing the Macarena & the waltz with one of her classmates. It was a super cute morning!