The ups and downs of life on the road
June 12, 2013: Today started out well. The kids slept well in the tent, and in the morning we packed up and set off around 8 am. We drove on a windy, hilly, back road that brought us onto the Blue Ridge Parkway. We stopped at The Peaks of Otter area where we wanted to try a hike on Sharp Top mountain. It originally caught our eye because a B25 bomber crashed there in 1943 and we hoped to see the wreckage but its location is closely guarded and we were unable to find it. Anyways, it was a great hike and it was the first major hike for both Casey and Julia. Both of them walked all the way up without being carried at all. It was a 1.5 mile out and back hike with 1,540 ft elevation gain. I was very impressed w the girls effort. Casey was so cute encouraging everyone and saying how her legs were tired but that it made her happy because she knew it meant her legs were getting stronger. Even Molly asked to get out of the backpack and hiked for awhile. We made it to the top in an hour and 20 minutes. The views at the top were 360 degrees of the Shenandoah Valley. We had a snack and took pictures then headed back down. I let Molly out of the backpack for the last 5 minutes or so of hiking where it was pretty flat easy going. She did well and we made it to the very end where there was a flight of stairs from the trail to the parking lot. She fell face first down the steps and had a big egg and scrapes on her face. We got her cleaned up and hit the road. We drove on the Blue Ridge Parkway into Salem, VA to Roanoke College where Mark and Jen went. We had lunch at their favorite old spot, Mac n Bobs. The kids passed out and we were trying to get to Asheville NC. About two hours from Asheville the car died while we were driving on the highway. We had the kids out of the car but there was nowhere to go. It was so hot too. We took slingshot practice and tried to keep calm. Finally after an hour and a half the tow truck arrived and we all rode in it an hour to the nearest Toyota dealership in Bristol, TN. We dropped the car and Roger, the tow truck driver, dropped us at a hotel. We showered, ate pizza and now the kids are asleep and we're watching game 1 of the Stanley cup on mute.
South Thru VA
June 11, 2013: today we left Episcopal and headed out. We went West from DC to the Civil War Battlefield of Manassas. These sites are so beautiful and peaceful and it is always amazing to think of the battles that took place there. The girls had fun climbing on cannons and statues. James and I did our best to try and get a little history out of it. The cicadas that have been talked about are actually out in VA and they are everywhere. The girls are sometimes scared of them but we bribed them saying whoever picked up a live one first would get an Oreo. Casey won. We saw Bull Run and had a little picnic. All the rivers are raging after all the rains.m the kids were exhausted so after lunch we headed out. We skipped Luray caverns and the Skyline drive. We had done some caves last summer and for $65 we decided to pass. The girls really needed a good nap so we just made hay. We got to the Buchanan, VA area, just north of Roanoke. We stopped and went over a swinging bridge that crossed the James River. It was roaring and full of debris. After that we went to an elementary school for some playground time. It is hot out so we found a swimming hole in a creek. The kids were brave and dunked under and played around having lots of fun. We found a campground nearby and set up shop after much deliberation over which was the best spot. We used our new camping stove for the first time and cooked elbows and red sauce. We took the pots and bowls to the bathrooms to clean them and then went to explore. The kids played at the playground while James and I got in a game of horse. Then we found the swimming pond and the kids got right in. Skinny dipping was a blast and so fun as the sun was setting. Now everyone is piled into the tent for our first night camping out. Hopefully molly doesn't keep the whole campground awake coughing.
Annapolis-Episcopal
June 10, 2013: Today we said our goodbyes at Great Grand Mom's and headed out. We made a few shopping pit stops, one at God's Way Thrift Store for a pot, pan, spatula and spoon for our cooking camping. Grand total $7. Then we headed towards Annapolis, MD. It poured rain on the drive but fortunately it stopped when we got there. We met up with my old friend and teammates, Elizabeth Ganzenmuller and her 3 boys to explore their backyard, The US Naval Academy. We had a picnic lunch by the docks in town before walking to campus. There are beautiful buildings, midshipmen walking around and lots of history everywhere you turn. The kids had fun climbing on various torpedoes, cannons and fountains. Unfortunately there was no new class of plebes to watch getting tortured. After a few muggy hours walking around we set out for Alexandria, VA to the Episcopal High School campus to visit our friend Panos. Again it was torrential rain while we drove and the sun came out just as we hit campus. Molly had just fallen asleep so we left her in her seat while Casey and Julia played in the new rivers rushing off the playing fields into the storm drains from all the rain. Eventually I got in a work out at the gym while James and the girls swam in Episcopal's pool. Afterwards we brought them back to Panos's house for dinner, showers and bedtime in a dorm room. It was fun to see old friends and new places today.
Delaware
June 8 & 9, 2013: we departed for our second cross country road trip on Saturday morning. Our first stop was Milford, Delaware where James's grandmother lives. We went to her house and joined up with James's mom and Uncle George. After running around a bit we went to check into our hotel then found a playground. A day shy of 92 and great grand mom was right up on the jungle gym w the kids. So great. We went out for dinner at a Mexican restaurant and then headed to our hotel for the night. Sunday morning the kids loved breakfast at the hotel and then we went to great grand moms house. The girls all made her birthday cards and then helped clean up the back deck. Great grand mom was out there with the blower at 92. They took us to a nature center that is right near the local beach. The kids found a turtle on the street, explored the nature center then we went to Slaughter beach. The kids collected horseshoe crabs, shells, rocks, etc. Molly had fun paying Uncle George a "toll" to get by him on he bench. After a picnic lunch I took the two younger to the hotel for a nap and James, George and Casey went to George's hunt club to check it out. We all went swimming in he hotel pool and then back to the house for pizza and cake. The girls did a few songs from Annie and Sound of Music for great grand mom then back to the hotel for a late bedtime.
The Year In Review!
June 5, 2013: Well, we are about to leave on a second cross country road trip and before I can start entering daily blog reports for all those loyal readers out there ;) I have to first enter about the past year. I meant to write so many times but always got caught up with something else. So here is an attempt at each kids year in a neat little bow.
Casey: Just turned 6!! She is losing teeth every day it seems. As of now she has lost 4 on the bottom and two on the top. She is getting older and more mature. When I see her playing with Julia and Molly she is not a little girl like them any more, but an older sister now. It is incredible. Kindergarten (or CC as it is called at GA) was a good year for Casey.
She loves her uniform and takes a lot of pride in her school. Whenever we hear it referenced or see a mailing from them she immediately asks about it. She loved her teacher, Mrs. Keels. Casey learned to read this year, and her writing is coming along so nicely as well as doing math work. It is such an amazing thing to witness as a parent. It sort of feels like it happens like magic. She got great reports from her teachers which I would have expected. She is always very focused on a task and works hard when it is time. Casey is figuring out who her best buddies are. It is hard to go from her pre school class room which had 12 kids in it for two years in a row to a new class that has 40 kids in her grade broken into two classes of 20. But there are some nice girls in there for sure and Casey had a lot of play dates and birthday parties to attend. Casey played town soccer in the Fall. She did not want to do it and did not like it. She was very timid and followed the herd of kids around the ball at a safe distance. James helped coach the team and it was a fun Saturday activity but I do not know if she will want to follow through with soccer again next Fall, but we wanted her to try it out. In the Winter we were able to join the Greenwich Skating Club, the same club where I grew up playing from Mites until I graduated high school. It feels as though nothing has changed at that place and that is a wonderful thing. Even Mickey is still there driving the zamboni.
James was the coach for Casey's Friday afternoon 'Learn To Play" session and he helped out on the Saturday morning one too. I was able to get on the ice for the Friday afternoon session a bunch of times which was a lot of fun. Casey likes hockey but is timid out there as well. She skates well but will not push herself to go fast or fly around the ice like some of the maniac boys do. She never complained about getting up early and skating even on cold mornings. We hope she will stick with it but we'll see. There was one little "game" against New Canaan Winter Club which was hilarious. It happened to be on the coldest morning of the winter and the kids were freezing! Casey got a little goal which was a riot but also had to come in for a warm up by the fire. For Spring Break this year we dod our, now annual, drive to Florida. Casey's swimming is so good and she began to work on actual free style stroke. James also introduced the girls to tennis in Florida and they had fun hitting the ball with him.
In the Spring Casey played lacrosse at GA with some classmates on Saturday mornings. Casey had a kindergarten graduation because they leave the small campus and get ready to move up to the bigger campus for first grade. It is called the Stepping Up ceremony and was very cute. During the year Casey's class had two recitals, one at Christmas time and one in the Spring right before school ended. They were so cute and I was blown away by how many songs they had memorized. The music teachers at these schools are amazing! Casey is an inquisitive little girl and questions James and I about everything. The other night she started peppering us about Santa Claus and asking all these questions. James just kept saying "its magic" and Casey ended with "I just don't think I believe in Santa Claus, do you just put the presents under the tree after we go to bed?" Come on!! She is only just 6!! We took the kids into NYC twice this year. Once on Christmas Eve and we walked to Times Square and up to see the tree at Rockefeller and to see the windows on 5th Avenue. It was a fun way to spend Christmas Eve day and not crowded at all! In the Spring we took them in and did a little treasure hunt that we made up having them look for things around a route we planned out. They loved it.
Julia: Julia is 4 and a half. She is a wild child. So full of energy all the time. She is STILL napping for two hours every day. She does not complain because she is tired and she needs it. And she will still go to bed for us at 8pm. This year Julia went to Round Hill Nursery School. She was in the 4's program and went 5 mornings a week. Her teachers were Mrs. Williamson and Mrs. Redahan. Julia had a lot of fun at school and I was able to be involved at drive for field trips and go in to the classroom to cook with the kids, read stories and make arts and crafts projects with her.
Julia is not "studious" like Casey. She will not easily sit down to do work and learn with you, she prefers to do things on her own time and when she feels like it. But she is a smart cookie and has a fantastic memory. She knows lyrics to songs so quickly and easily, she remembers things you say and places we have been very well too. She learned her letters this year and is doing a good job writing. She has taken an interest in writing notes the way Casey used to. I have to spell everything out letter by letter but she enjoys the process.
Julia will frustrate you and leave you exasperated one minute and melt your heart the next. She can be defiant to no end, will choose not to listen, and whack her sisters. The not listening part is really my biggest peeve. She wanders around when she eats. I cannot get her to sit still to eat a meal. She is the messiest eater of the family, Molly has now passed her in neatness. When Julia finishes there are crumbs and blobs of stuff all over her, the table, the floor and the chair. Despite all this, Julia has a huge heart. She will knock you down with an act of kindness that didn't see coming. If we ever go to the doctor or somewhere that they are giving out stickers or lollipops, she will always ask for one for each of her sisters. Its incredibly thoughtful and nice. I was icing an injury the other night and she brought over a stool for me to rest my foot on. She will come up and tackle you and give you the most passionate hugs and kisses. She will attend a birthday party and share all the goodies from her goody bag with her sisters. (Casey usually squirrels them away so no one can see them). Julia loves her "stuff". Her dresser is like the four year old version of a hoarder. She will always want to get a purse or paper bag and put some stuff in it and carry it around wherever we go. Next year Julia going to attend Greenwich Academy along with Casey next year. Because of her November birthday she is going to be in pre-kindergarten (or PC) next year. I think in Julia's case that is a good thing. She is small in stature and not as mature as Casey so I think the extra year will help her a lot. I am also happy to have the two of them have a little more space between them because they are so different and in some ways Casey will prove to be a tough act to follow. Julia is excited to go to GA and on the day she got her acceptance letter she wore a GA uniform to her preschool, which was hilarious. Julia seems to like sports more than Casey.
She did town soccer in the Fall as well and James was her coach. She LOVED it! She is playing again now as her Spring sport and is learning a lot and having fun. In the winter she learned to skate and we'll see if she is ready for "learn to play" hockey next year. Over spring break in Florida Julia really learned to swim by herself. She has always been very comfortable in the water but this break she learned to string it together so she could swim, take a breath, and keep going. It is such a relief to have two of the kids swimming independently. We still need to keep an eye on Julia but nothing like before. Julia loves super heros right now. Her whole room is decorated in Spiderman theme, stickers on the wall, sheets, pillow, quilt. And she has Spiderman light up sneakers. So cute. Julia continues to be the easiest eater in the house, trying anything I make and taking risks. There are funny simple things that she does not like, such as cereal with milk. Julia has only had the stomach bug once in the last 6 months or so. I honestly think she might have grown out of the strange way she used to get the stomach bug all the time. Phew!
Molly: Molly is about to turn 3 and she is a handful! Her nickname at the moment is bub or bubby. This was short for chubby bubby, but I don't want to be responsible for an eating disorder later in life so bub it is. She is starting to stretch though and isn't quite as bubby any more.
Although she still has a completely different body type from the other two skinny minis. Molly is high maintenance. She gets sick all the time. Runny nose, cough, ear infections, and viral induced asthma. We have had to nebulize her a lot since October. She gets very wheezy when she gets a cold (which is all the time) and can get herself into respiratory distress. She was in the ER this Spring for dehydration after a terrible bout of the stomach bug. She is a thumb sucker and if she had her way would go everywhere with her blanky. We are constantly taking it away from her and putting it in her room. Lately she has really started to change from a toddler into a little girl. She is talking so much more and asking questions and having real conversations with us. She is still a picky eater but fortunately we have gotten her over being anemic.
Molly shares a room with Casey, they are in bunk beds. When we moved into this house we did not want to put a crib together so into the bed she went and has done fine with it. It was fun to have the mornings alone with Molly this year. I did not get to do as much learning type work with her as the other two have gotten in their younger years because now that we are not at boarding school there is so much more to do errand wise. Molly loves our routine of going to the grocery store though. Molly loves riding the scooter around our house and zooms so fast on it.
Casey: Just turned 6!! She is losing teeth every day it seems. As of now she has lost 4 on the bottom and two on the top. She is getting older and more mature. When I see her playing with Julia and Molly she is not a little girl like them any more, but an older sister now. It is incredible. Kindergarten (or CC as it is called at GA) was a good year for Casey.
She loves her uniform and takes a lot of pride in her school. Whenever we hear it referenced or see a mailing from them she immediately asks about it. She loved her teacher, Mrs. Keels. Casey learned to read this year, and her writing is coming along so nicely as well as doing math work. It is such an amazing thing to witness as a parent. It sort of feels like it happens like magic. She got great reports from her teachers which I would have expected. She is always very focused on a task and works hard when it is time. Casey is figuring out who her best buddies are. It is hard to go from her pre school class room which had 12 kids in it for two years in a row to a new class that has 40 kids in her grade broken into two classes of 20. But there are some nice girls in there for sure and Casey had a lot of play dates and birthday parties to attend. Casey played town soccer in the Fall. She did not want to do it and did not like it. She was very timid and followed the herd of kids around the ball at a safe distance. James helped coach the team and it was a fun Saturday activity but I do not know if she will want to follow through with soccer again next Fall, but we wanted her to try it out. In the Winter we were able to join the Greenwich Skating Club, the same club where I grew up playing from Mites until I graduated high school. It feels as though nothing has changed at that place and that is a wonderful thing. Even Mickey is still there driving the zamboni.
James was the coach for Casey's Friday afternoon 'Learn To Play" session and he helped out on the Saturday morning one too. I was able to get on the ice for the Friday afternoon session a bunch of times which was a lot of fun. Casey likes hockey but is timid out there as well. She skates well but will not push herself to go fast or fly around the ice like some of the maniac boys do. She never complained about getting up early and skating even on cold mornings. We hope she will stick with it but we'll see. There was one little "game" against New Canaan Winter Club which was hilarious. It happened to be on the coldest morning of the winter and the kids were freezing! Casey got a little goal which was a riot but also had to come in for a warm up by the fire. For Spring Break this year we dod our, now annual, drive to Florida. Casey's swimming is so good and she began to work on actual free style stroke. James also introduced the girls to tennis in Florida and they had fun hitting the ball with him.
In the Spring Casey played lacrosse at GA with some classmates on Saturday mornings. Casey had a kindergarten graduation because they leave the small campus and get ready to move up to the bigger campus for first grade. It is called the Stepping Up ceremony and was very cute. During the year Casey's class had two recitals, one at Christmas time and one in the Spring right before school ended. They were so cute and I was blown away by how many songs they had memorized. The music teachers at these schools are amazing! Casey is an inquisitive little girl and questions James and I about everything. The other night she started peppering us about Santa Claus and asking all these questions. James just kept saying "its magic" and Casey ended with "I just don't think I believe in Santa Claus, do you just put the presents under the tree after we go to bed?" Come on!! She is only just 6!! We took the kids into NYC twice this year. Once on Christmas Eve and we walked to Times Square and up to see the tree at Rockefeller and to see the windows on 5th Avenue. It was a fun way to spend Christmas Eve day and not crowded at all! In the Spring we took them in and did a little treasure hunt that we made up having them look for things around a route we planned out. They loved it.
Julia: Julia is 4 and a half. She is a wild child. So full of energy all the time. She is STILL napping for two hours every day. She does not complain because she is tired and she needs it. And she will still go to bed for us at 8pm. This year Julia went to Round Hill Nursery School. She was in the 4's program and went 5 mornings a week. Her teachers were Mrs. Williamson and Mrs. Redahan. Julia had a lot of fun at school and I was able to be involved at drive for field trips and go in to the classroom to cook with the kids, read stories and make arts and crafts projects with her.
Julia is not "studious" like Casey. She will not easily sit down to do work and learn with you, she prefers to do things on her own time and when she feels like it. But she is a smart cookie and has a fantastic memory. She knows lyrics to songs so quickly and easily, she remembers things you say and places we have been very well too. She learned her letters this year and is doing a good job writing. She has taken an interest in writing notes the way Casey used to. I have to spell everything out letter by letter but she enjoys the process.
Julia will frustrate you and leave you exasperated one minute and melt your heart the next. She can be defiant to no end, will choose not to listen, and whack her sisters. The not listening part is really my biggest peeve. She wanders around when she eats. I cannot get her to sit still to eat a meal. She is the messiest eater of the family, Molly has now passed her in neatness. When Julia finishes there are crumbs and blobs of stuff all over her, the table, the floor and the chair. Despite all this, Julia has a huge heart. She will knock you down with an act of kindness that didn't see coming. If we ever go to the doctor or somewhere that they are giving out stickers or lollipops, she will always ask for one for each of her sisters. Its incredibly thoughtful and nice. I was icing an injury the other night and she brought over a stool for me to rest my foot on. She will come up and tackle you and give you the most passionate hugs and kisses. She will attend a birthday party and share all the goodies from her goody bag with her sisters. (Casey usually squirrels them away so no one can see them). Julia loves her "stuff". Her dresser is like the four year old version of a hoarder. She will always want to get a purse or paper bag and put some stuff in it and carry it around wherever we go. Next year Julia going to attend Greenwich Academy along with Casey next year. Because of her November birthday she is going to be in pre-kindergarten (or PC) next year. I think in Julia's case that is a good thing. She is small in stature and not as mature as Casey so I think the extra year will help her a lot. I am also happy to have the two of them have a little more space between them because they are so different and in some ways Casey will prove to be a tough act to follow. Julia is excited to go to GA and on the day she got her acceptance letter she wore a GA uniform to her preschool, which was hilarious. Julia seems to like sports more than Casey.
She did town soccer in the Fall as well and James was her coach. She LOVED it! She is playing again now as her Spring sport and is learning a lot and having fun. In the winter she learned to skate and we'll see if she is ready for "learn to play" hockey next year. Over spring break in Florida Julia really learned to swim by herself. She has always been very comfortable in the water but this break she learned to string it together so she could swim, take a breath, and keep going. It is such a relief to have two of the kids swimming independently. We still need to keep an eye on Julia but nothing like before. Julia loves super heros right now. Her whole room is decorated in Spiderman theme, stickers on the wall, sheets, pillow, quilt. And she has Spiderman light up sneakers. So cute. Julia continues to be the easiest eater in the house, trying anything I make and taking risks. There are funny simple things that she does not like, such as cereal with milk. Julia has only had the stomach bug once in the last 6 months or so. I honestly think she might have grown out of the strange way she used to get the stomach bug all the time. Phew!
Molly: Molly is about to turn 3 and she is a handful! Her nickname at the moment is bub or bubby. This was short for chubby bubby, but I don't want to be responsible for an eating disorder later in life so bub it is. She is starting to stretch though and isn't quite as bubby any more.
Although she still has a completely different body type from the other two skinny minis. Molly is high maintenance. She gets sick all the time. Runny nose, cough, ear infections, and viral induced asthma. We have had to nebulize her a lot since October. She gets very wheezy when she gets a cold (which is all the time) and can get herself into respiratory distress. She was in the ER this Spring for dehydration after a terrible bout of the stomach bug. She is a thumb sucker and if she had her way would go everywhere with her blanky. We are constantly taking it away from her and putting it in her room. Lately she has really started to change from a toddler into a little girl. She is talking so much more and asking questions and having real conversations with us. She is still a picky eater but fortunately we have gotten her over being anemic.
Molly shares a room with Casey, they are in bunk beds. When we moved into this house we did not want to put a crib together so into the bed she went and has done fine with it. It was fun to have the mornings alone with Molly this year. I did not get to do as much learning type work with her as the other two have gotten in their younger years because now that we are not at boarding school there is so much more to do errand wise. Molly loves our routine of going to the grocery store though. Molly loves riding the scooter around our house and zooms so fast on it.
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