Kings Dominon

We celebrated adoption day with an annual trip to Kings Dominion. hard to believe it's been 4 year ssince we adopted the big kids. Some days it feels like yesterday- some like an eternity ago.

Bubby got us discount tickets through her work which include free barbeque- can't go wrong. This was the first time for Abby and she had a great time. We split up and Patrick took AP on the big coasters. Margaret and I even had time to do some of our own while Bubby and Abby shared a lemonade. The rain held off and we had a lot of fun.

Day Trip tp Montpelier

We visited the newly renovated estate of James Madison- 4th president last Sunday. It was a beautiful day and after teh hustle and bustle of the week, we were ready to relax and enjoy the beautiful day. Plus, it was a perfect time to go- Sept. 17th is Constitution Day!

While an outing with three children isn't exactly relaxing- we did enjoy ourselves. The kids were initially disappointed to hear where we were going, but they ended up having a very good time. After a lecture at the visitor's center, we got to tour the house that has recently been downsized and remade to appear exactly as it did when the Madison's lived there. The kid's enjoyed the history tent and all of the period tools they could test. We had a picnic lunch and took a nice hike through a poplar forest. We also toured a nearby cabin of a free black family that was furnished as it would have been during the Civil War. The highlight of the day was probably the sow and her piglets that were in a pen next to the cabin- Abby couldn't get enough!

To add to the excitement-Margaret brought a pair of hand cuffs in her "car bag" that A.P. locked around his wrist. Unfortunately for him- she hadn't brought the key with her and he had to wait until we returned home to get it off! That explains the sunflower picture with the cuffs hanging down!

Annual Trip to Canaan, West VA

We spent Labor Day in Canaan Valley West VA. We go every year with Patrick's family and stay in a rental home at a ski resort. We had great weather this year. We enjoyed fishing (the kids both caught fish!), bunjee jumping , mini golf, crafts, a water balloon cpntest and volleyball. Both kids competed in a watermelon eating contest and Margaret was the winner! She won free passes to a "turtle slide" which is a tube ride down the ski slope minus the snow! We even won the family scavenger hunt, collecting things like pine cones, leaves, a bird feather and birch bark.

We also tried "geochaching" this year for the first time. It involves using a GPS to find hidden treasure boxes on a hiking trail. THe whole family enjoyed it. We also visited our favorite pizzaria- Sirinoni's and ate too much again this year. We look forward to it every year and then pig out!

We took so many pics, I posted them on Picasa. If you want to check them all out- send me an email and I will send you a link... but here are some of my favorites...