Meamaw and Grandpa Visit!

We haven't seen Meamaw and Grandpa in over a year, so it is amazing that they were finally able to come and visit. We have certainly had more exciting visits with lots of things to do. We had to lay low while they were here this time because they had to quarantine at our house. The kids did a lot of playing, we took some walks, the kids showed off all the things they've learned this year, and the grown ups hung around and caught up. And of course, we had to celebrate the upcoming birthdays!

Even though it took the boys a while to warm up to them during the visit, we were all sad to see them go, even Mr.T. 

 

Rain, Rain, Time to Play

What started as a rainy day of inside play... 

Quickly turned into hours of outside play!

 

Western Ridge: Take Two

A couple weeks ago I tried this trail with the kids and we made it only halfway before we unanimously decided to call it quits. It was a long hike for Mama Sherpa, but today, with Daddy along, we made it to the lookout! It couldn't have been a more beautiful day for a hike, and the second half of the trail was amazing. So glad we decided to try again. 

 

Our Yearly Sunnyside Gardens Trip

We almost canceled this year's trip to Sunnyside Gardens. But after nine years of taking our once yearly photos of our kids, we all decided to pick the least crowded time of day and go for it. 

So glad we did. It would have been a shame to miss getting all our kids together and spending a great morning at Sunnyside. 

Dragons and Apples

A cute project as part of our Chinese history unit, and a fun trip to Fo'Castle Farms. 

 

Natural Stone Bridge and Caves

We've been looking for a hike to take as a field trip with our homeschooling neighbors. Since the boys have such limited walking ability with just one Sherpa, we couldn't do a mountain or anything long. Our group of bigger girls are all 6-10, and they wanted something more exciting than just a half mile hike. 

We decided Stone Bridge and Caves was perfect because the trail is so short, but there are so many cool things to see and explore. It didn't disappoint!

The Laundromat

Our washing machine finally kicked the bucket over the weekend. I've been waiting for five years for it to go. It came with the house, and looked like a great washing machine. Sadly, not even a month in, I realized how much I disliked it. It uses so little water, I was sure my clothes were never really clean. It was impossible to dry the gasket or the drum, so even after bleaching it multiple times and eventually replacing it, it was still moldy. 

The model we picked won't be here until Friday. 

In the meantime, best field trip ever: LAUNDROMAT!