Busy Bees

We have been keeping pretty busy since school started here. Cameron is gone M, W, F from 9:00-12:00 in preschool and I have signed both boys up for an extra-curricular activity. Cameron is taking a sports mix class once a week that lets the kids sample all different sports from basketball to baseball, football, hockey, and soccer. I am hoping that one of the sports will click with him so I know what to sign him up for next. Gavin takes a little Mommy and Me class on Wednesdays when Cameron is at school. We sing songs and play instruments and dance around, and Gavin just has a ball. He really likes being with the other kids and he loves having Mommy to himself.
Gavin has also been starting to have some play dates with his little friend Coleman. The kids are finally at that age where they will play with each other instead of just next to each other and it's pretty comical to see what they come up with.

Cameron was in the Haymarket Days parade with his preschool again this year. The kids dressed up like cowboys and marched and sang songs. Cameron loved waving to everyone and acting like he was important. He especially loved the candy that some of the groups were throwing out...
This last weekend Jeremy and I took the kiddos up to Chambersburg, PA to see my maternal grandparents that recently moved into a new home in an assisted living community. We are happy to report that they are settled in and loving their new surroundings. It is always such a nice visit with them and the kids adore them, what a blessing it is to have them here.

Cameron's First Day of Preschool

Our big four year old started his second year at 4 R's Preschool last week. He had been talking about going back to school ever since school got out in May it seems, and he was so excited to see his teachers again. This year, there are two classes, a morning and an afternoon one, and most of Cameron's close friends signed up for the afternoon class, and we chose the morning one. I think he was a little disappointed that they weren't there, but he has already made some new friends that he talks about almost every day.

I can't say enough good things about his preschool. It is held in an old home right here in Haymarket, and the teachers are phenomenal. I remember being skeptical the first time I visited the preschool, it is small, and really old, and the owner was in her 80's. But after talking to friends that had children there, I decided to enroll Cameron and it has been such a rewarding experience for him. Instead of drilling facts into the kids, they learn morals and things like respect and caring for others, skills that they need throughout their lives. I'm so glad that such a school exists for my children with good old fashioned values and a non stressful environment for learning. We are definitely looking forward to a new year at 4 R's.

Pre-Preschool Fun

As this has been the last week of summer before Cameron starts back at preschool, we felt it mandatory that we pack in as much fun as we possibly could to go out with a bang. Jeremy took off last Thursday and we headed to Kings Dominion to take advantage of our season passes one last time. Cameron's favorite ride is the Avalanche, a roller coaster that reminds him of being flushed down the toilet because it winds around and around. This time Gavin actually wanted to ride some of the kiddie rides, whereas in the past he has been too petrified to get on. It helped having his big brother with him to reassure him that everything would be ok. We really love the waterpark there at KD, which has a great spot for toddlers, a wave pool, and one huge slide that Cameron can go on with either Jeremy or I. That night, my sister Kristin and her family joined us there for a few hours and we closed the park! We had two extremely exhausted kiddos when we left and were greatful for the quiet ride home.


On Saturday we took the family to Gravelly Park, a little open area right past the Reagan National Airport where the planes take off right over your head. Gavin is particularly fond of airplanes and after the initial fear of the loud noise, he was eager to point out each plane. We then went to Roosevelt Island which I haven't been to since I was on a field trip in elementary school. It was hotter than we expected so we only walked around for a bit before we were ready to head out, but we definitely want to go back in the fall when we can hike the little trails and bring a picnic or something. Labor Day Monday we went to Stribling Orchard to pick some apples and welcome the fall. I was just grateful that the bees weren't out like I'd remembered from last year when we were there since I have a major phobia and Gavin has recently been obsessed with finding bugs and squishing them. I just knew he would get stung, but ther were not enough apples on the ground yet to attract the bees, phew! Again, the day was warmer than we thought it would be, so later that day we hit the pool one last time before it closed for the season. Cameron has made great strides with his swimming these last few weeks, I am just hoing that he remembers what he has learned for next year. We are going to have to take a few trips to the indoor pool this winter so he keeps up his skills.

Cameron starts his second year of preschool at 4R's tomorrow and he is so excited! He has definitely missed his teachers there and keeps asking when he can go back. I hope that this love for learning sticks with him forever. I don't remember at what age you start dreading the first day of school. I think I've got a few years yet.

Wadell Visit

Last week we were graced with a visit from Jeremy's sister, Corinne and her beautiful family. They came all the way from Idaho and we were so glad to be able to spend some time with the whole family. The last time Corinne visited, her hubby Bryce was serving in the Air Force in Iraq, so we were excited to be able to show him around and if they play their cards right, they may be moving to the area in about a year. We are crossing our fingers! It would be great to have some Johnsons nearby! Cameron was elated to have his 3 1/2 year old cousin, Tyler here to visit, and the two of them got along like an old married couple. They had their loving and friendly moments, but there was a lot of competition going on and it ended in a lot of tears. But as a whole I think they bonded and became even better friends. Gavin could not contain his glee over having a "beebee" in the house and every morning he ran off searching for 1 year old Brooklyn to play with and pester. We did a lot of sight seeing in DC, we took the ever popular Tourmobile and visited all of the well known monuments and memorials, visited the Air and Space Museum and the Natural History Museum, witnessed the changing of the guard at Arlington National Cemetery (which never gets old), and even searched to find the brand new Air Force Memorial near the Pentagon which was amazing. I could not believe the mild weather we had during their visit, it was not hot or humid at all which made the running around even more pleasant. We also went to Burke Lake park which has a little train that Cameron has been begging to visit this summer, up to Skyline Drive, and to the other Air and Space Museum in Chantilly which is the one closer to our house. We had a great time and hope that the Wadells will visit again soon. We are always happy to have visitors and love showing them all that the DC area has to offer.

Last night we had my dear old friend Prateeksha over for dinner which was so incredible. I have not seen her in so many years with the exception of a few weeks ago at my reunion and I am just overjoyed to be reunited in our friendship. We spent the night catching up and reminiscing about old times. She and I were like two peas in a pod when we were in elementary school and did everything together. It was fun to be able to get out some old, (and scary) photos of us as kids and it was kinds weird to introduce her to my own kids. I can only hope that Cameron and Gavin find such a good friend to grow up with. Hopefully Prateeksha and I will not be such strangers any longer. Even though it had been so long, it seemed like it was just yesterday she was sleeping over at my house. Those were special times.

Chincoteague

When I was a kid, the highlight of every summer was our annual trip to Chincoteague and Assateague beach. I was facinated by the wild ponies that roamed free and the beaches that were not too crowded, and there was that awesome ice cream place with a line that led down the street, the Island Creamery. Last week we took a spur of the moment trip with my dad and two sisters, Kristin and Becky and their families to this oasis of my childhood. I was anxious to share with Cameron the magic of the place, and even though I haven't been there for 5 years, only a few things have changed. It seems like the secret of Chincoteague has gotten out, and there were so many people that our families had to stay in separate hotels because they were so full. We spent most of our time at the beach, getting sunburned and playing in the waves and sand, both of our kids had a ball, especailly since they were sharing the experience with their cousins a plenty.

We also went biking one morning, all 11 children and 7 adults. We were quite a sight! Jeremy and I were adventurous and chose this vehicle called a surry which was basically two bikes side by side with a bench in the front for the kids and a bright yellow canopy. It didn't take long for the snickering to start, and some of the members of our posse called us clowns and asked us to make them balloon animals. We were unphased and determined to leave everyone in our dust. This proved quite difficult since the maximun speed of our surry was about the same as that of the crabs that scurried by us. We peddled harder, and somehow, even with the two of us we could not keep up. For every one pedal of the regular bikes, we took three and very quickly we realized that we probably should have opted for a bike with a trailer instead of being intrigued by this colorful contraption. Thankfully, we were able to trade off driving responsiblities and made it to the beach and back. We later rewarded ourselves with a large sundae at the Island Creamery which was still as delicious as I'd remembered. Our three and a half day trip was the perfect end to our summer and beginning to the memories there for our kids. Thanks dad for making this family get together possible.
Last week was also our 8th anniversary. I know, that's really hard to believe, time sure flies! Jeremy and I went out to dinner and to see the Phantom of the Opera. This was Jeremy's first real broadway show and I think it met all of our expectations and left me in awe of the performers. It was a terrific show that left us wanting to see more. Maybe this was the start of adding a bit more culture in our lives.

Pick a Peck of Pickled Peppers

This year, we decided to try growing some vegetables along the side of our house. I am not very good with plants, and last year we attempted to grow some veggies in containers on our deck and failed miserably. This year I have enlisted Cameron's help and he reminds me to water them and has been just elated to see the fruits (or vegetables) of our labor. We planted cherry tomatoes, green peppers, cucumbers and basil. I have to admit, I have been pretty excited about it too, there is a sense of satisfaction when you cook a dinner with ingredients you grew yourself, it's really neat. Not that much is left for dinner when we pick the tomatoes and then just pop them in our mouths, they are unbelievably flavorful. And our cucumber plant has taken over and just today we picked 4 that are well over a foot long. It has been such a success that we are inspired to expand next year and try out some other varieties.

Cameron has never been much of an artist. He refuses to color in coloring books, and at school or church when he is asked to color something, he just scribbles all over it and says he's done. Well this week we tried some watercolor paints that Grandma Johnson had brought when she visited and he really enjoyed himself! His little friend Natalie is quite the artist and gave him some good pointers. Our house is now filled with his masterpieces and he is continually begging me to get the messy paints out.

Gavin's new favorite saying is "Oh man!" I'm not sure where he heard it, but you will hear him playing and babbling and then all of a sudden, "Oh, man!" He also LOVES doggies. My mom watched the kids last night for us and they have recently adopted a very rambunctious mutt. Gavin was so happy to see Maddie and even though we have seen her several other times, he never remembers that she charges and pummels him every time. But he is not phased for very long. The fear of being knocked over is quickly forgotten and he is right back to antagonizing her. He is either very forgiving or has very severe short term memory loss.

So my 10 year high school reunion was last night. I have to admit, it was better than I thought and I think Jeremy felt the same. Even though I really had to twist his arm to go, he ended up having some good conversations with the people there and he even won a great prize in the raffle. I was able to reconnect with the two people that meant the most in both my elementary school and high school days, my dear friends Prateeksha and Amelia. Neither one of them has changed very much and I feel committed to keeping in touch better with them both. I'm glad we decided to go, it's just one of those experiences you have to have.
I have a passion for food. I like to cook it, but even more, I love to eat it! And I often receive compliments on dishes that I make, however, the recipes are seldom mine. I woild love to be able to share a few of these "gems" with you. Here is my first.

Stolen Recipe of the Week: So Easy (and fattening) Crab Cakes

2 1/2 cups potato chips, crushed

1 pound lump crabmeat

1/3 cup tartar sauce

1/4 tsp black pepper

2 T butter, thinly sliced into 6 pieces

1 1/2 T Dijon mustard

1 lemon, cut into wedges

Heat broiler. Combine chips with crabmeat, tartar sauce, mustard, and pepper and stir to combine. Form into 6 patties and place on foil lined baking sheet. Top each with a pat of butter and broil until browned, 2-4 minutes. Serve with the lemon wedges.

Our Blogging Debut

So it has finally happened- I am now officially an internet blogger! Many of my friends had "converted" to the blog, but I held fast to my mass email routine, thinking that creating a blog would be too confusing and difficult. Well I am here to tell you that it is really easy! Hopefully you will all enjoy the new format and I will continue to send out an email when I post a new topic so you know when to come back and look. And yes, the background is pink, I need to be able to be girly somewhere!

We recently had Jeremy's parents out for a week long visit. The boys revelled in all of the attention they got from their grandparents and we did a lot of fun activities. We went to Frying Pan Park- a working petting farm, Great Falls park- where there are great views of the waterfalls on the Potomac, Luray Caverns- the biggest caverns on the east coast, and Skyline Drive- a long scenic roadway in the mountains where we got up close and personal with a momma black bear and her cub! We also took a drive to Lancaster, PA where there are a lot of amish farms. There we went on a buggy tour, to the farmers market, and to a family style dining restaurant that Jeremy and I love. Jeremy and his dad took Cameron one night to a Nationals game, which from what I hear, Cameron would have preferred to ride the metro the whole night. It was great to be able to enjoy these sites with those we love and spend some quality time. Cameron's favorite part of their visit were the "leg-locks" that Grandpa Johnson gave him and for days he lamented the fact that they were gone. We hope to be able to see them again very soon.

In my last email, I told you how frustrated I was that Cameron was having so much difficulty learning to swim. I kept enrolling him in more and more lessons, to little avail, he just wasn't progressing very much. Well, I can now eat my words. Yesterday, my sister Becky and her family came over and we spent the afternoon at the pool. My sister taught Cameron how to swim in less than 30 minutes... He can almost swim halfway across the width of the pool now which is a HUGE accomplishment for him and he loved every minute of it! I told her I ought to write her a big check for doing what his instructors, and mother for that matter, couldn't. I am beaming with pride. Cameron has also started trying to spell everything recently. He practices writing words and trying to sound them out and does amazingly well. He still has another year until he starts kindergarden, but I think he will be very ready for it. Seeing him reach these milestones are what parenthood is all about. Sometimes I think I am way more excited than he is.

Gavin has become a real joy to be around. I think he has loosened up a bit and quit being so uptight. He is more snuggly and smiley and he makes us laugh so hard. He has started imitating words we say in his own little "accent" and loves to get recognition for the words he knows. He will say "Mommy, Mommy!" repeatedly until I reply and then point and say the word he is pointing at. His favorite are the big mack trucks, so in the car there is little peace and quiet as he points out each and every one. It sure is cute though. As much as Cameron loves the pool, Gavin hates it. He is content to be in the baby pool or the blow up one we have at home, but after about 10 minutes he loses interest and don't even try to take him into the real pool, he does not want any part of it. I know it's just a phase, but I feel bad for Cameron when just the three of us go, because we don't stay long and he has to stay with us in the baby pool. Poor kid.