Westmoreland State Park

We just got home from a camping trip with the Mudd's at Westmoreland State Park.  Several people had recommended this little gem of a park due to its Fossil Beach  on the Potomac River where you can find shark teeth from millions of years ago as well as whale bones and other fossils that wash out of the cliffs nearby.  We camped in a tent which reaffirmed my disdain for such activities.  It was dirty and wet and the bathrooms were disgusting and far away from our campsite.  But the kids had a blast with their cousins just romping through the woods.  We enjoyed our hot dogs and s'mores, did the pool, and went hiking- you actually have to hike down to this particular beach and it's a steep climb back up!  We did find a few shark teeth but it wasn't as easy as we thought.  There was a man there that was some kind of expert, he had found about 25 in the time that our whole clan found 7!  And the kicker was that the teeth fell out of the backpack pocket on the hike back up.  All that work for nothing!  Most important were the memories made with sweet cousins that hopefully will last a lifetime.  We'd go again, but not in a tent!

Toler's and end of school!

All was right with the world when the Toler's came for a visit from New Zealand.  The kids were beyond excited counting the days until their visit and we couldn't wait to get our hands on them!  We met them all jet lagged and fresh from their flight at none other than Chick Fil A, and many happy encounters followed during the next week.  They are here for 6 weeks but making the rounds with family, so we will see them again the end of July- can't wait!

The kids also finished up their school year, and there was much partying and fun at school for a good two weeks before school was out.  I took the kittens and Baldwin in to see Gavin's class with Mrs. Clement, which was a HUGE hit!  Cameron enjoyed a Japanese day and an engineering day where they crafted paper airplanes and bridges.  Both of them had picnics that we attended as a family.  Gavin's teacher put together a fairytale that the kids all had a part of writing.  Gavin was in charge of the villain- a 3 inch goblin.  Cameron's teacher Ms. Morgenroth bought the kids pizza and soda, a rarity in our house, especially coke.  Cameron and Mason were in their glory!  They also watched way too many movies if you ask me, the kids should have been out at least a week earlier, but at least they were enjoying it.  We're now in the thick of summer and it has been going really smoothly!  We'll see how long that lasts!

Baldwin and the kittens

 So our kittens turned 5 weeks old this week.  That means it is time to find them homes because in 2 weeks they can be adopted.  I love this age with them as they develop their personalities and start to purr and play. The kids have been using every excuse to be with them and taking them into their rooms at night to snuggle up to as they read and I am realizing what a genius decision it was to foster these kittens.  We will be doing it again, and again and again because our house is filled with the most fun stage of a pet for several weeks and then we just get to do it all over and we also get to watch "our babies" grow as loving pets in someone else's family.  It brings us all such joy.  Baldwin has been a big fan of the kittens since day one.  Lindy, the mama, HATES him.  I'm not sure if she is being protective or not, but she will come and stalk Baldwin when he is in the bathroom and then attack.  He is not afraid of her and tucks his tail when she comes near.  But the kittens?  He wants to love and lick them to death.  He lets them crawl on him and although he can get too excited, he is usually very gentle and sweet.  He really wants them to get big enough to play with.  We are soaking up every bit of time with these little fluff balls and although it will be sad to give them away, more are sure to come soon.