Memory Lane

It was strange being in Virginia knowing that it would be the last time I would see the house I lived in for 15 years.  Walking around seeing the marks on the floor from when I wore my roller skates in the house.  Seeing the stains in the carpet from when we had a HUGE party for a family friend when he got back from Dessert Storm.

Although we were in Virginia to help my parents pack and get moved, I made sure to try to stop by a few places that I figured I wouldn't see again.  Among them (in no particular order):

Carousel Ice Cream Shop

The church where we got married (we happened to drive by on our 14th anniversary).

Wegman's (our favorite grocery store because it has great prices and awesome bread).

I also made a point to see some of our friends.  We went to our old church and saw a few friends there.  The kids and I got together with my matron of honor and her daughter.  We also got to see another set of friends, my hubby's grandparents, as well as my brother-in-law and his family.  Let me just say, my nephew is growing up WAY. TO. FAST. 

Of course we will go back to Virginia to visit family as long as they live there, but they don't live very close to our other friends.  The good news is that we live in Florida so if any of our friends find themselves down our way (we're only 2 hours from Disney folks), we'd love for you to swing by our house or we could even meet you.  Just give us a call in advance  ;-)

There was one place we wanted to try to see but didn't have time for and that was King's Dominion (an amusement park for those not familiar).  That was where hubby and I said goodby to each other the summer we met.  It was also where we went for our 1st and 2nd anniversary.  I guess the good news is that it's pretty close to where hubby's grandparents live, so perhaps we will find ourselves there at some point in the future.

Overscheduled = Stress and Fun

I think it's safe to say that the last few weeks, my schedule has been WAY. TOO. FULL. 

A few weeks ago the kids and I flew to Virginia to visit with family and friends up there.  We were going to be coming back the day before a presentation for a homeschool group they are in so we completed a project that we needed to bring with us.

 Earth my son made (Western Hemisphere shown)

 Earth daughter & I made (Africa & Europe shown)

Cross section of one to show the layers of the earth.  This was for an earth science unit.

Luckily we got everything done before we left for Virginia.  Unfortunately, my kids did not take a nap on the return flight or drive so we ended up skipping the class where we would have shown these projects.  I just knew that taking the kids to class with them only having 7 hours of sleep was not something I wanted to do.

While in Virginia, we saw my nephew (3 weeks old at the time) and his parents, hubby's grandparents and mother (who was also visiting my nephew - her grandson), my parents, my brother, and some friends.  The kids really liked seeing their cousin.  I think they are both enjoying the idea of having a 1st cousin.

After our whirlwind tour of Virginia we flew back home and two days later went on a field trip to a local zoo.  The kids and I had a blast.  The other homeschoolers we meet there (most for the first time) were wonderful.  This particular zoo didn't have a lot of different animals, but they did have a lot of shows and meet the keeper talks that my kids found really interesting.  In fact, my son stumped a trainer with a couple of his questions.

Note the tie dye shirts we made for field trips (I was wearing one too).  We had multiple comments 

that it was a great idea.  Doesn't hurt that the kids and I had fun making them.

Right after the zoo, the kids and I drove to my cousin's house for a sleep over (he and his family live 30 minutes from the zoo).  While there, the kids carved pumpkins, went swimming (not for long because the water was cold), and played with my cousin's boys (who happen to be only a couple months older than each of my kids).  It was nice seeing them playing together while the adults got to chat with each other.  Now that we live close, I'm hoping we'll see them again soon.

Since returning from Virginia, we've also had doctor's appointments, shopping trips, school, and planting starters for a garden.  Next on our list is a science fair project for my son.  We've also got a few more field trips planned soon.

Those people who think that homeschoolers just sit around the house in their pj's all day have got it ALL wrong.  We are always on the go, but you know what, I really think that all the stress (for me) has created fun learning opportunities for my kids.  Let the crazy continue!

Reconnecting

The last couple weeks spent in Virginia have been wonderful.  Not only have we been able to get some doctor's and dentist's appointments taken care of, but we've been able to reconnect with some of our friends and family.

My kids and I thoroughly enjoyed getting together with some friends at the local aquatic center and the McD's play yard afterward.  I was also able to have a long lunch with my best friend.  I've even been able to see some people at church who I've missed talking to.

I wish we were able to stay longer so we can see more people in the area, but we need to get going to our next destination so that we can see my hubby's best friend before he moves to Qatar for the next 2 years. 

Good news though... we'll be back in a couple months.  After all, we have to see our nephew (who is due in mid-Sept).