Cooking Camp

One of the camps Evan signed up for this summer was a dessert cooking camp.  It was the camp he was most excited about this summer.   He loved wearing the chef's hat and the apron and insisted on doing his Swedish Chef routine for all his fellow campers.  He was one of the only boys in the camp but that did not bother him in the least.  He was all about baking the treats, eating them, and sharing them with us.

The Colonial Farm

This summer, Evan's school gave him "summer bingo" - a bunch of activities he could complete and get a prize.  We actually had a great time doing all the things on the list.  One of them was to go to a historic site.  There happens to be a re-created 1700's farm real close to our house.  It was very interesting to see how Virginians lived back then - growing tobacco, farming, and with their livestock.  Here are the kids with the birds.  Unfortunately, Evan has lost his crazy "chicken catching" skills that he had back in Seattle - so the birds were safe.

Nature Walks

Evan, Alexis and I started taking "nature walks" this summer in the parks around our house.  We wanted to explore, get some exercise and learn more about our new home.  It's been a lot of fun - we've gotten up to 3 1/2 miles done without any crabbing.  Here are the two kids on the trail - and note Alexis's "nature stick" - she always finds one and pokes things with it our entire journey.

Good Bye Giggle, Hello Rainbow Teddy

Yep - it's that time.  Alexis is giving up her giggle.  We told her she could put her giggle in a Build A Bear so it could always be close to her.  Months ago I took her to Build A Bear and she fell in love with a Rainbow Teddy Bear.  She talked a big game saying she was going to give up her giggle and get her Rainbow Teddy but was never able to pull the trigger.  We decided to put it off until we got back from the shore.  The first night or two was really rough.  There were tears on both sides.  But she did it and was so proud of herself when she got build and bring home Rainbow Teddy who immediately became her best friend.  She picked out several different outfits for RT.  The first week or so RT was changed multiple times a day.  Once she even woke Seth up in the middle of the night because she needed help changing RT into his pajamas.  Another time we went in her room to check on her before going to bed and RT was sitting on a little potty.  Apparently she had tried to go to sleep but RT had to go tot he bathroom.  Rainbow Teddy eventually ditched her clothes.  Alexis says she just likes being in her fur.  In a surprising turn of events RT has kicked Alexis's crew of cats and dogs out of her bed.  She still loves her cats and dogs but has decided she there is only room in the bed for her and her best friend Rainbow Teddy.

Train

Train is one of Evan's favorite bands so Jill and I thought it'd be fun for the three of us to go to the concert when they passed through the DC area.  It was Evan's first "big boy" concert and he absolutely loved it.  He was in awe of the sound, the sights, and he sang along to every song.

We're so glad we took him - he loved it - we'll definitely take him again next year.

Baltimore

I work out of my office in Baltimore a lot so we thought it'd be fun to have the kids come down, see the aquarium and stay over in a hotel for a couple of days.  They loved the aquarium

Unfortunately, it being Baltimore, when I met up with the kids (after a paddle boat ride and a walk through an old submarine and dinner) we got back to Jill's car and someone had broken a window and taken Evan's backpack. We had fun anyways, but I think this'll be the last family trip to Baltimore for a while.

National Building Museum

Jill took the kids into the city to see the building museum - and they seem to have enjoyed it.  Wish I could have been there!

Fourth of July

We love Fourth of July in Cape May.  We think there is no better place to spend the holiday.  Here's Evan in the bike parade - on his two wheeler - all decorated for business.  The decorating stakes were raised after parade spectators gave Grandpa a thumbs down and a poor score for not decorating last year.  Compliments to Uncle Finley for doing such a great job stringing the crepe paper in the wheel spokes.  It was way harder to make it look okay then I remembered.  Evan practiced riding his his bike all week at the shore and was able to ride the whole route.  This was his first year riding the whole thing without training wheels.  After the parade the is cookies and water ice for all the kids- that was totally a motivating factor for Evan.

After the bike ride, a festive lunch, and the beach  we got ready for our evening at Congress Hall.  Congress hall had an picnic, a band, and of course a great view of the fireworks on the beach.