YAY!!! It’s Matty’s 4th Birthday!!! This year Matty is really into Chuggington trains, so his big birthday present from us was a new Chuggington train set. He loved it. He spent the day with me and then for his birthday surprise I took him to the airport….Emma was flying in with Ms. Kelly to celebrate the weekend with him. They were so happy to see each other that it brought tears to both mine and Kelly’s eyes… Love them so. Happy Birthday Baby!
Filed under Birthday's, Carothers Family
Sometimes there just aren’t enough words to be able to fully express the love and gratitude that one has for beautiful friends…
As I am currently unable to do much of anything, Kelly and Brian decided that they were not going to let this situation get everyone down. Today, they packed up all the kids and took them out for a boat ride and lunch at Rotten Ralph’s . They said that the weather was beautiful, the morning water was calm, and they even saw dolphins. The boys had a wonderful time tubing and driving the boat. We heard that Davy made the 25 mile an hour club and rode on the tube 5 or 6 times. Love my brave boy.
Thanks again Brian and Kelly… 🙂
Filed under Anna Maria Vacation 2012, Carothers Family, Fun Outings, Vacations
The Weather Channel predicted that the percentage of rain today was going to be 70%, so when we woke up and saw the sun shining in through the bedroom windows we took advantage of the good weather and headed for the beach. Forget the breakfast and forget the coffee…throw on those bathing suits and let’s go!!! They would need to get their wiggles out at some point, so we figured now was as good as time as any to start. We parked at the Rod n Reel pier and took the walkway over to Bean Point.
Yesterday, this couple went walking by us with their hands loaded down with big shells, so we asked them where they found them and they said further down the beach where the currents hit the shore. We were certain that we were going to find the most beautiful shells, and of course we didn’t find one. We walked from one side of the island to the other…and nothing.
We had a wonderful morning and left the beach thoroughly exhausted… By the time we got back to the house the kids were ready for breakfast, and we were ready for coffee!
Filed under Anna Maria Vacation 2012, Beach, Carothers Family, Vacations
Yum Yum Yum!!!! Kelly and I found this recipe on Pinterest and since we happened to have the three ingredients lying around, we thought, “Why not??!! The kids will love them…”
Trix Crispy Treats
Melt butter in a large pot. Add marshmallows and melt. Add cereal and coat with melted marshmallows. Place mix in a large 9×11 dish and let cool. Cut and serve!
Filed under Anna Maria Vacation 2012, Carothers Family, Recipes
Our bedrooms are on the east side of the house and at 6:51 am I hear, “Mommy, it’s morning…can we go to the beach now?” Gotta love little Matty bear. Of course my answer was, “Matty, mommy is sleeping…not yet and go away.” 🙂 At 8am we fixed breakfast and at 9am we headed to the beach. The weather was beautiful and the water was calm. Paradise. Immediately after we set up the beach chairs and toys Colin says, “Look mom a dolphin!” We grab our cameras and start scanning the horizon. Sure enough there was a dolphin family, including a little baby dolphin. The kids loved chasing after them in the water and it was so fun to watch their faces as they all got to swim with the dolphins.
Beach Day has finally arrived!!! After months of planning and waiting….the wait is over. Kelly and the kids came in late Friday night from Virginia, so the last bit of packing Saturday morning was a piece of cake and we were off for the 3pm check in. The first year that we went to the beach we stayed for a week; we didn’t really even begin to relax until day five or so and then it was time to pack up and go home. Last year, we decided on two weeks, but at the end we were so sad to leave that we pushed this year to three. Three whole weeks of fun in the sun and sand in the toes…
This is the house…318 Iris. It is a four bedroom with a pool on the canal… and we love it!
Papa Bear helped us bring down some of the bigger items in the back of his truck.
Molly and the Hermit Crabs made the trip. Lucy will be here next weekend.
The dock leading out to the canal…
There are two lime trees in the back yard and both of them are covered with fruit! Hmmm. Limeaids, Cornonas, Mojitos, Margaritas, the possibilities are endless…
There was an afternoon storm that the boys sat outside to watch and afterwards there was the most beautiful double rainbow…
We moved one bed so the three older boys could share a room…
It’s gonna be a great three weeks… 🙂
Filed under Anna Maria Vacation 2012, Beach, Carothers Family, Vacations
Happy Birthday America! Being so close to Washington DC, we had to take the kids in to celebrate with the Nation’s Capital. We started our day with a red white and blue breakfast, blueberry pancakes with strawberries and bananas and then we loaded them into the car and headed for Springfield to take the train in.
Every little kid loves to take the train.
We got off at the Smithsonian stop and headed over to the mall to camp out our spot for the fireworks before the crowds came in. We parked our blankets on the hill, right under the National Monument facing the reflecting pool and the Lincoln Memorial.
It was really hot again today, pushing 100 and the heat index was said to be 105, so to cool off the boys we took them down to the WWII memorial fountain to put their feet in.
All throughout the mall there were water fountains, established and brought in, as well as hoses for the kids to spray themselves down.
Another fun find were the air vents…
On our way to lunch we stopped by the White House for the classic out front photo. Davy was so sweet,when I told him we were going to see the White House he says, “Will we get to see President Obama???” If only it were that easy… 🙂
We saw this hanging off of the side of a building, I thought that it was nice.
Ahhhh, an air-conditioned lunch… 🙂
Cucumber gin and tonic with some of the best macaroni and cheese ever… Yum!
Street vendors were lined up everywhere selling water, ice pops, and fruit!
Fat suits, according to the boys…
The Marine Corps jazz band started playing at 6 and entertained us throughout the evening. Right before 9 o’clock, 850,000 people sang the “Star Spangled Banner” together and then did a countdown from 10 to 1… The beautiful fireworks shot off into the night…
After the fireworks were over, Davy turns to me and says, “Well that’s something you don’t see everyday!” Love him!
Little Matty didn’t quite make it back to the train. Although we were all hot, dirty, and tired…we finally made it home. This was a wonderful experience and I can’t wait to do it again!
Filed under 4th of July, Bucket List, Carothers Family, Holiday's, Richmond, Vacations
Today we decided to take the kids to Baltimore to go to the National Aquarium. The aquarium is rated one of the top 10 in the country and we knew that they would love it. One of their biggest exhibits is the shark exhibit called “Open Ocean”, and with three of the 5 boys loving sharks we knew that this would be a big hit. Some of the other exhibits that we saw were: Jellies Invasion, Dolphin Discovery, Atlantic Coral Reef, Upland Tropical Rain Forest, Australia, Wings in the Water…
The National Aquarium
Great White Jaws
Puffins
Oh Matty!!! Look at that big Bruce!!!
We went to the Dolphin Show…
The kids put on a puppet show for us…
The penny machine…
Each one of them earned two items at the gift shop. The three older boys all got a stuffed blue dolphin, Matty got a smaller gray dolphin, Emma got a pink sting ray, and Jack didn’t pick one out. Davy also got a sharks tooth and Matty got a plastic speed boat.
Outside of the museum there were dragon boat rentals. We wandered over to check out the price and it was $18 to rent them. Each boat held four people so this was perfect! However, I took the three little ones while Kelly had the three older ones and Colin was able to help her pedal….lucky her!
After the boat ride, we went to Phillips for some sangria and crab cakes. The service was terrible but the food was good!
By the time we got home it was almost 9:30, we were all tired and super excited about our awesome day!!! 🙂
Filed under Aquarium, Carothers Family, Richmond, Vacations
We started our day with a little blueberry picking. The kids love to pick and eat them, so this was the perfect morning outing. Kelly had found this patch a few weeks ago, so off to Swift Berry Patch we went. The bushes were the size of small trees and the price was amazing! We stayed about an hour, until the heat became unbearable, and with much delight we had picked almost 10 pounds of berries. Looking forward to finding some yummy recipes for these…
After we dropped off the berries at home, we met Brian at his office and followed him to lunch. He took us to Cary St. Carytown is located in a trendy part of midtown, in Richmond. It is not a formal township, but it is formally recognized as a superior shopping district. Over 200 businesses, and some residents call this historic outdoor shopping mall home. Brian swore that if we went to Carytown we’d have one of the best hamburgers ever.
The sunflowers are in full bloom here, so I had get at least one photo…
Both boys got a hot dog while I ordered the California burger with a side of onion rings…Yum!
Little Emma waiting for her drink to come.
After lunch we decided to scrap our afternoon plans and have Brian take the kids home. They have been so excited for the last two days and along with the heat exhaustion was setting in. While the kids went home, Kelly and I walked down Cary St. and looked through a ton of shops.
After quiet time, the kids went for a swim. Kelly dug out a waterproof camera that the boys had received for Christmas and needless to say, the camera provided them with a long time form of entertainment. The pictures turned out cute too.
The evening thunderstorms seemed to be holding off a little bit tonight, so we set out to find the fireflies. While we were waiting for them, the boys climbed the trees and ran around with the dogs. Connor caught the most, he was super pleased. 🙂
Till tomorrow….
Filed under Carothers Family, Richmond, Vacations
It’s our first full day in Richmond and there is soooo much here to do! Kelly let me sleep in because I was just exhausted, and Emma had a playdate, so we didn’t set out until 11:30. After we dropped her off we headed downtown and ended up at Bottom’s Up Pizza. We all know how much I love pizza, so this was the perfect first stop! Here is the Bottom’s Up Pizza Story… www.bottomsuppizza.com
“Dirk Graham has always been a fan of pizza. During the 1980s, Dirk traveled around the city of Richmond and surrounding areas in hopes of finding a great pizza. Frustrated by his search, Dirk turned to his friend, Fabian Botto, a restauranteur, who was known for his quality cuisine. Fabian soon became Dirk’s mentor and taught him the secrets to making his specialty crust and sauces.
In 1990, Dirk and his partner, Coalter Turpin, used those secrets to open a small pizza shop in historic Richmond. Word spread quickly about the delicious crust that takes over 12 hours to prepare. With a strong customer loyalty, the restaurant quickly outgrew its original location. In 1992, the pizza shop grew into a full-service family restaurant now known as the famous Richmond favorite, Bottoms Up Pizza. Dirk’s vision became true. Voted “Best Pizza” in Richmond year after year.”
Oh yum!!! I am in heaven!!!
Oh Matty bear…was it hot!
All around downtown there are buildings painted with beautiful graffiti…of course we had to stop for photos!
Monument Avenue. It is known to be a premier example of the Grand American Avenue city planning style. The first monument, a statue of Robert E. Lee was erected in 1890. Between 1900 and 1925, Monument Avenue exploded with architecturally significant houses, churches and apartment buildings. A tree-lined grassy mall divides the east and west-bound sides of the street and is punctuated by statues memorializing Virginian Confederate participants of the Civil War Robert E. Lee, J.E.B. Stuart, Jefferson Davis, Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson, and two additional Richmond natives “Father of the Seas” Matthew Fontaine Maury, and Arthur Ashe, an international tennis star.
After the drive we promised the little ones that we would take them to a park, so off we went of Maymont Park. Now, you may think that we are crazy to venture out in this heat, but it is what it is and the entire area is under this summer heat wave. We wanted them to be able to run and play….
Maymont is a 100 acre Victorian estate and it contains Maymont Mansion, now a historic house museum, an arboretum, formal gardens, a carriage collection, native wildlife exhibits, a nature center, and a petting zoo known as “The Maymont Children’s Farm”.
In 1893, Major James H. Dooley, a wealthy Richmond lawyer and philanthropist, and his wife, Sallie, completed their elaborate Gilded Age estate on a site high above the James River. According to their wishes, after their deaths Maymont was left to the people of Richmond. Over the next 75 years, additional attractions were added.
We ended up parking on the opposite side of the property from the children’s farm, but we figured after eating all of that pizza the walk would do us good. The walk was pretty close to a mile and when we finally get there all of the animals were missing! Due to the heat they were brought inside. The kids saw four animals: a horse, a grey fox, deer, and an elk.
The grey fox is down in the middle…
The walk back was brutal. The kids were real troopers, but the heat even got to me. Near the entrance where we came in was one water fountain and a few garden fountains. There were plenty of signs that said don’t pick the flowers, but none that said stay out of the water! It was just to hot to tell them no.
Instead of heading back to the car, we continued down the path and hit the jackpot….a waterfall!!!
We finally wandered back to the car, here I am all beat red from the sun. We stopped at Sonic for cherry limeades and took the kids home to play in the pool. Great first day!!!!
Can’t wait to see what we are going to do tomorrow!!!
Filed under Carothers Family, Richmond, Vacations
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