Plantation life

Mindy and I took the kids to an old cotton plantation today that was really interesting. I didn't get to tour most of the house but got a quick view inside. The farm animals were wandering around so Claire and Isaac went to herd the sheep back into the pen. As Mindy and I walked up, Claire and Isaac came tearing around the corner as fast as they could being chased by a mean old rooster. I am laughing about their faces still as I type this. That rooster was a mean guy and Mindy(being the mother hen she is) used her purse to shoo him away. I was laughing so hard at her swinging her purse at him like an old lady does to a pick pocket. The purse swinging worked for a while and then she tried kicking at him until her shoe went flying and I just about fell on the ground laughing. It was super funny.

Birthday Pool party

Abbie, Maddie and Reece

Calla, Reece, Abbie, Kayci, Maddie, Isaac in front
Emily, Sydney, Claire and Kali in back

We had a little birthday party for Abbie at the pool today. It was super fun and easy. We played in the pool, at pizza for dinner and ice cream cones for dessert. An added bonus to her party is that Aunt Mindy, Claire, Isaac and Will were able to come! They planned a last minute trip to visit that happened to coincide with the party. It is always so fun to have cousins come and stay!

Happy Birthday Abbie!

Our sweet girl Abbie turned 6 today! Happy Birthday to you! We sure love you!

Blue Ridge Relay day # 2

Blue Ridge Relay day # 1

The day started so early at 3 am. We were on the road to Virginia by 4 am and got to the starting line just in time for Kurt to hop out and start running. Kurt was runner #1 and started off the race with a bang. He was so fast! I was runner #6 in our van and ran my first leg at around 11 am. After I finished running, our van went to rest at the the next exchange zone for van #2 to finish their run. We ate lunch at Panera and it was so good since we were so hungry! The exchange zone was at an Outlet mall so we headed there and found a nice grassy area to relax. We were SO tired but none of us really slept. It was hard to relax enough to fall asleep. Our van started running again around 6 pm with Kurt's 2nd leg. It was his long 7 mile hard leg. He ran it strong and did awesome! The sun went down as he was finishing and the rest of our van ran in the dark. It was a bit scary running on mountain country roads in the dark. We each had to wear reflective vests with flashing lights on the front and back, and have a head lamp or carry a flashlight. My second leg was 5.8 miles mostly downhill. I was so tired and did not feel like running but once I got going it was awesome. It was my favorite leg. I enjoyed the quiet and running in the moonlight. It was a little freaky when I could hear dogs barking in the distance and then they would sound like they were getting closer. Made me run a bit faster! We were so excited to get to the next exchange zone and sleep!

Cinderella girl

Little Cinderella helping me clean the car.

Wood sliding

slippery socks and the wood floor kept the kids entertained while I made dinner. i love when they have good old fashioned fun.