Bowlin Beige

Eric's fantasy football draft was held at a friend's house in Chesapeake, so we decided to take the opportunity to drive to the beach for a few hours! Unfortunately it was raining when we arrived so we took a quick side trip to the Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center. Now that Ainsley is a little older she actually made it through all of the exhibits and was interested in watching everything. She enjoyed the hands-on pools where she touched a starfish, horseshoe crab and hermit crab. Her favorite exhibit was the Tomistoma crocodile (cousin of the alligator) and the sharks (although she was both afraid and fascinated by them).   Hiding from the sharks  Thankfully the weather cleared up and we were able to spend some time at the beach! Ainsley and Eric played in the waves while Parker investigated the sand. You know how babies put everything in their mouths? Well, sand is no different. Parker was relaxing on a large towel under the umbrella. I turned ...

What signals the end of summer more than a good county fair? This past weekend was the start of the Chesterfield County Fair. We have been regular visitors to the State Fair of Virginia - Ainsley has been every year since she was born. But this year we decided to try out the local fair, mostly because it's 20 minutes closer to home and we weren't sure how long Parker would behave on a Friday night outing. Luckily everyone had a good time and we made it home without any tears. More importantly, we made it home without buying any funnel cake or deep-fried twinkies. Ainsley was so excited to try all the rides, especially since she was tall enough to go on many of them by herself. Her mom is a bit hesitant when it comes to amusement rides - probably has something to do with a paper I wrote in middle school about ride accidents at amusement parks - but Ainsley is a little daredevil. She didn't hesitate to ride the mini roller coaster, or fly in the dragon airplanes, or climb u...

This weekend we hosted friends and family for Parker's baptism. I had been talking to Ainsley about it the past few weeks - explaining that family was going to come visit, and that we would all stand up at the front of the church for a special prayer. I explained that Pastor Paul was going to sprinkle some water on Parker's head, to which she responded "Parker has to wear his baby suit!"  (See previous post with Ainsley's dictionary if you aren't familiar with the baby suit). She was then concerned that we should ALL be wearing our baby suits. This resulted in a 5 minute conversation about appropriate church attire. Needless to say, I was more worried about Ainsley's behavior during the baptism than Parker's. Ainsley was a year old when she was baptised. She wore a beautiful white dress that my mom found at a boutique store. Parker however, barely squeezed into the white romper that I bought for him a few months ago. He also had a lovely handmade ...

For those of you who haven't spent a lot of time around Ainsley, here is a dictionary so you can understand "Ainsley-speak". Baby Suit:  What you wear when you swim. Gockgorn:  Popped corn kernels. Green Applesauce:  Applesauce that comes in a pouch. Manilla: White ice cream, specifically vanilla in flavor. Orange Store: Also known as Home Depot. Princess Shoes: Any shoes with a heel. Pump-N-Feeders: A breast pump. Red Store: Also known as Target. Swippers: A kitchen tool used for turning pancakes. The "T": Otherwise known as an All-Terain Vehicle. Zoomy-Zumeum:  Children's Museum of Richmond. I'm sure this dictionary will continue to expand over time...

What a wonderful mid-summer vacation to the lake! We spent 4 days at the cabin enjoying warmer-than-average temperatures and refreshing swims in the lake. It was also a trip with a lot of "first times". This was Parker's first time at the lake - something you can see he was very excited about!     After getting over his initial outburst of joy he prompty got back to doing what he does best - smiling, chewing on things, and sleeping. Ainsley's first request after she climbed out of the car was "Nana, can we ride the T?" (that's ATV for those of you who are not well-versed in 'Ainsley-speak'). Last year she was very nervous about the ATV, and she flat-out refused to ride Papa's tractor. Apparently a year makes a huge difference because this time there was no hesitation! Riding in Nana's Ranger Helping Papa drive the tractor! One of many "T" rides with Daddy!  In addition to her newfound interest in riding ...