Bowlin Beige

I'm sometimes amazed at the differences between Ainsley and Parker's personalities. And then sometimes I'm reminded how similar they are. I was looking back at a few pictures and videos of Ainsley and was amazed how much Parker looks and acts like her. Through the wonders of technology, we can easily see them grow up side by side... Ainsley - 8 months (just a little older than Parker)  Parker - 7 months     

Last weekend we had the opportunity to attend the JMU-WVU football game at FedEx Field (home of the Redskins). We had an amazing time tailgating, hanging out with college friends, and cheering on the Dukes. Unfortunately we lose the game, but we still had a great time! We drove up to York, PA on Friday night to spend the night at my parent's house. Saturday morning we got to spend a little time with them before leaving the kids and driving down to the game for 4 hours of tailgating. It was so nice to enjoy a football game without a toddler and infant in tow. After the game we drove back to York, spent the night, and then drove the whole family back home to Richmond on Sunday. It was a long weekend but definitely worth the trip. Here are some highlights and some silly moments to share! Double cornhole games Steven and Aubrey   Setting up the tailgate Chris brought an amazing spread of food! The Gunters - aka WVU traitors Cleatus (Ryan) - glad to see we ...

It's hard to believe my littler girl started preschool this year! Ainsley will be attending preschool part-time this year (Monday, Wednesday, Friday from 9:30am - 12:30pm). We are lucky to have a wonderful preschool at our church, and she even got into the same class as one of her good friends, Julianne (her parents are friends of ours from college). Friday was Open House and she got to meet her teachers and see her classroom. She also got to pick up her new backpack! Ainsley spent all weekend excitedly talking about going to school and showing off her backpack. By the time Monday rolled around she was "super excited!" I worked from home on her first day so I could drop her off and pick her up. In the car on the way to school we talked about all the fun things she was going to do, and reminded her about listening to her teachers and following directions. [Side note - last week I told Ainsley to put on her "listening ears" because she wasn't listening to ...

Last weekend we enjoyed our first JMU football game of the season. It was also Parker's first trip to Harrisonburg. The game was delayed due to rain, so we didn't get to the stadium until Parker's bedtime. But he hung in there like a champ, and managed to stay awake until the 3rd quarter. He was fascinated and overwhelmed by all of the sights and sounds. Sensory overload for a 6 month old!  Ainsley actually got close enough to hug Duke Dog (she usually just gives him a high five). We are so happy to share the love of our alma mater with our children. We have season tickets again so we look forward to many more purple-and-gold memories this fall. Go Dukes! All dressed and ready to go cheer!   Dinner at Jess' Quick Lunch. Completely captivated by the score board. Football lessons with daddy  Future Duke!   Way too exciting to handle.

For the past 9 years we've been inviting friends to my parent's lake house in northeastern Pennsylvania. My parents have graciously accepted getting kicked out of their house each Labor Day so we can enjoy a long weekend swimming, fishing, ATVing, drinking and eating with this group of friends from college. This year we enjoyed the usual crowd (8 adults) but made it more interesting by adding 7 kids to the mix. The three toddlers (Ainsley, Whitney and Timmy) have enjoyed the lake trips as an opportunity to play with dirt and rocks, swim and splash in the lake, and go for ATV and Ranger rides through the woods. This year they each had a baby sibling (Parker, Colin and Abby), and another new baby (Jake) to join them in the fun! Unfortunately the babies, all between 5 - 7 months old, were a little too young to really enjoy all the lake has to offer. But they slept and ate and seemed to enjoy watching the older kids with their activities. The adults didn't manage to stay up as ...