Bowlin Beige

Ainsley just finished up her summer gymnastics class and stared Upward Soccer through our church. She took an indoor soccer class last year but they only did drills and never actually played games. We hope that Upward will be a better experience for our energetic, competitive little girl. She is so excited that Julianne is on her team (J's father Ben is the coach so we actually get to see quite a bit of them this fall!) They practice on Monday nights for an hour, and have games on Saturday mornings. The perfect outlet for her energy - and it turns out she's a natural! I'm sure some of it is genetic, and not from the Ayres side.  Here are some pictures from her first few practices. First game is tomorrow. Go Flash!  Carefully listening to Coach Ben! Practicing his goalie moves. So happy with her new pink socks and cleats! Our soon-to-be athlete.

For the ninth year, we had our group of friends up at the lake for Labor Day. We started this tradition years ago before we had children. Now there are 8 adults and 7 children! It's always a crazy but very fun weekend. This year my parents made a lot of improvements to the lake area - a new large grass lawn, a gazebo (screened in with a ceiling fan), a bigger dock with a ladder, and additional water-entry points with boulders to step down. This was the first year that the youngest kids were able to get in the water, and Parker turned out to be just as much of a water bug as his big sister. We had beautiful warm weather all weekend, and almost everyone went for a swim at some point! Per tradition, we had s'mores and fireworks, and also spent a lot of time taking kids for ATV and Ranger rides. The big kids had a nature walk in the woods looking for newts, and Dixie wore herself out swimming and chasing the ATV. Showing off her new tractor shirt that Papa gave her. Parker...

I've officially been in my new job for a few weeks and so far it's going well! It's a big change going from a university to a k-12 school (the miniature potties are still taking a while to get used to). But it's also nice that I can bring my kids to school events and there are lots of other young families around, not just drunk college students. My colleagues have been very welcoming and friendly. I love the fact that I have brand-new matching furniture in my office, after spending the past 8 years with a hodge podge of mix-matched hand-me-down furniture. My new boss is great, and I've moved into the position pretty easily. It was definitely the right decision! I'm continuing to consult for UR so that my former co-workers can me with questions. I'm also still presenting two sessions at the continuing education conference in November - I'm excited that I am still able to be involved with the organization for a little while longer. The hardest part of ...

What's better than a good ole county fair? Every year we've enjoyed going to the state fair, and last year we discovered the Chesterfield County Fair. Just as many rides, but cheaper and less crowded. Last year Parker just slept in the stroller while Ainsley went from ride to ride to ride. But this year was a little more challenging. Parker REALLY wanted to go on all the rides that Ainsley went on, but he was still too little for most of them. We did find a few that he could do with her, but he mostly spent the night trying to convince me to play the pick-a-duck-from-the-pool game. Not quite sure about driving this by himself...  Just like Grandpa Ayres' tractor! Our little cowgirl.  Watch out! That's trouble!     Parker takes his driving very seriously. Weeeee!!! Dinner for my little ones consisted of ice cream, french fries and cotton candy. Mother of the Year!

Well, I'm unemployed for almost two weeks until I start my new job. But so far I'm really enjoying it! I had a fun happy hour to celebrate leaving UR. Then on my last day in the office, I packed up early, came home and loaded the car, picked up the kids and dog and drove to the lake. We spent 4 days at the lake with my parents, aunt, cousin and family. And even though the weather was cooler (70s) we enjoyed swimming, ATVing, and playing in the amazing new lawn, gazebo, and dock that my parents installed this summer. Ainsley drove the tractor with Papa, and Parker discovered that he LOVES riding the ATV with Daddy. Dixie of course enjoyed frolicking in the woods and swimming with her buddy Lila. Saturday night Eric put on a fireworks show after dinner, and we enjoyed several nights of s'mores.  We head home to Richmond tomorrow and then I have several days of chores ahead of me. Lots to do before I start my new job, mainly unpacking the basement. I'm looking forward to h...

It felt like Abbott and Costello in the car this morning. Ainsley (very excited about going to see Nana and Papa this weekend): Mommy, did Nana still break her arm? Me: Yes, Nana still broke her shoulder, but it's healing and she's doing much better. Ainsley: Right. But she can't do lots of things like pick me up (because I'm big), and she can't throw a ball for Lyla. And if we go somewhere then Papa has to drive and Nana can sit beside him. Me: Nana can drive. Ainsley: Papa doesn't know where he's going? Me: No, Papa knows where he's going, but Nana can still drive. Ainsley: Why doesn't she want Papa to drive? Me: They can both drive. Nana AND Papa can drive. Ainsley: (pause) But Mommy, how are they going to DO that? There aren't enough steering wheels! Me: No, they're not going to drive at the same time. They can take turns. Ainsley: But Mommy, they aren't supposed to get out of their seats when the car is moving. You aren...

A continuation of my previous post. After we returned from Pawley's Island we had many adventures still ahead. Two Weeks Ago The day we returned from Pawley's we had to start getting everything ready for the fence to be installed. This was followed by a series of frustrating events - moving irrigation lines, fixing irrigation lines that were broken when the fence was installed, meeting with electricians to install outlets in the basement, fishing speaker wires out from under the wall, and a variety of other house-related issues. But considering this all happened in the span of a week, I am confident that we are getting closer to having everything working and in its place. More importantly, the top two floors of the house are completely unpacked. I won't talk about the basement... One Week Ago After almost 8 years I decided to leave the University of Richmond. It was a difficult decision, but after dealing with many frustrations over the past year I just felt like the ...