Washington Nationals vs Cincinnati Reds Baseball Game

The kids each earned two tickets to a Nationals baseball game, courtesy of the DC Library system Summer Reading Program.  Fortunately, the we chose one of the few nights that wasn't pouring rain.  Unfortunately, it was really hot and humid.  But we had a good time at the

George Washington Masonic National Memorial

Friends in the Chevy Chase area recommended that we visit the George Washington Masonic National Memorial.  Despite it being one of the tallest buildings in the Virginia skyline, we hadn't heard of it and didn't even know it existed. Architecturally, each detail had been perfected.  Even

The Awakening at National Harbor, MD

For a long time, I have wanted to see The Awakening sculpture, which is now at National Harbor, MD.  So we finally decided to go; unfortunately, on a hot and humid day. It was an interesting sculpture, but it gets really hot, so the kids didn't really want

carson

Carson's Boy Scout Court of Honor

Carson has been working diligently in Scouts.  At the Court of Honor, he earned: Second Class Rank Fishing Merit Badge (he had to catch, gut, cook, and eat his own fish) First Aid Merit Badge Swimming Merit Badge American Cultures Merit Badge

Newseum

We have talked about it for quite a while, but never made it to the Newseum.  So Scott and Lori's visit gave us the excuse to finally go.  The kids were able to be news anchors, weatherman, and to see key moments in modern history as portrayed through

Fairfax Revolutionary War Re-enactment

While Scott and Lori and their children were here, we decided to visit the Fairfax Courthouse and were surprised to find that is was open.  The Sons of the American Revolution were re-enacting the signing of some documents; unfortunately, we missed the actual presentation.  But it was really neat to

Private Tour of the US National Capitol

Scott arranged a private tour of the Capitol for our families with his House of Representatives congressman.  We ate lunch in one of the congressional office buildings, then met in at the Congressman's office, where one of the interns started our tour. Unfortunately, we still had to wait

All Dressed Up

Savannah trying out a new dress:

tucker

Tucker's Bird Feeder

Tucker designed and built this bird feeder.

Clay Sculpture by Tucker

Tucker made this caterpillar with some clay, and baked it in the oven so it would harden.

Homeschool Chemistry Lab - Acids and Bases

We have continued our homeschool study of math and chemistry into the summer.  The boys are doing algebra, multivariate linear sets, and quadratic expressions while Savannah is working on multiplication, division, and speed (timed) additional and subtraction. The more advanced math has made some of our chemistry work possible.  We&

Tucker's Birthday

Tucker has been anxiously anticipating his birthday and it has finally arrived!  This year, each of the kids is allowed to pick an experience or event, plus select a restaurant for their birthday dinner.  So Tucker chose horseback riding at the Rocking S Ranch in Winchester Virginia as his experience

Neighborhood 4th of July Fireworks

Our neighbors invited us to light some fireworks to celebrate the 4th of July.

Fairfax Independence Day Celebration Parade

To celebrate Independence Day, we decided to watch the Fairfax Independence Day Celebration Parade.  While Carson was fighting torrential rain at Scout camp, we had heat and humidity -- lots of it. The Fairfax Motorcycle Police started of the parade showing off their riding skills, followed by bands, scouts, community

Horseback Riding at Rocking S Ranch, Winchester, VA

We drove about an hour and a half northwest to get to Winchester, VA to visit the Rocking S Ranch. Bill owns the Rocking S Ranch and was our trail guide (and he took most of these pictures). He was very friendly and made us feel welcome. He adjusted each

Tucker's pack meeting - bottle rockets

Tucker's cub scout pack had their last pack meeting before the summer. They did bottle rockets, where you pump air into a 2-liter bottle and then let it go shooting up into the air. Sometimes they would go about 50 feet high!

Shopping for bike helmets

We got bike helmets for all the kids a few weeks ago. Savannah had fun trying some on (she didn't end up buying this one :))

3-D shapes

Aunt Diane sent the kids a 'summer fun pack' with a couple of 3-D shapes the boys constructed. Tucker's is the star and Carson's is the other one ( they have super complicated names for them).

Home made Cinnamon Rolls

I have been watching a lot of cooking Youtube videos lately, and finally made some cinnamon rolls. I was always intimidated by the yeasty bread recipes, but now that I have made a few loaves that have sat overnight before baking, I feel like I can take this on. The

Carson turns 13

Backyard Camping

To finish off his Bear badge in Cub Scouts, we did some backyard camping.  We have been wanting to do it for weeks, but it rained every weekend.  So we finally decided to do it in spite of the the rain.  It was nice to get it all setup and

Susquehannah, PA and Palmyra, NY - Church History Tour

We drove up to Susquehannah, PA to the Priesthood Restoration Site in Oakland Township, PA. We walked down from the visitor's center to some restored homes to look inside. A sister missionary showed us inside both Isaac Hale's (Emma's parents) home, and the house

Horse riding class at Stonelea Farms

I had seen some horsemanship classes offered through the Fairfax County Parks and Rec department, but they're all for kids. Before I signed up one of the kids for a daycamp type thing, we thought it would be better to try Stonelea Farms homeschool class, to gauge interest.

Echo 58v Electric Lawnmower

We haven't actually had to maintain a lawn since we left Georgia.  Now, with a 1/2 acre lot, we needed a good mower.  So we bought a new Echo 58v battery powered lawnmower.  It is light enough that the kids can easily operate it.  Instead of having

Fairfax History Day - 2018

Each year, Fairfax hosts Fairfax History Day, focused on local 19th century life.  With all of the rain we've been having recently, we were fortunate to have a beautiful, sunny spring day. It is held at 'Historic Blenheim', a former plantation near the site of the