East Coast

We took our first real road trip as a family, and we all survived, phew!  A couple of weeks ago, we packed up and headed east to see Uncle Warren graduate from the University of Virginia School of Law.  On the way out there, we drove straight through the night, and although it was hard on Kris and I, the kids slept most of the way which was wonderful.  On the way back, we split up the drive and stayed for a night in Dayton with Aunt Loeta & Uncle Randy.  The kids did really well during those hours of traveling as well, despite the long stretches strapped in and fully awake.

Our time in Charlottesville, Virginia was a lot of fun, somewhat relaxing, and very special.  We made some great memories. We took hundreds of photos throughout the week, but here's a "handful" from our time there...

We stayed at a beautiful house with my parents, Warren, Kirsten (we missed you Jon, Evie & Zach) & Katie.  Seriously, this house was incredible.  Unfortunately, I didn't get any pictures of the actual house (what was I thinking?!), but trust me....it was amazing.

I did get a few pictures of outside...

  A highlight for the kids was this great tree swing.  Higher, higher!

They also loved to explore...

There was even cattle to feed!

One day, we drove to D.C.  Neither Kris nor I had even been there, so we wanted to make the trip. 

Sweet girl taking a rest.

Caleb was very excited to visit the Air & Space Museum, which was the highlight of his trip to Washington.

His first impression of the inside of the museum...he just loved it.

Going into the space station - Caleb's favorite part.

After spending time at the museum, we checked out the Capitol, which is at one end of the Mall.

Poor Shaner-bug was so sleepy, he fell asleep.  Here's proof that he visited the Capitol.

We (Kris & I) really wanted to see the Washington Monument & Lincoln Memorial, which are of course at the complete opposite end of the Mall....as long of a walk as it was going to be, we were determined to do it. 

Thankfully, all 4 kids could fit on the stroller if necessary. =)

And there were cold drinks along the way.

Although we didn't visit the White House, we were able to see it from our walk.

Thanks to the great zoom lens my Dad let me borrow for the day, we could take a closer look.

Almost there!

 

War Memorial...

Ducklings in the Reflecting Pool...

We made it!

Washington Monument (still under construction)...

After our long and very tiring day, the kiddos enjoyed some milkshakes.

One night, the McCarty fam went out to dinner in downtown Charlottesville...thanks, Kris, for staying with the kiddos!

A few pictures of our littlest love...

Sweet time with Auntie Kir.

Warren & his best law school buddies...a great group of guys!

One day, Meredith woke up sick.  She fell asleep on the couch mid-morning...

Thankfully, she felt better as the day progressed...

And of course, the main reason we took this trip in the first place...Warren's graduation!

War is in the bottom left of this picture...on the aisle of the last row.

Congrats, Warren!  we are so very proud of you!

Random

Well, I definitely set a personal record for the number of days I have gone without updating this blog!  It's not because I haven't had time, although life has been non-stop.  It's not because I haven't taken any pictures, although I haven't had my camera attached to my hip quite as frequently as it typically is.  And it most certainly isn't because there's been nothing photo-worthy going on.

  Believe it or not, it has taken us this long to get our Internet connected in the new house!  For a number of reasons, we just hadn't gotten around to getting hooked up.  Thankfully I have been able to check email, etc. on my phone...otherwise I might have lost my mind.

Not blogging for so long has taught me 2 important things....1) life actually happens even if I don't share it publicly and 2) I really do love to blog.  I've missed having a place to reflect on our days, even if that reflection happens by just looking through our pictures. 

Needless to say, I am very thankful that the Comcast man has come and gone, and I'm able to get back to doing something I have come to very much enjoy.

Below is a random smattering of pictures (some from my camera and some from my phone).  Believe it or not, I actually don't have any "house pics" to share at this point.  Maybe I'll get around to taking some soon.  Or maybe, you'll just have to come visit to see it if you haven't already been by. =)

The last day in our old house, while we emptied our rooms of boxes & furniture, the boys played in the dirt outside...

One day, while staying at Grandma/Grandpa's, we went swimming!

1, 2, and 3 at Caleb's AWANA Awards night.

Bubble Bath!

Busy Bags on a rainy day...

Girls' Night this month was at our house, and we made burlap wreaths...they turned out great!

Caleb finished Kindergarten!!

C and his friend at one of the last days at co-op.

Very last page of schoolwork!

As an end-of-the-school-year special reward, Daddy took Caleb to the Lego store and out to lunch.  He picked out a new lego set to put together...a very cool police helicopter thingy...

We have enjoyed the warmer temps...

Meredith looooves having her girly room....no boys allowed!  In this picture she is getting 1 of her babies ready for bed.  So sweet.

Norah is getting so big (relatively speaking, as she is quite the little peanut).

Cereal for the 1st time...not a huge fan...

...okay, so it's not that bad after all.

Norah - 5 Months Old

Sparks

Caleb loved Sparks (AWANA) this year.  He learned to recite a TON of verses, and we are very proud of him.  We hope & pray that these truths stick with him all his life!