Mount Vernon Estate

 You can see from this map that there's much more to see at Mount Vernon than just the Washington's home.

 Overlooking the Potomac River.  The views from the back porch of Mt. Vernon are just beautiful.

 Well, hello there Mr. President!

 Waiting in line for our tour to start.

 Abby held her own with the big kids most of the day.

Who doesn't love a great big hill to run down?

Exploring Mount Vernon was fun, educational, and a good workout.  Lots to see and do here including: touring the buildings where the Washingtons' servants lived, touring their home, walking through the gardens, seeing the tomb of George and Martha Washington, visiting the hands-on museum, going to storytime, and watching a movie about the Revolutionary War.  It was a historic site not to be missed on the Talley's tour of D.C. and we were glad they invited us to share in their day.

The Talleys Are Here!

Well as you can see from these pictures, the Ross kids just had no fun at all with the Talley kids :).  Abby and Catherine hit it right off, dressing up like princesses, complete with accessories!  Alex, Brady and Nathan share a love of all things "boy" and had no shortage of things to do.  The Talleys, our dear friends and former neighbors in Houston, were visiting D.C. on a family vacation, which worked out well with our recent move to Virginia.  They stayed in a hotel nearby and ventured into the city most days to sightsee then we were able to visit in the evenings.  We spent all day Saturday at the beautiful Mount Vernon Estate, pictures to follow in the next post.  It was great to catch up and get both families together!

Last Day of School

 Alex's Star Student poster

 Alex and Mrs. Hovis

 Posing on the way to school

 We've watched this sunflower grow each day on the way to and from school.  It finally blossomed!

This little lady is so happy her brother will be home for the summer!

Like Father, Like Son

From Alex's Spanish class

Cub Scout Family Picnic

 Waiting in line with big brother for the sponge relay 

Abby took a lot of water breaks at the picnic as it was very hot that day.  She was a bit of a diva surrounded by lots of rugged little boys.  Alex had a blast playing games and hanging with this buddies at the picnic.  A fun way to wrap up the school year.

Field Day and Kiddie Camp

 "C'mon Abby, walk faster!"

 Field Day

Wrapping up at Kiddie Camp

The first week of June, Abby attended Kiddie Camp at the rec center across the street each morning.  She LOVED going there!  They did arts and crafts, played games outside, went swimming, and had story time.  She got to bring home all of her crafts on Friday and couldn't wait to show us all of the goodies she made.

During that same week, Alex had field day, a music program, and the book fair.  I was thrilled that this worked out because I was finally able to spend some time volunteering in his new school.  Good timing!

Swimming!

With the warmer weather, we've been hitting the pool each week.  Alex and Abby are both swimming like fish and while Abby cannot "swim", she sure is trying hard to keep up with her brother and his friends.  There is a pool in our neighborhood where everyone seems to gravitate, including Alex's classmates.  He always has someone to play with!  I'm thankful for the ten minute adult swim each hour to force them to come out and take a breather.

Nicci and Andrew's Visit

  

 The carousel and train rides are an attraction at Burke Lake Park.  It was super hot that day so after these two things, we went straight for ice cream!

  

Aunt Nicci and Uncle Andrew were most helpful on their visit to Virginia over Memorial Day weekend.  We trimmed more trees (sensing a theme here?), fixed the shed, hung all the pictures (awesome!), and trimmed hedges.  We visited Burke Lake Park as part of Alex's birthday present from them and went to Friendly's afterwards.  Living near a Friendly's again is just fabulous for dessert treats!

Alex Turns 7!

 Alex, one month

 While we do miss our IL friends terribly, Alex has made some sweet new friends at his new school.  Many of the boys are also in his Cub Scout den and also neighbors.  We could not be more thankful that we selected a neighborhood with a school where the children are welcoming and Alex feels comfortable.  It is hard with only a few days to look at houses, but we are confident that we made the best choice possible for our boy.  He has done well these last two months and is finishing up his last week of school this week.  We are so proud of him!

 Alex and his Pokemon cake!  So far being 7 has meant learning to tie his shoes and losing another tooth.

 The Limbo!

 Even Abby was able to join in the relay races!

There is a wonderful rec center at the end of our street where we were able to rent a room for Alex's party.  We played oodles of games and they even provided an attendant to run the games on the Sports Wall for the kids.  They ran their little hearts out!  Alex had about 8 friends there plus Nicci, Andrew, Jackie and Scott.  We were thankful that the boys and girls had lots of room to play because they were full of energy!

Andrews Air Show

 This plane is a "transformer" as it can go from a plane to helicopter in mid-air.

 Posing on top of a tank!

 This field trip completely exhausted Abby.  It was quite windy, but warm that morning so she worked hard to walk all around the base.

We had the best time at the Air Show at Andrews Air Force Base!  Every branch of service was represented and we toured/viewed helicopters, tanks, cargo planes, stunt planes, and a stunt helicopter!  They put on an awesome air show and we enjoyed watching it with new friends.  Touring the air show with a member of the air force is definitely the way to go.  By far this is one of the coolest things we have done since moving to Virginia!

Grandpa's Here!

A few weeks ago, Grandpa came to visit and was a huge help!  He power washed the deck, helped Brad stain the deck, entertained Abby, trimmed trees, and celebrated Alex's birthday.  We met Brad for lunch one day and Grandpa was kind enough to let Brad drive his car for a few days while Brad's was in the shop.  He was able to visit Jackie and Scott in D.C. to see their place and go out to dinner and was even able to tour the winery where Jackie works!

Our family has been phenomenal in helping out here in Virginia.  There is lots to do, compared to our house in Illinois, and each weekend is kind of like a giant work session.  Abby is getting very good at pulling weeds and Alex enjoys helping Brad trim limbs down to size for the yard trash.  There is always something to do!