First Day of School

I can't believe it's that time again! Grant started Kindergarten this year! Jackson is looking way too old... cannot believe I have a third grader!

Jackson turns 8 !

Can't believe it, another year older ! Happy Birthday Jackson! Thanks for loving your cake! My first attempt at making THE birthday cake this year! Complete with Dry Ice special effects! AND the dinosaur , stones , and men were found right here at the house...that makes it even more cool, don't ya think !

Science !

Very cool Science party on Sunday at the park. Absolutely NOT at my house ! The boys learned some chemistry ( probably TMI ... Billy and his Chemistry background)!You were awesome honey! And had a blast with scientific experiments like cornstarch & water , vinegar & baking soda , dry ice & dish soap. They made rubber bouncy balls and a beaker of slime to take home. The finale was the Diet soda & Mentos fountain! If you ever want the recipes for some fun science and some cool things to do with Dry Ice check THIS site out !

Chemical Reactions....

The Crossing....

This past weekend we pic-nic (ed) at Valley Forge. We really enjoy going there, so much to do. After eating & throwing the football around a bit, we took a walk on the trails parallel to the Schuykill River. It was so great! A beautiful , breezy day. We watched a train pass right near the tracks,( got a photo of the tracks... missed the train!). Then we encountered a group of people who were horseback riding. They had led their horses right up to the river... even a few steps in. They were trying to decide if it would be a good idea ( or not) to cross... The leaders of this group wanted to however, the followers were hesitant.... not so certain... We watched for a while and.... they did! They did it!
This was really neat! Gotta have faith !

Having Faith...

Rockets !

Huntsville Space & Rocket Center. Really cool place to visit !

Station # 22

Thanks " Uncle Ben " for letting us visit your fire station & play on the fire trucks ! We had a great time...

Alabama Slideshow....

below is a slideshow of only a handful of photos I took on our trip back " home" to Alabama... handful compared to the almost 300 digital images we took ! Than God for digital ! And I'm not happy with photobucket... for shrinking some of these... I honestly do not cut heads off ( in my photography!). Oh well !

So, here is the sum up... 1st stop, Huntsville , AL at the
Space & Rocket center posted above. Kids had a blast with the Sullivan's 4 wheeling & swimming. Then on our way to Gulf Shores we visited my brother at his fire station, also posted above. Then stopped off & played in the fountains at the Eastern Shore Center. ( Oh, and get this.... the new Bass Pro Shops opened the Friday after we left) ! The kids had a great time at the condo... pool, beach, the Track...with my parents.

So, there you have it... our " vacation" in our " hometown" of Alabama ! But, happy that my kids got to spend time with their cousins & grandparents and I got to pig out on that fresh Gulf seafood most every night !

Alabama

Back & Unpacked...

So, we made it back home! A very long & exhausting trip. Happy though, that my kids were able to spend time with cousins & grandparents. It was very humid & hot there... ( more hot than I remember it ever being!) Good thing that there was plenty of activities that involved playing in cold water ! I have so many photos, I'll try to pick a few favorites to post soon ! Countdown on... for school starting. Some of Alabama's schools started this week. I have an 8 year old's birthday party to plan now! " Science Lab " is going to be this years theme!