Hiking Pratt Park

Autumn in Virginia is a long, glorious season.  We enjoyed one beautiful afternoon with a hike in one of the local parks, which is in the middle of a residential area but feels like it is out and secluded in the woods.  The girls were so fun to watch as they hiked and climbed and explored with freedom.

I don't know what they found,
but it looks interesting!

Funky fungus

There's always cool stuff to be found in a creek!

My favorite spot in this park

Giving a helping hand

More funky fungus

And more funky fungus

There was a tiny "waterfall" at the top that intrigued the girls,
so up they went!

Climb, baby, climb!

Halloween Happenings

We extended Halloween celebrations this year over a few days and events.

First, early in the week we took in a trunk or treat at a local church.  We'd never been to one of these before and it was much more than I was expecting.  Each car had a theme, with a game and people at that car dressed up to go along with the theme.  

Getting dressed for Trunk or Treat!

Mummy car in the background.

Trunk or treat games

Arm wrestling a super hero!

Halloween is a fun holiday to work at a public library, especially in the Youth Services Department, and it was fun to have an excuse to dress up.  Can you find me in this picture?

Part of the Salem Church Library gang.

Halloween night the girls dressed up and we did trick or treating around our neighborhood, where they gave awesome treats!  More than one house handed out full-size candy bars.   We forgot to take a picture until the end of the night, when Anja had shed her wings, but here are the girls!

Anja thought the best way to investigate
her candy at the end of the night was to just
stick her head in the bag.

Anja's Birthday

My baby turned seven!  It doesn't seem possible.  She wanted a dragon party, and we did our best!

Dragon footprints led the way to the party...

Pin the Fire on the Dragon was way more popular than I thought it would be!  The kids loved this traditional game!

We played Dragon Fire Tag (silly string was the dragon's fire and if you got any on you, you were "out" and had to go to the dragon's lair (a designated spot in the yard)

All the kids got wings and they all got to be dragons.

Happy birthday, little dragon!

Fall Visitors From Minnesota

This fall a great friend from Minnesota came to visit and brought her family.   

Our kids have seen each other fairly regularly since they were little, and we were really excited to see they still get along well.  In fact, we think the older two girls would be great friends if they lived closer together.

Cute Kiddos!