New Year Family Fun

At Aunt Joan's suggestion we took our families to the bowling alley on New Years' Day. Jeannine and her boys came too. Thankfully, Nate took a nap for the majority of our outing. Isaac wasn't interested in bowling or even leaving the house, but he came around when he saw the arcade games. He spent his time and money collecting tickets to trade for toys. Sam, Eli, and Lily had a blast! Some had mad skills, others had beginner's luck, all had fun.

Christmas Favorites

Now that I'm over my post Christmas Migraine, I can finally share some of our favorite memories. Lily's real favorite was her Zune, but she also enjoy the flat iron for her hair. Isaac loves his gigaball, a 5ft. inflatable ball that you can climb inside (bottom picture). Sam and Eli treasured their "digging for dinosaurs." I got some fun stuff, but my favorite were the blooms on my Hibiscus. The picture of lights is actually the firetrucks that came blaring through the neighborhood about 8:30p with Santa and Mrs. Claus atop wishing everyone a Merry Christmas. Nate's favorite is his dirt devil vacuum that he uses everytime I vacuum for real. It's always worth the work to see kids' pure joy.

Christmas Proof!

Yes, the DeLapp's have Christmas. Here's the proof...we had the tree up for a total of three and a half days. It's quick but intense!

???

Isaac got of the bus today and reported a good behavior day, but wouldn't let me see his backpack or daily log. Hmmm...I eventually got to his backpack and read a note from his case manager. It read, "DEC. 8, 2008 Isaac completed last weeks reading test in AM. He refused to complete any work after the reading test. While the teacher was out of the room, Isaac stripped off his clothes down to his underwear. He refused to complete any work throughout the remainder of the day".

Shenandoah National Park

The kids were out of school for Columbus Day, so we accepted an invitation to join Mike and Joan, Randall and Rose, and all the kids, on a day trip to Shenandoah National Park. It's up in the Appalachian Mountains, inside Virginia, west of where we live. Isaac really enjoyed the ride. The weather was beautiful. The food was extra nummy. I'm sure because of the elevation. Can hardly wait to do it again.

 
Here we are at the entrance to the park after the hour and a half drive.

Nathan was the first to dig in.

Lily and Kyle had fun sketching the scenery.

Randall and Muffin took Isaac for a walk.

Lunch time was the only quiet time.

Isaac, of course, wanted "Some of Everything".

Eli couldn't resist climbing a nearby tree.

Nathan was investigating bugs in the grass.

Sam enjoying a quiet moment in the dirt.

October in Virginia.

 
Isaac wants to move our house to the top of the mountain.

Nathan was trying to scoot down the mountain.

Doesn't that say it all!?

New Calling

I'm now a Den Leader in Isaac's Cub Scout pack. I've been going to assist him since the beginning, but now it's official! Here's a picture of Isaac that sums up how he feels about scouting (and socializing in general)...

Day Camp

This week Lily and Isaac attended Day Camp. The girls went on Tuesday and Wednesday when the weather was gorgeous in the low 80s. Isaac and I went on Thursday and Friday when the weather was like a typical VA summer-99 degrees and 80% humidity. For anyone that doesn't know, that's down right miserable! We still had lots of fun. They had both indoor and outdoor activities. Isaac favorites were "Blow Dart Tag, Bolivian Slingshots, and Soda Pop Rockets." They also had a rain gutter regatta which I thought was fun. Lily's favorites were making candles and making a pearl necklace. On days like these, I wish I was still a kid.

A Day at the Park

The kids and I were missing our Aunt Rose, so we picked her and her camera up and spent the afternoon at park. Thanks Rose. Enjoy some our favorites.

Day 3 of Summer Break

This morning the boys painstakingly filled water balloons in the basement bathroom. I mean filled...to their capacity. Some were a big as beach balls. Only by a miracle did they all make it outside. 30 seconds later, Sam, Eli, and Isaac were soaked and balloon-free. What fun!!!
Nathan has been busy too. He pulled a carton of eggs off the table and broke our last 6 eggs. Isaac tipped a bowl of milk all over the wood floor trying to keep Nathan out of the trash can. All BEFORE breakfast!
76 days and counting.

Pine Wood Derby

Isaac started cub scouts shortly after his 8th birthday. One of the first activities was the Pine Wood Derby. I was worried because I really wanted him to like scouts and he was mentally set on "winning". Oh, how I prayed that he wouldn't be disappointed. Isaac was very particular about the specifications of his car. Notice the multi-colored car with windows and the #8. He had a great time! Beginner's luck or not his car was VERY FAST and won all but one race!