Luray Caverns

We were so excited when Trevor and Robyn told us they would be in Virginia in August. Trevor has a class in Richmond and Robyn decided to join him for a few days with Emery. Even though saw them a couple of weeks ago we were excited to spend a day with them out here. We drove down to Luray Virginia and went through the Luray Caverns.

When we told Miriam we were going to a cave she seemed a little nervous. I asked her what was wrong. She then asked me if there was a bear in the cave. I had to calm her fear and reassure her that there would be no bears in the cave. I told her it was going to be really neat with a lot of cool rocks to see.

It is crazy how they have built a building over the entrance. You walk inside, they take your ticket, then through a door you go. All of a sudden you are looking down into a cave. After the 70 stairs down, you start in a big area where they give you a run down of the caverns. We took a bunch pictures at the beginning, not knowing how big the cavern actually is.

We definitely took our time taking it all in. We probably got passed by three or four groups. We took hundreds of pictures between the two cameras. It took us a good hour and a half to walk through the whole thing. We let the kids get out and walk around. Miriam was really loved it at the beginning, but by the end she kept asking where the end would be. I have to admit, by the end I was wondering the same thing. I was starting to feel a little bit claustrophobic.

After touring the cavern we ate our picnic lunch. Included in the price of the ticket was a tour of a car museum and a museum with history of the area, so we decided to check them out. The car museum was neat, but hard for the kids. Simon and Miriam wanted to touch everything which was of course forbidden. The inside of the history museum was about the same thing. Simon fell asleep in the stroller, so we went outside and explored a couple of the other buildings. I didn't take any pictures of this stuff by the way. Slipped my mind.

When we decided we were ready to move on and see what else Luray has to offer, we stopped at the visitor's center in Luray. We wanted to see if the locals knew a good place to eat. Always a good idea in my book. The guy there recommended Uncle Buck's because it would be family friendly. So, Uncle Buck's it was. It was fun to go to a different kind of place and see how the locals were. (I know it wasn't like we were in a different country or anything, but Luray is much more southern than Leesburg.) We made sure to ask the waitress for recommendations. Trevor got the prime rib, Robyn and Michael got the BBQ pulled pork sandwich, and I got the crab cakes (the kids shared a hot dog... exciting huh?). We all decided we had to try the fried green tomatoes. They were delicious. I had never had one before. I think we all left really full and satisfied.

 

a goodbye hug for Emery

Moo Baa La La La!

Do you know this book? It is by Sandra Boynton. We didn't have it growing up, but Michael did. Michael's parents introduced it to my kids... and they love it! It is definitely a worn book and it has only been through two kids. It might just be one of those books that I need two copies of. Anyway, Miriam has the book memorized and decided to read it to Simon tonight. Lucky for you I took a video:

Tall and Skinny...

...just like his Dad. We went to the doctor today for Simon's 15 month check-up. He has lost a lot of weight from all the running around he does now. He is about 24 pounds (it was hard to get an accurate reading because he wouldn't hold still) and 32 inches tall. That is the 25th-50th percentile for weight and 75th percentile for height. No surprise on my end.

Simon is the king of getting himself stuck in weird places. The picture below only represents one of the times he got stuck under the table at my parents house. I have no idea how he got in there and why he didn't learn the first time. Because of all his maneuvers one of his new words is "stuck", go figure. He thoroughly enjoys his new found freedom of walking/running/climbing everywhere.

Simon's vocabulary is growing everyday. It is really funny to see him try to copy words we say. Miriam was never really a mimic-er, so this is new to me. He loves animals and animal sounds. He brings me a book and asks for the animal he knows is on a page in that book. He favorite animals include camel, llama, and cow.

I am amazed at how quickly kids learn during this stage of life. One example that comes to mind; before we left for Utah Simon didn't really understand how to use the iPad. Now if you open his game for him he can push the animals he wants to see very precisely... and he isn't even 18 months old yet.

I sure enjoy being Simon's mom. He is an amazing little boy. The fun never ends.

Discovery Gateway

On Friday I met up with a great friend and her daughter at the children's museum. Emily and I go way back to the Ohio days when we were just ten years old. I was so happy to find out that she had moved to Utah a couple of months ago which allowed us to get together. I think our kids had a lot of fun. A definite favorite was the helicopter they had up on the roof.

The downside to the museum was the amount of kids running around. I didn't get to take nearly as many pictures as I would have hoped, for fear of losing the kids. I lost sight of Simon a couple of times which was enough to freak me out. I even found him stuck behind a wall at one point. My biggest picture regret was not snapping a shot of me and Emily... I always have great intentions.

Went to the Zoo

On Thursday Robyn and I took our kids to the zoo. We got there as soon as it opened, which was good for three reasons. First, there were not too many people yet. Second, we beat the heat. The morning was nice and it didn't feel too hot until right before we left. Last, the animals were pretty active in the morning. We got to see so many of them walking around before hiding in the afternoon heat.

We had quite the caravan with two strollers and a wagon. Thank goodness for Devon who pulled Miriam and Garrett around in the wagon all day.

We saw elephants, bears, and tigers. Miriam and Simon loved seeing the animals so active.

We couldn't leave a day at the zoo without a ride on the carousal and train. Miriam and Simon has so much fun with their cousins, and uncle, at the zoo.

Braswell Family Pictures

Getting the family together always means family picture time. The main objective was for my Mom to be able to refill her frames with current pictures so we opted to do the photography ourselves. Now let me just break right here and let you know that it is nearly impossible to get a good shot of my family. I think we are jinxed. There is always someone not looking, blinking, making a face, or trying to talk... We never get a great shot of everyone. This being said, I don't think we did half bad. Here is what we captured the night we took pictures.

My Cute Kids

Michael and Vanessa

Our Family

Braswell Family Siblings

The Braswell Bunch

(sorry Robyn I totally stole your saying)

Airplanes!

Yesterday I took the kids to the Air Force Museum at Hill Air Force Base. It was good for the kids to get out and run around. They loved seeing all the airplanes, especially the big ones. Laura and Ashley were kind enough to come with me and help me chase the kids.

While we were inside Miriam decided to teach us all she knows about airplanes. We were a good audience for little teacher Miriam.

Here is a video of her "speech". It is cute, even if you can't hear her very well... you get the point.

a few random pictures

I am almost caught up on all we have done while we have been in Utah... one more post after this one.

Union Station:

At the park:

We are having so much fun with my family. Miriam and Simon love playing with cousins and being spoiled by aunts, uncles, Grandma, and Grandpa.