Domesticity

This morning Logan and I drove down to Raleigh, North Carolina, traded in our green Subaru, and bought ourselves a sweet mini van! We're very excited about it. And yes, I know you can technically fit two car seats in a sedan/wagon, but we know that we're most likely going to have more kids, we often travel with other people (Nanna and Papa primarily), and we like SPACE, so a mini van is our car of choice. Plus the green Subaru was starting to get a bit finicky...if we waited too long, the trade-in value would be too low to make it a bargaining piece. We found a really good deal on a Dodge Caravan SXT--it's got all sorts of bells 'n whistles, but was still in our price range.

Sadly, we did not take the "Dave Ramsey" approach on this purchase....but we're still excited! Our mini van is super cool. No joke.

All the seats can be stored in the floor! (Stow 'n Go)

It has a DVD player, GPS, and automatic doors
(they're fun to play with)

It's color is called "Champaign". It's sparkly...

Papa's Birthday (a belated post)

So...Papa's birthday was over a week ago, and I still haven't posted the pictures from his "party"! The Thursday before his actual birthday we surprised him with a cake and his present, the reason being that Logan really wanted him to use his present on Friday. You see, Papa recently took up racquetball (which is a really big thing on this campus among the staff/faculty), and he'd been hinting strongly that he wanted a new racquet. Logan did a ton of research, and found a really good racquet for a good price, and (with Nanna's help, of course) was able to get Papa all sorts of nifty accessories, like a racquet bag, racquetballs, a glove, athletic shirts, shorts, and a sweatband (see image below). He seemed to really enjoy his present, and claimed that his game was much improved the next morning!

Papa and his new racquet

All the "loot"

On his actual birthday we took a drive to Lewisburg, WV, and stopped by the Greenbriar, the Homestead, and the actual town of Lewisburg (where we ate dinner). Below is an image of a nifty old building we saw there (along with two handsome fellas!)

And, for those who are interested, Papa's birthday serenade!

Riding a Camel

On Wednesday night Logan, Tommy, Nanna, Papa and I went to the Rockbridge County Fair. It was free admission (sweet!) and we had a fun time wandering around seeing the sights. We went to the 4-H barn and saw the goats, sheep, pigs and cows, and stopped by the music tent to hear a blue-grass group groove (Tommy really liked that). Tommy also had the opportunity to ride a camel (wow!), and he's been talking about it ever since (all you can really discern is the word "camel", but he obviously thought it was fun!). And, of course, there was funnel cake. Delicious funnel cake. The reason fairs have to happen every summer. Mmm mmm good!

Listening to the blue grass band (Tommy is actually the one that stopped US here. He decided to sit down and listen for about ten minutes.)

Riding the camel with Daddy. Weee!!

Meeting the camel

(They actually gave Tommy animal crackers to feed the camel. Logan found this a bit disturbing, saying "Animals eating animal crackers? We don't eat people crackers!" But we do eat elf crackers covered in chocolate.)

Hiding in the 4-H barn

A view of the fairgrounds

We had a great time! I look forward to going again next year :-)

Funny Pictures

These photos were posted on Mom's blog, but I find them entertaining enough to be reposted here. They were taken on July 4th at our BBQ, and show, me, Carolena Graves and Cami Cooper in different stages of pregnancy (I'm due first, then Carolena in September/October, then Cami in October).

The three pregnant ladies: Emilie, Carolena, and Cami

Our very supportive husbands

The expectant couples

Fireman's Carnival

To our surprise, this week Buena Vista hosted a "Fireman's Carnival" to raise money for the Buena Vista Volunteer Fire Department. It was more elaborate than I would have guessed, with rides, a petting zoo, and (of course) cotton candy and funnel cakes! We took Tommy down on Thursday, and it was fun seeing him take it all in. He really loved the petting zoo, and even got to feed a camel! We also took him on the merry-go-round and a kiddie boat ride, which he loved, and after he finished each one he'd shout "Again! Again!" Sadly, the budget didn't allow for too much riding of rides, but at least he had his first taste of cotton candy :-)

Feeding the animals

Riding the boat ride with Mommy (who barely fit)

On the Merry-go-round with Daddy

July 4th

Yesterday was Independance Day (although we never got around to watching the movie). Logan and I had a barbeque at our house, and much fun was had! Thank you to the Graves' for cooking, my parents for bringing the delicious watermelon, and the Coopers for putting up with our crazy Trivial Pursuit antics. It was so funny to watch Tommy and Josh together! They're goofy kids.

I even remembered to take pictures of the event to prove that Logan and I were being social (something we haven't been doing much of lately).

An ideal day for a barbeque...cloudy, but warm. Thank goodness the rain stayed away until after the fireworks!

I'm not sure why we all look so confused...but I'm sure there's a reason.

Tommy's first sparkler!

Josh and a sparkler...shortly before getting burned! (I feel so bad for him! I hope he's not scarred for life...)

More Boxerwood

Tommy went back to Boxerwood with his friend Josh Cooper, so I thought I'd post some more pictures! They're very cute :-)