Browns in Town

Clay's sister Ann and her sweet boy Owen came to visit last weekend. The Browns recently relocated from St Louis to Ft Worth, TX while Ryan does an ENT fellowship specializing in cleft palates for the next year. He is working ALOT so Ann and Owen hopped a plane to the East Coast! We were so excited to pick them up from the airport!

Saturday we headed to Marbles, our favorite kids museum. It was Virginia Ann's first visit and she loved exploring, especially since she is now a girl on the go!

We built houses out of blocks

And played on the pirate ship...

Clay showed that his has a future as a pageant dad :)

Madeline and Owen did some cooking...

Jack found a new sport...

And so did Owen...

And then we realized we should never give Madeline a hockey stick.

We surfed the waves...

And then made waves in the bathtub at the end of the day.

We loved having Ann and Owen here and are excited to see them again soon!

Southern Summer Supper

This magazine inspires me monthly. I also have a fabulous husband who likes to plant a garden and is really good at it so we have a plethora of produce all summer long. For those reasons and because I love an excuse to entertain, we recently had a Southern Summer Supper.

I made deviled eggs for the FIRST time. Yes, I admit it I had never crossed this Southern rite of passage. I really am a true Southern girl but I was raised by Northerners (who quickly realized the error of their ways and moved straight south as soon as they were legal :) and my mom never made deviled eggs. So I never did. But now I have. I was intimidated at first. I even had to call my mother-in-law for advice on how best to boil eggs. She puts the eggs in cold water in a pot, lets the water come to a boil and then takes the pot off the heat and covers it. Lets it sit for at least 10 minutes. Perfect boiled eggs!

Anyway, the deviled eggs were so easy! I would totally make them again but as a good Southerner I must find a deviled egg tray to display them.

To say we have cucumbers in our garden is an understatement.

I have turned them into yummy cucumber salad a few times in the last weeks and this is such a refreshing dish on a hot day!

The garden is also overflowing with squash and zucchini.

So I did a squash casserole taste test. Paula Deen vs Southern Living. Who do you think won?

Clay is a fried okra afficianado aka he can't get enough. Which is good because we have lots. He is the master fryer and I just get out of his way. So he handled the okra. We grilled some chicken and added homemade rolls and the meal was complete. And it was so delicious. There is definitely satisfaction that comes from cooking and eating things you (or your husband) grow in your own backyard.

And for dessert? I tried peach enchiladas. Crescent rolls, peaches, Mountain Dew- how can you go wrong? Find the how to here. They were a big hit!

It was a wonderful evening with great food and great friends!

Happy 4th of July!

We had a great 4th of July here! We started the day going to church all dressed in our red, white and blue!

Then we had our annual block party. I "made" the easiest treats- twizzlers wrapped in scrapbook paper. They were a big hit!

I also made cake pops with my new Cake Pop maker my mom got me. Have you seen it? Kohls carries them but have been sold out for weeks. If you see one, grab it! It makes these cuties so easy! I didn't have a stand for them so I grabbed some scrap wood in our garage and drilled holes in it. I knew that career of playground building would come in handy :)

Virginia Ann- our little sparkler!

Jack was so excited to do the fireworks. We started them early for the kids and then brought out the big ones after bedtime. Someone called the cops but I guess it isn't a good block party til the cops visit!

Madeline had a comfy seat to watch.

Virginia Ann is thinking "please don't push me out!"

Hope you had a great 4th!

Virginia and DC Vacation

We packed up our not so little family and took a trip to Charlottesville and DC. I am not calling it a vacation because, let's be honest, three kids under 5 going anywhere is no vacation. But it was actually a very lovely trip, with pretty well-behaved children, lots of sightseeing and good memories made!

On our way to Charlottesville, we stopped at Hampden-Sydney where Clay's dad- Jim- and brother-Jay went to school. It is a small private all-boys school. Both men were Kappa Alphas so Clay and Jack took a pic in front to send on. We told Jack if he could somehow fund the half a million dollars it will cost in 2024, he can go there. We told Madeline she is never allowed to step foot on the campus after she turns 14 :)

After taking the scenic route through Virginia, we finally made it to Charlottesville and UVA! Jack and Madeline kept calling it Daddy's preschool, the University of Virginia Ann. They were a little confused. Here they are exclaiming "Go Wahoos!"

Virginia Ann loved eating the grass on the Lawn.

We will attach this pic to her application in 2028.

Behind my cute family is a statue of Thomas Jefferson, whose head I cut off. As Jack ran up to the statue this conversation happened:

Clay: Jack, this is Thomas Jefferson. He was a great man.

Jack: No, Daddy, he is a super hero!

Clay: Yes, Jack, yes he was!

And I pretty sure Clay had tears running down his face:)

We had a great dinner at Mellow Mushroom with our friends, the Snows. It was fun to catch up and let the kids run around in the park across the street. We spent the night in the Doubletree where the kids loved the yummy cookies, indoor pool and HUGE hot tub that was included in the honeymoon suite we were upgraded to. Nothing says "honeymoon" like three kids but we were appreciative of the extra room!

We got up the next morning and headed to DC. We stayed in a great Embassy Suites in Crystal City. Embassy Suites is the BEST hotel for families with little ones. It has great space and also a fabulous made to order breakfast- omelets, waffles, fruit and my favorite- an all you can drink and take with you fountain diet coke machine! Clay was convinced that there was a "splash park" near the hotel. He clearly remembered jumping in fountains some 10 years ago with some "friends" and got the kids all excited. We let them walk in their bathing suits to the park. We found the fountains but there was nothing legal about getting in them. Madeline was not happy! But everyone we passed had a smile on their face after seeing her in her suit!

Besides the breakfast and riding the elevators, the Metro was a highlight for the kids. Our hotel was right next to the stop to we took it over to DC a bunch. Can I say how much I love the Metro? Clean, easy, fast- love it! We headed to Natural History first and Jack was beside himself!

Virginia Ann was a happy camper too! You can take this girl anywhere!

I am pretty sure this face isn't supposed to happen til 13.

After our visit we hung out on the grass and Virginia Ann enjoyed her first street pretzel.

Jack and Mad got bomb pops. While I HATE the sit and stand stroller bc it is so hard to steer, it worked out quite well toting all three around town.

That night we had a great dinner in Georgetown with Clay's brother Jordan, wife Kristy and their new baby, Davis. We ate Thai food outside by the water and then walked to Sprinkles Cupcakes and indulged in their blueberry lemon cupcake- amazing!!!

The next morning we went to Eastern Market to eat their famous blueberry pancakes for breakfast and then headed to Air and Space. Both kids loved this one!

That afternoon, my friend and former co-worker, Steve Miller, stopped by the hotel for a visit. Steve might be the funniest person I know and he didn't disappoint with the kids. There were giggles all around. I love this pic of Steve telling Jack about the "rocket" that he is building at his house. Jack still asks to go see the rocket!

Madeline was in love with her new cousin, Davis.

Jordan and Kristy blessed Davis at church on Sunday and we loved that we got to be a part!

Councill Men

On the way home, we stopped in Richmond to my cousins Sean and Mindy. Our kids loved playing with theirs and it was a great break from the car!

We had a great time but were happy to be back in our house and our beds. We are so thankful for family to visit and our nation's capital and all it has to offer!