Summer Stuff

Summer's in full swing!
Parker started summer day camp at YMCA Camp Thunderbird
and spends his days swimming, fishing, canoeing,
shooting arrows & rifles, careening down a zip line, and getting very dirty.

The annual Taste of India Festival was last weekend
and we FINALLY didn't forget to go this time.

There were a TON of dance performances.

I could have watched it for a long time--
there was so much bling on the saris and bright shiny fabrics, it was mesmerizing.

But I had to take a break for the FOOD!
This pineapple cream cake was like heaven.

It's funny how Indian food always looks like nasty baby food, but tastes incredible.

These little potato patties were crazy good!

This lady decided to just grin and bear all my picture taking.

The outdoor concerts are plentiful this time of year.
Jeremy's cover band had one last week and drew a pretty good crowd.

That's my baby!

Hooray for Fathers

Happy Fathers' Day to Jeremy!

Technically, a new lawn mower wasn't his present,
but we bought it the night before and were pretty elated about it, so here it is.

That's right, Jeremy is a father so dedicated
that he is teaching his son to mow the lawn even on his special day!

We visited the rest of the family later that day,
where Jeremy switched roles to Super Uncle/Teething Ring.

Here's another awesome dad in action!
Hudson apparently loves to be carried around the house like this all day long.

Lily & Angela

It's official--Parker is now taller than one of his aunts
(don't let the height of Angela's sunglasses fool you).

Aaaaand one of his Grandmas!

Hudson, Isaac & Katie, as we said goodbye for their big move!
They are now residents of the Lynchburg, VA area.

The Sound of Music

Parker's second (and final) band performance of the year took place last night.

Grandma & Grandpa Hancock came all the way down to see it!
These videos are kind of hilarious,
but you had to be there to appreciate how
these beginning band students had never before
read a piece of music or even picked up an instrument
before they took this class.

His enthusiastic, patient band instructor, Mr. Huggins,
beamed with pride at how hard the students had worked this year!

Hiiii-YAH!

A couple of months ago, Parker enrolled
in an after-school program at Martial Arts World
to learn Tae Kwon Do and some mixed martial arts.

Two weeks ago was his first belt test!

Among other things, Parker had to break a board with his foot.
We were pretty surprised to see him do it on the first try!

He's glad to trade in his white belt
for the most prestigious yellow!

Celebrating with ice cream, of course!

Why Richmond is Awesome

Adam & Heather came to visit over Easter weekend,
and they got to see it for themselves:

the awesomeness that is Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens!

Twitterpaited!

That's right!!!!BLUE ORCHIDS!!!! The coolest flower EVER!!!

Oooooh

Ahhhh

I think the best part might have been the adorable
BUNNIES, though!

The Kitchen Saga Continues

So this was the "temporary" new linoleum floor
that we put in after we moved in.
It was temporary for about 3 years, uggg.
It was thin and cheap-looking and I hated it so much that I refused to even mop it.
After the cabinet install, it suffered some major damage
and we finally had an excuse to replace it.

Then came the new tiles!

Our kitchen was a disaster for 2 days
while Jeremy cut, measured, and did his thing.
Parker thought it was hilarious
that we kept the fridge in the living room
and the stove in the dining room during the install.

Now the floor is a thing of beauty!

I LOVE LOVE LOVE the rich color and texture.

It's such a yummy brown--a nice contrast to the maple cabinets!

I like the floor so much, I will even mop (occasionally).

Hallelujah

Hopefully, the first of many raw recordings made for the interwebs.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoBy4f-AOvY