We Ditched our Kids....

Yes!!  We did!!  For the first time in 4 years we left them in the care of my parents and Andy and I went out of town and spent two (count them...1, 2!!!) nights away and we LOVED it.  I really shouldn't go on and on or some of you faithful readers would think I don't care for my children, but that would be FALSE.  In fact, being away from them made me realize that I'm crazy about them, but it also made me realize that I'm a fairly (notice my choice of the former word) sane person when I'm away from them for prolonged periods of time. All that to say we had such a nice time away. Thank you mom and dad!!!  :)  

We stayed in a wonderful B&B in Charles Town, WV (where my dad was born) and we did some sight seeing in the area.  It's a lovely, quaint little town with lots of history. The town was begun by George Washington's brother, Charles and he lived there until he died and is now buried there on his estate.  It's also the town where John Brown was tried and executed for treason right before the civil war. Harpers Ferry, WV is right down the road and we absolutely loved the Harpers Ferry National Historical Park....if you ever get a chance to check it out you should.  It was very informative and includes lots of little shops and eateries in the mix, too!

Not really a great place for kids in strollers as there are lots of stairs and hills.  :)  It was a fun day of learning more of our country's history and I hope to go back sometime soon.  

Just to explain the pics....the top one was taken atop the hill in Harper's Ferry (the location of the armory that John Brown and his cohorts were invading in hopes of an uprising of blacks); the second picture is of the marker that stands outside of the home where J.B. was hung (did you know it took more than 30 minutes before they found no pulse....ugh!); the third picture is of the courthouse where he was tried for treason (did you know that the verdict came back in under 30 minutes and was unanimous); the fourth picture was taken part way up the hill in Harper's Ferry....amazing view of the Shenandoah River (the Catholic church you see to the right flew a Union Jack flag during the Civil War as a sign of neutrality.....and as a result it was one of the few churches that was not harmed during the war).  

Have a great week!

Spring is A-Comin'....

Today was such a beautiful day that it's hard not to think that it will be spring TOMORROW!  Oh how I wish.  I've never been one to hate winter (I actually really love winter), but this time of year is when I start wishing the cold would blow away and warmth, color, and chirping would join us again.  I was revisiting some photos from last spring and summer and I came upon this one of Caleb riding the 4 wheeler (looking too cute for words I might add).  My boys love being outside and I LOVE that they love it!  It helps to have a boy cousin next door who loves being out with them.  They all headed out today for a couple of hours where they proceeded to pull up many of my perennials (Will thought he was helping me weed) and they also began spreading dirt from the flower beds onto the sidewalk to "cover up the holes in the sidewalk"....gotta love the helpfulness.  ;)  Spring is right around the corner!  YEEHAWW!