Bowling Truck

The elementary school does a unit on bowling in PE each year. They learn the rules, practice in the gym and then go out to the rented bowling truck to practice. The bowling truck is something we had never seen before! It sits out in the school parking lot for a week for the kids to practice and then it rolls away to the next destination.

It is only one lane, but everyone gets to watch you bowl. It plays really loud music and has lights along the ceiling and on both sides of the lane. It has automatic pin set up and ball return just like real life. Wouldn't this be fun in your own driveway? You would be the most popular house in the neighborhood for a few days!

Love,

4Vs

Halloween Festival

Each year Gracie's school has a Halloween festival. Grace's favorite part is the cake walk. She has made a pumpkin cake each year for the cake walk.

Here is the 2010 submission! It was one of the first cakes to be picked as a prize for the cake walk. Grace and MB had a great time making it and decorating :)

Love,

4Vs

Elementary School Run

Each year the local elementary schools have a can food drive and a fitness run. Bob and Shirley were here last year for the race. It was rainy, cold and miserable. Luckily, this year the weather was perfect. We only had one runner this year since it is just for the elementary kids.

Here comes Grace on her first pass! Very happy and moving right along!

Here is Grace's good friend Elizabeth in the home stretch. She is very fast and came in third overall!

Here is our favorite runner in the home stretch! Still very happy and easily completed her mile in around 9 minutes. Run Gracie Run!

Love,

4Vs

Autumn in Virginia

It is definitely Autumn in Virginia. My favorite tree in the neighborhood is changing colors!

I think it is a red leaf maple.

This morning almost all the leaves are gone. My neighbor spent most of yesterday raking and bagging. It was beautiful while it lasted!

Love,

4Vs

More Virginia history on Columbus Day!

After a busy morning at Mount Vernon, we came home to hang out and relax at the house. Soon after we got home, we noticed the police at our neighbor's house.

The neighbor had been working on her fence and re-dug a post hole for the fence. While digging, she came across a small, round metal ball. Her kids dug it the rest of the way out and were walking around showing it to the neighbors when a Dad realized that it looked a whole lot like a cannon ball. After a short discussion, they called the police for help.

Sure enough, they had dug up an old, unexploded civil war cannon ball. The EOD- the explosive ordinance team- from Fairfax County came out in full explosion gear to handle it. We were all confined to our houses while they took a look. In the end, it turned out to be real, but probably not likely to blow up. Still, the bomb squad took it away to blow up somewhere safe. Virginia history right in our own neighborhood!

Love,

4Vs

Daisy's Mt Vernon Favorites

Daisy has her own list of favorite places at Mount Vernon. First is always the pig pen. One of the workers picked up a baby pig while we were there. The baby squealed and squealed while the momma grunted in alarm. We thought Daisy was going to pass out from excitement!

Mr. Bull was not happy to make Daisy's acquaintance. Not surprisingly, Daisy was terrified to meet him as well. When he turned those horns toward her, she backed away from the fence fast!

She was happy to snooze all the way home in the back of the van.

Love,

4Vs

Columbus Day at Mt Vernon

We took the chance to take the family- including Daisy- to Mount Vernon on Columbus Day. We all enjoy wandering the grounds and seeing if anything is new.

There were lots of people in character out on Monday. Here, Gracie is posing with George Washington's personal physician and his wife. We avoided any awkward questions about him accidentally bleeding George Washington to death, but we thought about it!

Gracie found Thomas Edison hanging out on a bench in the shade. He was thrilled to meet her and told her that George and Martha were waiting to meet her in the main house. Sadly, George and Martha don't allow Daisy into their house, so we did not get to see them this time!

Love,

4Vs

Silly Grace

Grace and Elizabeth enjoyed the Geico gecko hand fans at Oktoberfest.....

They also enjoyed several rides on the carousel!

Love,

4Vs

Oktoberfest at Fort Belvoir

We were happy to attend Oktoberfest at Ft Belvoir this year. The grown ups in the family were happy to find a spot in the giant beer tent, drink various beers and listen to a couple of German bands for hours. Mike made close friends with the drunks down the table from us and had a great time!

Brock and Grace and the neighbor kids got wrist bands to ride all the rides at the Oktoberfest carnival.

A good time was had by all!

Happy Oktoberfest! Oompa!

4Vs

Mike visits Mt. Rushmore

Mike recently traveled to Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota, for a conference. He worked hard for a couple of days. On his last evening, he got to visit Mount Rushmore. He got some great pictures!

He said, on the whole, it was smaller than he expected. He was also surprised by all the tourist attractions just outside the national park.

Overall, he was thrilled to have a chance to visit!

Love,

4Vs

Backyard Visitors

We have a couple of deer that visit the area behind our house each evening. We are completely charmed!

Daisy is not as charmed. She thinks they might be dangerous and proceeds to howl each time she sees them... Fun for everyone!

Love,

4Vs

On the Pitch with Georgetown!

Northern Virginia has brought many things into our lives- a better appreciation of American History, the chance to visit lots of historical sites, improved our abilities to drive with some seriously aggressive drivers, youth swimming, travel basketball and RUGBY! While Gracie is still our only rugby player, as a family, we are hooked!

Mike and Brock went with our neighbors to watch a rugby game at Georgetown University in downtown DC. They had a great time!

The scrum!

I don't even know what this is called, but it looks like fun!

We are still learning the rules and plays in the game, but we had a good time.

Love,

4Vs

Views from the Old Post Office

We made a family visit to the Old Post Office Pavilion on Pennsylvania Avenue a couple of weekends ago. They have a bell tower that they allow people to visit and it has some great open air views of the city.

A view of the Washington Monument across a sea of federal buildings...

The bells are called the Congress Bells. They are a gift from Great Britain and are replicas of the bells in London's Westminster Abbey. They only ring them at the opening and closing of Congress annually and on special occasions and national holidays. They practice once a week, so we will have to plan a trip to hear them play!

Love,

4Vs

First Day of School!!

The first week of school is here! Brock is very excited about starting Irving Middle School. He has been to orientation, got a locker, got a schedule, got a PE uniform and even went to a "trial" day where he rode the bus, visited each class for 10 minutes and rode the bus home. He is READY!

There are about seven boys in the neighborhood who walk out together to catch the bus- so he is in good company! Good luck Brock!

Gracie is striking her 4th grade pose on the porch. She is glad to move upstairs to the big kid area of the elementary school- 4th/5th and 6th are all upstairs at Rolling Valley Elementary. She has Ms. Davis for 4th grade and likes her a lot. She has been practicing multiplication and division flashcards like crazy and is is ready to go! Good luck Gracie!

Of course, no school year is complete with a Brock and Gracie together picture. Unfortunately, Brock starts school about an hour before Grace. Now we have two breakfast and get ready shifts at the Vaughn house- Brock leaves at 7:25 and Grace leaves around 8:40. To get the first day of school sibling picture, Brock snuck into sleeping Gracie's room and we snapped a picture while she snoozed! (No one wants to wake a sleeping Gracie!)

Happy New School Year!

Love,

4Vs