Does the summer have to end?

Last weekend Ted and Alex went camping with the Boy Scouts at Newport News Park. They had a great time, the weather was nice and no rain in sight. (This is highly unusual: when Ted goes camping, it rains.) The Boy Scouts hosted a camping weekend with Pack 242's Webelos. They went on bike rides and ran an orienteering course through the woods. Sophia spent the weekend with a friend from school. She attended a horse show and got to see her friend ride in a couple of events. The girls ended up spending the weekend together since Sophia's friend spent the night at our house.

Last Saturday, Matt and I attended a free event called the Hampton Cup Regatta. It was our first time watching power boat racing (think Nascar on water). The event was held on Mill Creek which is between Phoebus (a section of Hampton) and Ft. Monroe. One of the local bridges that connects Phoebus to Ft. Monroe was blocked off and spectators watched the boat racing from the bridge. Matt absolutely loved it!!! I thought it was pretty cool. It was definitely something new to me and I had no idea that both men and women from all over the country (and Canada too) race these kinds of boats. They even had junior races for kids (they can start racing at 9 yrs.). On top of that, there was a car show which Matt also loved.

On Sunday, we visited Norfolk Botanical Gardens. The last time I went there was a couple of years ago, during Christmas when we visited family. They had a really nice holiday light display. But seeing the gardens in full bloom was definitely much better.

There was a special children's outdoor exhibit called the "Enchanted Storybook Forest". The displays were awesome and the kids enjoyed exploring and playing.

Norfolk Botanical Gardens also has a permanent kid friendly area where kids could run through water spouts to cool off. It helps if you bring a towel and a change of clothes.

I enjoyed the butterfly house.

Well, we have less than a week to go before school starts next Monday. Where has the summer gone? It has been a terrific summer for us. We enjoyed traveling and spending time with friends and family who came to visit. We hope that you all are still enjoying the summer break with your families!