Millie's First Birthday

Happy first birthday to fluffiest, happiest girl in the world!  "Doodle" is the perfect word to describe you.  You're silly and affectionate, sweet and joyful, and we love you to pieces!  You add so much to our family, Millie, and fill our days with snuggles, kisses, and puppy love:

Pupcake for our birthday girl! 

Tearing the tissue paper is the most fun part of opening gifts!

Tubing and Waterfalls

There's been lots of weekend water fun for our family lately.  Last Saturday, we went tubing on the Dan River.  This was a great way to beat the heat, and it was a beautiful and relaxing morning.  We floated several miles down the "Dirty Dan" (nicknamed for the sediment that gives the river its brownish color).  Unlike our tubing adventure in PA several summers ago when the kids' tubes were tethered to ours with ropes, L&L were completely independent this time!  

At one point, a duckling started swimming directly toward our tubes.  He seemed to have become separated from his brood and decided that we were his new family.  He swam along side of us for a long time, and I was a bit concerned about how we were going to explain the tubing company how we ended our adventure with a duckling in tow.  We named him "Dan" of course, and eventually he swam off to find other friends, but his presence proved quite entertaining for a significant part of our trip:

Another fun water adventure was last Saturday's hike at Hanging Rock State Park to Lower Cascades Falls.  This waterfall is simply breathtaking, and the kids splashed around in the pool and slid down the rocks by the falls: 

The pictures don't adequately capture the glory of the falls.  They are peaceful and majestic, and a bit of heaven right in our own NC backyard.  What a blessing to be able to enjoy God's creation during this time!

SkyWild

Today the kids and Mark conquered the SkyWild treetop adventure park at the Greensboro Science Center.  SkyWild lies high above the Discovery Zoo at GSC and contains over 60 animal-inspired challenges on seven different courses.  The beginner, intermediate, and advanced courses have varied levels of intensity and are comprised of zip lines, suspension bridges, climbing, and ropes challenges.  

The picture above perfectly captures life right now.  We're attempting to fill the kids' summer with interesting and safe experiences (amidst a global pandemic) and we were pleased to find out that Skywild required masks and had separate sign up times for each group.  Our family had the first time slot for the day, and as we walked through the empty zoo, we were led directly to the Sky Wild check in by this gorgeous feathered friend:

It really was remarkable that the peacock meandered along the path to the check in area and then dropped us off there:

My crew suited up in their harnesses and safety gear and set off for the base tower, while I looked on from below.  Sidenote: I think one of Luke's favorite parts about wearing a mask is not having to smile for pictures 😉:

SkyWild's policy states that kids under 10 should be accompanied by an adult, but when the guides saw Leah killing it on the course (she was a BEAST!), they told Mark, "She's fine!  You don't need to try to keep up with her, Dad."     Ha Ha! 

Luke completed the courses all by himself and did an amazing job.  He loved all of the different obstacles and challenges and it was so much fun to watch him:

This "spiderweb" in the trees was really neat challenge.  Here's our very own Spiderman Daddy:

She may be tiny, but she's mighty:

Penguin Walk on Advanced Course #1:

Mark between green and yellow penguins

Luke in the same position on the course. 

This structure was also part of the advanced course and goes right over one of the zoo walkways.  Partway through this course, Luke shouted down, "I don't want to do this anymore!", which zoo patrons within earshot found hysterical.  I shouted up to him, "There's no other choice, Buddy!".  He quickly rebounded and was very proud to complete the very difficult advanced challenges!

Luke waaayyy up high.

Peanut!

This picture is like "Where's Waldo", but captures how beautiful (and high!) Skywild is.  Leah is in the center of the photo standing on the middle circular rope, and Mark is hanging on to the green rectangle in the right top corner of the photo:

After two hours on the course, all 3 of my loves were hot, sweaty, and exhilarated.  They are already planning their next trip there and had the best time.  SkyWild for the WIN!

Sweet Summertime

This summer looks different than most due to COVID-19.  None of the kids' camps (soccer, basketball, robotics) are happening, and our church cancelled VBS.  We figured out a way to safely see all sets of grandparents in June, and this was a huge highlight for us (after a spring of isolating at home).  We're filling our summer days with lots of outside activities, and continuing to find the joy in a slower pace with more time to explore.  The farm on our country road that had tulips this spring also planted a giant field of sunflowers for the first time, and one afternoon, the kids and I picked sunflowers to deliver to friends and neighbors:

Bean and Poppy visited and we took them blueberry picking at nearby Blueberry Hill.  We made blueberry pie, blueberry crisp, smoothies, and blueberry-lemon bundt cake with our enormous bucket full of ripe, delicious berries:

These little chefs also learned how to make no-knead bread with Poppy, and we've baked it several times since.  This was a fun and yummy activity for everyone!

When grandparents bring water balloons to your house, it's at your own risk for balloon toss and getting wet!

As you can see, Millie was convinced that her grandparents came just to see her, and this was her preferred spot for the weekend.  Fluffiest lap dog ever!

B&P's visit happened to fall on Father's Day weekend, so we snapped a family photo as we celebrated our amazing Winterhoff dads:

Father's Day presents 

Mark and the kids made a "squirrel picnic table" for Poppy, to help him with his ongoing backyard battle with those pesky birdseed thieves!  If you can't beat 'em, join 'em, and we hope the squirrels enjoy "Poppy's Cafe":

(Poppy sent us this picture the following week of the picnic table being put to good use!)

Another summer sweet spot was our trip to SC at the end of June to celebrate Grandpa's birthday weekend with him:

We wanted to stay away from the crowds at Myrtle Beach, so we went exploring a little further south for the first time.  We discovered Litchfield Beach and Pawley's Island, and had three amazing days at these much less busy beaches.  My family teased me because I kept saying how "cute" both places were:  

On the way home from Grandpa's, we stopped at Johnson's Peaches for a surprise.  This farm stand/orchard is a mecca for NC/SC people who travel hours in the summer to taste their fresh peach ice cream.  It's right on the way home for us, and the kids were delighted by our impromptu stop.  I couldn't get them to look up and smile for this picture as they were so enamored with their ice cream:

At home, we've started going to the pool.  This summer, there is a sign up for our pool, and each family can choose two time slots per week with a cap on the number of people allowed at each time.  Deck chairs have been removed, there are no toys/floats allowed, and lifeguards sanitize all surfaces every 15 minutes.  I wasn't sure if it would feel comfortable or be fun with all the restrictions, but so far, it has been the closest to activity to feeling "normal" that we've done.  On some days, we practically have the place to ourselves, and it's a great summer activity for the kids and me during the week.  Mark is still working from home, and we are thankful that he's safe/not exposed to the virus at work:  

Click on this video to see Leah perform her newly mastered back dive:

Leah also bought a tent with her own money, and has been sleeping in this all summer.  She reads and plays in it during the day, and "camps out" each night.  It's the perfect summer purchase, and she loves it so much!

So, we are embracing sweet summertime, even as it proves unique and different than we envisioned.  To everything, there is a season, and we are soaking in these summer days!