Fun with Kiddos & Alligator Lake

So as I have mentioned before - I'm a wanderer. 

But today, the adventure was a little more exciting. 

A few weeks ago I was riding my bike alongside the road, and I noticed a big path going into the woods. This is about a mile away from our house, and I thought 

"Hmm, I wonder what's back there."

Here it is, weeks later, and I decided it was time to take a little stroll over there. I parked my bike in the weeds and I began walking. The first thing I noticed was the I-Kid-You-Not gazillion mushrooms.

But then I noticed it - 

the lake

Yes, I found a hidden lake. And I cannot even begin to explain to you the rate my heart was rabidly beating. With every step, I was worried,

"what if I get caught?"

"am I trespassing?"

But, I went for it, and I kept walking. 

It's funny, you know, because in that moment I was just thinking to myself, "ahaha, it'd be really funny if I saw an alligator" AND I KID YOU NOT

I LOOK UP AND OH

HEY LOOK

IT'S A FREAKING ALLIGATOR

This is me in this moment:

NO, NO, BAD BAD ABORT ABORT ABORT

and I was literally shaking soooo bad, I couldn't even keep the camera steady. This was amazing, it was exhilarating. And I was worried I'd die. But I kept on moving.

Oh, big mistake, I was several feet away from three smaller gators, and in the distance I could see another. I was done... it was time to go home, and I was glad I got home, because Joshua & I played with our friends, Savannah and Cameron. 

We had a fun time, and afterwards, it was the potluck!

Sleepover at the Library

For the end of the Summer Reading Program at the library, they held a Sleepover (from 8pm-8am) at the library!

"Shake your Booty"

Myself, and my friend Meghann volunteered to help out with all the nights activities (and of course, to participate as well!)

In total, 51 people spent the night at the library. Of course, that number does include some parents, considering some of the younger kids needed a guardian there as well.

I haven't had this much fun in a long time! The library had a room called "the movie room" which is where they had a non-stop reel of movies playing all night - this is where the snacks and most the kids hung out in.

In the 'teen section' of the library was a video game center (the place my brother hung out for the majority of the night.) and spread out through the library was even craft tables and games!

one of the games. the objective is to try and throw
cheese puffs on your partners head.

If you thought all that wasn't enough, we even had an "Olympics"! playing different games/events during the night, sigh as "CUPPONG" or "Angry Birds". At the end of the Olympics, the kiddos with the highest scores got little awards.

Craft table

real life angry birds!

At the end of the night, once most of the other kids went to bed, Meghann, myself, and a few other kids decided to have a game of hide-and-seek in the dark library. It was literally a dream come true.

Having freedom in the library to run around and scream was exhilarating, I loved having the opportunity to help out and also be involved in the fun as well!

MOVIE SCHEDULE

Riverfest

Here in the New River Valley of Virginia they had a small local festival, with many vendors, craft tables, games, live music and food all throughout the day.

The Radford Library had a table set up with crafts and an area with games, so my friend Meghann and I decided to volunteer and were 'helpers' all afternoon. We both enjoyed helping out with the kids and interacting with people, it was a lot of fun! At the gazebo there was local bands playing bluegrass and folk music, occasional we'd jam out and dance to the music! :)

• The Riverfest was put together to bring the community together, helping to support local businesses along with raising money for charity.

Along with the day-long events at the riverfest, there was a "duck race" where you would buy a rubber duckie -the proceeds going to a local organization- and they would toss the ducks off the bridge and into the New River.

It was an exciting race, watching over 600+ ducks float down the river to the finish line! Of course, things didn't go as plan... many of the hundreds of ducks started floating further down the river than they anticipated. Apparently they spent all afternoon trying to round up all of them!

Hair dyeing?

Trash Bag Dresses, the latest fashion!

I had a fabulous time at the DiPietro's house, not only was it a night of fabulous food, movie watching, duck chasing and carrying baby goats, it was a fun sleepover that even included.... hair dyeing? 




Meghann and I are both homeschoolers and have known each other for quiet a long time now. We both see each other often and love hanging out.

Meghann posing, wearing her 'new hat'

Her older sisters were dyeing their hair- My hair is very long and I've been growing it for a long time, so dyeing is something I'd NEVER do, but in this case we're all having such a fun time, and I decided to go for it!

The end result = Vampire Red!

Meghann's house is very cool, not only do they have an old graveyard on their land, they have a flock of ducks, many baby goats, sheep, and at least 9 horses. I bet it's fun living on a farm!

Pink! (though it looks orange in picture)

Summer Reading Program

Unfortunately the Summer Reading Program has come to and end :( I have proudly read 17 books and over 50+ hours this summer, what an accomplishment! We all had so much fun at the library this summer, they offer the greatest programs and are very child and teen friendly. It's a wonderful atmosphere and I've enjoyed myself greatly.

A fantastic program the library offered was learning about Belle the giant green-winged macaw! Did you know that Macaws are able to reach speeds of up to 35 miles per hour? They also have very strong beaks, and can break open a Brazil Nut shell.

We've also learned about Bats, Foxes, Rabbits, and Owls! Joshua and I love animals, I'm glad that we both really learned a lot from these events.

• Did you know what grey foxes can climb trees? I had no idea!

 


And just today there was a teen program, ART DAY. It was so much fun, art is something I am very passionate about, so a day of sitting around sculpting, painting, and coloring is defiantly fun for me!




 
During the summer you received "book bucks" and at the end of the reading program you could use your book bucks at the teen auction/raffle. I bought a tie dye kit and a new book, it was very fun!

Lego's and Soccer!

After our weekly Sign Language Class, we have some extra time to burn before going home. So this week in particular, we took our friend Meghann with us to the library.

You are never too old to play with Lego's! The library is rather refreshing in the summer time, because it is so hot outside!






I also happened to find a Winnie the Pooh stuffed animal, I was very excited!

After such fun at the library, we wandered over to the park for a game of soccer!

Glencoe Museum

I'm always willing to explore new places, and this place in particular is somewhere I've driven by many times, but for some reason our family has never stopped there. This place is called the Glencoe Museum. I actually had no idea what this place was about until we visited it just recently.

• Glencoe gives visitors a fascinating look back at the Victorian way of life during the post-Civil War years. Built by Confederate Brigadier General Gabriel C. Wharton, the house and grounds provide an intimate view of a lost way of life.

I learned a lot from going to the museum, and I'm glad we finally took the trip inside!

The doorways and ceilings are so huge and tall, not to mention all of the many windows of this house, it is so bright inside. My mother said it reminded her of her great-aunt's house :)

A courting chair, how times have changed...

This house was filled with such elegance, and housed many things that seem so foreign but yet at the same time familiar. Many of the things I recognized, and even my mother used when she was a girl.

This house is different from a modern day home- they have a fire place in many of the rooms, also there was no indoor bathroom or running water. Our guide was very informative and answered any questions we had! (We've also seen him before, he works at the local library as well!)

The upstairs had a bedroom, but also had many different kinds of artifacts and information.

We learned about Native American history, and also go to see items the Native American Indians in this area would have used. Another thing we learned about was the Civil War and the railroad history of Virginia.

•  A purple heart. A military decoration for those wounded or killed in action. My grandfather received one of these.

We also ventured downstairs, to a room which is now used as an art gallery, the art shown was quite interesting and I enjoyed looking at the gallery. Before the tour was over, there was one more stop to take- the one room outdoor school house!

The cone of shame...

I really enjoyed our time here at the Glencoe Museum and we all learned so many new things!