Summer Flowers

Pete and Sam planted the flowers from their Christmas stockings in the flower box, which led to a colorful display throughout the summer:

Unfortunately, Mom could not see the flowers from the kitchen because the window is a little too high.  (This is the diplomatic way of stating it).  But at least now she can see what they looked like on this web page.  Next year the boys will need to find some taller varieties to plat, so Mom can see the tops of them.

Also, their sunflowers grew nicely in Dad's pumpkin garden (better than Dad's pumpkins).

Pohick Bay Family Campout

Pete and Sam enjoyed the family camping trip this summer to Pohick Bay.  It is the first time they camped there in the regular campground.

After setting up camp, they walked on a nice path to the Pirates Cove water park.  When it started drizzling, they headed back to get the campfire started.  They pitched the big family tent and all slept in there.

There was a nice playground across from the site.  Below is Pete atop the climbing apparatus.  See if you can spot the rainbow in the background.

After dinner, they made some firestarters from dryer lint and candle wax.  There was a bit of a ground fire, but nothing to worry about.

In the morning, they played some mini-golf and then headed home.

Lemonade Stand

Although Pete and Sam did not get to do a lemonade stand this year, here is the list for future reference.

Sam Premature 10th Birthday

Sam got to celebrate his 10th birthday quite a few times. The first was with a cake from grandma and grandpa in late November:

And of course a trip the next morning to IHOP.

The above was the legendary breakfast where grandma said "pick a language - spanish, german, or french". We picked german and with a few waves of the hand she said "Guten Tag" and had completed the task. Then we picked French, to which she paused and said "take it, Mel". Then grandpa said "Je m'appelle Mel". The conversation went further South from there.

Virginia Cookie

Dad had fun one day when he volunteered to go into Sam's class at school (Mrs. Staub). Fourth grade is all about Virginia. Below are Arman and Sam working on their Virginia cookie.

Note the detail on the regions, rivers, etc.

Sean Sullivan enjoyed the candy to its fullest extent.

Unfortunately Daria slipped and had to be taken off to the hospital by her Dad for some stitches. Other than that, it was a fun day  for all.

Flag Football Playoffs

Pete was on the Redskins with Coach Mario and Brea this season. They did not win the championship, but (hint hint) it set them up for something special the following year.

The team party  was at Greene Turtle:

Pictured (l-r, t-b) are Elson Hsia, Anthony Cannata, Scott Buermeyer, Colby Buzzelli, Aryan Awal, Adam Love, unknown, and Kevin Madison.

Elson, Pete, and Anthony. They were also in Farmwell band together and stayed with the team in 2014.

Making a Difference 5K

Everyone in the family participated in the "Making a Difference" 5k. It was dedicated to the deceased Principal of Sanders Corner Elementary, Kathy Hwang, who used to be Mom's mentor when she was starting out many years ago.

Dad and Sam ran the 5k in a  respectable time of 33:40. Mom and Pete took a more leisurely pace and finished soon after.

Looks like Sam beat Dad out by a nose. Must be nice to be 34 years younger.

Thanks to Poppy for dropping everyone off and then picking them up for a ride to IHOP!

Into The Woods

Tonight was opening night for "Into The Woods". Pete participated in this play as the narrator, with an excellent cast and crew from the Sterling Playmakers.

Although there were a lot of late-night rehearsals, it was a very rewarding experience for Pete and a most excellent production of which they were all very proud.