More random photo albums

So, I decided to be less lazy this time. Instead of linking directly to a Facebook album, I resized my ginormous photos and loaded them in. Too many media sources... I wish there was one button I could push that could replicate my photos across the Internet landscape.

We have a new toy! After years of talking about it, we finally broke down and purchased a pop-up camper. We got a great deal for a 2002 Starcraft, and immediately took it out for the weekend. We met the Boyers in Hanging Rock State Park, and a few other folks came up for the day. The weather was perfect.

Our campsite. You can see our camper in the distance. It is lightweight enough that our minivan had no problem towing it along.
Where are my manners? Sadie shows off her banana.

The back of the camper.
One view of the inside. The camper has a queen bed, a king bed, a stove, a sink, and a dinette/sofa area.
A view of the other side.
We decided to name her "Bettie".
Kids seem to like the camper. Redmond joked that he was going to open a day care facility in this thing. Jen is reading a book to Henry, Molly and Claudia, and Sadie is off in the distance contemplating swinging on a bar.
This is Hidden Falls. I think. The falls are starting to run together now. I guess, literally, they eventually do.
Behind Window Falls.
Molly, Alex, Claudia and Josh, behind Window Falls.
Claudia, Brian and Lila. Unfortunately, the Philpott/Valentine clan were unable to camp due to family illness, so Brian came with Lila for the day.

Sadie on the slippery rocks.
Molly, Josh, Sadie and Redmond. I tried not to panic when Sadie navigated the rocks.
The water was wicked cold.
Hidden Falls.

Henry, Sadie and Lila, off to hike.
Alex, Molly and Sadie.
Last weekend, James and Emily paid a surprise visit to the Triangle area. Sadie was thrilled to have a chance to see Pippa and Rowan again, and we headed over to a friend's house for a potluck.

Alex, Molly and Henry appear to be sword-wielding wizards.
Sadie is a harmonica-playing, sword-wielding Viking. This was right before she fell down the stairs and ended up with a boo-boo on her cheek. Note that she already has one boo-boo on her cheek from running into a tree at preschool. She's a klutz like her Mommy.
Sadie as a monster.
Rowan has grown so much! She was just barely one when we last saw her. She looks just like her older sister!
Missy with Josie. She's six months old now. What a cutie!
Alex the wizard.
Pippa is one of the few toddlers her age I know who will actually pose for the paparazzi. Sadie still looks away.
Hailey, Claudia and Pippa.
So, it's Redmond's Lordy, Lordy birthday. I promised I wouldn't take out a "Lordy, Lordy" ad in the newspaper. We have an annual tradition of having Sadie help Redmond blow out the candles on his cake. This year, there are only two candles to blow out- a 4 and a 0!

Mom and Dad came over to help eat the birthday cake- I mean, to help Redmond celebrate. My Dad has lost a ton of weight this year, btw.
I have no idea what game Sadie is playing here, but it's pretty silly!
Dad and Sadie.
Redmond was working on Sadie's baseball skills at the park on Sunday. She hit the ball 2 out of 5 times. She insisted on wearing a dress, so she looks a wee bit silly. BTW, I have to be a stalker for a second here. We had a picnic at the park, and John and Elizabeth Edwards and their family were a couple of picnic benches away from us. Their kid's baseball team was having a huge cookout. I would have snuck a picture, but a few of the parents knew Redmond from his school and came over to chat, and I would have felt a little desperate and weird. Elizabeth looked tired and sad, but I might just be projecting here. I don't want to politicize this blog, as I have family of all political stripes, but I'll just say that I was once rather fond of Edwards, and I tend to not care much about the personal lives of politicians, but what he did to his dying wife was so beyond the pale that even I was turned off.
Random playground pictures...