Byrd Park and the Mystery Statue

It's 3:18 pm and I'm just now getting a moment to drink my afternoon cup of coffee as the kids nap. I want so badly to nap too. But I also know I haven't blogged in a long time. I need to do this. There is a bag of cheerios in my floor, the pantry cabinets are wide open, an open bag of powdered sugar sits on top of the chair that the kids were using to climb into the pantry. My house is a mess. But it's okay. It's like this everyday at this time. What more can I expect out of a 4 year old, 3 year old and now 10 month old. This is their preschool and it's going to be messy! The cleaning will always be there, just like the laundry will always be there. So I choose to ignore the mess for a moment and blog instead. It's good to remember and reflect on all these beautiful pictures.

Most recently, I decided to go exploring the city of Richmond with Tiny and my good friend Chelsea. Chelsea brought along her little boy and all the joy she has for life. She was ready to go exploring
with me, packing her Gatorade and walking shoes. I, on the other hand, don't ever seem to come prepared. So sandals would have to do and an off brand coke for our stroll. I told Chelsea I had never been to Byrd Park and was most interested in finding the statue of a man who sits on a horse. Not even quite sure we were in the correct location, we set off to find him.

Our journey started at Fountain Lake. With no place in mind to go, we just...went. "Let's walk here, let's walk there. Oh look at these beautiful homes! Wouldn't it be awesome to live there?" Jokingly, we wondered if we could just knock on one of homeowners' doors and ask them what they did for a living.

By accident, we stumbled upon a brick walkway that led to a huge monument. As we got closer, we could see that it was the War Memorial Carillon, a memorial to Virginia's World War I servicemen and servicewomen. It was just beautiful and most definitely full of history.

Chelsea noticed what looked like a stage, so we walked over to that as well. It was the Dogwood Dell, a place where outdoor concerts are often held.

Sadly, we never found the man on the horse but we did end up finding Columbus and a waterfall. We stopped there to take a few photos.

All in all, we had a wonderful morning out exploring just a small part of our wonderful city. There is so much history here and all it takes is just someone willing to go exploring with you. At the end, Chelsea asked me if I wanted to keep searching for the man on a horse. There was just no time left with preschool pick up being right around the corner. But I told her, we would come back and find this mystery statue, together.

Belle Isle



Breathtaking view of the city of Richmond, VA.

I've been tired of the same old parks for play dates lately, so I started the Friday Field Trip. Basically, I find a unique place to visit and ask other mommas to come along  for the adventure.

So I started googling cool parks in the Richmond area and Belle Isle came up. Basically, it's in the city right along the James River. You have to travel on a footbridge to get there. But once we arrived, it was amazing!

My friend Shannon was so excited to be along with me on our journey. She is such a spontaneous person like me, so you can imagine we get along fabulously." My friend Lyn (our tour guide), knew exactly where to go and had so many interesting things to tell us about Belle Isle. She's moving at the end of the month, so this time spent with her was so valuable to me. I'm going to miss her.

Baby Girl wasn't able to join us because she went to her first camp, "Dollie and Me."

 

Parking was tight. But the "Mom Squad" was able to smush our cars in there together.

All the kiddos thinking us moms were crazy for taking a thousand pictures. Say, "Cheese." Love how Baby Boy sits so manly.

Walking on the footbridge which was underneath a huge bridge!

View from the footbridge.

Tiny's face is priceless!



Breathtaking view of the city of Richmond, VA.

View of the James River.

Kayakers enjoying the water. I wanted to be in one of those kayaks so bad!

All the people sunbathing on the rocks.

I had to take this picture for my brother. That is a picture of kids rock climbing over a pond!

 



The kids were so quiet...I guess they were taking it all in.



Kipton and his girlfriend.

Kipton was fascinated with the ducks :) And yes, that's a leash for him. Believe me, its for his own good!!!!

Ms. Lyn and her crew plus Kipton. He was so happy that day!

Splashing in the water while sitting on a rock.

Her face. I could just eat her up!!!! Pure cuteness.

He loved getting his toes wet.

Kipton is such a lady's man.



I think in this picture, I was wishing I was wearing my bathing suit. The water was so warm.

More kayakers. Possible future date night with The Hubs?

Isn't that such a beautiful view of the city on our walk back?

We did it! As you can see, they were all tuckered out. And us mommas were extra proud of ourselves for embarking on an adventure.

 

Always a gentleman with the ladies ;)

Picking up the girls after their special day. Baby Girl is posing with one of her best friends.

Singing a song with their new hairdo's and makeup.

This picture captures what friendship is all about...even if they are only four years old.

Baby Girl got to dress up like Anna :)

Waiting on us to pick them up!