This just in – Lia won an Emmy award for her work on Virginia State University’s VSU Today television program!

Joe and I are so proud… that’s our girl!

We stayed local this weekend, hitting up Petersburg for the monthly Friday for the Arts and taking in some terrific Indian food and the Virginia Historical Society on Saturday.

My favorite restaurant in Richmond right now is Noorani Kabab House. We tried some puri, a simple fried bread, and halva, a sweet, grainy dessert. Both were terrific, and the people there are super.

As always, more photos are a click away over there ->

Joe on a former Richmond streetcar at the Va. Historical Society.

Joe with our friend Sarah Melissa in Petersburg. She set up her spinning wheel on the sidewalk and showed passing kids how to kick it old school.

FIVE!

FOUR!

THREE!

TWO!

ONE!

ZERO!

Joe turned five today! We’ll have photos up soon. In the meantime, here’s his last day as a four year old:

It’s getting hot in Virginia. We’re looking forward to the pool at Fort Lee and maybe hitting the beach a few times, but for now Joe is tearing up the water table.

A huge thanks to everyone who donated to help replace playground equipment at Flora Hill Park in Colonial Heights, Va. All of you are now officially part of Team Joe.

Together the team has raised more than $1,800. That’s a very big deal, and we can’t thank you enough. We hope to see many of you for the Sunshine 5K on June 22, and hope you’ll join us for cupcakes right after the run to celebrate a job well done and Joe’s fifth birthday.

Here’s our team logo, which will be featured on the official 5K t-shirt.

Go Team Joe!

I got a new little camera, specially designed for harsh conditions. But will it stand up to Joe’s growing curiosity?

Joe and I are getting ready for next month’s Sunshine 5K in Colonial Heights. Today we did a few miles at Petersburg National Battlefield, our favorite place to run together.

See the previous post if you want to run with us next month.

A HUGE thanks to everyone who has contributed to helping Joe build a new playground! The response has been incredible – we hope to see many of you at the 5K on June 22 so we can thank you personally. We’ll be celebrating Joe’s 5th birthday right after the race. Let us know you’re coming so we can save you some cake!

Here are some ways to join Team Joe:

1. Sponsor Joe! He’ll be rolling the 5K courtesy of Dada.

2. Sponsor the race itself!

3. Run with Joe! Register online or by mail. Extra cake if you beat him.

Joe is turning 5 soon! To celebrate, and to help raise money for a new community playground, we’re inviting you to join Team Joe for a 5K run/walk on June 22.

After the disappointment of seeing our neighborhood playground fall to pieces, we are focusing our efforts on raising the funds to rebuild it. A new playground would not only replace the structure that local kids had been enjoying, it would also meet current ADA standards to make it more fun for kids like Joe. (When this one’s done, we’ll start setting our sights on a truly accessible — not just ADA-compliant — playground somewhere else in the city. Baby steps!)

The city’s Parks & Rec staff have organized a 5K fundraiser to help pay for the equipment. To support that effort, we are establishing a “Team Joe” so that friends and family can join in!

Here are some ways to join Team Joe:

1. Sponsor Joe! He will be running the race in his usual style — kicked back in a stroller while Dada does the pushing. A donation in any amount will let him present a check to be proud of!

2. Sponsor the race itself! If you own a business and would like to advertise your support of the effort, sponsoring the race can get your name on T-shirts and other race materials.

3. Run with Joe! Complete your own registration (online or with the printed form) and come join us for the run on June 22. If you let us know you’re coming, Joe will share his birthday cake with you when it’s over!