August 2014

Edenton, NC

 Thanks again to Mom and Daddy, Kevin and I were able to get away for a couple of days. We went to Edenton, the oldest town in NC. It was the first capital of NC. We went on a walking tour and saw a lot of the older buildings and homes. It is right on the Albemarle Sound so we took lots of walks along the water for the cool breeze.

 The original court house.

 Roanoke River Lighthouse

Visit to the Beach

A visit to see Grandma and Papa Jack always means a visit to the beach as well. We had fun times on the beach and in the boat. I've never been stuck in a down pour on a boat before. I can't say it was fun but it was an adventure and something to remember! Kevin, Papa Jack, and the boys left me and Sarah on an island while they went fishing off the boat. The sky started looking a little dark and the wind picked up. The other people on the island started taking shelter. One guy even mentioned my being stranded out there. I told him not to worry that my father-in-law takes storms near the water very seriously and would be there to get me anytime. About ten minutes before it started raining, the boys were back, the umbrella, sand toys, and stuff was loaded, and we were headed back to the boat ramp. Unfortunately not soon enough. It was pouring, thundering, and lightning all around us. Everything was soaked and the kids were a little freaked out, but we made it back safe and sound!

 

 

Jackson threw the throw net and caught a crab!

 

 Sitting on one of the boat docks in Morehead City.

 There was a cute little park under this bridge in Swasnboro. Just walking under the bridge with cars riding over your head was fun enough!

First Day of School

Sarah started at a new school this year. She is in the preschool program at Burlington Christian Academy. Her first day of school was about a week earlier than the boy's. Jackson is now in the fifth grade and Adam in the first grade at Smith Elementary School.

 Sarah's first day. Her teacher is Mrs. Suzanne. She is in the Shining Stars K3 class.

 Adam's first day. He has Mrs. Campbell.

 Jackson's first day. He has Mrs. Porterfield for homeroom and Mrs. Sharpe for math, and Mrs. Mize for science.

 Adam sitting at his desk.

 Jackson is a safety patrol this year. He arrives at school early every morning and helps open car doors. He also assists at dismissal, too.

Kevin's Birthday

We went to the lake to celebrate Kevin's, Philip's and Val's birthdays.

 Ivey looking cute.

 Julia's not sure about all these people.

 Licking the icing from the candles.

 Cousins!!!!

Can't go to the lake without some swimming and some fishing!

July 2013

Swimming Lessons

We sent Sarah to the "Swim Nazi" this summer for swim lessons. She learned to jump off the diving board and swim to the side of the pool. 

Another Surgery

Sarah had to have her tonsils taken out along with a third set of tubes for her ears. Adam's tonsillectomy was still too fresh in my mind. I feared the worst and should have left those worries behind. Sarah did great! She drank and ate popsicles like a champ. The morning after her surgery she ate a biscuit for breakfast. 

This was after she "woke up". I started off in bed with her but then had to get up to use the bathroom. After that she didn't want anyone on her bed. She sat there watching TV the rest of the day. She would only look away from the TV long enough for me to get a picture! 

Sarah had wonderful nurses throughout her on night stay in the hospital. One nurse was my favorite nurse from Adam's surgery. 

 Here she is the day after getting home playing dress up.

And then the next day swinging at the park. I would say she had an extremely quick recovery!

Panama City Beach, FL

Exactly one week after Sarah's tonsillectomy we piled in the car and headed to Panama City Beach for a week. Lucky for us the tenants from Mom and Daddy's townhouse moved out and it hadn't been rented it yet.  Unfortunately for them the previos tenants smoked in the house and the upstairs bathroom smelled horribly like cigarette smoke. We tried out best to air the place out for them.

 Sarah and Adam wanted Kevin to bury them in the sand.

 This is the pool by the beach. It was nice to rinse the salty water off after a swim in the ocean.

One day Jackson and Kevin went deep sea fishing while Adam, Sarah, and I played at the pool. When we weren't at one of the pools or the beach we drove out to St. Andrew's Park where they have a nice sandy beach with calm water.

 Snorkeling Anyone?

Jackson on his skim board. 

 I guess Sarah thought the lizard needed some water.

 Playing in the sand.

Last time in the pool. There were eleven, and I'm pretty sure we tried most of them out.

Last Chance to Swim

Our pool closes on Labor Day every year. We always try and make it for one last swim that weekend. We had several storms come through on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. We though we weren't going to be able to go but there was a reprieve from the storms on Sunday afternoon. Unfortunately there were storms around the time the pool opened on Monday that lasted most of the day so Sunday was our last chance for a swim.

 Jackson and Adam both love jumping/diving off of the diving board.

 Adam in a mid-air jump off the side. No worries, Jackson didn't get jumped on!

Kevin and I had our sunglasses on, so Sarah thought that she needed hers, too. She was very careful not to let them fall off every time she jumped in the water. 

Just for you, Mom: she now jumps way off of the side of the pool. There are no more worries about her hitting her head as long as she remembers to do that next summer!

Kevin tried to get a picture of all three of them on the steps and these are the two pictures he got. He could not get all three of them to pose together.

A Future Ballerina?

Sarah has been taking a Pre-Ballet/Creative Movements Class this summer with the infamous Miss Kim. Miss Kim is a parent at my school who is wonderful at teaching the little ones ballet and dance. This past Tuesday was parent observation day where parents get to go in the studio to see what their girls have learned.

Miss Kim had some pom poms and hula hoops out when we first got there. Sarah and her friend Lily enjoyed playing with the pom poms.

Miss Kim started her class by having everyone get in a circle to hold hands.

Miss Kim played a song where the girls had to jump, skip, hop, and then fall down. Sarah liked falling down.

 Sarah really liked using the ribbons. 

She missed the last two classes and I was impressed at what she had remembered.

Onto Our Capital

After spending two days at Sesame Place, we packed it all up and headed to Washington, DC. We stayed at the Washington Court Hotel that was three blocks away from the Capital Building. Because we were in downtown DC they valeted our car. The boys didn't quite understand why we weren't going to be able to use our car for two days. They did love riding the glass elevators, though. We got checked in and then walked the two blocks over to Union Station. We walked around and looked in some of the shops. Jackson was disappointed that we weren't going to ride the train, but they enjoyed seeing the Amtrak train station. It was very busy! We had dinner and then walked towards the Capital building.

Here we are in front of the water fountain that is in a park in front of the Capital Building. Jackson and Adam were amazed at all the guards around the building.

The next morning we had breakfast in the hotel restaurant. The three of them were very well behave, but I think they were in awe. They could tell we were in a very fancy place. I don't think Adam and Jackson have ever been served orange juice in stemware before.
We headed towards the Air and Space Museum, but stopped to pose on the other side of the Capital first. There is a lot of construction going on at the Mall which was a little disappointing.

After the Air and Space Museum, we walked over to the American History Museum. Here are the boys with Kermit.

 If Jackson were President...

 I think Adam needs to grow a few more inches before he tries to make a speech.

Well, well, the Dumbo ride from Disneyland. Guess who wanted to ride the elephant? Sarah wouldn't go near the flying Elmo but was very upset that we wouldn't let her ride Dumbo. Go figure....

They had a section for kids with all of the classic toys, Legos, ViewMaster, Etch-a-Sketches, Mr. Potato Heads, and Slinkies. The kids were in heaven. 

 Adam's tall Lego tower.

They really enjoyed the transportation section of the American History Museum. This display was actually talking about the trains in Salisbury, NC.

 We couldn't go up in the Washington Monument due to that earthquake we had about a year ago. This was as close as we could get. 

The next morning we ventured down the street to the Post Office Museum before heading to the Building Museum. The Building Museum was supposed to have the best gift shop of all the museums, and it did. They had all kinds of Lego sets and toys. After visiting the store we headed out to the Lincoln Memorial.

 The boys are standing by one of the columns in front of the memorial.

Notice the reflecting pool? It's not so reflecting. It too, was closed and drained due to construction. I've never seen so many "orange fences" in one place before!

We stopped by the Potomac River to have a picnic lunch before heading home. It was a nice quiet ride home because they all three took a nap for the first part of the trip!