Legos Save the Day

I had surgery yesterday. All seems well right now except I cannot do anything. I'm not supposed to do stairs (which means no laundry or cleaning up downstairs), lift anything heavier than a gallon of milk ( which means no getting Jake out of bed or into high chair) or anything remotely strenuous.

Many of you are thinking-- yippee! right about now-- but I feel worthless lounging on my bed while Greg does all the work. We have Christmas presents to put away and still have finishing touches to do on our kitchen (door handles and molding) as well as redoing our laundry room/ bathroom downstairs.

Setting all of that aside for a week, well, it just sends me over thee edge a bit.

Mostly, though, I was nervous about the boy being cooped up here in the house all day and going stir crazy.

Thankfully, someone created Legos, K'nex and Megabloks.

Blake has been busy building a roller coaster with his new K'nex set from Grandma and Grandpa.  It has track and cars and is extremely cool!

Andy is working on a Lego Creator set that designs three different treehouses. He has done it all by himself and is very proud of himself.

Noah built a Lego Superheroes set.

Jake has a Megabloks construction set. He likes to take it apart more than putting it together.

They all got along relatively well and had fun putting their creations together.  It made flying solo a little easier on Greg and made me feel a little less guilty about being an invalid for today!

Thinking about Mary.....

On this Christmas Eve, while driving home from celebrating Christmas with my in-laws, I  looked back in the van and saw Jake's sweet, rosy cheeks.  He had been so cuddly all night, wanting to sit in my lap or lay his head on my shoulder.  The boys were all looking out the windows at the Christmas lights.  It was a pleasant drive home.

All of a sudden, the thought hit me - "and Mary pondered all these things in her heart".  Wow.

Mary was a young, inexperienced girl.  She had endured the joys and hardships associated with pregnancy in a far-from luxurious society.  She had just ridden on a donkey (think uncomfortable) for miles and days to travel to a land where they must register for taxes to a ruler they didn't honor or believe in.  She got there and there was no where for them to stay, no where to lay her weary body for even just a few moments.

They found solace and rest in a stable.  Surrounded by hay, animals, and untold sights and smells, she gave birth to this baby.  She had anticipated his arrival - after all, Gabriel himself had announced his conception!  She agonized through childbirth, without her mother, without nurses and doctors and anything to numb her pain.

I can only imagine how she felt, looking down at this perfect child, counting ten fingers and ten toes. Running her finger along the bridge of his nose and the curve of his sweet little cheek, she must have felt such peace, such contentment.  I know I remember feeling those things at the birth of each of my sons.  For a time, it was probably just her, Joseph and their sweet babe.

Then, she had to share him - with shepherds, with wise men, with people in the temple, back home, family and friends.

But for that night - THE Silent night - he was hers to admire and love.

What a reminder for us - to ponder these things in our hearts!

I am constantly reminded of how quickly my children are growing.  As much as I'd like to press a slow motion button, it won't work.  I see pictures of my oldest two when they were Jake's age and I am shocked at how quickly they have become "big kids".

I am challenged tonight to live in the moment more.  I want to take mental pictures (along with real ones) of how I felt, what they looked like, how they sounded, what expressions they had and how they interacted with one another and us.

What are you pondering this Christmas season?  I pray it is all the ways Christ has richly blessed you and your family.  I pray it is holding memories of loved ones near to your heart.  I pray you are waiting EXPECTANTLY for HIS return, just as Mary waited for his birth.

Merry Christmas!

New International Version from Bible Gateway.com (emphasis below is mine)

Luke 2 

The Birth of Jesus

2 In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2 (This was the first census that took place while[a] Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 And everyone went to their own town to register.

4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.
8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah,the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven,
    and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger.17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.
21 On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise the child, he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he was conceived.

One Solution for Sibling Rivalry

If you have multiple children, you can probably sympathize with my plight.

My boys are CONSTANTLY bickering/picking at one another.  They "talk trash" when playing sports, video games, even monopoly.  There is SO much competition in my home!

We have been trying to really instill respect and kindness in them......especially toward one another.  I feel like all I do is get on them for saying something unkind!

I had an idea the other day and decided to try to recognize when they ARE kind instead of always when they are not.  I told them I was starting a kindness jar.  Every time I hear them say or do something nice for someone, especially their brothers, I will write their name down on a piece of paper and put it in the jar.  Every week or two we will draw a name out and that person will get to pick a "reward" from a list I have made.  The more often they are kind, the more chances they have of getting their name in the jar and getting it pulled out for the reward.

My list of rewards includes: picking out a redbox movie, renting a WII game, going for an ice cream cone, picking out a Slushie at Speedway after school, picking the restaurant we eat at after church on Sunday, having a friend over to play, extra time on the trampoline, playing a game with Mommy or Daddy and more.

Here is a picture of my supplies:

Here is a picture of the finished product:

TOTALLY nothing fancy!  A mason jar or recycled plastic jar (think peanut butter) with a lid would work fine!  I purchased the labels (that are sticky) in the Martha Stewart craft section at Michael's along with the jar and ribbon.  The whole project cost about $9.

The boys have already been motivated by it and I am trying to do a better job of pointing out when I see/hear them being kind and make a big deal out of it!

Sand, Surf and Fun

I am a planner.  Pure and simple.

I like lists.  I like checking off my lists.  I have a calendar at home where everyone has their own block on each day.  I even plan out meals for the week in advance.  I use my calendar on my phone/laptop religiously.

Knowing this about me only further highlights the craziness of me planning a VERY last second trip to the beach with my mom and four boys.  We decided the day before we left to call and get a room at the beach.  Mom called her time share place and found a three bedroom condo on the beach at North Myrtle Beach, SC.  I packed up the boys and drove to Mom's house on Monday (six hours).  Tuesday morning, we hit the road and drove about 3.5 hours to the beach.  It was rainy and cloudy that day.

We had a little situation getting our room - switched rooms and settled in with a movie.

Wednesday and Thursday it wasn't hot, but warm enough to be on the beach.  The boys had a big time playing in the ocean and digging in the sand.  We played football and soccer on the beach.  The boys rode the waves.  Jake and I walked along the shore.  He DOES NOT like the water.  It was hilarious to watch him running away from the water as it came into the shore.

The boys enjoyed the outdoor infinity pool and the lazy river.  The water was a little chilly for my liking.

The condo had a free DVD machine like a red box.  We took turns renting movies and everyone got to pick one.  We watched Ice Age 4, The Lorax, Here Comes the Boom and Parental Guidance.

Friday we drove home - the whole way.  What should have been 9.5 -10 hours was almost 13.  I was questioning my "spontaneity" at that point!!!!  We hit construction and traffic in Asheville and outside of Knoxville.  My nerves were completely shot by the time I pulled in my driveway.  As far as the boys were concerned, it was totally fun!  I guess that is what really counts.

I needed a break from our Fall Break.  It didn't happen.  We are FULL SCALE involved in a complete demolition and remodel of our kitchen and dining area.

Here are some pictures from our trip:

Noah has NO FEAR and could care less that the water was chilly.

Playing cooperatively for a time......until Jake messed up what they were building :)

Jake had a big time digging in the sand and walking on the beach.  He walked up to an older lady and handed her a shell.  She came back by later and said that made her day.

Noah enjoyed playing football and being in the water.

Finding JOY in Little Things

We went to the grocery story tonight as a family.  We were already out and I needed a few groceries.

I make it a point to NEVER take all four boys to the store unless I just need a few things.  Greg said he'd take two and I could take two and we'd divide the list.

I ended up with Noah :)

He tends to get a little distracted in stores.  Tonight was no exception.

As we zipped through the produce section, he grabbed a plastic bag, thinking I'd need it.  I didn't.  He kept it and proceeded to bounce it up and around all through the store like a bag.  I grew irritated with him.  WHY?  I don't know.......maybe I just want my kids to be quiet and walk demurely through the grocery store.  Unrealistic expectation?  Sure.

Once we got to the car though, a thought struck me.............why don't I find more ways to exact JOY in situations?  Noah had more fun with that silly bag and he wasn't bumping into other people or causing a scene.  He was finding a way to make a routine trip to the grocery store fun.  Perhaps I could do more to find ways to make my routine activities a little livelier!

A Little Trick or Treat Fun

The city where we live decided that the threat of impending weather necessitated postponing trick or treat to tomorrow night.  We always have four families over to walk around our neighborhood and have dinner on Halloween night.  Instead of letting the postponement ruin our fun, we decided to go ahead and have our dinner and "trick or treat" inside.  All of us collectively have plans tomorrow night and will not be able to go, so this was a favorable alternative.  We had dinner, the kids played and then all the dads handed out candy to the mob of thirteen children.

We had three mutant ninja turtles, a special ops ninja, Buzz Lightyear, Sophia the First, two American Girl dolls, Rapunzel, and princesses.  It is amazing how big they have all gotten already - it seems like yesterday they were all propped up on the couch for a picture!

Here is the whole gang:

Here is my little Buzz Lightyear (the third one to wear this costume!):

Our four boys:

My little Superman:

First Dates

Who doesn't remember their first date with their sweetheart?

October 12, 2001 was my first date with Greg.

We went to a little restaurant in a small town near us called Our Best.  It is a quaint, hometown type place.  We were with a few other people.  We drove country roads with the sunroof open, windows down and music playing.  It was so nice.  We already knew each other and had been spending a lot of time together with people from church and with my sister and her then fiance (who happened to be Greg's best friend).

Later we went to a movie - Second-hand Lions - starring Anthony Hopkins.  The movie theater is not there anymore, but was small and there were probably only 10 other people in that movie.

After that date, I don't think we went a day without seeing one another until we got married five and a half months later.

Twelve years later, we are still going strong.  We actually had the blessing of being able to go out on the anniversary of our "first date" to celebrate.  To his credit, my husband checked to see if that restaurant was still open.

It is. (how sweet is that?)

But I really wanted Mexican and we needed to go price new appliances for our kitchen remodel.

We may not have had the Audi and the sunroof, but we still had a great time and enjoyed having an adult conversation without interruption.  We laughed and talked and enjoyed being together.  I hope twelve years from now we will still have as much fun together!

Remember the Alamo!!!

For months (or maybe even years), Greg and I kept saying we were going to go away for a vacation without kids.

I think the only two times we have really done that are 1) when Noah was 6 months old we flew to Jackson Hole, Wyoming to go skiing for a long weekend and 2) three years ago we went to Chicago for a weekend for Greg to run the half-marathon there.

I was itching for some time away after a long and very busy summer.  I worked way too much and had very little down time!  We stay so busy with four boys, jobs, commitments to church and other ministries.  We really just needed time to enjoy one another.

In very non-me fashion, we made plans, booked plane tickets, hotel and rental car and decided to take a trip over Labor Day weekend to........

San Antonio, Texas

Why Texas?  Well, we wanted to go somewhere we had not been.  We wanted to go somewhere with a variety of things to do.  I googled "great weekend getaways" and San Antonio kept coming up so we went.

We had SO much fun!

We ate at some different restaurants, took a boat cruise on the river walk, slept late, took a nap, read, drove to a quaint little town called Gruene and watched a movie.  We toured the Alamo and went to El Mercado, a Mexican style open air market.

A Little Dirt Never Hurt

September 28 was the Capital City River Dash.

This is a 5K mud run/obstacle course that some of our friends help put on the past two years.  Greg helped with the setup of the course and was in charge of the bibs for runners/setting up the timing.

ALL the proceeds for the race go to Sparrow Missions, a non-profit that is based here, but mostly benefits Honduras.  Some friends of ours from church are now living there and serving in the community there.  They are living and working in several communities there to start an orphanage, a school, sewing clinics, rehab, and work with hospitals, orphanages and a soup kitchen.  Many of our friends and area churches continually send teams down to work on projects and love on the people.

This year we added a Kids River Dash.  It was about a .6 mile loop with a few obstacles.  The three oldest boys did it with their friends.  They were MUDDY at the end.  The finish line was right after a large mound of mud followed by a slip -n-slide into muddy water.

Crew #1 - I said "Look tough" and this is what I got

Crew #2 - Ready to run

Grace

Blake

Andy

Proud of them for running and finishing.  They all did it multiple times for fun.  Everyone was muddy and worn out at the end of the day.  What a glorious time and a great way to let them raise money/be a part of a service opportunity!

A New Toy

A few months ago Noah's occupational therapist mentioned that a trampoline would be good for him.  His biggest sensory issue is vestibular and next is proprioceptive.  Jumping up and down and swinging are two things he likes to do that also benefit him sensory-wise.

For their birthdays this summer, Blake and Noah got a trampoline from my parents.  It is 15' wide and has a safety net all around.  We got it a few weeks ago and got it put together.  It takes up a big portion of the back yard, but has already provided countless hours of fun!

Here are a few pictures:

Under Construction

Jake likes to run around in circles and roll on it.

Jake turns 2

Jake turned two a few weeks ago.

To celebrate, we made a Mickey Mouse cake and had some of our friends over to eat.

I made homemade pizza.  All the kids rushed through dinner to get outside and jump on the boys' new trampoline

Jake LOVES the trampoline.  He does NOT love taking turns!!!!

Here are a few pictures from that night and from celebrating at Greg's parents earlier that week:

Jake got a Cars movie race track - he LOVED it!

More cars - a set of construction toys

He looked thrilled to blow out candles.  Actually, he was fussy because he wanted the cake and we were holding out of his reach.

King of the castle and jumping on the trampoline

Mickey Mouse ears for a cake - Jake's favorite show on TV

An Afternoon with the Robertsons

Last Sunday my boys were very excited to meet the Robertson family - of the famed Duck Dynasty show.  That show is currently taking up about 50% of my DVR space as Blake has taped every show up to this point!  The quirky SI, Miss Kay, the brotherly jabs of Willie and Jase and sage advice of Phil all combine for a funny, family friendly show.

We were able to purchase tickets that not only let us see the show, but meet the Robertson family as well.  Their program consisted of each person talking about their journey, where they are, where they've been and through it all, how God has remained faithful!  It was funny and inspirational.

When we walked up to the Robertsons for the photo op, Noah evidently took out four quarters from his pocket and handed them to Willie.  Willie asked if it was for him to play a song on the jukebox (a story he had told during the service).  Noah said YES!  Willie gave him the quarters back :)  Only Noah!!!!!

One of my favorite things said was by John Luke, Willie and Korie's teenage son.  He said if he has learned anything through being a Christian it is that it is ALWAYS right to do the right thing.  How true that is!  I've found myself saying that to my boys more than once this past week.

One part of our service was a tribute to wounded veterans as a large group of Wounded Warriors came up on stage to give a gift to Willie.  They played "God Bless the U.S.A." and the guys who were able swarmed around Willie.  A touching moment was when Willie took his bandana off and gave it to one of the wounded veterans in a wheelchair.

A Decade of Fun

***somehow this didn't post when I meant for it to about six weeks ago!!**

UNBELIEVABLE -

My "baby" turned 10 on July 3.  I was such a sap that day.  There is no way I could have written a blog post without crying.

He is in DOUBLE DIGITS!

He will start his LAST year of elementary school this fall.

He is only FIVE inches shorter than me.  (I want him to be MUCH taller than me eventually.)  I just cannot imagine him looking down on me.

He is extremely independent and a big help to me with Jake and around the house.

He is able to have an extremely intelligent conversation with me and I enjoy it!

One of these days, I really think he will be a fine, Christian young man!

I love you Blake - I hope above all else, you always know that.

Speed Bumps

I'm not sure about you, but I could certainly use some traffic stops right now.

It feels like this summer is speeding by like we are in a high speed chase on the interstate going 90 mph.  At this point, I could really use a speed bump to slow us down.  My preference right now would be a lazy Sunday afternoon drive through the country.

Somehow I find myself looking down at the calendar and realizing it is officially the middle of July.

YIKES!!!!

Where did our summer go?

We've been to the beach, the lake, Kings Island, the waterpark, several parks, to the movies to see Monsters University and Despicable Me 2 and swimming with friends.  We've had our annual birthday pool party for Blake and Noah with friends.  We've done library programs, soccer camps, reading camps and science camps.  We've had a few days of staying in our pajamas and doing NOTHING.  Somehow, though, those days haven't been as numerous as I would prefer.

I have a goal to be extremely laid back and leisurely next week.  We will see how that goes :)

For now, I will leave you with a few "summer" pictures of my boys -

My "Mommy" Stars and Pitfalls

Yesterday, I composed some of this email in my head when I was upset.  Wisely, I chose to not spew venom on this blog.  Although I have no problem being honest about having tough days as a mom, I felt my level of frustration was inappropriate for social media/blogging.  I was immediately reminded of a dear fried of mine from college.  Last week she was struggling with her roles and experiences as a mom.  She posted something on facebook.  Another good friend wrote back and had the best response - totally honest and raw.

If you judge others' lives and experiences by what you see on facebook, everything is rosy.  All children have on clean clothes, eat with proper table manners, never fight with a sibling, always respond kindly and with respect and are all star athletes and academic geniuses.  BUT (and that is a HUGE but), if you were able to really glimpse a small portion of each person's reality, you would see something very similar to your experience.  Every mom and dad out there are learning as they go.  True, some people come more naturally to parenting skills than others, but none of us were handed an owner's manual in the delivery room of how to parent and raise our children.  We all have to figure this out as we go.  Some days we really get it right and, at least from my perspective, some days we really blow it.

Fortunately, I have learned to ask my kids for forgiveness.  I HOPE it has enabled me to model for them that none of us are perfect.  They see that adults make mistakes, don't have all the right answers, we argue, we disagree, we get upset and we learn things everyday too.

Let me give you a peek into my day yesterday -

We are in the middle of VBS this week.  Our church really does VBS up and it is a great experience for all involved.  It is a long week, however, and kids are up well past their bedtimes each night....even for summer.  We were on vacation all last week.  We came back and immediately had many things we had to do, some planned and some not (like Jake having allergic reaction to sunscreen and needing to go to doctor).

Yesterday we had been invited to go swimming with a friend of ours.  I thought I was doing well - towels were already packed, cooler packed, kids had breakfast, and we were all getting swim stuff on.......then I realized Noah had taken bottle of sunscreen that Jake could use to school the previous day and not brought it home.  (Yes he should be more responsible, but I also know he is very forgetful and I should have checked his bag)  I went looking for the really expensive/special sunscreen and it was missing.  I called Kroger to order more and they didn't have any in stock.  The LAST thing I wanted to do was run four kids into Walmart.

I was unhappy and blamed Noah for losing sunscreen.   (Mommy fail #1)

We piled in car after I had threatened to just not go (Mommy fail #2-threatning).  At this point, we were running 30 minutes behind.  We decided to run into Kmart since it was closer.  I go inside carrying Jake (Mr. 30 lbs) and the other three trailing behind.  They had sunscreen, but not one single kind that was "sensitive skin".  SERIOUSLY???

We load back up in the car and drive to Walmart.  We all go in again (this time I am smarter and put Jake in cart) and we find sunscreen that will work.  We leave and head to pool.  By the time I get everyone lathered up,  Jake is screaming to get out of his stroller.  I take him inside to get a swim diaper on and realize that he has a dirty diaper on (thank you antibiotics).  He has poop ALL down his legs and I have no wipes. (Mommy fail #3) Fortunately I can reach toilet paper and a sink.  I get him cleaned up and back outside.  He then proceeded to SCREAM off and on for the next 2 hours.  The older three boys were having a big time and playing with their friends.  All my other friends were laying on their towels soaking up sun and occasionally shouting out and running interference with the big kids.  (This is my perception of course).  I, on the other hand, spent the majority of my time trying to convince Jake to like the water.  I wasn't very successful.  The older boys were spatting towards the end and being silly with water guns, etc.

By the time I got everyone in the car and headed for home, I felt like I needed a nap in a BAD way.  I got Jake home and in bed, made Andy lay down on his bed and put Blake and Noah in separate places to read and rest.  I finally got in the shower and fortunately had about an hour to regroup before going to VBS.  I was in a BAD mindset.  I had to do some major pep talk with myself to gear up to get everyone back together, in the car and delivered to their respective VBS classes on time.

*******NOTE*******
I composed this blog post about three weeks ago.  I didn't post it immediately.  I seriously considered never posting it, but felt that I should after reading back through it.

We are so hard on each other sometimes.

Moms are not perfect.  There - I said it.

Some days we simply move on auto-pilot and the best we can do is keep all of our children from being physically harmed and emotionally neglected.

Some days we are firing on all cylinders - make things for school, have healthy, balanced meals for our families and a clean house with all laundry put away.

Most days are in between those two.

BUT and this is a BIG BUT - on all of those days we desperately love our kids.  We want so badly to be the "best" mom and have the "best" kids that we can sometimes be our own worst enemy.  I have come to learn that my kids will not remember every single birthday party (and if they had a Walmart cake vs. homemade crazy amazing concoction).  They won't know that we spent $10 on treats for their class Valentine party or 5 hours on handmade Pinterest creations.  They will remember that I took time to read to them and play a game.  They will remember me letting them help make cupcakes instead of me insisting they be "perfect".  I hope they will remember all of the time we invest in just being with them.

So if you are with me and feel really sub-par some days, I pray you will extend some grace to yourself.  Extend some grace to other moms around you.  Teach your kids about love.  Model forgiveness.  Explain and help model boundaries.  Share your struggles and how God lifts you back up.  Above all else, LOVE YOUR KIDS!

Vacation 2013

So we took our annual family vacation with my family a little early this year.  We went to Edisto Island, South Carolina June 1-8.  The house we were in with my parents was really nice and about a block from the beach.  We also had our own pool.  My sisters and their families were across the street in a different house.

Best way to travel!

Noah stayed entertained and helped keep Jake happy!

Greg was thrilled I took his picture!

Our kids usually travel fairly well.  We have books, puzzles, toys, cars/garages as well as their hand held games and dvd player in the car.  The drive to my parents is about six hours.  We went there on Friday night and drove the 3.5 hours to the beach on Saturday.



The weather wasn't as cooperative as it has been in other years.  I think it rained almost every day and we had several thunderstorms topped off by the appearance of Tropical Storm Andrea Thursday.  We made the best of it and the kids had a lot of fun.

Jake was indoors a little more than his brothers.  He made climbing the stairs big "fun"!

This was the pool at the house we stayed at - Music City Miracle

The kids were excited to play on the beach and dig "pools".  They rode the waves.  Noah had a boogie board and really liked using that to ride the waves into shore.

Cora and Andy ready for the beach

The older boys went crabbing with Greg and the other guys.  They were excited to catch a few crabs, but they were all small enough they had to be thrown back in the water.  Blake and Noah went exploring with Gran on the part of the beach where there are tons of shells.  They both came back with buckets full of shells.

Noah on the boogie board

Obviously, having 11 children under the age of 10 has its own set of challenges.  Fortunately, there was a nice screened in porch at our house.  The kids ate most of their meals out there, so it didn't matter if they were wet or in a bathing suit.

We went to Botany Bay Plantation, which is now a protected area, on Thursday before the storm.  There are lots of old "live oak" trees scattered on the beach.  The boys had fun playing in the sand and were really bummed that they couldn't take any shells from that beach.  It belongs to the state now and is a "preserve".

The drive into the plantation is gorgeous with huge trees and hanging Spanish moss.

Some information about Botany Bay is above.  The kids really enjoyed exploring and hanging shells on the trees (this is what people do there!).

Kids clowning around on the big trees on the beach.

 Having fun in the water at the Charleston Children's Museum

On Friday, we went into Charleston.  We spent a few hours at the Children's Museum, walked to Sticky Fingers for lunch and then drove over to Sullivan's Island to explore Fort Moultrie.  Fort Moultrie was a very important place during the Revolutionary War.  They really enjoyed climbing and looking around there.  We could see Fort Sumter in the harbor.  Blake really wanted to go there, but because of the high winds from the  Tropical Storm, all ferry boat tours were cancelled.

Anytime we are in Charleston, we make our way to the Waterfront Park and the pier.  There are many large swings along the pier and we like to get a picture of all the kids on the swing.  This year we took one with my  Mom and my Mammaw.

Saturday we packed up and returned home.  The drive wasn't too bad.  We made it home in about 10 hours.

 Is this a comfortable way to sleep?  I cannot imagine that it is.  But I caught him sleeping this way more than once on our trip!