Happy Fourth of July

For the Fourth of July weekend we headed to Salt Fork lake to meet up with the Canton Scott's. Five minutes from the camp site we got a $120 speeding ticket. Not the ideal way to start off the holiday weekend. But we did the best we could to put it out of our minds. We set up camp next to Dale, Janet and Logan. The kids were in heaven. They loved every aspect of camping. The road their bikes around our campsite, made smores and ate a lot of great food. We sat around the fire at night and watch the little creatures creep out of the woods in search of our left overs. No Fourth of July is complete without sparklers. At night Madison would read us to sleep in our tent. The kids slept great. Duane and I had a slow leak in our mattress:( One the first night we took the kids for a swim at the lodged. The next day we spent at the beach. We got a little boat time that day. The kids got to tube a little. Mostly we hung out on the beach with Susan, Kathy and Jerry. Any time the kids are around water they are happy. The down side of the weekend was that Mallory was running a fever and was not feeling well. She spent a lot of time on my lap. Even though she didn't feel well, she was still a trooper. We were happy that the weather cooperated. No torrential downpours like our last camping trip. The great outdoors is great for a visit, my in my opinion, not for overnight. i just don't think I have it in me to be a happy camper! I still prefer a hotel if I'm not sleeping in my own bed. The things we do for our children:)

Another Fantastic Week at the Outer Banks!

The morning that we were leaving for the Outer Banks, our alarm clock malfunctioned and I woke up at 6:30 with a start, two hours after we were planning on leaving. After a few minutes of frustration, we decided that if that was going to be the one bad thing that happened that week, we would take it! After all, we were on our way to the beach no matter what time we left. The kids traveled beautifully! Aside from two short pit stops for food, gas and bathroom breaks, we drove straight through. We unpacked then I headed to the grocery store while Duane took the girls to the pool. It felt great to settle in to C3 at the Golden Strand that evening. Most mornings the girls ate breakfast on the balcony. What a great view! One morning we went to Stack Um Up High, our favorite breakfast place. We made it to beach around 10:30 each day. It was wonderful not having to deal with swim diapers this year and we loved that Mallory could manage the three flights of stairs on her own. Another blessing was that now that Mallory is a little older, we didn't have to spend most of our time chasing her all over the place. Duane and I could actually sit back and relax a little! And we certainly did! We really maximized our time on the beach. We made sand castles and flew our kite a few times. Mallory loved the sand. She would sit there with her shovels, buckets and mermaid Barbies forever. She would even run up to the water and let the waves touch her toes. It was a precious sight. Duane took her out in the water a few times. She tolerated it, but she wasn't crazy about the salt water in her eyes. Last year Molly was more interested in the pool, but this year she really took to the waves. She learned how to tub and how to use the boogie board. We were so proud of her! She is really showing that she is willing to try anything and doesn't give up easily. We are blessed to have three girls who are go getter's. Madison spent most of her time in the waves as well. It is thrilling that we all share such a love for the beach. I even put in my fair share of time riding the waves. Uncle Brian let us use the kayak he rented so Duane took each of the girls out for a ride. They all loved it! We spent lots of time at the pool as well, but had the most fun there during a few night swims. Mallory was not only jumping in and going under water, but was making an attempt to actually swim under water. We went on a few night walks on the beach with flash lights and buckets hunting for crabs. The kids were hysterical! Duane got lots of miles logged on the beach too. He ran up to the Wright Memorial one morning. On Monday we ate dinner at a place called Millers and on Friday we ate at Big Al's Dinner. Both were good, but Big Al's is a favorite for the girls. We took turns cooking and shared meals with Dale, Janet, Logan, Ashley and Ashley's friend Mimi. On the last night we put all of our left overs together and had a feast. I think we started a new last night at the beach tradition. It worked out great! No one went hunger that week, that's for sure! Grandma and Grandpa Scott and Uncle Brian's crew were in a beach house about a mile away. We spent the entire day there on our last day. The weather started out rainy and dreary, but it turned out to be an absolutely beautiful day! We spent the entire day on the beach. The kids loved their outdoor shower. Our last day at the beach and they spent most of it playing with the outdoor shower. Go figure! Duane got to play horse shoes with his dad and brothers. I finally got a rare chance to improve my corn hole game when Duane and I played Dale and Janet. Duane and I ended our last day at the beach in a big way. We took the kayak out and saw two dolphins less than 30 feet away. It was an amazing sight! I was a honestly a little nervous to be so close to them. But I knew that it was probably a once in a lifetime thing! They are such beautiful animals. It seemed like they were hanging around us for quite awhile. It was truly breathtaking! I am so glad Duane and I shared that wonderful experience together. Another beach came to a close all too quickly. We all had the blahs for days after we got home. It was truly the best family vacation yet. We are already booked for next summer. The count down begins! We love you OBX!

Trip to Columbus

Madison got free tickets to a Columbus Crew game through CUSA. It just happened to be the same weekend that we were meeting Aunt Susan to go to the Columbus Zoo and Zoombezi Bay water park. Duane and Madison took Andy and Brady along to the game. We spent the night at the Cloyd house. It was great to finally get a chance to catch up with them. We laughed at how it used to be the four of us and now we had a total of ten between our two family. They are the kind of friends that you feel like you haven't spent a day apart, even though it's been six month. The kind of true friends that you'll have forever. We hung out at their house in the morning, then meet up with Aunt Susan and headed to the Columbus Zoo. The weather was great! Sunny, but not too hot. Everyone loved the zoo. Their enthusiasm for animals is fun to watch. Our favorite spot was the aquarium. We loved getting up close the the manatees. We spent that night chilling out and a very nice hotel. Duane headed to work the next morning and all the girls went to Zoombezi Bay water park. It was a little chilly, but we all loved it. Mallory was obsessed with the lazy river, much to my delight! She would have floated in there forever if I would have let her. The older girls went on some of the bigger slides. We were really grateful to Andy for getting us in to both places for free. For a family of 5 that saved us a lot! A great time was had by all!

Molly on Two Wheels!

Molly has been riding her bike with the training wheels bent so far up they don't touch the ground for weeks. We finally convinced her to let Duane take the training wheels off. We suited her up with her helmet, elbow pads and knee pads and she was ready to go. I held on to her as she road around the yard in the grass, then I let go when she reached the drive way. She stumbled once she realized I wasn't holding on. Then she gave it another try on the drive way. The next thing we knew, she was flying down the street as if she had been riding without training wheels for years! The look of pride on her face was so wonderful to see! She is entering a phase of her life where she is going to learn so much and make leaps and bounds. I am so blessed to be a part of her life to share in all of these moments to come. She immediately had no trouble getting started or using her breaks. She actually skidded into the driveway intentionally when she was finished! It was a very exciting evening for all of us. The only problem is now I can't keep up with her on my power walks:) I guess I just have to work a little harder!