Thursday, June 30, 2011

More Swimming!

Like a fish...

Remarkable that no one is being harmed in this picture.

Mr. Jerry and the three little fish!

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Swimmin' Time






I left Alicia with our point-and-shoot camera today and asked her to try to get some pictures of the kiddos.  She did an awesome job!  Nanny Barb showed up to pick up the kids and Alicia and run them over to the pool in her subdivision (the one we are still considering whether to join for the rest of the summer).  While I wasn't there to share in the fun, it looks like they had a great time.  They were able to picnic in the shaded area and goof off in the water. 
Tomorrow is day #2 at Discovery Kids, so please keep us in your prayers at drop-off time tomorrow morning. :)

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

No pics

Sorry, but I don't have pics to post this evening (or last night, either).  We had fun checking out Nanny Barb's community pool yesterday.  Mommy & Daddy are considering joining the pool for the rest of the season since the kids love it so much, so I took a quick trip over there with the kids.  She was babysitting for some older children so we all ate pizza and waited out a mini-rainshower before getting into the pool.  The kiddie pool is a great size for our crew, so I'm definitely leaning toward "yes" sign up, but these things aren't cheap, so we have to weight out the options.

Beyond that, they started a short summer program today at First Baptist Concord called "Discovery Kids."  Drop-off was rough, but I checked back about 30 minutes later and was told that they were all happy, smiling and doing crafts.  The program only lasts 5 weeks with two days per week, but so far, it went OK.  Crossing my fingers that drop-off on Thursday goes better now that they know what to expect of their day.

I'm going to be sending my camera off for some maintenance (boo), so I will be without the "good" camera.  I will certainly miss it, but hope that this maintenance will help it last longer for us and fix a little issue I'm having with the zoom lens.

Time to shut things down.  I hope to get some pictures tomorrow. :)

Sunday, June 26, 2011

Wanna Swim? Sure! I Have Water Wings!



The kids really enjoyed the pool. But when Mommy pulled out the water wings...oh LOOK OUT! They really did give the kids a little help and confidence in the water, Clark especially. Made for a little more fun and a little less stress for Mommy and Daddy too.

First "Real" Visit to the Beach












I say this is their first "real" trip to the beach because they were actually at the beach once before, but completely unaware as they weren't even a year old.  Our Nashville family invited us (just before their first Thanksgiving) to join them for a quick trip to the Isle of Palms.  It was a long-sleeve/coat kind of beach trip.  So I will call this trip the first "real" one because they were actually aware that we were AT the beach this time (and it was bathing-suit weather, too).
We hit Edisto Beach early on Wednesday morning and really lucked-out with overcast skies because it meant that it wasn't blazing hot and we could spend more time there without getting a sunburn.  The kids really had fun and had no fear of the water (good and bad).  They chased the waves and enjoyed feeling their feet sink in to the "squiggly" (Kendall's word) sand as the water would recede.  There were not very many shells, but certainly lots of sand and Kendall was pleased when Daddy "buried" her in the sand.  Clark and Emma couldn't get enough of the water and wanted to take every sand toy out to see if they could capture water in any vessel that could be found.  The tide was coming in fast, so it required moving our toys up a number of times, which is sort of an odd realization that it was moving so quickly.
Daddy located a jelly fish and kept us all out of harm's way.  We also spotted a fish head that was quite popular amongst the seagulls.  One super-cool mommy (DEFINITELY not me) let her older son pick it up and throw it back into the water.  Ewwwwww! 
I've got to get some sleep before those little monsters wake up.  More pics to come.
P.S.  The kids have LOTS of sunscreen on which shows up in all of the pics (especially on their faces).  If I had the time, I could edit this out, but for now I do not have the time.  At least we look like responsible parents for slathering the stuff on, right?

Friday, June 24, 2011

Beach Preview



Today we hit a different beach and it was MUCH shell-y-er (meaning full of crunchy shells to walk on, ouch and also lots to look at).  The surf was also a little rougher, so Clark and Kendall were not particularly thrilled, but Ems was loving it.
Just wanted to post a few pics to give you a little preview....but be aware that we slather them in sunscreen, so it's not pretty in pictures (lots of white smudges all over).  I'm less concerned with the images than I am with suffering through a sunburn with a three-year-old (or worse), so we continue to slather it on!

Thursday, June 23, 2011

Turtles, Turtles Everywhere!













































































[This post is dedicated to our sweet friend, Miss Lisa...because she loves turtles even more than we do!]


We took the kids swimming Wednesday evening at a resort pool and as we were getting ready to leave (amidst mass hysteria and tantrums, I might add) some people were gathered feeding .... something.  We checked it out and there were about 35 turtles swimming just below the deck gobbling up all of the bread that was being thrown in their direction.  Some of the kids were nice enough to share with my little kiddos and they were able to feed the turtles as well.
This was the first time that we have taken the kids swimming all together (Ems was with us last August).  They LOVED the pool, but there was no kiddie pool, so it was a little nerve-wracking for Daddy and I.  Clark and Kendall decided that they liked jumping in to Mommy or Daddy.  But they didn't always confirm that we knew they were coming, so it was a little crazy, but we are so glad that they love the water.  Plans to sign up for swimming lessons are a priority once we are back in Knoxville. 
More pictures from our fun in Edisto Beach are coming, but we are having some technical difficulties and limited internet access, so I can't make any promises.
Stay tuned.....

Sunday, June 19, 2011

Happy Father's Day

Father-Daughter dance at our wedding November 7, 2004

He even walked me down the aisle that day.

My father-in-law-to-be at the time...just before I went down the aisle.
Daddy & his girls.

Daddy and Clarkie.

Shouting out to another special Dad-like person, Uncle Stevie.

Another special Dad-person in our world, Uncle Tom. 

Saturday, June 18, 2011

Silly Siblings

The girls playing "jump rope."

Sometimes one is a kitty cat and the other is dragging the cat around on a makeshift leash.  "Meow."
I don't even know what to say about this except "What was she thinking????" And yes, that is a pea!

Tickle-fest during movie night.

Clark is more interested in tickling than the movie.  The girls are conflicted.

I think that sometimes they really might wish that they were not part of a "unit."  It seems that each of them really does need their space and often just want one-on-one time with Mommy and/or Daddy.  It's hard when we are both working.  We feel the need to be with them when we are home, but there are things that have to get done (cleaning, laundry, cooking).  And then we feel like we should do things as a family rather than split up and take just one or two of them.  But sometimes it is probably necessary.  It's possible that earlier today was one of those "sometimes", except that EACH of them needed some space...at the same time.
Daddy needed to make a trip to Sam's Club and took Clark along.  Apparently this was a great idea because Clark enjoyed the time and behaved perfectly (unlike earlier in the day).  They even had a chance to share one of those amazing pretzels.  Yummy!
Meanwhile, I gave the girls a bath and we worked on a tiny project before heading downstairs for movie night.  They chose Shrek 2.  I think it was nice to have some time with just the girls (I even trimmed their hair/bangs a bit).  We got started on the movie and had some snuggle-time on the couch.    They did well despite the numerous inquiries about the whereabouts of Daddy and Clarkie.
The movie was sort of a hit (I enjoyed it) and they all got out their guitars at the end to dance and play along with the musical ending.  It was quite a sight.
There are those other times when they just seem to LOVE being around each other and the appear to enjoy the fun of having a brother/sister to share in the giggles (as in the pics above).  It's a relief when they make each other laugh.
That's all for now.

Friday, June 17, 2011

Hang-time with the Cousins







The cousins are in town tonight and the kids were able to have some playtime outside with them before we all headed for baths and bedtime.  The kids just love the chance to play ball and run around with their super-awesome cousins, David & Marshall.  We are excited to have these extra opportunities to spend time with them!