Kerr Lake Camping

The weekend following Memorial Day, we went camping at Kerr Lake. It is one of my personal favorite places to camp because it is affordable & the kids have their own little "beach" to play at right at the camper. I was a little nervous this time because it was the first time camping this year & we were taking Zack for the first time. I figured it was either going to go amazingly well or be more work than fun. Thankfully it was one of the most relaxing trips we have taken in a long time. That is quite a statement considering we were camping with a 7 mo old boxer puppy, a 10 month old baby, & 3 other kids ages 6 & under. There was a lot of outdoor time where the kids could just splash around in the water & the big guys got to go fishing too. The little boys finally caught a fish too!!
The campsite was fantastic & here is the view of our site from the water...
The kids practically spent the entire weekend in the water...
It did take a little coercing to convince Eli that he would be fine in the water. And thankfully, Uncle Jeremy was the one to got in the water with him initially! After this, he was like a little fish! He was "doubly protected" with a life vest AND a ring a lot of the time, but whatever it takes, right?! Jeremy walked him into the water, splashed around with him a bit & then they were all playing together!
Now, Zack was a whole other story! He HATED the water at first. Randy walked him into it on the leash & he just tucked his nub, laid his ears back, & shivered.. all the while pulling to get back out. Then day two rolled around & he couldn't stand that the kids were making all these fun squeals & slashing around, so he jumped in nervously ONE time. By the third day, he was a crazy man jumping in, chasing & retrieving a frisbee. He was WORN out too by the end of the weekend- which is the BEST way for him to be!We also discovered that Zack & Ethan have a little love affair going on... they would just play & play with one another. He was very gentle with Ethan & Ethan would tap his nose & let him lick him & nibble his hands... it was very cute!
The kids enjoyed riding in the boat too. I don't think it ever gets old to them!
Marie & I even took a little ride in the innertube... but the photos that were taken were so far out that you can't even tell what it is, so i won't waste your time! But i will tell you that it has been at least 15 years since i have been tubing & my arms were shaking for HOURS after we got back! But that didn't stop me from taking little Ethan for a walk. He LOVES the backpack carrier & was just as quiet as a mouse. However... he did kick a lot but i think he was just excited!Overall, it was a VERY relaxing weekend.... as you can see...
And by the looks of how exhausted Eli was on the truck ride home, i am thinking they had a blast too!

tenacious...

If nothing else, i have very tenacious boys. They give up on NOTHING. Not even going to bed if they don't want to. Ugh... sometimes, i just have to choose my battles.

Let's Play Ball!

This past week, Jackson began practices for his coach pitch/tee ball. It has taken us over an entire year to convince this child to give team sports a chance. He is sooo athletic & thrives being outdoors running around, hitting a ball, throwing or even kicking a ball, but is so reserved & shy in new situations, that he didn't want to do it. We finally got him to give it a try & i think he is going to have a blast! He looks incredibly cute in his uniform.... He is #9 and on team Marlins. This is a program through the YMCA so it brought back a lot of memories to hear them call the kids into "assembly" before the practices started. (Randy & I met working at the YMCA in 1999). They started out practicing throwing back & forth with each other (a stark contrast to throwing back & forth with mom & dad who can a) throw the ball and b) catch the ball!) It takes a bit more skill to catch a ball being thrown to you by a fellow 6 year old.
After they threw the ball for a little bit, they lined them up to run the bases. Jackson is third from the back.... Then they got to hit! Jackson hit the ball the first time it was pitched to him. I wasn't expecting that so i missed getting a picture of it! But i did take his picture once he was on first base.... (and daddy filled in as first base coach too!)
And can i take a moment to say that my kid was absolutely the cutest on the team!? Did you expect any less????
Eli sat patiently with me on the sidelines & watched every move of the practice. He can't wait until next year when he is old enough to play pre-k tee ball!

Kindergarten Graduation

If you can believe it... Kindergarten is over! We survived! (And excelled!) Last Thursday, Jackson had his graduation ceremony & it was so cute. I didn't get any really good quality pictures, but hopefully Grandad did! Here he is standing on the stage with his class just after his name was called...
They sang some songs (which i have on video & may try to upload but blogger is very difficult with me when it comes to videos!) & got awards. Jackson earned an award for discipline. He had excellent manners & was always on his best behavior. Back in his classroom, i took a few more shots....
His great grandma evans was sooo proud. She even gave him a card with $5 in it for graduation. He is racking up because Nanny sent the exact same thing in the mail to him!
We did not get a decent family shot, but this is what we did get....
We got him to pose with his teachers as well. Here he is with the teacher, Mrs. Byrd... And here he is with the Assistant, Ms. Bennett....

and my personal favorite... here is Daddy giving him a big hug. We are so proud of you Jackson!

Memorial Day Weekend

For Memorial Day weekend, we headed to Wilmington to spend some time with family. We started off at Grandaddy & Grandma Tee's house. Zack tagged along & got to meet Pete for the first time. I was a little nervous but they hit it off immediately & wore each other out the rest of Friday & Saturday!On Saturday, my dad (aka Grandaddy) got out his pitching machine for Jackson to practice catching fly balls, hitting the ball, etc before beginning catch pitch ball this past week. Both of the boys also got a chance to drive Grandaddy's "arctic cat". Which was so thrilling to them! Boys will be boys, i guess!
Even daddy got in on the action...Eli thoroughly enjoyed playing with a pretend rifle. Watch out... i think he might just shoot. He can get grumpy and never mess with this kid when he is grumpy & holding a gun!
Saturday evening, we packed up from my dad's & headed to my mom's (aka Nanny). We had no idea that when we walked into the back yard that she would have POOL in the backyard!
Other than church & a few errands, (one of which was strawberry picking) the kids spent the entire rest of the weekend out there! They had noodle wars....
They had water gun fights....
They even enjoyed some fireworks!
Eli wasn't so sure of the pool unless someone got in with him. He couldn't touch bottom & didn't trust the floaties or the rings.... SO initially, Nanny took the duty. He was thrilled. I am sure the kisses made it all worth it!
We also took a break from the pool to pick some strawberries. It was at the end of the season, so we had to look high & low for some good ones, but the kids were up to the challenge. They always enjoy picking strawberries. Here is Eli & myself on our way to the farm...
His loot. Yummy... he could live off of strawberries (and as Aunt Becca puts it "anything with a calorie.") Food & TV are his love languages for sure!
We had a fabulous long weekend with all the grandparents! We love you all & miss you!

Monkey See.... Monkey Do!

Sometimes it amazes me how much Eli wants to do things just like Jackson. Granted, hair brushing is no major thing, but in this house, the boys don't do it often. Their hair is soooo short that it doesn't really require it until it's time for a hair cut. And a week ago, i had Jackson wet his hair down before school & brush it. Eli followed suit (still in his jammies) to be just like his big brother. They can be really sweet sometimes!