First Family Vacation 2010

Well, it's been a busy busy summer! And that's my excuse for not blogging for about 6 wks! Yikes!! So I'm starting out with our summer kickoff of our very first family vacation. I consider this to be our first true vacation seeing that we've only spent the night away from home twice since we've had kids! Having back to back pregnancies for the last 6 years with a couple of layoffs thrown in there is not conducive to vacationing! So we finally got the chance this year to take a week off from the norm and spend it on the beach! And boy, was it fun! Our kids saw the ocean for the first time which is always special. We spent the week mostly in the water but threw some other fun stuff in there, as well. We had SUCH a good time. Some of the things we did were putt-putt golf, coastal museum tour, go-kart track, Medieval times dinner show, and water park. We stayed on Ocean Isle Beach, NC, a lovely small island community. We were about 45 minutes north of Myrtle Beach, SC and were able to drive down there a couple of different times to do some of the fun stuff mentioned above. For me, relaxing by the water and taking in the sun was the best part of the trip! But a VERY close second had to be the Medieval Times dinner show. This experience was truly worth the money we paid and was so much fun. It is a live reenactment of knights on horseback performing feats of skill as well as the main event of physical combat. Not only that but the crowd is just as involved as you are seated in a colored section and are to cheer for the color of your knight. This was RIGHT up the boys' alley. It is usually difficult to keep four little boys still for very long, but this show had them mesmerized with all of it's action. And the food was delicious! Andy and I enjoyed the show just as much as the kids! Highly recommended!

This trip consisted of our family of six, my mom and stepdad, and my oldest sister and her family (husband, 2 sons, and one son's girlfriend). We really had a blast and definitely want to do it again in the future!

How much time do you have??? Here is an obscene amount of pictures from our adventures. Enjoy!

Kindergarten Graduation

What a big first year of regular school! So many firsts and so much LEARNING! Boy do they really start to grow and develop at this age. Clayton is now reading and doing simple math problems!

All-day kindergarten has been a challenge for Clayton in that he did not get as much downtime and rest time just being at home. The weeks were long and exhausting for him. Even though he has excelled throughout the year, I would have much preferred that he got to go half-days. It is tough seeing your child struggle with keeping up a 40-hour week when his body is not physically ready. I feel like our little ones are pushed too hard too fast these days. Let them be little while they still can - they have the rest of their lives to work, work, work! Okay, off my soapbox...

Like I said, Clayton has really shined this year! I am told he is like a soldier at school and takes the rules and requirements very seriously. He is extremely focused and one of my favorite comments on his papers this year was "Clayton works like a super machine!" He has also been recognized as a fierce leader and has often been prepared to teach the others in his class. He is certainly not lacking in confidence... that's my boy! Clayton was recommended for the precursor program to the gifted and talented program this year which was very exciting! We are so proud of him!

A graduation ceremony was held last night and it was so cute to see all of the little graduates in their caps and stoles! Clayton "walked the line" and received his diploma - such a special moment. Here are some pictures of our little graduate. I also wanted to say a big congratulations to our buddy Isaac for winning the "Citizenship Award" in his class - way to go!

The graduate



With Mommy


Proud parents!


And we were sure to celebrate afterwards with some ice cream!

Field Day 2010

Another first this week was Clayton's first field day! Mommy came along to snap some pictures and watch the fun. Clayton LOVES to compete and although they did things a little differently this year by not having competitions/awards, he still had a great time. He had to go to different stations and earn marks on his name tag so that he could earn the ultimate prize - a glorious popsicle. I have included some videos of him doing the tricycle race and the tire race. Yes, there was a tire race and a tire throw - we don't mess around in Kentucky! LOL Now, Clayton may have had a little bit of an advantage on the tricycle - it's as if he'd been practicing for this event for the 3 years prior to this since this was a favorite toy of his on the preschool playground, lol.



The Tire Race - Forget rolling them, why not carry 2 at a time???



The Tricycle Race

Preschool Graduation

My babies are growing up so fast and we had another one graduate preschool this week! Grant has had a great year of learning, as well as keeping Mrs. Lee and her assistants laughing! He is SO excited about being a kindergartener and has already asked me numerous times "How many days until I start kindergarten?" He has come a long way from dreading getting on that bus every day to asking every morning excitedly, "Do I have school today?!" I am so happy that he loves school and looks forward to seeing his friends. I'm sure he will make many along the way as it is impossible to resist falling in love with his kind and generous nature.

Congratulations big boy!

Zoo Field Trip

It has been a busy time of year!! I got my first class field trip experience this week with the kindergarteners going to the zoo! Grandma and the brothers came along, too, and it was a hot, but fun day.

Bike Rider

Clayton has recently learned to ride his bike with no training wheels. He was actually doing it at the end of last summer but started all over this spring and now he has it down pat. On Mother's day he and uncle Lewis took a ride around in the parking lot of the middle school right across the street from Grandma's house. If you notice, he is all geared up, lol. We got him these because he was afraid of falling and they really helped his confidence while learning. Now he mostly goes with just the helmet. He's growing up!

Getting advice from the expert, Uncle Lewis

Happy 9th Anniversary!

Even though today marks the official day of our anniversary, every day is a reminder of your unconditional and selfless love. You've given me the family I've always wanted and the support that is essential to making it function. Nine great years and four wonderful kids. Together Forever!

(Sorry, but no recent picture of the two of us together to post. I will work on that, lol.)