Iowa to Holden Beach

We were able to join the Hartson family on their trip to Holden Beach, North Carolina. Charity's SIL Jackie's family has a house, right on the beach, facing the Atlantic Ocean. Things just aligned and we were able to go as well. This was the first time that Michael had ever seen an ocean and the first time that either of us had traveled past Illinois, by car, at least. Our children did a remarkable job traveling there and back again.

Sunday afternoon, exploring the beach for the first time.
Periwinkles in the sand, waves to jump on and a kick board to surf on.

Monday afternoon, watching popcorn pop. What a cool thing!
You mean it doesn't always pop in the microwave? A cloudy afternoon, but perfect
for shell hunting. And then oh, what the heck, let's swim in our clothes!

Tuesday & Wednesday - sand castles, legless children, mermaids and mermen galore!

Thursday - the morning before the first tropical storm of the year.

Thursday's dinner - Crab Boil - Crab, Shrimp, Potatoes & Corn on the Cob.
Delicious!!

Friday's waves & wind

Good bye Holden Beach - see you next time!

Spidey, KaTs & Cousins

Watch Grace perform on the piano at Kittrell's Talent Show on Monday, May20th. She was the only student to play an instrument. I know she was nervous but she did very well. Click here.

We have spent the week having a lot of fun at our house. Ryan wants to put on (and then takes off) Luke's Capt America outfit like a million times a day. But he says he's Spider Man. I wish he would let me take a picture of him - he stands with his hands on his hips and his chest puffed out. Super cute! :)

These are our kittens Thomas (the gray) and Kallie (the calico). They are a new learning challenge for our family. We love having them and watching their antics. I'm glad we have two so they can play together - when the children finally put them down!

Today we went to Des Moines to celebrate my nephew Devin's graduation from High School. Before his grad party, we gathered all the cousins and got their pictures taken. Surprisingly we got the best picture taken on the very first shot - not bad for half of the group being 4 and under! Grace & Audrey were very excited to see their cousin Kaylea.

Ryan, Sofia & Luke watching a movie at the party.

 The Graduate, Devin Michael Pickering, graduating Sunday May 26th and leaving for Basic on Tuesday, May 28th.

 And me and my cousin Theresa Caraccio Summers. We are the youngest & oldest girls on the Caraccio side of my family.

Potty Training in 3 days

Potty training sucks! Ryan and I have been working on potty training for 3 days. After accident and accident, I decided I was done. I was starting to get really frustrated and it wasn't really productive. So back into a diaper he went, all the of the potty stuff was packed & put away. Except for the potty chair - I figured he could use it to encourage future potty training time.

So about an hour later he comes and says, "I poop-ed." Normally means he's wet. So I took off his diaper and he immediately went over to the little chair and sat down. Imagine my great surprise when he actually starts pooping - in the TOILET! Yeah, gross but WAHOO!!! Gonna stay in the diapers for now but will continue to encourage the use of the potty.

The boys cuddling last night. So cute. Love these guys!

February's gone, March has marched in!

Always need a little entertainment on these cold, snow days. Hats make great toys! 

 

Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss!!

"One fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish!"

We celebrated by going to Barnes and Noble to use our Christmas gift cards from Poppa Michael and Uncle Deer. The kids totally love going and buying new books, and any other toy sold there. It was just a nice relaxing time, even without the train table. We did buy "Green Eggs and Ham" in honor.

We also went to Scratch, the local cupcakery. They have very yummy cupcakes. We missed the Dr. Seuss cupcakes by about an hour, but the children were still very happy to celebrate with their choices for dessert that night.

 Ryan loves, LOVES Dora the Explorer! He spent most of his time in this corner, reading Dora books, Thomas books, and trying to rip the wrapping off of books with toys.

 Luke was very patient and just found books to read while I helped everyone else first. Love that guy!

Grace found her purchases right away - Harry Potter wall decals & a stuffed owl. She's totally in an HP phase right now.

 Audrey had a tough time deciding - so many choices - and a tough age to be figuring out what she wanted: chapter book, simple book, book with toy.... I was happy when she finally made her choices!! :)

JuJu and Poppa Royal came for dinner tonight - chocolate pudding and strawberries for dessert. The kids loved it - and the facial "hair" they acquired. Luke didn't want his photo taken.