Back-to-School

Scott debuts his new glasses & Caroline gets a work-out as she carries a fully-loaded backpack. She was excited about buying school supplies this year... wanted to go after only being on summer break for 2 days. Goodness! I told her to enjoy her summer break while it lasted, as it was way too short this summer. But, the older kids are off to school and looking so grown to me. This morning Mackenzie said, "Scott is so excited for me to go to school with him." I know her big brother will look out for her. Caroline's classmate wrote "you have a beautiful sister" & while visiting the school for end-of-year activities, a little boy from church saw Mackenzie and came and gave her a big hug. That makes me feel good about sending her off.

I'm a BIG girl now!

While cleaning Mackenzie's room, we finally took down her life-size self-portrait from joy school.

She layed down beside it to see how much she's grown & was quite proud that all the fruits & veggies she's been eating are doing their job. Growing up too quick!

New addition to the family

A pet hermit crab named Rosie joined us at the end of our beach vacation this year. Mackenzie was SO excited to pick her out and name her. Now this is the type of pet I handle right now, so it worked for everyone. Yea! Notice her gold painted shell! She's even got a tatoo... a flower on her back. Hermit crabs these days.

Summer Fun

I took at least a dozen pictures of Eric helping Mackenzie jump "bumps" as she kept calling it. She could spend all day jumping in the waves, but I don't think Eric's arms would last. I had fun just watching her have fun. Too cute!

So, after wiping out while boogie boarding last summer, we were unsure if Caroline would attempt riding waves this summer. But... she was eager to give it another try. She had a blast. She did wipe out eventually and called it quits for the day. But, to our surprise, she went at it the very next day. Last summer, after 1 wipeout, she was done for the summer. She's growing up.

I love watching the kids play together and get along for hours at a time. A mother's dream come true.

Scott & Caroline have SO much fun together. I do hope Mackenzie will eventually age into the club. Right now, she can't hang with the boogie boarding. Maybe next summer will be her year.

Notice that the smart one in the family is wearing the sunglasses. The squinters have their sunglasses in the beach bag... not helping out so much, but in a minute, they'll be turned around playing in the sand/water, so it won't matter. Go play!

Cooling Off!

The kids had fun at the pool. Scott tried to dive through the hole in the tube. He almost drowned himself, but eventually was able to dive through the hole and do a flip around the tube. We had a contest to see who could do the most forward rolls in the water. He did 4, so I did 4. Then, he did 6. I dropped out of the competition because my nose was still burning from all the chlorine water than went up my nose from the 1st challenge. I showed Caroline how to do a hand stand in the water and she eventually mastered that. It was pretty funny to watch as she would kick her legs a lot trying to get them up. Mackenzie found some water mats to float on at the pool. She would just lay on her back and float around. Her swim lesson instructor would be proud. I think that mat gave her confidence to lay her head down while trying to back float. She smiled SO big and pretty as she was quite proud of herself for laying flat on her back in the water.

Caroline climbs the stairs to the waterslide. This is her 1st year doing it by herself.

As you can tell, Caroline enjoyed the water slide. It's awesome b/c it doesn't throw you off the tube as you enter the pool. So, here's Caroline floating along after a trip down the slide. She loved it! She did it over and over and over. I can't blame her. It's a lot of fun. Scott nicknamed her the Green Goblin b/c if she was at the pool, she had her green goggles and a green tube. Of course, the 1 time she couldn't find a green tube is the day I got a picture of her at the pool, but... I doubt we'll forget about the Green Goblin. It was easy to keep an eye on her at the pool for sure, which is a good thing b/c keeping up with 3 kids at the pool is a daunting task. One afternoon, Eric ran some errands while I took the kids to the pool. Another afternoon, Eric took the kids to the pool while I took an afternoon nap. I LOVE vacation.

BIG FOOT: Mackenzie thought it was SO much fun to have her feet buried in the sand.

Searching for SeaShells: Caroline searched for seashells one morning while the boys did some surf fishing. Mackenzie was too tired to make it out that early, so I stayed inside with her. Caroline found a partial sand dollar, which was quite exciting for her. We're going to make Sand Dollar Cookies because she just LOVES sand dollars.

I had lots of fun with the kids at the pool while on vacation. I LOVE the water slide. It's so much fun. I can't wait until the kids are a little older and we can go to a water park. I've NEVER been to a water park, besides the Great Wolf Lodge, so I look forward to getting to try out some big water slides in the future. But, for now, the water slide at the pool was a blast! During break at the pool, the kids would throw their torpedos in the deep end and I would dive for them. I had to wear goggles b/c of my contacts, but it was loads of fun. For years I've been sitting back with the baby or toddler, but now, I actually get to join in the fun. I'm starting to feel like I'm too old for it all, but... my dad still plays with the kids, so I figure I have no excuse not to join in. Good times!

Great Balls of Fire!

Fort Macon, NC: The kids watch as the soldiers load the cannon with gunpowder and FIRE! I could feel it in my chest. This cannon launches a 6 pounder.

Each of these men has a different duty in the launching of the cannon ball. The worst job has to be that of sticking your thumb in this hole to make it airtight. The poor guy at least gets to wear a leather thumb protector to fend off the heat, but still. The launching of a cannon is quite dangerous. It was our 1st time seeing the cannon FIRE. We got to see a musket FIRE one summer and I thought that was LOUD.

Seeing the fort come to life with soldiers and women in period costume was really impressive.

It's hard to see, but this is inside one of the rooms of the fort... a bunk with soldiers writing home and a couple playing their violins and singing to pass the time.

Scott got to train as a soldier and was paid with some currency from that time period after his training. He enjoyed the training session though it was quite hot. Imagine what it was like to be in a wool uniform. Whew!

Fort Macon, NC came to life this year as we got to witness the firing of a cannon. The rooms in the fort were filled with soldiers in uniform and women dressed in mourning. It was a great depiction of how the fort actually functioned. The gates were opened inside the kitchen, where they were cooking a stew for the soldiers who had spent the night in the fort. We saw soldiers using ink wells to write letters home. There were people playing violins and singing songs of comfort for those in mourning as well as songs to brighten spirits. The hospital ward was open and that was down right scary. Really makes you appreciate the sacrifices our countrymen have made over the years. To see the tools and lack of sanitation, as well as the small medicine drawer, made me cringe. There was an amputated leg on the operating table. When we left the hospital ward, Mackenzie said, "That was Joseph Smith's leg wasn't it?". I thought that was pretty funny. I guess she remembers the movie we saw in the Washington DC Visitor's Center in April where Joseph Smith as a young boy had bone cut out of his leg to remove disease. Then, Sunday morning, when Brother Sinclair came into the chapel and sat down, Mackenzie said, "There's Brother Monson." She was so excited to see the prophet at church. I had to correct her. She makes us laugh. Just too sweet!