Parental Love

Isn't it amazing that a parent can still feel so much love for their child even when the child is going through a really difficult developmental stage? Thank God we get our children when they are sweet, and tiny and innocent so that a bond of love can be built and secured before that sweet cuddleumpkins begins to talk and exert their own opinions! While there are certainly some enjoyable aspects that begin to emerge as a child learns to become more independent, there are other aspects that make me remember quite keenly why I do not wish to experience this age again with a child of my own... Hang in there, Beth and Rob!

Delicious!

Is there anything more delectable or adorable then chubby little baby feet? My neice, Mandy, no longer sports the tiny, delicate feet of a newborn. She now has those yummy little balls of sweetness at the end of her legs. It was wonderful to spend some time with her while visiting Maryland, but it reminds me that I don't get to see her (or my other neice Ally) nearly often enough.

National Aquarium

We had a wonderful excursion to the National Aquarium in Baltimore today. I'll try to write more about it later, but wanted to get a few of the pictures up since I'm behind on my blogging.

Time for Tea

We got to go to tea again this year with Gram during our trip to Maryland. The girls had a fun time dressing up and acting like little ladies. They enjoyed their food, and we tried a few different teas for them, but they preferred the strawberry lemonade (still in tea cups, of course!).

As much fun as they had being dressed up, they were happy to change into more comfortable clothes once tea was over before we went out for a bit of shopping.

Summer Travels with Three plus One

In past years Ryan has complained that he never has anyone to play with when we take long trips over the summer. It's especially hard for him since the girls are always together. This year we decided to bring his best friend, Brandon, with us. The trip turned out to be longer than we had originally planned because we couldn't coordinate an intermediate pick-up weekend with everyone's schedules. Brandon got homesick at night after the first 3 days, but was a real trooper over the 10 day trip. And they both had a great time together during the days.

It was a great idea to have a friend along, but I think we'll have to keep the duration shorter if we try it again next year so that Ryan can still get some one-on-one time with Granddad.

Chore Day

Ryan is trying to earn money for a new baseball hat. He offered to help Kevin with cleaning out the van as we got ready to tailgate at the Lynyrd Skynyrd/Kid Rock concert tonight and the long drive to Maryland tomorrow. It turns out that he is a great shop vacuumer and was extremely thorough. My van was cleaner than it's been in months. Kevin was going to originally pay him a dollar, but since he did such a good job and really took his time to get all the nooks and crannies, he paid him $2.

Island Hopping

It was a busy day on the lake today and we were out with two other boats of friends. We started out tied up together just off of one of the islands, but it soon became too crowded and we decided to head for deep water to get away from other swimmers and boats. Check out Kevin's tan--he's actually starting to get a tan on his chest this year!

Triplets

A close friend of the Zirkle family in WV is Cecilia Carper. She was great friends with Kevin's grandfather, Vincent. When I was expecting my girls, her son was also expecting a new baby, and the due dates were very close. Cecilia and Vincent would joke around about how they were going to have triplets--he would get two and she would get one. As it turned out, Hailey, Cecilia's grandaughter, was born on April 17, 2003 about one hour earlier than Olivia and Katelyn. And so their joke became the truth--they had "triplets."

We exchange Christmas cards with Cecilia and birthday cards between the girls. And last night we got a phonecall from Cecilia because she was going to be driving through our area to go visit her sister in South Carolina. She stopped by with Hailey and our triplets finally got to meet!

Manual Labor

Now that Kevin is having to spend time commuting, I have taken on the task of mowing our yard on the weeks that I'm at home so that he can enjoy his free time with the kids. It's hot work, and sweaty, but great exercise. And I love the immediate gratification because it is so noticeably better when it's done.

Sitting Pretty

Olivia is my little ham and always is willing to cooperate when I need to snap a quick picture because I'm stumped about what to photograph for my Project 365! I'm lucky she's such an adorable subject too!

Card Sharks

The latest craze in our house is cards. Particularly Go Fish and Uno. The kids are playing together wonderfully while enjoying these games and I am loving the lack of arguing and declarations of boredom! Kevin had to travel to Texas this afternoon so he sat down for a few hands of Go Fish this morning before heading to the airport.

Kitchen Help

This weekend Katelyn learned how to use the toaster oven to make toast and bagels. She has a nice wooden spoon to help her get the hot items out safely, and she is so proud of her new skill. I came downstairs to pack Kevin's lunch this morning and found her busily toasting, and then she poured a bowl of cereal, added milk, got a glass of juice, and then buttered and jellied the bread. But my favorite part? She was making breakfast for her Daddy. She was so proud of herself and was absolutely beaming when he came in from the garage and she had him sit down to a meal she had made for him.

Hot, Hot, Hot!

We may not be spring chickens anymore, but we can still look pretty good when we try (if I may say so myself!). This was during our fun celebrating Barbara's birthday, and although it's the same event, it was a different day... :) It was so much fun getting dressed up and going out with my husband!

Happy 40th Birthday, Barbara!

Jonathan pulled out all the stops for Barbara's 40th birthday, and we were fortunate enough to be included in the group of 20 people who helped her celebrate this new decade. We were picked up by a stretch Hummer and driven to The Wine Loft in Mooresville where he had arranged for us to have a happy hour (actually 90 minutes) with delicious appetizers and an open bar. Next we hopped back into the Hummer for a ride to downtown Charlotte and VIP treatment at a nightclub called Suite. Again, he had reserved a fabulous outdoor suite overlooking the city from a terrace with comfy couches--a great way to cool off in between dancing! It was an extremely late night, but oh so fun, and worth the sleepiness of the next day (which was a reminder that we are, in fact, getting a little older).

A View from the Back of the Van

Another picture snapped by one of my girls with their "new" camera. Pretty typical day of running around to BJ's and Target getting ready for the weekend.

When the Weather gets Hot...

...take the kids bowling! We had a fun afternoon bowling with the Shragas and Christianos. Gotta love those rental shoes. It's not the cheapest way to spend some time, but it was nice and cool and a change of scenery. This was the first time my kids had been bowling since Ryan's 6th birthday party.

New Mooresville

When we first moved to Mooresville, there was a distinct "old" and "new" part of the town. The "old" part is being renovated and rejuvenated and is becoming quite quaint and artsy. The "new" part is being over-developed with more box stores. The convenience of these stores is definitely a plus, but there's not much that's pretty about them. Fortunately there are some interesting little shops stuck in-between and the developers have left a fair number of trees in front so that they aren't quite as obtrusive. One of the girls took this picture again today while driving around running some errands.

Let's Get Physical

What is it about boys that makes them constantly need to wrestle and tussle and try to best each other? Even though Ryan and Brandon are the best of friends, they spend so much time trying to prove who is bigger, stronger, smarter, faster, etc. They can't even resist in a shoe store to get a little physical. I must confess that I just don't understand it, and while it drives me a little crazy, I also try to appreciate that this is just an innate difference between boys and girls. So I allow it, with moderation, and hope that some day they'll outgrow it!

Back to Routines

We're back from the beach and the Huntley's are home too, so it's time for the girls to get back to playing with Sydney. I gave them my first digital camera to use to take some pictures and they took this in Syd's room.

Monster Cat

I can not believe how big Midnight has grown in the 5 months we've had him! He's not yet full-grown, and he's easily 13 pounds of solid muscle. Bella is still tiny and petite and dainty. He is a brute. But a very loveable, snuggly brute!

Loving Molly

Beach Bums, part deux

Morkie Friends

Madeline Stone is just two weeks younger than Livvy and Katy. Despite their closeness in age, we moved before any real friendship formed between the girls. This week a friendship began to be forged. The three girls discovered that they enjoyed playing together, and they really bonded over Molly, the Stones' new puppy (a "Morkie"). My girls had brought a backpack full of clothes to dress their stuffed animals. On this day, the girls decided to use those clothes to dress Molly. They had so much fun changing her outfits and showing her off to us. It was really interesting watching them begin this new friendship together.

Vortex!

After 5 days on the beach, we were all excited to spend a day at Kathryn's in-laws neighborhood pool! They purchased a second home near Sunset Beach about 5 years ago at Ocean Ridge Plantation, a beautiful golf community with both indoor and outdoor pools. The indoor pool featured a separate hot tub; the outdoor pool featured a "make your own vortex" which I suspect was supposed to be a grown-up lounging pool. I was amazed at how few people were there besides us. We packed a cooler and spent the day poolside. And after wearing the kiddos out swimming, we moms got to enjoy an hour on the beach without any kids while they rested a bit before dinner. It was a day well-spent in nearly every way.

Beach Bums

Mmmmmm. Brownies!

What could be better than a week at the beach with great company? How about a week at the beach with great company AND brownies!

Worn Out

We let the kids stay up pretty darn late last night. We didn't go to any organized fireworks displays. We simply watched the numerous displays being set off simultaneously at about 4 or 5 nearby beaches, in addition to all those fireworks being set off by individuals along the beach.

Was it loud? No.
Was it exciting? No.
Was it beautiful? Most definitely yes!

Some members (Ryan) of our group were a little disappointed at first, but when I pointed out that we get to choose how we perceive our surroundings, and then explained what that meant he started to perk up. Instead of looking at what was missing compared to other years' fireworks, he began to look for what was present that we didn't get to enjoy other years (sand, multiple shows, the roar of the ocean, the peace, friends who we haven't spent the 4th with in years, not having to sit in traffic, etc.).

I wish that I had learned much earlier in life that I am the one who decides how I will perceive, and therefore experience my life. It doesn't come naturally, but I now make a conscious effort to perceive things in the positive as often as possible. I hope that I will pass this along to my children.

However, no matter how positively you may view life, sometimes staying up late makes for feeling tired and a little cranky. Water can help sometimes, but sometimes a dose of TV with a side of vegging out is needed!

Happy 4th of July!

These cute kids are patriotic courtesy of Old Navy. Gotta love it.

Barrier Beach

If you've never vacationed on a barrier island, you should. It is an experience completely unlike that found on mainland beaches. The difference is noted as you cross the Intracoastal Atlantic Waterway and the vast salt marshes between the mainland and the island. It is beautiful, and you can see the ocean spread out before you at the peak of the bridge. There is little commercial development, and virtually no high rise condos. The beaches are strewn with shells and stones, and every low tide there are tidal pools for the kids to play in. Unfortunately, it is a fragile ecosystem, subject to frequent change which can result in loss of homes. The house where we stayed used to have two rows of homes in front of it, and it is now ocean front with only a very narrow beach during high tide.

The sand dunes are a vital part of protecting the ecosystem and the homes, and the only way to access the beaches are over wooden walkways. The first picture below is the view from the lower level of the house towards the walkway.

The second picture is a recently hatched sea turtle nest. You can see the bits of eggs strewn about. This was about 1/4 mile up the beach towards the end of the island. The third picture shows some of the tidal pool areas. You can see where attempts are being made to save homes using sandbag dunes at the end of the island where the normal dunes have been washed away. This is only about 7 houses away from where we stayed. And finally the kids walking along the high tide line at the end of the island. Can you believe how few people are there?

Summer Bribe, I mean Bridge

One of the biggest complaints of teachers about summer vacation is that students forget some of what they learned the previous year over the break and time has to be spent re-teaching. To combat this problem, there are a variety of activities that students can complete to keep their skills sharp: reading, journaling, flashcards, and summer bridge books (they are a bridge from one grade to the next). We purchased these books for our kids and as an incentive to finish the first months' lessons before the beach we offered a monetary reward that they could spend at one of the gift shops we fondly call 'Callabash Trash.' They all worked hard and they all earned their spending money. Now to figure out an appropriate bribe, I mean incentive, to finish the next month's lessons.

Thank you, Kat!

Kathryn, one of our Virginia neighbors, was kind enough to invite us to share her beach vacation at her grandfather's house. Rent free. Wow. Wow! It was just the moms and kids, and we had an amazing time together. As a thank you for her generosity, Stephanie and I got her a pair of switchflops and several straps to customize them. They are just as fabulous as she is. Seriously!

Ice Age 3-D

We went to the second available matinee showing of Ice Age 3-D today. It wasn't as good as the original, but it was still pretty funny. The morning was overcast and hot, so the movie theater was a great place to be.