A Few More

Buckets, Wagons, and Shovels - Oh My!

The best beach toy investment I've made in all my 3 years of being a Mom is this green wagon. It is big enough for both the boys to pull and big enough to haul their beach toys in. So, I've put them to work at the tender ages of 3 and 1 hauling their own toys to the beach. Surprisingly enough, Kate also had this same wagon so that made double the fun!

Hughes on one of his many seashell hunts.

Banks probably carrying water.

On the way back to the beach house after a day of fun in the sun.

Digging all the way to China. Unfortunately, our blue shovel got stolen so we only have one now.

Big raft that Granddaddy bought. I think the adults used it more than the kids!

Putt-Putt and Ladder Golf

Late one afternoon, we took the boys to play putt putt. We found one with a huge dinosaur that we knew would be a huge hit! Banks was a little dangerous with a metal club and I was glad to get out of there without any one ending up with a concussion. Hughes didn't see the need to start putting from the start of each hole and instead chose to place his ball right beside the hole. He then proceeded to celebrate after each hole-in-one with a loud "yahoo". Banks quickly picked up on Hughes' style and finished the rest of the course with lots of "yahoos".

Family Photo

The boys exploring the dinosaur's feet. David trying to figure out how he can make a come-back in our game.

Check out that form - PGA here we come!

In awe of their mom's putt-putt skills!

Now, on to ladder golf. It was a big hit on the beach with the kids and adults. Lots of games were played - some got killed while others barely won. It didn't seem like a game of skill but rather a game of luck.

Swimming

Let me introduce you to the newest aquatic member of our family - HUGHES! He swam everyday all day! The waves knocked him down and he got right back up. Banks was a little hesitant but Hughes was clearly in love with the ocean!

Fishing

My boys will grow up to be fishermen if there dad has anything to do with it!

Banks practicing his cast with his Superman fishing pole in his bedroom shoes and Spiderman swimmies. This child has got some style!

Hughes and Granddaddy fishing in the surf.

David and Banks trying to catch dinner.

David and his fish. Scary enough, they caught several little sharks. Even more reasons for me to stay out of the ocean!

Sandcastles and Holes

The boys did a lot of digging as well as lots of sandcastle building. Well, sometimes the boys supervised the sandcastle building while the men took over the shovels for awhile.

Hughes, Banks and Uncle Bo building a gigantic fort.

Hughes trying not to fall into the hole.

Kate getting water splashed on her. There were lots of water bucket trips to the ocean.

Banks cooling his feet.

You can see part of the fort in the background.

David's shark that Banks stomped on.

Pawley's Island - Holman Style

We just got back from a great beach vacation with The Holman Clan - 9 adults, 3 children. The weather was perfect and the drinks were cold. We couldn't have asked for a better beach week! I'm going to chronicle our week in subjects. Here are just a few random pictures of our week. I have a ton of picture of the boys and that's about it. David makes an appearance every now and then but the rest of the family is absent. I promise they were all there - Andrew listening to music, Deyna dodging the camera in her maternity bathing suit (Deyna you look great by the way), Casey and Neal relaxing, GiGi holding down the fort at Family Tides, Granddaddy and Dawa on long walks or kayak paddles, and me behind the camera.

Hughes in one of his many, many holes - digging in the sand was definitely a favorite activity!

Banks has sunblock in his eyes in this picture and was not a happy camper - too bad it was my fault- oops, sorry Banks! It was also the first morning on the beach so we had a rough start.

Granddaddy and Dawa took the oldest grandkids for a beach walk. Somehow it turned into swimming in the surf and being carried back soaking wet. From the way this picture reads, Kate is a lot lighter than Hughes!

Coupon Craze

Coupon circulars came out today. Of course, I perused the various grocery circulars looking for my kill. This is what I found:

BiLo

Fruit Loops (on sale for $0.98 and I had a $1 coupon so it was FREE)

2 Colgate toothpaste

1 Bageful

Harris Teeter

2 Hefty gallon ziploc bags

3 12 pks. of Coke products

2 4-packs of light bulbs

2 Kraft shredded cheese

Grand Total: $17.06

Amount Saved: $34.86

Tomorrow I hit Publix for a few more worthy coupons. I do love to save!

Little Fishies

Swimming lessons ended with a BANG - Hughes was so confident and comfortable by the end, it was kind of a shame that the class was ending. However, I will not miss that daily drive at 4:00. Instead we'll be relaxing at the water park, playground, backyard, or out on another adventure.

Mom and I met Michele and the girls (Anna Banks and Emma) swimming last night at a friend's pool. I was shocked! The reasons you ask:

A. both boys wore their swimmies willingly (Spiderman helped the cause)

B. Hughes floated around the pool like it was no big deal - kicking, blowing bubbles

C. Banks was relaxed and jumping off the side to an adult

Maybe I will have little fishies for children. I hope so b/c there is no other way to beat the heat than to submerge yourself in water! Check out the video proof of my fishies! You can also hear him answer my questions and show off his bubble blowing skills!

Chandler's Baptism

On Sunday, we had our Goddaughter's baptism. Chandler did great and was the perfect host for the brunch. We had a lot of fun and Suzie outdid herself with the food - she had a ton!

Check it off - Swimming Lessons Done!

Well, we're not exactly swimming yet but we're definitely more excited about the water. Hughes did great on his last week. I was actually able to stay in the area and watch him without him freaking out and getting out of the pool. The last day of lessons, BecBec and David came to watch. He kicked like a rock star, blew bubbles like a fish, and floated like seaweed. We're still working on water in the face/going under the water. All in all, he did great and I'm really proud of how far he has come.

We also finished up vacation bible school this week. The theme was Paul and the Underground Church. Each day we visited Paul who was under house-arrest and Sister Lucia who was worshipping Jesus in an underground cave. The kids learned about what it was like to be a Christian in the early Roman times. It was a great theme and I'm pretty sure all the kids loved it. Hughes did a great job. I wish I could have secretly followed his class around - I would have loved to watch him and his reactions to the Roman soldiers. Banks stayed in the nursery and I'm pretty sure he was about fed up being in the nursery for almost 4 hours every morning.

One last thing, the boys have gone camping for the wkend with BecBec and PopPop so that leaves David and I KID FREE! We're having David's law school study group over for dinner tonight and then the rest of the wkend is for the beach, movie, dinner, and our Goddaughter's, Chandler Steed, baptism. I'll post pictures of our beautiful Goddaughter on Sunday.

So, I'm off to do some more cleaning, stuffing things in closets, feverishly clean the boys' rooms and manage to get myself presentable in a hour and a half - wish me luck!

Oh, don't want to rub it in but WE'RE KID FREE!