FINALLY FRIDAY!!

Here we are at the last weekend before school starts back. It is hard to believe we will have a second grader and a Kindergartener this year! Bottle Rocket is excited to start back and thinks second grade will be the "most fun" grade yet. Our neighbor has asked Smoke Bomb for months if he is ready for school. He started off saying "no!", then "maybe" and then finally on Tuesday night, he said "YES"! So I think we are all a go. Except for me. I want to put them in a bottle and keep them small! But since I can't do that, I will join in the excitement. Here are a few pictures from this past week. Here's to a great new school year!

SPARKLER IS OUT!!

Of her crib that is!! We caught her twice trying to scale the sides of the crib. Then yesterday morning she came prancing into our room. The way she got out was to teeter on the rail and then somehow maneuver down (luckily without falling!). We knew then that it was better to be safe than sorry. So we bought her a new bed and today she slept in it for the first time and did great! She hopped right in, got her lovie and fell asleep right away! We also bought a few new things to spruce up her new "big girl" room. The first time she saw everything put together this morning, she began to clap. It was quite cute. While at the furniture store last night, Sparkler couldn't keep her hands off this little flower nightlight. She was enamored with it! So of course, I couldn't leave the store without buying it. Turns out, she likes it better than the new bed! I am excited because we are switching the boys' rooms around this Fall. I can't wait to see what they pick out!

I HAVE A NEW LOVE IN MY LIFE!!

Well okay, it's really an old love, but freshly renewed after last week. I have always LOVED the beach......we are talking seriously loved the beach. When we were little, I used to cry on Saturday morning driving down beach road for the last time when we had to leave. I used to beg my parents to stay another day. I used to wear my bathing suit on the road trip to the beach. I take that back.......I used to wear my bathing suit to bed the night before!

Not much has changed. I told the kids this year that I was so excited about the beach I could almost pee! The kids know it is a family rule that they have to wear their bathing suits on the trip to the beach. This year they even asked if they could wear their suits to bed! Last year, Bottle Rocket, with his newly acquired reading skills, excitedly read all the signs about July 4th fireworks on the pier and convinced us to stay another day. This year, I was able to talk the family into staying one more day! We always wait until the last minute to make condo reservations so we can get a good discount. This also just happens to leave some wiggle room to stay another day.....hehe!!

Anyhow, I told MacGyver that I love the beach now more than ever after our recent trip. Watching the kids have so much fun and revel in all the beauty of the beach just melted my heart all week. Seeing things through their eyes made the beach all that more wondrous to me. I woke up each morning eager myself to get out to the sand and surf, but the real reason I was so excited was to be with the kids in the sand and surf. Things like watching the sunrise over the ocean, walking on the beach, collecting seashells, sitting on the balcony at dawn and playing in the ocean seemed to all take on a new meaning. I can see now why my parents loved the beach so much. I am grateful for the time we had at the beach this year and will cherish the memories for a lifetime.

BEACH TRIP 2010

Ready To Go........ !!!


On The Go..........!!!

Hate To Go.............!!!