tuesday night already?

Wow--time flies when you're having fun--and boy are we having fun! Yesterday Heather enjoyed an early morning walk on the beach with kelly and grandma while the rest of us enjoyed some extra sleep. After making necklaces at the "kids craft" area the kids enjoyed some ping pong and were ready to hit the pool. We diverted to the beach and the kids had a blast jumping in the waves with christopher. they would run in, jump over a few and then run back out. Cameron preferred chasing the birds and making kelly chase him. The kids all enjoyed playing in the sand and building/destroying sandcastles. Before mom went to get my grandma we played some bingo. Today we had a bunch at the pool, won a towel and t-shirt for my mom and dad and got some free postcards for the kids. We went to the indoor pool and the kids showed off their diving for the bottom skills as well as swimming across the pool skills for GG. Once we got back Cameron was exhausted so he took a nap and charlie a break while the other two explored the beach with the family. After wearing GG out with some Bingo the kids ended the day watching a few christmas shows. Not a bad day at the beach!

life on another island

We're enjoying Hilton Head Island very much--wishing Jeff were here to play with us but enjoying time with my side of the family. Yesterday the kids excitedly woke Christopher up to go check out teh indoor pool. The kids really enjoyed the pool, showing off their swimming skills--Heather actually using strokes and Charlie doggie paddling as fast and well as he could. Both were putting their heads underwater and blowing bubbles like summer swimming had just ended! Cameron also loved the water. There was a step that he could walk on which was about 10 feet long. He enjoyed walking back and forth as well as looking at me and stepping off, going underwater and smiling when I pulled him up. He has no fear of the water and getting his face wet is no problem for him. After the pool and lunch Heather and grandma headed for the beach. Both are avid shellers and delighted in showing us their treasures. After warming up they headed back with Christopher and found starfish and sanddollars which were alive so they threw them back into the ocean. We met Kelly and then headed out to see some local christmas lights and get some barbeque. Today we did much of the same, swimming with the whole group in the morning (i even enjoyed a few minutes in the hot tub) then the kids went with grandma to the beach for shelling. After a good seafood dinner we came back to watch some football and play the bingo game that the kids picked out from the lobby. The kids love spending time with their grandparents and Aunt Kelly and Uncle Christopher. It's nice that despite the distance and infrequency of seeing them this year they still feel so comfortable together that the biggest problem we seem to have is who sits by who at dinner, in the car, and shares rooms at bedtime...

traveling to hilton head

our adventures continue as we traveled with my parents to Hilton Head for a week at their timeshare. We started off mid-morning on thursday and the kids did pretty well in the car on our drive to visit virginia tech. We drove through the campus and did a little traveling through the community and found some very nice people. The area is beautiful and the people were really nice--definitely a small college town which I can see us living in. It would be VERY different from the military community we will be leaving--then going back to--but seems like it could be quite fun for a few years. The trip from Blacksburg to Charlotte was a bit more tiresome as the kids were growing restless. A movie for the big kids and some hard work by me led to minimal crying before we pulled into the hotel. Cameron enjoyed exploring everything he could get his hands on in the hotel, his favorite a tissue dispenser located below the sink. We finally settled in and in the morning the kids made the most of the continental breakfast eating bagels, mini-waffles, mini-doughnuts, hard boiled eggs and more. Back in the car the kids picked at each other, "she smiled at me. He touched me. Don't say that. Don't sing..." ugh! We stopped just outside Hilton Head at an outlet where grandma let the kids each pick out a few school clothes and I found some cute shirts to take a picture of the kids in. Cameron enjoyed trying to pull clothes from the bottom of the stack...Finally we arrived at my parents BEAUTIFUL timeshare. It has a lovely lake in the middle and all the makings of a great week! We can see the ocean from our room and the kids had fun exploring the different rooms. We didn't get a chance to check out the indoor pool but did get to watch some football which Charlie really enjoys. He seems to understand first downs, touchdowns and interceptions. Cameron very cutely raises his hand over his head for touchdowns and is putting his hands over his face and saying his own version of peek-a-boo.

backpacks from dad

Before we left for our trip the kids got these backpacks from Jeff. They were REALLY excited and wanted to show everyone their new possessions. Heather's sports tinkerbelle, cinderella, and aurora (?), Charlie's has lightning mcqueen and maeter, and Camerons pooh, piglet and tigger--very cute! Thanks Dad!

fall leaves

While we were at Kelly's the kids enjoyed some fall leaf jumping. Kelly raked some nice piles for them. Cameron was not such a fan but did sit for some pictures.

fall

Since we're in Ohio the kids have been enjoying fall weather. While it's been a bit cool we've gotten outside to play almost every day. Yesterday the kids enjoyed some tree climbing in the same tree that my sister and I used to climb. It's a bit more of a challenge now without the ladder or the extra branches that used to be there but the kids seemed to have a good time. Sitting still as a group for pictures was a challenge though. Yesterday we also met up with a friend and the kids got to have McDonald's happy meals as a treat--those toys are even more exciting when you haven't seen them in almost a year!

Cameron has had so much fun discovering new things--the birds at the birdfeeder, the cat and dog--which he delights in squealing and pointing at when they come in the room--as long as they aren't too close, the stairs without a gate, the fireplace. He's started giving hugs to everyone and identifying them by name when told who to hug. Grandpa has been tracking him around the house to make sure he doesn't get in trouble and both seem to enjoy the extra attention.

Thanksgiving, football and COSI

We had a very nice Thanksgiving at my parent's and joined by Jeff's mom. We spent the morning watching the Macy's parade footage and talked to Jeff (he had turkey which wasn't great and pumpkin pie without any whipped topping which he thought should be illegal) The food at ourmeal was plentiful and although the kids were a little restless before we started eating we all enjoyed a delicious meal. After stuffing ourselves with stuffing we watched some football. The kids have been wanting to hit tennis balls so for the second afternoon we went out to the cement by the house and they hit tennis balls at the house. They mostly got excited to hit them over and then go get them. Both are hitting quite well and enjoy doing "downs" as well as whacking it. Nets and courts should be introduced soon...

Friday morning the kids enjoyed some flakes of snow that were falling, enough to go out with grandma and make little snowmen from the snow on the windshield of the car. They were delighted to see the white stuff and they hope that some will follow for christmas. After they warmed up a bit we bundled up again to go see the Ohio football game which was really fun. We made it for the first touchdown and the kids lasted the whole game and the band postgame. Cameron danced to the band, Charlie watched for first downs and passes and Heather snuggled in Kelly's lap and had a good time.

Today we got up and headed up to see the kids cousins and Jeff's brother and sister in law and enjoyed a day at COSI. It was really fun for the kids to play together and explore the science museum. Heather and Charlie wandered through with their cousins, holding hands and trying to keep up with each other. They enjoyed yo-yos, tops, and etch-a-sketches at the toys through the ages part, submarines in the oceans, a coral reef movie, space and bodies. There was also a kids room where they could run and play and build with activities for just their age. The kids really enjoy spending time with their cousins and look forward to seeing them again closer to Christmas. After the museum we went to dinner and all the kids were very well behaved and enjoyed milkshakes to top off the day. The ride home was less than stellar. Cameron was fussy most of the way but didn't really start wailing until about 20 minutes from my parents--oh well, the rest of the day he was great!!