Dan Nicholas Park

Love outdoor adventures? Got kids? If yes, pack em up and head straight to Dan Nicholas Park. Miles, Noah and I spent the weekend there with four other families (Mike took Griffin to New Bern for the big triathlon). We'd been there several times for 1/2-day adventures, but this was our first time hanging out for the weekend. We're ready for another visit already!



Cute one room cabins.


A little train.



A carousel.



Mini-golf.



Paddle boats.



Funny cut-outs.





A splash park.


Gem mining.


Evenings spent curled up with good books.


Bear watching (the little guys were SURE of it).



Cooking over campfires and marshmallow roasts.


Biking. Lots of biking.



They also have amazing playgrounds, a zoo, and a petting zoo. I'm telling you, this place rocks.

Red & Blue Day

Miles is in the final days of kindergarten and its so hard to believe. His first year of real school has gone by in a blink...and just 12 more "blinks" and he's off to college. Wow.

His school organized a field day this week. It was precious and I pretty much giggled non-stop. I took mental notes and can't wait to repeat some of these games at our next Halloween party.

A "hold the ball between your legs and hop" game.


A "balance the golf ball on the spoon" game. Miles didn't quite get the 'balancing' part until I put down the camera and coached him a little. :)



This relay game was a hoot. The kids had to put on a lei, a tube, and sunglasses....run to a lawn chair, sit down, read the paper, and then run back.


What kid doesn't love the parachute? "Everyone with brown hair run under" kind of thing.



After the events the parents were invited back to the classroom for some songs/poems/presentations. It was precious. A year ago (in preschool), Miles was the kid that pulled his shirt over his head during this kind of thing (or just stared blankly) because he felt so uncomfortable with all of the attention. This time? He sang, did hand motions, and had fun. I was so proud of him....but mostly just happy for him. I know what it feels like to be terribly shy and I'm so glad that he's edging out of his shell.



The best part of the day was hearing each child recite a summary of their year in kindergarten. This is what Miles wrote/read, "Kindergarten is super. I learned lots of things. I learned all about amphibians. Did you know that toads puff up to scare away predators? I made lots of friends. I hope they are in my next class. I like math journal because I'm a math superstar! I like the birthday mouse because we get to hold it on our birthday. I love kindergarten." Miles was the only student that asked question....I was impressed by his desire to engage the audience. :) We all chuckled when he called himself a 'superstar'. Another first for the class.


I'm head over heels...love this little guy.

Mixing It Up

Leave it to boys to create their own version of fun. This afternoon Miles and Will decided that our water table would be much more fun if it resembled a beach -- so they dumped bucket loads of sand into the water table. It did look fun. They jumped back & forth between the "beach" and the sandbox (taking turns burying each other). I'm loving Miles' new-found comfort in getting dirty, wet and gross. L.o.v.e. I.t.

Little Joys of (Almost) Summer

Sandbox

We gave Griffin a water table and a sandbox for his birthday. The water table was set up right away, but we didn't fill the sandbox until yesterday. The boys LOVE it.




With bags of sand priced at just $2.50, the kids can be as free-flowing with it as they please. :)


I positioned the picnic table right next to the sandbox so its an easy transition at snack time (and love the chance to catch a glimpse of those cute little piggies.)


Even the older boys loved it (Noah, our neighbor Will, and Miles).



For everyone that knows Miles, check him out beneath the sand. Isn't that shocking & exciting?! I envision many hours playing in the sandbox this summer. :)

I ♥ Faces: Birthdays

One of the I ♥ Faces themes this week is Birthdays. Just for fun, I'm entering a picture I took of Noah the morning he turned 4.



Come join the fun and see other entries at www.iheartfaces.com.

Summer Yet?

The boys and I are counting down the days until school is out. Noah is finished on Friday, Miles is finished next Wednesday. You'd think I was the one in school, the way I'm getting so giddy that the last day is almost here. Can't wait to trade in my buzzer alarm clock and scheduled life in exchange for laid back, summer fun. Trish and I spent a few minutes on Sunday brainstorming fun projects we can do with the kids this summer (like paper mache!). Can't wait!



Summer here yet?


Just wake me when it is...

Beach Trip

Ahh...the beach. The sand, the sun, the shopping (my DNA cannot resist the kate spade outlet), the food...I love it all. Wrap that up with that 3 fun girlfriends and it couldn't be better. Beth, Trish, Susannah and I enjoyed every moment of our 3rd annual girls' beach trip.




On our way to the beach we always stop in Hartsville, SC for lunch and a little boutique shopping. As an added treat this year, we stopped at Beth's in-law's house for a visit. Scott's mother, Judy, has just started painting and we saw some of her (amazing) recent work. We also got a tour of Ed's workshop, where he makes the best kid's blocks.





On the way back, we always stop and buy fresh veggies and fruit. I've been snacking on blackberries all day and we had corn-on-the-cob for dinner tonight. YUM. Already looking forward to the 4th (and the 44th) beach trip!