Thursday

This week of vacation is flying by! I can't believe it's almost over :(. We've had such a great time shopping, swimming, building sand castles, and eating, but the best part has been seeing the kids playing with their grandparents!

Today we began by visiting the Ripley's Aquarium at Broadway at the Beach. The homeschool discount is awesome! Each time we go, we get to see it through another child's eyes...everything is exciting when you're seeing it with a 3 year old :). Later we went to Barefoot Landing, where the kids ride the carousel every year...except we've got some that think they're too old now (awww). Then, more shopping, this time to find shoes for the two boys. Glad to have that ordeal done! Otherwise, our day was spent either on the beach, by the pool, or relaxing in the condo.

Later Days!
Kelly

p.s. I love the photo of Papa and Grandad coloring with M.!

Another Day at the Beach

We enjoyed the service at First Baptist Church of North Myrtle Beach this morning...then we noticed that the HOT light was on at Krispy Kreme doughnuts...guess who got 2 dozen glazed to go? C'mon, it's tradition & we ARE on vacation, right? I began the day with entirely too much sugar and it's just gotten worse from there! Good thing I've been doing lots of walking and jumping in the waves with the kids :).

M's new favorite pastime (besides jumping in the waves and making sandcastles) is playing pool. He likes to sit on the pool table with the top half of a stick and push the balls into the pockets...over and over and over and over.....

Tomorrow, Ladies' Shopping Day! The men get to occupy the kids (usually with a trip to Toys R Us and pizza) while the women go shopping at the outlets. I think there's a Ben & Jerry's ice cream shop there...I'll eat a New York Super Fudge Chunk for you, Von! :)

Later Days!
Kelly

A Day at the Beach....

I am happy to report that I am on vacation! Expect photos of kids in the water, kids in the sand, and kids eating junk food for the next few days :).

Warning to any ne'er-do-wells that might lurk on my blog (you know who you are)...our house is being guarded by an extremely large cat (and the people looking after our animals)! Don't even TRY anything nefarious!

Later Days!
Kelly

Frog on my Blog

How's that for a title? Eldest and I (mostly I) finished dissections today; we recently did an earthworm, a grasshopper, and today, a frog. She maintained a stand-offishness throughout the whole frog thing.... I, however, was a trooper, fearlessly snipping, pinning, and identifying froggy parts which I then showed to my squeamish daughter. To her relief, we probably won't do any more dissections until her senior year.

In other news, there's excitement in the air (NOT just formaldehyde) due to our upcoming beach trip! We talk about what we're going to pack, what we're most looking forward to doing, who's sleeping where in the condo, etc. We're going with both sets of grandparents so I expect the kids will get used to a certain amount of spoiling :). That's ok, they spoil US too!

Later Days!
Kelly

American Girl Day

Today our local library system sponsored American Girl Day, featuring the Native American doll, Kaya. There was a storyteller/singer who shared some Native American folk stories and legends; he also played traditional instruments and taught us some songs! As you might have guessed, my 8yo girl wouldn't have missed it for the world!

You've never seen such a crowd of little girls and their dolls! After much deliberation, K. chose to take her Felicity doll. Naturally, I think that MY American Girl was the prettiest :).

Later Days!
Kelly

9/11

Eight years ago today, I sat holding my 6mo old girl and cried while scenes of devastation played out on television. I tuned in to the morning news in time to see the second plane hit the World Trade Center and continued watching well into the night and for days afterward, shooing my older children (aged 7 and 4) into different rooms so they wouldn't be exposed to such horrific images. The specter of survivors staggering away from the Towers, covered in dust and soot, desperate people jumping from the upper floors, and the search for bodies through the mountain of rubble are images that stick with many of us, I'm sure.

There were also scenes of hope: courageous emergency workers tirelessly putting themselves in harm's way, occasionally a rescue rather than a "recovery," an American flag waving proudly....

Like many other churches, ours held a spontaneous prayer meeting to pray for the families of the victims and for God's mercy on our country. How encouraged we were that so many seemed drawn to places of worship during this difficult time...and how discouraging it was to find that so many fell away quickly when the immediate danger was over!

No doubt, this world is just as dangerous a place today as it was eight years ago. We face economic and political uncertainty, violence, and mayhem on a smaller scale EVERY DAY. No doubt, our God is bigger than all of these things and nothing that happens catches Him by surprise! He wants to hear from each of us; He wants to give us peace and hope. Talk to Him!

Later Days!
Kelly

Friday's coming....

Hello, world!
First off, I have some things I'd like you to pray for:
--My uncle (Living Out Loud's dad) is going to have open-heart surgery tomorrow because of some blockages--please pray for a successful surgery and a quick recovery
--My Dad (otherwise known as Papa) is sick
--My friend's brother-in-law has just been diagnosed with stomach cancer
--My friend's mission team in South Asia, sharing the gospel through sewing classes!
--Our nation and its leaders

There are so many things we need to bring before the Father in prayer--please feel free to leave your prayer requests in the comment section and I would be honored to join you in prayer for them.

In family news, we had a wonderful Labor Day weekend, going to a cookout and pool party at our friends' house. Hubby didn't get any emergency phone calls the whole weekend! If you are related to any pastors you know how unusual this is! Also, we gave the last puppy, Charlie, away to a good home as new-puppy ownership was proving to be too difficult for us at this time. His mom is much more settled now that she doesn't have a puppy vying for our attention :).

We are settling into our homeschool schedule for the new year, with the kids taking more responsibility for their work and record-keeping. Eldest, however, is still not thrilled with dissection labs! Yesterday we did a very large grasshopper; still a frog to go....

Later Days!
Kelly