A Date With My Main (Little) Man

Last Friday night, Caleb and I had a 'date night'. I picked him up from school and we headed out to the beach. It was a beautiful day and the water was fantastic. We got there at low tide so we could snorkel for a while before the waves started getting rough. We saw thousands of tiny silver fish swimming by. It must have been a massive school of them heading up the coast and we were fortunate enough to be right in the middle of them. Of course part of me was worried that maybe they were swimming away from something. A big something. With lots of teeth. lol

Once the waves started to pick up, we took a long walk on the beach collecting shells and coral then stopped to watch the surfers ride the waves. Caleb decided he wanted to start taking surfing lessons this fall, so that should be quite interesting. For now he is content to boogie-board the waves and I was able to video him riding in on a big one.

After the beach we headed to Five Guys for dinner (best burgers ever!) where we split a huge cheeseburger and an even bigger order of fries. Caleb was in heaven because I left him drink Root Beer (soda is usually off limits). After dinner he proceeded to make an 'experiment' by mixing ketchup, mustard, bbq sauce, peanut shells and whatever else he could find together.

What a great night! :-)

Best. Birthday. Present. Ever.

Yesterday was my birthday. I won't bore you with the details of my age or the even the decade of my birth, but I will share with you the funniest birthday present I've ever received. I knew I was in trouble when my husband insisted on videotaping me opening it. I also knew that I better love whatever was inside that present because Caleb picked it out ALL by himself (and paid for it too) and was super, super excited to give it to me. It cracked me up that immediately after he got upset at Myah for 'helping' me, he tries to help me open the present. Double standard, anyone? lol

Behold, the birthday memory that will live on forever...

In case you couldn't really see it to well in the video. It's a glass rooster. He lives in my bedroom on my night stand now and I can't help but smile every time I look at him.

On another note, my darling hubby found a babysitter for the kids yesterday and took me out for the afternoon and evening. We went to antique shops, explored a quaint beachside downtown and walked along the beach collecting shells. Then he took me out to dinner at The Melting Pot - our favorite 'special' place. Tonight he brought me flowers and baked me a chocolate cake with homemade peanut butter icing. Yum!

First Day of Second Grade

Today was Caleb's first day of school. He is very excited to be starting the second grade. He has an awesome teacher, a really cool classroom and a brand new Star Wars lunch box (thanks Maw-Maw!). What more can a seven year old want?

Because Caleb was in school today, it was the first day in a long time that it was just me and Myah. We had lot's of fun 'cooking' and playing with blocks and her favorite baby doll.

Camping at Knoebels Grove

Camping at Knoebels Grove in Pennsylvania is an annual family tradition. When I was little we would go with my mom's entire side of the family. It was a weekend of camping, smores, playing with cousins and going on lots and lots of rides. We loved it! Now that I'm a mom, we keep the tradition going. Unfortunately this year I wasn't able to join in on the fun but that didn't stop the kids from enjoying everything. Caleb and Myah camped with Maw-Maw, Pop-Pop, Aunt Jen, Uncle AJ and cousin Josiah. It was a blast!

Setting up the camper with Pop-Pop


Playtime with cousin Josiah in the camper


My little daredevil - she puts her hands up while riding the Ferris Wheel


Riding the Ferris Wheel with Pop-Pop


Caleb is finally tall enough to ride the 'big' rides this year


Taking a ride on the train


Two little piggies - one actually sucks up trash, guess which one?


Eating smores by the campfire


Dinner at the camper


Going fishing


Myah's favorite ride


The cousins with Aunt Jenn and the Knoebel's Grove clown


This is what happens if you're naughty at the campground! lol

Hanging Out With Maw-Maw & Pop-Pop

Catching little baby toads


Flashdance for the toddler set


Working hard or hardly working?


Fun on the playground


Tearing it up on the driveway


Picking (and eating) lots and lots of raspberries


Who knew that a garden hose could be so fun?


Raking the yard and earning some allowance money


The fun you can have with french fries


Ice Cream = Happiness

Missing In Action

Okay, I've been a bad, bad blogger for the past month and a half, but I do have a somewhat worthy excuse or two. Here's the rundown in a nutshell with more details to come later this week.

1. We moved across the country.
2. The kids spent 6+ weeks at Grandma & Grandpa's this summer.
3. I was working in Atlanta and Rob was working in Florida for several weeks before we regrouped in Arizona to pack everything and move.
4. Did I mention we had to pack EVERYTHING ourselves???? In addition, we had to sort stuff out because we lost about 1,000 sq/ft from our house in AZ to our rental in FL.

Thankfully, the move went smoothly. We packed everything ourselves but hired professional loaders to load the UHaul truck and trailer because we wanted most of our stuff to arrive in decent shape. It was the best decision we could have made. Rob and I left Phoenix on July 25th and arrived in south Florida on July 29th. It was a long trip - we thought Texas would never end! Rob drove the truck and towed the trailer behind (the dog kept him company) while I drove the car behind. It was a pretty easy trip (a few nail biting moments here and there) but one that I am thankful we didn't have to make with kids in the car. Thank you, thank you Mom & Dad!

My parents arrived yesterday with the kids and the house is pretty well set up except for a bunch of boxes left in the garage that we may or may not unpack. The kids are excited about the new house and the big backyard with a pool. It's great to have them back and I know my parents are ready for a break from the two little monkeys. lol

So.... hopefully I am forgiven for being so bad about blogging lately. Once things settle back into a routine I'm sure it will fall back in place. Plus I have about a billion pictures to post!