Beach Weekend, part 3

One of the kids' favorite things to do at the beach is to ride on their boogie boards in the ocean... they did this for literally HOURS while Angie and I looked on from our comfy beach chairs! We did join them at times for a few good rides on the biggest waves!! One night Angie took our kids down our memory lane... way back to our childhood memories! We drove down Ocean Blvd., passing by many of our familiar landmarks on the way, until we reached The Sea Captain's House for dinner. The funny thing is, Angie and I both used to eat dinner here with our families when we were little girls and have distinct memories of sitting in that restaurant with our parents and grandparents! The food is still great!! A perfect addition to our wonderful weekend!!

Beach Weekend, part 2

Amelia and Isabella had so much fun together on our trip... they always do when they are together... true best friends!!

Long Beach Weekend!

On Mitchell's actual 13th birthday day we loaded up the car and headed to Myrtle Beach for a long weekend with his best friend, Reese! I took Mitchell, Amelia, and Isabella, and we met Angie and Reese at my parents' camper at Lakewood Camping Resort in MB... a bff weekend! We had perfect weather and spent most of the day in our bathing suits either on the beach, by the pool, riding our bikes, or just playing. We ate good food, stayed up late, slept in, and just enjoyed spending time with our best friends... a GREAT weekend!

Lucky 13!!

For Mitchell's 13th birthday party with friends he wanted to have a "Minute To Win It" party... it was a blast!! We set up about 20 games in our basement for them to compete in... 10 for everyone to play, and 10 in which one player was eliminated until there was one winner. All of the kids had SO MUCH fun with these crazy games, and were exhausted after they were done. They went upstairs, re-fueled on a DQ ice cream cake, and let Mitchell open presents. Mitchell LOVED his party!!

Saving the Blue Whales!

Amelia is quite the little entrepreneur and is always looking for a way to help others... so when her friend Claire read that the blue whales were becoming extinct, they came up with a plan to raise money to help save them. They organized a car wash, lemonade stand, and ice cream sundae table to raise money for their cause. They enlisted the help of me, Dave, Mitchell, Emily, and Trinity to keep things running on this hot Saturday morning! The neighbors of Calls Creek (and some from outside the neighborhood!) really came through for them, and after the morning was done they had raised about $140! Amelia and Claire sent $100 to the Save the Blue Whales organization and used the rest to buy food for the local animal shelter... we are so proud of them and their hard work!

A Worthy Cause!!

Dave and I attended the first annual "Cocktails for Cancer" that was hosted by Camp Sunshine... a really fun night!! Several mixologists were there making their special cocktails, and we all got to vote on our favorite... yum! The most fun was getting to see our CS friends for a fun night... we even got to meet Anoop Desai from American Idol there! A worthy cause... raising money for children with cancer!

Strawberries!

We waited until near the end of the season before we finally made it to Washington Farms to pick strawberries... always SO yummy!! This year we had the help of Amelia and her bff, Isabella... it was a hot day and they were troopers! As usual, Amelia ate as many off of the vine as she put into her bucket... she just can't help herself (I admit... I had to try a few fresh ones, myself!)!! We ate a lot of the fresh ones at home and put away several quarts in the freezer for later... great for desserts and smoothies!!

Summer starts!

Mitchell started off their summer at a pool party hosted by their friends Merritt and Jackson. They had a blast swimming and got to make yummy ice cream sundaes for a treat! Great way to kick off the break!

Last Week of School!

During the last week of school Amelia had her awards day and the big 5th grade cookout. We were so proud of Amelia... she received awards for achievement in music and p.e, as well as some academic awards!! The kids really enjoyed the cookout... one last time to hang out before summer starts! Amelia had a great year with all of her sweet friends!

OCMS Awards Night!

We were once again very proud of Mitchell and his achievements in school this year. He received awards for achievements in math and for getting all A's! Way to go, Mitchell!

Clemson weekend!

Amelia and I headed back this year to the Bring Your Daughter To Clemson weekend... and had so much fun! We toured the Clemson Dairy, the beautiful Geology museum, did a spin class at Fike... followed by Pilates (it about killed me, but Amelia said that it was "easy"!). Amelia made a friend this year that she plans to keep in touch with... Katie from NC! Katie and her mom went shopping downtown with us on Sat. afternoon and the girls had the best time! Sunday morning we ended the weekend with the closing session, followed by touching Howard's Rock and running down the hill with the Tiger! My favorite picture is the one with the girls all rubbing the rock together... maybe they will all be back together right there someday with their daughters!

Field Day!

Oconee Co. Elem. School's Field Day is always a really fun day for the kids! Amelia participated in her last field day with OCES... kind of sad!! Mitchell got take part in the fun, too... the Beta Club from the middle got to come and help out with the activities! Mitchell got to help lead a 3rd grade class around to all of the stations for the day... I think he had as much fun as the kids, and they loved him! Everyone got Dilly Bars for a snack... thanks DQ!