Spring Break 2010 - Tuesday

Tuesday started out just like Elizabeth and I wanted - relaxed.  The children all slept upstairs and woke up happy and well-rested.  They even played with all of GranGran's toys upstairs before coming down for breakfast.  Elizabeth and I sat at the table in our pajamas while the children held 'practice' Easter Egg hunts in the backyard.

The dads took the children to play putt-putt while Elizabeth and I enjoyed some quiet R&R at the house.

Everyone got a hole-in-one so it's safe to say that more putt putt will be in our future.

Olivia gives it a try.

McIver takes his turn.

Once the guys got back, we fed the kids lunch and then packed up for the beach.  The weather was perfect - sunny skies, slight breeze and low tide.

The kids loved the swash - they caught tons of minnows and collected shells.

The cold water did not stop McIver from boogie boarding to the ocean.

Olivia couldn't stand watching McIver have all the fun on the boogie board - but she was more willing to admit to being cold.

Morgan and McIver had the best time all day long.   They are two peas in a pod.

Amelia's birthday was back in February, but Olivia didn't want to mail her gift to her.  She was finally able to open it with us this evening... a Disney princess CD player that plays 18 different princess songs. (We apologized to Kelli and Robert before giving Amelia the gift!)

Once we got the batteries installed, Amelia cut a rug - she's got a lot of great moves!

Mary Frances let me paint her toenails after dinner.  

Tex is keeping GranDaddy's chair warm until he gets home.

Spring Break 2010

We all got to Myrtle Beach about 5pm on Monday afternoon.  Plenty of time to unload the car and head out for a golf cart ride.  The beach was gorgeous, but I neglected to take my camera.  The dads took the kids on a 2nd ride to the beach which resulted in four very wet and sandy children.  After baths, they settled in for dinner.

The boys...

The girls...

The grown-up dinner ... Will's delicious crabcakes!!

Lemonade Stand

Saturday proved to be a busy day.  After t-ball, lunch and errands, the kids decided to set up a lemonade stand.  This was kind of a last-minute job, so they hurried to crank out some signs.

If you ask me, Olivia was the smart one to choose standing at the counter to make her sign.

Love it:

 *Free Napkins*

Will was lucky enough to get home from the gym in time to be their first customer.  He had really, really good service.

The Entrepreneurs

T-Ball Game

McIver's first 'offical' t-ball game (the previous post about t-ball was the Baseball-a-rama):

Will helped the outfielders warm-up before the game and stay focused during the game (the balls rarely reach the outfield during the game so it's important to use the time wisely!).

Heading into the dugout to get ready for the game.

McIver kept tapping his bat on the ground when he was in the on-deck circle.  Must have remembered Blake Nethery (older brother of the twins in Houston who is a fantastic baseball player) doing that when we went to his games last summer.  McIver's batting helmet was way too big.  He missed the first two pitches before the coach realized the problem.  

Then, he hit a line drive and made the coach jump out of the way!

Olivia and Kate had a little picnic set up in the stands - fries, boiled peanuts and drinks.

Updates at the Lake

I rode up to Lake Murray with Mamoo this morning to check out the new deck and paint job.  The last time we went up there, she seemed really disappointed in how things looked.  Today was a different story - she loves the new deck and liked the bright, white paint on the trim around the house.  We walked around the house and the yard and she told me stories about her time there with Papa.  

Lakehouse BEFORE new deck and paint:

Lakehouse AFTER new deck and paint:

Can't wait to get up there and enjoy this deck.  Will knew he liked the guy who built the deck when he said he likes to be sure the top rail is wide enough to rest your drink on.  

Carport BEFORE - (you've got to look over Olivia's sweet face, but it's easy to see how dark it was in there)

Carport AFTER with new white paint:

More Grandparents Day

Just got these pictures from Nanoo's camera and wanted to include them, too.

Dinner with Nanoo & Pop, GranGran & GranDaddy and Mamoo.

A few pictures from McIver's classroom on Grandparents' Day:

Grandparents' Day

Last Friday was Grandparents' Day at school.  I was so excited to have both sets of grands here for dinner on Thursday night and to participate in the festivities at school with Olivia and McIver on Friday.  (Olivia had Grandparents' Day at her school in Houston, but no one was able to come.  Our neighbor, Mrs. Martin, went one year and I was her 'special friend' the other year.)  The last time we were all together was for Robert and Kelli's wedding in August of 2005.

I made The Pioneer Woman's Spaghetti and Meatballs for dinner.   I had made it before with spaghetti noodles, but Olivia preferred ziti so that's what she got this time.  And, instead of just serving the meatballs on top of the noodles, I poured it all in a casserole dish, topped it with cheese and baked it for a little while before serving.  So tasty!!

Can't believe I didn't do a better job of taking pictures of everyone together.  So glad Mamoo joined us for dinner!

Olivia and Pop

Pop snapped a picture of Olivia and me.

Nanoo brought a few prizes from the old book sale in Macon - a book about labrador retrievers and cat stories for Olivia.

Our school is raising money for a new dining hall, so the theme for Grandparents' Day was "Hard Hats and Heels" which was also the theme for the auction on Saturday night.  Most of the songs were about working and building.  My nursery school class sang (and pretty much butchered) Bob The Builder.  McIver's class sang Whistle While You Work - at one point, McIver and the boy next to him started really belting it out.  Watching everyone take a deep breath before whistling was too cute.

Tex Goes to School

Tex was scheduled to visit both Olivia and McIver's classrooms the Friday that we ended up taking him to the vet.  Once he felt better, we rescheduled his visit and he was a hit with most everyone.  One little girl was a little shy at first, but warmed up to him pretty quickly.

McIver loved telling his class all about Tex - favorite treat, toy, game, etc.

Tex also was able to meet Olivia's class pet, Riley the Golden Retriever.  Riley, who is almost 7 years old, was not a big fan of this energetic puppy so I wasn't able to get a picture of them together.  Riley did appreciate Tex bringing a treat for him, though.

He's not very helpful when it comes to homework!

Snaggletooth

One of McIver's top teeth finally fell out.  It had been dangling for a few days and yesterday he finally got serious about pulling it out himself.  Decided not to put it under his pillow last night so he could take it to school and show his class (not that a lost tooth will be a new thing for them).  His teacher told me that he walked in and proudly proclaimed himself to be "A Snaggletooth."

Bike Ride Along the Riverwalk

Spring is here - or at least, it was this past weekend.  We borrowed a bike for Will and loaded up to ride the Riverwalk together.  Three rivers, the Congaree, Broad and Saluda, meet up in Columbia.  The Riverwalk is a beautiful paved trail along the river where people can take in the beautiful scenery.

We had to cross this cool bridge to get from the parking lot (and Columbia's HydroPower plant) to the riverwalk.  The big grassy area at the bottom of the bridge was filled with families and their dogs enjoying the beautiful weather and comfortable temperatures.

McIver was all smiles for most of the ride.  He wanted to stop and read the signs along the bike/walking path which told about the canal, the flora and fauna and the animals that live in and around the river.

I'm not sure how far we rode, but we're all looking forward to the next time we can ride together.