A2 has got the giggles... ALL OF THE TIME!!

I'm so not kidding that A2 has to be the happiest baby! A1 can give her the giggles by just looking at her some days. This morning A2 had found C's recorder on the couch. A1 blew in it once and then handed it to A2. I really didn't think she would make it work. Well, i was wrong. She thought she was pretty cute, and of course, A1 and I thought she was. The video is about 3 minutes but it's really the last minute that she really got into it- so keep watching.
What's even more funny is that when we watch the videos of A2 on the computer, A2 will laugh harder at herself again. I don't know what it is about watching herself that makes her giggle more the second time.


ELEFUN!!!

Funny Kid Quote of the Day
Very often the kids wake up at the crack of dawn. Usually on Saturday morning the boys will just turn their light on and play in their room until about 6:45-7am. A1 will go in their to play too. C has gotten to where he will listen for A2 and take her in there with them as well. Last Saturday A1 comes running in and says, "Mommy, my boys are not being very nice! They are suppose to be my brothers!" After a couple of minutes of cuddling with me asked what we were going to do that day. I said, "Just Saturday errand stuff." She asks, "Can we go to the store and get some new brothers? Some that will be nice to me. " She didn't like my answers. #1-You can't buy your brothers and #2- there are no refunds or exchanges.

K goes to State

K got his daddy day! Tio and H gave us some tickets to the NC State game. There were only 2 so Cheeto had to decide whom he was going to take. Of course, I wanted to go just to have my Cheeto time. :) However, I knew that one of the boys would have more fun. I thought they would play rock-paper-scissors for them. C surprised me and said, "Dad, it's K's turn. I got to go to the Panthers practice and fanfest." He is sure growing up! K was so excited he could hardly stand it. All day he would ask me how much longer until they left. I, of course, had to beg Cheeto to remember to take me at least one picture. Thanks for the tickets! NC State won by a landslide so it wasn't that exciting of the game.
C and I stayed home and watched the BYU game. C told me I was cool because I would sit and watch a football game with him even though Dad wasn't with us. I usually only enjoy watching them with Cheeto. But C was a good subsitute. He is quite the little man these a days. I had pulled a muscle across my shoulder and chest just a few hours before K and Cheeto left for the game which made carrying A2 almost unbearable. C was awesome and did all the lifting for me and even made dinner- even if it was only cereal and toast. :) I am very blessed!

WAKE UP and give them some attention! :)

A father came home from work late, tired and irritated, to find his 5-year old son waiting for him at the door.

SON: 'Daddy, May I ask you a question?'
DAD: 'Yeah sure, what it is?' replied the man.
SON: 'Daddy, how much do you make an hour?'
DAD: 'That's not really any of your business.. Why do you ask such a thing?' he said angrily.
SON: 'I just want to know... Please tell me, how much do you make an hour?'
DAD: 'If you must know, I make $50 an hour.'
SON: 'Oh,' the little boy replied, with his head down. 'Daddy, may I please borrow $25?'
DAD:The father was furious, 'If the only reason you asked that is so you can borrow some money to buy a silly toy or some other nonsense, then you march yourself straight to your room and go to bed. Think about why you are being so selfish. I don't work hard everyday for such childish frivolities.'

The little boy quietly went to his room and shut the door. The man sat down and started to get even angrier about the little boy's questions. How dare he ask such questions only to get some money? After about an hour or so, the man had calmed down , and started to think: Maybe there was something he really needed to buy with that $25.00 and he really didn't ask for money very often The man went to the door of the little boy's room and opened the door. 'Are you asleep, son?' He asked.. 'No daddy, I'm awake,' replied the boy. 'I've been thinking, maybe I was too hard on you earlier' said the man. 'It's been a long day and I took out my aggravation on you. Here's the $25 you asked for.' The little boy sat straight up, smiling. 'Oh, thank you daddy!' he yelled. Then, reaching under his pillow he pulled out some crumpled up bills. The man saw that the boy already had money, started to get angry again. The little boy slowly counted out his money, and then looked up at his father. 'Why do you want more money if you already have some?' the father grumbled. 'Because I didn't have enough, but now I do,' the little boy replied. 'Daddy, I have $50 now. Can I buy an hour of your time? Please come home early tomorrow. I would like to have dinner with you.' The father was crushed. He put his arms around his little son, and he begged for his forgiveness.

Now I know some of this is just a bit silly but I also know that I get so caught up with what I think I need to get done RIGHT NOW that I forget to really sit down with the kids. What a slap in the face to have a child feel like he has to buy attention from his/her parent! I hope to be better!!!

Meet Jacob Black and the Volturi

Cheeto... prepare to roll your eyes! :)
Those Quilette boys are just not very ugly!!!



Ya think I'm a wee bit excited!!!!! :)

New pics for the mantel

I have been such a slacker about getting kids pictures take this year. I got A1's done and haven't done anythings since. I have been getting their pictures taken around their birthdays ever since they were a year. The first year they get them every 3-4 months.
Thanks to a friend for helping me get these done!

Little Miss Priss wasn't about to cooperate. She wasn't a fan of the grass touching her. All she wanted to play with was a tube of gel. That pouty cry is her unique little face. Well, I shouldn't say unique because she cries just like K used to. She doesn't fuss often so it's ironic we got it on camera. She is pretty much like the bottom right picture.

She wears a smile that can grab you a mile away.

My sweet C! He is growing up to be quite the little man. He has a precious smile that gets me when he will do it. He gets easily frustrated so I don't get this smile everyday.

K just has a natural twinkle in his eye! He literally melts my heart!
That brother picture is so them!

Dampa is BACK!!!!

Dampa A had been in Mexico since the first of July. Our kids were really starting to wondering if he was coming back. There was no real guarantee that he would be back on a certain date. So even though he said he was going to come on Thursday, Cheeto and I decided not to say anything to the kids until they actually saw him just so we wouldn't have to deal with disappointed kids if something came up and he didn't come. As you can tell, the surprise was awesome for A1. She had the best reaction of all the kids.

A2 wasn't sure if she still remembered him. She is 100% a mama's girl. She even does this for Cheeto sometimes so it was no shock to me that she wasn't all about Dampa from the get go.

Watch Sassy's excitement as she waits for her brothers to walk in the door. I think she was just as excited to surprise them as Dampa was. Because she knew about Dampa being home, we knew she wouldn't be able to keep a secret from the boys to be able to surprise them when we went over there for dinner. Dampa came over and waited for them to get off the bus. They were glad to see him but more excited to show him all of their summer rock collections and birthday presents. BOYS!

All things little girls do... and more

These are some fun random pictures.

Most of which that happened during the day while the boys were at school.

She wouldn't be a Daddy's girl, would she?
When I was teaching Kelson is parts of the body(ie hands, feet, legs, arms, neck, head, elbow... etc) we would take sidewalk chalk, lie down and draw an outline of ourselves. They thought it was so much fun then that every time we get the chalk out we have to draw bodies on the drive way. By the end of the day it looks like a massive crime scene. :)

A2 is really starting to become a playmate for A1. Sassy has been waiting a long time for her to start actually playing with her. A2 really had a great time getting pushed around the house in a doll stroller. And of course, Sassy thought she was pretty cool doing it.

Pretty in Piggy Pink. I bought this Miss Piggy satin fabric on a a half off the half off clearance rack. I think I ended up getting 2 yards of it for only $1. I didn't care that Miss Piggy wasn't even someone my kids knew. It was a deal and I thought it would make some pretty darn cute jammies. I cut the pattern out way back in May and it has sat on my sewing table ever since, well until last week. Sassy's pj's were all getting pretty small was it was because she needed them that I sat down one morning to actually sew them. She said she felt like a princess wearing them because princesses would wear pretty and slippery pajammies.

Is that not just a Sassy pose?

This just shows that even a baby can figure out how to get herself out a sticky situation.
All she needed was a little direction. :)

One night I went in to check on A2 one last time before bed. I went to grab whatever she was laying on only to find that she was cuddling her own foot. How is that even comfortable even for a 9 month old baby?A couple of weeks ago C came in after school and said he needed my help. I asked him what for. He then explained that he really did try to do it himself but should have asked me first. He first got his football stuck in his tree. He thought he could get it out by throwing a bamboo stick. Nope that was now stuck too. He tried a bat next- same result. Then he took my broom. Silly kid got that stuck too. We now had a tree full of toys and household cleaning tools. I got the broom and stick out but we had to wait for Cheeto to get home to get the rest out. We had so much fun trying to use different items to get them out. The kids and I were laughing so hard as people would drive by and see us shaking and throwing sticks into a tree.
Of course, it had to be in the front yard! :)

I really did teach her the correct way. We were at the beach driving to Wilmington when I heard her singing to herself in the backseat. After about 20 minutes of her repeating this song I realized what she was singing. Amazing what a little 3 year old can make up and spell on her own. FYI... if you didn't catch it... listen real close after L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S.....

Panthers vs. Steelers

I know this is almost 2 weeks late but my computer has been giving me major problems. Ok... I can't blame it all on my computer. I have been busy doing hands the past week. And of course, homework has started and is kicking my butt most nights. I suppose that they are finally posted is progress no matter how late it is.

Cheeto's sister got us some great tickets to the Panthers vs. Steelers game in Charlotte. "ALL" my boys were so excited to go. This was both of the boys first time to the stadium. Excitement wasn't close to what they were. Don't get me wrong... I was too! I enjoy football, especially when I can watch it with Cheeto. However, he is on an entirely different level of dedication than any other man or woman I know. He is very serious and tense when he watches his teams play. We were lucky this was a pre-season game so he could relax just a "tiny" bit and enjoy it with us. I really doubt he would have taken all of us with him if it were a regular season. We distract him too much. :) Hey if that's the worst addiction he has... I'm ok with that!

Sir Purr was awesome! He hung out with the boys quite a bit.

We had a great time before the game. The boys had fun playing with Sir Purr and practicing there football skills. C was especially excited to play at the "Kids Combine-Play 60." This was free and wore the poor kids out.

Cheeto said that K told him the only thing he really wanted was to get his face painted. Cheeto found him a place and he did it. He was thrilled to get both cheeks done. He really was the only one that cheered for both teams. Mostly because he couldn't make up his mind. Maybe because out of all my kids he is the one that is always concerned about others feelings. He would be the one to make sure things were fair. :) He couldn't turn his back on the Steelers. Check out the pictures of A2 sitting on the table by the "Top Cat's". This is going to sound really ugly.. but they are not very pretty girls. Of course I think the cutest one is the baby sitting on the table. :)


Mom got a new camera two days before the game. I keep telling myself "thou shalt not covet, Shena"!!!! The zoom on this camera was awesome, having great seats helped too.

I was able to get some great shots of our favorite players. These were cropped so they are still a bit blurry but still considering we were quite a ways up these are still impressive for a little hand-sized camera.
The Panthers were on the opposite side of the field so the Panthers players pictures are more blurry. Sorry!These are the pictures that Cheeto just smiles and puts up with me. This picture of C is so funny to me. He kept looking at his watch and then asking me how much longer he had to sit and watch the Panthers get killed. About half way through the 4th quarter he leaned over to K, who was pretty much asleep in my lap, and asked if he could wear his Steelers hat. He had had enough. He was going back to being a Steelers fan! :)

Lots to Think about....

Sunday we had a combined Priesthood/Relief Society lesson, taught by our bishop. It left such an impression on me that even 2 days later, I'm still thinking about it. There were lots of things he talked about that had him concerned for our families. Lots of which are not even an issue like virtual gaming, tattooing, body piercing, same sex attraction, and delaying marriage/children (pretty much jumped into that one. :) ).
However, the others he mentioned have been weighing on my mind. He talked about how we are one day going to be held accountable for our children. Heavenly Father gave us these children to teach and to carry on the gospel from generation to generation. Bishop told a story about a girl he sat next to in college. They were the only two married with children in the class so they talked frequently. She found out Bishop was a member of the church and mentioned that her grandfather was a member but moved to Texas then fell away from the gospel. She was raised a strong, active baptist, nothing wrong with that, except that because of the actions of her grandfather she was never able to receive the blessings of the gospel. I do not want my grandchildren, great grandchildren to be denied those blessings because of something I did. It's such a responsibility placed upon our shoulders to make sure we teach these four children we have been given to be strong members of the church, to love their Savior, to gain their own testimonies and to want to carry on the gospel to their families. One day I will stand and be judged, I pray that it will be a good day and I can stand and be proud of what I have done. There are days now I believe I have failed.
Another subject he talked about was how so many of us are living in fear daily. Living in fear of the economy, crime, divorce, health, schools, and the education of our children. Hope is not something we often talk about in a real sense. We need to go forth with faith. To have faith that through staying righteous and doing what we are asked that Heavenly Father will take care of the rest. We need to make sure our children know that we walk in faith. So often I'm so guilty of living with fear. I lean on Cheeto's faith so much more than my own. How do I tell my kids to have faith when so often I don't have it myself? He also mentioned making sure our kids, specifically our boys, get a good education. Boys specifically because they will one day have the responsibility of "providing, presiding and protecting" their families. These are the sole roles of a husband and father, in that order. What a responsibililty I'm so glad I don't have. Cheeto is a fabulous man! :) I pray one day we will show C that learn can be fun. and will enjoy school.
C, for his homework last night, had to complete some sentences. To him they were just sentences, but they were really "get-to-know-you" questions. One was... I wish my mother__________. C wrote .... was fun. :( OUCH! Do I try so hard to make sure everything else is done that I forget to play with the kids? I feel like I sacrifice my time to spend with them doing fun things, planning day trips to Raleigh, camping trips, trips to the beach... yet still. I'm NO FUN!!! (sigh) Maybe these are just a glimpse of what his teenage years will be like. Another one of his sentences was... I wish I would never__________. He wrote.... get in trouble. C gets so frustrated sometimes and lashes out with anger. He has been growing out of it this past summer. He feels like if you ask him to stop doing something then he automatically in trouble. I hate that he feels like he is in trouble all of the time. However, it is still our responsibility to teach him to be a young man that respects and loves those around him, one that knows there is a time and place for joking and seriousness. This is not easily done the world today!!!!! So many of his friends, even adults, around him don't behave in such a way. K is starting to follow in his footsteps. I pray that we survive the next few years. I know with Cheeto by my side, all is well, but it sure isn't easy! Well, HE did say that it wouldn't but it would be worth it right?

Raleigh's Natural Science Center

Last Saturday we planned a day trip to Raleigh to the Natural Science Center. They have a temporary exhibit of "Chocolate" that we wanted to see. It worked out that H&M were around so they went with me. Cheeto had to work so just the kids and I went. Their museum is HUGE compared to ours in the 'boro. But to prove that size isn't everything... our kids were in agreement that they liked ours better! The Chocolate exhibit was lame. I was so glad we didn't spend the money to get us all in. We have a membership so we only had to buy one ticket and even that was too much! All it was was panals of information and pictures, which is fine for adults but NOT FOR CHILDREN! Not much interactive stuff to draw the kid's attention in. They did give us one Hersery kiss each.At least the rest of the museum was made for kids! :)

A1 sitting in a Dinosaur footprint.

The boys went to a 8 and older "lab" (they allowed K in because of good behavior. :) ) so H and I took A1 to the "Discovery Place." It was a room full of dress ups, puppets, books, and a couple of animals. She shocked me when she said she wanted to pet the lizard. I sucked it up and went with her but kept my hands to myself. :) She had so much fun dressing up. I got some good ideas for some Halloween costumes.

. A replica of the Liberty Bell. This thing was so loud that you could feel the vibrations standing next to it, that's why C has his foot on it.

Visiting NC State wasn't planned but turned out to be a bonus! I had never been on campus, well, even seen it for that matter. It was on the way back home so we stopped. The kids weren't thrilled but were still interested in seeing where Tio and H went to college.

We went back to the place where he proposed to her and took their picture. My memory card on my camera was full (it only holds 400+ pictures) so half of my pictures didn't turn out because of memory card errors. :(

C and K weren't interested in campus much but REALLY wanted to see the football stadium. We thought we would just drive by but got lucky and walked into a FanFest or Fan Appreciation or something.

They had autograph books to give to everyone for FREE. BONUS! Then all of the football players were stationed at tables by position. You just got in lines and had them sign your book. H taught A1 how to do the wolfpack sign while we were standing in line. She (A1) would then show EACH player before they signed her book. She was quite the little charmer. We felt a bit out of place without our Red and Black attire on.
A2's stroller at least was the right colors- does that count?
The plan was to be home by 4ish. We didn't even leave to almost 5pm. We had so much fun. Thanks H&M for going with us and putting up with some little tantrums. I hope we don't discourage you from ever having children. :) LOL!

DISCLAIMER: C isn't featured in any of the pictures because he was having a 9 yr old attitude and wouldn't cooperate for photos.

A2 9 month well check

well... she is getting longer. Her weight has actually gone down in the last 3 months, from the last 2 weeks even. 3 months ago she weight 16 lbs. 8 oz. 2 weeks ago she went in for something else and she weighed 16 lbs. 10 oz. Yesterday she 16 lbs. 4.5 oz. She is moving around a lot more- she does have 3 older siblings to keep up with, so she is burning a lot more calories. Her head size and length are still moving up the charts so there is no need to worry. She still is on the small size for her age; between the 15Th and 20Th percentile.

She is probably our happiest baby. Hours can go by without her making a sound. She does very well going to bed on her own now and sleeping through the night. HALLELUJAH! I thought that day would never come! The past few weeks she has even started eating from a spoon. She picks things up with just her thumb and first finger and feeds herself. A couple days ago we pulled down the push walker, she can take a few steps with it before she chickens out and just starts crawling. She walks along furniture and if I hold her up and walk with her. She is such a joy in our family! A1 loves playing with her and no one can quite make her laugh like Sassy. It's interesting to watch how she interacts with each one of the older kids. She loves to cuddle with K. Whenever C is lying on the floor, she likes to climb all over him. And Sassy can just sit and entertain her like no one else. They are all such good helpers!

Silly girl!

Last year A1 cried all the home after dropping off "her" boys. This year she wasn't phased in the least. Perhaps having A2 around to play with helped. I was working on something not really paying attention to what A1 was doing to make A2 laugh so hard. They were playing this game for a good 20 minutes before I pulled out the camera. Just shows you it doesn't take much to entertain a baby. They were having such a good time. It got more funny when A2 got the hiccups and couldn't laugh the same. What a workout Sassy was getting!


After dinner, I had to show Cheeto the movie clip from earlier. The boys thought it was pretty funny too. C went to get in the bath when K decided if Sassy can make her laugh, I can too! He pulled the stool out, made sure it was in the exact same place, carried A2 away from her dinner and made her stand up to the stool, to watch him jump off the stool. Yep... she still thought it was funny! Maybe not as much as earlier... but still. I do have to add one last thing. My baby girl did not stay in a diaper all day! I had just change a MAJOR runny diapers before both clips. I do not have ghetto children- I PROMISE!!!!

First Day of School 2009-2010

They were both excited to get new backpacks, lunchboxes, and school supplies but when it came right down to it... neither of them were ready to say good-bye to summer! C especially! He wanted to ride the bus and K wanted me to take him. They both seem to have good teachers.

K has only one kid from his class last year. He was ok with that though. He is a very "go-with-the-flow" type of child. He will have a great year. The only thing he got upset about was that most of "his" school supplies went into a community basket. He was so sad that someone else was using "his" scissors. He got over it quick though. He's struggling with the getting up at 6am. Why is that when there is no school they are all up by 6:15am but when they have to be for school they want to sleep longer? It makes no sense!

At least C smiled this year. Last years photo he had a grumpy pouty face on. He has team teachers this year. He will be taught in two different classrooms as well. Maybe this will break up his day some. His teacher has been teaching for 16 years. This is a change. All of his other teachers were in their first couple of years of teaching. When we went Monday to find out where his classroom was and who his teacher would be, we ran into last year's teacher. She is back to teaching 5th grade. C had a different teacher the first couple weeks of school last year. I was worried about who would replace her. The new teacher turned out to be a perfect fit for C. She was great to tutor him some, she was a very bubbly-happy teacher, she was also a HUGE Panther's fan. I really feel like having her last year was an answer to my prayers. I believe she was moved to 3rd grade just for one year for him! Funny how our prayers are answered huh?

C turns 9!

My sweet C is growing like a weed! I felt like he grew a lot this summer but on the first day of school he still doesn't measure up to the other kids. I do have to remember that he IS THE YOUNGEST in his class. There are kids that are more than a year older than he is.

He was so excited for his day. In years past, we have had issues with him being selfish and grumpy on his day. This year he was very kind and mellow the entire day! Most of his birthday was him getting to go to the Panther's Fan Fest weekend with Cheeto. He was a bit concerned he would have NOTHING to open on his birthday. Thanks to fabulous aunts and uncles who love him he had plenty of good gifts. He had a Steelers/Panthers party last year. This year it was all Panthers. He even called and asked everyone to wear their Panther's gear. Even his little sisters dressed for his party! I love it when I already have so much stuff to decorate with! A2 was not cooperating while decorating his cake. After 5 hours of fighting with her and trying to decorate at the same time I just gave up and did it very basic! Ah well... he thought it was awesome and that's all that matters in my eyes! I made him happy- SUCCESS!!!!

Happy Birthday Buddy! We sure love the young man your growing up to be!

idaho group sunday dinner

...minus a few. Cheeto's Grandma died a few days before so Lettie, Mom, Dad, and Marcos were all in Mexico. This dinner has been planned for months. Some friends, who haven't all been in town for years, were finally all together. When Mom left they wanted to cancel but I felt like Cheeto and I, with help from my parents, could still pull it off. I make beans and rice on my own all of the time- no big deal. And my dad is excellent at the grill- so he did the Cardne Asada. The only part I felt uneasy about was the guacamole- which still turned out good. We did it and I thought it was fine. We missed those of you who couldn't make it but we had a lot of good laughs and the kids had a great time! I suppose the second generation of Idaho kids will still have Carne Asada. :)

Cousin Fun!

Adam and Melissa's kids were in town for a week or so. Our kids just picked up where they left off at Christmas. They played so hard outside in Dad's yard, the mosquitos had a blood fest with them- too many to even count. They didn't stop the kids from playing their hearts out. One night they came over for one of our "Wii Parties"! It was so funny to watch them! Our kids were sad to see them go but know it will only be a few months before they come back for Christmas! Lil "L" is such a funny little thing. A1 and here were quite the little princesses! Lil' L would do whatever A1 would ask her to do. She is such a mommy sometimes.

sad to see G'ma and Papa C go...

The older kids really had a hard day the day my parents left. A1 had a few breakdowns wanting her Damma and Dampa! She has been the one that no matter how long it is between visits that she can still jump into their arms and feel like it has been only a day. She never forgets them! With the boys, there was always a "warming up" period. We had a great time with them. Our house just isn't big enough for us let alone guests. My parents refuse to take our bed and say this extra high air mattress is really comfortable. I would agree- I sleep great on it. My kids were all wanting to sleep there the night after they left. A1 fell asleep holding our "Puff the Magic Dragon" book. My mom sings this to each one of them every night when she is with them. A1 missed her so much that she slept with that book and has been carrying it around for days!

They spoil me of course! This time... my dad was my hero and fixed my leaky kitchen sink. Isn't it pretty!?!?!? I'm sure Cheeto could have fixed it eventually. His work schedule leaves little time for a "Honey DO" list. AND... I LOVE HIM... but he is not a Mr. Fix It kind of guy. He will get the job done but he very often gets frustrated and mad in the end. It's just easier for me to ask Dad when he comes. I love that he willingly does so! I ALWAYS have a project that needs his assistance. I LOVE YA DADDY!

I think the older my kids get, the harder it is getting for them to be away from my parents and siblings kids. They talk constantly about them constantly and wonder why we just can't go visit them all of the time. Of course, they don't fully understand the value of money and that it costs A LOT to fly and have no idea what 36 hours in a car would feel like. I hoping and praying that driving out next summer will become a reality. The plan is to have my mom drive out with us and then have Cheeto fly out there and drive back with us. If I do this, it's seriously going to be an entire summer that I spend out there. It will feel like a long time, but if I'm going to drive, I'm going to spend as much time out there as I can. The boys are just dying to live on the farm for awhile. The summer is a great time to spend on the farm- four wheelers, golfing, watching things grow, riding in the truck with my dad, golf camp with the cousins, OH- I'm getting so excited just writing it down!

Oak Island Vacation

K excited to finally get to the beach! We are so grateful for Cheeto's partner that allows us to go to their condo. It's a sweet place to spend a vacation!So excited when Tio got there! We were sad he was the only one who could come with us!

The first night was a perfect night to go swimming. I was grateful that Marcos was willing to help out. The water was the perfect temperature and the kids were needing some time to wear themselves out before bed. Every day we were there without Cheeto they would ask why he couldn't come. It was for 2 reasons. #1 being work and #2 he was going to pick up my parents at the airport on Wednesday.

You don't have to ask my kids to ham it up for a photo op. Who do they belong to? :) Hee hee!

Cade doing his dead man float with a noodle.

Fort Fisher Ferry
We missed the ferry coming back so we had to drive back up through Wilmington.

Loving the boat ride!

Damma and mi ninos!

We thought we only had a few minutes to make the ferry back so we didn't spend too long at the aquarium this visit. Just got through the reptile room. The albino aligator was pretty cool. We thought it was really neat watching them feed and clean the aligator tank. We also got to watch them play with snakes. I DO NOT LIKE SNAKES!!! EW!!!!

I was alone with the kids for the afternoon before Cheeto got there with my parents. It was nice and sunny one minute and one minute later these clouds rolled in. I thought it looks neat the way there is almost blue sky right above the bridge.

These clouds you could literally see rolling. Very strange and eary!

Not a minute later you could barely see the bridge.

A1 was getting so impatient. It was a long wait for G'ma and Daddy!

The kids were going to scare G'ma and Daddy. Little did they know that Papa came as well.
As soon as they heard him get off the elevator they all went running,
completely forgetting about trying to scare Daddy.

One of the highlights of our trip was our visit to the USS North Carolina. It turned out to be a rainy, dreary day. Most of the tour is below deck so that was nice. The kids loved it.
Well worth the time spent there!

My parents really like FireHouse Subs. I had seen a sign for one when we were in Wilmington with Nola a few days earlier. So of course, we went there for lunch.
The kids were excited to get fire hats with their meals.

We also hit the aquarium again. We had more time to spend this time but because it was a rainy day this place was PACKED!! It really wasn't enjoyable with that many people.
We got show K what we meant when we said he had shark teeth. He had extra adult teeth that had to be removed. Sharks have rows and rows of teeth so when they lose one they will continually grow back. My mom didn't know that either.

I was trying to get her to be a G'ma's girl but not a chance. This little one is 100% Mama's girl!

We were told this place had great seafood so we tried it.
The kids weren't thrilled but we found a steak on the menu for us to share.
They were good little sports after each one of them had a time out with dad. :)

We drove around the island a bit after dinner. The beach was perfect that night. Not a lot of wind, just a cool breeze, the water was warm, and only a handful of people. I wished we had known to bring our swimming suits. K didn't care... he was wet up to his armpits.

I had promised to take them swimming one last time.
Even though it was 8pm I had to keep that promise.
We left the next morning. It was a great trip. In the beginning I really thought it was going to be a long week with the kids at the condo, but they were really good kids and we had a blast.