A Week in Wallace

We headed to Wallace, NC to visit Grammy and Grandpa Nick for the 4th of July. Sophie and Jack are always thrilled when an opportunity arises to visit their grandparents. They are finally able to keep it straight that Grammy and Grandpa Nick live in NORTH Carolina, and Oma lives in SOUTH Carolina. Much to their dismay, the drive to North Carolina is almost twice as long as going to Oma's house, which makes it nearly unbearable for Jack, who still has very little concept of time. But, we realize each time that it's worth it to endure the many "Are we there yet?" and "How long until we get there?" inquiries.

Our week was full of fun. On the 4th of July, we went to the pool so the kids could flaunt their swimming skills. That's not the only thing Sophie flaunted. There was a DJ at the pool for a celebratory pool party, and he invited all of the kids to participate in a hula hoop contest. Sophie has always enjoyed hula hooping, but I had no idea how much talent she possessed. She waltzed up to the patio with gusto and stood alongside several girls who were mostly all older than her. My jaw dropped as we watched her move her little hips in the perfect rhythm, keeping the hoop up far longer than anyone else. She was SO proud of herself as the DJ announced, "Clearly we have our winner!". Unfortunately, I didn't have my camera, but here's a token shot of her hula hooping at the Children's Museum in Wilmington later that week



Later that day we had a cookout with some of the neighbors and some long time family friends that have retired in the same subdivision. Check out Jack with his Sparklers. Should we be worried that it looks like he's trying to light a tree on fire??



It's so nice that Wallace is less than an hour from several beaches. We went to Wrightsville Beach on Tuesday. The kids were introduced to Boogie Boarding and loved it!



Wednesday presented Eric and I with a sweet deal. My Mom and Nick offered to take the kids to an early dinner at their club, while Eric and I stayed behind to enjoy a quiet house and a glass of wine before swapping places and heading over to the club for our own night. The kids had a blast, which was expected, as they usually don't find themselves in restaurants much fancier than Chick-Fil-A. Apparently they charmed the pants off of everyone and were well-mannered. Phew!

While Eric and I headed out for some shopping and more beach time the next morning, the kids headed to the Wilmington Children's Museum and out to lunch with Grammy and Grandpa Nick. At one point, Jack got himself a little mixed up with a group of camp kids and even posed for their group picture. Eventually he realized what was happening and yelled "I'm trapped!", at which point Grammy rescued him from the group.


Throughout the week, the "Green Man" in Grammy and Grandpa Nick's garden left little surprises and treats for the kids. Each day they would check and see if there was a treasure to be found. The "magic" of all of this did not seem to wane and both kids are looking forward to their next visit to see if the Green Man takes things to the next level. Maybe some cash in lieu of tootsie rolls?!


On our last evening, despite the blazing temperature and humidity, the kids toasted marshmallows over the fire-pit to make smores. Can't think of a better way to end a great week!

No Shirt Required

Jack and Sophie had separate birthday parties at the same yesterday so Eric and I decided to divide and conquer. While Sophie desperately wanted Eric to accompany her to Sophie King's princess ballet party, Eric opted for some guy time with Jack at Kate's party, where there was a slew of outdoor water activities and an authentic spread of homemade Chinese food. Kate was adopted from China about a year ago, and both she and her 3 year old brother Sam were in Jack's preschool class last year.

Jack has always been fond of both Kate and Sam, and had been looking forward to this party for several days. The Seabolts did not disappoint, and a tired Jack bolted through the doors of our house full of excitement, immediately requesting that I schedule a playdate with Sam and Kate soon. He was also extremely fixated on when he'd be able to take his shirt off "just like Sam". Eric quickly explained that Sam was shirtless throughout the birthday party because of the water games, and Jack had to keep his shirt on to protect him from the sun.

When I went to check on Jack before I went to bed, I found a very tired, shirtless Jack who had taken it upon himself to remove his pajama top before falling asleep, so he could be "just like Sam."

Blessed!

Father's Day is always bittersweet for me. I can't help but reflect and reminisce on the times I shared with my Dad, who I wish was still here to be part of my life, enjoy my children and offer the little snippets of wisdom that only fathers can do.

On the other hand, I celebrate the fact that I have been blessed with an amazing husband who is also an amazing father. Admittedly, I'm sometimes jealous that Eric's their first pick when it comes to just about anything. Yet, I'm delighted by the mutual affection he shares with Sophie and Jack, and I'm even learning to accept that fact that often times, in the words of our good friend Jeff James, "Daddy does it different".

I love that Eric isn't afraid to jump in and truly engage in the lives of our children, and that even after a long day at work, he seems to never run out of patience, energy and love. I am so thankful to be sharing this journey with him.

Summer Begins

The kids and I had an opportunity to join The Seymours for some fun at The Pryors' house on Lake Martin for a quick overnight before Memorial Day Weekend. We packed a whole lot of fun into just over 24 hours, and the kids enjoyed many "firsts". First speed boat ride, first time swimming in a lake, sleeping in bunk beds, and Sophie even caught her first fish!

Jack didn't quite know what hit him as we sat in the front of the boat for a speedy ride soon after we arrived. As soon as my grip on him loosened up a bit, he would immediately pull my arms tightly around him, saying "Don't let go Mommy!" He was also very concerned about everyone else's safety, making sure we were all seated properly and holding on tightly.

I wasn't quite sure what to expect of them embarking on this new experience, but much to my surprise, both kids were pretty fearless when it came time to swim in the lake, and everything else that came along with it. They truly had a blast!

Truth be told, I was relieved that Eric wasn't around to worry about all of the potential "what if's" that crossed our path. In particular, watching Jen supervising all 6 kids while trying to hook worms onto their fishing poles stands out!

After a full afternoon of boating and lunch literally "in" the lake, the kids enjoyed time at the house with bubbles galore, and a tasty dinner that was topped off with s'mores at the firepit. This, all while poor Liz was dealing with a flat tire - not a first for her, but it meant that I had to man the grill which was most definitely a first for me!

The next morning Liz and I were serenaded by our 4 kids (who shared a room with 2 bunk beds) at the wee hour of 5:45 Alabama time. Despite having gone to be well after 9pm the night before, they were ready to go. Jack even declared somewhat happily that he had woken up at one point to find himself on the floor and he got right back in the bed.

Luckily Jen's cousin Zac, who is a recent med school grad and just so happens to love kids, was not too annoyed that his slumber on the air mattress downstairs came to a screeching halt, and he graciously poured cereal for the kids...which was the first of about 3 breakfasts that morning before it was time to actually start the day. We enjoyed more time on the boat and in the water. Sophie loved jumping off the back of the boat into the lake while Jack was a little more cautious in the more mirky water where we ended up. At one point I caught him talking to himself, saying, "Oh my gosh, my feet are so dirty...Oh my gosh".

It's amazing how such a short little get away can create an experience and memory that will last a lifetime. I will never forget this first trip to "The Lake Party", as Jack likes to call it. And Jennifer, hopefully if you're reading this you will know that we don't want it to be our last! Thanks for a great time!!

A Busy Weekend

Since Eric's Mom's recent retirement to Bluffton, SC, we have been able to visit with several of Eric's friends and family from Germany who have all been taking turns enjoying some R&R at her new place. The most recent visitors were Helga and Haigu, who are much like and Aunt and Uncle to Eric. They arrived Thursday evening in Atlanta for a long weekend full of lots of fun. To insure a good visit, they brought a huge box chock full of German chocolate and marzipan - all of the favorites they know we love.

We had a wonderful visit with them, which included lots of good meals, shopping for us girls, a tour of downtown and a lovely "adults only" dinner at Canoe.

We capped off the weekend with Sophie's Spring Ballet recital.
She and Kylie have been taking classes together after school once a week. They danced to "The Bare Necessities" from The Jungle Book. Here's a big shout out to Crystal, who took care of putting Sophie's hair in a bun, which was an almost impossible feat! And another shout out to the policeman who did not give me a ticket for accidentally running a red light on the way to take the girls to the recital! I think their cute costumes won him over :).