7/16/08: Museum of Coastal Carolina

We went to the Museum of Coastal Carolina for the Surf & Sands Smarts and the Fire Truck program. The kids had a good time learning about safety at the beach and got to go in a Fire Truck. The kids even got to do a cool craft with sand and shells to take home.


Ev in the Fire Truck.

Evan got to hold a safety sign.

Is it real?

Lauren checking things out.

Evan and Danny.

Lauren checking out the Aquatic life.

7/15/08: Playtime at the Beach

Evan giving his sister a drink at snack time. What a caring brother.

Lauren and Olivia playing in the sand.
Evan talking to Nana and Papa.
Lauren looking silly. What a bathing beauty!

7/15/08: Hooters

We went out to dinner at Hooters. The kids had a great time as you can see. There was lots of fun for them there with jump ropes and hula hoops.

Evan liked the balloon so much he even fell asleep with it the next day.

7/12-13/08: At Sunset Beach

Here we are at the Beach. The kids took a bit to adjust to the sand and waves, but now they like it. Evan is having a great time playing with his friends in the sand. With 11 kids here there is always someone to play with. Lauren is loving the water and has napped on the beach in a little tent.


Here is Evan with 6 of the other kids playing in the sand.

7/12/08: Sunset Beach We're Here!

We made it to Sunset Beach after a long drive over two days. Here is our house. We stopped at the Air and Space Museum on the way here and got to see the Space Shuttle. That was awesome. Will post some pictures later.

Back to the Beach!

Gilda

7/11/08: The Space Shuttle, oh My!

On our way down to Sunset Beach we stopped at the Air and Space Museum Annex and saw the Space Shuttle and lots of planes. We went down with Aunt Kathy, Uncle Brian, and cousins Danny and Matthew. The kids had a great time and Mommy was excited to see the Space Shuttle up close. What a beautiful sight.

7/9/08: Lauren's 1st Haircut

Lauren had her 1st haircut today. She didn't mind it at all. We just got it trimmed a bit to even it out, no big cutting.

7/7/08: Lauren Walking, Talking and Singing with Evan

I forgot to mention that Lauren is doing a ton of new things. She is walking a bit (excellent holding our finger and 5-8 steps on her own), talking a ton, and pointing to her nose, toes, ears, etc. She loves to do the motions to The Wheels on the Bus and Itsy Bitsy Spider.

Here she is and then with her brother singing some songs. She is very verbal and says thank you a lot and loves to repeat anything you say. She has well over 20 words now and according to Baby Center is an "early talker".

7/6/08: Canobie Lake Park Fun

We had a great time at Canobie Lake Park with our friends Robin, Greg, Haley and Aubrey. There were tons of rides for the little ones to ride (even Lauren). We got to meet Bob the Builder too.

Evan was a big boy and went on the kiddie Dragon roller coaster twice, went on the Boston Tea Party big kid ride (and got soaked), and the Log Flume ride twice. He loved it all and is taking after his Mom with his enjoyment of roller coasters. Evan just went from one ride to the next with no stops, loving every minute of it. More pictures added to our Shutterfly Album.

7/4/08: July 4th Celebration

We went to the Burlington 4th of July Parade and to the festivities on the Common. We got to see a Doggy dressed up as Uncle Sam (with top hat and beard) for the dog show, took a pony ride (Lauren loved her first pony ride), and had lots of fun.

We also went into Boston for the Fireworks. We watched them from John's building in Cambridge. We had fun walking around listening to the music and then watching the fireworks. The kids both made it to 11 pm and got to see the whole show.

7/3/08: Wilmington Carnival or Not?

So on July 3rd we went to the Carnival in Wilmington where we saw our friends Ben (see pic below), Alison, and Michelle from Play Group and got on one ride, then...the skies opened up and it started pouring. We hid under a covering for a bit then made a run for the car.
We then decided to get McDonald's since Evan was so disappointed about not being able to ride the rides or see the Fireworks. Well...we go to McDonald's and can you believe it, they cannot take orders because there registers are down??? So we drive to another one, get our food, go home and eat.
Now it is 8 pm and the rain has stopped so I decide to take Evan back over to the Carnival. We had a great time and went on lots of rides. Evan even went on his first Roller Coaster and loved it, and saw the Fireworks.
Alls well that ends well right?

7/3/08: Gilda Rambles

So I was stuck in traffic on the way home today and got thinking about a post about me on my blog, so here it is.

It is amazing how much our life changes. People always told me life would be different with kids and I never really got that till I had my own. I notice it more in the following circumstances:

* I am looking for a Facebook picture and despite the fact I have thousands (literally) of the kids, trying to find any pictures of me is impossible. It is even harder to find one where I look good and not that I have just been hit by a truck. Now I know why at the age of 10 I had a look on my face in every picture of "don't even dare taking a picture of me". I am sure my kids will be like that. Now they just look and smile.

* I look at my once finely manicured nails and see that they are no longer.

* I am wearing the same shorts for 5 years and my kids have a full closet of clothes that they could not possibly wear all of them.

* I love running because it is my alone time with just my thoughts.

* I now understand why my Mom used to say "I'll give you something to cry about", and why it used to scare the crap out of me.

* All of my friends are Moms...and what do we talk about??? Our kids...unless it is after a few glasses of wine. The few friends I have that don't have kids probably wouldn't want to talk to me without a few glasses of wine.

* I teach a Step Class and despite the fact I am an Aerobics instructor, I spend 1/2 the class talking about the cakes I am making. Talk about torture for my class.

* I enjoy going to places I went as a kid and probably get more excited than my kids do being there (ie: Bedford pond, Canobie Lake Park, etc).

* I judge the success of my day by how many times my kids smile or giggle and not if I had time to take a shower.

* I use terms like sippy cup, snacky snacks and poopy diaper! Who does this??? Have I lost my mind.

* I spent 4 hours in the bathroom one day potty training my son...and even sadder is that I recorded how many times we went in, which is the reason I know how long we were in there. 26 times in the bathroom, and 11 accidents on top of that. But the next day he did great, so I guess it worked.

* I call my kids names like "love bug", "lovey", "cutey patooty" and never had a pet name for my husband.

* I spend all my time on the internet looking for events at libraries, kids movies, soccer/swim/Gymboree classes, Zoos and other events for the kids and even get e-mail updates from several websites about kid's movies, and tickets to events...no longer do I get concert updates or drive to Buffalo NY to go to see the Pat's play.

* I go to the Revolution Rock Bar for a kids party...and not to drink.

* I have learned "people who live in glass houses should not throw stones" and "never say never" - you think your kids won't throw a tantrum or look over the booth at other people in a restaurant but they will...just you watch...they all have their moments no matter what and usually there is no way to reason with them when this happens.

* I have watched the movie Cars far more than my favorite movies Ghostbusters and Apollo 13. I may be able to recite the whole thing from memory soon. Dare to dream?

* Simple things like running to the grocery store to get milk is a big production with 2 children in tow. There is no such thing as a quick errand any more.

* Evan names off all of his friends and when I ask him who Mommy's friends are he says "Lauren, Evan, Daddy and Fred". How sad is that? The few times I have gone out with friends he has been so suprised that I am going out without him.

Ok, enough rambling...I will write more as I think of it. I hope you parents get a chuckle out of this.

By the way I don't think I have posted a picture of our first baby Fred.

7/2/08: Bedford Springs Fun in the Sun

We went to Bedford Springs today with Tanya and her Mommy and had so much fun. I remember going here a ton when I was a little girl. We always called it the Bedford Pond back then. I remember never wanting to leave. More pictures added to our Shutterfly Album.

Now there is an awesome sprinkler park that the kids had a great time at and a great playground. All of this is new including a water slide.

Lauren had a great time!

FUN, FUN, FUN!!!

We can't wait to go back!