Vacation Part 2 - Days in the Sand!

So a beach vacation wouldn't be a beach vacation without spending lots of time at the beach and in the water.  We actually did this less than intended because of the weather.  It was rainy and cloudy and we were "chased" inside by lightning at least once.  None the less, we got plenty of sand/water time and no one got sunburnt.  Win/win!  (warning LOTS OF PICTURES!!!!!)

Forget sand castles....the boys made a batman symbol!

we're just letting the waves wash over us.....

The King as a mermaid (merman!)  

Out catching some waves

it is not foggy....my lens had just fogged up. 

feeding the seagulls (we later saw a sign that said "please do not feed the birds"  Oops!)

An actual real sand castle.  

Another sand castle

Vacation Part 1

I've been trying to post this for a week but blogger and I have not been getting along well.  I think I got it fixed now though.  YAY!

So last friday evening we left for a week in Gulf Shores, AL.  We drove part way and stayed with friends in Clarksville, TN.  That was an awesome start to the week away!  When we left for the beach on Saturday morning (after an amazing breakfast made by my friend Amanda), it was so cloudy and it stayed that way till monday afternoon.  Yet we still had a great time!

Before I get to some pictures of the first day or two....I wanna tell a story that brought tears to my eyes and made me so happy.  For anyone who has driven long distances with 4 kids (or any number of kids) in the vehicle, you know that stops are a necessity.  I will say my kids were SO FABULOUS and the only stops we really had to make were for bathroom breaks.  At one such stop at a gas station somewhere, we had all gone to the bathroom and the King had gotten gas (for the van) and we were ready to head out of the gas station.  A woman walked up to me with $5 in her hand and said "can you do me a favor?"  I just looked at her blankly.  She smiled and said "Your boys were waiting outside the restroom in such a gentlemanly way.  I was hoping you'd buy them all a treat for me."  It was unbelievable.  And it made me day.  I am tearing up typing it out right now.  And I did then too.  She smiled and said "You guys are doing something right.  Even when it feels like everything is going wrong, you are doing a good job."  I said thank you over and over and over again, looked at the kids, and said "pick out some candy guys!"  Now for some pictures of the first few days.

Finally getting settled after a long day in the car.  This is the room where the 2 middle boys slept.  And we learned that they will NEVER ever ever have a tv in their room.  Ever.

If I ever were going to build a house, I would have a breakfast bar like this one.  We ate 2 meals a day in the condo and this is what it looked like each time.  (Well, the princess wasn't always pouting).  Only once or twice did the boys slide their glass over to me (Western movie style) and almost slide it right off the counter.  I don't have those bartending skills apparently!

The "balcony" at the end of the outdoor hallway in the condos we stayed at.  Our private balcony overlooked a parking lot which they incidentally ran a sump pump in ALL night long because it was raining SO hard!  :) 

Finally got to put our feet in the water late on Sunday....

The little building in the center is the condo where we stayed.  This picture was taken later in the week as can be seen by the blue skies.  :)

More pictures will be coming.  I just don't want to add too many at once to the blog.  My internet might totally go bat crap crazy if I do.  :)

Toddler Learning!

There are different schools of thought on teaching young ones.  But I have a toddler (2.5 yo) that will be a part of our homeschool days when we start in September.  She lives here and we do school here.  That means we have to have a way that she is not a continual distraction with her cuteness and antics.  Enter tot trays and busy bags.  I've been a fan of tot trays for years (and actually modify them for use with my older kids too) but I've never really looked at busy bags.  They are essentially the same theory followed thru in different ways.

Tot trays are trays (it's not just a clever name) of things that address a certain skill.  I make up several each week and then the child gets to choose which ones to work on.  She might get to scoop and pour from a conatiner of beans, or match bolts to matching nuts and screw them on, or cut up a bunch of scraps of paper.  The supplies are all "organized" in a closet but I build the trays themselves weekly (or every other week).  Here is a blog that fabulously displays what tot trays can be...the possibilities are ENDLESS!  I got all my starting ideas from her and go back for inspiration from time to time.

In my mind, busy bags are different in that the activity is completely put together...with all required supplies and ready to roll.  They are stored in gallon sized zipper bags and you just pull one and go.  I am currently obsessed with busy bags and my pinterest board is getting filled with ideas...again, possibilities are endless!

Recently, our homeschool group had a busy bag swap.  We signed up and each made enough of the same busy bag to share with everyone there (9 plus one cool mom made two so we'd all have 10 bags to take home including our own).  We gave an example of how our busy bag works and what the targeted skills were (most were pretty cut and dry since they are for 2-4 year olds-HA!).  It was GREAT!  And I can't wait for the next one.

So one of the moms already posted a great run down of the busy bags we each got (and somehow I missed picking one of them up) but we've had a great time with them already.  There were things the Princess did that surprised me too....She correctly sorted colors (did not expect that)....she liked the jingle bells in that one and after she sorted she shook the egg carton and let the jingle bells do their thing.  :)

doing the color sort busy  bag.  She thinks its awesome fun and loves the jingle bells in there.

practicing putting clothes on a clothesline.  She has trouble with the clothespin....I think I need to put stickers where she needs to pinch.  (yes she is wearing shorts and a cape!  She also runs thru the house with her hands in the air yelling "up way")

Funny faces busy bag.  She just takes things off and puts them on this one....

Not a busy bag but she was SO proud of her art on the fridge.
She has changed and grown so much in the last 9 months or so.  

Can't wait to get out the rest of them....make more....and have another swap!

One "bonus" photo/idea.  I was trying to decide how to store these bags so they aren't sliding all over and are easy to get to and I know what I've got.  I have a small home and 4 kids and we do school at the kitchen table.  There is a small closet there that we use for arts/crafts supplies....and it is full.  BUT I had an old tension rod lying around and a facebook friend shared with me her kids sized pants hangers and....

Voila!  Busy bag storage!  YAY!

We're SO corny!

July is corn on the cob season here....and we LOVE it.  Seriously. we. love. it.  Corn on the cob and a BLT with tomato from the garden and Bacon from the butcher (and not Walmart) and bread from the oven.makes us happy.  I don't think we had BLT's with this corn but I am not sure.  Regardless, love!

I. am. not. sleepy.

We spent a long afternoon playing at the park with a group of homeschool friends (there were 10 adults and about 30 kids)!  It was awesome fun and we were there about 4 hours.  On the way home the princess fell asleep unsurprisingly.  When we got home and I laid her down she got mad and wouldn't lay down....she was not tired.  Except...

It's a Wonderful Life!

Yes, I know that's a Christmas movie.  Yes, I know it is technically July.  No, I don't really care.

The weather is so unbelievable here.  We've got the windows open and are sleeping to the sounds of the critters out there.  (Except Saturday night when we were "blessed" by a band at the nearby outdoor bar and had to close the windows cause it was so stinkin loud-but I digress.).  It is just beautiful!

I hadn't taken many pictures last week cause we didn't really do much in the way of photo worthy activity but this weekend by far made up for it.  An afternoon at the pond is one photo op after another....now I have to choose which pictures to share.......hmmmmm  decision decisions.   Some of the great pics are another camera and I'll have to wait till its owner shares them....but I got a few too. :)

It was a bit cold for swimming but swim they must.  Brrrrr!

The Princess skipped the swimming (cause mommy wasn't getting in that cold water) and played on the swing instead.

Swings make such good photo ops. And she LOVES her hat!

Bocce ball.  A takes his turn

M playing some bocce.

G takes his shot.

The princess and I just enjoying the view of the pond and the breeze off the water
 (too bad you miss that in a photo-it was heavenly)

Where better to read Magic Tree House books than in a tree!?!?!

A would fish all day and all night....but they weren't biting.

Practicing his "selfie" skills.

Cooking hotdogs for supper.  YUM!

Playing in the fire (wow am I squinting)

Reading an evening story out on the front porch.  

TWISTER!  'nuff said!

TODDLER LOGIC!

1. Food must be eaten off fork....even if I smash it in my hand trying to get it on said fork or hold it on fork with hand to get it to mouth.  Exception is eating food off floor before mom can sweep it up.  That can be directly popped into the mouth.

2.  Poop in my underwear or pull-up is fine.  Poop in the potty seat is terrifying.

3.  Dropping food in my lap is BAD!  It must be cleaned up right away...even if that means that all the food I painstakingly got on my fork ends up on the floor.

4.  The car seat is clearly a stage for me to say "Mooooooooommmmmmmmmmyyyyyyyyyy!" at least one million times in a short hour long ride.  No matter how many times mommy replies will I ever answer with any word other than "mommy" or "please."  If mommy gives up and stops responding, I will just get louder.

5.  All girls are nice.  Not all boys are nice.  Especially ones with beards.  Unless they let me pet their beard...then they are cool!

6.  ALL (each and every time) vehicles (of any shape, size, or color) must be Pappy coming to give me a 4-wheeler ride....I must start yelling "wheela ride wheela ride" so he will take me.

7.  I am the seatbelt police.  After I am buckled in I must tell everyone else in the car to "bucka up"  safety first after all.  :)

8.  Freshly made oatmeal is BAD.  But if I let it set on the table for an hour or so then it is just right.

9.  On a related note, I do not want to eat breakfast the moment we get out of bed.  I do, however, want you to MAKE breakfast the moment we get out of bed so I can let it sit on the table and get cold.

10.  Shoes must be worn at all times....it does not matter if they are dirty....it does not matter if they match.  I even like to wear water shoes while swimming in the pond. The one exception....when I am playing in the dirt....then I'll go barefoot.  :)

And a bonus "heard this week"
We ate out at a local restaurant this week.  This is a place where you have a waitress, there is a salad bar and kids eat free on Wednesdays (can you guess which night we were there)....so anyway, during the meal the Prince starts acting sheepish.....this is the conversation that followed....

King: what's up buddy?
Prince: Our waitress is pretty.
Me: Really?  Do you think so?
Prince: Yes but do NOT embarrass me.
King and I: We won't honey (then threaten his brothers within an inch of their lives)
waitress comes back and leaves
Me: Kiddo, you are right....the waitress is pretty.
Prince: (wait for it):  Well, she's prettier than you.  (with all the "tone" he could muster)
King: No she isn't.

Well, at least he still thinks I look good.  HA!