Tybee Island

 This week we headed to Tybee Island Georgia to enjoy the beach.  The weather was beautiful the whole time and no one wanted to go home!  We rented a condo and the beach was just outside our door.  As soon as we got there we hit the beach to play in the sand and build sandcastles.  They loved when we built a huge dam so they could play in it. 

 The island is 3 miles long and part of the beach is on the Savannah River and part is on the Atlantic Ocean.  This provided the island with a really diverse ecosystem.  We found so many neat animals and shells.  The kids loved running for miles at night to see new parts of the beach and explore.  I think they covered at least 5 miles a day on foot.  We found lots of cannonball jellyfish on the beach.  We read that those jellyfish do not have stingers.    

 We kept finding horseshoe crab shells.  This was the smallest one we found.  

 After dinner we changed into dry clothes and went for a walk.  As you can see, neither of them stayed out of the waves.  It was great to see Avery running and jumping in the waves because on previous beach vacations he has been too afraid to play in the ocean. Alia had no concerns once she saw how much fun he was having.  They were laughing so hard, it was awesome to watch them.  

 We saw quite a few Bottlenose dolphins jumping just off shore.  

 

 She was running so fast and so hard in the waves that she kept getting rolled.  Each time she was rolled she would get up and run back in.  She had so much sand in her ears.  

 A huge horseshoe crab!

 The winds were perfect for a stunt kite!  

 The condo had a pool with a swim through tunnel.  Avery surprised both of us and swam under the tunnel! 

 During the low tide the water from the high tide fills these pools.  We were planning on going for a nice, dry evening walk but again, both ran kids ran through the pools and fell almost immediately.  The pools were really warm and some were pretty deep.  They absolutely loved running through them.  

 On the way home we decided to explore Savannah.  It was a really neat city with lots of history.  The city is made up of 22 squares.  Each square is named in honor or memory of a person or historical event.  Many contain monuments, markers, memorials, statues, plaques and other tributes.  The squares are all close to one another and it is easy to do a walking tour of each one.  We made it to 6 of the squares before we had to go.  River Street was also a really fun area.  There street was on the Savannah river and there were lots of shops, music and great food.  We stopped at the River Street Sweets and let the kids each pick something.  They both picked marshmallows dipped in white chocolate on a stick.   

 Even though it was warm out, much of the city was covered with large trees which provided plenty of shade.  

On the way home Alia saw this 3 foot gummy snake at the gas station.  I let her buy it with her commission money since I was trying to make a point with Avery.  Lately he hasn't wanted to do any of his chores so Alia has been doing them and making all of the money.  I was hoping that if she was able to buy things on the trip and he wasn't that he would work harder at home.  The only problem with this scenario is that Alia is so sweet and always shares with Avery.  I think the only thing he learned was let Alia work and give him the things she buys.

A fun filled weekend

Our weekend started with Avery's graduation from First Presbyterian.  I can't believe that he's done with preschool and headed to kindergarten next year!

They played "Jesus Loves Me" on hand-bells. 

Mrs Perry and Ms Errin, his K-Town teachers. 

 This sweet girl did a great job this weekend going to graduation, my triathlon and Avery's recital.  During his graduation the teachers announced that it was time to watch the slide show.  Alia quickly sat up in her seat and patiently waited for what she thought was going to be a slide show.  After a few minutes she asked me in a rather loud voice where the slide show was.  I was a little confused since she could clearly see the large screen upfront showing the pictures.  When I pointed to the screen she yelled, "No, there are no kids sliding!"  Ahh that's why she was so interested at first.  She was not happy with the real slide show! 

On Saturday my friend Erin and I did the super-sprint triathlon in our town.  It was my first triathlon and I have to say I am hooked!  It was a 300 yard swim, an 8 mile bike ride, and a 2 mile run.  The hardest part for me was the swim but I'm learning! 


On Sunday Avery had his piano recital.


This time around he played Climbing and Jumping Frogs. 

 

Playing hand-bells

I decided to tape one song at home because it was easier to hear and see him play.  Here he is playing Jumping Frogs.

 Playing Climbing

Mother's Day 2012

Today was a great Mother's Day.  Avery woke up before Scott and I and got himself completely ready.  He picked out what he calls his "church clothes" (a polo and khakis) and then set out his second outfit for when he gets home.  He told me today he laid out all of his zebra clothes.  Then he cleaned his room and made himself and Alia breakfast.  I was impressed that he did all of that on his own because he usually needs lots of prompting in the morning to get ready.  

 After church we headed to the bowling alley.  This was Avery and Alia's first time bowling and they loved it!  The bowling alley also had a mini golf area that was lit by black light.  Avery was pretty excited when he saw the zebra.  Can you find him in the picture? 

We started with the bumpers but neither of them liked rolling the ball granny style so we rented the ramp. 

Here it goes!

He wanted to get strikes the whole time so he wasn't happy if it wasn't a strike!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  Alia would line the ball up and say, "Ready ball?  Go!" and then she would roll it down the ramp. 

Our Garden

This year we planted a garden in gutters hanging off of our deck.  This conditions in our yard are not favorable for a garden in the ground.  The garden is doing well and Avery and Alia love getting up each morning to check on it.  We planted mini bell peppers, strawberries, green beans, basil, oregano, thyme, cilantro, tomatoes, a pomegranate tree and a fruit cocktail tree that has plums, peaches, nectarines, and apricot.  Avery did a video of the garden tour... enjoy!