Jungle Safari Putt-Putt

After not having much fun playing putt-putt at Dragon's Lair, Caleb wanted to play somewhere different. So, we drove up and down the road looking at all the different places so he could choose his FAVORITE one. He finally decided on Jungle Safari, and he had fun. It was a much better course, and it made for some great pictures as well.

Brian and Caleb sitting on the zebra.

Sherrie and Micah on the zebra.

He's a good little golfer.

Brian getting ready to take a shot.

Look at the concentration (I'm sure his tongue is out...lol).

Family portrait inside a gazebo.

Pavilion Nostalgia Park

Before we got to Myrtle Beach, we took advantage of some ticket savings. The tickets we purchased gave us entrance into the Aquarium, one round of Dragon's Lair putt-putt, 5 tickets at the Pavilion Nostalgia Park, one hour at MagiQuest, and one entrance into an Imax 3D movie. So, today we decided to head to Broadway at the Beach to use up the rest of our tickets.

First, we used up our ride tickets. Caleb LOVED the swings. He wanted to ride them over and over again. After riding the swings with Brian, he decided to ride the Caterpillar with mommy. This ride was soooo rough, but we both managed to make it through. Then he wanted to ride the HUGE pirate ship. So, mommy was the lucky adult supervisor AGAIN. Let me tell you...I'm not as young as I used to be, and I feel it on these darn rides. LOL! They are not the same as an adult...my stomach is not what it used to be. After finishing up on the pirate ship, he headed over to the teacups to use up his last ticket.

Next, Brian and Caleb played a round of putt-putt at Dragon's Lair. They enjoyed it, but they didn't have as much fun on this course as they have on others. Micah and I just chilled in the air conditioning for a bit.

After doing some shopping for shoes, we headed off to our IMax 3D movie. Caleb decided he wanted to watch Sea Monsters. It was right about time for Micah to eat, but luckily he ended up falling asleep. We all got ready for the movie, and it was cool at first. Caleb was so funny trying to reach out and touch the 3D objects. After a while though, he got really tired and ended up falling asleep. So, both of our boys slept through most of the movie. In fact, Brian dozed off some as well. LOL! Can you tell that we've been very active and it's starting to wear on us? LOL!

With all of our tickets used up, we headed out to grab supper at Olive Garden. But -- the wait was sooo long, so we went back to the condo. We met up with Charlie and Diane, and we all went to grab some supper. We were going to go to TGIFriday's, but their wait was outrageous as well. So, after much discussion, we ended up going back to Olive Garden. We still had to wait, but we figured we'd wait for food we KNEW we would enjoy rather than taking a chance at TGIFriday's. Our wait was worth it, because we all enjoyed our food. Then, it was back for more R&R at the condo.

Caleb and Brian getting ready to go for a swing.

Caleb and Sherrie waiting for the Caterpillar to start.

Sherrie AFTER the Caterpillar ride.Caleb and Sherrie waiting for the Pirate Ship to begin (we sat in the back).
WAY up in the air...this ride was a bit much for me in my old age.
Caleb going for a spin in the teacups.

Ripley's Aquarium

After playing in the ocean this morning, we headed off to Broadway at the Beach. We enjoyed a nice Father's Day lunch at Key West Grill. It started to storm while we were eating lunch, so we just made the best of it and enjoyed a nice, LONG lunch. Once the rain finally eased up, we headed to Ripley's Aquarium. This was our first aquarium visit with Caleb, and he LOVED it. Micah did extremely well, too, as he took a nap in the Bjorn. After we were finished at the aquarium, we headed back to the condo for some much needed rest and relaxation.

Caleb posing outside the aquarium.

Caleb in front of the pirate statue.

Caleb outside the pirate exhibit.

Like father, like son (my two crazy boys).

Caleb stopping for a quick pose for mommy.

Caleb holding a horseshoe crab.

Family pose sitting on some coral.

Such an intense look for such a little boy.

Micah, Sherrie, and Caleb sitting in a porthole in front of th jellyfish.

Another family portrait (can't you tell that Caleb is sick of the camera?).

Playing in the Ocean

This morning we decided to get up and head down to the beach for some playtime in the ocean. Micah slept through all of it, so that was nice. We bought a kiddie crab lounge prior to our trip for him to sleep on. It turned out to be a GREAT investment. Caleb and Brian had lots of fun playing in the waves and getting on the body boards. I, of course, just sat and worked on my tan. I did manage to get into the water for a bit, but I had to make sure Micah was taken care of.

Micah sleeping on his crab lounge.

Brian, Dave, Caleb, and Courtney heading into the ocean.

Courtney, Dave, Caleb, and Brian waiting for the big waves.

Dave, Courtney, Brian, and Caleb in the middle of the wave.

Brian helping Caleb stand up during the crash of the wave.

Welcome to Myrtle Beach

Well, we finally arrived in Myrtle Beach today for our much anticipated vacation. It was an uneventful drive, and it didn't take as long as we expected. We met up with our fellow vacationers (Dave, Wendy & Courtney, and Dave's parents -- Charlie and Diane) at Barefoot Landing, and we had lunch at Ultimate California Pizza. It was very tasty, but a bit on the pricey side. Courtney, Dave & Wendy's 8-year-old daughter, and Caleb didn't have much to say to each other. I think everyone was tired from the drive. It was nice for me to finally meet Brian's best friend, Dave, and his wife Wendy, as well as Dave's parents. After heading to the condo to check-in and get everything unpacked, we headed off for supper and a trip to Walmart. Supper was a disaster as we dined at a local Mexican eatery...no one liked it, and the service wasn't very good either. Walmart was no different. It was sooooo crowded. I guess everyone goes to Walmart upon check-in to stock up on food. You would think a natural disaster was about to happen as the lines were so long. We stood in line for probably an hour, if not longer. Anyway, we finally got done at Walmart and headed back to the condo. Our condo was super nice. It was a 3 bedroom, 3 bath unit with a nice living room, kitchen, and patio overlooking the ocean.

The kids were antsy to go check out the beach, so we all headed down to the ocean. It was quite dark, but we still managed to get in a bit of fun. Caleb enjoyed his first steps into the ocean, and he and Courtney enjoyed checking out the many swimming pools. He even decided to take a dive fully clothed, so he was thrilled. Micah enjoyed getting to see the ocean, too, but he soon fell asleep in the Baby Bjorn. Then we called it a night.

Brian, Caleb, and Courtney checking out the ocean.

Dave, Wendy, Courtney, Caleb, and Brian playing football on the beach.

Caleb and Courtney having fun in the kiddie pool (this was before Caleb took a dive).

Way to go Micah

We've been putting Micah down for bedtime in his crib for about a week or so now. When he wakes up, I usually go and get him and bring him into our bed for the remainder of the night. He's slowly been waking up later each night. Well, last night, he slept ALL NIGHT IN HIS CRIB. We put him down around 10pm, and he didn't wake up until 7:15am. It was pure bliss as I was able to enjoy a long sleep without having to get up to go get him. Now, if only we could get Caleb out of our bed...(that's supposed to be our goal once we return from vacation on the 21st, so wish us luck).

Homeschool Week 1 in Review

I'm hoping to post a weekly review of our homeschool experiences. Some of the stuff may be redundant, but that's okay. So, here's a look at our first week of homeschooling.

Beginnings (phonics, language, reading) -- We were introduced to the Vick Family, and Caleb learned about moving and making new friends. We reviewed the letters of the alphabet, and he even learned some new songs. He also practiced his handwriting by tracing lines of different types (slanted, curved, straight, etc.). We discussed matching shapes/objects and rhyming words as well.

Math -- This week we reviewed shapes and counting to 10. Of course Caleb was SUPER at this.

Music -- Caleb learned how to glorify God through singing and how to stand/sit when it's time to sing. He also learned a few new songs.

Art -- He learned the 3 primary colors.

Bible -- We started learning the First Catechism. This week he had to memorize the first two catechism questions (and he did a GREAT job with this new activity). He also had two Bible verses to memorize (Psalm 139:14a and Genesis 1:31a). Brian and I are both proud of his success at memorizing both verses as well.

Extra stuff -- We visited the fire station and police department. Caleb also started another swim session.

So, as you can see, we were super busy and had lots of fun. Caleb is doing really well, and we're both adjusting to this new adventure.

We've got a "thumb-sucker"

Well, it looks like we've got a "thumb-sucker" on our hands with little Micah. We've tried to soothe him with the paci, but he's managed to find his thumbs. I have to admit, at first I really didn't want him to suck his thumb. But -- if it's what will soothe him, then so be it. We'll just have to make sure that we really stress that it's only for "night-night" time when he's old enough to understand. Hopefully that will make it easier for him to stop altogether when the time comes. Right now, we'll just love how cute he is when he's sucking his thumb. It's cute to see, and he's such a cutie anyway.

His little girlfriend, Molly Morgan Hamlin, was born on Monday, May 26th. She was a whopping 9lbs, 3oz at birth. I went and met her yesterday, and she's such a cutie. It'll be sweet to watch them grow up and interact together. I hope to get some pictures of them together soon. So, keep looking.

Meanwhile, here are some pictures of our 3-month-old (where is the time going???) big boy sucking his thumb.

Police Station Field Trip

Today we visited the police station with some of our friends. It was really neat for the children to be able to go inside and see how everything works. They were even able to sit inside a real jail/holding cell. They saw the SWAT team machine gun and gear, a Taser, and they heard the police car siren. The police captain even let them crawl through the police car. All of the children had a good time, and they were all well behaved.

Hunter and Caleb waiting for the tour to begin.

Hunter, Caleb, and Brayden inside the holding cell.

Hunter, Caleb, Brayden, and Tina all locked up (the door is shut this time).

Caleb getting inside the police car.

Caleb standing beside the police car.

Fire Station Field Trip

Today we went to the fire station with some of our friends. Caleb starts a unit on fire safety next week, so we wanted to get a tour in, and today was a good day to do it. All of the children were well behaved, and they all had fun learning about fire safety. They even got to crawl through the fire truck, and that was fun for all of them. Here are some pictures of the fun Caleb had.

Caleb and Hunter waiting patiently for the "discussion" to begin.

Caleb being the "ham" that he is.

Caleb and Hunter giving the firefighter "high-five" now that he's in his gear.

crawling under the pretend smoke

something fascinated him...not sure what though

Caleb in the fire truck

my little firefighter

Welcome to Kindergarten

Today was Caleb's first day of Homeschool. He entered Kindergarten today, and he was super excited. The first thing out of his mouth this morning was, "Today we start homeschool." I'm so proud that he's as excited as he is. We've been counting down the days for 3 weeks now, so he's been very eager.

Since today was our first day, we were trying to get everything figured out. We started around 9am, and we were done with everything by 11:15am. So, it was just long enough for Caleb. Granted, we did have to take breaks for snack and to take care of Micah.

Caleb did a GREAT job today. He reviewed letters of the alphabet and shapes. We talked about proper pencil hold and practiced handwriting. We also started our Bible curriculum, so he was introduced to two Bible verses and the First Catechism. He did a super job with the first two catechism questions. We'll do a formal assessment later on, but so far, he's doing great. In Art, I introduced the primary colors, and he painted a picture using each color separately.

Overall, today was a success and we look forward to what our homeschool future holds. I can't wait to post progress on how well Caleb is doing in each area. I haven't decided if I'll do more than one weekly post, so keep looking. I know I'll post after our field trips, and we have our first one tomorrow. We're visiting the fire station with some friends. So, look for that post later.

Here are some pictures for your enjoyment:

library, art/teacher supplies, teacher computer station

dry erase/magnetic board, alphabet chart, corkboard strip

Caleb's manipulatives and games

Calendar station

Teacher supplies and manipulatives

Caleb's computer workstation and art easel (no, we aren't cooking...those food items were for an alphabet activity)

Caleb's first day of Kindergarten

Caleb's primary color artwork -- red flower, yellow sun, blue ocean