SEE Camp and the Beavers in NC

The kids and I headed home Sunday night and I worked for two days and Lindy went to SEE camp for three days.  SEE camp is a camp for visually impaired kids.  It stands for Summer Enrichment Experience.  She went last summer for two weeks and loved it.  The best part – it’s free!!  They do all kinds of fun things but they also work on independent living skills.  They worked on putting toothpaste on a toothbrush one day and they get to make their snack each day.  Lindy talked a lot about playing the drums last week with Scott.  It’s a great experience and she is there with kids from her school.  She loves going.

Wednesday was a super fun day for the SEE camp kids.  Lindy’s age group got to go up to Stokes County and go zip lining!  I ended up taking the day off of work so I could go with her and watch.  Will and I dropped her off at camp and then we rode up and waited for them to get there.  Will kept saying he sure wished he could do it and I tried to nicely explain that he had to just watch.  Which I know was tough for the kid.  But it turned out that if I paid for him to do it, they would let him tag along with Lindy’s group.  So I paid and they both got to do it.  Lindy asked a million questions leading up to the first line so I think she was very unsure of what was going on.  Once she went one time she was hooked.  They both loved it!  The guide was shaking their line and making them bounce and they both thought it was so funny.  They did most of them by themselves but the last two they had to do with an adult because they didn’t weigh enough.  They had a blast and now I really want to do it.  Hopefully we can go back as a family sometime soon.

We left the zip lining place and headed back to Mooresville – this time for more than a night.  We spent the next three nights in Mooresville playing with the Beaver family.  The kids had a blast with their cousins in the pool and at the lake.  We got to go tubing a couple times on the lake which was fun. 

Lindy shocked us all by basically swimming in the pool.  She still has floaties on but she puts her head down in the water and kicks and swims along!  At the beginning of the summer she didn’t want to get her hair wet and at the end of July she is basically swimming!  She has come so far!  Mr. Cautious is not there yet.  He does not even bow to peer pressure.  He doesn’t care if everyone else is going under.  He is just fine with his floaties above the pool!  One day he’ll get there (I hope!). 

Friday night Amy had a little birthday party for the kids. We normally always see her in July and she always has a little party for them and gives them her gifts.  They made a super cool tie dye big cupcake and gave the kids their presents. 

Amy and family headed home Saturday morning around 8am.  We headed home shortly after for a weekend full of parties. 

Flying through the trees!






Time at the lake with one of my favorite girls!
Will played with this big contraption for days.  They pretended it was a bunch of different things. 
Such a great cousin!

Look at her go!!
Hayley’s hair made for some great pictures on Friday!
Lee was trying to tip Amy.  It never worked!
The kids’ first birthday party of the weekend!
Shelly and Chris
The closest you’ll ever see to Lee smiling in a picture!
Papa and the blond haired – make that platinum haired beauty!
Fun picture of some night swimming

Catching Up– Pirates and Beavers

I’m behind – way behind - so I’m here to play catch up.  Back to Monday, July 14th and the kids started Pirate Camp at our local science museum.  Will kind of complained about having to go but I knew he’d have fun once he got there.  And he did.  He always claims he doesn’t like pirates as much as Lindy.  Which is fine but he does like them.  Camp was from 9am-1pm each day.  We kind of made do in the afternoon and both watched them. 

Thursday we did have a fun family outing.  Drew got an alumni email from Wake Forest saying they were having the Quest for the Golden Deac.  It was a scavenger hunt on campus for alumni and their kids.  It sounded fun so we signed up.  We got there and had a boxed dinner.  We got our clues at 6:35pm and we set out on our way.   There were probably 30 questions about things on campus, pictures of things on campus you had to tell what building they were by, and then cornerstone dates on buildings you had to identify.  They said they didn’t expect you to answer all the questions but we sure tried.  We had until 8:15pm to answer questions.  I used to think Wake Forest was a small campus but not anymore.  Not when you are running all over it, dragging two kids!  Will did great keeping up -  until the very end when he got tired.  Poor Lindy got drug around for 1.5 hours.  She rode on Drew’s back for 90% of that and 10% on mine.  I felt a little bad that we didn’t stop and let her see some of the clues but we were out to win.  But we didn’t win.  We didn’t even come in second place.  Will was bummed but oh well.  It was fun and we’ll do it again next year if they have it! 

Friday was dress like a pirate day at pirate camp.  Lindy was gung-go for wearing her pirate outfit – her old pirate costume from Halloween a couple years ago.  It was totally too short but we put some leggings on underneath and it was fine.  Will was not about wearing a pirate costume.  He wore a pirate shirt and that was all he’d do. 

We picked the kids up from camp and we headed over to my parents’ house because my sister and family were on their way.  We got there about 45 minutes before they did.  We had a fun Friday afternoon hanging out with them.  All four Beavers came and then Amy’s best friend Shelly and her boyfriend, Chris, came out.  I hadn’t planned to go over on Friday but I really wanted to see them so I took a half day and we went over. 

We drove home Friday night because we had tickets to a Disney Pirates and Princess show on Saturday afternoon in Greensboro.  Lindy claims she is not into ‘that topic’ anymore but I bought tickets months ago and we were definitely going!  I let her wear her Jake outfit.  We met up with my friend Julie and her boys Carson and Luke for lunch at Stamey’s and then rode over to the coliseum together.  We got there in plenty of time to see Doc McStuffins before the show.  The show was cute.  They did a Sofia skit for the first half and then Jake for the second half.  Lindy told me she was just waiting for Jake during the Sofia part.  We were on the 3rd row and I’m pretty sure she could see.  It was people just in a costume (kind of like her costume) and not the big Jake we saw at Disney World.  We enjoyed the show and then we left Greensboro and headed straight back to Mooresville to my parents’. 

We spent the night and the kids got to play with their cousins all night and Sunday.  The weather wasn’t so great the first weekend but the kids were all able to swim. 

We headed home on Sunday evening for a couple days of work and camp.  We hated to go but we needed to get some stuff done at home.

A few pictures from the week and the first weekend of the Beavers in NC.


At the Quest for the Golden Deac at Wake Forest.
Dress like a pirate day at camp.

Pirates and Princesses with Carson and Luke.
Lindy and Ms. Julie

Doing fun tricks with Aunt Amy.
The boy has no meat on his bones and often gets cold and has to take breaks out of the pool. 

She was singing in her ‘boat’

Grandparent Camp in Charlotte

Last week was another week where we had nothing to do with the kids.  But we had willing grandparents so we shipped them down to Charlotte. 

Drew took them down on Tuesday to Lynn’s house.  They got there around lunchtime and Drew headed out after lunch.  After work I met Jamie and we tried on bridesmaid dresses for Anna’s wedding in November.  We also ate dinner and browsed Target.  Wednesday after work I met Drew for dinner at the Village Tavern since we were kid free.  What should have been fairly quick turned into a long dinner when the soccer game went into extra time and penalty kicks!  Thursday I did a little more browsing at some stores and then I headed over to Jamie’s house for girls’ night.  Friday after work we were at home but we went out later to hear our friends’ band.  I used to work with a girl named Katie and she and her husband have a band, Carolina Coalmine.  It was great to finally see them and they were so good!

Enough of what we did on our kid free week – I know everyone wants to know what the kids did.  Let me tell you – they had fun!

Tuesday after Drew left, Mimo and Aunt Anna took them to Carowinds for their first time.  They went after 4pm when it’s a little less crowded and a little cheaper.  From what I hear they had a blast. 

Wednesday is when the switching fun started up.  The kids wanted to stay with the grandparents by themselves and then switch.  So Wednesday morning Lynn met Suzette and handed Lindy off to them.  They made pudding together, shopped at Target and camped out that night on Grandbob’s floor.  They even had a ‘campfire.’   Will was at Mimo’s house and I know he played with the marble race for awhile and then he went with Mimo to the bookstore that she volunteers at.  He got to pick a couple books while he was waiting for Aunt Anna to pick him up.  When she did pick him up she treated him to some frozen yogurt.

Thursday morning they met again and made another switch.  Lindy headed back to Mimo’s and Will headed to GrandBob’s.  They headed back to Dave and Buster’s where GrandBob has taken him before and he had a blast.  I hear he beat a bunch of people in Mario Kart and then he got some balls in a milk jug which was supposedly legitimately hard to do.  They were supposed to work on a lean-to outside but it was raining so they couldn’t.  I think they also camped out on GrandBob’s floor.  Lindy was back at Mimo’s and I’m not sure what they did.  I think there was a lot of Nelly love and Paw Patrol love going on. 

Friday morning Mimo met back up with Suzette and handed Lindy off to join Will at their house.  Then she took a 6 hour nap!  ha!  GrandBob and Suzette, however, took the kids to Discovery Place in downtown Charlotte and from what I hear they had a blast.  The kids have been a couple times but I’ve still never been.  I think they spent all afternoon there.  I think they had their final campout that night as well. 

Saturday afternoon we met GrandBob and Suzette in Mooresville and took our kids back.  And then GBob and Suzette took a 6 hour nap.  Hopefully not on the way home!  We headed to my parents’ house to see my aunt and uncle who were here visiting from Missouri.  It is my mom’s sister.  We got there and ate some lunch and then we headed out on the boat for the first time this summer.  We went for one ride in March with Hayley and Rylee but this is the first summertime ride we’ve taken.  We got to go tubing for the first time too.   Drew and I went first and then we put the kids in with us.  They had a blast!  They kept saying, “Faster, Papa, Faster!”  They loved it.  Next my mom and Aunt Sue rode and I’m not sure they loved it!  Dad really wasn’t going that fast but they got bumped a couple good times when waves from other boats got to them.  We also pulled the boat up to a little area and got out in the water.  Dad was testing all his skills so he knows what he is doing when my sister and family come down.  We headed back to the house after a bit and we all went swimming.  I played my dad, Drew, and uncle in Horse and whipped them all.  Sometimes it’s hard being so good at everything (that line is for you, Bob!).  ha ha!  It was a fun afternoon in the pool.  Lindy became quite comfortable in the water, going under constantly!  She was jumping off the side and going under.  I had her hold one finger because sometimes she doesn’t jump out and I was afraid she would hit her head.  She even went off the diving board!  On Saturday she had goggles on over her eyes and nose and she was loving the water!  Will was still being Mr. Cautious.  We had a yummy dinner and then a game of Farkle before heading to bed.  My aunt and uncle flew out of Charlotte at 6am Sunday morning so we told them goodbye on Sat. night.

Sunday we got up and had a very lazy day.  I was so sleepy (from not sleeping well in the bed with two munchkins) that I even took a short nap.  We finally got ready and went swimming.  It was chilly at first but finally the sun came out and warmed us up.  Lindy was going under the water again, and this time without goggles on.  She finally learned to keep her mouth shut and blow out her nose!  She was having so much fun.  I started from square one with Will.  We worked on blowing bubbles.  Then trying to blow bubbles with his nose.  He finally after much coaxing jumped off the steps, while holding his nose, and went under water.  I made him do it over and over.  He didn’t love it but he was doing it.  I can only hope that once he gets more and more comfortable in the water he will loosen up and try to swim.   We finally got out, ate, showered and headed back home Sunday evening. 

The kids first trip to Carowinds! 





Lindy and her buddy Nelly!

Lindy dressed up as Marshall from Paw Patrol!  (Her new favorite show!)

Will and his magnificent marble race!
Lindy loves helping in the kitchen.  They made pudding together.
Camping with GrandBob!  Love the makeshift camp fire!

Out on the boat with Nana and Aunt Sue.
The guinea pigs going for the first tubing ride.
Lindy loving on Aunt Sue.
Will watching us tubing.
A small picture but those are big smiles!
A family that tubes together, stays together.  ha!
These daredevils did it.  Not sure they enjoyed it!
Lindy found a new best friend last weekend.  She loved her some Uncle Jerry!

Swimming in some muddy water!
Captain Lindy reporting for duty!
Back to the house for swimming.
Who is under that water?
It’s Will!  Yay Buddy!

Who is under there now?  Lindy!  Our new fish!
Will got out to watch the World Cup and this is how I found him.  Sweet sleeping boy.

A fun week for the kids and fun weekend for everyone.  We were all tired when we got home!