A camping we will go....

The weather and timing were finally right for us to do what we have been talking about doing for several months- going camping! After the not-so-great camping experience we had with Caleb a few years ago (before Isabelle was born), we decided to make camp in the comfort of our own backyard. The weather could not have been nicer- it was the perfect camping weather. The kids were so excited. We began the evening grilling hotdogs, and then we toasted marshmallows over the grill and made smores.

YUM! We let the kids play past their usual bedtime, because we wanted to make sure they were good and tired before we attempted going to sleep in the tent. They were very cooperative when the time came to get into our sleeping bags and actually went to sleep very quickly. I couldn't believe how smoothly this camping experience was! We all went to sleep a little after 9:00 pm, and the kids slept through the night. Caleb was up first in the morning, and he and Barrett went inside. I laid there listening to the birds chirp for a little while and when I was about to leave the tent, realized that Isabelle was still sleeping. I thought she had gone in with the guys, but she was still sound asleep at almost 7 am! Barrett said that she should sleep in the tent more often:) It had been a while since I had been camping, and it made me appreciate again the comforts of a nice, cushy mattress. I believe that we have passed the test and are ready for more camping adventures beyond our backyard.

No training wheels!

Caleb has learned to ride his bike without training wheels! His balance had been getting increasingly better over the last few months, and I began to realize that the training wheels were actually becoming more of a hindrance than a help. Barrett took off the training wheels and put on a "balance buddy" on the back of his bike to help him balance, and he had no problems cycling on his own. He was riding better than with the training wheels on! It took a little practice for him to get the bike started and stopped on his own, but other than that, he was looking like a pro. This has definitely increased his desire to ride his bike.

Soccer season begins

Saturday morning was Caleb's first soccer practice at the YMCA. He is on the same team as his friends Emily and Sarah Kate Drown, and Johnny Linn, so that will be fun for him and fun for the parents since we will get to talk while they play! It was a hot morning, but thankfully the weather will begin to cool off a little soon. Caleb's coach is Pete Wong, and he seems like a nice guy. He is the solo coach at this time, and he said he would love an assistant coach if anyone would want to volunteer. Their practices are on Thursday afternoons at 4:00, so that may be difficult for some of the men to be there that early. They practice Thursday afternoon and Saturday morning until their games begin, and then we will have games on Saturday and practice Thursday. I'm happy with the schedule since it won't interfere with our family dinner, and we won't be going up there every other night (like we did with T-ball)! Caleb seemed to enjoy playing, although he did talk about how hot it was. I think he is really going to like it after he gets used to it. After practice was over, we made a trip to the sports store to get him some shin gaurds and socks that he needs. Now he will be all geared up for the next practice! I signed up to be the "team mom" which basically means I am in charge of getting everyone to sign up for snacks and drinks for each game. Being out in the sun really wore out our whole family. We all took naps that afternoon! Cheerleader Isabelle:

Trying to stay cool

Well, the kids made it through their first week of school with no problems. Caleb is not too keen on going to school every morning, however. He keeps asking me why he has to go every day. Isabelle, on the other hand, tells me she wants to go to school on the days she stays home. We are still adjusting, and it may take a while before this schedule feels normal. Caleb was excited that he gets to stay home on Saturday and Sunday. I can tell he is enjoying school, though, and one day this week was so excited to tell us that he was the tallest kid in his class! (I guess they measured all the kids during class). He is also beginning to make some new friends, so that is nice to see.

Barrett is out of town for training this week, and I had been thinking about things to do with the kids this weekend. I decided to take them to the base pool for a swim this morning, so we all got our swim suits on and drove over. Once we got there, we discovered that the pool was closed (I have no idea why). Of course, the kids were disappointed, but Caleb suggested that we go to the splash pad at the Niceville Park. So, we drove out that way, only to discover that they had closed down their splash pad for the season already! What?!?! I cannot understand the reasoning behind that since September is just about as hot as August in Florida!

So, we ended up just playing on the playground and in the one little water fountain they had going on in the park. And let me tell you, it was a hot day! The kids had fun, though, so it was worth it.

It looks like we will be keeping our eyes on Hurricane Ike in the next few days. If it does come toward us, the base will call a mandatory evacuation and I will have to leave with the kids. Some friends of ours who live in Alabama have graciously offered their home to us, so if we have to evacuate, I will probably go there with the kids to avoid the coastal areas.

First day of school!

Caleb and Isabelle had their first day of school for the '08-09 school year. They are attending Trinity United Methodist Preschool. This is Caleb's second year there, and Isabelle's first. Last year, Caleb attended just two days a week but this year he will be going every morning as part of the VPK program, or the state-funded preschool program, for children the year before they enter Kindergarten. Isabelle will go two days a week: Tuesday and Thursday.

We had orientation last week, so they both were able to meet their teachers and get acquainted with their classrooms before the first day of school. They were both excited about going to school this morning, and when I dropped them off, they went right into their rooms without even looking back. Isabelle was especially excited about being a big girl and going to school. She has already found some new friends in her class that she talks about. When I came to pick Isabelle up, she didn't even seem excited to see me; she was more interested in getting to pick out a prize from the treasure chest! Caleb also had his turn in the treasure chest in his class. He informed me that getting his treasure was the best part of his day! I am thrilled that today went so smoothly, and I pray that this will be a great year for the kids.

Trinity Preschool:

Blustery weekend

We are staying inside today and watching the wind and rain come through our area as a result of Hurricane Gustav. We are on the watch for any possible tornadoes as well. Barrett's brother and his sister's family came to visit us for the first part of the weekend, but that was cut a little short due to Gustav. They needed to get back to Mississippi to prepare for the storm. We did manage to have fun while they were here and even had some great weather on Saturday. We got to take Susanne, Roger and Elijah on their first ride on our boat, and Elijah (16 months old) had a great time. He even fell asleep for part of the time. We went to Destin Commons that evening and Isabelle was being a little mommy by taking charge of Elijah's stroller. She insisted on doing it herself, and actually did pretty good! We did start to get rained out after we finished dinner, but we made it down to Bass Pro Shop and the kids got to see the fish. The cousins had fun playing together, and we were entertained and amused by Elijah's favorite phrase "Oh, wow!" as he took in all the new sights. Thanks for coming to visit us! We had a great time.

Stormy day activities:

Mobile weekend

This past weekend we took a family trip to Mobile, AL for a couple of days to see a baseball game and go tour the USS Alabama Battleship. We left when Barrett got off work on Friday and made it to the Hank Aaron Stadium for the beginning of the game between the Mobile Baybears and the Mississippi Braves. The kids enjoyed it for the most part although it was a late night for them. Caleb kept saying, "I'm tired, I want to go to bed," but we made it through the whole game until the firework display at the end. At first, Isabelle was excited about "pink" fireworks, but then buried her head in my chest for entire show. Caleb brought our binoculars and enjoyed watching some of the game close up. The highlight of the game for the kids, I think, was getting to eat cotton candy!



After the game, we went to our hotel (the kids were very excited about that, especially Isabelle) for the night. We didn't get that much sleep, however, since Isabelle woke up screaming in the middle of the night and pushed me off the bed for the rest of the time.



Saturday morning we ate a hardy breakfast at Cracker Barrell and then went to the Alabama battleship. We had a lot of fun walking through the ship below decks and above and seeing all the guns and how many people it took to run a ship of that size. We had to climb a bunch of narrow staircases that were almost completely vertical as we made our way to the upper parts of the ship. We also got to see and tour the submarine that is part of the museum. For lunch, we met up with Barrett's mom and sister and our nephew who were shopping in Mobile that day. We didn't tell the kids that we were going to see them, so the looks on their faces when they saw Grandmamma and Aunt Sue was priceless! Caleb had a strange look that said, wait a minute.. you don't belong here!, and Isabelle just stared at them for a while. It was pretty funny. We then took the kids to their favorite store- Toys R Us (which we don't have in Fort Walton Beach) before heading home.