A visit

Courtney and Jackson came for a visit last week. I'm so glad she and Jason got to spend some time together while I was in class, and I'm glad I did get to see her and Jackson for a little while before they had to head back home.

The kids did great with Jackson, and even Julian wanted to hold him and touch his feet and hair. I can't wait to see the 3 of them (and maybe more added along the way) grow up together and be playmates once Jackson is a little more mobile. I hope they play together and like each other as much as my cousins and I did growing up...

First day of school

Monday was Kathryn's first day of Kindergarten and Julian's first day in 3rd grade.

Kathryn was very excited to see her teacher again and to see what school would be like.

And Julian was excited to get back and see his friends. 2 of his good friends from last year are in his class again.

We walked Kathryn to class, but no one was there! We were pretty late... We met her class coming from the cafeteria, and she fell right into line and went to class. They stagger days for everyone, so there were only 5 kids there on her first day. She has not been back to school yet, but tomorrow she'll go along with her whole class, and everyday after that. Unfortunately, she is not as excited to go back tomorrow as she was the first day. She said she wants to stay home with me. I told her I won't be home either, and neither will Daddy (he's going back to work tomorrow!). I know she'll enjoy herself once she's there, but it's hard to make her do something she doesn't really want to do. I'm going to miss our time together....

I'm in school now too, and things are going pretty well. I am relieved that my classes this semester don't seem to be as demanding as last semester (so far). Of course this is only the 2nd week, so there's still a lot of time in this semester for things to get crazy. But so far, it's been wonderful - the only homework I've had is reading and studying my notes. Much better than the 2 or 3 hours each night last semester between math and Spanish! I did have my first speech for my public speaking class - I'm glad it's over with and I am already dreading my next speech, which will be in late September, I think. I'll be glad when this class is done!

It's not school, but Jason will also be going back to work tomorrow. He got a good report from the doctor at his 2nd post-op visit this week, so he will be on "light duty" for 2 weeks and then after that, no restrictions at all on what he should do. I'm worried about him going back, but I guess it was inevitable....

So we all seem to be getting back to somewhat normal routines, and our family summer break is officially over tomorrow.

Videos from the beach...

At the pool at our condo:



On the beach:

The beach

We returned from a week at Carolina beach last weekend. Here are some pictures from our trip



We were really impressed with Carolina Beach. The stretch of beach in front of our condo complex was not crowded at all, and it was very clean. There was very little trash on the beach and no firework residuals.

Most days of our vacation, we spent our time playing in the ocean and the sand (Kathryn's preference), and swimming in the pool. We did take one day trip to Fort Fisher, which was just down the road from us. We rode the ferry from Ft. Fisher to Southport and back, visited the aquarium while we were there and did a short hike into the Ft. Fisher state park. It was a lot of fun, but very tiring. We also spent one evening at a local park, which had a lake with paddle boats. Why do I always forget how much work it is to move one of those things?!

I was a little bummed that our trip fell at the same time as the Olympics, because I really look forward to watching them. We did watch some of the swimming, and the synchronized diving was amazing!

Jason took some great pictures while were there. I've been trying to convince him to start his own blog and post his work, but we'll have to give that some time.

The kids today

Just because....

Julian cooks dinner

I jokingly asked Julian what he was cooking for dinner the other day, and he immediately ran to the kitchen and started getting things together to make hot dogs (our standard quick meal). He proceeded to cook dinner - by himself mostly. All I did was strain the pasta and tell him when to add things and when to stir. He did a great job!

Our winged visitors

We have one of the "lucky" yards that have become the home of a group of Easter Cicada Killer wasps .

The first year we noticed them, we were pretty nervous. They are big - over an inch long - and there are a lot of them. The first year (2003, to the best of my memory) there were hundreds flying around the backyard. We got Lucy the next year, and she has helped control their population - in our yard at least. She digs them up and eats them. This is one time she does not get in trouble for digging holes! We are down to less than 30, I would guess.

They don't sting, they don't bite, unless you try to catch them in your hand or something. From what I understand, they'll sting then, but it is not the typical wasp sting - much less potent. They do charge, though. They'll fly at you and run into you, I guess to get you to move away from their nest. Pretty annoying when I'm trying to mow the grass.

They are actually pretty cool - they dig holes in the ground for their eggs, hunt cicadas (locusts), and take them into their holes for the next generation to eat when they hatch. We pretty much leave them alone unless they won't leave us alone.

This is a picture of one trying to get the cicada to its hole...

No story, just pictures

"Can I play too?"

Cute pictures of Lucy

School

The beginning of the school year is almost here. I start on the 18th, and the kids start on the 25th. We took advantage of the tax free weekend last night. Both kids seem to be pleased with their new book bags and lunch boxes, but Kathryn has told us several times today that she doesn't need baby wipes!

Crabgrass!

First, let me say, I am no fescue elitist by any means. In general, if it's green and covers the dirt, it is a welcome addition in my yard. But CRABGRASS! It has become the most annoying - and energy draining part of mowing the grass lately. This picture is what it looks like after 8 days.

8 days!!!! It's like I'm growing wheat in my backyard. And you can't just mow it - you have to go left, then right, then back, then forward. And you still don't get half of those annoying stalks (which grow miraculously fast). I end up mowing the grass twice as much as if it were regular grass growing. If it weren't for allergies, ticks, and critters, I'd just let the "grass" grow. What a pain!