Why I've Been Missing

Oh Dexter. You are almost two and while I love you so much it hurts, you are driving me crazy. You are a climber. Dexty you are also so stubborn and motivated to get what you want. When I tell you you can't have a snack you find something to climb up on and open the cabinet doors. And yes, I have found him going to town on the box of cheerios he manages to get out.

 After your snack you push your toy around and throw everything on the counters onto the floor. Sometimes you color on the stuff when you are done.

 You also love climbing into the sink. I have learned not to put any knives in the sink anymore.

These pictures were taken within a five minute span. You can imagine what he does with the rest of his time.

Myrtle Beach

This weekend Leah and I took the kids to Myrtle Beach. It had the potential to go so many directions, but it was really fun. The kids were crazy, of course. We spent most of the mornings in the indoor pool. Dexter was the hardest kid. He would sit on the steps and get out and run around the pool. I had to stay within a foot of him at all times. 

We hit the beach in the afternoons and it was great. 

 Overall Dexty did much better than I expected. He was pretty calm, except the ride home. We hit the beach before we left and he got a lot of sand in his diaper and got a bad rash. You can imagine how fun a screaming Dex was in the car.

 Piper is pretty independent these days. She is quite content doing things on her on and plays by herself a lot.

 The entire weekend Asher was determined to find a sand dollar. He was convinced he could buy a lot with it. He never did find one.

Bennett is such a character. He cracks me up so much.

 These two. I love them. They are spunky and smart and a handful. Our kids all got along so well and never got tired of each other. I hope they will be lifelong friends.

 This was as close of a family shot as I could get.

I'm so glad we went away together.

Jockey's Ridge in the Winter Time

Sorry for the lack of blogging lately. It's due to a combination of factors. I've been tutoring a lot more lately and my brain has officially turned into mush as a result of my children.

Last weekend we had some great weather and we heading to the OBX for the day. Jockey's Ridge is the perfect place for them right now, especially Dexter. He is so busy and into everything. A giant sandbox was just what he needed. 

 Asher loved climbing up the dunes over and over. He also enjoyed rolling down and turning into a sand monster.

 Dex is into throwing things. Especially sand.

 Pipes and I sat at the top and had some deep discussions, mainly about her next Birthday party.

 It wasn't that cold, she just felt that the hat completed her outfit.

All these climbing kids had a great day.

Fun with old friends.

While we were up in Pennsylvania we took the kids into the city again to visit an old friend of mine from high school. We have been friends for a long time, but rarely get to see each other. The kids had a blast. Before we left I wanted to get a picture of them all together. I had high hopes of them all sitting in a row on the couch, perhaps holding hands. Instead we got these pictures. 

 Piper had no interest in doing anything except lay on the arm.

 Simeon was quite a character.

They are a crazy bunch.

Train Ride

When we were up in Pennsylvania we took the kids for a train ride into Philly. They loved being on the train and walking around the city. 

One thing I learned from that little excursion is that I have a bunch of country kids. Asher was clueless about basic etiquette in the city. He ran all over on the sidewalks and asked questions about all the people we saw. He also insisted on picking up every dirty penny or object he found interesting. Next time I think I'll give him a dollar not to touch anything on the ground.

Hershey Christmas

Sorry for the long break. We went up to Pennsylvania for a few weeks. Despite the frozen tundra and the colds we all got it was a great trip. When we were in York we took Asher and Piper to Hershey park. It's so much fun there at Christmas time. The kids rides are open and there are lots of lights around. 

Piper was my brave little toaster. She went on a lot of big rides and did well. The tilt-a-whirl was a little rough, but she did it. 

Ashman lives for the thrill. He loves all the big rides and was a blast to hang out with.