How Many Holes Are There?

After we missed the first pirate cruise, we were already all changed out of our swimsuits and the kids (well, Jackson) were geared up to do something. I wasn't sure what we could do, and then I soon realized not much since Preston had already fallen asleep in the backseat riding around, and Paul was so tired in the passenger seat he looked like he wasn't too far behind. I started searching out go-kart tracks for later that night and definitely knew I didn't want to do it during the daytime without Paul and Preston. Plus, I thought the seats would be too hot to sit on right then. That's when I saw the sign...

Pirate's Island Golf! Okay, putt-putt. Well, according to Jackson "Puff-puff." We've never played before with the boys. (Why I cannot really tell you.) I thought what a great idea since Preston is probably a bit too young anyway. Jackson and I needed some one on one time anyway!

So, this is what Paul and Preston did...

Slept in the air conditioned car!

And, this is what Jackson and I did. The owner was so nice, he didn't even charge me for Jackson to play since age four is the cutoff. Little did I know the other reason why...

It was 102 degrees outside! I am NOT exaggerating! It was our first day down there, and I hadn't even watched the weather. I do remember now hearing that while we were still in Atlanta it would be that hot down there. However, I had been swimming or in the ocean all morning so it hadn't really occurred to me how hot it was. The man told me as we left later to "Come back and try us another day when it isn't so hot." :) Still...it was a very fun time for me and Jackson. I rarely get to do things like that with just one kid. He felt very special you could tell. It didn't matter that I had no idea what I was doing, what the rules were, (we didn't even keep score), how to hold the putter (?), that it was so hot we were melting, and that I had NO idea how many holes were even played. I kept thinking nine? twelve? Each time I was wondering is this the last hole? Where's the place where they keep your ball? :) Why? Because by the 9th hole, my clothes were sopping wet! :) Still having fun mind you, but realizing I was so hot I couldn't see straight. I will say Jackson asked for a "stick." I thought he meant the putter, so I said "in your hand." I actually discovered later he meant where's the tee? He asked for something to sit the ball on. So, maybe he's not a lost cause after all! I am so embarassed to type how golf-illiterate I am since I know some fellow bloggers are all about some golf. Sorry, guys. Hopefully this doesn't tarnish your image of me!

If that does tarnish your image, then close your ears for the rest...Jackson hit his ball out into the street towards the end! HAHA! Thankfully it didn't bust a windshield of anything. I gasped. I hadn't been playing ALL the holes..mostly he was playing so I happily loaned him my ball. (We were NOT walking in the heat to get him another! :)) Then..there was this place where you hit your ball and there was like a dip down...well a cliff really. So, I thought neat! Uh, yeah. Nope. It was where you were supposed to make sure your ball stayed airborne over the cliff..or it drowns in the water. So, I forget which hole we were on..maybe 15? Now we have no balls. I am a big person on finishing tasks..so I wasn't about to not do ALL holes (well, at least Jackson do all holes) at first. But, once we ran out of balls, we had no choice but to just walk the rest of the course. Thankfully, it had beautiful scenery and we enjoyed chatting (or huffing and puffing) as we walked. :) Jackson was so hot, too, he didn't seem to miss the last how many ever holes (he's just like me and normally would have been upset missing out.) Want to know the real joke!? I still don't know how many holes there were since I didn't play them all! HAHA!

So, who cares how many holes there were or how hot it was! I had a very special few hours with my big boy who is growing up too, too fast. He was quite excited to tell everyone about it once we got back to the condo. He even got a pirate flag at the end, and we grabbed one for Preston, too. It was really meant to be that we missed that first pirate ship. The time I got instead was priceless.

My Childhood Replayed...

You have heard me mention many, many times that my idea of vacation is not so relaxing. :) Sorry, Paul. My parents, well to be frank my dad, really was a go-getter on vacations jam packing in everything we could. Now, don't get me wrong, we did sleep late. But, we stayed up late, too. Have you ever been kicked out of Disney World at closing time? Well, believe me, I have. Not once or twice...many times. The magic ends pretty quick when Mickey is ready for bed I tell you! :) That is just a touch of the iceberg as how my vacations as a child went. Thankfully, Paul is becoming accustomed to how I like for things to go, and we are quickly learning to find a happy medium for our family. Often that means Preston and Paul end up napping while Jackson and I go off to find something fun to do, but that's okay. As long as we all can meet in the middle and everyone try to at least do a few things on their list it all works out.

I had decided before we headed to the beach that one night I wanted to go ride go-karts. This was a favorite pasttime of mine as a child. Since I was the youngest and had an older sibling, I started riding them early. In fact, I was once thrown off of a track for reckless driving when I was eight years old in Panama City. :) I knew PCB had some good tracks so I was eager to introduce the kids to them. Unfortunately, since we were there such a short time, the first night Paul was really so tired from working so much right before we left, he was hating me for my wonderful idea. But, I about peed my pants when after he rode the first time, HE was the one more into it then even the kids! I brought out his second wind I guess...and his second childhood!

Paw Paw and Shane were great sports and rode with us, too. And, Gail, poor sweet Gail whom I always give the horrible tasks, did her very best to snap some good pictures for us. But, my camera stinks at night! I even put it on night settings and it still stinks. :( So, some of the pics are poor quality, but let me tell you the boys had an awesome time! Preston was just tall enough to be able to ride with an adult. He was unsure...a little timid, but once he got on them he was so happy. His favorite part I think was waving to Ms. Gail, Mista Joe, and Maw Maw. I asked him if he wanted to go faster, and he said a little shakily, "Yes!"

This was not Jackson's very first go-kart ride. He went on some last year with Dad in Myrtle Beach. But, he was still just as excited and thrilled! One of my favorite parts, too, was we took turns driving the boys. Sometimes I feel like it is always me and Preston and then Paul and Jackson when we go do fun, daring stuff like this. I really wanted to experience it with Jackson and see his face. (I didn't get to ride with him last year.) And, I also wanted Paul to really see the excitement on Preston's face.

One thing the adults all learned was how in the world did we used to fit in those cars!? None of us are very small people (well, Shane is dwindling down to nothing lately..he's lost so much weight! Congrats, Shane!), but still I tell you the steering wheels are right at your belly! We learned how old we all were pretty quick! We were even sore the next day! :) haha!

Paul had so much fun (okay, I'm lying..Jackson begged) so we went again the next night for another quick race. There was one last track we wanted to try out. (Okay, I'm lying again...Jackson, Preston, and I wanted to try out.) :) This track had bigger cars, with HUGE seatbelts! Preston again fit the height requirement although I must admit I felt like a terrible mom for putting the belts on him because they clearly did not fit him right! As you can tell he is trying to escape them! But, the boys especially loved this track because their side had their very own steering wheel! They really thought they were driving.

I will say that on the second night I drove Preston around very slowly since those seatbelts fit so strangely. On the last race the first night when Paul was driving him, someone wrecked them and hit them pretty hard. (Uh, yeah, not proud of the mama bear that came out of me when I drove up and saw the crash. :( I later aplogized to the terrified teenager I had snapped up. (sigh) Sometimes you are so much like your parents. Except that time I was my mother-in-law. :) Sorry, Maw Maw, but you know it is true. :)) Anyway, I got off the track and told my mother-in-law I am such a crazy moma! I was thinking duh! What parents puts their 2 year old on a go-kart anyway!? I guess I got what I deserved, and I am so thankful he wasn't harmed during the process! :) The look on his face was priceless, yes. But, I do need to remember just because he has an older brother, I need not push him forward to do things that might be reckless all for the sake of him not "being left out." :)

Okay, who am I kidding? He had the most fun of his life! And, I did, too! We all did!

A Pirate's Father's Day

Sunday, we spent Father's Day with Dad taking a ride on the Sea Dragon pirate cruise ship. We were originally going to do this activity on Friday while Maw Maw and Paw Paw were still in town, but we missed our boat because we were running late. So, we still decided to go on Sunday by ourselves, and we are so glad we did! This was at first something we thought about doing mostly because Maw Maw was really wanting to. Aunt Dee Dee had taken her grandkids and talked it up alot to Maw Maw. The only thing is...Aunt Dee Dee talked it up..but didn't provide all the information I needed...uh, like the fact Jackson would be sopping wet by the end of it! :) Thankfully, Gail brought him an extra set of clothes out of the suitcase to dinner afterwards!

Basically, on the ship it is a huge party! Complete with real pirates, real buried treasure chests in the bottom of the ocean, and it is all about the kids! The basic premise is that the parents kind of sit back while the kids partake in the fun. However, let me go ahead and tell you my kids had a blast, but most kids were older than them. I think it will be even more fun for me and Paul when they are a tad bit older. So, Paul and I were on our feet in the action helping our little ones from being mobbed by the nine year olds! Yes, I am serious. If anyone thinks their child is aggressive, you haven't ever seen these kids that were on that ship! You'd think my kids were so meek and mild-mannered it wasn't even funny!

My favorite thing to see Jackson do was the limbo. He was trying so hard to be all big kid and participate in everything. Even stuff he'd never done before. Which for him is a big thing..he usually only likes stuff he's done before and that he is good at.

Here we were waiting in line to use a hammer to set off the kiddie cannon (which shot out these little balls for the other kids to catch.) The kids thought they were big shots. The ship had real cannons that were set off every once in a while which startled all of us. :) And, let me tell you the waters got a little choppy sometimes, too. It was hard to keep our footing!

The most memorable part though for Jackson I am sure was the water fight we had with the other tour ship down there called the Sea Screamer. I rode the Sea Screamer as a teenager with my dad, and I know for a fact we did not have a water fight on it! So, like I said I had no idea so much soaking was involved. They gave the kids water guns and told them to line up. Jackson of course got on the frontlines..and I do mean frontlines..I need to look for that picture. I thought the Sea Screamer had no ammo and we were just going to be squirting them. Little did I know they had huge water blaster cannon things (and so did we). I ended up running and squealing myself like a big kid because I even got wet. Preston hung back unsure. Jackson on the other hand...

Here they are sitting down to take the pirate's pledge..which was something like "I do solemnly swear to wear clean underwear..." What I enjoyed alot about this part though was how I got Preston to sit like a big boy with all the big kids. It made me once again see how big he is getting so fast. :(

Oh, here it is. Here is a great shot of how wet Jackson was after the fight with the Sea Screamer. He is so, so wet! What was humorous too was how the captain got the kids to listen so well. Paul and I both agreed we needed to take him home with us. He got the boys to mop the deck of the ship after the water fight. They were all rushing around doing whatever he told them to.

Jackson typically likes getting his face painted, but not today. It was 6pm when we departed and the last day of our trip, so these kids were exhausted as you can imagine. It is amazing we got them to do anything! :) But, Preston had his first encounter with face painting. Jackson didn't care for it at age two, so I was wondering how he would do. He was fine though. He did ask for a wipie a few times until it dried, but all was good eventually. I think he forgot about it after a while.

The kids all went down into the dungeon and looked on the treasure map and heard stories about how to find the sunken treasure chest. Then, they all came upstairs to look for the orange buoy marked with an "x". They found it! They actually got to pull the rope to pull it up and then choose three pieces of treasure to take home.

If you have boys or girls over the age of two, next time you visit be sure to add this fun activity to your list! We are sure glad Maw Maw talked us into it! I want to do it again when they are older, but we still had lots of fun! A very memorable day with Dad that's for sure. I should add Paul typically isn't into all this chaos, but he really enjoyed himself watching the boys and didn't complain one bit!

What Week Is It Anyway???

Well, after vacation taking up one week, I don't even remember which week we are on anymore! But, I just wanted to post we have finished up swimming lessons this week, and Jackson really did such an awesome job! I took the video camera on the last day because I feel noone believes me how great he does at lessons with Ms. Doris because in Florida he was very hesitant to show Daddy his moves. :) She said that he really is ready to swim alone from one side of the pool to the next (which I had been thinking also!) He just needs to gain more confidence and not be afraid at all. He is holding his breath and blowing his bubbles for 9 seconds! He would only need to stop to take a breath once to make it across the pool! I explained all that to him, and he seems to be considering "not needing any help" next time. Then, what came out of his mouth cracked me up! He said he wanted Daddy to get us a concrete hole with water to put in our yard so he could practice! We ALL want a pool really bad! Jackson, Paul, and I have never discussed it though so that was funny he said that!

The rest of today was a big blur! We originally were going swimming, but when that changed I decided to take them to see the new movie, Up. We went to lunch at Truett's (remember I am alone during all of this including swimming lessons..:)), to the movie where we had to wait through alot of previews and spend several minutes at the end searching for a missing sippie cup, to Bruster's for ice cream cones, and then to Walmart to get groceries. Whew! Now most of the groceries are put away, and we are about to get ready for bed. Lord knows I am ready to hit the sack myself! Tomorrow is the first day we can sleep in in like two weeks, so I am crossing my fingers everyone sleeps late!

Still, though, through it all, I am still loving summer! I cannot believe school starts back in like six weeks! We still have lots planned for July! Keep checking back for more fun!

If I Click My Heels...

Can I go back to this sunset? :( I took over 230 pictures (thank goodness I emptied my memory card before we went, huh?), so I will just have to blog about our trip in bits and pieces until I get caught up! :) I hope you enjoy looking back with us because I have such great memories. I will say that we all arrived exhausted what with getting up early for swimming lessons that week and with Paul working so much before we left. So, day one was kind of strained for us all. What is up with that? Every trip we ever take the first day the kids are whiny and have a hard time adjusting... Then, without fail after they finally get used to the new environment, schedule, and learn what to expect it is time to come home! :) I have no idea why they are so inflexible! I mean it's not like they have had routines and structure since they were babies! Really! That would mean their mom is OCD. Oops. I'm hiding under the table if you're looking for me. :)

They loved the pools. Preston loved the ocean, too. I would say Jackson enjoyed the ocean, but didn't love it. That's ok though. Since on the last day, someone say a 6 foot shark really close to the shoreline. Yikes! Stay hesitant, buddy! :) The pools had those ledges where you could sit and the stairs were huge in each pool, so they enjoyed that, too. Jackson did swim without floaties pretty much the whole time, but I don't know if it is because at swimming lessons it is saltwater and this was chlorine, but he wasn't all up for showing off his new techniques. But, he did perfect jumping. Cannonball, twisting, you name it. And, he had a blast!

Preston, on the other hand, really reinforced my theory that he is most like his daddy. And, Jackson is most like me. Jackson wants to go, go, go. Preston wants to go, nap, eat, drink, go, nap. :) He was supertired on this day, and I love how I was able to capture him just about going to sleep on his daddy's shoulder.

It was hot! And, I mean like 102 degrees hot. So, the water was so nice and cool. We loved it. The seaweed did come in, but I didn't care. Yes, I do prefer to have clear water (to check for those 6 feet sharks!), but I don't go that far out anyway.

And, Preston, apparently had learned tons in his free swimming lessons just watching Jackson's class! This is the child who has just about torn my bathing suit recently in the pool clinging to me, making me hold him, and that is WITH the arm floats. Plus, he wouldn't jump in. Now, he jumps in (which will make it harder for me when we go swimming catching both of them if I'm alone!) and doggie paddles! He refuses any help, and I mean refuses. He's not so nice about it! The people who have been swimming with us recently will not believe it when they see it! We were so proud of him! He mostly perfected it on the last day, and we had to exit the pool kind of early to get prepared to ride the pirate ship, so poor guy. He cried and cried because he didn't want to leave the pool.

Thankfully, we have lots of swim playdates coming up soon, so he can get more practice!

More memories to come, I promise!

Bloggin' Outta Here...

My camera is empty. I have fresh, new lithium batteries. My toes are painted. The suitcases won't zip. And, I will be back with all the details and tons of pictures to share I am sure very soon. Take care guys! Don't miss us too much!

My Smart Boy...

Jackson had his first day of swimming lessons today, and he did such a great job!!! (Well, last year he took one 1 hour private lesson somewhere else, but he really didn't get much out of it...the sun was right in his eyes and there was no cover on the pool area..and well, so much affected that.) But, this year we love Mrs. Doris his teacher and her pool is awesome and the way it is set up and covered is even better. Plus, I think I messed up last year and should have placed him in a class because well, sorry folks, but peer pressure works wonders. :)

Jackson loves school, loves teachers, and loves attention. :) He and Mrs. Doris hit it off right away, and he actually ended up being the class demonstrator for most of the moves. He really had fun. He says he cannot wait to go back tomorrow, and that he wishes he could go every day for forever!

Tonight in the bathtub he was practicing all of his moves, and I am really looking forward to our vacation now later in the week since I am taking a little nemo with me!

This was him right before class started. As you can see he seems a bit unsure if you know him well you can tell from his smile. But, I tell you he was a natural! I am SO proud of him!

Happy Early Father's Day!

Since I am a huge slacker and failed to pay attention to how Father's Day fell on the calendar this year, I planned our vacation on Father's Day weekend. Oops. Paul's dad will be with us, but my dad won't so we rented the pavilion at Heritage Park and had a picnic with my family to celebrate! The kids love the park, so they had a blast!

My sister, Chevinie, and my dad, and me

Me and my dad..we look alot alike don't we?

My sweet nephew, Nicholas

And, my adorable Aiden

It was a good time and well needed. My family isn't as close as they used to be, so I am glad we all got the chance to be together to honor my Dad. I know it meant alot to him.

Happy Father's Day, Daddy!

A Summer Birthday Celebration!

Jackson's friend from school, Hannah, just had a birthday! The bad part is we missed her party. :( But, her mommy invited us over for a private party playdate! Hannah has a pool AND a sandbox! Wow! What fun! (I must digress to mention remember when we went to Jackson Lake and I said it was "grumpy time?" Once again we did this event during grumpy time, so we had a small meltdown or two...but we still left with great memories!)

Jackson was so excited to visit with a classmate. This is our first playdate with school friends this summer. Jackson misses everyone terribly!

See those arm floaties? Pay attention...more pool pictures to follow..and you'll notice something is missing.....

Celebrating 40 Years With a Dear Friend...

Last week we got invited to a surprise party at Jen and Matt Brock's house for Matt's 40th birthday! Although someone at his work ruined the surprise, he was still very excited to see everyone! He cooked (yes on his own birthday, sorry) the best hamburgers I've ever tasted (his secret recipe he told me..and he doesn't tell anyone!) and low country boil. It was our first experience with low country boil even though we'd been wanting to try it for a while. Delicious is all I can say! Yummy!

The kids were excited because they have a son, Dylan, who had a playroom, and also had cousins and friends there to play with, too. They were in hog heaven. All of them got along REALLY well.

Jackson buddied up with a 8 year old little girl, Emily Elizabeth (yes, her sisters named her and they named her after the little character on Clifford the Big Red Dog!). He was all about her and flirty I tell you! They start early, huh?

Jenn and Matt are so good with the kids. They really spoil them. They let Jackson and Emily put the candles on Matt's cake.

If you aren't sure who Matt is, he and Paul used to work together at Cummins South. They really were the best of buddies. They still get together when life slows down enough to make it to a drag race a few times a year together. Every time we go around them though we ask ourselves why we don't make more time for each other. I adore his wife, Jenn, and their little boy is so cute! They do live in Villa Rica though so that makes it tougher. :(

Preston is enjoying the toys...

See how cute Dylan is?? AND, he loves the camera. I was ready to take him home!

Everyone singing...

Did I mention I love Jenn's family too? When I met them a few years ago at their wedding, I told Paul and I am positive I am adopted. I am also positive I am a transplanted Yankee. I have to be. I guess I just absorbed the dialect of the south way too easily. I think those people are my family, and I LOVE them! Seriously. I have told Paul I want to move out there to their subdivision. Seriously. They are loud, funny, and outgoing, and really they are... ME! I tell you I was switched at birth!

Silly old Matt...

Daddy and son...

Happy Birthday, Matt!!!!