Dang it!

So, I took the camera to the Labor Day pool party thinking I would take a few pictures. I'm pretty sure I tried to take one but the kids weren't cooperating and were messy so I thought I put the camera back in the bag. Now that we are preparing to go camping this next week I can't find the camera anywhere! I hope no one took it and that I just am crazy but I think it is gone, for good. I also didn't upload any of the pictures since McKinley's birthday so sorry Denzil that there aren't any pictures from your 3rd birthday. Hopefully it will turn up somewhere but until then it is back to the old camera. I hope it will take some good pictures of our adventures this week.

Some things we do to keep busy

To entertain ourselves we have been checking out some of the museums around town. This is the railroad museum. There are a bunch of electric trains that you can push buttons to start them up and watch them go around on the huge tracks. They also have a little spot to play at some train tables. Denzil has been asking to go back there a lot. It will have to be a special treat to go there because I didn't think it was worth the money. Good thing the children's museum and Barnes and Noble have train tables.

McKinley saw some other kids having their picture taken with their heads in the windows. She is very good at mimicking others.

McKinley also turned 1! I can't believe how quickly a year has gone. This is her with her new smart phone. She loves it and so does Denzil. It has quite a few cute little songs and messages. At her 1 year appointment she was 18 lbs 15 oz (16%), 30.25 inches (81%), and 18 inches head circumference (61%). I'm not sure where the height came from, she must have had a growth spurt right before the appt. She is a very fun and sweet girl to have around and boy can she scream! She knows how to get what she wants! She loves being outside and playing with Denzil and the kids in the neighborhood. She knows a few words like mama, dada, Denzil (said kind of like da da but you can tell by her tone that she it talking about Denzil), thank you (although she hasn't been saying it very often the last week),  and that. She loves treats and lights up when you ask her if she wants a treat or snack. She also loves animals. She flaps her arms and starts talking to whatever type of animal she sees like the birds on the fence or the cat that roams the neighborhood. She loves dogs and doesn't mind one bit getting a big lick in the face. She even tries to kiss them back the same way. She eats almost everything that I feed her and spits things out when she has had enough or just turns her head. She has 5 teeth and I'm sure there is at least 1 more trying to come in right now. She sleeps from about 8:30 pm until 6:30 or 7 am and is still taking 2 naps most days.

She loved making a mess of her cupcake. Denzil decided that she needed Elmo, Cookie Monster, and Zoe cupcakes so Kris put them together. There wasn't enough red food coloring for Elmo so she ended up with some Oscar cupcakes instead. She loved the frosting once Kris helped her know it was okay to touch.

She also learned how to walk the week of her birthday. She is really pretty good at it now too. She tries to jump on the bed and in the water. She loves bath time and loves going to the swimming pool but refuses to sit in her float tube. She wants to do it by herself and doesn't seem to mind too much when she falls down in the water. I think I need to look into arm floaties for her. We love having McKinley in our family and it is so fun to watch her learn and explore new things. She is pretty daring! We love her cute curly hair but it sure can get crazy! Happy Birthday baby girl!

4th of July festivities

Our 4th of July festivities were strung out over a whole week. To start, we had our neighborhood party which was lots of fun. Our neighbors across the street kind of organize it so the food was set up over there and the kids were playing in the street or in the little kiddie pool. It was fun to see everyone come out and have fun together.

All of our neighbors had a ton of outside toys so our kids are in heaven.

This picture is for you Paul. The shrimp was tasty but kind of creepy to have it looking at you as you tear its head and legs off.

This is the dune racer. Denzil and Lauren look so cute!

They put on quite the firework show. Denzil covered his ears but enjoyed them. McKinley liked them a little but was so super tired I put her to bed before they were over. 

Southport, NC is THE place for the NC 4th of July Festival. It is a short drive from here so we went to see the parade. It was super hot but we had fun. Denzil liked the fire engines, ambulances, and the little blue race cars. After the parade we wandered around the booths then decided it was nap time and we were done being sweaty.

 Last night we did s'mores and had little fireworks with our neighbors next door. They just might be ready for us to move at the end of our year stay here because Denzil wants to play with them every day. He gets along really well with the 2 girls.

Fun in the sun

A few weeks ago we had some awesome weather that was just right for a morning at the park. I wish I would have packed a lunch because we could have stayed a lot longer if my tummy wasn't rumbling.

Denzil is playing his violin here.

Now he is playing the harmonica. Do you think we have a musician on our hands??

This is our little climber. I know it isn't high off the ground but she is a great climber. She tries to climb over the top of the stroller and anywhere she can get her feet up on.

This is what we get for picking a place outside of Wilmington but it is worth it to us. We only had to wait about 15 minutes or so.

We met up with our friends from Winston-Salem at the aquarium. The kids loved the giant tank with "those black things in it." The black things were the scuba divers.

I decided to try taking the ferry on the way home. Denzil fell asleep while we were in line to get on.

McKinley was trying desperately to get to the water. I had to hold on to her very tight.

Some Catchin' Up to Do

As our last hoorah in the Winston-Salem area we decided to take a break from the packing and went to the Horne Creek Living Farm for farm days. We had fun listening to some music, playing old the games, and getting the corn off the ears. 

Our first outing around Wilmington was to Brunswick Town/Fort Anderson. It was a town built in the 1700s that did a lot of shipping of turpentine and other things but was destroyed by the late 1700s by fire from the British. Then it became Fort Anderson during the Civil War. 

These men were demonstrating their firelocks. Denzil goes around now shouting "Firelock!" then makes a gun sound.

This is what is left of the Church, I think it was called St. Phillips church. The walls are there but that's it.

The mounds are from the fort. It said that the mounds were made one shovel of dirt at a time by slaves and indians.

This is Oak Island Lighthouse. 

Here is our house for the year. We love it! We have awesome neighbors and love our neighborhood. Denzil and McKinley are in love. It is sure nice to have more space to put our stuff too.

Denzil's new friend is Loren next door. She is a few months older than him but they love playing together. Yesterday they brought out the slip n'slide and the kids were in heaven!

Lake Powell 2012

It might have been a bit crazy getting all our stuff packed for our move but I couldn't pass up the great tickets and the opportunity to go to my favorite place on earth, Lake Powell!

Cute life jacket for Kris, and Denzil figured out that he could float with his life jacket so he had a blast!

She loves the water, even if it is just in the dog bowl.

Did I mention she loves sand, mud, dirt, pretty much anything that will fit in her mouth.  The first thing she did when she got by the water was stuff her mouth full of mud.

We went for a long boat ride to Rainbow Bridge.

It was pretty hot and Denzil was a bit cranky because of it but we had a great time. We saw lizards and even a dinosaur track!

The relaxation station was a hit, even when it was the target for a little boy peeing off the houseboat. I was sitting right at his target spot!

Just cute and so much fun!

Every time we went on a boat ride Denzil would fall asleep, usually covering his ears. This boy has sensitive ears.

We decided to leave Lake Powell a little earlier than originally planned because we had a small group and half of them were leaving anyway plus the wind was supposed to pick up so we made our way to the cabin for some fun.

We had a fire and roasted hot dogs and marshmallows for s'mores.

And McKinley got her first try on the awesome swing. We had a blast for our short trip and it made us more excited to get back West next summer. Thanks Dad and Mom for having so many fun things and letting us come and enjoy them!

Graduation Fun

This is the real Hudson Hornet. He knew exactly who it was. "That one looks just like Doc!!"

 With beautiful weather, we visited the mountains with Jenny's parents. We headed up to Grandfather Mountain, NC. This is near the Swinging Bridge.

 The hike to the top of Grandfather Mountain is pretty cool. One section has a lot of steep rock that they have bypassed with these ladders. I think there are 7 ladders in all.

 The month of May would not be complete here in Winston-Salem without a visit to the Greek Festival. Here the Spartans putting on a show. Love the gyros and loukoumades. I think we made it to the festival every year we were here.

 We took both of our families to Old Salem. This is a Moravian village that is similar in some ways to Colonial Williamsburg, in that the buildings are kept up nicely and the demonstrations are well done in period clothing. We have been several times and it is always interesting to be reminded of the way things used to be.

 At the awards banquet.

 The next two are good friends of Kris's who we are going to miss (and many others) when we leave this town.

 This one totally loves to play in the sand. We bought this sand toy set for him and he could play for hours.

 He does not like the ocean too much though... yet.

 The view from the hotel in Myrtle Beach, SC where we stayed with Kris's parents.

 Thomasville, NC is famous for lots of furniture and this giant chair.

We are sure blessed to have had so many fun opportunities here and to have made so many friends. Sad in so many ways to leave, but we are certainly excited for the next steps and new places and friends.