Bike Ride

Marci's big news over the Christmas break was that she learned to ride her bike all by herself. Once she got the hang of it, she was determined to perfect her technique so that she could ride independently. This lead to some chilly bike rides in the freezing rain and wind, but I couldn't hamper her enthusiasm! We practiced on our street for a couple of days, and then we rode the 2.5-mile Delegal loop together. 

And then, yesterday, she and I rode our bikes nearly 3.5 miles to the gas station for a special treat. She took a couple of stops along the way for a water break and to throw her favorite rock into the lagoon. She even learned to coast and would proudly announce "Let's rest our legs!" at every downhill we came upon. She pedaled  her little heart out, and it warmed my heart to see the determination on her face when I would look back at her. Eventually, we arrived at the gas station only to discover that I had left our money at home! We couldn't get a hold of Daddy so we talked the nice lady into spotting us $1.06 for a Milky Way. We sat right on these steps while Marci enjoyed every gooey bite and got caramel on her cheeks and chin. Daddy and Osten ended up meeting us and paying back the nice lady. Marci rode her bike along the sidewalk while we waited, but then decided to ride home with Daddy. Lucky Mommy that I am, I got to ride my bike home with Osten. It was the perfect afternoon and especially memorable since it's the last day of Christmas break. My goodness, these kids are growing up fast. Daddy and I are so proud of them!

Golf Camp

Osten got his first taste of golf this week in a camp in our neighborhood.  The week ended with a 9-hole tournament.  Here's a family shot on his last hole of the Palmetto course.  Osten spent hours at the driving range this week after camp and thanked us numerous times for a fun week at camp.  After giving it some thought, he's decided to trade in his soccer cleats for golf clubs.  We're excited for him to try something new! 

Wild Dunes

Our annual trip to Wild Dunes was a lot of fun.  The kids kept us busy and were as entertaining as always.

Some brother-sister time at the beach.  They couldn't get enough of the waves and sand!

Point Pleasant

We had another big "first" this week as Marci is finally old enough to go to Point Pleasant.  Surprisingly, she's been a little timid in the mornings when we arrive at camp, but every afternoon she is covered in marsh mud and sad that it's time to come home.  As an added bonus for me, I hear many more of the details of their day now that she's there!  She's come home with some great stories of their adventures, and both kids have been singing camp songs in the car to me on our drive home.  Summer is here!

Holy Zucchini!

We stopped by Marci's garden after school on Monday, and we were shocked to see the size of her zucchini!  Just one week ago, they were the size of pickles.  Wow!!

More Mother's Day

Osten was so proud of all of the starfish we found. 

One last shot of the sand dollars before we set them free.

Mother's Day

We spent the night in Hilton Head for Mother's Day this year.  We found all kind of living treasures on the beach, which just thrilled the kids. 

Marci and I found this spider crab on a dead jellyfish.  The kids played with him all afternoon!

He must be quite a trooper because he survived his visit with us.

We also found TONS of starfish for the first time ever, and we found a couple of sand dollars, too.