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.

Starfish Winter Invitational Swim Meet

The kids had another swim meet last week, and it was another good event for them.  Gramma Sue got to come, too!  I had my first post-op PT appointment for my knee, so Gramma Sue and Daddy were their cheering section.  From all reports, they had a great time, and they they both improved to boot.

Osten
Boys 7-8 Free:  21.77
Boys 8&U Breast:  40.40
Boys 7-8 Back:  25.81

He got third place in Free and Back and was so excited to have two more ribbons to add to his collection.

Marci
Girls 6&U Free:  35.13
Girls 6&U Back:  39.88

Marci dropped 7 seconds in Freestyle and got fourth place.  She got fifth place in backstroke.

We are so proud of both of our swimmers!  I especially love watching them work hard in the pool while also having a great time with their friends and coaches.

December Swim Meet

The kids had a low-key indoor swim meet earlier this month.  Grammi and FaFa went in our place while Tom and I hosted his office Christmas party at our house.  It was Marci's first meet, and Osten's first time swimming breaststroke.  I really, really hated to miss it!  They both did great, and we got periodic text updates which was almost as good as being there in person. Especially since this was Marci's first meet, I thought it might be fun to record their stats:

Marci

Girls 6&Under 25-Free:  42.36 

Girls 6 & Under 25-Back:  39.75

Osten

Boys 7-8 25-Free:  25.94

Boys 8 & Under 25-Breast:  44.22

Boys 7-8 25-Back:  31.83

Here We Grow Again!

I took the kids to the pediatrician this past week for their annual checkups.  They both got a clean bill of health, and Tom and I got confirmation that they both had another busy year of growing!

Osten (age 7)

Height:  49.8 in. (76%)
Weight:  56 lbs. (70%)

He grew 2.5 inches and gained 9 pounds since last year!  He also had his hemoglobin and vision tested and passed with flying colors!

Marci (age 5)

Height:  44 in. (69%)
Weight:  51 lb. 4 oz. (92%)

She grew 3.25 inches and gained 9 pounds since last year!  She also had her hemoglobin, cholesterol, vision and hearing tested and passed with flying colors!

We feel so blessed to have two healthy children, even though they insist on growing up so quickly.  Way to grow again, Osten and Marci!  We love you so much.

Soccer Shots

Here are some random soccer shots that the coach sent us.  There are some great action shots of the kids and some great group photos, too.  I'm already excited about the spring season even though it's four months away!  It was a great experience for both of the kids, and we thoroughly enjoyed watching them learn, improve and just enjoy an active and fun team sport.  It was also especially nice to have them both in the same place at the same time.  We are so proud of them!

Random Photo

So, Tom and I finally got a long-overdue upgrade on our cell phones this weekend.  This is one of the random pictures that Tom found on his phone.  It's from St. Patrick's Day this past year.  I had to really think about it because this picture is only about six months old yet the kids look so much littler to me.  Where, oh where, does the time go??!!  And now I know for sure that they are growing even quicker than I thought . . .

Soccer Duo

Marci and Osten finished their first soccer season together, and it was a lot of fun.  Here they are with Coach Brian, Coach Brad, Coach Evan and Coach Natalie after their last game tonight.  Osten still loves the game, and we especially enjoyed watching him improve and enjoy playing the game.  This was Marci's first season, and she did almost as much skipping on the field as she did running.  Even though she would often try to convince me otherwise, she seemed to really enjoy herself on the field.  In any event, they both learned a lot, and we are so proud of their efforts!

More City Meet

Getting ready for the 25M backstroke.

Go, Osten!

Leave it to Marci.  She got the skinny on the free sunglasses and scored a pair for her and her brother!

Marci and the girls!

Show Time!

Lately, the kids have started to enjoy putting on impromptu shows for Daddy and me.  They use the pocket doors that lead into our family room  as their curtain, and they have quite a time putting together interesting costumes, songs and other silliness to keep us entertained.

Here's Osten introducing the second act of the show. 

Shoot 'em, cowboy!

And, of course, no show would be complete without a princess appearance! 

The End of an Era

As summer quickly comes to an end, I thought I'd better hurry up and post some last-day-of-school shots before the first day of the new school gets here.  Here's Osten on his last day of kindergarten proudly holding his teacher gifts.

A couple of weeks earlier, Marci had her last day of preschool.  Here she is on the school playground with her teacher gifts, lunchbox and backpack.  The kids both gave each of their teachers a beach towel and a Menchie's (frozen yogurt) gift card this year.  

Marci had two fabulous preschool teachers (Mrs. Rasplicka and Mrs. Childers) this year.  She adored both of them, and they were so good to her.  It was a great year!  I even got to be a substitute teacher on a couple of occasions, and it was so fun to see Marci in action in a classroom setting with her friends.

Osten also had two fabulous teachers (Mrs. Dempsey and Mrs. Weaver) this year.  It was definitely an unforgettable kindergarten year.  His teacher, Mrs. Dempsey, embodies the image of a kindergarten teacher in every way!  I know we will remember her always.  It was a great year for Osten, and we are so pleased with his progress in school this year.  He truly loves to learn, and it has been a real joy watching his mind and his world expand.

Observations at Home Depot

The kids and I were in Home Depot yesterday to run an errand.  Of course, as soon as we got in the store, we had to make a trip to the bathroom that's all the way in back corner of the store.  As we were making our way back to the front of the store, we passed by some huge rolls of insulation.  I was walking ahead of the kids, who were busy noting their observations to each other.

Marci:  "Osten, look at that.  It looks like a big diaper."

Osten:  "No, it's not.  It's a giant roll of toilet paper."

Luckily, my back was to them so I could enjoy a little chuckle without hurting anyone's feelings.

Good Times

The kids' old daycare had a parents night out this weekend, and it was a great chance for Osten and Marci to catch up with some of their old friends.  Osten and Billy made up for lost time with some classic silliness!

Wilkes was there, too.

Marci had lots of quality girl time while also giving her arm a rest while the boys got extra time on the playground and in the bounce houses.  When we came to pick them up, the teachers commented that she was always mindful of Osten and asked frequently about his whereabouts.  She's also getting to be quite good at coloring with her left hand.  Who knows, by the time the cast is off, she could be ambidextrous!

What a trooper!