NASCAR and Carowinds

The kids and I picked up Keith from work early on Friday so we could head to Charlotte for a little family weekend together. Everything was going fine until Morgan woke up with a fever at 5 am Saturday morning. We sent Keith to the Lowe's Motor Speedway on his own that morning while I tried to nurse her back to health. She seemed okay, so we headed to Carowinds about 1pm. To make a long story short, we were back in the car by 4:30 headed back to our friends' home with one sick child, and another one hot and cranky.

It was sooooo hot, and WAY to crowded with, well, let's just say some very interesting mountain folk. And by the way, I hope the people who work at this place don't honestly believe that they are any kind of competition for Disney. The bathrooms were disgusting, the employees not so great, and the park incredibly dirty. Maybe I have been tainted by my time at Disney, but these folks have a long way to go to make it in the theme park business!

Thank goodness we had some very gracious hosts who were willing to hang out with us while Morgan was on the mend! They were great, but I must say, it's wonderful to be back home.

Readers are Leaders

I signed Morgan and Charley up for the summer reading program at the library. They get some swell little prizes after reading 10, 20, and 30 hours worth of books. So we decided to drop by our local branch on Friday to pick up their first round of goodies. They each got a medal (which the librarian put around their necks while playing some sort of Olympic anthem), a certificate, and two tickets to a Charleston Battery soccer game.

After the awards ceremony, we played with a few puzzles, and then promptly picked out 5 dvd's to watch on our road trip to Charlotte. I felt so guilty to be checking out only videos when they still have 20 more hours to read before they get their grand prize of a beautiful red t-shirt. Oh well, summer is for other things besides just reading, I suppose.

Vacation Bible School

Morgan has been attending vacation bible school since Tuesday and despite the fact that she has to get up early (7:45!), she seems to be enjoying herself. I took this picture of Charley while we were waiting to pick her up yesterday. Their theme is "Game Day Central", so they've decorated the church with various sports themed items. We found this Clemson tailgate, and I couldn't resist taking a picture. Of course as soon as I took it, I saw the sign telling us not to climb on the props (oops!).

Morgan is going to do a performance in front of the congregation on Sunday, singing some of the songs she's learned this week, so we'll try to get some good pictures to post!

Easley Comes for a Visit

Sorry we've been out of touch for awhile. Our summer activities have really taken off!



On Wednesday, my sister-in-law Cristal came for a visit, along with her three kids: Kelsey (11), Hunter (9), and Marley (6). They came bearing gifts from Nana that she got for the kids on a recent trip to Hawaii. Morgan got a shorts outfit and necklace (just like Marley's!!), and Charley got a ukulele that he has been carrying around non-stop. He hasn't quite mastered the word "ukulele" just yet, so it goes by "song".



We all went out to the beach on Thursday. Morgan and her cousins loved it, but Charley on the other hand, has seen better days. He didn't like getting dirty in the sand, and was terrified of the water. Good thing--Keith and I don't really like the beach anyway!



Friday we headed downtown to one of our favorite hang outs--the Children's Museum of the Lowcountry. You can check it out at www.explorecml.org. I was surprised to find that the older kids enjoyed the museum just as much as the younger tikes.



Saturday the boys went out on their own, and the girls went to go see "Surf's Up" at the movies, and then went to Target for some shopping. With 105 degree temps, we figured anything outdoors was pretty much out of the question! All in all, it was a great time and we're all looking forward to getting together again soon!

The Little Gym, and then Ballet

The kids enjoyed a free demo class at "The Little Gym" this morning. They had such a great time playing on all of the equipment, that Morgan asked when we could come back again as soon as we walked out the door!

We stopped for a quick lunch at Moe's, and then took Morgan to ballet class. Whew! It was a busy day, but it is so great to have healthy kids again so we can get out and about!

Keith Loses...but Tigers Win

Well, tropical storm Barry didn't manage to slow us down too much this weekend. We got out on Saturday to run a few errands and take the kids out for pizza. Guisseppi's Pizza, which first opened just outside Disney's hotel on Hilton Head Island, recently opened a second restaurant here in Mt. Pleasant, and we couldn't resist giving them a try. It turned out to be a great choice. The food was awesome, and it was a very loud (i.e. kid friendly) place. Afterwards, we hit their game room for some entertainment where I proved that "I still got game"--I beat Keith at the basketball "Hoops" game 31-25!! Regrettably, I have no pictures of the event.

Keith and Morgan traveled to Myrtle Beach after church on Sunday to watch the Tigers play in a regional playoff baseball game. They had a great time watching the game and enjoying the great American baseball fare--hot dogs, popcorn, AND ice cream. Keith did manage to get some pictures of Morgan at the game. For some reason, Morgan was the only one in the entire crowd to remember to bring her baby dolls to the event. Go Tigers!