Soccer

Aiden started soccer last night. He was so excited. They pretty much just let them kick the ball around and tried to teach them the basics. Next week they actually play a game. That should be interesting. Some of the kids wouldn't even play they were just laying in the grass looking up at the sky. :) But, Aiden was totally into it, he didn't like having to give up the ball. He did a great job of not touching the ball with his hands and went to great lengths not to do so. When a ball would be stuck in the net, he would be trying to maneuver it out with his feet. His team is called the Dragonflies and their color is blue. They get their official shirts next week for the game. Wednesday night when we were putting the boys to bed Aiden asked if Ryleigh was going to come watch him play soccer. I said she was and that we would all be there. He said "But, Ryleigh won't know which one is me." I said "Don't worry I will show her where you are." He said "But, you won't know which one is me either. I got a great idea mom." Then he holds up his wrist and in an excited voice says "I will wear by Batman watch so you all can find me!" Keeping Kyle off the field was the challenge of the night. He was not happy that he couldn't play too. I guess we need to get him in some sort of sport soon. Today I found him playing "golf" with my soup ladle and a tomato. Next week we will have highlights from the big game, "Dragonflies vs. Grasshoppers"!!

Two months old

Ryleigh is two months old today! At her Dr. appointment on Friday she weighed 11 lbs. 9 1/2 oz. and is 23 in. long. She is smiling all the time now, and definitely knows Mommy and Daddy. She is starting to make cooing noises and likes to stick out her tongue. The boys continue to be infatuated with her. I have to watch them like a hawk. Today I had her on my bedroom floor while I ran to get a load of laundry out of the dryer. I came back (I was literally gone for 20 seconds) and she wasn't on the floor. I asked the boys where she was and they said "Under the bed." "How did she get under there?" I asked. "We dragged her under there." Needless to say, they were in trouble. Hopefully they don't try that again. I am sure it will be something else though.....

We had a quiet weekend. Oil changes, family walks, a date (yeah!) football. The week has started and it is going to be a busy one. The kids and I all have colds. The boys are being crazy as usual. As I type they are jumping off the guest room sofa flinging balloons and putting them on their heads (ones that have not been blown up). Each time they get ready to jump they say "Ready to rock and roll". :)

Marines

On Monday Jason had his Marines over for a picnic. He is now in charge of the Basic Marine Platoon which consists of Marines who have graduated boot camp, but have to stay on the island for some reason or another. Like healing from a broken ankle or require surgery of some sort. He currently has about 21 Marines, but some of them are on leave, so we had about 14 at our house. It was the easiest picnic I have ever hosted! I barely lifted a finger, every time I turned around they were taking out the trash or cleaning up. They were really happy to get off the island and be in a family atmosphere. They are a good group of kids, but having them over did make me feel a bit old. :) Especially when they kept calling me "ma'am". :)

The Weekend

Friday night we had the Kauffman family over, (old friends from PA) who were in town for their son Eric's graduation from Marine Corps Boot Camp. It was great to see people we haven't seen in years, to see how much their children have grown and have them be able to meet ours. The boys loved the Kauffmans and wanted to go home with them. Also, Happy Belated Birthday to Megan and Sarah!!!

We got Aiden his soccer equipment this weekend and Daddy showed him a few things in the back yard. He is super excited to start playing next week. Kyle wants to play too, but he is too young right now. I have a feeling it will be a challenge to keep him off the field when Aiden is playing.

Ferns and Black & White Photos

I adore this photo of Kyle. I think he looks a lot like Matt Aguilar, my cousin, who died about 15 years ago. He has that same mischievous look in his eyes and the same curly hair, only Matt's was dark like mine.
My new favorite photo. We took this photo with black and white film, and when I tried to scan it into the computer, it didn't turn out right. So I just took a picture of a picture. We don't claim to be photographers by any stretch of the imagination, but I think this one turned out really nice.
My ferns this year are huge!! Some of the leaves are actually touching the railing. These were just regular $7 ferns from Lowes I bought earlier this year. But, I learned a secret from a neighbor on how to get them to really grow. :) I hope I can keep them alive all winter.

More pictures from Mom and Dad's visit last week

Shrimp feast!!

Cute photo of all the kids.
Meeting Granddad, with proud daddy looking on.
Playing Playdough, a favorite pastime at our house
Cool block castle!

The Marsh

Here are some more photos from when we went on the Marsh Boardwalk on Hunting Island. You go across this long boardwalk to a little island, then another boardwalk to another little island. At the end is a big deck that you can fish, shrimp and crab from. When we first moved here I wasn't too impressed with the marsh views that I see everyday. I thought they were stinky breeding grounds for the terrible mosquitoes and sand fleas that seem to run the islands. But, after living here 2 years I have learned to appreciate the beauty of South Carolina Lowcountry. I might even (gasp) miss it when we move. I will not however miss the bugs.

More pictures from the beach

More pictures from our day at the beach. Hunting Island Beach is one of the most beautiful beaches I have ever been to. And we live only 12 miles from it! The beach is lined with palm trees and driving in to the beach is really cool, it is dark and dense. Aiden says it is jungle. When we drive into the entrance Aiden always says "Be quiet, there are lions and tigers in here." I think Josh told him that last year! :) Notice the shrimp boat in the distance in one of the pictures. The other night when we went to get shrimp, we got it from a man our neighbor has been telling us about since we moved here. I usually buy it at a local stand down the road, but we decided to try Mr. Chism. I called and I believe he was on the boat shrimping as I was talking to him. He gave me directions to his house and I wrote them down the best I could understand. I didn't think we would actually find the place. We drove out to St. Helena's Island and made several turns on back roads and dirt roads. We drove up to a big house right on the marsh, I didn't think we had the right place, but someone pulled up in an old truck and I told them we were looking for Mr. Chism. He said "Right down there on the boat." So we went down to his dock and we bought the shrimp right off the boat. Can't get any fresher than that!! Mr. Chism now has our business!! A great Lowcountry experience.

I love the picture of Kyle with his arms outstretched to the ocean. He kept doing that over and over again. I would have loved to known what he was thinking.