The Zoo

Yesterday, Thursday August 11, we went to the Zoo with Sister Lofts (our Bishop's wife). This was a blast! We had so much fun! She has a pass that lets you do all of the attractions for free. We did everything and saw everything. We had so much fun that instead of only staying until lunch time we stayed until 3:30. All of the kids said their favorite thing was the rock wall. I had 2 extra kids with me, Cameron and Zachary. They are some of our best friends kids I was watching that day. I am going to post several posts above this post with select pictures of the kids in each activity. THANK YOU so much to the Lofts for one of the best ends to a summer break. Today, Friday, Emily had her surgery and did very well. She is finally awake and upstairs watching a movie with her sisters.

The Lake

On Tuesday, August 9, 2011, we went out to visit the Osteen's in our ward who live on Lake Marion. This trip I only had my 4 kids to watch. Shelly came with Wyatt and Blayton. This was one of the most relaxing days I have had on my whole vacation. The kids played and played. My kids are definitely water bugs. They got to ride on a Craigcat as well as the Jet Ski. For those of you who know me, you may not believe the next thing I am going to tell you, but I promise it is true. I drove the Jet Ski, and actually got up to 34 mph. Then I did drive Courtney and Justin on it (didn't go over 29 mph). Below are some pictures from this trip of the kids. FYI the kid driving them Courtney thinks is "SO CUTE". Almost 6 and already so boy crazy!

The Beach

On Thursday, August 4, 2011, Shelly and I did a very brave thing. We took 10 kids to Fort Moultrie and Sullivan's Island in Charleston, SC. We did take Erica and Sam, Sam's boyfriend, and 2 friends. So we had 7 adults/teenagers vs 10 kids (Justin, Ashley, Emily, Courtney, Wyatt, Blayton, Eden Rose, Anna, Jackson, and Colton). I was watching my neice and nephews, so 7 of the kids were in my charge. We had a blast! The kids were so good, until we said it was time to go, and then it was like stepping on a fire ant hill (only those who live in the south could understand this analogy). Below are some pictures at Fort Moultrie.

It's been awhile

Well, I am coming to the end of my 2 1/2 week break. I have really enjoyed some of the things I have been able to do with my kids the last little while. We have been to the beach, the pool, the lake, and slippin' sliding. We have been having fun. We spent the day at the lake. We still have more slippin' sliding and the zoo before we are done playing and ready to start school. The best part about all of the above is the only cost associated with all of these activities has been any gas we have had to use to get there. The kids have had every bit as much fun as if we had spent a fortune.

Emily also has surgery on Friday we are hoping and praying. She has a hernia, and the last 2 times we scheduled her surgery she got sick with a fever the night before. Courtney had the same surgery a couple of years ago, and so we fully expected this would follow. I will post some pictures soon from these adventures, and hope to continue to keep everyone up to date on our family.