VBS and Swim Lessons

Stirling attended Vacation Bible School at Mercer Creek Church last week.  We normally go to First Pres. but their program was only for graduating kinders and older, so we went to this one instead.  Stirling was a little hesitant due to the crazy chaos and the multitude of kids there.  It was insane!  There were 10-12 classes of preschool aged kids alone with 18 kids in each class.  Then there were 2-3 classes for all the other age groups.  Stirling ended up enjoying it a lot.  The theme of the week was "Facing Fear, Trusting God!"  Thursday was "Dare to Stand Strong," and kids wore costumes of favorite characters, so Stirling went in a quickly made Green Lantern getup, constructed from a huge green t-shirt and some felt I had in my craft bucket.

 (the group shots are photos of photos, so please excuse the quality)

This week and next, Stirling is attending swimming lessons at the city pool.  He is really enjoying being able to get in the water and is doing pretty well at all the things his teacher is trying to teach.  Of course, most of it is trying to get the kids to hold still so she can help one child at a time to float or kick or paddle.  And five year old boys don't sit still well!  

Garden

Well I planted a garden.  And that is really about all I have done.  My dad gave me some leftover seeds from his garden and I scattered them willy-nilly planted them in the plot that John cleared for us.  We planted some tomato, pepper, zucchini, and basil plants that John and Kerry picked up, but the basil, zucchini, and pepper plants died pretty much instantaneously and the tomato plants are only reluctantly hanging in there.  Our seeds are having a little more success.  The radishes and turnips are doing really well.  The lettuce and spinach are looking prolific, and the carrots have finally come up.  One pumpkin plant is slowly growing and our peas are starting to do well.  There were several other things that didn't come up, but I've forgotten what they are because Logan stepped on all of the popsicle sticks that had the labels.  One good thing- I haven't had to water much because of all the rain, and the wet soil does make it easier to weed.

 

More cabin

This week I took the boys to the cabin and invited my good friend and her six kids.  We really enjoyed our time at the cabin, despite it raining nearly the entire time we were there.  We went on several walks/hikes, did enough paddle boat rides so that every kid got to go at least once, played games, and went on a scavenger hunt.  And yes, we did this with eight kids between the ages of 2 months and 12 years!  My girlfriend is a brave woman- I'm not sure I would have climbed down to the falls with an infant strapped to me, but she made it, and with her toddler as well!  It was a lot of fun to have her there, and the kids had a great time playing together.

Logan's Birthday

Logan turned two last week.  What a cutie!  He is really starting to talk a lot and amazes me with how well he remember things.  He makes the silliest faces and cracks us up.  He is definitely turning into a two year old- he has started hitting and biting his brother when provoked, or even when unprovoked!  Logan has the best smile, and still likes to 'nuggle with us often.
Happy Birthday little sweetie!

Look at that face- you can almost hear the boy/truck noises he is making.

He is crying in this picture because we were all standing around staring and smiling at him.  He didn't like it!

But he perked right up when we put cupcakes in front of him!

Memorial Day at Cooper Lake

Logan and Stirling visited the cabin for the first time during the Memorial Day weekend this year.  RJ and I got to view the cabin and the experiences through fresh eyes as the boys wandered and wondered about everything around them.  

The weather was rainy, but that didn't stop us from walking up to the waterfall or down to the bridge or going a little ways on the trails.  We threw rocks in the river, went fishing off the dock (and I am using the term "fishing" very loosely, as most of the time was spent trying to keep Logan out of the water, Stirling from throwing rocks in, and the hook from getting us instead!), and played in a fort found in the forest.  

Snow in May!

Awesome fort right across the driveway from the cabin.

Lake view.

"Fishing!"

No, Logan!

Breakfast time- oatmeal and cocoa!

Mom and boys out for a walk.

Knock it off mom, I'm trying to explore!

At the Cooper River.

Traipsing through the forest.

I can't wait to go back!!!

Stirling's 5th Birthday!

Can you believe it?  Stirling is already five years old, and on his way to kindergarten in the fall.  Wow.

Stirling is a creative, smart, determined kid.   He is always wanting to build something like a robot or machine, and wants to dig for artifacts or fossils in the yard!  He has a giant collection of "cool" rocks.  It is interesting to watch his mind work.  He can write his name now and is starting to read a little, but doesn't want to practice much because it involves sitting still and doing what mom says!  I wish I could say he is such a joy, but that is not always the case.  We butt heads a lot because of his stubbornness and pessimism and my lack of patience.  He can be very physical, and punches and pokes people, not out of aggression or anger, but because it allows physical contact.  He may be difficult at times, but I wouldn't trade him... He is my favorite five year old in the whole world!

On his birthday, Stirling woke up to a bed filled with balloons; we sneaked in at 5 am to dump them in his bed!  I made pancakes for breakfast and fish for dinner as per his request (ok, weird I know for a kid to want fish and pasta for dinner, not chicken nuggets or something right?).  We opened presents in the afternoon, so he could have some time to play with them, and then did cake after dinner.