It is a pretty well-known fact that I'm not a huge fan of tv. We try to limit our kids' screen time. We don't even have tv in our house. BUT, I do have to admit that some shows can really be educational.

This morning, A had a song stuck in his head. He was walking around the house singing,

"If you want to build a pyramid,
do as the Egyptians did.
Use an incline plane."

There are four words in those lyrics that I had no idea he had ever heard! And it was too cute to hear his 4-year-old voice belting out the words "incline plane." Makes the teacher side of me swell with excitement.

And incase you were wanting to download a copy of that song, it's from "Sid the Science Kid," which he got to watch at his sleepover at Gramma's this weekend. I'm sure you can find it on iTunes. :)

Wish I had gotten a video of this, but I didn't think about it until it was too late.

Today, we were trying on winter hats/gloves to see what we can pass along to my sweet nephew and what still fits. I know... exactly what everyone else was doing on this hot 90 degree day in August. The boys both had on the kind of hat that has flaps to cover their ears and velcro under their necks. They were pretending they were their "pilot hats". A was the pilot and C was the "go pilot" (no... not Co-pilot... the GO-pilot). C had a hockey stick in his hands and A had a styrofoam "sword". Their mission: To find and get the "boogies." I have NO idea where they came up with this idea or who taught them about air combat. I did try to correct them and let them know that they were probably looking for a bogy... you know those evil enemy planes. But A insisted that the correct word was "boogie."Not sure why those boogers were such a menace, but they did a fantastic job of catching lots and lots of boogies!

Before I tell this story, remind yourself of just how picky of an eater A is. He spent his entire short life eating mostly carbs and dairy. Nothing with texture. Not even yogurt with chunks. We've come a long way in the last few months.

The boys and I went grocery shopping today. Before we left, I asked A if there was anything he wanted me to get at the store. He made sure that granola bars were on the list (he got addicted to these at our family reunion last week). He then added, "And mom, don't forget the green beans. The ones with the mushrooms mixed in. Could you make those?" Hmmm... let me think.... YES I'LL MAKE THOSE!!!!  I was in mom heaven!

Family Reunion #2

All summer, I've been looking forward to our trip to NC, and I have to say, it truly lived up to my expectations. The boys and I left on Tuesday and met my mom in Wilmington. We were the only ones there for a few days, and it was great to get some time with my mom and to have some much needed time to RELAX!

Then on Thursday, the rest of the family started arriving. We slowly added people to the mix, including daddy who surprised us by catching an earlier flight! I have to admit I was extremely surprised and very confused when he walked into our room at the beach house in the early afternoon! What a fun surprise.

By Saturday, almost the entire crew had arrived... all 31 of us! My dad's brothers and their families joined us for a fabulous reunion. I haven't seen many of my cousins in 8+ years. It was so fun to catch up and enjoy time together. I loved that they finally got to meet my kids, and it was so fun to watch them play with A and C.

The trip consisted of Low Country Boil (a HUGE pot of food dumped on a table and eaten with your hands!), a Lobster and Steak Fest!, several trips to the grocery store (who knew 31 people could eat so much food?!?), and a LOT of time on the beach. Here are a few of the 100+ pics I took :)

Swim Lessons

This summer, we decided to join our neighborhood pool, and it was one of the best decisions we have made. The boys and I have practically lived there this summer with the 90 + degree weather we've been having.

Another perk is the free swim lessons they offered for A. We would bike over, he'd do lessons from 11 - 11:30, we'd eat lunch and be ready to swim at noon when the pool opened up.

At the beginning of the summer, both boys were really timid. Especially A who didn't want to put his face in the water. But the more we went, the more confidence he gained. Soon he was doing flips underwater, jumping in off the side and teaching himself how to dive. Last week, he decided to conquer the diving board. After two or three days of jumping in to mommy, he decided to try it by himself. He can now DIVE OFF THE BOARD by himself with NO ONE in the water! What an amazing change from the beginning of the summer! I want to get a picture of it before the pool closes.

Family Reunion #1

This summer, my cousin's baby turned 1. Turned out most of my mom's side of the family was able to make it in to celebrate, even my cousin and her family from Colorado! It ended up being a pretty big family reunion. The kids had a blast with their cousins, and I had a blast with my cousins. It was fun to see everyone. P.S. The pic of all the adults was taken by A. Not bad photography skills for a 4 year old!

The Dino Expert

I need a good laugh today, so I'm going to share this story. It happened a week or so ago, but it still makes me laugh.

A's been totally into dinosaurs lately. A friend introduced him to the show Dinosaur Train and it's his new favorite thing. The other day, I was goofing around with the boys and pretending to eat C's belly while I tickled him. In my best dino voice, I said, "I'm an Argentinasaurus and I'm going to eat you." A stopped the game, shook his head in annoyance, gave me the teenage-girl my-parents-are-so-lame look and informed me, "Mom... Argentinasaurses only eat plants." I stand corrected.