Naughty Naughty!

I walked down stairs and to my surprise discovered that someone had been into the flour! I didn't say a word. Not even a gasp escaped my lips. Little Laurie saw me and burst into tears! I guess the guilty just know when they are guilty! It's good to know she has a conscience! I must admit--it was hard to keep a straight face! Oh well...what's a little flour! (Did I mention they were mixing it with water?!?)



So naughty...but so cute!

Almost Left a Few Kids in the Pillory!

Have you ever been to Williamsburg, Virginia?

It is a magical place...
I'm sure for someone.

I think it would have been for us, had we not a carful of grumpy kids. Not sure what went wrong. Maybe it was the result of hours in the car. Maybe sunburns. Maybe the heat and humidity. We may never have the answer!

However, as we toured Colonial Williamsburg we ran into this...The Pillory!




Our kids thought it was enticing. We thought it was fitting and a perfect punnishment. Fortunately for them, they were rescued by other tourists waiting in line for a photo op!

We did experience a little of Colonial life amidst the grumbling!


















It is true, there were glimpses of enjoyment during our visit to this great historical site--but don't let their smiles fool you!

Never fear.
We will be back Williamsburg.
Someday.

On the Road Again!

If you have ever driven north on the 95 through South Carolina, you've seen Pedro's ads for "South of the Border." You can't miss them--they are every half mile or so--a little annoying, low budget, and...oh, how to describe them? It's worth a road trip just for the signs. I wish we would have thought to take pictures along the road. We didn't pull out the camera until we hit the land of sombreros...with only four or so cars in the parking lot...we think Pedro may want to rethink his advertising strategy! Oh so funny!


You're in luck! I just Googled and saved you hours of driving time--there are MANY more along the road, but here's a little taste of the magic! The pictures are small so you may not be able to read them...just remember...."You've never sausage a place and you're always a weiner at South of the Border!"







Actually this was my favorite sign...just knowing Pedro's advertising was finally behind us!


We all did very well along the road actually. Drinks and treats. Sharp Crayons and empty drawing pads. Movies and books from the Library. However, when it came down to choosing entertainment, the stories took "back-seat" to the DVD's--so I cracked open and thoroughly enjoyed their books. It has been a very long time since I have read, "How to Eat Fried Worms!" A little while after I started "Matilda" the principal got a bored and asked me to read aloud--which I did in an English accent! It's such a cute book! A must read for any road trip!


Homeschool also provided a little entertainment!



Shortly after we crossed the Virginia Border--Lucy (our faithful Navigation System) had us exit the 95 for a LESS TRAVELED route to Williamsburg! We drove on country roads next to what looked like cotton and tobacco crops, a few houses, and lots of trees! It was quite enjoyable until we almost hit a deer that darted out from a cornfield right infront of us! We were heading for a ferry to take us across the James River.



It was truly a tender mercy that after a LONG pilgrimage in the car, we made the ferry by just seconds! Right after we drove on--they closed the gate behind us and we were headed for Williamsburg...(via Jamestown)!

It's Hard to Say Goodbye!

After a fun filled weekend--it wasn't easy to say goodbye to Grandma and Grandpa! After lots of hugs and kisses we pulled out for the LONG drive home!




Thank you Grandma and Grandpa!
WE LOVE YOU!

Jacksonville!

Grandparents are the best! They love, they spoil, they tickle, they tease, and they treat! We enjoyed all of that last weekend. Grandma had stocked her little tiny pantry with homemade chocolate chip cookies, Lucky Charms, pudding, string cheese, juice boxes, Cheetos, and more! My kiddos were in heaven! They loved all the goodies--but nothing compared to being with Grandma and Grandpa!


On Saturday they took us to an Alligator Farm on Anastasia Island near St. Augustine. It was amazing. There were alligators everywhere...a few really scary spiders too! But we didn't take any pictures of those! My favorite part was feeding time!










Their apartment is about 10 minutes away from Jacksonville Beach--it was beautiful, clean, and the perfect end to a fun day.







On Sunday we went to church (everyone told us how much they love Elder and Sister Kellett) and then spent a relaxing afternoon in their apartment. We played a few games and watched a few church movies. Later that evening we put the kids in the pj's and went on a Sunday drive around Jacksonville, mom rescued a turtle from the road and we stumbled across the Jacksonville Jaguars Stadium.









Monday was back to the office for Grandma and Grandpa, so we went back to the beach. We bought a few boogie boards and the 4th grade and 2nd grade were in Heaven. Pre-K mastered the building of sandcastles and Homeschool wins the prize as the sandcastle destroyer (much to her brothers dismay!). We had a great day, but a little too much sun. We all came away with a good burn--should have reapplied the sunscreen earlier! That night we went to dinner at the Cheesecake Factory!