Horseback Riding Camp

Jessica asked to go to horseback riding camp this year - no surprise there! We paid for half and she used her birthday money from family to pay for the other half. She ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT! Ms. Sandy is the owner, and Jessica has been riding with her since the beginning of this year! For camp, she rode Stormy... a Palomino... and she quickly bonded with her (again, no surprise)... the apples Jessica took her made them quick friends. There were 9 kids at camp... and 4 of them (and one of the counselors) were from our church! They learned how to tack horses, care for them, ride properly, did arts & crafts, went on trail rides and nature walks. Jessica has been around horses since she could walk and took lessons in Raleigh, so she was VERY comfortable all week. Today was the last day and we were invited out for lunch to see what everyone learned... Jessica was selected as one of the "Most Willing to Learn!" She has always been very willing to learn anything and everything about horses! We are proud of her... we are thankful that all of the kids had fun... and we are thankful for everything Ms. Sandy taught Jessica!

Jessica w/Sydney (her counselor)... weaving Stormy b/t the cones!Ms. Sandy & Grace Jessica & Marianna

Emerald Isle, NC

What do you get when you mix 12 kids (9 & under), 8 adults, 1 new puppy, and the beach?? LOTS of FUN... and very little sleep! We spent our family vacation in Emerald Isle, NC this year... one of my favorite places... with three other families who are our best friends from home. We always have so much fun! It was great catching up with everyone and the kids LOVE spending time with their friends who we do not get to see as much as we would like. Usually, we walk down to the beach on the first night and come back with wet, cold children... the first night this year, it looked like rain... so the night turned into a big water fight b/t all the kids & the dads... resulting in everyone getting drenched... I loved hearing everyone giggle... they were so funny. We spent most days on the beach... the dads went fishing one morning to celebrate Father's Day... we celebrated Jessica & James' birthdays (different blog post)... the dads & kids went out on the boat... we went to the water slide... and we ate WELL, including the annual clam bake! All of the kids LOVED the beach again this year! Thanks for such a wonderful week!

The Family!

WATER FIGHT!!First day on the beach with 9/12 kids (Matt & Wilkie could not come until mid-week)... for the first time, we did NOT get a picture of all 12 kids together... sad, but true...

Front: Caroline, Jackson, Jaycie, Sadie (pup), Jacob, Hannah, Jamie

Back: Morgan, Madison, Jessica

The star of the show this week... and the one we all seemed to get the most pictures of (well, it WAS her first trip to the beach!)... Sadie!

On the beach... much time was spent on boogie boards... Jacob mostly stayed just out of the water's reach... then the guys would dig a big hole towards the end of the day... a favorite of all the kids!

Jessica, Madison, & Morgan... 3 peas in a pod!

For the past 3 years, the girls have done a play for us at the end of the week on "clam bake" night... we had to move the play outside this year b/c the crowd is getting too big to fit in one room... it was CUTE!

Morgan, Hannah, Madison, Caroline, Jessica, McKenzie, & Jaycie

The audience: Jacob F., Miley, & Jackson (the twins were sleeping)
The guys goofing off... like normal!
Brad, James, Matt, & David

Summer... Birthdays, Sun, & Fun!

We have been absolutely enjoying our summer so far! It is going by too quickly and I have gotten behind on the blog. Here are a few of the fun things we have done so far this summer!

BROWNIE TRIP: This was Jessica's last year as a Brownie; she will bridge to Juniors this summer. To celebrate the end of the school year, we took the troop to Myrtle Beach for the day... we took them to Build-A-Bear, to the aquarium, and out to dinner. Jaycie will join Brownie's in the fall... and was able to join them for this day trip! All of the girls were wonderful and we had a great time!

DUNES VILLAGE: A friend invited the twins & I on an over night trip to Dunes Village in Myrtle Beach (while the girls were in KY). Dunes Village has indoor water slides and lazy rivers for the kids. Jacob loved the water slide... Jamie not so much b/c she got water in her nose the first trip down. Their favorite part was riding in the cars on the lazy river... they liked the "bumpy ride!" We also took them to Myrtle Beach State Park... we went to a reptile show and Jamie & Jacob pet a SNAKE! Now... if you know them well, it is no surprise that Jacob was willing to do this... but shocking that Jamie was! I got a picture of Jacob, but could not get Jamie since she was in my arms. Davis volunteered to dress up as the alligator... he was so cute! Thanks, Angie... we had a GREAT time! Next time... we have to stay longer!

STAYING COOL: We have been staying cool... heading to the pool w/friends... our small pool... and the sprinkler! Jessica swims like a fish... and has started trying to do rolls off the board. She has attempted a flip... but that makes me very nervous! At the beginning of the summer, Jaycie could tread water IF AND ONLY IF she knew she could touch the bottom. She would not put her face in the water and would panic if she didn't think she could touch the bottom. I asked my dad to work on her confidence in the pool while they were on their trip... b/c he could give her individual attention and b/c he is the one who taught Jessica how to swim. WOW... she came home totally confident in the water, not afraid to go under water... and now she will jump off the board (and has even starting to work on diving in head first!) She has come a long way in a short time period! Jamie is closely watching what Jaycie does and will jump in off the side w/her swim vest on and is comfortable putting her face in the water. Jacob STILL does not like to even leave the steps. He likes for his feet to touch... end of discussion!

Jessica & Colin... a.k.a. "The Fish"

Little man is too cool...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: We were able to celebrate Jessica & James' birthdays while on vacation at the beach (separate post)! Jessica is NINE YEARS OLD!!!! She was delighted to spend her birthday with her best friends from home. We had to give her birthday present to her early b/c it was too big to carry in the van AND b/c Jacob helped James put it together and CANNOT keep a secret, so we gave it to her the first night she was home from her trip (before little man could spill the beans). She got a new bike... her first 18-speed mountain bike... she LOVES it! We had looked together and only seen pink or purple in the stores... she REALLY wanted blue and was disappointed not to find one... and so I ordered it for her. Jessica & James have been riding on the dirt trails together in the back of the neighborhood that run alongside the power lines. She requested an ice cream sandwich cake (YUM) for her birthday at the beach... and I forgot candles, so we put golf tees on top and she pretended to blow them out (the kids got a kick out of that)! We also celebrated James' birthday at the beach... 20 people singing happy birthday... he was happy. We got him a new fire pit, which we have used several times... the kids love s'mores! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

Madison & Morgan help Jessica celebrate her 9th birthday!

James' parents visited at the end of June!

Hunter & the twins wait for s'mores!

FUN WITH FRIENDS: We have been able to spend a lot of time with friends this summer! Last summer, I spent most of it traveling with the kids... we decided to spend more time at home this summer... because this is home now. I still miss "home" more than I can say... but I am very thankful for the friends I have made here and we have really enjoyed spending time with them this summer! And... for the first time... my girls are definitely out-numbered!

Jaycie, Jamie, Jacob, Jessica, Benjamin, Davis, & Jonathan on the Rail Trail

Pool Party & Picnic with:

Jamie, Jaycie, Benjamin, Jessica, Davis, Jonathan, Jacob, Colin, & Anderson

Jacob, Hunter, Jaycie, & Jamie play dress up. We are going to have to come up with a "J" name for Hunter b/c he is part of the family now! He definitely gives Jacob a run for his money on the cute little boy factor!

VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL: The theme for VBS at our church this summer was Crocodile Dock... it was wonderful! We had over 165 children for the week and my kids are still singing the songs! I am thankful that all of our planning and hard work paid off... it always does when you see the kids!!

Kentucky Road Trip - Horse Lover's Heaven!

Dad was here the day Jessica & Jaycie got out of school to take them on their first official road trip! Dad & Ann (a.k.a. Papa & Memommy) took the girls on tours of horse farms in Kentucky, to see the Kentucky Derby Race Track, to visit the birthplace of Abraham Lincoln, and to tour Mammoth Cave! They packed a lot of fun into this trip... and the girls had the greatest time! I think it is safe to assume Jessica & Jaycie would like to move to Kentucky... rolling hills and horses everywhere the eye can see is definitely Jessica's idea of heaven!! Thank you, Dad & Ann, for taking the girls on such a wonderful and memorable trip! Here are a few of their favorite pictures:

Below is "EscapedFromNewYork" - he was saved from the slaughter house. I was surprised & saddened to learn that some thoroughbreds are sold to slaughter houses in Canada and Japan after their racing days are over. There is a group called "Old Friends" that raises funds to rescue these horses and provide a safe haven for them - http://www.oldfriendsequine.org/ Needless to say, Jessica was very touched by their stories and wants to go back to visit!

Visiting some of the young thoroughbreds was a highlight for the girls. These horses have attitude... they want to win, and they want to be "top dog" or I guess I should say "top horse"... so you have to approach them carefully. The girls were taught by guides about how to approach the horses and what signals to look for to determine if they should! The thoroughbreds were VERY interested in the girls... peeking out of their stables for a closer look.

They were able to meet a few famous race horses, too... including Funny Cide, the 2003 Kentucky Derby & Preakness winner; and Cigar whose winnings were almost $10 million. They met the horse that played Sea Biscuit in the movie, visited Man o' War's tomb, and took their picture with the statue of Secretariat.

Cigar

In the owner's box at the Kentucky Derby race track!

They also loved visiting the miniature horses... they played with Silver Charm (who plays soccer!) and were in love instantly with the miniature horse foals... I think Jessica would have snuck one home in her luggage if she could have figured out how!

Papa & Memommy also took the girls horseback riding. This was Jaycie's first time being allowed to ride alone. They had the greatest time. Jaycie rode Chief and Jessica rode Midnight.