Roman who?

So Roman is driving to work the other morning and sees these signs posted by the road. We have no idea what/who they're for. Friends have begun to call and ask, 'Who is Roman?' Isn't that weird?! Some look more homemade than this one, and all are various sizes. But they're posted all over the island! Maybe by my next post we'll be rich and famous. LOL!

Timeless Fun

Grilling at the park. Ageless, timeless, effortless. Why didn't I think of that? Gj had a great idea to pack a cooler and let the kids run off some steam while we imbibe and grill out. I know that this is something simple, but sometimes after working all week, I take the easy road with the kids and don't always want to do the extra little things. Little did I know that heading to the park would be so easy! We had most of the stuff on hand and just threw it in a bag.

A real monkey on the monkey bars!

No park grill is complete without smores! We ate ourselves silly with the classic combination.

Want some marshmellow-pinestraw goo?! Uh, no thank you!

You want more marshmellow? I'll give you more marshmellow!!

Goofy kids

Two more goofy kids

"Ima big-kid now!"

Cheerio!

Moving right along...

Ouch. Last post two months ago! We wrapped up our summer with simple activities and a stay-cation around Charleston. Roman and Corinne were busy designing tie-dyed shirts. Too bad they shrunk so that only Sam can wear them. They turned out really cute.

Roman celebrates his birthday. Two cake mixes later, I put our new cake mold to the test to brush up on my cupcake skills!

Mmmmmmm...giant cupcake!

Do all children love shoes? 'Cause my kids love shoes. I can't keep Sam out of my closet. Some mornings he lets me know that I chose the pair he wanted!

Awww, you're not planning to blackmail me with this later, are you?!

Summer strumming

I think we're all ready for some cool fall days/nights. Personally, I love an oyster roast. We're into the 'r' months! School and work keep us busy, but we are fortunate that we both love what we do. Corinne stays busy with her dance class. Sam is just busy. Busy. Busy. We're looking forward to a little Panic this weekend and gj and Pappy visit. It'll be nice to play this weekend. Have a good one!

Charleston Stay-cation

I love vacationing in our own hometown. Usually when Pappy and GJ visit, it's a working visit for everyone as we scramble to keep the kids, get to work, fix the house, and squeeze in QT where we can. The spring rains around Kentucky and Tennessee ruined Pappy and GJ's basement, so they are in the middle of home renovations, i.e. there's no 'play room.' We switched gears from our usual KY visit to a Charleston Stay-cation. With nowhere special to be, we did the beach, water park, children's museum, pirate park, movie theatre, and just about every restaurant in the vicinity.

Corinne warmed her gj's heart with the latest addition to the area: 'the hot dog restaurant', Jack's Cosmic Dog. No child or gj should be denied the experience. :)

Sam and Pappy polish off the guacamole at Taco Boy

Mom and I thought it would be awesome to take Corinne to her first movie, Toy Story 3. She was only a little squirly and only asked to leave a few times. My girl just doesn't do movies. She stuck it out, though. There was no way I was leaving without finding out the fate of Woody and friends! Good thing I brought along my kleenex!

Roman and Pappy tried to outsmart the local fish.

As always, we had a fabulous time. Every visit, I feel like I'm ten again when they leave; I have to keep myself from running after the car for just one more hug!

Love and miss you guys. Thanks for everything!

Creekside Crowd

We ventured to Virginia to meet Roman's family over the fourth. Angela flew into the states from Bangkok to visit Mimi in Michigan. They were adventurous enough to drive and meet us halfway (more or less). Roman found this beautiful creek off of the New River in Pearisburg, VA. We couldn't have asked for a more beautiful venue. This is where we found Roman each morning and evening.

Fly fishing the New

Sam & Mimi kick back

Who needs toys when you have jacuzzi bathtubs? The kids had a blast each evening soaking all of us as the jets roared.

Nighttime sillies

AA brought badminton and the kids found many uses for the rackets. No one broke anything and they both managed to hit a birdie or two.

Sam really blossomed on the trip. His vocabulary is really building along with his level of understanding. He's so easy-going (as long as his tummy is full :-) and full of laughs. He's cutting molars now and should have them all after this round.

Corinne didn't let AA too far from her side all weekend. They had lots to catch up on.

Corinne has matured a lot this summer. She's so proud of herself for 'staying in the lines!' when she colors, dressing herself, and doing things 'all by myself!' Her swimming has far exceeded our expectations. She's now jumping into the water and swimming under to you and back. Corinne has also started dance classes. To the delight of her aunt and her Mimi, Corinne would quite often break away into an arabesque or shashay in her tutu.






Fortunately, she adores Sam and loves to do for him. Just keep him out of 'my stuff, Mama!'

What stuff?!!

Who needs water?

Making memories

It's been awhile since I've been rolling down hills, tubing down a real lazy river (no offense, Splash Zone), watching fireflies and fireworks on the lawn, and drinking coffee on a swing on a cool summer morning. . It was wonderful.


Have a good one!

First Fish

The first Saturday of June Roman's work hosts a Kids Fishing Day. This year we gathered all of Corinne's friends to try their luck. I'm not sure who had more fun, the kids running around eating hot dogs or the dads who got to throw a few lines (helping children, of course!). Seriously, the kids have to be the ones to reel in the fish.

Can you see Roman's chest bursting?!

In response, Roman just HAD to purchase a pink tackle box for Corinne. He's outfitted it with plenty of fake worms with shimmers and sparkles. She slept with it then was up at 5am this morning rattling around with that darn box.

Happy Fishing!

Summer begins

Hopefully, this will sum up a little of the early summer events. The video is a little long; maybe one only grands will love. Kids are doing great! Enjoy.