Back to School

Well its that time of year again, summer is over and school is in session.  Yesterday was a tough day on mommy.  She missed her two sweet boys.  Cameron is now a 3rd grader.  How can that be, where did the time go?  And my baby boy, Kyle went off to kindergarten.  WOW.  Our school offers half day kindergarten so we are able to ease into school.  Both boys were excited to be off to school, make new friends and see old ones, ride the bus, and learn new things.  I made it through the bus departure without full out tears but that doesn't mean I wasn't teary eyed thinking about Kyle being in school.  Lauren had tons of questions about where the boys were going, when they would be back, what they would be doing etc...  She really missed her brothers but I think had fun getting lots of one-on-one attention from mommy.  Kyle was home for lunch and his report of the day was all positive.  He loves school and can't wait to go back tomorrow.  Cameron's end of the day report was glowing too.  So glad my boys love school.  Just don't grow up too fast please. 

More vacation post coming soon.  Until then please enjoy these back to school photos. 

 Kindergarten, here I come.

 

 Look out 3rd grade.

 Sweet Brothers

Here's to a great school year.

Kill Devil Hills, NC

Our brief time in Virginia Beach ended but we would be heading back that way to fly out when our vacation was over.  Next stop: Kill Devil Hills in the Outer Banks of North Carolina.  We left early on Saturday morning to try to avoid heavy beach traffic.  Well, we left way too early.  We arrived in the Outer Banks around 10:30 AM.  Earlier in the week, we were told that we most likely would be able to check into our rental house by noon.  So, "no problem", we'd explore the beach and grab a bite to eat.  Well, things didn't go exactly as planned.  We hit a few shops then decided lunch was in order.  All was going well until lunch was over and we checked with the rental company again, who then thought 3 PM would be the earliest we could get into the house.  By this time it was pouring rain and lightning, so the beach was out as an alternative to kill the time.  Thank goodness for air conditioning and the dvd player in the mini van.  We watched Tangled with the kids to waste some time.  Mike's folks arrived and we went to the grocery store to stock up on some food for the week.  It seemed like forever until 3 PM finally arrived.  Luckily, the kids were such troopers through this ordeal and did a great job of making the best of the situation. 

The house Mike's parents rented for us all for the week was great.  Plenty of space to sleep, lots of bathrooms, room for the kids to run around and explore, walking distance to the beach, game tables, a hot tub, and pool.  I think the kids were most excited about the pool.  After we did some unpacking, Mike's brother, sister-in-law, and their two girls arrived.  The whole family was together. 
 

 Two Hungry and Smiling Girls - Lauren with Cousin Maddox

 Kyle and Grandpa Bill - Deep in Discussion

 Candy Break - Cousin Zoe and Lauren

 Air Hockey Fun - Lauren and Cameron

 Video Games on a Rainy Day

 Wonderful Pals - Zoe and Lauren

The early riser Lauren, with Maddox's stuffed cat - which she LOVED.  Maddox was so nice to let her sleep with it all week. 

Korean Food and Yogurt

Well, after our mishaps at the beach we headed back to the hotel for a bit of rest.  Later that night, we met up with our friends for dinner at a nearby Korean restaurant.  It was so yummy.  We followed dinner with some frozen yogurt and a little playtime outside the on the sidewalk.  The kids and adults all got along so great - fast friends. 

 Robin and Melody

 Yummy!

 Sweets for the sweet

 Wish they had places like this at home

 Most of the gang

 Lauren knows a cute boy when she sees one

 Plotting and planning

 Dylan playing hard to get

 Pint sized duo

 Birthday buddies

One last hug goodbye