Camp Wannago

This week Amelia had her first VBS (vacation bible school) experience and it was a great one. After talking to other mommies from the area, the free camp at The Cove came highly recommended. And it didn't disappoint. So every day this week from 9am till noon, Amelia joined 850+ other kids (3 yrs thru 5th grade) and 100+ volunteers. This year's theme was camping: "Where adventure awaits". 

All week long, the kids enjoyed crazy games, hands-on crafts, themed snacks and other fun activities, all while learning how to be a courageous leader for God (each day they discussed a bible passage of Moses' life).

Amelia and her friends in her group

Here is a little outline form their daily activities:
Monday: talked about Moses' birth and adoption, ate S'mores, climbed the rock wall and jumped on the bouncy house
Tuesday: learned about Moses and the burning bush, ate campfire treats, took a nature walk and tried archery, made wood chip necklaces and camp fire crafts

Wednesday: Discussed the 10 plagues, ate "dirt" cups, went on a horse-drawn hayride, made story stones and 10 plague plates

Thursday: talked about Moses and the parting of the red sea, ate a "sea snack", played outdoor games and took a walk, made red sea bottles

Amelia and her arts and crafts projects from the week

And FRIDAY was family fun day at the Camp. The entire family was invited to join in on the fun and we had a great time. There was the Extravaganza (a wrap of the week with songs and dancing) in the auditorium,

Elliot dancing

rock climbing walls, bouncy houses, outdoor games, and a little train ride,

hayrides,

face painting and tie dying of t-shirts as well as hot dogs, Popsicle and S'mores.

And to cool off from the heat, the Fire department came with it's big truck and hosed the kids down and created enough mud for the mud run.

Camp Wannago definitely lived up to it's name because Amelia can't wait to come back next summer.

Summer is here

Summer has arrived and it is here to stay. The past 14 days have been very hot here in NC and we even had some record temperatures (100F/ 39C). Luckily, at night the temperature drops some so that the early mornings are comfortable enough to go for a run. So to kick our summer off, I created a Summer Bucket List. Hopefully, we will check most of the items on that list off during the next 2 months. It will be fun. 

Actually, while running thru our neighborhood I discovered a lot of blackberry bushes and so Amelia and I went picking one morning. The berries are quiet small and even though they looked delicious, they were still a bit bitter.

To beat the heat, every day the kids (and adults) are having fun in our pool in the backyard. 

And no afternoon is complete without enjoying a Popsicle. The mess it makes is washed off afterwards with a jump in to the pool. 

I also made some Berliner Weisse (typical summer drink from Berlin, Germany: wit beer and woodruff syrup). It was delicious. 

And when it is too hot outside, we play inside. Amelia loves playing her princess memory game with Daddy. While she hardly pays any attention though, he is focusing and still only wins about half the time.

Riding Daddy like a horse is also lots of fun:

To keep them entertained, I put out a white Poster board, some crayons and stickers and they are entertained for at least 20 minutes.

On Friday, Amelia and I went to a pool play-date organized by my MOPS group and even though the turnout was pretty slim due to summer vacation, we had a great time and spend most of the 3 hours in the pool. In the beginning Amelia was scared to be in the pool (the pool was only 4 ft deep) but she quickly adapted and actually enjoyed sitting on the pool animals.

Since it was Father's Day on Sunday, the library hosted a "Daddy Donuts Day" and Amelia was really excited to go with Derrick. They enjoyed spending time together by listening to a story, coloring a card for daddy, and eating donuts, of course.

Father's Day was pretty relaxed around here. Except for going to church, we stayed home and enjoyed being together. Derrick had some wings, beer and golf on Saturday afternoon when he went to Buffalo Wild Wings for a few hours. On Sunday morning, the kids surprised their Daddy with their homemade gifts in bed.

This week, Amelia is attending VBS (vacation bible school) for the first time. It runs from 9am till noon for the entire week and she loves it so far. I will do a separate post about her camp week. While Amelia is at Camp, Elliot enjoys some one-on-one time with me or Daddy. On Monday we went to the library for story time and he enjoyed playing on the computer beforehand. Who is that 3-year old? My little boy is looking much older here and is growing up too fast.

Today, we were "shaking it off'" (by Taylor Swift) during our little dance session while Daddy picked Amelia up from camp.

In other news, I updated our entry way and now it looks much cleaner and prettier. After 3 months, I can say we are completely settled in to our new home.

Hope you all have a great start to your summer as well. 

Father's Day 2015

Today we are celebrating the dads in the world and what a great job they do. Often the role of a father gets overshadowed by all the stuff the mother's do for their babies. But being a dad is as important as being a mommy. Thus, I want to thank my lovely husband for being the best dad our two children could have asked for. You not only love them dearly but also show them strength and character. You work hard and then come home to help me get them ready for bed and read them a goodnight story. Often I stand behind the door listening to you reading to them in your funny voice and make them laugh out loud. 

Derrick and Amelia, 3 months old

This year you made the ultimate sacrifice for us by taking a risk and quitting your job so that we can spend more time as a family together. You said that you are missing the most important (toddler) years by working 60+ a week for someone who doesn't care about you as a person and that your time would be much rather spend teaching your children how to fish, swim and see them achieve their little and big milestones along the way. You wanted to be a dad that is present for their kids and we love it. The days maybe chaotic, loud and very tiring but the kids are delighted to have you around all the time and I'm so proud of you for being so selfless and adventurous.   

Derrick and Elliot, 3 months old

Since we don't exchange any material gifts for Mother's or Father's Day, the kids made something unique (I have to thank Pinterest for the idea) for their Daddy. This is Elliot's gift to his Daddy:

 This is Amelia's gift for her Daddy:

And no Father's Day is complete without some yummy cake: 

Here is to the best daddy ever!!!

We love you lots,
Amelia, Elliot and Mommy

Family time in SC

The past weekend we spent visiting my husband's family in Summerville, SC. Even though it was HOT (100F/ 39C), we enjoyed seeing Grandma and Grandpa as well as all of Derrick's brothers and my sister in-law Bahar (Lee and Bahar were visiting from CA).

Aunt Bahar, Amelia and Elliot

Grandma and her grandbabies; Uncle Lee and Elliot; Elliot and Uncle David

The kids didn't mind the heat though as they were happy cooling off under the sprinkler.

And they also played some soccer, ran around in the yard and played with the dog.

We also got some cuddles in with our little boy who is still teething.

On Saturday, Derrick and his dad worked all day on the boat (a 1972 Marquis) to get it ready for the drive up North to our house. We can't wait to go boating with the kids at Lake Norman soon. 

While the men worked on the boat and I chased the kids around, Grandma and aunt Bahar cooked a delicious dinner.

On Sunday morning, we went to Lake Moultrie where Derrick's oldest brother, Toni, had a beautiful cabin rented on the lake. 

The scenery was great but unfortunately we couldn't swim in the lake due to alligators and snakes. 

We all enjoyed each others company and a delicious BBQ.  Here is Derrick with his brothers Toni and Lee:

And the rest of the gang:

Since it was another sizzling hot day (100+F), the kids enjoyed playing with a bucket full of water and ice. They also pretended to drive in Uncle Toni's electric car.

The fishing pier was right behind the cabin and looked very inviting to catch some big fish.

 We had a great time being together with family and are looking forward to seeing them again soon.