Friday Night Carnival

Friday was a quiet beach day. Grandma left around lunch time, after we revisited the Fort Fisher beach. We spent the afternoon back out on the beach, then got all cleaned up and went out to dinner.

I spend too much time using the Maps app on my phone. It's so useful, though! It has found us some wonderful restaurants, including the one we tried that night. It was really random -- a Thai restaurant -- instead of a fish place. But it had the highest reviews on all the island, and it lived up to those reviews. It was fast, delicious, and cheap. And we didn't mind not having fish --our homemade meals had satisfied our fresh fish cravings.

We stopped at the Carnival on the way home. It was along the boardwalk in Carolina Beach. The kids rode some rides. Win took them both up the giant slide, then took them all the way back down again, after they both realized it was too high. The carnies were nice and let us have two free rides, since they didn't slide. They chose to do a little fun house. I think it underwhelmed them.

But Gwyn loved the Carousel, and they both had a blast on the giant bouncers -- the ones where they are strapped into a harness with bungee cords, and they jump on trampolines.

Information:
IDA Thai Cuisine

Grandma Visit

Grandma was in North Carolina the same time as us, working on her "old new house." She drove up for Lem's birthday party at her mom's house, and then she drove down on Thursday to spend the night with us. In the morning before she came, we decided to try the Fort Fisher State Park beach, which was a little walk away, but a much better beach than our sandbaggy one (the waves had returned all the sand and covered the sandbags by Thursday, though). It was a wide, long beach, and shallow for a ways out into the water. It was much, much better for the kids.

The kiddos were so excited to see her, and we went back out on our beach for the afternoon. Then Win and I had a little date -- to go get fresh fish and veggies for dinner. This night, we grilled pink snapper and shrimp from the Seaview Crab Company. Blackburn Brothers was closed by the time we got there, so Win talked to some fishermen and they recommended this place. Right next door was a produce wagon, so we got some fresh tomatoes, corn and mangoes from there. Win also got some spicy okra pickles. We stuffed the snapper with mangoes and grilled it, once again, a way better meal than a restaurant.

The Fishing Pier

Wednesday, the weather was better but the beach was a bit of a mess. The waves had beaten the beach until all the sand was gone. All that remained were the giant sandbags that were under the sand. We saw first hand how the beach is washing away from the area. On Tuesday, the waves had been lapping at the foundations of the closest beach houses.

But we managed to find a spot, a little ways down past our sandbags. We spent the morning on the beach, building sand castles. Then, after lunch, the boys headed to the pier to do some fishing (my biggest fear of the week was that Lem would fall off the pier). Gwyn and I had a quiet afternoon, swimming in the pool and then walking up to check out Fort Fisher. We didn't make it to the museum, but we walked along the beach and then over to the remains of the fort near the sound. It was really beautiful.

After dinner (the boys returned unscathed), Win suggested we all go up the pier. He fished while we explored the pier and played the video games at the store that was the entrance to the pier. It was fun -- lots of people were out doing the same as us. Once I saw the pier I wasn't as scared for Lem -- the railing was better and there was about a foot of docking out past the railings. What was really cool were the pelicans. They weren't afraid of all the people, but patiently waiting for any fishing scraps. I got some great close up pictures of them.

Stormy Weather and the NC Aquarium

Win swimming with Debby

So we settled in quickly to our little condo for the week. For a last minute find on VRBO, it was perfect. The condo looked exactly like the pictures -- small and compact, but clean and pretty. It was one bedroom, with built in bunk beds in the hallway for the kids. It took them a little bit to get used to sleeping there, though. Even with his Dream Light, Lem had a nightmare the first night, and then was scared to sleep in his top bunk for the next few nights. But by the end of the week he was fine. But for those first few nights, we had some serious musical beds going on, with me sleeping in both bunks and Lem ending up in bed with Win.

Even with the lack of sleep, we were so happy to be at the beach. We spent Monday on the beach, but on Tuesday it was too windy and the surf was too rough to have a beach day. Tropical Storm Debby was passing by off coast, so even though we didn't have rain, we had lots of wind and the surf was unbelievably rough. We went out in the morning, and Gwyn cried because the wind was whipping up too much stinging sand. Lem got over it after a bit and played in the sand, and Win did go in the water. Later we saw the red flags up, and he admitted that even though it was fun, it really was too rough, even for him.

Since it was not beach weather, I suggested we take this day to see the aquarium, which was located just up the beach at Fort Fisher State Park (the park was right next to our condo). It ended up being a lot of fun. The aquarium was really nice. They had a Cape Fear area, where there were river fish, alligators, and snakes and turtles. They even had an albino alligator. But the most entertaining animal was the box turtle. There were a couple that were "on the war path," tearing through the leaves and challenging other turtles in their dens. It was really fun to watch.

Alligators at the Fort Fisher North Carolina Aquarium

Then there were all the ocean animals. There was a sea turtle, and we got to pet a horseshoe crab. There was a huge tank with all kinds of fish, and we watched the dive show -- a diver in the tank talked to the crowd about the fish. Lem asked a few questions. There was a jaw of a Megalodon, and also Nemo. And mesmerizing jelly fish, and sharks. It was a fantastic afternoon.

Gum had asked us to buy them each a souvenir from her, so we took a quick trip through the gift shop. Lem's pick was a book about Megalodon, the prehistoric gigantic shark-like creature. Gwyn picked out a tie-dyed stuffed seahorse. She was so taken with it, she carried it everywhere with her bunny for the rest of the trip.


After a little time on the playground, we left and headed for a fish market a local had told me about, the Blackburn Brothers. It was the real deal, and we picked out a beautiful strawberry grouper and some shrimp to grill. That was our dinner, and it was better than any restaurant.

A North Carolina Birthday

Five years old

Lem's birthday has been a weekend extravaganza, spanning two states. We celebrated at home in Tennessee a day early, and then on Saturday, we loaded up the car and drove eight hours to North Carolina. The drive was uneventful, and quiet. Lem got one more birthday present from us, and Gwyn got her un-birthday present -- each a new Leapster game. That kept them both happy for hours.

We arrived in Greensboro in the early evening. We were to spend the night at Win's grandmother's house. This was part of our vacation plan, and the main reason we chose to vacation on NC. She was so excited to see us and have us to visit. And we were excited to be there. Two of Win's uncles were there, Willy and Nat, and also Willy's two daughters, Sophie and Savannah. They are 11 and 12 (I think), and they played all evening with Lem and Gwyn. Lem just loved it -- two beautiful older girls to play with. They showed them the toy room, and then played shooting games with Lem. He sat between them at dinner, and afterward, they helped him climb the tree in the front yard. I was so happy they were there to do all that with him.

More family showed up for dinner -- there were 12 of us. Grandma came, as well as Win's two cousins, Dean and Al, and also his other aunt and uncle, Elaine and Johnny. It was so great to see everyone. For Lem, after, Gum arranged for him to have an ice cream cake, and there were some presents as well. So even though it was unusual circumstances (I was so worried about us traveling on his birthday), I think it was a very special birthday for him. He did get a little burnt out with all the happy birthdays and singing and having to sit and wait, but he did pretty well. He didn't even try his cake until the next day (we had ice cream cake for lunch before we left), but Gwyn loved it.

Lem fell asleep in Grandma's bed, after drinking his milk and watching a little TV. I read him Harry Potter until I looked over, and he was sound asleep.

Sunday afternoon, after our ice cream cake lunch, we loaded up again, said goodbye, and headed east to the beach. Four hours later, we were in Kure Beach, where we were spending the week.

The Big Five

Happy Birthday to my sweet baby boy, who likes to remind me that he is, in fact, not a baby anymore. This grown up boy is ready for Kindergarten, refers to himself as The Flash, and is a huge fan of superheroes, sports and Legos. And bunk beds. And zombie killing. And Dream Lights.

Five years ago today, I was in the birthing clinic on post in Vicenza, with my mom. We were anxiously awaiting two arrivals. Win's and Lem's. Win made with a couple hours to spare, straight off the plane from Kuwait. Lem arrived a couple hours later, to two very exhausted, happy new parents and one very excite new Oma.

Happy Birthday, Lem!

Summer Birthday

We celebrated Lem's fifth birthday a day early, for various reasons. He has been so excited in the past couple weeks, so ready to turn five. We had a quiet day, with the big surprise being a surprise visit from Oma and Grandpamp. He and Gwyn were so excited to see them, and Lem immediately saw them as more baseball players for the game we were playing.

We spent the afternoon outside, having a redneck beach party -- blow up pool and slip'n'slide for the kids in the backyard, and chairs and beach umbrellas for the adults. And bomb pops for every one. Presents came next, finally. Lem got a workbench from Oma and Grandpamp to go with his tools. He also got lots of Legos, red Chuck Taylors and a Dream Light. (He has been asking for one of these forever. It is a turtle that projects the stars on the ceiling, and as Lem says, "It keeps the nightmares away.")

We had cake and ice cream later, a lemon cake with five candles and Anakin and Obi-Wan on it, per his request. And then it was to Buffalo Wild Wings for dinner. Lem fell asleep during the five minute drive there, but he woke up happy and we had a good meal.

There will be more surprises tomorrow.

Checkmate

The First Day of Summer

Was hot.

We did what any good Southern country family would do -- packed up and went to play in the creek.

Actually, it was more of a small river, running through Billy Dunlop Park in Clarksville. It's the place to be -- there are some rapids just the right size for an almost 5-year-old to float down, and a rope swing for bigger kids. And when you get tired of playing in the water, you can go sit in the shade and watch the fun, or go play on the playground.

It reminded me of our summer camping and float trips in southern Missouri growing up.

Father's Day 2012

We didn't do much on Father's Day. We went fishing and ate food.

We went to a new-to-us place to fish. It is Port Royal State Park, and it's about 15 miles from Clarksville. It's very beautiful -- it's out in the country and set at the convergence of the Red River and Sulphur Fork Creek. It was the site of one of the earliest settlements in Tennessee -- it was a bustling town until after the Civil War. It was a site of trading and commerce because of the two rivers, and it was also part of the Great Western Road -- the main road headed west from Nashville. People traveled up the rivers through the area on flatboats, and it was also a tobacco inspection point. Stagecoaches also went through the town. And it is also part of the Trail of Tears. But after the Civil War, many people left to find work in the big cities. Now there are just some ruins of the covered bridge, foundations of some shops, and the last building standing -- the Masonic building which is now the park ranger office. I learned all this from reading the signs. It's fascinating, but unfortunately, there isn't much to look at. There are some trails, but they looked pretty rough. Gwyn and I explored after she got tired of fishing.

After we had fished for a while, Win and Lem headed upstream along the bank in search of a better spot. Gwyn, of course, wanted to go too, but there was no way she could keep up with them. She got upset, so that's when we went on our own adventure, to explore the park. We crossed the bridge and saw "the boys" underneath us. Then we walked around looking at the signs and the river. She is funny, she kept asking, "Where are my boys?" That's what she calls Win and Lem when they are doing something together.

We didn't stay all that long. The fishing wasn't that great. We did see a big fish swim by in the river -- either a pike or a gar. There were other people fishing so it must be a decent spot. But we didn't have worms, just lures. And loud kids who kept wanting to throw things in the water.

We spent the rest of the day at home. I made delicious lemon cakes with lemon basil syrup, from my Gourmet cookbook. They made up for the sub par dinner -- our rib-eyes were slightly off -- maybe a little old. And I didn't have cheese for the baked potatoes.

And then in the evening, golf and basketball were on. So I kept the kids downstairs, and Win enjoyed his desert Ron Swanson style -- all by himself.

More on T-Ball

Lem's second (and last -- it's just the way things have worked out this season) game was on Saturday. It was at 11 a.m. this time, so better for us getting there, but also much, much hotter. They played better than last week -- during practice the coaches really worked on teaching the kids to stay in their spot and not to fight over the ball. For the most part, the kids did what they were supposed to. But there were always at least two kids fighting over the ball.

Can you spot our favorite team member?

Lem played the whole game and really did well. He hit a "home run," which he was really excited about. (To explain: Every team member bats in an inning. And every kid gets on base. Lem was the last batter, so he got to round the bases all at once, hence his home run.) He also had some good plays; he caught a hit, threw the ball to the first baseman, who actually caught the ball. And at the end of the game he got to play second base. It was cute to watch him with the other team members as they stopped at second. Some he chatted with, others they didn't talk at all.

We are going to practice this week but then we'll be done. He still has phases where he complains about playing, saying he hates it. I don't know if he really does hate it, or if he's just tired and hot by practice time. He hates a lot of things these days.

Another First

Lem and Gwyn got bunk beds this week. Finally. Lem has been asking for them for at least two years, and I promised he'd get them when we moved to Tennessee. It's a year late, but I finally made good on that promise. And once I decided to get them, it was too easy.

I had my eye on some really nice bunk beds, but they were expensive. I kept thinking, oh, I'll wait and save up and get those. Well, there was always something else that needed to be bought. Then last week, I realized that if I kept putting it off, Lem would be asking for his own room and we'd have missed the bunk bed window.

I found a set on Walmart.com. I did not want to buy from Wal-Mart, but the set was less than $200, wood, and had over 1200 rave reviews. And free shipping. I also went ahead and ordered mattresses from Wal-Mart as well, also very inexpensive. Everything was here in two days. It took me one day to put the beds together. I did it all by myself, including getting the mattress on the top bunk. That's right, I am freakishly strong for my size. The beds are very sturdy and look really nice. I'm really happy with them. The mattresses are fine too, but not great. But good for the convenience, the price, and happy kids.

So we have two very, very happy kids. Lem is quite the big boy in the top bunk. Gwyn slept the first night in her old toddler bed, but last night slept on her new big bunk bed. I'm so glad I just went for it, and I'm glad I didn't spend a million dollars on them. And once we put away the toddler bed, they will have so much more space in their bedroom.

My Names

What do your children call you?

I have quite a few names that I'm called these days. Since January, Lem mostly calls me "Susan" instead of "Mama." My superhero name is "Hawkgirl." There was one day at t-ball practice when Lem was looking for me among the parents. I heard someone calling, "Mama? Mama?" but it didn't register until I heard, "Hawkgirl?" Then I looked up and saw him wandering around. I yelled, "Lem! Lem!" And he didn't turn around. Then I yelled, "Flash!" (That's his superhero name.) He immediately turned around and found me.

Speaking of superhero names, Lem has been The Flash for quite a while now.  He likes The Flash because he runs super fast. I chose Hawkgirl as my superhero, because she flies and shoots a bow and arrow (I think). Win is Batman, because he's really smart. And Gwyn? Well, she always says she is "Just Gwyn." No superhero alter ego for her.

(In the past, we've had other names. During Lem's Transformers phase, he was Optimus Prime, Win was Bumblebee, I was Red Alert, and Gwyn was "Poop Sandwich." Don't worry, she thought that name was hilarious. Poop is a really funny word in our house.)

Gwyn mostly calls me "Mama," but she also sometimes calls me Susan, and every once in a while, I hear her calling me "Mother." And, sometimes, I'm "Princess." But she is always "Just Gwyn." 

Talking In May and June

Ongoing since Christmas:
     Me: "Gwyn, why?"
     Gwyn: "Because why."
     Then Lem always chimes in, "That's not an answer!:

5/12: At Collie's graduation party

     Lem to Collins' friend Valerie:
     Lem: "What's your name?"
     Valerie: "Valerie, what's yours?"
     Lem: "My name's Lem. But you can call me Flash. And my dad is Batman."

     Me: "Lem, where are you going?"
     Lem: "I'm going inside. I want to look at all the girls and their pretty stuff."

     Lem (to the bartender opening a bottle of wine):
     "That's not the kind of opener we have. Can I smell the cork?"
     "So, do you work at a winery or something?"
     Bartender: "No, I'm a law student."

5/12: Gwyn: "I farted."
     "I farted in my umberpamps (underpants), on the bench, in the kitchen, etc."
     If she's naked, "I farted in my butt."

5/12: Me: "Who do you want to invite to your party?"
     Lem: "Ivy, Riley and Kylee, because she's as pretty as Ivy. And she will wear a pretty dress."

5/12: Lem: "I can count past 109! ... 109, 110, 111, 112, 113, 114. You didn't know I could count to
     humidity!"

5/12: Gwyn: Her plurals all end in "-es" -- "ghostes," "bootes," bookes," etc.

6/12: Lem at soccer camp: "I'm going to get that guy. He's a soldier so he's good at dodging bullets."

6/12: Lem playing Knights and Princesses with Gwyn: "And then the knight came in a helicopter and took
     the Queen away!"

6/12: Gwyn and milk: "Milt" or "Milky"

Jazz on the Lawn

We survived our first Jazz on the Lawn this weekend, despite having wild animals for children Saturday night. Jazz on the Lawn is a summertime Clarksville tradition. Our landlord was the first to tell me about it, when I signed our lease last year. I couldn't really understand what he was saying or what it was, but I quickly figured it out. Throughout the summer, the local winery, Beachaven Winery, has outdoor concerts on Saturday nights. It's a pretty genius plan. The concert is free, and you can bring lawn chairs and food. All they ask is that you buy their wine, and bring no outside alcoholic drinks. When Alex told Win about how fun it is, we decided to go this weekend.

I made pasta salad and cut up carrots and celery. We stopped at Kroger for fried chicken and some cut up fruit. We got there at about 5:15 (the concert starts at 6:30) and it was already packed. There were police officers directing traffic, and the lawn was packed. We found a spot in the sun, and set up our picnic and people watching area. Alex and his roommate came later.

As I said before, the kids were in a mood. Both had fallen asleep on the ride over, and then Lem complained the whole time about being bored. We realized we were unprepared as we saw what other people brought. There was a dance floor up by the stage, but it looks like most people came prepared to spend the evening relaxing. Some had tables set up, others had fancy picnic baskets full of fancy food, some brought balls to play catch, others brought card and board games to play and books to read, all the while listening to music and drinking wine.

We had two board books and two matchbox cars for the kids. Lem was really bored, and a game of Rock, Paper, Scissors with me ended up with us half play wrestling, half real fighting. That ended when he jumped on me and fell and knocked the wind out of himself. Then Alex started playing with them, and that turned into a full wrestling match with Lem and Gwyn leaping onto him. When the people next to us got up and moved, Win and I decided it was time to get out of there. We were starting to make a scene.

We'll be back, but with more stuff to do. It is definitely the place to be in Clarksville on a summer Saturday night. The Viognier wine we got was good, and the music wasn't bad either. (It was not jazz -- it was a classic rock cover band. There's a different band each time.)

Info:
Beachaven Winery

First T-Ball Game

A hit!

Early (8 a.m.!) Saturday morning was Lem's first t-ball game. His first, the team's second. We missed the first game because we were out of town. There was a lot of scrambling in the morning, but miracuously, we were on time for the game.

Lem started out strong, and then, with about 15 minutes left to the game, he headed to the dugout, saying he was tired. Not exactly the sportsmanlike behavior we parents would like to see. It put a damper on the end of the game, but now, I realize that he probably was tired. He'd had soccer camp all week, and a busy weekend before that. But still, we thought he could have finished the game.

Anyway, four-year-old t-ball is quite a sport to watch. The rules at this age are as such: There are no outs, every team member gets to bat each inning, and the games last one hour. Lem had a great first hit, and flashed around the bases. He also had a few good catches, and mostly remembered to throw to first base.

What a t-ball infield looks like

So this is what happens when the other team is at bat. The entire team, the Muckdogs, is in the infield. Most kids are paying attention, but there's at least one that's playing in the dirt. The ball is hit, the other team's coach is reminding the batter to drop the bat and run that way to first base. Meanwhile, the Muckdogs are trying to field the ball. That means a swarm of kids run to wear the ball is. The first one there covers the ball with his or her glove and then falls on the glove. All the other kids try to get the ball from the first kid, and most fall down in the process. The coaches are yelling, "Don't fight over the ball!" Finally, the first kid emerges with the ball, throws it wildly to the first baseman, who misses the catch. And then the next batter comes up, and it all starts over again. Through 10 batters.

And did I mention the dirt? Very fine, dusty red dirt. Two teams of four-year-olds falling in it, playing in it, kicking it.

Summer fun, that's for sure. And the highlight for Lem? The snack at the end of the game.

The Bug Whisperer

So Lem has this thing he does -- he catches flies. He uses a glass Coke bottle, and somehow catches them in it. Then he takes them outside and releases them. It's really cool.

Today, Win told him how he and his brother used to pet bees. So Lem was just outside, wandering among the clover, petting bees.

Then he came in to get his Coke bottle so he could catch one. We explained to him that that probably wasn't a good idea.

Then he said, "I wish I was a bug store so I could buy a bunch of bugs." Not exactly sure what that means, but he definitely has a gentle touch with insects.

Love

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