General Housekeeping

Thought I better take care of some general journaling for the week:

Last Friday my cousin, Nikki, came up with her son, Dominic, to spend the day. She came to my kickboxing class in the morning and then we took the boys to McD's playland for lunch. The boys had a blast together. That night we had date night: Nikki and Dominic and me and Ty. We went to Panera's for dinner and then to the Indian's game. It was an adventure, to say the least. Wish someone was recording us while Nikki and I tried to save our gigantic icecream cones from melting instantly while both our boys had major meltdowns in the middle of the crowd. We had a good time though and stayed for fireworks.

Ty was so sweet, every thing he got, he needed to get one to take home to his little brother. He had a pile of things (including a baseball cap) waiting for Carter when he woke up the next morning. Is there any chance that he will always stay this sweet?

So far this week I have promised the boys we could veg at the pool each day for a few hours. Ty has become a total swimmer these last few weeks.

Quick cute Carter story:
Today Carter kept bringing snacks out of the pantry while I was preparing dinner. Keith and I would tell him, "No, not until after dinner." Each time he would put it back and come back with a new one. Finally Keith told him put it back or he was going to have to go into the corner (where he has time outs). Carter gave him one of his famous evil eyes and then slowly turned around and put himself in the corner---with the bag of goldfish. He sat in the corner and quietly ate his goldfish until he was finished then came back like nothing had happened. Such a silly boy.

I hate to post with out a picture, so I pulled this out of the archives. It was a few Saturdays ago. The boys love to help Keith with the lawn. (Yes, they are both in their pajamas). So cute.

The Outer Banks

Okay, I've finally sorted through all 800 pictures from vacation and am ready to post.

Keith's parents rent a large beach house each year in the Outer Banks, North Carolina. All the kids and their families are invited to come and stay for the week. This year we went with Keith's brother, Kevin, and his family, his sister, Danielle, and her family, his nephew, Zachary (his parents couldn't make it) and his aunt Karen and her family. (We can't forget the two dogs that came too!) It was a great time, as always.

The following posts are highlights from the trip. Warning: they contain alot of pictures!

OBX: Just Chillin

It is so fun to share a house with all the family and just chill out. In between all the swimming and playing, we found time to relax and enjoy eachother's company. My boys are so lucky to have cousins to play with and aunts and uncles who love them and take time to play with them. Thank you Jim and Mary for such a great vacation!

OBX: Currituck Lighthouse

The OBX area is famous for all of their lighthouses. Last year we went to the Carolla Lighthouse and Ty absolutely loved it. Ty wanted to see another one this year, so Keith and I took our boys and nephew, Zach, to the Currituck lighthouse. This one wasn't restored to climb into, but fun to see, none the less. .

This was hilarious. They had a fake staircase with just one stair. Carter thought it was real and couldn't figure out why he couldn't go up.

It also proved to be a perfect spot for an impromptu photo shoot
I swear I did not pose this one.

OBX: Norfolk Navy Base

We decided (for the boys sake and our sanity) to make the trip down to the OBX last two days. Since we only had 3 hours to drive the second day and we couldn't get the keys to the house until 4pm, Keith and I decided to stop in Norfolk, Virgina with the boys. The Navy base has a battle ship, The USS Wisconsin, docked and open for the public to tour. Ty was so intrigued by the ship (but a little dissappointed that we didn't leave the dock) and I thought Carter's head was going to explode from the excitement ("Boat, mom, Boat!!!"). The USS Wisconsin battled in the WWII, Korean War and Desert Storm. Definitely glad we stopped.

OBX: The Beach

I wouldn't say Carter loved the sand, but he was much more fond of it than last year. He did his fair share of sand digging, building and throwing this year.

I love that belly!

OBX: Crab'n

The first year we went to the OBX we discovered (much to our surprise) the beach is COVERED with little crabs at night. Since then we have made it tradition to go to the beach after dark with armed with flashlights, nets and a bucket to catch these little critters. It is so much fun chasing the little guys with nets while trying to not step (or get pinched) but the others.

Grandma wasn't afraid of the crabs!

OBX: Pool Party

Our time during the days were equally divided between the pool at the house and the ocean. All the boys were little fishes! By the end of the trip, Carter was fearless and Ty was swimming across the pool!!!

The big pool game this year: water baseball. We had a blast!

OBX: Ocean Games

Every Bielozer vacation involving an ocean has involved wrestling matches in the ocean....until now. This year the Bielozer boys decided they were too old to wrestle and switched to football. The wives were in charge of snap shots and instant replay video taping. Can't wait until Ty and Carter can play.