14 Days to Go...

until Connor's first day of Kindergarten. We have begun preparation. He has his backpack and all of his school supplies. Now we need a routine. For the past several months, in anticipation of having a child in school and knowing the organization and structure that that requires, I have given some thought to our nighttime and morning routines (what time will each begin, what will be involved, how can they be organized and become habit). Today at the pool, my mom and I were discussing these very things and I just happened to have a copy of the new September Family Fun magazine. I haven't even completed reading it, but in the first few pages I came across an article titled A Fistful of Dad Dollars. In it, the author explains that she uses these "dollars" as an incentive to creat order on school mornings. She goes on to explain that she printed up these Dad Dollars free from a website. Each morning, three Dad Dollars waited on the kitchen table for each of her children. In order for her children to pick up/earn their Dollars, they had to complete their morning routine (get dressed, brush teeth, etc...). The catch: The Dollars disappeared at 7:30am. Ah Ha! I am SO borrowing her idea!

I got busy and created our own version of the Dad Dollar and printed a number of them off. I'm hoping I can get Matt to laminate them. I am going to use them for the same purpose. In order for Connor (and Carly) to know what activities must be completed each morning I am going to have index cards with pictures of the things they need to complete before coming downstairs to retrieve their Daddy Dollars. Since I am going to use real pictures of each of them completing the tasks, I started taking those pictures tonight. They will each be responsible for getting dressed, making their beds, and brushing their teeth each morning. These index cards will lay on their dressers each evening and when they get up in the morning they will look at the cards and complete each task, each time flipping the completed task over to reveal the words "Done". If they make it in time and snatch their Daddy Dollars before they disappear, they will collect them to "spend" at the Mommy Mart (also from the article in Family Fun) on things such as a backyard bonfire with s'mores, movie night, extended bedtime, afternoon playdate with a friend, family bike ride, etc... I may also provide other chore opportunities for them to earn additional Daddy Dollars. Hmmm...this could get really fun!

Our very own Daddy Dollar!

Weekend Adventure...ACE Style!

About a month and a half ago we were invited by a dear friend to spend the weekend in West Virginia at ACE Adventure Resort to celebrate his wife's 30th birthday. His plan was for Matt and I and another couple to join them as a surprise for Sally. We were honored and touched by his idea. Of course we accepted his offer.

This past weekend was THE weekend. Sally and Doug were dropping their children off with their godparents in western Virginia. Per Doug's request, Matt and I and Heather and JD drove over there ahead of them and surprised Sally when she walked in the door. She admitted that she'd had an idea that she and Doug might be going whitewater rafting but had no idea that the four of us might be involved.

We all piled in our van and continued our journey to Beckley, West Virginia...home of ACE Adventure Resort. As we wound our way through the mountain roads, admiring the beautiful landscapes, the conversation was wonderful and the anticipation of what was to come was exhilirating.

We finally came upon the Resort, nestled among the lush greenery and hills. The first thing we noticed was the large lake filled with enormous blow-up equipment (rock-climbing wall, slides, teeter-totter, etc...) as well as a zip-line running across the entire lake. We all decided immediately that we'd definitely be doing that before we left!

We encouraged Doug and Sally to eat at The Lost Paddle because we had called ahead and arranged for a birthday cake to be delivered to Doug because, although this weekend was planned for Sally's 30th birthday, it was also Doug's birthday...we fondly call it the week of the Johnsons!

Back at our site, we unpacked our things in our cabin tents (each couple had their own, side by side) and then let the guys, I mean JD, prepare a campfire. I must say it was pretty impressive. Of course we roasted marshmallows and made s'mores. YUM!

We all went to bed fairly early in anticipation of our big day the next day. The temps were in the 60's at night so sleeping was quite comfortable. I'm sure the platform beds and matresses helped with that.

After breakfast the following morning, we headed off on our whitewater excursion. Most of us had been whitewater rafting before. We were all excited to experience the lower New River. Our guide, Doug, was soft-spoken (made hearing his commands a challenge) and personable. He guided us through the rapids and ensured that we all had a great time. We lost (our) Doug twice overboard and I made a graceful exit (think back flip, legs wide open) while we were "surfing". Other than a lost can of sunscreen, a broken nail, and a small finger injury, we all had a blast and have decided that we're all going to go back, maybe next year, to attempt the Gauley (the river to tackle in WV).

As soon as we returned to the Resort, we all jumped in line for the zip-line. That was really neat. We also had a little time to enjoy some of the other inflatables before heading back to watch our trip video with the other guests. Next stop: Shower! (And they weren't bad at all - and even had electricity) After dinner we, again, enjoyed a fabulous roaring fire compliments of JD the Master Fire-starter.

It was sad to say goodbye, but we have all vowed that we are going back. Thanks Doug for including in this special weekend and Happy Birthday to my dear forever friend!

Beach Week

Our neighbors were kind enough to invite us to their beach house in Manteo, NC (on Roanoke Island) last week. Both husbands had to work during the week, so Jeannine and I took the kids (she has an eight year old boy) down on Tuesday and waited for the guys to get there Friday evening.

We spent each day doing almost the same thing. After we woke up and had breakfast, I would take Carly to the playground while Jeannine took the boys for a bike ride around the neighborhood. She was quick to share how excited she was that Connor could ride so fast, as he set the pace for the 3 mile ride (and I might add that he was ready to ride some more after he returned from the trip). That boy has some energy! Then we'd head back to the house and change into our bathing suits. The big decision of the day was whether to hit the beach or pool first. We were able to spend adequate time at each, and the kids loved both. I was amazed at how well Connor and Carly "managed" themselves in the ocean. They each knew their own personal limits and only went out as far as they felt comfortable. Back to the house for dinner and then we either took a walk or watched a movie before settling down for bed. Nice.

One of my favorite moments was when DJ Steve a.k.a."The Dream" set up at the pool and played some tunes for all to enjoy. He was very interestingly dressed and provided some great entertainment. I might add that he had some good moves as well. At one point he got all the kids up and invited them to the side of the pool for a Limbo competition, then a little YMCA dancing. What a hoot!

Once the guys got into town, they took the kids fishing off the pier and we signed the kids up for crabbing. They even caught some! That was lots of fun.

We had a great time...I miss the beach already! All in all...lots of fun in the sun!

Going Private...

Well, the time has come to change the privacy settings on our family's blog.

Have you heard about the latest news story involving a baby whose picture was stolen from a family's blog page and placed on a Craigslist ad offering adoption? Read it here.

If you read our blog and would like access to it, please notify me so that I can give you access to it.