Beach Fun part 4

The only thing Ella didn't like about the beach was when she was ready to go, she hated the sand on her feet. Here she is trying to wipe the sand off with her towel.

One day, the boys went to Nascar Speed Park. The weather did not cooperate, so they ended up playing video games. Later in the week, Les and Jonathon went back to use their tickets. Les took pictures with his phone, but I have yet to figure out how to retrieve them, so you'll just have to trust me when I say they had fun :)

I have the cutest kids to ever walk the beach!!!

I said earlier that Ella loved the sharks at the aquarium, here's proof. She could have spent a very long time in the tunnel just looking. The cool thing is I have a picture of Jonathon doing this exact thing with Les at almost the same age. It is hard to believe that he is almost 10.

All loaded up and ready to go home! If you look close, you can see the way back is packed as high as Grace's head :)

Beach Fun part 3

Our big excursion for the week was a trip to Ripley's Aquarium at Broadway at the beach. The kids loved it! This is the crew out front waiting on the dads to park the vans. Almost everyone is looking, except Ella :)
Jonathon is touching a horseshoe crab. I don't know who was more excited - him or Ella!
This is a posed shot :) I told everyone to point and look amazed. How did they do?
Grace, Lizzie and Ben were checking out the jellyfish.
Here's the family after all our undersea adventures. It really is a great time for everyone. Ella loved looking at the sharks when we went through the tunnel. Jonathon is a science nut, so he loves anything to do with animals. Grace was fascinated by all the fish, and she really liked the sea turtle. We had to drag Les out of the pirated exhibit - he is one of those people who reads every plaque. He also enjoyed touching the stingrays. I just enjoyed watching the kids be amazed by everything they were seeing - isn't that the best part of being a mom?

Beach Fun part 2

Cindy brought a craft for us to do. I would have never thought to do that so I sure am glad there are people like that around. We made visors. The girls got a little carried away with flowers and ladybugs. Ella's favorite part of the craft was taking the stickers off and sticking them everywhere they shouldn't be - like on walls, carpet, furniture. This shot was taken while the little ones were napping and the guys were playing the PS2.

One day after nap, we went to a park a few blocks from the house. We rode the bikes, which can be an adventure in itself. The kids really enjoyed the playground, but I think there favorite thing was when Les convinced them to walk across the retaining wall that went about halfway around the playground. We would turn our heads, and Ella and Josh would be up there - those two have no fear! In the shot above, Ella, Ben and Josh are taking turns to go down the slide. In the shot below, Ella and Lizzie are climbing up to the slide. I don't think Ella knows she isn't supposed to be able to do everything the older kids can do!

We went to play mini golf one day after naps. This was fun. I got a hole in one, but Les did not!!! Ella liked to hit the ball. Grace always said she got 4 no matter how many times she hit the ball. The course was cool. It was based on pirates and they had a cool effect that made it seem like canon balls were being shot and landing in the water. The first time it happened, I think all the kids jumped :) Two holes were in a cave. The only drawback was that it was really hot! The shot above is the Gale family. Josh was very funny. On one hole Ella hit the ball in the rocks, and he ran and got it and brought it back to her to hit again. It was sweet! The shot below is our family. Jonathon and Grace always tried to hurry to the next hole. I think we called them back a million times! Luckily no one was in front of us.

Beach Fun part 1

We had such a great week! The kids were awesome! Except for a few melt downs, their behavior was really good. I think the easiest way to do this is post some pictures with a little info. We'll see how this works, if it doesn't, I'll try something different.

This was on our first day at the beach. Don't I have a beautiful family? The kids loved the beach almost as much as me and Les :) Ella loved to go out in the waves, Grace and Jonathon did too. By the end of the week, Jonathon was using the boogie board on the big waves!

It was a toss up between the waves and the sand as Ella's favorite. Here she decided to combine them. One time, Cindy and I were out body surfing (sounds cool, doesn't it! really, we were just getting dunked by wave after wave, but it was sooo much fun!) when I looked back at the shore, and here came Ella! She was coming to play with Mom!

Grace and Lizzie taught themselves to boogie board - with a little assistance from us patents! They got really good and as the week went on, very brave! On Sunday, they were in the very shallow waves, but by Saturday, they were out in the waves that came up to their belly buttons! Good job, surfer girls!

Everyday, you could tell what time it was by Ella. Almost like clockwork, she was ready to go between 11:45 and noon. Here she is all wrapped up and ready to go back to the house for lunch and nap. We went to the beach everyday from 10 -12. Needless to say, Josh and Ella usually took really good naps!

I'll post more after the kids go to bed! Now that vacation is over, real life has returned!

We are here!!!!

We are here!! Here are a few shots of the gang and all the fun we are having. I'll try to keep you updated on our super fun adventure!







Grace and Lizzie at dinner waiting for the food. We had to wait 30 minutes for a table, then the service was awful. The food was good - once it came. The kids did great with the wait!

Our first day at the beach was so much fun. Most of the kids loved the water (Josh wanted no part of it, but really enjoyed the sand). Jonathon is trying to escape a wave in this shot. Ella did great, and I think Grace may be part fish! Her and Lizzie had fun putting sand on their legs and letting the waves wash it off.

Here's the whole crew. As you can tell we take over everywhere we go!!

Beach Bum or Mermaid? You decide! Looking cool, Grace!

You could win a prize if you can guess what or who is floating in the water :)

This is on the way down. Ella loved using the headphones to watch the 'oovie'!!

1 more thing . .

I don't know how I forgot to mention the bikes! We have all 4 bikes strapped to the back of the van - Les', Jonathon's, Grace's, and mine with a baby seat for Ella. I am sure it is a sight. I will post pictures when we get there!

Beachbound and hammer down!!

Well, we are on our way. We wanted to leave at 1pm, but that didn't happen - I know you are shocked that the Scott's left late, I think we are late for everything!! We got everything loaded and are on the road as I type. Our neighbor called Les, Griswald, because of all the stuff on the van. On top are 2 suitcases and the pack & play with a mattress, in the back is 4 or 5 ( I forget and there is no way I am climbing all the way back there to count) bags, a CD player, gloves, beach toys, pillows, Jonathon's PS2 and games, and other odds and ends, in the van are the family including the dog, Daisy, and the necessary travel items (DVD player and movies, pillows, blankets, diaper bag, snacks, books, toys, and the laptop I am now typing on). So far we have only had 1 potty break. With 6 kids, I think that is pretty good!

Out of the frying pan...

VBS is over. It is bittersweet, because your energy is gone, but you really looked forward to the kids and other adults that you saw every night. Now I need to focus on vacation. We leave tomorrow! I am very excited, nowhere near ready. I need to finish laundry, start my stacks, figure out how to get all the stuff I plan to take in my van, AHHHH!! Vacation is supposed to be relaxing, right? I think ours will be great other than a few husband work issues that require them to either come later, leave for a few days, or work while we are there. No matter what the men need to do, Cindy, the kids and I will be beach bums, determined to relax and have fun!!

Vacation, VBS, and various things

In 2 days we leave for a week at the beach. As you can guess, we are all excited. I am also overwhelmed! This week has been VBS at church and it has been crazy! Last night we had 373 kids!!!! Wow! God is awesome!! The flip side of that is the energy required to lead 50 kindergartners doesn't leave any energy to prepare for vacation - which is only 2 days away. I am one of those people who makes a packing list. When we first got married, my husband thought this was weird, but after many trips where the kids and I have everything we need and he has no undies, he has changed his mind ( I refuse to pack for my husband - he is too picky about what to take). I don't even know where to start, because I have never been anywhere on vacation for 7 days. I think part of my problem is too much on my plate. I need to go to town, to get things I need for vacation (vacation is an excuse for new clothes, right?), but I have not left myself any time this week (extra kids, vbs, Ella nap time). What was I thinking??????? I could go to town tomorrow, but I need to get the oil changed in the van. I give up. Wal-mart is open 24 hours, right? I guess I'll find out if you have to wait in line at 1am. Sorry for all the whining, it is easier to grip to you than to Les, he's been working mega OT this week because of a project at work that will not go away!! Maybe that is part of my craziness, I feel like I am doing all this alone. Not his fault!!! He is a wonderful provider and it makes him crazy to miss so much time with me and the kids. He also did not get to help with vbs which really bothers him. God will honor him and his dedication to commitments he made and kept. Les, you are the best!!

Here's a few pictures for Grandy- I know that's the only reason you check the blog :)

Jonathon in his favorite spot - on the beanbag, in front of the PS2!!

I see you Grace!!

"I wanna see!" Ella thinks every time you pick up the camera, there is a picture for her to see!

This is my squad. You can't see everyone, but we do take up 4 rows.

Math- Mommy style

5 girls + 1 playroom + mom downstairs fixing lunch = A TOTAL MESS!!

The culprits, Charlie, Draye, Grace, Grace Madison, and Charlotte

- they look so innocent, don't they!

Did I say 6?

I said yesterday that I would have 6 children in my house today, but I was wrong, it is 7 - Jonathon, Charlotte, Draye, Grace, Grace Madison, Charlie and Ella. Jonathon, Grace and Ella are mine, Charlotte you know, Draye and Charlie are sisters and I play ball with their mom - GO ORANGE! She had errands to run. Grace Madison is our neighbor. Her mom is painting their new church building. They have been doing pretty good this morning! We have colored, watched Noggin and now we are enjoying the playroom (aka trashing beyond belief :). My goal today was to mop the kitchen, but with that many little feet, it may be impossible. That is just too bad that I won't get to mop, it was going to be the highlight of my day:)

Coloring is hard work when you are a toddler and your mom FINALLY lets you use the markers. Great job, Ella!!

Only 4 days until vacation and I can't wait! The last real family vacation we took was when Grace was 6 months old! She is now 5 years and 3 months. That is too long for anyone, especially a stay at home mom (Yeah, right, like I stay at home- more like stay in the van mom!) that seems to collect children on a daily basis. We are going to Myrtle Beach with the Gales. 4 adults, 6 kids and a dog are loading up- Myrtle Beach here we come!

VBS was great again last night! Somehow I keep ending up on stage acting silly! I know you are completely shocked by that. We had 320 the first night and 350 last night. I had 45 in my squad, but the 4th grade won the prize for biggest squad - they had 51!! God has been awesome in providing workers for all these kids. He also has worked the weather amazingly. Yesterday, we had rain from late morning till right before we left for VBS. Not a drop fell from the sky until we were pulling out of the parking lot. YEAH GOD!!! I can't wait to see what He has in store for us tonight!

Kids, kids and more kids!

On any given day, there is no telling how many children will be in my house. Today, the number is 6. As you can see, things get a little crazy. Charlotte and Victoria are see-sawing on the cow (it really is just a rocking toy, but kids can be creative :), Grace is in the tunnel which also doubles as an inside basketball goal; Grayson is trying to shoot, but as you can see, Grace is playing tough defense. Ella is wearing my flip flops and heading into who knows what kind of trouble. Jonathon is in the other room chasing the other ball. Just a normal day in the house of Scott.






Grace and Charlotte riding the "Cow-Saw". Whew, this is fun!!!

Tomorrow, the number will also be 6, but the kids will be different! Never a dull moment!

Having Fun with the Kids

After we got home from VBS, we were all a little wired, so we were being silly with the camera.

Ella doesn't like to have a hair bow, as you can tell. Say "Cheese!" Ella!!!

Grace was doing her "famous" cheerleader pose.

What are you eating, Ella? "tips" (FYI- this was before we went to VBS)

Grace laid on the floor for me to take her picture and Jonathon jumped beside her to get in the shot and this is the result.

I guess what they say is true, 2 heads are definitely better than one :)

Did I mention that I am raising a future football player? Hey, Jonathon, show us your muscles!! As you can see, Grace couldn't stand not being in the shot.

I am soooo blessed. I have 3 wonderful children who even on their bad days, are awesome!

Wow!

VBS was awesome! It lasts 2 hours and 15 minutes, but it feels like it only takes 10 minutes and it is over! We had a great squad of kids and I had a great group of helpers! It was a great turn out - our squad had 40 and we were missing 4 or 5 who had pre-registered. I expect even more tomorrow night. The kids were very excited and well behaved. It is really cool to see the kids get so excited and sing at the top of their voices about being on God's team.
At our church, they have an adult snack room for the volunteers. They have truly figured out how to make the volunteers feel appreciated. From the great food (nachos, brownies, m&m's, and soda, just to name some), to the really cool ladies who are in charge of it, it is a neat way to say thank you.
The crazy thing about VBS is it is something you look forward to for weeks, but it is the most exhausting week of your life, but I wouldn't miss it for the world!

VBS

Tonight is the start of VBS at our church. Sing with me "Game day central, where heroes are made!" If you have never seen VBS at our church, you don't know what you are missing! Just imagine 300 plus children and 200 plus volunteers and more fun than you have ever imagined and that is VBS. My group, we call them squads, is the Kindergartners. This morning at church, Julie, one of the co-directors, told me that I had 40 children signed up on-line. That is 15 more than I had last year at the end of the week!! Tonight I get to help with a skit that goes with the offering. I know what you are thinking, me, on stage, with a microphone, what are they thinking! I am excited!!! I think I may be one of those people who loves to be the center of attention, but I'm not sure :) I'll keep you updated on our wonderful, crazy nights at VBS.

Victory Sports

As you can see, Victory Sports is a family event for us. Les and I both coach. Jonathon and Grace both play. Ella is always along for the ride! I have never been involved with an organization like this before. It is awesome! Not only do the kids learn to play, but they also learn about Jesus. But the league isn't only for the kids. The parents are totally involved also. If they don't coach, they help out at practice, or become team moms. This year, I had to be the luckiest coach in Victory Sports. I not only had 2 assistant coaches (one was a former Winthrop University batting coach), but I had 2 dads that helped at almost every practice and most of the games. My team mom was amazing! By the second practice, she had everything organized for the entire season. I also had moms who were there to do anything that was needed, like Terri, who took care of Ella almost every practice. During games, all the coaches helped all the kids. There is no pressure to win, just to do your best. I watched Jonathon turn into a totally different player than he was in the other league we played in. He gained so much self-confidence, it was amazing. I think he is finally starting to grow into his size. He is only 9 but he's 5 feet tall and weighs 98 lbs. I don't think I will be able to keep food in the refrigerator in the next few years :) The difference in Grace was amazing. Last year was her first year in T-ball, and to say the least, she hated it. She hated that the glove made her hand sweaty and she hated that the hat made her head sweaty, and she hated fielding the ball. The only thing she liked was hitting. This year, she never complained about being sweaty. She learned the right way to field the ball and throw the ball. She learned to play first base, kinda :) As her coach, I was soooo proud, but as her mom, I was beaming!! To have a daughter who could possibly be a future member of the orange, is just too good to be true!!

This is me getting Grace all set at first base. If you look close, you will see that her glove is pink! You can see that she is "all girl" no matter what she is doing!

The next sport is soccer. As you guessed, Les and I will both coach, Jonathon and Grace will both play, and Ella will be along for the ride. And best of all, LOTS of kids will get to hear about Jesus!!

Summer Top Ten

Top Ten things I would like for summer:

1. Endless supply of water for the sprinklers- without the bill!
2. A bottomless basket of fruit
3. A sunscreen mist that the kids can walk through so I don't have to rub it on every time we go outside - I could buy the spray, but I am cheap!
4. A van that runs on laughter instead of gas
5. Nap time for everyone - even us old people!!
6. Toenail paint that doesn't chip or fade - who has time to do your nails with a house full of kids!
7. A box of amazingly cool toys that I can hand over every time I hear "I'm bored"
8. Cool flip flops in every color
9. A swim suit that really makes you "look 10 pounds lighter"
10. A real vacation - one that I don't have to plan, pack and unpack for, organize and continuously work during (cause Mom's don't get any time off)

This is my list. Add your own suggestions, I would love to hear them!

O-R-A-N-G-E

Can you say undefeated? We won 12 to 5 over St. Phillip Neri. The first inning didn't go as well as we would have liked. We batted okay, scored a few runs, but lost it in the field. We let them score 3 runs because we kept throwing the ball away. I know you are probably wondering when I am going to start whining about the umpire, well, right now. The umpire only liked balls that were flat. He did get better as the game went on. I only had 3 outs tonight, but 2 were strike outs. But who's counting, right? Shannon Boyd got player of the game. She went 3 for 3. We don't have a game next week because of VBS and the following week I will be a beach bum. I'll try to keep you up to date about the 2 games I miss. Until then, GO ORANGE!

GO ORANGE!!! part 2

Tonight is game #2, so GO ORANGE!!! I'll return later with highlights and results. So all who read this, put on your orange to support the team!!

Fun at the Pool

Today we went to the pool with our friends the Boyds and the Gales. Here's a few shots of the fun.



"Hey Mom! I am ready to swim!!" Today Ella learned how to jump off the side to Mommy - I'm not sure if that is a good thing or not!

Grace and Charlotte doing there best imitation of mermaids. These two would go to the pool everyday if I would take them.

Here's the gang- Ben, Ella, Charlotte, Grace, Draye, Lizzie, and Charlie. Josh was there too, but he didn't really want to be in the picture.

All done and heading for home!! Nap time here I come!!

Pictures of the kids

Grace-Our cheerleader at her best!

Ella trying to fill Daddy's shoes.

Jonathon in his acting debut - he's the tall one on the left.

Preschool graduation- Kindergarten here she comes!!

Grace and Miss Katie on the last day of cheer camp - GO PINK!!

One simple shower!

How much chaos can happen during a five minute shower? This was what I was asking myself when I decided to take a quick shower (is there any other type when there are 4 kids in the house?!). Obviously a lot of total chaos!! By the time I had my hair wet and soapy, Grace was crying because Ella threw something (this, by the way is her new thing) that hit her in the leg. Charlotte came to the door to fill me in on all the details, so I told her to tell Grace to come to the bathroom (remember, I still have a head full of shampoo). She came back saying Grace couldn't walk. Now you need a little background information on Grace -she is a drama queen. Any and every time she falls or feels pain, she screams and falls apart. So you can imagine that I am not too concerned about hearing that she thinks she can't walk. I tell Charlotte that Grace can either come to the bathroom or wait on me to get out of the shower. I rinse my hair and pick up my face wash and hear Charlotte at the door again - I think you have already guessed that she loves to let me know everything. Ella is crying because Jonathon hit her with the light saber (yes, like the one in Star Wars). At this point, I lose it. I tell her that everyone needs to find a seat and stay there until I get out of the shower. By the time I am rinsing off, Ella is in the bathroom with me (probably the safest place for her at this point). She "helps" me get dressed and I go to deal with the chaos. First, I make sure Grace can walk. She can and looks almost embarrassed at the ease of walking across the room. I then let Charlotte get out of the rocking chair. Finally, I remind Jonathon that he is 8 years older than his sister and he shouldn't swing the light saber at anyone. He responds that she claims the light saber is hers, at this I just stare. Unfortunately, this is not that uncommon a morning in our house. Oh well, we still have the afternoon to look forward to!!

GO ORANGE!!!

I know you all have been sitting on the edge of your seats to know the results of the season opener for the ORANGE, sooooooo, we won 6 to 3 over Tega Cay Baptist. Being the pitcher, I first need to whine about the home plate umpire. His strike zone was all over the place! Okay, whining over. We played well. Suzanne led off and went 2 for 3. Lisa hit well, even though she struck out once. If looks could kill, we would have had to call the coroner when the umpire called the third strike! Shannon was on the mark at short stop- even though she had a baby just 6 weeks ago. I had a few outs at pitcher - 2 line drives, a pop fly, 2 ground outs, and a strike out, but who's counting. I would have had 2 pop flies, but I totally misjudged the ball and tried to back peddle and almost ended up on my rear and I didn't catch the ball! I am sure it was comical to watch. Laura Bott- fellow left field super star to Jen Wade- got player of the game for going 3 for 3. Okay Mrs. Wade if you are out there, we missed you!! Hopefully they have softball in EP, but I'm sure they don't have the ORANGE!!

Painting, grocery shopping, and other adventures

This past weekend Les went to Miami. As any other wife knows, this is the signal to redecorate or at least do one of those projects that otherwise wouldn't be okayed. My projects were painting the kitchen and the girls room. Don't get me wrong, Les knew about it and even helped me pick the colors and buy the paint. He just was happy to get on a plane and leave the state while the actual work was being done. So I called my parents and they came to help me paint (Mom watched the kids; Dad and I did the painting) If I have to say so myself, we did a great job. I now have a light yellow kitchen and my girls have a pretty pink room. (Les likes it too!!!)
Last night, my friend Cindy and I went grocery shopping together. We both needed a few things and since we live just a few houses down from each other, we thought, why not go together. Who would have thought Wal-Mart at 10pm would be so fun? I think the lack of children (we each have 3) may have had something to do with it. Wal-Mart was such a huge success (we stuck to the list and stayed under $), we decided to go get ice cream, so Sonic here we come! The first Sonic we passed was closed, but that didn't stop us. We found another Sonic, this one was OPEN, and enjoyed 2 Blasts (one Oreo and one Reeses). There is no therapy out there that can beat ice cream and girl talk with a good friend. By the time we got home it was almost 11:30pm. It didn't matter if it was late, it was time well spent!!
As I am typing this, Grace and Charlotte are painting (I am almost afraid to look!!), Jonathon is veggin' out on the couch (Sponge Bob is on the tube), and Ella is sleeping (YEAH!!!!!!). Who knows what the afternoon will bring - bike ride or sprinkler? Only time will tell.
Tomorrow is the first softball game of the season, so Jen if you're reading this, come back for results and highlights. GO ORANGE!!!!