Spring Break 2009: Seagrove Beach (Day 4 of 8)

Morning cartoons

In the evening Derek helped uncle Jason with the grilling

We always celebrate the boy's birthdays with my family at the beach...birthday hamburgers yum!

Birthday presents

Aunt Kelley plays pirates with Adam

In the afternoon we rode bikes to Seaside

Helen holds Derek in front of the house in Seaside where we stayed during our first beach trip in 2000

Here are some pictures from that trip in April of 2000 when Derek had just turned 1:

My sisters, Katie and Kelley, came along with us that year

Tuesday April 7, 2009

Spring Break 2009: Seagrove Beach (Day 3 of 8)

Adam and uncle Jason hit the candy bowl

Breakfast Scrabble

Sister, Kelley, and Derek

Mom

Walked into town for some pizza and stopped along the way to look at the beach



Sister-in-law, Laine, and her new skimboard

Adam gettin his board on

Derek tries to persuade Adam to cooperate for a photo

Monday April 6, 2009

I'm finally getting around to finishing the beach trip blogging that I started a while back: Day 1 and Day 2.

July 4th

Adam heard Sugarland, ran to get dressed up, and returned to play along

Adam helps decorate the dessert

Norcross Fireworks

Chamblee Fireworks

Derek and Adam decorate Helen's hair

My brother, Jason, and his wife, Laine, are usually a part of our 4th of July festivities, but they had already left town. We missed you!

Peachtree Road Race

Adam and Derek all set up for the race

The lead runners...of course I never saw them

Finally

Crazy costumes are what the kids really come to see

I continue to try to catch up on my blogging. Here are pictures from the Peachtree Road Race on July 4th. This race is the only one I do anymore. It's such a great way to kick off the holiday...lots of positive healthy energy.

Piano Recital

My mom, Derek, and Helen's parents

Adam


Derek

Helen and Derek duet

Adam receives his award

Playing around in the music shop afterwards

The kids with their teacher, Ms Irena

Post recital treat

This past weekend was gorgeous with a hint of fall in the air. The boys had a piano recital on Sunday. All their hard work paid off and they did a great job. Helen was persuaded to do a duet with Derek. She was nervous about it, but she did fine and they both had fun with it. The kids liked that Mommy had to practice just like they have to.

The kids don't like for me to check their piano practice or schoolwork because they say I'm too hard to please. My argument is that their assigned work is not something over their heads like a Bach overture or calculus, rather it is level appropriate and they should be able to nail it. After a recent piano check Adam turned to me and said that I expected them to be perfect when I don't even know how to play myself. I had to admit that he had me there, but I got him back with "...infinity plus 1, infinity plus 1".

Now that the recital is over it will be nice to hear some new songs around the house for a change.

Derek recently became interested in the idea of purchasing his own computer and has been feeling us out for how much we would be willing to contribute to the cause. I keep telling him that we don't have any money left because we're spending it all on piano lessons. He wasn't happy about that.