Tweetsie trip with cousins

Haley panning for gold
Note Charlie's face...he was terrified of the indians

OIB 2010

Since my camera is on the fritz, my sweet sis-in-laws shared some pics with me of our trip to Ocean Isle in August. Here are the tanned up cuties having fun with their cousins.

Train trip

We tried out the new noon train to Raleigh this summer...it was super fun. The trip is about 3 hours, so it doesn't save time, but it was a great experience.

Sweet Cammie picked us up from the station, here are the kiddos on deck

Charlie made friends with one of the passengers (surprise, surprise!) and even took a nap on her lap. Ironically, she knew Scott's mom when she lived in Raleigh.
Getting on the train in Durham to head home
Vail and Haven took the trip with us, they were giddy with excitement

Great Wolf Lodge

Mimi and G-daddy treated us to a night at the Great Wolf Lodge for Christmas and we cashed in on a cold, rainy February weekend! This place is absolutely ridiculous...so fun and a perfect family trip. We went with our Raleigh cousins and the kids had a blast...check out the photos below.

Haley is waiting for this giant bucket of water to drop...my little dare-devil!

Scott, Charlie, Jake and Todd at the top of the waterslide

Todd in action
Jake
Charlie (went down face first on his tummy!)
Dane
Cole
Haley and Riley in front of the wave pool
All the cousins right before we left...you can hardly tell how exhausted they were!

Carolina Beach Pics

During our trip to Carolina Beach, we ventured down to the Fort Fisher Aquarium to see the albino alligator on exhibit. Look closely in the background to see the white alligator...Freaky!

I mean, that is way too close for comfort! That gator is thinking "chicken nugget"...

As soon as Haley would sit down by this tank, this cowfish would come up to her and try to smooch the glass. We told her that he was her "buddy" and that he seemed to like her. She ate it up and kept coming back to her "buddy" to talk to him and wanted us to take a picture of them together...
Saying Bye-bye to beach until next year...

Britt's Donuts

They were open for the holiday weekend and we partook! Is "partook" a word? Seriously, these are the best donuts around. Britt's donuts opened in 1939 and is a Carolina Beach tradition. The menu is simple...donuts and drinks, that is it. As you sit at the counter, you see the donuts fry in the one small fryer and watch the servers wait on the ridiculous line that forms each morning of the weekend. The boardwalk is filled with hungry beachcombers waiting for the next dozen to cool just enough to get placed into a simple white paper bag before getting devoured! During our short stay in Carolina Beach, we visited the shop each day and the kids quickly learned to ask for the donuts by name...delish!

OIB 2009

We just returned from a wonderful vacation at Ocean Isle Beach with Scott's family. We spent a week in the most awesome house at the west end of the island and we literally did not leave the entire week! Mimi and G-daddy spoiled us rotten with good food and lots of little treats! They planned a Steak n' Shake night, complete with hats and activities for the kids and a Hawaiian Luau with leis and Hawaiian skewers! It was a great way to wrap up the summer...I soaked up the smell of ocean air, sunscreen and my little beachy babes. I wish I could freeze the age of my kids right now...they love being with mommy and daddy and they are head over heels excited about even the dullest shell on the beach!

Pullen Park

Pullen Park was founded in 1887 and was the first public park in North Carolina. At the end of the summer, it is closing for renovations so we have had soaked up two great visits this summer. The park has a carousel, a train and kiddie boats along with all the normal playground equipment and a fantastic duck pond. Here are some pics from a trip with our cousins, Jake and Cole.

Settings...and Stuff

I never read instructions! I wish I was more patient and took the time to read them. It used to take me about 20 mins per picture to upload, but now thanks to a tip from Linds B, I changed my settings on my camera to reduce the size of the images. Voila, I can actually update my blog with pictures! Thanks, Linds!

We spent Memorial Day at the beach with my family. We got to spend some time with our new nephew Mac, we celebrated Charlie's brithday AGAIN, celebrated my birthday, spent time by the water, and Poppy caught the kids a toad. The beach club has a great Memorial Day party that was loads of fun for the kids. You'd think these kids grew up years ago if you saw the way they danced to some good ole beach music.

I don't really know anyone well who is serving in our armed forces, but I am very grateful for all those who are fighting for our freedoms. I can only imagine how hard it would be to have a loved one putting their lives on the line daily, Thank you!

Blowing Rock Park

The Blowing Rock Park is where we spend most of our time when we go to the mountains...it is truly a great park. We happened to show up on a day where the hospital was hosting an event to promote families getting active. They had a sack race and a hula hoop tournament and tons of fun games...here are some highlights from the park.

2008 Cannady Family Vacation

We just got back from a great trip to Ocean Isle with the whole Cannady family, all 14 of us!!!

It was tons of fun, here are some highlights and things I learned this week:

1. Charlie loves Balls...I mean, how do boys know that they are supposed to like balls so much??? In fact, I think the only word he says regularly is "ball".

2. Never set high expectations when attempting to take a picture of 6 kids on the beach.

3. When you want some peace and quiet, ask Mimi and G-daddy to take all the kids on a golf cart ride!

4. If you want to catch a lizard, just throw whatever object the lizard is on in the pool, even if the object is a lounge chair!

5. Always lock the outside shower door if you are in the buff!!!

Haley holding Uncle Ross' lizard (refer to item 4 above)

Visit to Ripley's Aquarium in Myrtle Beach

ahhhh, yummy shadows make such a cute picture...