Landfall Ace Jr. Circuit and ECSL Championship Swim Meet

In February, Jackson played in another club tennis tournament at the Country Club of Landfall. He played very hard and made it to the finals, where he lost in a third set tiebreak. It was a very close match but in the end his opponent pulled out a win. He did, however, walk away very happy since he received a runner up trophy. He was thrilled as he told me, "Mom, I actually EARNED this trophy. It's not like soccer or basketball where they just give you a trophy for signing up." I had to laugh a little!!!

So proud!!!

In March, we traveled to Cary, North Carolina to watch Austin swim in the short course season ending meet called ECSL Championships. This meet included the teams that swim in eastern North Carolina and Austin had another amazing meet, beating all but two of his previous best times. He managed to place 6th or better in every single event!! It is amazing to see the dedication that these kids have toward their sports as they often swim until 9:00 pm and must be back at the pool by 7:15 am the following morning. They do this all weekend long. The hotel lobby is full of walking zombies in the mornings at breakfast but all of the kids are so hard working that they are willing to sacrifice a lot of sleep and free time in order to do well at their sport. Very impressive!!!

Austin's 8 & under swim meet - Ravenscroft School, Raleigh NC

This past weekend our family traveled with Austin to Raleigh to compete in a state wide swim meet for 8 & under swimmers only. Austin competed in 8 individual events and 2 relay events. Out of the 10 events that he swam, he posted 8 personal best times, including the 100 yard free, 25 free, 25 back, 25 fly, 25 breast, and 50 breast. Swimming is a very challenging sport, especially for these young swimmers because it requires such a time commitment and focus that is not usually found in 7 year olds. However, Austin loves swimming and he is a natural! We are so proud of him! Jackson was trooper also and cheered his brother on for two days without a complaint!

Resting at the hotel after Day 1

Boys' First Ski Trip

In preparation for the boys first ski trip, they received lots of ski gear for Christmas from both sets of grandparents. Tod and I really wanted their first ski trip to be successful and for us coastal southern beach bums that means being as warm as possible.

We decided to stay fairly close to home for this trip so as not to spend too much time or money until we knew for sure that the boys would enjoy skiing. And boy did they! We went to Wintergreen Resort in Virginia where they have had a very cold winter and have been able to make a lot of snow in addition to the natural snow that has fallen. With a 60" base, conditions were perfect!

Day 1, we decided the boys would go right into a group lesson because neither Tod nor I could fool ourselves into thinking we could possibly teach the boys to ski. After the lesson, they were ready to hit the green slopes. Or so we thought. Let me tell you, as a very amateur skier myself, I was in no way prepared to deal with helping them as they slipped and fell all the way down the mountain. Once onto the chairlift, we were able to collect ourselves enough to know they were NOT ready to ski yet. We took a lunch break and immediately enrolled the boys in a private ski lesson. BEST MONEY EVER SPENT! They came from the private lesson able to stop and turn (which as it turns out comes in very handy). We successfully skiied the remainder of the day.

The next morning, the boys were begging for another ski lesson so we signed them up for a half day private lesson this time. Their instructor was wonderful! He bought them hot chocolate when they were cold and tired and really boosted their confidence and had them looking like they had been skiing for years. It never ceases to amaze me how quickly children learn things (this coming from a full grown adult who didn't learn to ski until I was in my twenties). The boys would start at the top of the mountain, point their skis downward, and off they went with no fear whatsoever. Jackson gradually learned that turning really does come in handy and Austin, who was taught how to turn properly, just doesn't find all that slowing down necessary. Considering the speed with which he flew down the mountain, the fact that he only took out one sign on the way down was quite surprising.

Anyway, I didn't take many pictures for fear that I would destroy my new camera during a fall but here are a few we took before we headed out to the slopes....

Snow Day 2011

Well, we have the perfect excuse to update our blog today: a surprise snow!!! We have learned it is not easy to take good photos in the fast falling snow but we all had a great time enjoying this rare occurance for Wilmington!!!

New beginnings

Oh my, has it really been nearly a year and a half since I last posted to this blog. Ugh! It seems my blog is a little like my scrapbook; unfinished (despite the best of intentions!).

Well, with it being January 1, 2011, let me try this one last time! I resolve to be better about posting to our blog this year. That we got a new camera for Christmas should only serve as added incentive.

In the meantime, here is an attempt to catch up the year of 2010 in pictures!

We spent a lot of time at the beach house in Ocean Isle

Jackson was selected to represent third grade at the County Technology Fair - Spring 2010

Shayla's sweet tennis friends took her out to celebrate her birthday - October 2010


Austin was a policeman for Halloween

Jackson played in several tennis tournaments

Austin getting ready for spring baseball

Jackson's birthday trip to Blowing Rock - July

Austin's birthday trip to The Great Wolf Lodge - August

Austin's 6th Birthday - September 2009

Trying to learn a lesson from Jackson wild and crazy and out of hand 8th birthday party, we decided to keep Austin's party small and have it somewhere OTHER than our house! We only invited a few boys this time and we had it at our club's pool. What a SMART idea that was! The boys played so well together the whole time AND we the lifeguards got to do crowd control! In addition, the club took care of the setup, the food, and the cleanup. All for a price way way lower than even doing it at home! Of course the theme was Star Wars, in true Austin fashion! The boys were great and enjoyed eating pizza, swimming, and having cake!

All of the boys gathered around some yummy pizza!

Austin and his friend Polk

The Star Wars Cake

That's a lot of hot air!

Opening presents at home after the party

First Day of School - August 2009

Well, the beginning of school was a big deal around our house this year! This was finally the year Austin would start big kindergarten! He attended a private kindergarten last year and did very well but it was finally time to go to public school with his brother. Of course, for Jackson the beginning of school meant moving to the grades 3-5 hallway on the complete opposite side of the school. He's way too big and cool now to hang out anywhere near the "little kids" as he calls them. Anyway, they have both settled in nicely and love their teachers. Here are a few pictures from the first day!

Austin

Still a little early for Jackson

Silly Brothers!



Proud Austin



Walking into the class!

It didn't take him long to get right to work!