Magi Quest

There was a day where I vividly remember saying that I would never take Evan to play Magi Quest again.

I lied.

When we gave the boys a list of options of things to do while on vacation in Myrtle Beach, there was no hesitation when both boys voted to spend a morning at Magi Quest. And because I didn't think I could survive another quest with Evan in search of a rune (what are runes anyway?), I almost told them it was closed in order to avoid it all.

But despite my previous experience at Great Wolf Lodge with quests, adventures, and runes, I accepted the challenge. I almost ruined the best family vacation ever with this little decision.

Evan had two major melt downs. If you haven't played the game, then you will be lost with the following pieces of terminology - vocabulary that only a master magi can truly appreciate, but we had tears and feet stomping because Evan couldn't find the yellow crystal. It was at this point that our team of four became a team of two, and Wes officially paired Evan and me together. Then to make matters worse the Code of Wizardy eluded him in the very next quest. This meant more tears and more feet stomping. The poor guy just can't handle a good ole' challenge from an imaginary wizard who lives in The Circle of Rocks. There was just a minor breakdown when we couldn't zap the portal star, and I almost broke the wand over the shelves of the castle library when I couldn't locate the slime necessary for the healing rune. I should have known that pairing the two high strung members of the family as a team was a bad idea. Wes and Keagan played the game like they had years of experience. 

However, Evan and I collected five runes - more than team Cool Cats. It was an added bonus that we lived to tell you about it!

Day 3 Spring Break

Sleep late. Check.

Spend morning at aquarium. Watch the boys almost fall into the sting ray tank with excitement over petting both sting rays and horseshoe crabs. Check.

Eat Italian ice and homemade fudge. Buy candy at the biggest candy store ever. Check and check and check.

Play some football on the beach, collect a few shells, and wish I had that beach house and that beach house and that beach house... Check.

Leave the pool area with a slight sunburn. Check.

Crab for dinner. Check.


I am already wishing we were booked for more than four nights.

Spring Break Day 1

Day one of spring break....Keagan battled the pavement, and the pavement won. However, the looks we have received the past two days have been priceless.

Pillar's 5th Birthday

For the past five years we have attended a church plant that meets in a local elementary school. The second Sunday we were in Dumfries, we attended Pillar Church, and we showed up knowing nothing about planting a church. It never crossed our minds to try something else until we were so involved with the group that leaving was not an option. Two and three years later when no one we invited took us up on the idea of coming to church with us we certainly entertained the idea of trying something new. There were many Sundays when I wanted to trade in the stackable chairs for church pews and drive across town to First Baptist.

And I am sure that I am not the only one that entertained that idea.

We celebrated the church's five year birthday with a party complete with cake, games, and food. It was all a bit non-conventional, but pretty much everything the past few years has been anything but traditional.

We plan doing much of the same once we get to Georgia. We are on the look-out for a church that meets in a school cafetorium complete with posters advertising healthy eating habits and banners that teach "hello" in the five major world languages. We have officially given up on stained glass and a choir loft.

However, in the center of it all we do expect to see a cross. A reminder that it makes no difference where you meet as long as the cross is the reason for your meeting.

Good-bye Indoor, Hello Outdoor

This weekend we said goodbye to Keagan's winter indoor soccer season, and we began practice for the spring outdoor season. At today's end of the season party, Keagan was awarded the "Most Intense Player" certificate. 

I think he might be related to his mother.

Keagan Learns to Read

Word Walls all over the Living Room Walls

Dolch Site Word Flashcards

Bob Books - Levels 1 AND 2

Leap Frog DVD and Hooked on Phonics Youtube videos

I had tried it all, and Keagan didn't respond well to learning to read. Although he desired to know how to read, he was not interested in applying himself to the arduous task of learning how to read. With Wes and Evan out of the house on Sunday afternoon, I pulled out a book I randomly selected at Borders and decided Keagan would read.

As my daddy would say, "come hell or high water", he was going to kindergarten in Georgia knowing how to read. I was ready to fight to make sure that happened.

I couldn't believe my sweet little boy's voice when he was able, having never seen or heard the book before, to read the story. I was even more surprised that no battle was required.

Convinced this was just a fluke, I had him read it again the following night. This time he had to read it out of order, with random pages selected, so that he was reading it out of context (and hence not memorizing the text). And, again, he was able to read the book.

Maybe he felt more comfortable with Evan out of the house.

Maybe he wanted to read something brand new - something that had never been in Evan's hands.

Maybe it was timing.

Whatever, the reason, I found success with The Big Red Blanket, and we are going back for more of the "I'm Going to Read" series.

Adventure Saturday

If you have never been to see a performance at Adventure Theatre at Glen Echo Park in Maryland, then try to take the kids to see one soon.

We saw the musical "Flat Stanley", our second show, and we loved it as much as we did the last. After the performance, we took the boys to the playground to play and have an ice cream.