Camp Morganton 2008

We spent a week with my parents in Morganton, NC. We have done this for the past couple of years and have come to call our summer visit - Camp Morganton. My Mom planned a fun week for me and the boys.

Our first stop was Tweetsie Railroad. It was so much fun. I thought it would be super cheesy, but it was actually a really fun day. The Cowboy/Indians was not very PC but the kids loved the shootout and the train ride. I took Jacob for his very first Ferris wheel ride. It was terrifying! I remember Ferris wheels being quite harmless. We were traveling at lightening speed on a Ferris wheel on top of a mountain. Jacob's little arms and legs were trembling. I had to hold it together (and try to keep down my hot dog I had for lunch) just to keep talking to him. My Mom, ever so wisely, took Brady on the Merry-go-round. They both had a wonderful time.

We spent another day at Lake James State Park. It is a beautiful beach area on the lake. The water is so shallow that we could sit on the shoreline and watch the boys splash in the water. They loved the freedom.

On the 4th of July we decorated my Dad's golf cart and we participated in the neighborhood golf cart parade. Jacob drove and Brady waved to everyone.

My parents thankfully watched the boys while Tod and I spent Saturday night in Boone. We went hiking along the Blueridge Parkway, got caught in a rain storm, toured around AppState, and RELAXED!!

We had such a great time at Camp Morganton! Can't wait for next year!

This Week at the O'Donnell Household...

I haven't posted lately and feel guilty. We've just been enjoying our summer so far. I do believe the heat is getting to us because we are spending more time indoors. So here is what has been happening this past week...


Went to the neighborhood BBQ. Jacob got his face painted like a tiger. Brady was terrified of him!! Jacob loved it.


We went to Morganton, NC to see my parents last weekend and had a relaxing trip. Tod was able to play lots of golf with my Dad. Mom, the boys and I went to the Day Lily Festival. I came home with some beautiful lilies. Thanks, Mom!


I had to cut a sucker out of my hair. Thanks, Brady!


Brady has decided to spend his summer in the nude. I told you the heat was getting to us! He was playing in our water table while I cooked dinner. I looked out and he was sitting in it completely nude! You can get away with that when you are 2.


The boys bunk beds came last night. It was delivered in 9 boxes! Tod and I, with lots of help from Jacob and Brady, got the room together in 2 hours. The beds are perfect. They are both full sized beds. Jacob slept on the top bunk last night. Brady will move to the "big boy bottom bunk" next week. (I'm not ready to give up the crib.) This morning Jacob decided that he "feels" like a big kid now that he slept on the top bunk.


We bought a Wii. We have been Wii-ing for the past two days. It is wii-errific! Jacob and I have already argued over whose turn it is. I don't think of myself as a "gamer", but I am definitely a Wii-er!!


Here's a couple of pictures from this week. Enjoy!

Wal-Mart Update

The saga continues. My Father-in-law encouraged me to send Wal-Mart customer service a copy of my Wal-Mart experience post. (see earlier post Is Wal-Mart Worth It?) I received an email about 24 hours after I emailed them about my awful experience. It was very basic. Just stated that they are looking into the issue. Ok. I thought that was as far as it was going to get. Well, yesterday I got a personal phone call from Wal-Mart Corporate. They have contacted the Tega Cay store and told them of my experience. The very nice representative told me that the "deli issues" have been addressed and the service at this particular store should improve. Great. I asked her about being able to check out of the store in a timely manner. She said that with a new store they are not sure how many people to staff for the first year. They don't have any "numbers" to go by. I told her that Wal-Mart is such a large corporation and opens new stores all of the time. Obviously more is better. More cashiers = better customers service = happier customers = bigger return on their investment!!! She didn't see it my way. I guess that is why I'm not in corporate America.

Oh well. I was impressed that they did take the time to call me. At least I feel like my voice was heard.

Gum Saves The Day

My Mom always tells the story about giving my older sister a pack of gum to keep her quiet. Well, I must say that it works! Yesterday I had to go to the DMV and the Social Security office. We were gone all morning. I bought a pack of Trident gum and it totally saved the day. The boys ate about half the pack of gum while waiting at both offices. Now I have to go clean out my purse of gum wrappers full of chewed up gum. Fun.

Grandma's visit

Tod's 89 year old Grandmother spent the week with us last week. It was fun to have her here for the week. The boys showed off in front of her by being super silly. Brady crawled up in her lap each afternoon after his nap with a book. I enjoyed having someone to eat lunch with every day. Tod took his Grandma on a coffee date one night. She loved having that alone time with him. On Saturday morning before we took her home, Tod ran in a 10K in Lake Wylie. Grandma, Jacob, Brady and I were able to cheer Tod across the finish line. She was very proud of her Grandson! I'm sure she is enjoying her peace and quiet this week!!

Go China!

This week Jacob participated in soccer camp through the YMCA. They taught them soccer skills, working as a team, leadership skills, and confidence. It was so much fun to watch! On the first day the coaches divided the kids into 4 teams. Each team represented a country and they played World Cup style soccer. Jacob's team was China and had to wear red every day to represent his country. On Thursday it was "Dress Up the Coach Day". The kids brought in some crazy things for the coaches to wear. Coach Ross (Jacob's coach) wore a kimono and a sombrero for the entire practice. The kids loved it!

Today was the final day of soccer. The coaches explained that each team received points on goals scored, teamwork, effort, and the team flags. Can you guess who won?? CHINA!! Jacob was super excited about his team winning! He looked over at me and said, "Can you believe it?" I can't believe I was all teary eyed!!

Tonight we are going to celebrate Team China and go out for a nice Chinese dinner! Go China!

Kung Fu Jacob

Jacob and I had a date last Sunday to see the new movie Kung Fu Panda. He has been counting down the days until we could see this movie. After two weeks of putting Kung Fu moves on all of us and his stuffed animals it was time to see the movie! We loaded up on popcorn and a cherry Icee and grabbed some prime seats. The movie was great. We both laughed throughout the entire movie. Once the credits started, Jacob leaped out of his seat clapping and shouted, "That movie was AWESOME!" I was crying from laughing. We talked about the movie all the way home. Jacob and I had such a great date. We highly recommend this movie!!