Baseballs and Bows

Doctor Visit

2012-01-24T12:45:00.003-05:00

I finally had Weston and Addison's yearly well-child visits today with their pediatrician. I had been putting this off, mainly because I knew that this one was going to be a "doosey" for Addison because of getting the dreaded 4 year shots. She already dreads doctor visits anyway, so I didn't clue her in on the shots ahead of time because I knew she would just worry. I also thought that she would be the only one getting shots because before we were told that Weston wouldn't need anymore until he was 12 or 13. So he thought he was home-free. Well, if I wasn't already dreading the shots for Addison enough, when we got there the nurse told us that Weston was going to have to have one, too, because they are giving one now that wasn't standard procedure to give when he was younger. So he had not had it, but needed it. He was so upset and started crying. He is rough and tumble on the ball field, etc. but boy when it comes to needles, he is a big baby! HA! The good news continued when the doctor informed me that they were also going to both need to be "pricked" for hemoglobin checks. I had two not-so-happy-campers on my hands. I tried to explain to them (cue teachable moment) how lucky that they are not to have to have these things done more often...there are so many children out there that are worse off and we need to be thankful for their health. Hopefully this will sink in, but in the moment all they cared about was the fact that they were about to get shots and pricks. I'm thankful to report that we all survived and Mommy plans to follow through tonight with her promise of a special treat--a trip to the frozen yogurt bar! (I offered to take them right after the appt but Weston wanted to get back to school and go tonight) I want to put their stats below so that I'll have them documented--

WESTON: 7 years, 2 months
weight- 72 lbs. (96.58 percentile)
height- 50.75 in. (86.61 percentile)

ADDISON: 4 years, 3 months
weight- 31.2 lbs. (12.38 percentile) *she had no weight gain since her last weigh in from October, but we are just watching this for now and will continue to pump calories
height- 38 in. (8.61 percentile) yay!

And here are two pictures from this morning...Addison was still oblivious and looking at books; Weston knew what was about to come! I have to say that Addison is coming a long way with her anxiety about going to the doctor. I was proud of her this morning. Weston normally does fine unless there is a needle involved. ;)

Addison's Happenings...

2012-01-23T20:53:00.008-05:00

Addison was so excited to go to the movie theatre to see Beauty and the Beast in 3D!

She is also in her 2nd semester of tap and ballet classes! She is busy preparing for her Spring dance recital.

Last week at school, Addison had to draw a picture of her Mom. :-) She was so excited to show me when she got home...I didn't know whether to smile or be offended! HA!

I am constantly reminded that after this year, I will only have one more full year before Addison starts elementary school. I really don't even want to think about that--but at the same time, I better be cognizant of this fact, so that I can really enjoy the time that I'm able to spend with her now! I'm trying to soak in these preschool years, because I'm fully aware of how fast they go by!

Addison and her babies

2012-01-15T19:25:00.006-05:00

This is how Addison spends so much of her days...pushing her babies around and pretending to shop! Or pretending to go on a trip somewhere with them...often times seeing how many babies she can fit into her stroller or shopping buggy!

Basketball Winter 2012

2012-01-10T19:20:00.000-05:00

Basketball season is in full swing! Here is a little video clip from opening day, when they introduced the coaches and team members.

Happy New Year!

2012-01-02T19:04:00.001-05:00

Happy New Year!! Welcome 2012!

And here are a couple of cute pics of Addison--we enjoyed fondue on New Years Eve! Addison got really into the chocolate. ;-)

Here is a cute picture of the kiddos before church on New Years Day!

And finally, the day after New Years--which was Monday, Bob had to return to work after being off for two weeks. The Gamecocks played their bowl game that Monday. Bob took a long lunch break at home with us as we cheered them on and I made some gameday food. The best part was the Gamecocks WON!! Go USC!! We can't wait to see what you do in 2012!

Beach Trip

2011-12-31T18:54:00.000-05:00

We left the day after Christmas for 4 nights at the beach. We enjoyed relaxing, indoor swimming, playing board/card games, walking on the beach, playing football on the beach, and went to the movie theatre to see Chipwrecked! Made us all look forward to spending even more time at the beach this summer...

Christmas Day

2011-12-28T19:18:00.001-05:00

The children were SO excited to wake up on Christmas day to see what Santa had left! They both slept in Addison's bed on Christmas Eve, and had to call for us when they woke up so we could get the cameras ready and meet them!

Look what Santa left for Weston and Addison!

Stockings!

Weston and Addison pose with their cousins on Bob's side of the family...we enjoyed Christmas Day dinner and gift exchange at his sister's house!

And, finally, here is a video of our traditional "Happy Birthday, Jesus" song and cake!

Christmas Eve

2011-12-26T08:12:00.001-05:00

Christmas posts always overwhelm me because I take SO many pictures on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day! My children are at SUCH fun, fun ages for Christmas and I want to capture all the fun in photographs for memories sake!

On Christmas Eve, we started the day going to church for Eve Service:

Then, we went to lunch with Grammie and Great Grandma:

After that, we came home and Addison took a nap while Daddy and Weston goofed off together and then we baked cookies for Santa!

Each year, we also put out reindeer food on Christmas Eve:

This year, while talking with Santa, he shared with us that Dasher really enjoys eating carrots, so of course, we had to leave some carrots out for Dasher!

Next up, was a delicious Christmas Eve dinner! I made a roast and veges and tried a new recipe off of Pinterest for garlic cheddar biscuits...they were delish!

(for this picture, we had to prop the camera on a side table and set the self timer on the camera, so that's why the angle is a little weird!)

On Christmas Eve, it is tradition to each open one present and it is always a new pair of Christmas pajamas!

We did something new this year...on top of the kids Christmas pajama packages, was a "Christmas Express ticket". On the back of the ticket, it explained for the children to go put their PJ's on and to meet us in the garage with their tickets for a special car ride. When they gave me their ticket, I punched smiley faces on them with a hole punch (remember the fun punches on the tickets from the Polar Express?!) and gave them peppermint sweet mints and we drove around in their PJ's looking at Christmas lights in our neighborhood!

And, finally, it was time to put cookies and milk out for Santa, take our traditional Christmas pj pictures, read our Christmas books, and get tucked into bed!

Next up...Christmas day pictures!

USC Basketball Game

2011-12-24T23:04:00.000-05:00

I didn't get to blog about our fun time at a recent USC Gamecock basketball game until now, but last week we enjoyed cheering them on to a victory!

Merry Christmas Eve!

2011-12-24T19:37:00.005-05:00

A picture of us at Christmas Eve service at our church this morning!

A picture of us this evening in our Christmas pj's...we're ready for Santa!

Merry Christmas from our family to yours!!

Festivities galore!

2011-12-23T21:16:00.015-05:00

We have been very busy since school got out enjoying lots of holiday festivities with family and friends!

Here are some pictures of the children making Ginger Bread Houses at Gram and Grrr-Daddy's...always a favorite holiday activity!

Addison at her friend, Mary Franklin's, birthday party!

Dinner out with friends...this is the kids table and they were exchanging Christmas gifts!

After dinner, we headed out with our friends to see Christmas lights! This house is so over the top--they seem to change things up a little every year and it is always a favorite place to visit.

One night this week, we also rode to Christmastown to look at Christmas lights--another tradition we always enjoy!!

Another evening this week, we joined some friends for a Victorian Christmas Dinner. Christmas carolers came around singing, Santa was there visiting all of the guests, and the food buffet was heavenly! We had so much fun!

We've made lots of fun memories so far this Christmas season and Weston and Addison are so excited that tomorrow is Christmas Eve!!

Weston's Christmas Party & Program

2011-12-17T21:08:00.005-05:00

Weston enjoyed his class Christmas party this year...I am his classroom mom and a little birdie told me that the class really wanted pizza for the party! So, pizza we had! The children also enjoyed playing Christmas Bingo.

I made these cute reindeer cookies (via Pinterest) for the children to eat for dessert!

I also made these cute snowman cookies for Weston's classmates to take home with them as a little "favor"...thanks, again, to Pinterest!

Weston attends a local church choir every Wednesday evening and he has been practicing for a Christmas Musical for the last several months. It was titled 'Arrest these Merry Gentlemen' and was such a cute, cute program! He and all the other children did a fabulous job and we were proud of them! How sweet to see these children singing to and worshipping God through music and drama. Weston had two small parts...he was a shepherd and a pita chewer. Here are some pictures and a short video clip!

Addison's Class Party and Program

2011-12-15T23:16:00.007-05:00

On Monday, Addison had her class Christmas party!

With her teachers...

And then, we later had her Christmas program! The children were adorable and Addison did a great job singing all the songs.

And, finally, a little video clip of Jingle Bells:

Jingle Jazz and a Retro Party

2011-12-12T23:35:00.000-05:00

This past weekend, we enjoyed our annual dinner out followed by Jingle Jazz with a sweet group of friends!

The next evening, we enjoyed celebrating my sister-in-law's 40th birthday, by attending her retro-themed birthday party!

The gals...

The guys...

What a fun weekend!

Snacks with Santa

2011-12-07T22:48:00.000-05:00

Santa came to visit us at Gram and Grrr-daddy's house. The kids enjoyed eating snacks around the table while chatting with him and asking lots of questions, sitting in his lap for photos, and he gave them each a gift before leaving!

Each child had a letter from Santa...here are Weston and Addison's...

He's HERE!

Enjoying some time around the table...

And, photographs on his lap, of course!

Addison enjoyed talking about her doll, Kirsten, with Santa!

And they were just tickled to get an early present from Santa!

It is their very own stuffed elf that they can actually touch and hug! They are actually referred to as The Elf on the Shelf Plushee Pals (they also have their actual "Elf on the Shelf", Jesse, that can't be touched!) They have enjoyed playing with them and Weston named his "Brandon" and Addison named hers "Jesse", just like our other elf. ;)

We had a fun, fun time!

Christmas Parade!

2011-12-06T20:20:00.000-05:00

We had lots of fun bundling up and watching the Christmas parade!!

Weston's 3 Wishes

2011-12-03T15:08:00.000-05:00

Weston had a writing assignment, that included the prompt--"What if you had three wishes?"

If Weston had three wishes, he would want:
1. To be an MLB superstar.
2. To be in the NFL.
3. To go to Disney World again.

What would your 3 wishes be!?

Advent

2011-12-02T09:13:00.002-05:00

The kids were SO excited to start their Advent calendars last night! Addison has a chocolate advent calendar and Weston has a scripture advent calendar. I offered Weston a chocolate one, too, but he declined. He is not a big fan of chocolate. Strange, isn't it?! ;) I look foward to hearing Weston read a bible scripture to us each evening as we countdown to Christmas day! And Addison is pretty pumped about a piece of chocolate every day during the month of December!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

2011-12-01T14:55:00.000-05:00

We decorated in our pajamas this year!

And...the finished Christmas trees turned out beautifully!

I hope your house is beginning to feel like Christmas, too!

Dance Observation

2011-11-30T09:20:00.001-05:00

Addison's first semester of dance is officially completed! The parents were invited to observe what they have been learning so far. It was so sweet to watch Addison and the other girls "show off" their newly learned skills.

And a couple of video clips...

Christmas Tree Farm

2011-11-28T21:01:00.000-05:00

We went to a tree farm in the mountains this year and chose a beautiful frazier fur tree!

Hot chocolate after our chilly tree hunt is always a fun treat!

Thanksgiving

2011-11-25T21:18:00.001-05:00

Bob and I hosted Thanksgiving at our home on Thanksgiving day. The following day we had another Thanksgiving meal at Bob's sister, Hope's, house. We are so blessed and have much to be thankful for!

Ephesians 5:20 "giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ"

Here are some photos from the Thanksgiving festivities...

And at Hope and Jason's house...

Thanksgiving at School

2011-11-23T21:36:00.001-05:00

At school, Weston had to take a "blank paper turkey" and disguise him so that he wouldn't be put on the table to be eaten for Thanksgiving dinner. This activity was assigned after they read the book 'Twas the Night Before Thanksgiving.

Weston turned his into...none other than a Gamecock football player!

Addison had a Thanksgiving feast at her school. She dressed up as an Indian and looked so incredibly cute!

North Pole Breakfast!

2011-11-20T09:25:00.016-05:00

We woke up this morning to a FUN surprise...our elf, Jesse, arrived for the holiday season and left us a wonderful North Pole Breakfast! It was so much fun and might have to become a tradition...the kids absolutely LOVED it. One of the neat things that I liked was the letter that Jesse left for the kids. It talked about how he and Santa are lots of fun, but that he wanted us to all remember the true meaning of Christmas was all about the birth of Jesus. He also left us some of his favorite bible verses to read. In addition to that, he left gifts for Weston and Addison. Addison got a nativity that is a toy that she can play with--Mommy's nativity is breakable! She was excited to receive one that is just for her! Weston received a Christmas Bible activity booklet and none other than a Gamecock ornament. What a fun morning!

And he left us these items so that we can write letters to Santa!

And after it was all over, my sweet boy decided it would be nice to write a thank you note to Jesse and the other elves that helped him pull off this special treat for us! What great memories we made together...

My birthday

2011-11-19T21:30:00.003-05:00

Today is my birthday and here are a few pictures of us celebrating! Bob went and got my favorite Starbucks drink and Bo-berry biscuits for breakfast and then we spent lots of family time the rest of the day, including dinner with some other family members last night at our house. It was a good day!

Thanks to everyone who sent me birthday wishes!

I love...

2011-11-16T12:31:00.000-05:00

...spending my days with this silly girl!!!!

Happy 7th Birthday, Weston!

2011-11-13T08:29:00.007-05:00

Seven years ago today, we welcomed a bouncing baby boy into the world and Bob and I became parents!

Weston had his big party a couple of weeks ago, but this weekend we celebrated his actual birthday, just the 4 of us! I took KK doughnuts to his school at lunch time to share with his classmates. On Saturday, he wanted to go to Carolina Ale House to watch the Carolina game and eat lunch. He LOVED all of the big tv's with different football games on all of them. We made sure and sat closest to the HUGE one that aired the USC game! After the game was over, we walked around downtown and enjoyed our stroll through the park. On Sunday, he opened some presents!

Once again, we find ourselves not believing how fast time is flying and how fast Weston is growing up! He is a sports fanatic, Jesus-lover, determined, smart, Daddy's boy, activie, and busy boy and we are proud of him!

Halloween!

2011-10-31T21:36:00.000-04:00

Happy Halloween from me and my little Cinderella and big USC football player!

Emerson turns ONE!

2011-10-30T21:00:00.000-04:00

We enjoyed celebrating my niece, Emereson's 1st birthday recently. My sister hosted an "apple themed" party and everything looked so cute and everyone had fun! Happy Birthday, little Emerson...we look forward to celebrating many, many years with you. May you have a blessed year to come!

Mom's Birthday

2011-10-30T20:51:00.000-04:00

We celebrated my Mom's birthday by having dinner and cake at our house. It was a fun evening!

Bowling Birthday Party

2011-10-30T20:50:00.009-04:00

We recently had a combined bowling birthday party for both Addison and Weston. Since their birthdays are just a few weeks apart, some years we just have one big party and this was one of those years! The children had a super fun time.

Here are the cupcakes!

And for favors, I ordered little mini bowling sets from Oriental Trading and then put them in bags with bowling decorated "toppers".

A family shot!

The birthday children...

Bowling...

In the party room--we had pizza, cupcakes and ice cream, and opened presents!

Addison's birthday...continued.

2011-10-26T13:57:00.007-04:00

On the evening of Addison's birthday, we let her open her presents and I made her request for dinner: homeade pizza and then we had chocolate lava cake with ice cream for dessert!

Here she is walking out to see her presents!

I can't believe the baby in our family is turning FOUR!

Ready to open her presents...but Mommy wanted a few pictures first!

Some accessories for her new kitchen...

Opening some cards that came in the mail...

Weston got Addison a LEFTY baseball glove...and it's got pink on it, too! Now they can play baseball together...with the lefty glove for Miss Addison! Such a sweet big brother. Addison always wants to play baseball in the yard when Weston is throwing or hitting with his daddy--now she can join in on the fun some, too.

Homeade pizza...

Chocolate lava cake with ice cream...

Happy 4th Birthday, Addison!

2011-10-20T14:00:00.005-04:00

Four years ago today, God answered our prayers with the safe arrival of a little 4 lb. 11.7 oz. baby girl! Last night, as I was thinking of Addison turning four, I was really having a hard time wrapping my mind around the fact that the baby of our family can really be turning four years old?! She brings so much joy to our family. She is sweet and majorly spunky, loves babies and cars, and keeps us on our toes! WE LOVE YOU, ADDISON ALYSE!

Here is Addie-boo with cupcakes that she took to preschool yesterday...

And, here is the birthday girl this morning--Mommy took her to Krispy Kreme for breakfast!

Tonight, we will celebrate with Daddy and Weston! More photos to come in another post...

A carnival, auction, and wedding!

2011-10-18T20:42:00.007-04:00

Seriously, it is already Tuesday again--which means another week has flown by! And I've yet to post those auction and wedding pics I promised. So, here goes...

Weston's school recently had their fall carnival, and this year I chaired the Silent Auction Committee, which we held in the cafeteria while the carnival was going on outside. It was a lot of work, but so worth it! I had fun along the way and enjoyed seeing the generosity of the community businesses and people!

Bob was in his high school friend, Peter's, wedding recently and we enjoyed celebrating in his and Ella's special weekend!

October

2011-10-11T09:26:00.014-04:00

How can we be 11 days into the month of October and I haven't posted a single blog post?! Life is going by at what seems to be supersonic speed! It is all I can do to get everyone where they need to be each day, complete all the "house chores", attend PTSO meetings/my volunteer jobs, help with homework, attend birthday parties, plan birthday parties, go to church, etc. much less stop to make a blog post that is coherent! However, I realized recently when trying to get caught up on my photo books, though, how important it is that I document things on my blog so that when I do get around to work on my photo books, I have some reference point to go to. Otherwise, my memory would fail me! So, I am going to try to squeeze in more blog time--because I know I'll be glad I did one day!

Weston has spent lots of time playing soccer recently!

And, Addison has become quite the pro at packing her "entertainment bag" to keep her busy when we go to practices and games! It's even better when she has a friend, like her buddy Knox, to play with, too.

The "birthday season" has also rolled around for our family...here is a recent picture of all the cousins on the Grant side celebrating a birthday!

We also enjoyed attending the HS homecoming parade recently. The kids had a blast and we tailgated out of the back of our car--Weston brought his friend, Will, along for the fun! Of course, they loved catching the candy that was thrown at them, too.

We also took a trip to Sky Top, in Flat Rock, NC, recently to go apple picking. We had so much fun and I've already been making some yummy food with all the apples we picked. While we were there, we also enjoyed some yummy apple cider and apple doughnuts!

Becky and Emerson came up recently for a lunch date and then hung out with Addison and I for a while. Addison had to climb up by Emerson and have milk with her! Silly girl...

Another fun thing we did this month, was participate in Walk To School Day!

Okay...I think this is enough for one post--I'll save the auction/carnival and wedding for the next post! Is your October as busy as ours?! Hope you are enjoying the fall!

Addison's Open House & Book Fair

2011-09-27T13:17:00.004-04:00

Addison recently enjoyed going to Open House and the Book Fair at her school! Here she is being silly...

Book Character Dress Up Day and Cookie Recipe

2011-09-25T13:45:00.008-04:00

Weston had book character dress up day at his school this month. He chose to dress up as Jeremy Jacob from the book Pirates Don't Change Diapers and How I Became A Pirate by author Melinda Long. It just so happened that Melinda Long was also coming to the school that day to hold an assembly. She read to the children and talked to them about being an author. That day was a district wide literacy push for our school district. Later that same day, in the evening the school hosted F.A.L.L. night (Families All Love Literacy). This was also Weston's teachers birthday as well, so we baked cookies and shared them with the class at lunch time to celebrate. It was a fun, fun day!

At lunch time when we went up to the school, Miss Addison had to dress up, too! ;) She was a cheerleader from the book Hello Cocky.

And these are the cookies we made for Weston's teacher...I will include the recipe below the picture!

Cut Out Sugar Cookies (from The Hungry Housewife)
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

Add the egg and extract and beat to incorporate.

In a separate bowl sift together to flour, baking powder and salt.

Slowly add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix until combined. Divide the dough into 2 portions, wrap with wax paper and refrigerate 2 hours or overnight.

Remove the dough, roll out to 3/8 inch thick in between sheets of parchment paper and cut into desired shapes.

Place cut cookie dough back into fridge for 10-15 minutes. Bake cookies on an un-greased cookie sheet at 350 degrees for 8-12 minutes. Cool on cookie sheets for 2 minutes before removing to a cooling rack. Cool completely before icing.

Sugar Cookie Icing (via allrecipes.com)
1 cup confectioners' sugar
2 teaspoons milk
2 teaspoons light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
assorted food coloring

1.In a small bowl, stir together confectioners' sugar and milk until smooth. Beat in corn syrup and almond extract until icing is smooth and glossy. If icing is too thick, add more corn syrup.
2.Divide into separate bowls, and add food colorings to each to desired intensity. Dip cookies, or paint them with a brush. (Often times, I use a knife to spread the icing.)

Enjoy!

Soccer

2011-09-15T20:59:00.002-04:00

Enjoying soccer season...

Fall schedule

2011-09-08T21:41:00.006-04:00

I haven't posted this week, but we are basically just in midst of our busy, fall schedules and routines. Weston has officially started real "tests" this year, had to make a timeline of his life this week to take to class, and has shown a big interest lately in the weather, specifically in tropical storms. His teacher emailed me this week and told me he was writing a book at school about tropical storms, so we did some more online research at home to help him come up with more information! He is also busy playing fall soccer-practicing one day a week and playing a game one day a week AND playing fall baseball-practicing two days a week right now. Baseball games start a little later this month. Miss Addison is enjoying going to preschool a few mornings a week and this week she is learning about the letter A and made "apple paiting" art. She is still enjoying her tap and ballet class once a week. I love having time with just her while Weston is at school...she is a hilarious little girl to have around! Most days, she enjoys playing with her baby dolls, playing doll house, doing art work, or reading books! OR reading books to her babies....

Both kids are at such fun ages and I really am just trying to soak it all in!

Soccer

2011-08-31T10:06:00.003-04:00

Weston started a new season of soccer and Bob is coaching. Here are a few pictures from soccer practice. Addison plays with her friend Knox on the playground nearby while Weston practices. This past weekend we had our opening "Jambroee" and our first official game is this coming Saturday!

Playtime!

2011-08-31T10:00:00.003-04:00

Addison loves any chance she gets to play with her friend, Madelyn! Here are a couple of pictures of the two of them playing recently...

First Day of 3K

2011-08-24T13:56:00.006-04:00

Addison had her first day of 3 year old preschool today! On Monday we had her "Meet 'n Greet" and she was very clingy to Bob and I. She eventually warmed up a little and played in centers with her Daddy. But still seemed very "anxious". I knew it was because she has been with me all summer, every day, and has been used to having Mommy with her all the time. So I prayed that by today, her first day, she would be more at ease to stay with her new teachers in her new classroom! And...what an answer to prayer, when she was all smiles when I dropped her off this morning. And then when I picked her up, too!

Here she is at her Meet 'n Greet...

And here she is on her 1st day of 3K today...

This year, she will be going 3 mornings a week...and will also get to go to art, fitness (PE), and music, all of which she is very excited about! Here's to a great year!

Dance, dance, dance!

2011-08-23T21:11:00.006-04:00

Addison had her first ever dance class today! For almost 4 years now, she has been going to big brothers extra-curricular activities and now, it's time for her to try something out! Which means Mommy is feeling more and more like a taxi everyday. :) But I love it! She is taking beginner tap and ballet. I didn't know how she would do...she really has had little exposure to "dance". We checked out some books at the library to read so that she could learn a little bit about it and so she could look at the pictures in the books. But, when her teacher dismissed class and opened the door, Addison came running out to me and the first thing she said, with a big grin on her face, was "can I do this again next week?!" Which, I was glad to hear, considering I have already agreed to a 16 week semester. :) I think my question of how she would do was answered...she loved it. Here are some pictures from her first day at dance!

At home, dressed and ready to go...

A hug from big brother...

We're here...

Time to go home after a successful first class! ...I have to add that it was so sweet how Weston got "into" it. He kept wanting to peek through the door (parents and siblings wait in a waiting area outside the classroom) so that he could get a glimpse of his sister and see what she was doing. He kept saying, "yep...she's doing this, or yep...she's doing that"! I could tell he was proud of her. He asked her alot of questions when she came out at the end, too. :)

We're already excited for next weeks lesson!

First Grade

2011-08-15T21:04:00.006-04:00

My "baby boy" had his first day of 1st grade today! Not sure how this is really possible, because it seems like I was just bringing him home from the hospital. He continues to grow so fast, both physically and in hitting milestones, such as becoming a first grader. I'm just trying to take it all in and not blink too often, because I have a feeling if I do, he'll be graduating from high school.

I'm going to post some pictures from Popsicle Pop-In (meet the teacher) and then will also put some up from today--the first official day of the school year! Here's to a fun, safe, blessed, school year with lots of learning taking place...

First Day...

Back to School Ice Cream Social

2011-08-14T21:07:00.010-04:00

This weekend, we had an ice cream social for some of Weston's 1st grade friends and their families to celebrate the end of summer/beginning of the school year! It was a fun time for the children to play and enjoy yummy treats and for the parents to fellowship and socialize. Us mommies chatted about how we cannot believe that our little "babies" are now big 1st graders!

I made little cones out of constuction paper and attached them to helium balloons to make "ice cream cone balloons" to decorate with. (Be sure and make these last minute, because the helium will only hold the cone up for a few hours before they start to fall.) They turned out cute, I thought!

Back to School Snack Mix Favors

I found a cute idea online to make these little "Back to School Snack Mix" favors. I layered fruit loop cereal, animal crackers, and little whales (Walmart's version of Goldfish) in a clear baggie and attached the following note:

BACK TO SCHOOL SNACK MIX

The night before school is exciting and fun,
there are always so many things to be done.
Your clothes are ready, your backpack is too.
Your classroom is full of fun things you will do.
There are so many questions that run through your mind,
all types of thoughts of every kind.
But sometimes we all get the jitters down deep
and that makes it hard to fall fast asleep.
So I’ve made a magic snack mix, it is really cool.
It will help you be rested and ready for school.
Just eat this snack right before bed
on the night before school starts when you lay down your head.
The snack will help you sleep through the night
and you’ll wake up in the morning so fresh and so bright!
I’ll be sure to have this magic snack, too.
And remember, I just can’t wait for school so I can see YOU!

Your friend, ______________

And, here is a shot of the ice cream sundae buffet:

And here are some more shots of the party!

We had a fun time...I can't believe summer break is over and school starts TOMORROW!

Silly girl

2011-08-12T22:12:00.005-04:00

Addison wanted to take her nap in Weston's room today...it didn't take me long to figure out why! When we walked in to check on her, this is what we found:

Yep, she was playing with some of Weston's toys. ;) We laughed so hard at her. And then she took her nap...

More summer time fun...

2011-08-09T21:52:00.007-04:00

This summer, we have enjoyed a few visits to the library. In addition to keeping up with his school summer reading program, Weston also participated in one of our bookstores summer reading programs and earned himself a new, free book!

And here are some recent pictures of fun play dates we've had this summer with friends and cousins!

I can't believe that this is our last week of summer vacation! School starts on Monday. Weston is looking forward to it and even though we've had a lot of fun this summer...I think there is something to be said about getting back into a "school time routine". Until then, we are going to try to enjoy our last few days of freedom! (that is, if the kids can manage to get along and not hurt each due to too much togetherness...HA!)

Great Wolf Lodge

2011-08-06T21:43:00.006-04:00

Another fun thing we did recently while Bob had some time off was take a trip to Great Wolf Lodge. We had gone to GWL back in November for Weston's birthday and enjoyed it so much we decided to go again for a little end-of-summer fun! We had an excellent time and last minute, decided to take our niece and nephew along with us and Weston and Addison enjoyed the extra playmates.

The Childrens Museum

2011-08-03T08:49:00.004-04:00

Bob recently took several days off of work, so that we could enjoy some family time together before the craziness of starting a school year begins. His teachers come back to work this coming Monday and then school officially starts the following Monday, August 15th. Things are really starting to "crank up"! But, we enjoyed the time recently that he took off- we started his mini vacation with a trip to the Childrens Museum. We had lots of fun exploring there, then we went to one of our favorite places for lunch, Red Robin. And finished the day off at Yogurt Mountain! Here are some pictures from the museum...

Pool fun

2011-07-23T22:10:00.007-04:00

We've spent lots of time at the pool this summer! Aside from swimming, Weston loves to throw the ball in the pool, catch the ball while jumping off the diving board, and enjoys playing sharks and minnows with other neighborhood children who are there. Addison enjoys playing with her pool toys in the shallow pool...but more and more she likes playing in the big pool. And she has gotten really brave lately! A couple of weeks ago, she started jumping in from the side of the pool, without hands/help and going under water. She was so proud to be able to go all the way under water. And after she mastered that trick, it wasn't long at all before she decided to conquer the diving board, like her older brother. She now LOVES the diving board! We sure do love our little "fishies"...

Look who found a frog friend jumping around!

Recipes

2011-07-18T20:40:00.005-04:00

I've made the following two recipes recently and they are worth passing on to you! The first one is a cobbler. I had some local fresh peaches and blueberries and wanted to make something fun with them, so instead of making two separate dishes, I found this one for a combined blueberry and peach cobbler...it did not dissapoint!

Blueberry Peach Cobbler

Ingredients:
2 lbs peaches (apx 6-8 peaches)
1/4 c. light brown sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp grated nutmeg
2 c. blueberries
2 tbsp butter
1/2 c. sugar and a separate 1/4 c. sugar
1 egg
1/2 c. milk
1 c. flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tbsp vanilla extract

Cooking Directions:
Start with the blueberries. Combine 2 cups fresh blueberries, 1/2 cup sugar and 2 tbsp butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring until a syrup forms for 6 to 7 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.

Now, the 2 lbs of fresh peaches — pit and peel them, then chop the 2 lbs of fresh peaches (enough to make 3 1/2 cups) you can leave the skin on if you prefer. Toss peaches in a large mixing bowl with 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar, 1/4 tsp grated nutmeg, 1 tsp ground cinnamon and 1 tsp salt. Let sit for a few minutes to absorb flavor.

For the cobbler topping: In another large mixing bowl, mix 1/4 cup sugar and 1 egg in a bowl and whisk. Add 1 tbsp baking powder, 1 cup flour, 1 tbsp vanilla extract, and 1/2 cup milk. Beat well with a wire whisk until the mixture is smooth and resembles a cake batter.

To layer use a 3 quart rectangular casserole dish, spread the peach mixture evenly across the bottom. Spoon the blueberry mixture evenly over the peaches. Then pour the batter evenly over the blueberries.

Bake in a 375 degree oven, bake cobbler for 30 to 35 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool for 10 minutes, in order for flavors to meld before serving. Serve warm with ice cream and fresh mint.

Recipe courtesy of Emeril Lagasse © 2001.

The second recipe I wanted to share is for breakfast...cinnamon rolls! And they are so easy to make, which is the best part!

Easy as 1-2-3 Cinnamon Rolls

And here is what they look like when you flip them over...yummy goodness!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (I prefer pecans)
20 count package frozen dinner rolls (I bought Rhodes White dinner rolls from the freezer section of Wal-Mart and 36 came in a package-so I just took 20 out and put the remaining rolls back in the freezer & will use the others at a later time)
4 oz. butterscotch pudding (instant) mix by Jello
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
2 T. sugar
1 t. cinnamon
1/2 cup butter melted

Cooking Directions:
Grease & flour a 9X13 baking dish. Sprinkle the pan w/ 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts or pecans (I prefer pecans...the original recipe called for walnuts). And then place your frozen rolls on top. Measure out 1/4 cup of Butterscotch pudding mix and put it in a separate bowl and then add 1 t of cinnamon, 1/2 cup packed brown sugar, and 2 T of sugar. Mix those together w/ a fork. And sprinkle over top of the rolls. Now melt up 1/2 cup of butter. And then pour evenly over top. Now it's time to let the rolls rise. Follow the directions on the package of frozen rolls (can be anywhere from 2 or 3 hours to rise to 8 or 9 hours to sit to rise). My package called for 3 hours, but I let them rise for about 8 hours overnight (since I wanted to eat them for breakfast and didn't want to get up 3 hours before I made them, so I let them sit overnight in my closed microwave--and they turned out just fine!!) Bake them at 325 degrees for 25 min. When you pull them out of the oven, turn the pan of cinnamon rolls over onto a platter or cookie sheet while they are still hot...serve warm!

Recipe courtesty of Gooseberry Patch Quick and Easy Autumn Cook Book.

July

2011-07-13T22:20:00.004-04:00

I did a pretty good job blogging in May and June, but have done a terrible job blogging so far for July! We've had a good month so far that has included lots of family time, pool time, fun with friends, staying up late, and sleeping in late.

At the beginning of the month, we celebrated our sweet friend, Madelyn's, 3rd birthday with a pool party! It was a fabulous, relaxing night with yummy food, pool fun, and good company.

The weekend of the 4th, we celebrated with Bob's side of the family...

And then, with my side of the family...

One day last week, we went to visit one of my friends from high school, Pamela, and met her sweet new baby, Abigial Rose! She lives near my sister, Becky, so after we loved on sweet Abby and visited with Pamela, we met my sister and nieces for lunch and pool/splash park time!

Last Friday, the four of us dressed up like cows all in the name of free food at Chick-fil-a...it was fun. We love Chick-fil-a!

Wow...that was a big blog post, but it catches me up! I hope you are enjoying these carefree days of summer. :)

Beach Trip: Part 3

2011-06-30T22:48:00.003-04:00

We enjoyed a super fun day splashing and sliding around at Summer Waves Waterpark!

Another fun outing was visiting the Sea Turtle Center, including the sea turtle hospital, where they care for sick and injured turtles and other animals.

Beach Trip: Part 2

2011-06-29T16:00:00.002-04:00

Kite flying on the beach...

Visit to St. Simons Island and one of our favorite restaurant spots for breakfast, The 4th of May Cafe...

Beach Trip: Part 1

2011-06-27T20:48:00.008-04:00

I have 325 beach pictures to sort through from our week at Jekyll Island last week! Thought I'd start with these...

More to come soon...

This & that

2011-06-17T21:40:00.009-04:00

Here are some pictures from VBS last week. Weston and Addison went to Vacation Bible School at the church where Addison attends preschool. The theme for the week was Christmas in June and each day they had another theme such as what to wear, etc. They had a great time!

Coming into the sanctuary for worship time...

Red & green day...posing with two of their friends!

Christmas pajama day...

Crazy hair day...

Weston just wrapped up All Sports Camp this week that was held at our local high school and he had a BLAST!

Here are some other pictures that were taken over the past week of Weston and Addison with extended family...

Here they are with Great Grandma (also known as Great Grr-Grr):

Addison with cousin, Emerson!

Addison with cousin, Karagan!

Pillow fight?

2011-06-13T08:56:00.003-04:00

I'd never let my kids have a pillow fight on my bed!! Nope, not me! ;)

Take Me Out to the Ballgame!

2011-06-09T21:23:00.004-04:00

Weston wanted to give his daddy tickets to a baseball game for his birthday back in May and we recently cashed in those tickets! We enjoyed watching the Drive play baseball...it was a really good game- we (the Drive) were winning until the 9th inning when Asheville got a 2 run homerun and won. We still had a really fun night, which included lots of hotdogs and sodas...must haves at the ballpark. ;) Addison enjoyed watching the team mascott, Reedy Rippit, the entire night!

Better late than never Kindergarten post

2011-06-08T10:45:00.006-04:00

Weston has been out of school nearly 2 weeks and I wanted to take some time to blog some things about his Kindergarten year since this is my main way of documenting things for our family. He had a really good start to elementary school and had a fun year learning lots of new things. He adored his teachers, Ms. Bulman (who is now married and named Mrs. Lawrence...we're still trying to adjust to her new name:) and Ms. Poole. His favorite related arts was PE. The favorite things he learned this year included information about plants, animals, and matter. He loved math, too. (he definitely gets that from his Daddy!) His favorite foreign language out of the 3 he tried (Spanish, French, and Chinese) was French! He also enjoyed attending Good News Club. He loved field trips, eating lunch in the cafeteria, playing with his friends at recess, attending field day, and participating in their end of the year program. Bob and I are most proud of how far he has come in his reading abilities this year. He is a great reader, loves books, going to the library, and especially gaining new knowledge through what he is now able to read. He finished his Kindergarten year reading at a mid-2nd grade level! We're so proud of him!

His new thing is reminding us (frequently) that he is now a 1st grader. He also often asks me, "Mommy, do you like my behavior? ...am I acting like a 1st grader?!?" :) He is looking forward to a break during these summer months, but is also eager to head to 1st grade where he can continue learning even more!

Weekend Trip

2011-06-07T09:39:00.004-04:00

This past weekend, we enjoyed a fun little getaway to Charlotte. Here are some pictures from our trip!

Discovery Place

Concord Mills/Speedpark

It was nice to getaway for a short trip and it made us even more anxious for our week long trip that is coming up later this month! Do you have any summer travel plans?

End of the season baseball party

2011-05-31T13:40:00.005-04:00

Here are some pictures from Weston's end-of-the-season baseball party! The Red Raiders had a fun season and we can't wait to play again next spring...

Addison's summer 'do!

2011-05-31T10:24:00.003-04:00

Addison got her haircut this morning and it looks precious on her! I had tried growing it out again in hopes of being able to do ponytails. However, her hair is just too fine still to stay held back, so we decided to cut it and "stack it back up"...this style always suits her well! Here are before and after's...

Weston's Field Day

2011-05-26T17:02:00.003-04:00

Weston (and Bob) had field day last week and Addison and I joined in the fun, too! Weston's class came in first place out of the kindergarten classes!

Addison's Fun Day

2011-05-24T19:13:00.004-04:00

Addison had "fun day" at her school on her last day. This included a bounce house, a train ride, snow cones, and a little party in her classroom to round out the day. She is now officially on summer break, having completed a year of 2 year old preschool, two days a week. It was a good "introduction" to school for my little princess! Mostly, it was a good year of her learning to socialize with other children her age, follow directions/instructions, be a part of a "team", and learn some basics, too. She also got to go to music class every week, which was always a highlight.

One thing that I don't want to forget about this year, is that every day when Addison would wake up, she would ask me, "Mommy...today do I go to school or hang out with you"? She always had fun when she got to school on Tuesday and Thursday's, but her eyes would light up and she would smile big on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday's when I would tell her that she was "hanging out with me". :) I love that I am able to "ease" my children into school, because I see that while there are a lot of good benefits to them attending a program at a young age, there is also a sweetness about the simplicity of them just wanting to be at home during these younger years.

Addison had a fun year with "Miss" Dana and "Miss" Judy! Next year, she'll go three days a week in the 3 year old class. Until then, we're gonna have lots of fun "hanging out" this summer!

Happy Birthday, Bob!

2011-05-23T10:14:00.005-04:00

Happy Birthday, Bob! We hope you have a great day today. The kids and I love you to pieces! You're such a blessing to us...XOXO!

Here is a photo collage from a party we had to celebrate this past weeekend...thanks to our extended families for celebrating with us...we had a blast!

The Best Pet Show Ever

2011-05-21T07:55:00.006-04:00

This past week, Weston participated in the end of the year Kindergarten performance at his school. He had a speaking part and did a good job. I was very proud off ALL of the Kindergarteners...it was a really cute little show! In fact, it was...THE BEST PET SHOW EVER!

And, finally, I tried to take a couple of short video clips, but it was a little difficult with a certain 3 year old in my lap pulling at the strap of the camera. ;)

First playoff game

2011-05-17T21:01:00.006-04:00

The Red Raiders won their first playoff game. It was a nail-biter for sure! It was neck'n'neck the whole game. Weston had a good game offensively, hitting a homerun his first at bat, a triple his second at bat, and finished the game - with his final at bat - with a game-winning basehit & RBI. Great game, buddy! We just love watching you and your teammates play!! Now, we're up for our next round tomorrow evening...wish us luck!

Belated Mother's Day post

2011-05-16T11:45:00.003-04:00

On Mother's Day we celebrated with my side of the family at lunch time. We had a picnic and I managed to take no pictures. I was fighting a migraine and really was just doing good to be there. :) We did have fun, though, and the weather was pretty. We hosted Bob's mom, siblings and their families for dinner. We had a cookout and just relaxed and let the kiddos play. Here are the photos that I did manage to take. Later in the day, when I had relief from the headache, I got a few shots, but not many. The pictures include tulips and roses that I received as gifts, another clay pot with Addison's fingerprints painted on them (the fingerprints are part of flowers and landybugs painted to decorate the pot-precious) that she made at preschool, and finally of Grammie playing dolls with all the girls.

I had a good day...Bob, Weston, and Addison brought me breakfast in bed followed by cards and gifts. I am very blessed to be called Mommy by two little angels that God has entrusted to me and God blessed me with both a wonderful mother and mother-in-law. He is good to me! I hope you had a good Mother's Day...I know it can be hard for some and I always think about those that have lost their mother, who are struggling with infertility, or have lost a child--know that you are not forgotten and there are lots of people praying for you on these kinds of days!

Bike to School Day

2011-05-11T15:57:00.000-04:00

Last week, Weston participated in Bike to School day...here are some pictures from that day. He had a fun time and they had a great turnout!!

Next up....a Mother's Day post! Better late than never, right?!

Field Trip

2011-05-06T16:53:00.006-04:00

Bob and I got to go with Weston on a field trip last week to an area Children's Museum. We had a great time...the kids were so well behaved and enjoyed every minute of it! I was in charge of a group of all boys...they were so much fun. After we left the museum, we all went to a park to have a picnic lunch. It was a fun, fun time.

Teacher Appreciation Idea

2011-05-03T20:49:00.005-04:00

This week is teacher appreciation week! I really do try to do little things throughout the whole year to show my thanks and appreciation for all that my childrens teachers do. And I definitely wanted to show them some love this week since it's teacher appreciation week. I thought I'd share an idea with you that is simple and inexpensive. And that would make any teacher feel appreciated! I bought plants and planted them in clay pots. Then, I found a free printable here at Skip to My Lou. You can download this free printable, too, and insert your childs name on the tag that says "Thanks for helping ______ Bloom", print it, and attach to a popsicle stick or craft stick and stick it in the plant...and ta-dah, there you have it! I've made Weston's and still need to put Addison's teachers together...

More Easter

2011-04-30T21:01:00.005-04:00

I've had more Easter things to post about, but this time of year is always so crazy at our house! So....I'm just now getting around to this. :)

Addison had an Easter party and egg hunt at her school. Here are some photos from that day.

On Easter Sunday we were supposed to all be going to my parents house for Easter lunch. However, Addison got sick during the night, so Bob stayed home with her and Weston and I went. I was really bummed that Addison got sick during the night. She was in a good mood when she woke up the next morning (Easter morning) and enjoyed seeing what the Easter Bunny had left in her basket. But as the day went on, we could tell she still wasn't feeling 100%. Thankfully, it was short-lived and none of the rest of us got it! Here are some pictures from Easter day...

(So we can look back and remember what they were interested in during this stage, Addison got a princess umbrella and princess (soft) baseball bat and ball set, and a Care Bears DVD. Weston got a (long-awaited) skate board, small Nerf gun, and The Sandlot DVD. They each got about two "candy items", too...but the Easter bunny told us that he really prefers to give toys over lots of candy. They last longer and don't cause cavities! :)

We hope you had a very Happy Easter and that you are enjoying the beautiful springtime weather!

Our Easter Egg Hunt

2011-04-22T13:34:00.002-04:00

We hosted an Easter Egg hunt at our house for our family last Saturday. It was raining when everyone arrived, but by the time we had lunch and did an Easter Story time using resurrection eggs, the sun had come out and the rain had stopped, so we got to have the egg hunt outside! We had a fun day. Here are some photo collages from the party...

Addison 3 1/2 years

2011-04-22T13:17:00.002-04:00

3 & 1/2 years...such a fun age!

Here is a picture of some ducks that Addison recently had fun chasing at the park!

Baseball Season

2011-04-18T07:43:00.002-04:00

Baseball season is in full swing!!

Little Buggy

2011-04-09T10:31:00.003-04:00

One day this week, Addison begged me to take her to one of our local pet stores. Not to see the pets. But, she said, "so I can put my purse in the little buggy and push it". They have the little shopping carts that are child-sized that look just like the adult sized ones. So, off we went...she did enjoy seeing the animals, too. But she was tickled pink to get to push the buggy around the store! It's the little things... :)

Community Helper Day!

2011-04-08T08:12:00.001-04:00

Today is Career/Community Helper Day at Weston's school. Weeks ago, he decided he wanted to be an astronaut and he has stuck with that. So, I started looking locally for a costume and had no luck. Then I started looking at "creating" one. I tried to find a white boys jumpsuit that I could add some badges and such to, but no luck. So, finally I found a costume online and decided that ordering it would be my best bet. He was SO excited to go to school today! I took these pictures yesterday while he was trying on/modeling his costume. Addison and I are going to go have lunch with him so that we can see him and all of his classmates all dressed up! I know that they are going to have so much fun seeing each other dressed up and talking and learning all about different careers!

He and sissy being silly!

I made these little bags with Moon Pies in them for him to give to his teachers!

**Update: Addie and I are back from lunch with Weston and were able to snap this cute group shot of Weston's class dressed in their various costumes!

So behind...Spring Break pics

2011-04-07T10:19:00.007-04:00

I'm so behind on blogging! This time of year always gets busy and it's hard to keep up! Last week we spent Spring Break at the beach. We had a great, relaxed time. Lots of rain, but we were just so glad to get away and have a break from our routine! Here are a couple of pictures from our week at Cherry Grove...

Zoo Fun!

2011-03-25T14:05:00.002-04:00

The weather has been so nice recently...we have welcomed Spring with open arms!! Last weekend, Bob had to go out of town for the day on Saturday and so after baseball practice, the kids and I headed to the zoo! We had a great time and the weather could not have been more perfect...

The perfect ending to the day...ICE CREAM!

Another coffee house performance

2011-03-22T17:00:00.003-04:00

Last Friday Weston recited the 50 states in alphabetical order at coffee house. Over the last couple of months, he has really shown an interest in learning the 50 states and where they are located and facts about them. He got a map for his birthday and a United States license plate car game for Christmas. When I was in 5th grade, I learned the Fifty Nifty United States song in chorus. After he heard me sing it, he was determined to learn them all in alphabetical order, too. We were proud of him on Friday! He did a good job. :)

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2011-03-17T20:49:00.005-04:00

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Weston and Addison both had visits at school today from Leprachaun's. Weston's class leprachaun made a mess in his classroom and left gold for them and a note. Addison's class leprachaun left footprints and M&M candies. They both came home talking all about it!

Well, we also had a leprachaun come visit our house and he left some footprints, confetti, and a piece of chocolate for Weston and Addison. They had a fun day!

"For each petal on the shamrock, this brings a wish your way-good health, good luck, and happiness for today and every day."

Friends, Movie Night, and more Sewing

2011-03-14T09:50:00.007-04:00

Here are a couple of pictures of Weston and Addison playing with their friends, Kaitlyn and Madelyn. They always have so much fun together!!

My accident-prone Addison is just now recovering from her last fall where her face met the concrete. Well, she had another accident on Friday--this time involving a cut to her foot. (I've since learned that the foot is one of the hardest places for a cut to heal...fun, fun) We've tried to keep her off of it most of the weekend, so because of that, we enjoyed a nice, relaxing weekend with lots of time at home! We had pizza and movie night on Friday!

We left the sofa bed in the living room pulled out all weekend and Addison spent alot of time on there playing toys, reading books, and watching tv. We can tell that keeping her off of her feet and keeping her foot elevated have definitely helped. Hopefully she'll soon be back to her normal self! We're praying she will be accident-free for awhile. If you think of it, we'd appreciate your praying for quick and full healing of Addison's foot.

And, finally, I wanted to share some pictures of my latest creation. I made my first dress for Addison! I found these pillow case style dress instructions here. Thanks MaryBeth for telling me about the site...it has some step by step patterns and instructions for newbies like myself. If any of you have any other favorite sewing/craft sites, feel free to share in the comments section!

Learning to Sew

2011-03-07T07:51:00.003-05:00

For years, learning to sew has been on my "bucket list". I've really wanted to be able to sew, but I didn't have a sewing machine and I was simply overwhelmed by the thought of learning from ground zero. I know nothing about sewing. Well, this past Christmas, I decided to ask for a sewing machine and Bob got me one! Last week, I finally sat down with my friend, Lynn, and took my sewing machine out of the box and got a crash course on using my machine and on sewing. Check out my first creation - a pair of capris for Addison. I won't tell you how long it took me to make! Ha! And, it was with Lynn's guidance. :)

Hopefully, the more I practice - I can speed up the process. I still have a long way to go, but I've had fun trying and learning new things so far! I consider it an accomplishment that I can even thread my own machine and wind my bobbin rolls! :) I'll share more of my creations soon, I hope!

All Weston wants for Easter is...

2011-02-28T17:38:00.004-05:00

his four front teeth! :) Since it's not close to Christmas, I couldn't resist saying Easter. Ha!

He had his four front teeth pulled today at the dentist. He recently had lost one of his front middle bottom ones and the other front middle bottom one is loose. We're hoping that this will allow those new permanent ones to grow straight up and not be forced back out. (he has an under bite)

He was a champ and wanted me to take a picture of his new smile! Here is before and after shots...

Addie's fall and Weston's sleepover

2011-02-27T21:14:00.004-05:00

Addison fell earlier this week in the driveway. We were outside playing and having a good 'ole time until she tripped and landed face first on the cement.

The picture above was taken an hour or two after she fell, the next morning brusies and scabbing had occured...but everyday she looks better and better! I'm so glad that she wasn't hurt too seriously. She certainly is our more clumsy child. :)

Saturday night Weston had his first sleepover with a friend. He's only ever stayed with family members. He had a great time with his friend Will! Here is a picture of Weston and Will playing Wii and Addison with Will's younger brother, Knox. :)

Fun with snakes!

2011-02-24T15:06:00.003-05:00

One night last week was Science Night at Weston's school. His favorite station was the snake station. He LOVED holding them and learning about them! Me and Addison, on the other hand, kept a little more distance between us and the snakes. :)

The Happiest Place on Earth

2011-02-17T13:25:00.007-05:00

We recently had the pleasure of traveling to Florida to visit the Happiest Place on Earth...Disney World! It truly is one of our families most favorite and happiest places to go! :) We had a great trip -- Weston was thrilled beyond measure that he was finally tall enough to ride every single ride! And, ride he did! Some of the "thrill rides" that he enjoyed for the first time this trip (since he was tall enough) included Aerosmith's Rock 'n' Roller Coaster, Test Track, Space Mountain, and Expedition Everest, to name a few. He was in absolute heaven. Addison enjoyed meeting Tinkerbell and other fairies along with seeing and having her picture made with countless other characters, too! But, she was also quite into riding rides and was barely tall enough to ride her first ever roller coaster (the smallest little childrens roller coaster in Toon Town), Goofy's Barnstormer. She LOVED it and Bob and I were thrilled to officially have another roller coaster lover in the family!

I took sooooo many pictures, so I made several collages so that I could include a good number of my favorite pictures in this post!

We were kinda sad to say goodbye to Mickey and friends, but we are already looking forward - with great anticipation - to the next time we will get to visit The Happiest Place on Earth...

Valentine's 2011 (a little late)

2011-02-16T10:36:00.006-05:00

Valentine's Day 2011

We had fun at Weson's Valentine's party at school!

Then later in the evening, I made baked ziti for dinner and Valentine cookies for dessert and served it by candlelight for the four of us...before Bob and Weston had to rush off to basketball practice!

1 John 4:19 "We love because he first loved us."

I hope that you enjoyed a day filled with love!

Gearing up for Valentine's

2011-02-08T09:53:00.005-05:00

Addison has a couple of Valentine's outfits and we've been wearing them. She loves all things with hearts! I got these cute pictures the other day before she went to preschool. This past weekend, we also let the kids sit down and do their class Valentine's to give out the day of their parties!

We hope you have fun preparing for Valentine's Day!

Addison

2011-02-03T20:46:00.006-05:00

Last week we headed to Charleston because Addison had an appointment at MUSC. Bob wasn't able to go with me this time because of work, so my Mom and sister, Becky, and niece, Emerson, went with me and Addison. No matter how much I tried to talk up that it would be a fun "girls day", Addison still wanted no part in it. She has come to realize that Charleston means a stop by her doctors at MUSC and she gets so nervous and anxious. Even though we always try to squeeze in other fun things when we travel there for her appointments. She is probably one of the few people that doesn't look forward to Charleston...it's such a lovely coastal town! Bless her heart. While I wish she didn't have to go at all, I'm always reminded during our trips there that it could be so much worse. We have much to be thankful for!

She had made some growth progress, which is always good! At 3 years and 3 months...she weighs 26 pounds and is 35 inches tall. We go back in 5 months.

Here is my sweet girl waiting on the doctor to come in. I tried to distract her with toys and books, but no such luck! A sweet story that will probably stick with this mama's heart for awhile...early the morning we were getting ready and loading up to leave she is begging to stay home and not go...she realizes that we are getting in the car and that we are going...she says to me, "well Mommy, will you hold my hand in Charleston?" I will always hold your hand, sweet girl!

After her appointment was over, her whole demeanor changed, she was relieved and ready to have some fun with Mommy, Gram, Aunt Becky, and Emerson. This is the only other picture we took- this was outside on the way back out to the car. We left and headed to one of our favorite lunch spots and then went to the outlets for some shopping!

What we've been up to...

2011-01-30T20:31:00.005-05:00

a trip to Chuck-e-cheese! My kids love this place...

being silly...

and celebrating Chase and Emili's birthdays...happy 13 years!

Rylyn's Birthday Party

2011-01-20T21:17:00.002-05:00

We recently celebrated my niece, Rylyn's, birthday. She had a craft party and the kids all painted tiles to take home. Here are some pictures from that day!

Basketball Season

2011-01-16T19:39:00.004-05:00

Basketball Season is in full swing for Weston! He has had two games already and is having a good time. Bob is helping to coach and is enjoying that as well. Here's to a good rest of the season!

Weston loves running out of the tunnel before the games!

Delurking Day

2011-01-14T20:44:00.003-05:00

January 14, 2011 National Delurking Day
Definition of lurker: someone who reads but does not participate in commenting.
Definition of delurking: outing yourself by participating in commenting.
If even for only this once : ).

I had not heard anything about this until reading it on a few other blogs out there, but apparently today is National Delurking Day. I think it sounds fun...so thought I'd give it a try!

Tell me your name and something random about your life. Like my name is Anna and I love decorating on a budget and also have a weakness for cute little girl clothes. Or something like, my name is Anna and I drink Dunkin' Donuts coffee every morning.

The vast majority of you are silent readers....so de-lurk yourselves!

Snow days...

2011-01-12T09:32:00.003-05:00

This is our 3rd day being snowed in after a snow storm hit our area in the wee hours of the morning on Monday. We woke up Monday morning to a beautiful white blanket of snow! Schools are closed again today and we are waiting to hear if they'll be open, closed, or delayed tomorrow. The kids have enjoyed playing in it and the unexpected down time has been nice. However, after today the stir craziness just might start to set it! The sun is out today for the first time, so we are hoping that might help melt some of the snow/ice. However, the temperatures are barely expected to make it above freezing. In a little bit, we are going to take the children out for another round of sledding!

This is definitely an unusual storm for us in the South...and one that will not soon be forgotton!

The toothfairy...

2011-01-09T20:56:00.001-05:00

will be paying Weston his first visit tonight! He lost his first tooth!

Addison

2011-01-06T09:03:00.004-05:00

This little girl...

is growing up so quickly, right before my very eyes!

Two things I wanted to write down before I forget...

On Tuesday and Thursday mornings when I drop Addison off at preschool, she always takes two things with her, in addition to her bookbag - her lovey and her cup of Kid Essentials Boost milk. (she still takes this kind of milk for calorie/nutrient/growth purposes) Today, for the first time ever, when I was getting her out of the car, she said "Mommy, I can just leave "lovey" sitting in my car seat and she will be waiting on me when I get out". I asked her if she was sure and she nodded yes! Lovey has been her comfort item since she was born and today at 3 years and 2 1/2 months of age, when she was willing to leave it, it hit me like a ton of bricks how very much she is growing and maturing right before my eyes!

The second thing I wanted to remember is a cute thing she says. If we are in the car on a sunny day (and this morning was sunny), she always says to me, "Mommy, the sun is chasing me"! :o)

A first at our house...

2011-01-05T09:07:00.002-05:00

We experienced a first at our house last night....

Addison put something up her nose, it got stuck and really freaked her out...Bob and I were trying to help her get it out, she was screaming...Weston then freaks out and thinks that it is going to kill her and he starts crying because he is so upset that she is upset and hurt. It was crazy! Good news is we got it out and used it as a teaching moment, explaining to Addison that we NEVER put things up our noses! I think she learned her lesson...the hard way. :)

Our Break

2011-01-04T13:17:00.005-05:00

Well, Bob and Weston's 2 week break from work/school is officially over! It sure was fun while it lasted, though. This is the first time in a couple of years that we haven't traveled somewhere over the holidays...two years ago we went to Disney and we also (at the time) lived 3 1/2 hours from all of our family, so we had to travel to them for the holidays and last year we enjoyed a short getaway to Charleston. This year we just stayed at home and had lots of relaxing, down time. We played LOTS of games, drank lots of hot chocolate, and had plenty of time watching tv snuggled under blankets on the couch. We also enjoyed not being on a schedule...we went to bed whenever and slept in most mornings. It was so nice! A couple of other fun things we did included going to Hollywild with some sweet friends of ours, went bowling together, went to the movies, played at the park, played with our new toys from Christmas, and Weston and Bob went to an indoor rock climbing center.

If you had any time off over the holidays, what was your favorite thing that you did? Do share!

Bob went back to work yesterday and Weston went back to school today. Addison also went back to her little preschool this morning as well. Yesterday the kids and I slept in until 8:30...today we had to be up at 6:30...a big difference!! We'll all be in bed early tonight!