Summer Fun

 Our summer has been filled with Vacation Bible School, Back to Nature Camp, "Let's Get Messy Camp" and lots of swimming! The girls love the water-pool, lake, sprinklers, splash parks, etc., they can't seem to get enough. We've stayed enrolled in swim lessons through the summer and they have exceeded my expectations! Last week, they even took the YMCA's 'deep end' swim test so they can go down the slide into the deep end. They needed to do one length of the pool without floaties and they did it. They were so proud of themselves and then did the slide non-stop for the rest of the afternoon. Aunt Cat visited from DC and spent some quality time with them--movies, shopping, swimming and lots of 'play' time!

We made a big purchase a couple weeks back and are now a mini-van family. We love our new Sienna and the girls can't get enough of the 'magic' doors and all the bells & whistles that come with a brand-new car. We are busy planning our first big road trip as we will head to Disney this fall.

Kindergarten will begin in just under a month and we have Daddy's birthday on the horizon and A & L's 5th birthday after that. We'll celebrate with a 'carnival' themed party at home this year! Enjoy pictures below from our lake trip with Aunt Cat, Aunt Maggie & Uncle Jon! Thanks for making the trip Aunt Cat--we miss you already!

Summer Sayings....

Summer is well underway for us and I just want time to FREEZE for a bit. I know August will come quick and these days, for the most part, are pretty darn fun! I'm working when they are at camp(s) and hanging with Grandma Linda & Grandma Jody, so the pressure of school drop-off, pick-up, etc. has been lifted for now. We wrapped up the soccer season after Jeremy & I both felt they were finally getting the hang of the game. We have them in 'serious' swim lessons with the hope of seeing some progress this summer. We've already done an Indians (Baseball) Game and a rafting trip at Turkey Run State Park, we had our friends visit from Kansas for a couple days too. The lake visits will be frequent and we all sleep well at night! Here are some of my favorite quotes of the last couple weeks.

Lilly yesterday, dropping off at camp, asked 100 questions from where they could go to the bathroom to what they would have for lunch. When I said my good-byes, I crouched down and asked if she had any other questions. "Yes, I have one...are we going to live here?"

After the baseball game and meeting the mascot, Addy began analyzing characters again (never been a big fan, but her fear is easing). "Mama, I'm not scared of those characters anymore so we can go to Disney where all the characters live now." Me-"That's good babe, what makes you not scared anymore, was it Rowdy?" "No, I just know they aren't real, cause when you look down, they have people feet."

Dad was tickling Addy before bed, and she turned around with a VERY serious face. "Dad if you do that one more time, you won't be able to tuck me in bed tonight."

Lilly after I came downstairs, ready to head out to a friend's wedding, "Mommy, you look so beautiful, like Ariel, you know, without the mermaid parts."

Over breakfast after Daddy left for a Bachelor Party (Lilly) "If daddy is going to a party for Mr. Kevin, why can't we go?" "Well, when there is a wedding, sometimes the boys just get together for a boy party, it's called a bachelor party, but don't worry, we'll have our own girl party here." "Only boys for a party, what do they do? Just get together and be stinky?" Yup.

"If daddy is going to a party for Mr. Kevin, why can't we go?" "Well, when there is a wedding, sometimes the boys just get together for a boy party, it's called a bachelor party, but don't worry, we'll have our own girl party here." "Only boys for a party, what do they do? Just get together and be stinky?" Yup.

After "helping" dad garden, I get girls bathed. Post-bath, I tell Addy to go get her panties on....'ugh, I don't get it, why do I have to wear them EVERY day?"

 

Picked the girls up from pre-school today, Addy to the Director "We only have three more days of school here until summer vacation." Lilly corrected her, "Sissy, it's not vacation, it's LAKE SEASON!."

At Butler, with our friends and a fellow alumna, I ask Lilly if she'd like to go to school there, her response. "I'll go here if you want to come too." (melt!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hilton Head by the numbers

Lilly at the house pool!-she'll tell you she got 51 new freckles on vacation!

Addy--on the beach--most content playing, building, kicking all by herself

We took our first 'real' family vacation since the girls were born. Don't feel bad for us, Jeremy and I have traveled more than the typical couple and we are spoiled to have had some great long family weekends and a family owned lakehouse just a couple hours away. BUT, we hadn't experienced the anguish that is a 13 hour round-trip car trip. We hadn't experienced the sand between our toes and the looks on our kids faces the first time they saw the ocean. We'd never traveled with friends instead of family and the girls didn't know Daddy without his blackberry for 8 straight days. They were in heaven! It is certainly easy to make excuses and say you are saving money or don't have the time, but vacations are important--for both families & couples. Last week reminded us of this. Here's our trip by the numbers:

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  1650 miles by car


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  27 hours in the car (I think I drove at least 5 of them!)


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  13 movies watched


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  9 bike rides on our rented tandem bikes


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  114 steps counted at the Harbour Town Lighthouse


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  5 lbs. of shrimp & fish purchased for our 'at home' fish fry


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  4 pony rides purchased at the Lawton Stable Animal Farm


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  1 crab, 1 fish and a mussel caught during Jeremy's attempt at catching crab


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  Family of 5 hosted us for a quick stop-over in ATL--thanks Brooke!


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  3 Denny's grand slams eaten while mommy speed-shopped at an Atlanta outlet


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  1 birthday celebrated with a special date night at Red Fish


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  3 wishes the girls made when they got home: a baby brother, a pool in the backyard and a pony (This vacation may have gotten way more expensive!)
  

Addy & I in the Atlantic

My little mermaid--she loved the beach

Lilly preferred the water-'surfing' with her daddy!

3 peas in a pod

The girls at the animal farm with Callie, the deer


Pony rides on Romeo--they both told me that they didn't need mommy to walk with them...

Lilly & her pony

4 monkeys ready for movie night

The girls have already asked if Santa will bring them these 'magic' bikes--"I can pedal, then stop and the bike keeps going." (I'm not sure they realized mom & dad were doing the work.)

4isms

Now that the birthdays are over and school is beginning, I'm reminded how much the girls have grown so quickly. Not just in size, but in their thoughts, their sayings and their actions. I have to remind myself to slow down and thoughtfully answer the 55 'whys?" that come in a day or to help them put the pieces together of something they don't quite understand..."Well I have 6 gaga's (grandparents) and yours lives far away, can you just share mine?"

Addy was getting dressed the other day and told me I needed to close my eyes so I couldn't see her "privacy parts". Lilly asks about boobs and boyfriends, but still says she wants to marry her sister or her dad. They play board games and 'let each other cheat' so the game doesn't end. They swap food and Addy tells Lilly that she can't eat all her cucumbers because then Addy will be the only one that grows big and strong. They look out for each other.

They started playing soccer and are experiencing their first 'real' lessons in teamwork. Jeremy's coaching, so they are also learning about 'sharing' their dad. They are pretty routine oriented and know the days I work and they go to school, they know the days we head to the gym and the days we usually see their friends. Yesterday, was one of those important days when I threw routine out the window and packed the car for a different kind of day. Nothing planned, just me and the girls.

I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream!

I love birthdays and birthday parties. Sure, they are stressful and 4 year old parties are total chaos, but they are fun and the girls LOVED the day! They had strong opinions of who "needed" to be there, what we would do, where we'd have it and all. I loved the ice cream theme and hosting it at a venue other than our home was an added bonus. We rented a room at "Recreation Unlimited" , a giant warehouse of 15 swing-set structures, trampolines and playhouses. I bought their cute t-shirts, through I Spot You then stocked up on ice cream and all the toppings! Thanks to everyone who made the day special for our girls.

Invites designed by a friend

The only family picture of the day!


Addy, showing off her t-shirt.


I'll huff....and I'll puff....

Addy's choice-strawberry with whipped cream, sprinkes & a couple cherries on top!
Lilly's choice: Chocolate ice cream, chocolate sauce and mini M&M's on top

At the bar :-)

Opening presents--so blessed--Barbies, coloring books, craft supplies, books and more.

A few of our favorite friends!

4th Birthday

We are a week post-birthday around here and this mama is still recovering! It was a fun-filled 4 day extravaganza, as we know we don't do much on a small scale. The girls were SO excited for their birthday this year and I felt like they really 'got it'. They were anxious to tell everyone about it and the first thing Addy said when she came in our room that morning, "I got bigger in the night!". We have done the 4-year old check-up at the doctor and they continue to ROCK the charts--94th percentile in height--can we say Butler Basketball scholarships anyone? They are big enough to ride in booster seats, but we'll use the 5-pt harness seats as long as we can. We got their haircut at 'the spa' and they felt so special. We wrapped up our appointments with the dentist today and they didn't even need to hold my hand-such big girls. They had no cavities and told the dentist and doctor about all their good habits (we left out the obsession with the self-serve frozen yogurt places around us).

I wanted to do something on their birthday we hadn't done before, so we headed to a local waterpark. They had a blast with friends and met Daddy for lunch and birthday ice cream. They were exhausted and behavior showed...I was hoping the transition out of the tantrum wielding 3-year old stage would be instantaneous! But, overall it was a fun day I hope they'll remember, if they don't, I have the pictures to prove the fun! I'll do taped interviews with them again sometime soon, they have so much to say. I'll also post birthday party pics this weekend, but for now, here are pictures from the actual birthday-enjoy!

What's a birthday morning without some awesome presents!?
Lilly at the waterpark--always the supermodel! Seriously, if we lived in a bigger city, I'd get this girl an agent!

Addy--harder to catch on camera--I have a lot of pictures of the back of her head

Rainbow Sherbert--best ice cream in town!
Yum! Birthday princesses in their new Disney outfits--loved the dresses--hated the glitter trail they left in my house!

Dance Camp-Take 2

We were scheduled for a Back to Nature camp through the Y last week, but it got cancelled, so I scrambled around to find a different camp for the girls since I worked most of the week. A friend was scheduled to attend a different dance studio's "Intro to Dance" camp, so we jumped on board! The girls did tap, ballet, hip-hop and poms everyday and seemed to really like it. They had quite the stage fright during the final performance in the park, but were proud of each other regardless of the outcome. If you have a hard time spotting them in the different numbers, they are typically the farthest away from the other as they can be. It's a long video, so I'm impressed if you make it through and aren't one of the grandmas :-)

IPhone Faves & My 3 year old on Facebook?

The heat wave continues and we feel like we've spent more time in bathing suits than 'real clothes.' The girls are loving every minute by the pool, evident by the rosy cheeks and long naps! My camera continues to be in the hands of Best Buy's Geek Squad, so this blog is dedicated to some favorite buried iphone photos enhanced by my new favorite app: Instagram. The girls are growing faster than ever and have begun the countdown to the 4th birthday--11 days. They're wish list varies daily and today included a bathtub with jets like grandma's. They've spent time at dance camp and vacation bible school over the last couple weeks, giving me some much needed time to prep for fall semester. However, their adventures have led to asking questions about jesus, death, heaven and hip-hop music. They are learning something new everyday. Sometimes I don't answer the questions and wait to hear how the other explains things. Addy always seems to be the most literal of the two but listens to every word I say and processes to herself only to revisit the topic days later. Questions are usually is tied to when she'll be able to do certain things--like chew gum, drink wine, get her ears pierced, drive a car, etc. So, nothing should surprise me, but yesterday I was surprised, when she said, "When I'm old like you, can I facebook?" My how the world has changed....