Winter Fun

We are enjoying our winter (or lack thereof)...We love playing outdoors in the 65-75 degree weather and the best part is there are no bugs!! Our azaleas are already starting to bloom a little. I attached some pics of us on our bike ride. We are on the bike/walk trail several times a week. Abigail is enjoying her new bike seat and Grace is doing great on her bicycle (w/ training wheels). Grace started a dance/gymnastics class and loves it. She looks forward to going every week. Abigail and I enjoy some 1-on-1 time together during Grace's class. Abigail and Grace started their first combined story-time at the library. It was a disaster as Abigail was not interested in sitting still and when they all sat in a circle to color Abigail decided it would be fun to throw the crayons; of course it hit a boy right in the eye and he screamed so loud. I felt awful and was too embarrassed that I haven't been back since. Maybe we'll try another time.

Ballet class

Gym class

We decided to take a long bike ride. Saki got to ride in the basket. It was the windiest day of the year which wasn't so bad going since the wind was at our back, but it was almost impossible to ride back home. I thought we would never make it back!

Merry Christmas 2012

We had a wonderful Christmas celebrating with our family. Our first family party was with the Westbury's where we ate yummy food, opened gifts, played games and sang Christmas carols. Then we attended our church's Christmas Eve service for an unrehearsed Christmas Pageant. Grace was a shepherd and Abigail was a sheep. It was chaos, but very sweet and special for the kids to be able to participate in the service. We came home and opened presents that evening and then headed to my parent's house for a yummy Christmas brunch and feast for dinner with Matthew, Grandma Westbury & Andrew's family. The day after Christmas we traveled to Hampton to visit my Grandparents and visit with relatives and enjoyed the beautiful weather outside playing croquet and swinging in the hammock and of course eating more yummy food. It was a fun and exhausting holiday!

Abigail eating Grandma Page's good cooking!

Abigail & Ben crash from partying too much!

The star goes on the Christmas tree.

Our homemade cross-stitch stockings by Grandma Hough.  They are beautiful!

Saki the reindeer. Antlers from Ben's deer that he shot over Thanksgiving this year.

Tea party with cousin Jude

Festival of Lights

Decorating sugar cookies with cousin Emma-Grace

Pappy was decorated as a Christmas tree at the Westbury Christmas party.

Singing Christmas carols at the Westbury Christmas party

Grace got a two-wheeler bike for Christmas!

Homemade princess dress from Grandma Hough...beautiful!

Abigail snuggles with Uncle Andrew

Abigail meets Santa

Fall Fun 2012 (post 1 of 3)

The fall weather around here keeps us outdoors a lot. Whether Grace and I are having school or reading a book, we love being out this time of year. Grace had a Daddy/daughter date to look for shark's teeth in the canal and also took a walk to see the marching band practicing. It really made an impression on her as she talked about it for a long time. I love hearing the band practice when the windows are open in our house.



School on the porch. We were learning about foxes because Grace was scared of them for some reason (maybe because they are always the bad guy in her children's books). Since we learned about them she is no longer afraid of them and doesn't try to cover up the one on her wall mural in her room at night anymore (she used to stack up her pillows so she couldn't see the fox while lying down). :)

Ben got the rocking horse out of the attic and the girls love riding on it! Abigail thought it was real at first and wouldn't come anywhere near :)

Looking for shark's teeth



Beautiful day to walk on the beach with Nana & Yogi - Abigail was so funny running from the water!

Of course Grace couldn't just walk, she was wet from head to toe...and freezing, too.



Pappy snuggling with his grandaughters.

Our homemade scarecrow.

And a trip to the pumpkin patch to pick out that perfect pumpkin.

Grace liked the red tractor.

Bee City (post 2 of 3)

We took a fun morning trip to one of our favorite places in September...Bee City. Each time we go the girls enjoy something different than the time before. 

 

Choo-choo

My little animals

Grace feeds a lemur

Grace holds a SNAKE and loved it!

We have our own bunny at home, Elliott, that the girls like to feed, too.

Happy Birthday Grace! (post 3 of 3)

Hard to believe that Grace is 4 years old now! She is growing up so fast and likes being a big girl. We had a fun bird-themed party with a bird's nest cake, games and a picnic with family and friends at a local park. It was a fun day.

 

Grace's bird shirt embroidered by my friend Lanier

Kiddie table

Nest birthday cake (dyed coconut on top)

Grandma came to join in the celebration. Grace got a violin from her Hough grandparents.
We have been learning to play the violin together.

 

Thanks Nana & Pappy for my super cute doll house!

Pigtails!

Watermelon Festival

We just returned from a fun trip to visit Ben's parents and Grandpa Homer. It was also the weekend of the Watermelon Festival, which kept us busy! Since Ben's dad is the mayor, Grace got to sit in the convertible with him in the parade! She was practicing her Queen Elizabeth wave for a week prior.

Grace gets to open the Watermelon Festival parade with Mayor Hough!

Here the girls and I sit with Grandma and Grandpa watching the parade go by.

Grace competed in the watermelon eating contest, which is ironic considering she is THE world's slowest eater.

Abigail wanted to help, too!

We also went to the their land in the country where there are cows, pigs, garden and pond for fishing! I thought this was a funny pic of our dog Saki having a show-down with the cows.

Feeding the cows with Grandpa!

It was a busy weekend and we all enjoyed our mini-vacation! Grace is back home playing with her Barbie dolls and having a tea party with homemade peanut butter cookies, lemonade "tea" and chairs she made for them out of her blocks. Fun times!

Water Logged

We have turned into a bunch of fish this summer. The girls love playing in the water. Besides going to the beach and the waterpark, we go swimming about every other day in our neighborhood pool.  Grace and Abigail especially love the water park because there is so much to do. It makes the day go by so fast and everyone is happy - I can't wait to go back!

Grace playing in the sprinklers at the waterpark.

Abigail and Catherine play in the baby pool.

A day at the beach with my girls.

Grace building a sand castle.

Abigail has no fear of the water. Thankfully we found a shallow tidal pool to play in. They didn't like being knocked over by the waves.

Grace has forgotten how to swim since last summer, but she is quickly picking it back up. She can swim underwater in the baby pool from one side to the other.

 

Last week we had Kids Kamp at church. It was Grace's first camp and she LOVED it! What a big girl she is getting to be.

Today is Ben's birthday! We had a simple party at home and sang "Happy Birthday" four times throughout the day!! Grace loves birthdays. She enjoyed blowing up balloons (well, I blew them up and she played with them) and she helped me make/decorate the cake. It was so warm in the house, the red velvet basketball cake almost melted, but it sure tasted good! We had ribs, green beans from the garden and roasted potatoes for his birthday dinner.