A post of many colors!!

This past Saturday we had the privelege of attending a triple birthday party!! Anderson, Jacob and Josiah all celebrated their birthday with one big bash at Hunt Club Farm. It was so much fun!! The party was lots of fun, with many wonderful things to eat and there were so many activities for the kids to do, they could have stayed all day!! Ryan enjoyed many bounce houses and slides while Emily had fun climbing up and down the big pile of hay!! The boys had fun throwing the hay at each other for the longest time. That's a thought - just get a big pile of hay for the backyard!! That would be hours of fun!! :-) Kevin had to leave early to go out of town, so the kids and I went to pick out our pumpkins before we left. We couldn't leave the farm without getting our pumpkins, we were looking forward picking them out!! It was a wonderful day and I will definitely go back there next year!!

Ryan has officially begun his first sport - soccer!!! We decided to sign him up for soccer at the Y and he is loving it. Of course it helps that his best bud Anderson is on his team too!! He's still not quite sure what he's exactly supposed to be doing, but he's having fun running around and kicking the ball (sometimes in the wrong direction). It's quite hilarious watching all the kids running around clueless as to what they are doing!! I think the ball spent more time out of bounds than it did in play!! He's having fun and we look forward to a wonderful season!!

Go Sounders!!

A few weeks ago we headed down to Corolla, NC for a marriage retreat. It was wonderful to be able to spend time away from the kids and enjoy some time as a couple. We enjoyed shopping, lots of eating, time in the hot tub and many other relaxing things. Thanks to Mike and Denise for being our "speakers" and sharing their words of wisdom for marriage and communication. Already looking forward to next year!!

A few weekends ago we met Kevin's parents at Busch Gardens for the day. The kids had never been and it had been a long time since our last trip so we decided to make a day of it. The kids had so much fun and were completely exhausted by the end of the day. We stayed for about 8 hours and rode as many rides as Ryan could find. Of course he thought he was big enough to ride the really big roller coasters. He was very disappointed when we told him he wasn't quite big enough! Both he and Emily had a blast and especially loved riding the train around the park. I think Kevin enjoyed the train just as much as they did!! It was a fun day and we look forward to going back next summer! I only have a few pictures because my batteries died about an hour after we got there. Bummer!!

I'm back!!

I know, I know!! I am so far behind in blogging it's not even funny. Time has just gotten away from me lately and now I am trying to catch up on so many things. I have also started doing Facebook which is just crazy! I've enjoyed hooking back up with people I haven't seen in years, but it's just one more thing to keep up with. What's one more thing, right!!

Well, I am going to do a super post tonight. Kevin is gone for the week so I am catching up on many little projects around the house that have been put off for too long. Hope you enjoy a months worth of posts all at once!!

1st Day of Preschool!!

Yesterday was Ryan's 1st day of preschool and he had a blast!! It was a crazy morning trying to get everybody up and out and make sure that we had everything taken care of. Kevin took the day off of work so that he could come too which Ryan was very excited about. We have been talking about school for so long that to Ryan it was like he has been doing it for a long time. He was up early and ready to get dressed and go. There was so much that I wanted to do, that we ran out of time and were running a little bit late so I didn't get as many pictures as I would have liked.

Ryan eating his 1st day of school cinammon rolls on his special plate.

Emily just being silly as usual.
I wanted a picture standing somewhere other than the back of the car, but we ran out of time. He was so ready to go!
Check out his backpack! I bought the backpack 2 years ago knowing that one day he would need a gator backpack for school. (his school mascot is the gators) We had his name put on it and he loves it. He was wearing it around all morning while waiting to go.
Getting ready to go into his classroom. He barely had time to stop and take a picture, but I made sure. I do wish I would have gotten one with me in it, but the moms are usually the ones taking the pic's.
Ryan and Mrs. Jessee. I had her son in my class when I taught 5th grade, so I know that he will have a fabulous year in her class.
Emily in the car while Ryan was at school. This girls cracks me up!!

Ryan had a great 1st day of school. He barely even hugged me goodbye, which I guess is better than him screaming and crying. He was just so ready to be there with all his friends and hopefully ready to learn too. He has a few friends in his class that he already knows so that helps a bit, and we have visited school many times over the years so it is very familiar to him. I did much better than I thought I would, I didn't even cry. I guess mostly because the school is like a second home to me. I've been a part of the school as a student, as a teacher and now as a parent. It's so exciting to see him go to the same school that I went to and I know that he will love it as much as I did. I feel so comfortable having him there with so many people that I know so well. What a relief it is to know that he is surrounded by people who know him and love him and who are going to teach him all about Jesus. I couldn't ask for a better place to send my sweet boy!

Labor Day Weekend!!

Our weekend was busy but filled with lots of fun activities!! Kevin had no schoolwork to do (woo hoo!) so we had a lot of family time!! Saturday morning we headed off to get Emily's hair cut for the first time. She was watching Ryan get his cut and kept asking for her haircut. When it was time fo her, she just hopped up in the chair and was ready to go. She did fabulous and kept smiling for the camera every time I took a picture. I guess she's seen Ryan do it so many times she just knew exactly what to do. I remember Ryan screamed through his entire 1st haircut so I guess I was expecting the same thing with her, but definitely not the case!!

Here's the before picture! It was so long and ratty in the back.

Hey, this is fun!!
Cheese!
After haircuts we headed to the pool for the morning and played in the pool with daddy which is a rare treat for us. We ran into our friends the Palmers and got to hang out with them. We don't see them too often so it was a nice surprise. After the pool we came home took a very quick nap and then we headed out the ball field for the last game of the season. Or so we thought! The guys actually won their 1st and 2nd games of the night which put them in the championship game. Unfortunately they didn't win, but they had a great night. There's always next year!! Emily enjoyed getting completely filthy and having me chase her all over the place. Ryan just hung out with the guys in the dugout, which is nice for me!!
Coloring (or eating) with sidewalk chalk.
My little baseball boy
Sunday morning we headed to church and then lunch with some friends and then home for naps. After naps we headed over the the Palmers house for dinner. We decided Saturday at the pool that we should get together since it had been so long. So here the kids are playing trains in the sandbox.Sweet Emily trying to give Caiden a kiss goodbye. He wasn't too interested! Could it be because she kept taking his ever beloved trains all night!
Monday morning we joined the Maggiores at the bay. It was a beautiful day, there were a few more waves than usual which Ryan thoroughly enjoyed.
This was right before we left. She finally decided to sit down and play by herself with only a few minutes left. Go figure!!
We had just cleaned all their sand off and made them sit in the chairs to dry off. They looked so cute just hanging out!!
After naps we headed to my parents for dinner. The weekend was filled with lots of family fun which I had hoped for Ryan's last weekend before school started. I don't think we could have fit anything else in. We had great times with family and friends!!

Our trip to Charlotte and Roanoke!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

We had a great time on our trips to Charlotte and Roanoke. It was a whirlwind of fun for everyone and we were able to make lots of wonderful memories. We left town on Saturday morning and headed to Charlotte to see the Walters, some very special friends that are more like family to me. We spent Saturday thru Monday boating, fishing, eating, visiting and chasing kids (between 3 of us girls there were 8 kids, including 3 3year olds!!) We had a wonderful time and always look forward to going back! Thanks Walters for a fabulous time, we can't wait to see you all again soon!

Monday when we left we headed to good ol' Roanoke because Kevin had to be there for work till Wednesday. So the kids and I were able to spend time with his parents while he was at work!! We were able to visit with a lot of Kevin's family and had a great time swimming and hanging out. Wednesday morning Kevin had to take a train ride back to Norfolk, so we were able to go down to the tracks and see him as the train came by. Ryan thought it was so cool to see his daddy riding the train! Kevin's parents headed back home with me to come visit some more and give me a little help on the ride back. It was nice to finally get home and sleep in our own beds. We enjoyed our visit with Nanny and Poppy and were sad to see them go on Friday.

All in all it was a fun trip! The kids slept good (even Emily), mostly because they were so exhausted from all the fun! School starts in 2 weeks so we'll pack in some fun before the school year begins!!

The perfect beach day!!

Aren't these two just too cute together!!

Daddy's girl
Natalie, I know you will love this picture!
Emily so badly wanted to hold Madeline......so thank you Sue for obliging!!
How many boys can you fit in a tube?
Enjoying the refreshing bay water.
Boy did they have fun with the boogie board!
I think he's ready for one of his own!!

What a great day we had at the beach!! The kids had a blast and played so well together, the food was yummy, the fellowship was great and a good time was had by all. Thanks to Dave for the mommy boat ride and the dolphin show, it was so much fun!! Already looking forward to next year!!!

Check this out!!

I was looking through some photo albums at my parents the other day and came across this picture. This is me at 21 months old.
Now this is Emily at 20 months old.

What do you think? Does Emily look a little bit like her mommy?

I showed my picture to Ryan and asked him who it was and he said Emily!!
Although we might look alike my mom says that I was not nearly as busy and mischievous as little Emily has turned out to be!!

A nice surprise

Tuesday night when I got home from church this beautiful vase of roses was waiting for me!! No occasion really, just a thank you from my hubby for putting up with all the work he's been doing for school these last few months. He's been so busy with schoolwork and regular work that he hasn't really had much free time on his hands. Which left me and the kids sort of on our own quite a bit. Thankfully he's finished with his work, but the downside is that he leaves Sunday to go to Colorado for a week. Oh well!!! Tomorrow night we are headed on a date by ourselves! It's been quite a while and is completely overdue....looking forward to some quiet time with my hubby before he heads off!!

A busy 4th of July

We had a very fun-filled busy 4th of July. We spent the morning at the beach with the Judd family and then headed out to their house later that evening for food, fellowship and fireworks. The boys had a blast playing in the sand on the golf course and playing baseball (thank you Natalie!!) I don't have any pictures of fireworks and not many of Ryan due to the fact that I have run out of room on my memory card. Guess it's time to head to Sam's and print some pictures!! All in all we had a great day and I am sure you can see lots of other pictures from the cookout on Natalie, Sue and Heather's blogs!! Thanks Judds for having us over, it was a blast....already looking forward to next year!!

Isn't Carter just too cute! He's always smiling!!

My bathing beauty

My beach bum

The boys having fun in the water

My little sparkler!!

Check out these bubble boys! :-)

I was able to catch one shot...

Emily and Reagan - aren't they too cute (born just a few weeks apart)

Emily enjoying some of daddy's cake - yummy!!

Emily, Carter and Avery enjoying a dip in the whale pool...