Pullen Park Play

We visited Pullen Park yesterday to check out the recent renovations and play with one of Davis' Primrose friends, Camille.  It was a beautiful day, I can't believe the weather we are having in December.  The kids had lots of fun.  Hanna fell asleep as soon as she hit the car seat.  If you know her, that is rare.  I don't think she requires sleep.

Recently, Davis has become a Clemson fan.  No idea where he got it from, but hey, we just roll with it.  He is proud of his hat.

Davis admiring the bamboo.  He still can't believe it grows in NC.  

Post about nothing...

I am sitting outside on our screened in porch in complete amazement with how nice the weather is.

I am passing the time while the kids play outside and thinking about having a little adult time tonight.  How do I prepare for a nice dinner out?  Eat only veggies the day of, so you can enjoy a great dinner without the guilt.  Okay, so I will probably still have some guilt as I enjoy a glass of wine (or two), but I tell myself its okay as long as I don't over indulge the whole day.   Veggie soup full of cabbage was on the menu today.  Zero points if you are counting (on the old WW system).  Likely a ratatouille version of vegetables tomorrow (sans potatoes).

We have reservations with friends tonight at Poole's Diner.  It's a great place to eat if you haven't tried it.  They usually don't take reservations, so I am surprised we actually got them and on short notice.  Must be a New Year's eve special event.

Have I mentioned its been a great week, being off from work?  I am blogging about soup for goodness sake!  We are marking things off the "to do" list (that have been there a while) and just taking they days as they come.  It's so rare that we do that.  The Christmas trees are still up.  I have no desire to take those down yet.

One long over due chore for some time was to give Fishy's tank a good cleaning.  That has been almost a year coming.  I am not sure he could even see in the old water.  With a little scrubbing and rinsing, Fishy was swimming with such purpose in his renovated home!   It's true what they say about Beta fish.  You can't kill them.  They are survivors- we have had him over two years and he is still kicking.  Hope all that fresh water doesn't kill him!

Thanks for your patience, Fishy.

Christmas 2011

I decided to purchase "matching" pajamas this year for Christmas morning (as mentioned in an earlier post).  It's a tradition my mom and I have done for years.  This year, I thought- hey, what not extend it to the whole family!  It was a little tougher when you put a male and two kids in the mix but there are websites that offer family sets.  Vince was a good sport about it.  I ordered the kids a few sizes up (they had saggy bottom this year) so we could use them for a few years at least.  Here are a few pictures- don't you judge my bed head!

We had two excited children Christmas morning!  They of course got way more than they needed.  It was a wonderful Christmas and we continue to be blessed by God's grace.  I am grateful my company is closed this week and Vince was able to take the week off with us so we can have a full week together as a family.  God is good.  I hope your new year is shared with those you love, filled with joy and brings you peace.

Breakfast with Santa

Last weekend out we had breakfast with Santa at our church.  We enjoyed a delicious breakfast complete with pancakes for the kids!  After a full belly the kids got a chance to pose for a picture with one of Santa's helpers.  Happy Holidays from two cute kids!

My New Favorite Cookie

White Chocolate Mint Cookies....yummy!  The kids weren't a fan, but I sure was (Vinnie too).  So I modified a few things and used a different extract than the recipe calls for, but they turned out mmmm mmmm good.   There were Andes mint chips in them.  For those of you who didn't know (and why would you really?), that is my favorite chocolate.  My mom gets me a bag every year for my stocking.  Funny thing is, I can make that bag last for close to a year.  Hard for Vince to understand.  He eats his stocking stuffer (turtles) in a month or less.

My dad's oatmeal cranberry cookies are still a strong second...

Happy Baking this holiday season!

Happy Birthday Micah

Last weekend we visited Charlotte to celebrate Micah's 6th birthday.  We always have a good time together and the kids enjoy playing together so much.  It's truly a blessing to have a cousin so close in age.  I have a feeling they will always be very close.  The photos are from Ella Walker (photographer for hire!).  She is amazing and I happen to think she had some good subjects to work with.  More photos from the party on her blog linked from mine.  Enjoy!

Happy Birthday, Micah.  We love you bunches!!!!

Pajama Day & Picture Day

The holiday spirit was in full swing this morning before school.  Davis' class earned pajama day at school for good behavior so he sported his Christmas pajamas.  They can bring robes, slippers and even stuffed animals!  We all have matching pajamas for Christmas morning.  Cheesy, I know, but it will make for a cute Christmas morning photo.

It was picture day for Hanna today at Primrose.  This dress was one of three cute holiday dresses my mom got her from the thrift store she volunteers at once a week.  I don't think these dresses have even been worn.  She finds some good stuff and having her there to skim the best stuff off the top for the kids has its advantages.

Two cute kids, we sure are blessed!

Photo disclaimer:  in a rush to get to school (like every morning) so a camera phone photo was the best I could do in a pinch.  :-)

Here is a picture of the PJ set I ordered for the family.  Cute I know!  I did not however order a set for Seis.  I think he'll be okay.

Thanksgiving with Family. Nothing better!

We had a nice holiday weekend at my parents house this past weekend.  We had a fantastic thanksgiving lunch (except we forgot the mash potatoes- I know, how could we????).  On Friday morning, my mom and I got up at 3:30 a.m. for a 5:00 a.m. departure for shopping and sales!  We were joined by my aunts and cousins- funny thing was, I already had most of my shopping done with my amazon.com points.  Oh well, it was fun to spend the day out and have some girl time.

Saturday evening my dad's side of the family started what I would venture to say, a new tradition for Thanksgiving.  We had a mexican themed dinner.  Check out our family photo.  Crazy and SOOOO fun.  Such a nice break from the turkey.

Halloween 2011

A little late posting, but better late than never.  Here is a photo of the kids from Halloween with my mom and dad (aka- Zombie).  The weather prevented us from going outside the year (more than just a steady drizzle, it was a steady, heavy rain!).  We opted for Crabtree mall.  The candy wasn't as good, but we all stayed dry!

Something special from my special boy!

A note like this means everything!  It made me feel over the moon happy and appreciated.  I happen to think he is the best son in the world, so his feelings are certainly reciprocated.  He is a GREAT son!  Thank you Davis, for the sweet note.  I love you.

Pop Pop Painting Hanna's Fingernails

This photo says it all...just precious!

Happy Birthday Hanna!

Our baby turned 4 last weekend!  What a fast year, but it has been full of blessing and progress.  Hanna's English has really improved.  She is having full conversations, no longer speaking with single words to let us know what she needs.  She loves school, is fully engaged in speech therapy, sleeping better and is out of pull ups (for some time now, actually).  We are so proud of her and how she has adjusted to all the change she has experienced.  As parents we focus on keeping the family going, and probably take for granted how well she has acclimated to our family.  We celebrated her birthday at Gymcarolina this year with cupcakes (yes, her favorite).  What a good time and we thank all of our friends who came out to celebrate with us.  It was that much more special because they were there. We give glory to God and thank him every day for a healthy, happy family.

Happy Birthday, Hanna.  We love you so much!  Here are a few pre-party shots I was able to capture of her outside in her birthday outfit.  (Thanks, Oma!  It was a precious outfit.)

Here are a few shots from the party.  What kid doesn't like to jump on a trampoline, fall into a pit of foam, and roll around?

Warm up session before the fun begins...

She sure does love the Happy Birthday song and all the attention.  I could eat her up!

Happy Birthday to you...

Seis & Football

During dinner I asked Davis if he would like to go outside and throw football.  He said "yes!" but little did he know I did it to get out of playing Wii.  It's not my favorite.  Seis decided to join us and it ended up being a full on tackle game.   Me, Vince and Davis against Seis.  I wish I had a video to post of how quick and swift he was.  He would even jump to catch the ball and duck between legs with the ball in his mouth.  It ended up being lots of fun and Davis now thinks he has the best dog in the world!  Here are a few shots of them relaxing at the end of almost a full half hour of running and tackling.

Cherub Choir AND Children's Choir

This year has been one of adjustments for the parents, not the kids.  We have really settled into having a busy life with kids activities and homework!  I'm not complaining, but I will tell you that it takes a few weeks to get your groove.  I have learned a few things recently.  I know the last minute we can leave work before being late, whether we should eat dinner before or after an activity, whether we should do baths in the morning or evening etc.  Each week our efficiency is improving.  With that said, the one day we don't have to worry about all those things are Sunday evenings at 5pm.  It's that time the kids go to choir practice.  A Sunday practice is how I justify breaking my rule of letting the kids be involved in more than one activity each, at a time.  This is Davis' second year in the children's choir, and Hanna's first year in the Cherub choir.  They both did great and I am super proud of them!  Here are a few shots of them during their performance.  You can probably tell Hanna was a sponge to all the attention I was throwing her way from the front pew.