Self Family

Fireworks and Fireflies

2009-07-13T17:51:00.020-04:00

Happy 4th of July

My 3rd favorite holiday (after Halloween and Christmas), and 1st favorite Summer holiday is July 4th. Every year since the year I was born I've spent the 4th in the same place, at the lake with my family. This year was no exception. We left on Thursday and met my grandparents for dinner. My parents came up later that night and we stayed up till almost 1 AM talking on the porch.

The next morning my Nani made a big breakfast for all of us and then we headed to the water. The girls swam for a little while and we laid out and relaxed. We spent the rest of the afternoon on the boat.

We went for a long ride and stopped for a while in deep water to swim for a bit and cool off. After we were done swimming, Sarah Grace wanted to go tubing, so she and I climbed in and got ready to take off... but the boat was dead in the water, the battery had died. So we flagged down a passing boat and they toed us to their dock not far from there and we charged our battery and headed home. When we got within sight of our dock we tried to tube one more time. We got in the tube, the boat took off and about 50 yards later died again! We flagged down another boat and they pulled us into our dock where our neighbors (who had been watching us) were waiting for. We were all glad to be off the boat and the girls were ready to play with their friends in the lake.

We have a great group of kids around us up there. Sarah Grace has a buddy at the lake, Mia, who's her same age. They have a house right next door and her mom and I grew up together. She's one of 6 kids and they all play great together. So the girls played and fished (they caught a couple with some "help"). And we went up got ready for dinner.

After a great meal (everything tastes better at the lake) we got our blankets and towels and headed to the boat to go out and see fireworks. The boat cranked right up and we had no problems. We saw some amazing fireworks and were one of about 200 boats out there. The girls had fun, much like the ocean, you never know if they're going to love them or hate them. They both watched and had their favorite kinds.

On the morning of the 4th the guys went to play golf and we lounged around until they got back. The girls and I did a little baking. We made a flag cake. They did pretty good, it was a bit wavy, but with little instruction and even less help they did really well. And it was tasty. ;)

After we were all back together we went out for another long boat ride, no breakdowns this time. The water was really rough and my Pawpaw's back was bothering him so we headed back and let the girls swim.

For dinner, my Pawpaw had smoked a ham and made Brunswick stew. So, once again we stuffed ourselves silly and then had a slice of flag cake. Charlotte was so proud of cake, she had been asking all day to eat the cake "I" made. The girls played with the neighbors for a bit and then we headed back out on the boat for more fireworks. These were a little less impressive than the night before but it was still fun. My grandparents went with us this time so the whole family was there together. On Sunday, Adam and I drove back for church and were back in time for lunch. It was really overcast and we were tired so when Charlotte went down for her nap we did too! It was so great! I don't nap as much as I used to... After our nap everyone was waiting for us to go out on the boat. It was so peaceful, I guess the weather had scared most people away that day. Adam and SG tubed for a bit. She's not a big fan of it. and then we just cruised around for a while. We grilled out that night and then Mom and Dad took all the kids on golf cart ride after dinner. When they got back we did sparklers and Adam and Charlotte caught fireflies. She loved it! She was on a mission. She's crouch down and whisper and point to where she saw one and they she and Daddy would run and try to get it. They got 5 and she was SO proud. i think her Daddy had more fun than she did. Adam had to leave and go home for work on Monday but the the rest of us stayed one more day. On Monday it started off really wet and dreary but by 11:00 was cool and sunny. We went back our on the boat and had the lake to ourselves. Which was nice and scary a the same time. We were really far from home when we thought "our boat could die again any time and it would be a long tow home and no one out here to tow us" so we headed back. But we were still out there over 3 hours. We got back and floated around with neighbors for a while and the kids played and took a canoe ride. We packed up later on and headed home.It was a great weekend, great weather, yummy food, pretty fireworks, and lots of memories!

Beach Bums

2009-07-12T19:02:00.024-04:00

If Europe was go, go, go then the beach is sit and stay a while! Like every year, we leave early in the morning, around 3-4 AM so that the girls will get some good ZZZ's in the car before sunrise... while that was our "plan" that was not to be our reality. Never start a 4 AM drive by stopping for donuts first. We all met at the gas station and my dad was waiting with 2 dozen donuts. The girls ate and never slept again. Oh well. I think Sarah Grace may have slept an our and a half of the 7 hours and Charlotte maybe 45 minutes (and mommy 0). All that said, they were exceptionally good and other than planned stops for gas and a later breakfast we never had to make any pit stops. Thank you Lord for DVD players!

We got to the beach around noon and went to get groceries and then unpacked and got settled into our condo. Normally, we hit the beach ASAP but this year it was soooo BLAZIN' hot we changed our plans and I think , started a new tradition. We let the kids play in the condo and stretch their legs and then we went to an early (4:00) dinner, we were the youngest people there by 40 years, and then after dinner played on the beach and at the pool till dark.

It was a perfect night, not too hot, the tide was in and had made fun tide pools for the girls to play in. All 4 girls liked the water. It seems like in years past there's always one who's scared of it. It was so fun to see them all playing together. After a couple of hours on the beach the sun started to set and we headed to the pool. We hadn't been at the pool more than 30 minutes when my dad and Adam noticed something floating in the pool. Yes, we were those people, Charlotte pooped in the pool. She had a swim diaper on, but the more she jumped in the pool the more that got pushed out of the back of her bikini bottoms. So, we reported it and they closed the pool the entire next day. Dang it! But we were glad we reported it because it turns out she ended up having a virus that stayed with her the rest of the trip...

For the next 6 days it was the same routine... Wake up around 8-9:00 and eat breakfast, slather kids in sunscreen, hit the beach around 11 and stay all day with intermittent trips to the pool. The kids all liked playing in the sand more than the water. They dug, "baked", made castles, threw it on us and each other, and liked having us dig huge holes and fill them with water. It seemed like every time we turned around we were heading to the showers to rinse sand out of someones' eyes.

I think over all they liked the pool the most. They were all brave and wanted to jump and be thrown around in the pool. Typically it's beach for most of the day and the pool for and hour or so in the afternoon...this year that was reversed a couple of days. This was the first year SG was really swimming and you didn't feel as pressured to watch her every second. She loved her freedom and showing off to the little girls, and anyone else who'd watch.

The girls were also into beach critters. Luckily, no one was scared by crabs, sand fleas or fish. They spent a lot of their days with their nets catching poor little fish and sand fleas and tormenting them in their buckets...but it was good for hours of fun. They also liked to chase off any birds brave enough to come close to our gaggle of girls.

Evenings were the same but different every night. We have our regular rotation of seafood restaurants and ice cream shops that we cycle through each trip. And the girls did great, even with long waits and longer meals no one ever had a meltdown. MAJOR answered prayer! One night there was a guy singing on the docks after dinner and Krista and the kids danced for a while, another night we went to the boardwalk for ice cream, we went to the marina to see the boats, one night we came back after dinner and the older girls went crabbing. You'd think with Sarah Grace being more experienced (and never negatively) she'd enjoy it and not be scared of the crabs. But the last couple of years she's spent much of the time running in the opposite direction from the crabs. This year one did almost run over her foot and she about lost her mind. Don't let the pics fool you, she wasn't as brave as she looks.

Below:

Lorentzs, Lords, Lords, Selfs, Gadds, Beelers, Thomasons

There's quite a group of us down there together every year. It's always my immediate family and my dad's parents and then over the past 3-4 years my mom's side of the family has been there too. My cousin, Elizabeth and her family live near the beach and they come over and hang out during the day with us and all the kids play. It's so fun, there are 9 kids under 6 years old and we're quite the spectacle. The past couple of years we've taken a break from seafood one night to go to my cousin's house for pizza and let the kids play. By the middle of the week the girls are ready for something normal. We eat and they play in the yard and this year we did sparklers. 9 kids playing with fire all at once was probably not the smartest thing but there were only a couple of uh ohs...

Overall it was a great trip, great time with family, beautiful weather (except for one quick storm the last day) great food and a little relaxation.

WOO HOO Europe here we come!!! or All the castles and pastries in Europe!

2009-06-07T20:49:00.140-04:00

In a very un-Self like move we decided to go to Europe, less than two months before it was time to go! For all of you who know my hubby and I you know we like to plan and then plan again. So, for us to decided to go on such a huge trip weeks before was very out of the ordinary. Here's what happened... Adam's uncle is a Dr. in the Navy Reserves and was stationed in Germany this Spring. When he found out aver a year ago, he invited Adam's parents to come over and make a trip out of it. So they did, as well as his other aunt and uncle. Then as a coincidence Tyler and Lauren were going to be in Israel with their church and flying back through Germany and decided to stay and be with the rest of the fam. So that left us. So we prayed about it, a lot, asked SG's teacher what we'd miss out in school (and she said "nothing") and then we asked my parents to watch the girls... and they said YES!!! I have the greatest parents ever! So, I headed to the passport office and off we went! (If this all seems like more info than you'd want to know, this is also my personal journal of the trip, sorry.) We left on Tuesday, 5/12, about 5:00PM and flew overnight, direct to Frankfurt. It was a 9 hr 45 minute flight and neither of us slept a second. We had our own TV's and we caught up on all the movies we hadn't seen this year. We should have slept. When we arrived on Wednesday 5/13 it was 1:45 AM our time and 7:45 AM in Germany and we had a full day of sights to see! We went and met Tyler and Lauren at their hotel (they flew in the night before). We used their room to freshen up and change clothes, and then drove to meet the rest of the fam (who had been there a few days already) at our first castle. Burg Eltz was a beautiful castle in a valley with a moat around it. It was originally 3 homes joined together by 3 families that made up one castle. One family still has a home in part of it. It was beautiful, but there are no pics allowed so there are only some outside shots. We ate lunch there, chicken nuggets and bratwurst, and discovered just how strong the language barrier was going to be! After lunch we drove along the Mosel River, which was beautiful. It would have been even more fun if I could have kept my eyes open. We arrived at our hotel about 9 PM and met the rest of the family for dinner in the restaurant and I had my first taste of German food, schnitzel (deep fried pork) with mushrooms and fries. Europeans put fries with everything and they are very proud of them. Most of them taste like the ones from Burger King, nothing special - I don't get it? So, we finally go up to our room and I was not amused! It was the tiniest room ever, and old (carpet from the 60's)! You could kick the bed from the hall and our luggage wouldn't fit inside! There was only pillow and one towel and no closet! I would have found it funny if I hadn't been awake for over 40 hours, and had just ate schnitzel at 10PM (not a good idea)! We got our room swapped and hit the hay (we overslept by almost 2 hrs the next day...we were so tired)! Thursday, 5/14, Rhine River Day Our first real day on the trip. Like I said it started off rough, with a phone call saying "where are you, we're in the van..." They were all ready, on time, and we were still in bed and hadn't showered in 2 days! So we changed our plans a bit, showered, ate a granola bar in the car and headed to do a cruise on the Rhine River (instead of going to France). It's neat to see how the Lord works, France ended up being my favorite country of the trip and had we gone on the first day like we had planned, it would've been rainy and cold and we would not have done all we got to do (and we got to sleep in, BONUS). We had to wait a bit for our boat to arrive so we ate lunch in a cute town, St Goar, and shopped until it was time to cruise. The cruise took you down the river past tons of castles and pretty towns with beautiful churches. We sat outside, pretty chilly (about 40 degrees), but neat to see everything close up. After we got off the boat we walked around another really pretty town, Bacharach. It was one of my favorite towns of the trip. Maybe because it was one of the first and very German. It was small, cobblestoned, quiet, and had lots of old painted houses. We walked around and explored for a long time, shopped for a while and then headed to Landschul, where the military hospital was, and met Adam's uncle for dinner at a GREAT Italian place - one of the best meals of the trip. There are great Italian places everywhere and lots of gelato! After dinner I had the best ice cream/gelato (tiramisu) I've ever had ANYWHERE! Then we headed back to our hotel. Friday, 5/15, Luxembourg & Belgium We ate breakfast at the hotel... rolls, jams, deli meat and cheeses (took some getting used to) and then all piled in our 9 passenger blue FIAT van and hit the autobahn. We went to Luxembourg first - the whole country is about the size of Gwinnett and DeKalb counties combined, seriously. We went to a WWII Museum. It was really interesting and if something was used in the war, in any way, by anyone, at anytime it was in this museum. Wow! Fortunately I'm a girl who likes war stuff so I really enjoyed it. After touring it for a couple of hours we headed outside to climb on the tanks! It was like an adult jungle gym. Afterwards we popped open our umbrellas, tied on our scarves and headed through to streets to find lunch. We ate at a cute French bakery and I got to brush off my high school French. Then it was back in the FIAT and off to Belgium, about 40 minutes and some very unexpected back roads later! Gotta love GPS! Our first stop was the Mardasson Memorial in Bastogne/Battle of the Bulge. I mentioned before I like war stuff and also I love the HBO series Band of Brothers. It's a true story about "E" Company, a regiment of paratroopers in WWII and all they went through from D-Day to the end of the war. Bastogne was where they had one of the toughest times/battles of the war and they stuck it out and saved the town from the Nazis. It was really neat to see the memorial and to see the guys (who I felt I knew) names on the wall. After we left there, I asked if we could make a detour to the ACTUAL woods where they fought and dug their fox holes. I had done a little research and thought I could get us there, and had read that the fox holes were still there. And I did! And the fox holes were still there, everywhere, pretty well defined. There were also petrified pieces of exploded pine trees from the battle right where they had fallen 70 years ago. It was so quiet in the woods, and Adam and I were the only ones there. It was really amazing to know what these guys went through right where we stood. After Bastogne, we went to a fortress in Bouillon, Belgium (from the 1100's). Adam's aunt knew about it and it was so much fun! It was very Lord of the Rings and it was self-guided. There were tons of tiny, damp, and very dark passage ways. There were dungeons, a torture chamber with the original equipment, and beautiful courtyards complete with live birds of prey. We were the last people there that day and had it to ourself. It was so much fun following these little alleys and steep stairs carved out of rock into all of these hidden rooms and turrets. We worked up quite an appetite and found a place in town on the river, at Mount Blanc, and I had a pizza with ham, chicken, pineapple, and prunes...it was good. And the dessert was amazing, banana crepes with "creole" sauce on top. The guys had chocolate Belgian waffles. They had to have a Belgian waffle in Belgium.Saturday, 5/16, France!

Breakfast at our hotel and off to Strasburg we went. We met up with all of Adam's family and went to Notre Dame cathedral. Yes, there are 2 Notre Dames, the other is in Paris. It was gorgeous, huge, beautiful, amazing, ornate... WOW! We toured the church for a while and watched a neat clock put on a little show and then we walked around town and shopped. After some jewelry shopping we ate flammkuchen (a crepe-like pizza with ham, onion and brie cheese) with Tyler and Lauren at a cafe (very French!) in front of the church and then had an AMAZING chocolate mousse pastry from a nearby bakery. My French was coming back to me, I was able to understand a lot more than I could speak, but I was able to give sensible enough answers to get my point across. As the day went on I got a little better. After Strasburg we drove along the Wine Road, to Colmar. We stopped in a beautiful little old town and I bought more pastries and actually got to use my French a couple of more times and I don't think they knew I was American! We shopped for a while and then went on to Colmar, France. Colmar is a really neat town. One of my favs of the trip ( this whole day was my overal fav)! We went to an interesting museum, the Unterlinden, and then explored the town. Along the way I got a toasted baguette with Munster (stinky) cheese and bacon on it from a street vendor. He only spoke French and he tried to tell me I was ordering the "local" cheese. I knew, and told him I liked it (in French) and it was really good. You did have to get used to the smell but it was good and the bread was really yummy. Adam even liked it. After our stinky baguette we ended up in Petite Venice. It is a quaint, old part of town with canals, bridges and houses built right on the water. It was GORGEOUS!!!!! You had to remind yourself this was NOT DISNEY it was REAL! The cutest thing was when I went to take a pic of this one really pretty house (really brightly colored with beautiful flowers) and when I got closer there was a little old French man leaning out of his 2nd story window planting flowers in his window box. Little old American men are cute, but little old French men planting flowers...come on! On our way back through the streets we found another bakery (this is the 4th of the DAY, if you're counting) and I got to use my French one last time and I ordered us all chocolate torsades. They are long ( about 18 inches), braided, chocolate filled pastries covered in a crunchy sugary shell! Vive la French pastries!!!!!!

Sunday, 5/17, Heidelberg, Germany

Last breakfast at our hotel in Bosen. Adam's aunt and uncle flew back to the states and we packed up and headed South and East for the 2nd half of our trip. On the way we stopped for some beautiful pics in a mustard field. They were everywhere, and went on forever, bright yellow! When the sun shined on the hills they glowed. We met up with Adam's other aunt and uncle in a town called Heidelberg. The town was not quite what I had pictured. Not as small and quaint as the others we had been in, but it ended up being a great day. We had no real plans, so we found a neat restaurant and sat outside and people watched while we enjoyed an interesting meal... I say interesting but maybe I should say adventurous. I had escargot (so did Adam and Tyler)! Snails! Yup me! 2 of them, by choice, and liked them! If you like mushrooms you'd like snails. It's totally mind over matter! For my entree I got venison ravioli. Sounds safe right? Ravioli is not ravioli in Germany. It was an entire venison meatLOAF wrapped in a green sheet of pasta with a mushroom sauce. The first 2-3 bites were alright, but after that it was just bite after bite of thick, gummy venison patty and cream sauce. Not my best meal, but very German, they love meat. After lunch we did some antique shopping and then went to another castle. It sat WAY UP on the mountain and was more than just a hike! But it was pretty and we needed to walk off our snails. ;0) After the castle we all had dessert (I had apple strudel) and we said goodbye to the other aunt and uncle and headed off just the 6 of us. We were on our way to Munich via Baden-Baden and the Black Forest. It was quite the detour, that cost us about 4 hours of time in the car we hadn't planned on. We did see some neat places along the way but mostly it was just a lot of stop and go traffic (yes there is traffic on the autobahn) and some grouchy/slap happy people piled in a big blue van! We stopped at a German truck stop for dinner. Really. And they had a Burger King! And it tasted like BK! It was great! "American" products in Europe do not taste like home... Coke is NOT Coke...! After the truck stop, we rigged our portable DVD player up and hung it from the ceiling of the FIAT and tried to watch the Sound of Music to get us in the mood for Austria the next day. The volume didn't work so we tried to watch the movie, in silence, and as it swung, sometimes violently, from the ceiling in stop and go traffic. Some time after 11PM we got to our hotel in Munich (which was really nice!) and went to bed.Monday, 5/18 Salzburg, Austria

Croissant and a cherry strudel for breakfast with an Adelholzner. Sounds like a beer but it's this yummy orange, guava, carrot juice they have there. And then we went to Austria. We made a couple of pretty little detours along the way, and arrived about 12PM. We went to Mirabell Gardens first on our way to find something to eat. It was the place in Sound of Music where the kids danced around the Pegasus fountain and sang "Do, Re, Mi". Then we had some more great Italian food, angel hair with shrimp, in a Beergarten and went to Salzburg Cathedral (which was heavily bombed in WWII) and toured it. Then we got some gelato and went through St Peters cemetery. The plots in the cemetery are rented by the families 12 yrs at a time and each grave is a mini garden maintained by those families. Some family plots were still being maintained from the 1500's and some graves were from 2009. It was so pretty. The graves were every color of the rainbow and had beautiful old, ornate, iron markers on them. After the cemetery it was castle time, Castle Hohensalzburg. It felt like more of a museum than a castle and was more modern than any we had been in before. But it had amazing views of the Alps and the city below. After we came down I found an apple strudel! The real deal Austrian apple strudel! The guys had their waffles in Belgium and I had this! And I did not share! :) We walked around the city some more (very commercial and "big city" feel) and shopped and saw the house where Mozart was born and then headed back to Munich. Adam, Lauren and I went to dinner at our hotel and had a great, and very relaxed meal. I had potato soup (AMAZING), not to be confused with the potato soup I'd have a few days later, and tiramisu. Tuesday, 5/19, Bavarian Castles & Oberammergau, Germany

We had more pastries for breakfast...apple strudel and a different cherry one and Adlehozner. This was to be one of our favorite and longest days of the trip...but a GREAT one. We started with castle Schloss Hoheschwangau (The High Place of Swan) and toured it. It was so pretty, and very new in comparison to those we had seen...built in the 1800's, and it had electricity. It was IN THE ALPS! Beautiful! And the castle sat above a lake and a pretty little town with lots of horse drawn carriages! After the castle we went down to the lake and looked around. The water was crystal clear and the color of the tropics.

We walked down to the town below and took a carriage ride up (way up) to castle Schloss Neuschwanstein (Walt Disney used it for Sleeping Beauty's castle). It was INCREDIBLE!!! The King that lived there built it as his fairytale castle and it was. This guy was nuts but he liked fancy things! Once again no pics allowed but pics wouldn't do it justice anyway! After we toured the castle we ate lunch at neat place at the foot of castle.

The place was neat but the food was not the best. This is where I had my 2nd bowl of "potato" soup. NOT potato soup! The night before I had the best potato soup ever and this stuff, well.... not potato soup! So, I compensated and had a Belgian waffle with cooked apples and berries for dessert! :) You will be shocked to know that I did NOT gain ANY weight on this trip, even after eating my way through every patisserie in Europe (with many more still to come)! We did a lot of walking!!!!! We had planned on doing these 2 castles and then learned that the same king, Ludwig, had a 3rd not far away. So we did it too! - Schloss Linderhof, his Summer house, and where he actually lived most of the time. If the first 2 were fancy and ornate this one was off the charts!!!! Like I said the king was CRAZY (literally, mentally unstable) but he could decorate! You could stand in any room for days and never see all of it. It was amazing! There was gold DRIPPING from everything, and candles and mirrors and paintings....! And fountains (all gold), and flowers and he even built himself a man made grotto - an under ground cave with a lake and waterfall (all fake, but looked real) where he'd listen to operas. Once again no pics, but if you're ever over there it's a must see! I did not have a dessert of any kind after Linderhof. After Linderhof we went to a nearby town known for it's once-a-decade passion play and wood carvings ($$$$), Oberammmergau. We got there too late to shop, which was probably not a bad thing, and found somewhere to eat dinner. This town was also in the Alps and at the bottom of Mt St Benoit. We ate outside, at a hotel facing the Mtn and listened to really loud American country music...odd. Adam and I had another flammkuchen (pizza thing) with goat cheese, arugula and tomato and then I had it! It! THE dessert I didn't know I had been missing all my life! Caramelized lemon parfait with warm, wild berry compote! Ya'll!!! It was a lemon custard/sherbert/ice cream stuff caramelized like creme brule on top with all these funky stewed berries poured over it. HOLY COW, OH MY YUM! It was warm, crunchy, cold, and fruity all in one!Wednesday, 5/20, Munich, Dachau & Rothenburg Germany We got up early and headed into Munich via the subway. When we got to the city (about an 8 minute ride) we looked for breakfast. Guess what? I had a pastry, a chocolate/hazelnut croissant. But I tried to balance that by buying a bag of cherries at a fruit stand. We walked through the market place and found the flower market. It was very Disney. We saw a cute little old nun in full nun attire buying flowers. If we had been staying in Munich another night I would have bought some flowers for our hotel room. It smelled amazing. After the market went to the Hofbrauhaus, the oldest, and largest beer hall in Germany. All the guys wanted to see it. So we went, yes the pastor and his sons in a beer hall. But to their credit, it was 9 AM and empty. We walked/shopped around town and then headed back to our hotel to check out and go to our next destination. Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Like I said before, I'm interested in all things WWII and several of us wanted to go to a camp while in Germany. Dachau (Schindler's List) was a labor camp where the stronger of the people went to work at subcamps making ammunition for the German army. When they got sick or too weak to work they were sent away to extermination camps like Auschwitz, or cremated on the grounds. They did have a gas chamber and crematorium. We walked in both, and it was strange to be where they had been and to try imagine their fear. We also saw the gallows where they were hung, walked along the execution range and blood ditch where inmates were shot, saw their unmarked graves, saw the barbed wire still embedded in the trees along the creek, and walked through the barracks where they lived in such horrible conditions. After we toured the camp and barracks we went in to see the movie. It was horrible, very graphic. I was glad we saw it after we saw the camp because I was physically sick. I couldn't look back outside... to know you were just standing where you saw these horrible things happen... it was too much! I cried. On a happier note, our next destination (we stayed over night) was much more quaint. We drove along the Romantic Road (appropriately named). It's a pretty drive through dozens of little old towns in the country. When we arrived in Rothenburg, we checked into our B & B, which was cute and had huge rooms and baths, and then hit the town. It was beautiful, like nothing we had ever seen and is very hard to describe. It's one of the oldest, most well preserved medieval towns in Europe. It's totally enclosed inside the original walls from 1300's and there is not a modern building in sight. There are no cars allowed in the town unless you are staying in one of the B & B's so it's very quiet. We found a great restaurant for dinner, and the owner had a sweet dog that waited by our table for scraps. (In Europe they love their dogs, they're everywhere, they stay IN the hotels, come on trains, come IN the restaurants and aren't on leashes.) After our meal we hurried to the highlight of our time in Rothenburg, The Night Watchman's tour. In the middle ages guys with big ax-like swords walked around and guarded the town from bad guys at night. This guy dresses in full attire and takes you on a walking tour through the city at night and tells FUNNY stories of middle age life and some history of the town. It was so fun, he was hilarious, and very interesting. When our tour was over we did the wall walk. You can walk the 1 1/2 mile wall around the city. It was really pretty at night. After our walk we got a local dessert, SURPRISE! They're called Schneeballentraums, or Schneeballs. It's balls of fried piecrust dipped in different flavors, Adam had choc and I had cinm-sugar. They were really good. I had 3 while we were in town. :) Then it was back to our B & B for some rest before another day of exploring Rothenburg. Thursday, 5/21 Rothenburg (day 2) & Wurzburg, Frankfurt PM We ate breakfast at our B & B the next morning and then did some shopping. We went to the neatest Christmas store, it's hard to explain, but if there were a Disney park of all Christmas stuff, that might be kind of like this place. It was level after level of all things Christmas and was decorated like you were walking through a snow-covered old town at night. After dropping a few Euros there, we stopped by the church in town to look around, and they were having an organ recital, with 500+ pipe organ, OH MY GOODNESS! It was like nothing I've ever heard, like a movie. After the recital we looked around the church and at an amzing wood carving from 500 years ago depicting scenes of Christ's life. We left the church and walked through some gorgeous gardens tucked away along the city walls and then did another part of the wall walk again during the day. There were some gorgeous views. After our walk we found a great place for lunch and did some more shopping. I found one last dessert I had to try, apple pizza, and then we packed our bags and headed to our 4th and final hotel in Frankfurt. On our way we stopped in another city along the Romantic Road, Wurzburg. In Wurzburg we toured the Grand Residenz. It was the palace of the archbishop of the region hundreds of years ago. It was beautiful, ballroom after ballroom of amazing art, huge chandeliers and amazing views of the gardens outside. What you think of when you think "palace". After our tour we piled in the FIAT one last time and headed to our hotel. When we arrived, the hotel was great, very contemporary and Swiss. Like a really fancy IKEA. We ate downstairs in the restaurant and had a great meal and talked about our fav parts/places of the trip. And I had one more great dessert! :)

Unlike some trips (Hawaii) I was ready to come home. It was a great trip but we felt like fish out of water much of the time. I was not looking forward to the almost 12 hours of sitting in the middle seat of a plane but I was ready to go. When we gotto the airport, we ate and then went to our gate. While we were waiting to board our names were called over the intercom. We went to the counter and were told we'd been upgraded to Buisness Elite. It's 1st class on steroids! We got HUGE fully reclining seats (all the way flat, like a bed), individual down comforters, noise canceling headphones, hot towels, snacks and were presented with quite the menu of dinner choices! We were SOO SOOO SOOO excited. It was like an extension of our vacation! I know I sound like a broken record but the food really was the best part. We had warm toasted nuts, an appetizer sampler with soup, salad, and deli meats, dinner was pasta, steak, veggies, cheese tray w/fruit, & ice cream sundaes (pick your own toppings), warm choc chip cookies, & chick and pesto sandwiches and brownies for our next meal! Seriously, we ate it all over the course of our 10 hour flight! I might have a gained a lb or 2 on the way home. We had a short stop on NYC and then it was home and to our kids, beds and then straight to the lake the next AM for Memorial Day weekend.

Spring has Sprung!

2009-06-07T18:28:00.031-04:00

Here is somewhat of a blanket update of what's been going on this Spring in the Self family...We've had a mild and rainy Spring. On all those rainy inside days we'd just tell ourselves "the lake is filling up!". And it is! When it would dry up enough to go outside we head to the swing set or go feed the geese. When it's been really nice we've made several trips to the park, with friends, family, and Daddy even came along one day!! I think it was the first time he'd ever been with Charlotte. It was a gorgeous day and we had NO PLANS! That's rare! Charlotte has no fear and did everything Sarah Grace did and then some! She loves the rock climbing wall. She's not afraid of heights. She'll climb anything, which is a little scary. Sarah Grace had fun too. She loves to swing, yet another thing she gets from me. She even got her dad and his long legs on the swings with her! After a quick tailgate break and snacks we brought out the scooter and let the girls ride around on the trails. It ended up in both having scraped knees. On the scooter trip SG found a caterpillar and was SHOCKED when I let it crawl up my arm. I'm NOT a bug person but I will do caterpillars, lady bugs, and rolly pollies. After they were over the scooter and we carried it all way back to the car and headed to Brusters!Mimi and Pawpaw have also taken the girls to the park for play dates. And Pawpaw has made quite the little fisherman out of Sarah Grace. He takes her down to our lake and she practices her casting, she's GOOD! She can't wait to go to the "real" lake and fish with bait.Like every year, we went to Grayson Days. We met the Gadds and some friends for the parade. We got there a little too early and the kids were ready to go before the parade ever started. We were out of snacks and everyone's sippy cups were empty before 10 AM. The parade finally started and all the kids stood at the ready with their bags to collect all the candy they throw into the crowd. Charlotte loved the firetruck and the marching band! SarahGrace liked the "princesses" AKA Miss Grayson HS and Little Miss Grayson, she also liked the cloggers and karate guys with swords. After getting a bag full of candy we headed into the park. Both of the girls got their faces painted, and we did Fairy Hair. There were other little crafts, a petting zoo and lots of moonwalks and jumpies. After BAKING in the sun for a few hours we went to the playground and found some shade and all shared hot dogs.

Sarah Grace finished her first year of big school and is officially a 1st grader now. She had a great year and had awesome teachers. She really did well and never ONCE said she didn't want to go to school. She loved riding the bus, having family come eat lunch with her and having me help out in her class.

She did great in Field Day Olympics. She was very focused and determined in all her events, she gets that from her dad. I went on "opening ceremonies" day with her and then Adam and I both got to go the day of her events. Adam helped with all the events and I was the cheerleader/photographer for her class. Her class won 2nd place in the Tug of War, which was her favorite. She had a strategy and she told all her friends how to "dig" their feet in the sand and "lean back". It worked, they got 2nd place out of 12 classes. She also did the torch relay, 3-legged sack race, noodle race, pennies in the flour game, and the tire roll. She did good in everything, she was surprisingly coordinated.

We've also had two weddings in the family this Spring. I have 2 new cousins, Joy Lord and Brittany Lorentz. Congrats newly weds!

Happy Easter

2009-04-28T10:33:00.023-04:00

This year Easter started the Friday before. Sarah Grace had an egg hunt at school the Friday before Spring Break. I went early to help "hide" eggs. There wasn't much to hide. I went to the big field/track area and just started dropping them on the ground along with 2,000 other eggs. It was really pretty, seeing all the colorful eggs in the grass.Not long after I finished helping with eggs the kids started coming out. It's quite a site to see 200+ Kindergartners chomping at the bit to grab the eggs that are just inches in front of them. They all lined up around the track and waited for the whistle to blow, which felt like forever. I thought with the number of eggs out there Sarah Grace would rack up, but that was not the case. She's such a girl! She passed by 50 eggs before she picked one up. She was going for the "pretty" ones. She hand-picked 8 eggs. Out of 2,000 she got 8. But to her credit, they were pretty and all color coordinated. After all the eggs were "found" we went inside to resort them so that every child would have 12. When SG heard what we were going to do all the color drained from her face. You could see the panic, she was going to lose her pretty eggs... Her teacher had all the kids dump their eggs in a pile and they went around one at a time, in 12 rounds, and picked. She went for her favorite first. It was a tiny little purple egg she had found before. She was so proud of it. When she originally found it she stopped looking and found me to show me her "baby" egg. She went for a color theme again (purple, pink and turquoise), choosing several from her first batch. She was happy with her final 12.The next Saturday was our egg hunt at home with our Sunday school class, friends, and family. We had over 30 people, about 16 were kids. The dads hid the eggs while we waited inside with the kids. We let the kids go out in two groups, under 3 yrs old, and then the bigger kids. Little did we know that the Gadds brought a ringer! Payton was a pro! She was snatching eggs so fast we had to let the big kids out early so they'd have eggs left to hunt. She probably found 20 eggs, in under 2 minutes. Come to find out they had been practicing at home for weeks! Charlotte did good, she found about a dozen, with no practice.When we let the big kids down it was a free for all. There were 2 prize eggs that were really hidden and the winners got a big chocolate cross. Sarah Grace did better than at school. She went down the fence line and found all the ones along the gates and in the pine straw. She got about 10. Claire did good too, with a little help from her daddy and big sister. She just wanted what was inside them.After some group pics we went inside, it was CHILLY, and had our "picnic". Charlotte ate really fast because she knew what she'd get if she ate all her lunch. She even helped Claire finish hers so she'd get a treat too. Cookies! Every year I make & decorate Easter egg sugar cookies. She had watched me make them a couple of days earlier and had been begging for one. She got the one with the most jelly beans on it, her favorite treat in the world. She didn't miss a crumb.The next day was Easter. I got the girls up early and got them dressed and then we went down to see what the Easter Bunny had brought for them. Charlotte really had no clue/memory of what was going on but she liked all of her treats. Sarah Grace knew and bolted to her basket. They both emptied them so fast we couldn't keep up with pictures. Charlotte found an egg filled with jelly beans and popped it open. It exploded all over the den! She and Fancy were packing them in their mouths as fast as they could. She had at least 10 in her mouth. She couldn't even smile for pics her mouth was so full. She was so stuffed with sugar she wouldn't eat her breakfast. Lesson learned... next year we'll eat first and do baskets after.After a great service at church we went to Nani and Pawpaw's for lunch. All the family was there. After some pics and playtime in the yard (without baby ducks!) it was time to eat. Charlotte was ready! After lunch the girls got gifts from Nani, Mimi and Pawpaw. Mimi gave them all bathing suits and cover ups and they all wanted to model them. Charlotte would end up wearing hers all day, under her dress. Then Nani gave each of the girls and big plastic egg. They all opened them and they each had a $5 bill in them. Sarah Grace was thrilled! Next year the Easter Bunny should just bring a basket full of eggs with dollars and quarters in them. She loved it! Charlotte held hers up to her daddy and said "look a ticket!".After gifts they put their clothes back on the guys hid eggs. All the girls did good finding them. They were spread out enough that they all had their own territory. After round one, Claire opened every egg in her basket one by one checking for candy. There was none. She'd open an egg and in her quiet little voice say "nope" and go to the next... "nope". She was so determined to find something we actually put candy in a couple so all her hard work would pay off.After our egg hunts we packed everyone up and went to my aunt's house to see my mom's side of the family for dessert. All the kids played and Charlotte, still with swim suit under her dress, begged to go swimming in their pool.

Zoo Day

2009-04-27T22:27:00.019-04:00

Spring Break started off rainy (like Noah's Ark) and stayed gloomy for a while. We really wanted to do something fun with the girls while Sarah Grace was out of school so Adam took Friday off and we went to the zoo. There were storms in the forecast but we forged on. The whole family went, except for poor Jonathan who had to work. It turned out to be a perfect day. The threat of storms held off the crowds and we walked right up to everything and didn't wait for anything. It was cool but not cold and towards the end of the day the sun actually came out.It was all the kids', but Sarah Grace, first times at the zoo. They loved it. Charlotte would have been fine staying at the park entrance all day. They had a bubble blower that continually blew bubbles and all she wanted to do was chase them. We convinced her to leave them long enough for a pic with a couple of characters (you can tell she is still watching the bubbles). Meanwhile my dad was IN the flamingo enclosure and be converged on by park employees. He wanted THE perfect pictures of the girls watching the birds... He got one.

After Dad climbed out of the exhibit, we went to the Parakeet Adventure. It's an open-air enclosure with 100's of parakeets flying around. They take you in in groups and you can buy feed sticks to feed them with. It takes a bit of patience to get them to come to your stick, because there are 50 other sticks being waved around and 500 that came before those. But Sarah Grace wanted to wait. I think the rest of us were ready hand our sticks to the next person and call it an "experience" when she got 2 to feed off of hers. She was so excited, they fed for a minute or two and then started fighting over it and she got scared and dropped it. The other girls tried, for maybe 15 seconds each, and had no luck. I don't know that I would want to come eat from a 2 year old yelling "BIRDIE, COME MERE!!!" if I was a parakeet either.After the birds we saw the elephants, tigers, monkeys and some big ugly birds. The girls all liked watching and really paid attention to each one, as much as they could for their ages... Then we went to see the lions. My personal favorite of the day. They were so much fun to watch. There were 3 cubs (teenagers) and one adult male. The cubs played together for the longest time and really put on a show. Eventually the dad came down from his rock he'd been watching from and joined in. When the younger ones saw him coming they all flocked to him. They jumped and pawed at him and he played back. It was so cool to watch! There was a huge crowd and everyone kept going back and forth from one part of the enclosure to the other to see what they were going to do next. We had to drag the girls to the next animal.The next stop was the gorillas. When we first got there not much was going on, but stayed a few minutes and they all came out and put on a show for us. A large silver back came down the hill, out of nowhere, and all of a sudden 4 little bitty ones lined up behind him in a train (hands on each others shoulders) and followed him down to the viewing window. It looked like a Conga line. :) It was precious!!! They were so little. Eventually some of the moms came down too and they all dispersed to their moms while the male sat and watched. The girls thought it was funny to walk like the gorillas for the rest of the day.

After lunch (really good pizza) we did the reptile house, zebras, orangutans, pandas (we saw one of the babies), and petting zoo (the girls all liked to brush the goats). The orangutan was ENORMOUS, bigger than any of the gorillas. The pics don't do him justice! You'd have to see him for yourself. We were lucky enough to see him get up and climb around and it was AMAZING! HUGE!!! There was also a tiny one that liked to swing upside down from a rope while eating a snack. We ended the day with some free time on the playground and snacks. It didn't start raining until we got home. :)

March 1st

2009-04-15T12:26:00.014-04:00

IT SNOWED! That's a big deal in Georgia! It came in fast and piled up! It was a Sunday morning and we new that is was a possibility. When we left for church it had been raining but wasn't at the time. While we were in church it started to rain (10:00). By the time we went to Sunday School (10:45) it was a mix of sleet and rain. And then by the time we got out of Sunday School the ramp (we're in a trailer) and cars were iced over and it was starting to snow (12:15). We got the girls and headed to the car and when we got to it it was already accumulating. The girls were so excited (and so was I)!!! It happened so fast, by the time we got home and ate lunch it looked like this (2:00).Sarah Grace got all layered up and was ready to go play. Charlotte didn't know what she was missing so she went down for a nap (she'd play later). The three of us got bundled and headed outside. By this time there was over and inch on the ground (we got 3), plenty to make snowballs and snowmen out of. Sarah Grace and I had a battle, then she and her dad, and they they ganged up on me. But I eventually got even.Sarah Grace had a contest with herself to see how big she could roll a ball for the snowmen. She and Adam made a whole family of snow people. One for each of us. It was quite the project. Then Sarah Grace played with the neighbors a while and we went inside to dry off and warm up.Later that afternoon everyone came over for a snow party. Krista and Jonathan came down with girls and my parents came over too. We all played outside. Charlotte and Claire weren't too sure about everything. They liked being held and watching everyone else play. They had no interest in getting out in it and touching it. Charlotte liked "tasting" the snow.Krista and Jonathan built a snow family too. It had five snow men! This was how they told mom and dad they were expecting #3! We already knew. It took a few minutes for it to sink in. My dad thought the 5th was for their dog... really. But once we helped them along the thought process they were thrilled, and surprised.

The girls made more snowmen, threw snowballs, andmade snow angels by the lake. They even took a slide down the snow covered sliding board. After a couple of hours and 10's of frozen fingers we went in. We all ate dinner together, got the girls into their pj's and made smores in the fireplace. Fun day.

Let's go to the circus!

2009-04-15T11:08:00.009-04:00

Let's go to the circus! This year we made it family (and friends) affair. There were fifteen of us. My whole family, Krista's sister-in-law and boyfriend and Krista's friends, the Purcells.We all caravaned down there and got dinner on the way. We had to get there early because the girls wanted to see the pre-show festivities. So we got there, got our clown noses on and walked around the arena. The girls tried on circus clothes, watched some acrobats and saw Kelly Anne, the elephant, paint a picture. Then is was time to head to our seats.

We had great seats. We had the first row, center, of the upper level. It was perfect for all of the kids. There was no one in front of us, just an open rail, and they had room to run back and forth. It was all of the kids' first time to the circus, except for Sarah Grace. She had gone when she was 3 & 4. But all the others we amazed. Especially Charlotte. She just stood with her chin resting on the rail and watched in silence for the longest time! She'd dance and clap... she was really into it.We all had a good time. My grandparents went with us too. It was fun being there with them because they were the ones that took us to the circus every year when we were little. They had a great time. My Pawpaw wasn't feeling too good but really enjoyed himself. After a while the novelty had worn off and it was time to hit the concession stand. The girls wanted a snow cone. So we got snow cones, cotton candy (for me), candied almonds and drinks. It was not easy getting them to take turns with the snow cone. Charlotte was sure it was just for her.After snacks came the tigers and elephants. The girls loved them both. But the favorite, and mine came after the animals. MOTOBALL! The big steel ball that they ride motorcycles in. I've always loved it and the girls loved it too. I thought maybe the noise would bother Charlotte but she was AMAZED! It really is unbelievable to watch 7 guys ride around without crashing into each other.There was one last surprise for the girls. Glow toys. My parents and grandparents bought one for each of the girls. They were a hit. Literally. They'd push the button and then whoever was closest would get smacked in the face or leg by hard, plastic tentacles with shiny, hard, little lights. Fun. So, those kept them happy until the finale, and then we packed up and headed home.

Let's PARTY!!

2009-01-30T16:07:00.008-05:00

It's a pony party!

This year Sarah Grace picked a My Little Pony themed party. She found the cake first and we went from there. The cake turned out really cute, and bright, and it was quite tasty!

All the gang was there, family and friends, almost everyone was able to come. Sarah Grace was so excited. She had been asking for days "how many hours till my party?". Well it was finally time. When she came downstairs for breakfast everything was decorated. There were ponies hanging in the doorways and from the lights and there were candy colored balloons everywhere. The table was covered in bright green, and blanketed with Pony confetti. She approved, and so did Charlotte. We caught her stealing confetti more than once...Once everyone was there we blessed the food. She had asked for her usual party staples... nuggets, pasta salad, egg salad and PBJ sandwiches, fruit, veggies and pigs in a blanket. It was all there and then it was all gone. Usually we have leftovers to snack on, but not this year!

After lunch came present time! And she was ready to open them. She even let her friends help her. She got all kinds of goodies, games, $, craft toys, glittery horses and clothes. The biggest hits were the cash and Hungry Hungry Hippos. She was so excited to get it. She and Charlotte play with it every day. It has a permanent spot on our coffee table. I'm starting to be able to tune out the noise it makes!Next it was hot potato time. We had to improvise this year because it was too cold to go out and do a pinata. In years past we have always had warm weather for her party (which is odd) and the kids play outside. Not this year, it was a high of 35! So, hot potato it was! But they really enjoyed it. Payton ended up being the winner and was quite proud of herself. She won the prize (a giant pixie stick)!

It was finally time for cake. We all sang it was a group effort to blow out the candles. After cake the kids all went into the keeping room and watched an Ariel movie she got as a gift. It was refreshingly quiet, for a little while. It was fun day.

Meet Blueberry

2009-01-30T10:54:00.016-05:00

She's all grown up... Sarah Grace turned 6. Six just sounds old, which I guess makes me feel older... Bummer. ;0)The night before her birthday we made lemon cupcakes for her school party and she picked out Tinkerbell plates and napkins. She woke up the next morning swearing she was taller than the day before because "I'm 6 now." Which she wasn't for about another 4 hours. She got dressed, in a new outfit, and we got ready for school. When she got downstairs she saw that the balloon fairy (Pawpaw) had come and left her a surprise. Then after breakfast she got to open a couple of gifts from us and a card from her grandparents.Later in the morning I took her cupcakes to the school, and all the kids devoured them. But before they ate, her teacher did something really cute. She brought SG to the front of the classroom and asked her to pick 6 friends to be the 6 candles on her cake. They all circled around her with their hands up high like candles and after we all sang she blew each one out. And then she had one more school surprise later in the day... Daddy came for lunch! It was a first, so she was really surprised!That night was a big deal! She had been waiting for weeks for her gift from Mimi and Pawpaw. They had promised her a trip to Build-a-Bear at the mall. Until recently she had no interest, because she thought the noise from all the machines were too loud and scary. But she was ready now. She had been telling me all about the bear she wanted and we ll really hoped they still had it. We met for dinner at PF Chang's, because she loves Chinese and shrimp. So we had shrimp fried rice and she had a special birthday dessert. After dessert, it was time!And much to our delight they still had the bear she wanted! Although mom and I tried to persuade her to get other ones that we liked better. But she held firm and got her blue and silver sparkly bear. She picked out a heart, made and wish and stuffed her bear. She chose only to stuff her a little bit, so she's really squishy. After she stuffed and stitched, she fluffed and brushed her and then it was time to accessorize! Once again, mom and I got into a bit too much and tried to get her to pick the outfits we liked but she knew we she wanted! It was so much fun, I told Adam I wanted to make a bear! At one point she told Adam "Mom and Mimi are telling me I have to get what they want!" So we backed off and let her pick and then mom bought her the outfit we liked as a surprise to open later. :) She took her time "matching" the outfit and finding the right accessories. She finally chose a pink sequin dress, pink glass slippers, pink ruffle socks, a sparkly purse Hello Kitty panties (yes, they have panties), and pink satin headband. We got Blueberry all dressed and she turned out really cute. Sarah Grace did good.She loves Blueberry, and has taken her everywhere ever since. And she's been wearing the out fit we picked out since she opened it! ;0)After building Blueberry we headed to the carousel and Mom and Dad took the girls for a ride. Oh, and we brought Charlotte a stuffed animal from home that she had never seen and she thought she had gotten something special too. She has slept with her purple puppy every night.

We're Moving...

2009-01-11T12:18:00.029-05:00

That's right we're packing up and heading South. No, not South Georgia, South Florida! Can you believe it!?!? Adam got an opportunity for a transfer to the Miami area and I think we're taking it. It's an amazing opportunity and he's really excited about a change of scenery, not to mention the $$$! We had a realtor set up some appointments for us so we flew down to check out some properties this weekend and here's a pic of our new digs, from the "backyard"...

Just teasing, about the move anyway. We did spend the weekend in South Florida but for a reason much more believable... We met Adam's parents and brother in Ft. Lauderdale on Wednesday for a short weekend to go to the National Championship game in Miami. The trip started out a little rocky. Our flight was delayed, by 4 hours! So it was a long time going back and forth in the airport trying to get on another flight. We ended up getting the last 2 stand-by seats on a flight that left at 3:30 instead of 4:00 so we got there a little sooner... but we missed our whole first day and got there just in time for dinner and checking in the hotel.

But the next day was great. The weather was perfect, 80 and sunny. Just like here. ;0) We had a great breakfast at our hotel, which was really nice and newly remodeled. It had lagoons, gardens, fountains, waterfalls, swans, koi ponds and the rooms were really nice too. After breakfast we headed to downtown Ft. Lauderdale. We took a walk across a draw bridge (because we were tired of sitting in traffic) and saw the boats going under. In the distance you could see the ocean and several cruise ships in port.

When we got to the other side of the bridge, we met up with the car and drove to the water taxi. It was a great day to be on the water. The taxi takes you down the canals and rivers in the city. You can get off and on at different shops and restaurants and then get back on and ride some more. We stayed on for about 2 hours and then got off and walked to the beach and found somewhere to eat lunch.

The taxi takes you past huge mansions, yachts and marinas. They also told you who lived in what house and who sold who yachts, and how much they cost. The boats cost way more than the mansions!! One house cost $18 million and the boat in front of it was $34 million! Crazy! We rode past one house that had a yacht docked on one side and 4 red Ferraris parked in their showroom-like garage. We rode past hundreds of houses on canal after canal and yacht after yacht... people in Ft. Lauderdale have some $$$$!!!! It was really fun to "window shop".

After lunch, we headed back to the hotel to freshen up and change into our game gear! We got the stadium about 6:30 and got a great parking spot right in front with all the tailgaters. It felt like a real college game. Most of the tailgaters were Florida fans and some made comments as we walked by. We got in the stadium and got to our seats and were there as the Sooners took the field for warm ups. It was so exciting! Everyone was soooo ready for the game! The bands played and the fans went crazy! Sooner fans were out numbered, but we still made some noise. There was a fighter jet fly-over at the end of the National Anthem and they went right over us, we were about 10 rows from the top of the stadium...it was so fun. They did fly-overs at the other Championships and it's always exciting! The game was super exciting. It was super close the whole time, until the last 10 minutes. There were lots of cheers and lots of near tears moments but we still had hope. We stood up the entire game and tried to out scream the Gator fans...We were all hoarse and exhausted the next morning. When we saw that the game was taking a turn for the worse we left with about 3 minutes to go and headed to the car. We got back to our hotel about 12:30 and stayed up watching replays of the game. It was a long, late night! The next morning we ate at the hotel, again, and then headed down to Miami Beach. We stopped off at the beach and went for a short walk. It was another gorgeous day, just windy. There was a kite surfer flying up and down the beach. After brushing the sand off our feet we got back into the car and headed to the team hotel, the Fontainebleau, to find OU t-shirts. It was the most lavish, enormous, over the top hotel I've ever been to. It was nicer than the Ritz on Maui!! It was amazing, hard to describe really (you should check it out online). The shirts were all sold out but it was still fun to see the hotel. Adam also ran into one of the OU players and got talk to him and shake his hand. That was better than a shirt for him.

I only had one place I really wanted to go while we were in South Beach, Miami Ink. For TLC viewers you know what I'm talking about...for the others it's a tattoo shop. They have a weekly 30 minute show on TLC and it's so interesting. I love to watch it, they're amazing artists and it's relaxing to watch them draw/tattoo. We drove by and I was able to get a quick pic before traffic forced us on. For dinner we ate on Ocean Drive right across from the beach in an outdoor sidewalk seafood cafe'. The food was good and people watching was very interesting. After dinner it was time to go to the airport. We got stuck in traffic on the way there, but it was okay because we were right across from the cruise ships and 4 of them were leaving port full of people, heading out to sea. It was fun and sad because I wanted to be on those boats!!! Our flight home was on time and uneventful. We got home about 10:00 that night and spent the rest of the weekend in our pj's (in rainy, foggy, & cold weather).

Santa Claus is Coming to Town!

2009-01-05T10:46:00.015-05:00

The flight home was much better for Charlotte, although it was delayed. She did great! She stayed in her seat, played, snacked and never fussed one time. Thank you Grandmommy, Granddaddy, Tyler and Lollie (Lauren) for all you prayers! We arrived home to Atlanta at 3:00 on Christmas Eve. We got our bags, got to the car, and were at Mom and Dad's house to change clothes by 4:00 and at my grandparents' house by 5:00 for Christmas Eve dinner. It was a whirlwind. Adam and I were exhausted but the girls weren't affected a bit. They were so excited. After sneaking some pre-dinner desserts we got the little ones to the table and had a great meal.

After dinner we cleaned up and then headed to the family room for presents. In years past, we go one gift at a time in age order, youngest to oldest. But this year we let all the kids open and then it was the grown ups' turns. Sarah Grace got, among other things, the thing she wanted most, Pixos. She thought they were coming from Santa, so she was really surprised to get them early. She also got a real digital camera and had fun taking pics of everyone. Charlotte got a baby doll. She loves babies, she immediately kissed it and wanted it out of the box. When she got it she went to her diaper bag and got out the changing pad and "changed" her baby's diaper. Later she also got my sunglasses and was playing "mommy" with her baby. It was really cute. The baby was hit, she and Claire passed it around all night. Before we left we put all 4 girls into their matching pj's and then it was home to bed, sort of...We got home about 9:45 and the girls wanted to go outside and do reindeer food (oatmeal mixed with glitter) and then put out cookies for Santa. Then we had to go through all our suitcases and find all the stuffed animals and blankets so they could go to bed. They finally got to bed a little before 11:00. Then we had to straighten up, make Christmas breakfast and prepare for Santa. Adam and I were zombies Christmas morning...We had to wake the girls up the next morning to go see what Santa had brought. But they hopped right out of bed and were ready! My parents and Adam were downstairs waiting, cameras in hand, as we came down to check it out. My grandparents came a few minutes later to watch the fun. Surprisingly, SG went straight to the kitchen to see if Santa had eaten his cookies. He did, and he left a few crumbs and a chocolaty napkin. When she saw her treats were hit she was ready to see her toys.

Santa was good to the girls. Sarah Grace went to her stocking first and didn't look at anything else, which is funny b/c I used to do the same thing. She was excited about everything. She was even grateful for her apple. When she was three all she wanted was a Barbie and an apple and she loves that he still brings a big red apple every year. This year she said, "and now he gives me an orange too, because he knows I'm almost 6!". The big hit for her was a password journal. You have to say the "secret" password to read or write in the diary. She also got dress up clothes, games, an art portfolio, a snow cone maker and a bean bag chair. Charlotte went straight to her new baby doll and stroller. She put the little diaper bag on her arm and off she strolled right out of the room! She totally ignored all her other gifts. We had to empty her stocking for her and show it to her later. She loves babies! She did eventually play with her other toys, which included a set of baby dinosaurs, which she really liked. When we went to make Santa lists before Christmas she liked the dinosaurs, trains, balls and babies. She has enjoyed playing with her other toys too. As the day went on she gradually discovered the rest of them and had fun playing. One of my favorite parts of the morning was when Sarah Grace gave us the gifts she had bought for us at her Secret Santa Shop at school. She did pretty good. She thought about every gift. She gave me 2, one was a pearl bracelet and the other was a pair of dangle earrings with red beads and silver hearts that said "I love Mom" on one side and "XOXO" on the other. For Adam, she got him an American eagle on a flag figurine. She prefaced it by saying, "Dad, they didn't have anything OU so I got this". She knew what he really wanted but "settled" for the next most masculine gift she could find. She gave Charlotte a #1 sister ink pen with a toy attached to one end. She did really good, it was fun to see what she picked out for us.After gifts we all ate breakfast, french toast, bacon and fruit. It was really good and fun to have everyone over for the morning. After breakfast the girls played, and we cleaned up and tried to find the living room floor... Christmas day we went to Krista's house for lunch with my mom's family. It was very laid back, we ate, my grandparents opened gifts and the the kids played. We stayed till about 9:00 and then took two sleepy little elves home to bed.

Merry Christmas & Happy new Year!

Christmas Texas Style

2009-01-04T16:29:00.023-05:00

Merry Christmas from Texas... where they do everything BIG!!

This year we went to Texas a little early. We went the week before Christmas and came home on Christmas Eve. From now on Santa will be coming to our house on Christmas morning and we will go to TX either the week before or the day after. It's just easier on Santa. ;0) The trip started off a little rocky. We had a terrible flight with Charlotte. She SCREAMED the last 40 minutes and there was no making her happy. Every trick and bribe made things worse. By the time we got there she was a snotty, sweaty mess, and so was I. Sarah Grace and Adam had a great flight on the other side of the aisle from the chaos.

Our first day was yucky, Charlotte woke up with pink eye in both eyes. I called my Dr and she wouldn't call in a prescription so we had to find a Dr in Houston. Lovely, just how we wanted to spend our first day, in a waiting room. We got her all fixed up and by the next day she looked a lot better.

We stayed very busy. We went to the zoo one day and stayed all day. It was a great day, it was cloudy and warm and perfect for being outside. The girls loved it. Even little Ava oooed and ahhed at the animals. Charlotte liked the animals, but mainly enjoyed her freedom to run (and eating pizza)! Big surprise there! It was a great zoo! The animals were all really close up and there were lots of handlers out interacting with the animals and answering questions. Both of the girls really liked the tiger and the elephants. We got to see the the lions getting fed treats and monkeys playing ball. 3 very tired little girls and 6 exhausted adults piled back in the car and headed home.The girls had fun playing with each other. They played tea party, a lot, all over the house. There were pieces of tea set everywhere and it was well worn by the end of the week. Ava and Charlotte liked exploring the forbidden rooms of the house together. They were found behind beds, in closets and bathrooms more than once. They were partners in crime. Sarah Grace always has fun with Lollie and Tyler. Lollie read lots of stories with the girls and SG loves curling up with Tyler and watching movies. Charlotte just loves saying his name, "TY! -wer".

We all piled in the car at night at went to look at Christmas lights. It is no small task to fit 6 adults and 3 car seats in one SUV. Lauren and I shared the front passenger seat more than once. But it was fun, we got Starbucks and cupcakes and listened to Charlotte sing Christmas carols like no one else could all while packed in like sardines looking at lights.

Monday night we went to an OU basketball game. They just happened to be playing at Rice University, in Houston, when we were in town. We left the 2 little girls at home with a really sweet sitter and took SG to the game. She loved it. It was a really small gym so the players were right there. It made it easy for SG to pay attention and enjoy the game. A lady beside us gave her pompoms and she got a horn/whistle and she enjoyed using them when we scored. It was a great game and we won! Go SOONERS!

And it just wouldn't be Christmas in Houston without a trip to the Houston Mounted Patrol stables. Adam and I took Sarah Grace one afternoon to feed the horses. I'm not going to lie, I enjoyed it as much as she did. Both of our girls love horses. Sarah Grace did really well, she had no fear, and these are HUGE horses! She went right up to them and fed them carrots and apples. One really took to her. He was one of the biggest there and he'd lean out of his stall and put his head down in her face while she talked to him. It was really sweet he was more like a cat than a horse. When all of our treats were gone and our hands were frozen from horse drool (it was 38 degrees that day) we left.

Our last day in Houston was our Self family Christmas. We started by SG saying a sweet, and very grown up, Christmas prayer and Grandaddy read the Christmas story from Luke. Then it was time for the elves to pass out gifts. The girls opened first and then were off to play while the grown ups went at a more leisurely pace. It was a fun morning watching the kids and enjoying family. After the girls all took naps we let SG open her birthday presents. Everyone had already brought them so we had a mini party and sang and did gifts. She felt very special. That night we went out one more time, packed in the car, to see some more lights and then came home to pack up...

Look Who's Two!

2008-12-13T19:41:00.020-05:00

Charlotte Rose turned 2 on Friday, December 12th. What a whirlwind of a little life!! It goes by so fast. She's such a joy, we wish we could slow each stage down and enjoy it for a little longer...Her birthday started early by her Pawpaw bringing her birthday avloons (balloons). One had Dora, Boots and Diego on it, the Holy Trinity in her world! She and I played all day. She was in a GREAT mood, so funny! It was like she totally understood it was her special day. After a long nap we let her open her present from Grandmommy and Grandaddy. It was a puzzle and a bear she named Daisy and she went to dinner with us. We went to the Cheesecake Factory and she had pasta (her favorite) and ice cream with a candle in it. After dinner we took the girls to see the Christmas tree at Lenox (for non-Georgians, it's THE big tree downtown on top of the Macy's Dept store) and then surprised them and rode the Pink Pig (also for non-GAs, a pink pig Christmas train at Macy's that's been around since I was little). We all had fun, although Adam barely fit in the train.

On Saturday, we had her Monkey Party. It was so CUTE, if I do say so myself!!! I call her Monkey, therefore the theme... She had a precious monkey cake, there were stuffed monkeys, green flower leis, a sea of green & yellow balloons and bananas all over the house. She had a ball.

We had pizza, her other fav, and she stopped playing and ate her whole piece! After lunch we did presents and she didn't want to open the next until the first was out of the box and she had played with it. Sarah Grace stepped in and helped out. She got dress up clothes & shoes, books, outfits, Diego toys, pretend pizza with removable toppings, a highchair for her baby dolls, bath toys and shopping $! All the kids wanted to help her open her presents. Luckily she's still at the age where she doesn't care if people help her. She just kept saying "rip it, rip it".

(L-R - Moriah, SG, Charlotte, Ryan, Claire, Payton, Jael, & Benjamin)

When it came time for the cake she was very excited but patient. She waited for all the kids to get in place for pictures and for the candles to be lit, then we sang. She did take a quick taste while we were getting ready. While we sang she tried to blow out the candles. She blew during the whole song, fists clinched, drooling everywhere.... it was funny but no one wanted that piece of the cake! After cake, all the kids played for a bit and then the guests left and the birthday girl went to bed...

Tom Turkey

2008-12-13T18:58:00.008-05:00

Gobble Gobble & Happy Thanksgiving!The Monday before, we went to Sarah Grace's school for a Thanksgiving "Feast" and pie tasting. Lunch was very good, better than the preschool lunch the years before... Mimi and Pawpaw came too, and after lunch we all went back to her classroom for a pie tasting. All the parents brought different pies and the kids had a taste of each and then voted for their favorite. The mint chocolate pie won, I brought apple.The next day was Payton's preschool lunch. Charlotte and I went and ate, and the girls ran around and played. The next night we attempted to take Charlotte to her first movie. We took SG at the same age and she did great... not Charlotte. We went to see Madagascar 2 and after the first 8-10 minutes she was OVER IT!!! DONE! READY TO GO! So Adam and I took her into the mall and walked around while my parents stayed with SG and watched the movie, they liked it a lot... I guess we'll catch it on DVD.No surprise what we did on Thanksgiving. It starts and ends the same every year. But we still look forward to it just as much as the year before!

We woke up and turned on the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. The girls watched and ate breakfast while Adam and I cooked and got ready. Sarah Grace couldn't wait to see Santa at the end of the parade. When it came time, she and Charlotte were right in front of the TV screaming "Santa! Santa!" and trying to touch him through the tube. We went to lunch at Nani and Pawpaw's, my dad's parents. When we got there my Pawpaw was carving the turkey and handing out samples. Nani had set out trays of goodies and the girls dug right in. When everyone arrived we prayed and filled our plates. We had turkey and ham, dressing, rice and gravy, 2 kinds of cranberries and every veggie known to man! After lunch the girls played and Adam went through the paper and made his Christmas list.

Later that afternoon we loaded up and went to my aunt's house and saw my mom's side of the family. We had a good visit and the kids had fun playing. After visiting for a while we packed back up and went back to Nani's for leftovers. We went home stuffed. But I needed the calories to sustain me through our marathon shopping day on Friday! :)

Rake 'em Up!

2008-12-13T18:30:00.005-05:00

You know Winter is approaching when the yard is covered in leaves. We have 4 big oaks in our backyard and its a never ending battle of the leaves. It's a pain for Adam but a joy for the girls! He rakes them and we all jump in! This was Charlotte's first time and she wasn't so sure. Adam jumped in first with both girls and we managed to get a couple of pictures before Charlotte was over it. She didn't mind standing on the outside of the pile and throwing leaves, but she didn't want to get back in them.

Sarah Grace on the other hand was a pro. She couldn't wait to get in the pile and be buried up to her eyes. She ran and jumped, over and over. Adam would scoop them back us and she'd be right back in.While Sarah Grace played in the leaves, Charlotte and I played on the swing set. She was perfectly fine watching her sister from the comfort of her swing.

Lions and Fairies Oh My!

2008-11-02T10:51:00.029-05:00

Once upon a time, two magical mommy fairies transformed the gates of the family castle into a magical and spooky moat of frights. There were cobwebs and spiders creeping in every corner, ghoulish ghosts flying through the trees and jack-o-lanterns grinning all in a row. Inside the magical castle were treats of every sort... pumpkins filled with chocolate and cream (pumpkin cake), chicken floating in swamps of slime (green chicken tetrazini), mummies in their shrouds (giant pigs in a blanket), ghosts on a platter (ghost cookies), bubbling brews (soups & punch) and lots of other magically sweet eats. Fairies, butterflies and magical creatures came from miles around to the magical castle full of tricks and treats. They came two by two. Lions (3) and their keepers, a very curious zebra, bees (2), butterflies (3), princesses, flowers (3) and even a creepy crawly super hero (Spider Man). They played, fluttered and posed for their pics all to be remembered for years to come... After entering the castle, and being greeted by glowing ghosts, skeletons and pumpkins (candles) the young ones munched and snacked until their bellies were full. One little tulip (Charlotte) filled her belly so full of apples and chips it could hold nothing else. The flower fairies and butterflies ate a proper meal and then it was time to prepare... After bundling up right for a very chilly night the little ones headed out to fill their buckets full! Going house to house they ran and played. At each house the buckets filled, until they could hold them no more. The little tulip passed hers off and said "it's too heebee (heavy)" so the butterfly carried her load. As long as the tulip had her magical stick in hand (a sucker) she grinned. It did not take her long to figure out that this night was a special one, and she soon learned all the magical words that earned her tons of treats! She went house to house to saying "trish treats (trick or treat)", "fees (please)", and "shank you (thank you)"! Some of the keepers of the castles gave her extra treats for using her manners! Meanwhile, the more experienced flower fairy (SG) fluttered through the kingdom so fast and with so much energy that the momma butterfly could not even find her! Once she was found, she joined the others and helped the tulip (still with sucker in hand) to the castle gates where they collected goodies together the rest of night. The flower fairy spun and leaped from house to house so much so that she rolled down hills and sprained her wing! After collecting herself from the ground and gathering her treats, she was off again...With no more room in their buckets, the mommy bees, butterflies and lion tamers collected their young and went buzzing and roaring back through the kingdom... When they returned they sorted their loot and danced into the night all the while snacking and sipping on spooky delights. They twirled, shook, jumped, spun, and sang to the happy music. The tiniest creatures retired to their cocoons and caves, the older ones ventured upstairs to play, while the momma fairies cleaned the castle from the night's tricks and treats. They all went home with tired wings and paws... with loads of loot from their travels through the magical kingdom.

Happy Halloween!

Flowers in her hair...

2008-10-27T12:10:00.036-04:00

Because of her expertise, Sarah Grace was asked to be the flower girl in another wedding. This time for the sister of the bride in July. The weekend started off cold and wet but ended beautifully. It took place at Chota Falls in Clayton GA, about an hour and half from home, near Dillard. It was THE prettiest wedding destination I've ever seen. Everywhere you looked it was breathtaking and the Fall color was gorgeous!

I checked SG out of school early on Friday (which she loved) and we headed up for the rehearsal. The weather was terrible. It was pouring and really cold. We were all in coats and gloves. They went ahead with the outside rehearsal, under lots of umbrellas, and then we got to warm up inside for dinner. Dinner was nice, BBQ and fried chicken. Sarah Grace ate and ate. But she really couldn't wait for dinner to be over so we could go to our hotel. That was what she was most excited about. Our room was right next door to my parents and she thought it was so much fun to run from room to room playing in her pj's. After we finally got her to sleep and we had a good night's rest it was back to Chota for the wedding day.We got there around 11 AM so she could have her hair done. This turned out to be quite the saga. The original plan was for her to wear a wreath of flowers in her hair. So, after much fidgeting with that we decided it looked and felt like it was going to slide out of her hair, it was enormous. So we went to attempt #2. We took out the wreath and placed tiny roses in and around her curls, which by this time were already starting to fall out... So, after we were happy with the flowers, we had to brush out her hair and totally re-curl it. She had her done 3 times in 2 hours and she was a trooper! She did not enjoy it. But when it was done it looked sweet, and she got to put on her dress and new jewelry.

Then it was time for pictures. There has never been a more perfect place for wedding pictures! There were tree lined dirt lanes, fields, rivers, falls, fountains, a chapel, beautiful trees and a vineyard. Sarah Grace was quite the performer for the pics. She was beautiful; and she loved everyone fussing over her and getting to stay with Suzanne, the bride, all day.When it was time for the wedding she did great. It took place outside, at the base of a waterfall, on a stone bridge and the guests sat in and around ivy covered stone walls and candle light. She did just what she was supposed to do. She started out holding hands with the ring bearer and then let go and started tossing her petals. She did good, much more focused and mature than the previous wedding. Then came the bride in a horse drawn carriage, my personal favorite. The ceremony was sweet and the newlyweds were then whisked away in the carriage.

After a few group pics it was time for the reception. On the way there we saw the horses and SG got to sit on one and wear the driver's top hat, and he invited us for ride later. It was neat. After some hoer d' oeuvres, and the entrance of the bridal party Krista and I took him up on the carriage ride. It was so fun. The driver stopped the carriage a couple of times and let SG make the noise to get the horses to go. And then at the end he ran them really fast back to the reception hall, both of girls had a ball.

The reception was nice, and the food was really good, steak and crab cakes. :) After dinner and the guys watching football in the pub, it was time to dance. Sarah Grace and Payton had already been cutting a rug, but now everyone else joined in. They were the hits of the dance floor. The bigger Sarah Grace could get her dress to spin the happier she was. Then came cake time. They were amazing! The best chocolate mousse cake and a fresh pineapple layer cakes ever!!! So good. The girls played around a little more after dessert and then it was time to go. We changed into our pj's and headed for home.

Go BLUE!

2008-10-27T11:29:00.008-04:00

Sarah Grace has started her next venture into extracurricular activities. We're doing football cheer leading. She cheers for the K-4th grade boys flag football teams at the church she went to preschool at (and played soccer for).

We started with several weeks of practice. I was really surprised how many cheers they were expected to learn, 10+. But, by the 2nd week she was really starting to get them. She and her friend Hollie are the youngest on the squad and she's in awe of the older girls, some are twice her age. She watches them cheer, when she's supposed to be, and forgets her part because she's so interested in how they do things (but she's getting better). She fits right in with the big girls, and has seen several of them in school and is excited when older kids speak to her in front of her friends.

I would be lying if I said her games were fun. They are loooooonnnnngggg and slow, and they do the same cheers over and over and over... But she enjoys it. She feels very grown up and loves her pom poms (Charlotte loves pom poms too).

She also loves holding the banner for the boys to run through before the game. I think that's every one's favorite part. They also come to center field at half time and do cheers with the crowd, that's fun to watch. She's cute jumping around and cheering. She cheers for 2 teams, both are navy and white and they alternate weeks. She has up to 2 games a week and it gets chilly. It really feels like fall, chilly nights watching football... Go BLUE!

Happy Birthday Columbus

2008-10-19T13:10:00.022-04:00

We celebrate every one's birthday in our house, and Christopher Columbus is no exception. ;0) Because Sarah Grace had Monday off from school for Columbus Day we decided to go somewhere and make it a special day. So, we called the Gadds and planned a day at the Game Ranch. Krista and I packed up the girls and headed to see the animals. It was a beautiful day, warm and breezy.

We got there and were greeted by 5 of the tiniest little deer. They were days to maybe a couple of weeks old. They loved peanuts! They, like all the animals, eat right our of your hand. One of them, the tiniest, had a broken leg but it hopped right up the the gate for his share the peanuts. All four girls took an immediate interest in feeding and petting the animals. Well, Charlotte didn't want to feed any of them but she did pet the deer and bunnies. And she wasn't frightened when a greedy squirrel climbed on her leg looking for a nut.

After the deer was the bunny farm. It was a huge gated area you could go in and play with bunnies. The girls loved it, especially Claire. She thought it was so funny. She'd touch one and then do her bouncy dance and squeal. The big girls liked that the rabbits came up to you (looking for treats). There were rocks for them to hind under (and the girls to climb on) and lots of bunny holes with babies peeking out. Come to think of it, all the animals had babies. You would've thought it was Spring time.

On our way to the petting farm we passed fox, coyotes, bobcat, bison, peacocks, raccoons (running in a giant hamster wheel), cougars, porcupine, and ducks. If you remember, this is the same place we sent Abby and Emmy, our Easter ducks to. We found a group of ducks like them, and they were huge and noisy, which just reaffirmed our decision to send them away. As we walked around we took breaks to feed the deer (which roam free and walk right up to you), chipmunks and squirrels. There was one squirrel that followed along behind the stroller for a while, and when we'd stop he'd run up to one of us and look for who had the nuts. He'd take the nut with one hand and hold onto your finger with the other. Some of the deer were snobbish toward nuts. They were looking for variety. They preferred veggies.

We finally got around to the petting farm. There were pigs, sheep, donkeys, and goats. And they all wanted your attention. The donkeys kicked at the gates making noise to get treats. The goats and sheep would stick their heads through the fence and nip at you until you gave them nuts or grass. But the funniest thing was the donkey that only wanted your attention if you had food. We were out of nuts and I was petting this donkey and after a few seconds he realized I had nothing to give him and he let me have it! I'm pretty sure I was cussed at in donkey. He rared his head back and then stuck his face in mine and started SCREAMING!! It was hilarious and drew quite a crowd. It was so loud and went on for at least a minute and he was looking right at me the whole time. We laughed so hard. And that pretty much ended our day, with one more stop by the baby deer as we left. :)

Pumpkin Time

2008-10-15T16:39:00.006-04:00

I can't believe it's that time of year already. It seems like just yesterday we were at the beach... It's Fall!!! My favorite time of the year. I love the cooler weather, the Fair, Halloween, my birthday, and getting out my Winter clothes (not to mention shopping for them). We just went to the pumpkin patch. It's just the start to our many October outings. We went with my family and a few people from our Sunday school class. It was a nice day, really warm, but pretty. We started by picking pumpkins (we didn't actually buy any b/c they were so $$$) but we browsed the fields and took pics. The girls were all more interested in picking the yellow blossoms than they were of looking at the pumpkins. And it was no small feat trying to get all 4 girls to cooperate for pictures! As in years past, we looked at pumpkins, went to the petting farm, rode the hayride, watched the pig races and had a picnic. After lunch and some time on the playground we went to ride the Cow Train. If you don't remember from previous posts it's made of metal drums cut to look like cows that are put on wheels and drug around the farm by a tractor. Cute, but terribly uncomfortable! What we do for our kids... After the Cow Train we went play on the slides and then we discovered the Corn Pit!!! It was the most clever idea ever. And it was by far the girls' favorite thing of the entire day. It was a shed with the floor filled to about 2 feet deep with giant corn kernels. Like a sand box/ball pit, and they had a ball! Sarah Grace buried herself, and Charlotte enjoyed making it rain corn. They played in the pit forever! It was so much fun to watch and I kind of wanted to play in it myself... It was a great day!

Hey Ya'll! Let's go to the Fair!

2008-10-15T15:04:00.013-04:00

You know when the Fair is in town it's almost time for Santa to come down the chimney! The Fair seems to mark the the change of seasons, from Summer straight to Christmas because time seems to fly! The Fair is a huge deal in our family... Many moons ago, pre-kids, we'd all go and eat and ride till we were sick or either out of money. These days we don't ride anything we just watch the kids. But we still leave broke! ;0)

Like always, we met for dinner at the meat and 3 tent and ate. Well, at least the adults did. The girls were all too preoccupied watching the rides and planning what to do first.

After we managed to get everyone to eat a few bites we went to the 4-H tent to see and pet the baby animals. There were baby cows, chicks, bunnies, pigs, goats and ducklings. My favorite were the 2, 2 week old calves. They were still wobbly legged and they licked your hand like a kitten. The girls seemed to all really like the little yellow chicks. Charlotte wouldn't leave to look anything else once she saw them. She just watched and giggled. When you leave the tent they give you a carton of chocolate milk and Charlotte saw Sarah Grace drinking hers so she wanted to drink "mik" like "Ga Gay". After unsuccessfully trying to distract her I gave in, and like I was afraid, she spilled it all over. But she made lots of yummy noises in the process. After the milk fiasco Charlotte noticed Claire was dancing and wanted to dance too. They started quite the side-show. Eventually all 4 girls were boogieing to the blaring 80's music. Claire had the most rhythm, she does quite the booty dance!

When the music ended we went to see the cows, ox, goats, and pigs in the judging arena. Charlotte had no fear of touching the animals, even the giant ox. After walking through much cow poo we made our way to the goats. We had heard there were some tiny ones that were just born... We found them and they were as cute and as a small as puppies. Krista and I both said we'd take one as a pet. They were SOOOO sweet! They bounced instead of walked and made the cutest little noises. It made you want to be their mommy. :)

Now came the real fun, the rides! Payton and SG rode the first one and after it started Charlotte realized what they were doing (without her) and wanted to go to. So she rode next and from then on they all rode everything together. She was not going to be left out. Oddly enough the only ride she was scared of was the merry-go-round. She rode it but was very solemn. We watched them ride rides for over an hour and then went to find dessert. After funnel cake, cotton candy, and a caramel-peanut covered apple we went to ride the "Bull". Really. We were walking around eating our desserts and stopped to watch a mechanical bull (they changed the intensity based on the rider). It was really funny and dad (my dad) wanted to do it. After mom convinced him not to he used Charlotte as a ploy to get on. They climbed on, strapped it and off they went. It was cute and she loved it she laughed the whole time and liked when it would dip and spin. After her bull riding debut it was home and in the bed.

DC

2008-10-12T17:34:00.014-04:00

Adam and I had a weekend away from the girls recently. We went to Washington DC for his cousin Micheal's (and Cristin's) wedding. We stayed in town, at the Capitol City Hyatt, right down the street from the Capitol building. It was so pretty. It rained on our drive in from the airport and was beautiful after that. We were there with his parents and Tyler and Lauren. We packed in as much as we could in the two and half days we were there. And we had time to spend with family as well. The first day we ate lunch and Union Station, which was beautiful and HUGE, and then went back to freshen up for dinner at his aunt and uncle's house. Dinner was nice and it was great to have time to catch up with family.

The next morning we got up early and were at the museums before they opened, so we decided to go eat breakfast. Turned out we were going to need it for our marathon day... We started with the Air and Space Museum, went to the American Indian Museum (not much to see), went to National Museum of Art (I could have stayed there ALL day), Museum of Natural History, and the National Zoo (and saw almost everything). To put the amazingness of our schedule into perspective, we started our day about 10:00 and did all this and were showered, dressed and at the rehearsal dinner 45 min away by 7:00. We met at a Japanese restaurant, my favorite, and had a great meal. We ate more than should be allowed. It was a fun day/night and we went back to our hotel stuffed and worn out!

Saturday started the same as the day before, breakfast and then we hit the museums. We started at the Holocaust Museum. We had heard great things about it and Adam's aunt and uncle spent 4 hours there the day before. We didn't have 4 hours to spend, but we wanted to see it. It was really interesting. Adam teased me about almost crying a couple of times. If you're ever there you should go see it! It was sad but very well done. You felt like you were really there in the ghettos. After the museum we went shopping and then back to the hotel to get ready for the weeding. The wedding was really sweet and at a beautiful little church. It was a gorgeous day for a wedding.

After the reception, we headed back into the city to see the monuments. It was a beautiful night, warm and breezy. There was a pretty sunset while we were at the Lincoln Memorial and a full, orange, moon at the Jefferson. Standing on the steps of the Jefferson, facing the Capitol with the city lit up and the moon huge and orange was quite a sight. After we saw all of the monuments we went in search of dessert. We went to a French bistro we had been told about, right up from the White House. It was SOOO good!! Pastries are my weakness! We ate outside on cute patio and I ate until I was ill, really! I had the best hot chocolate and choc-banana tart in the world! Then we walked back through the city to the car and headed to our hotel. It was a great weekend!

GO HAWKS!

2008-08-24T19:13:00.016-04:00

Sarah Grace is playing soccer, and loves it. We always said that it was the one sport we hoped our girls would play. Growing up soccer players are cute and athletic looking but they don't look or act like boys. So, it just happened that it was time for sign-ups and she got on a team at the church she went to preschool at. She had 3 weeks of practice before her first game. She really is a natural. She has good ball control and kicks hard and straight. Her first practice she scored on 3 out of 5 of her shots! She did well in all her practices. She is one of 3 girls on the team but has no problem hanging with the boys. She's not intimidated a bit. She stole the ball from the coach's son on the first week and made him cry. Her Pawpaw was quite proud of that! She has now had 4 games. They won 2, 3-0 and 6-2. She had one "credited" goal the first week. She threw the ball in and a kid on the other team kicked it into the wrong goal and we got the point. The coach said that was "her goal". We were out of town for a wedding, I know we're terrible, and she called saying SHE won and SHE scored. She was so happy. This past week she had another game and she played goalie and stopped a ball from going in! She really does good! I'll update later on how the rest of the season goes...we have 6 more games and one more practice. Go Hawks! (PS. next comes football cheer leading!)

Pete

2008-08-24T18:18:00.017-04:00

For those of you that don't know, Pete is Charlotte's nickname. I don't know why I started it, but it stuck. I just thought I'd give you an update. She's 21 months, 25.5 lbs, and 34.5 inches tall. She's average in weight but very tall for her age. Go figure. ;0) She's quite the talker. Just like Sarah Grace, she started early and picked it up fast. We're now talking in complete sentences. It's not hard to understand what she wants. And if you don't get her what she wants she'll drag you by the hand and show you. It usually involves the refrigerator. You can understand about 80% of what she says, but she still has some baby babble too. :)

She's very laid back. She doesn't mind sitting her seat watching cartoons and eating snacks. She loves to play with dolls/dollhouses, and color. She also likes to play outside on the swing set or with balls. She loves dressing up. Whether it's our shoes, her coats, sunglasses, hats, SG's princess clothes, you name it... She also likes to organize and clean. She sorts things into piles and uses baby wipes to clean up spills she makes (without being asked). She's very concerned about things being dirty. She's almost obsessive about it sometimes. She's also obsessed with the moon (me-oon) and where it is all times of the day or night. We're also working on manners, she's great about saying "tank you" for everything and she getting better about please and yes mam. She's a great eater. She loves fruit, pancakes and pasta of any kind. She also loves candy, as you've seen in previous blogs. She loves her nap, that's my girl! Yes, we're down to just one, but it's a long one so that's okay. Enjoy the pics!

First day of REAL School!!!

2008-08-24T17:40:00.011-04:00

I said back in a previous blog that I never felt my age until I had a child old enough to get her ears pierced, well this trumped the ears! The first day of school couldn't get here fast enough for Sarah Grace, but I had mixed emotions. I was looking forward to time with just Charlotte but at the same time it was the end of huge part of Sarah Grace's time with me. Bittersweet. I was never a basket case about it, but the thought of her being on her own, and gone for so long everyday made me a little sad. She on the other hand, never had the first sad, nervous, or anxious moment when it came to the thought of school.

Adam and I took her to "meet your teacher day". She was so excited and not too shy. She went right in, spoke to her teacher and then was off playing with the other kids while we filled out paperwork. Her teacher, Mrs. Ward, is sweet. She's young, a mom, and is just coming back after taking time off to stay at home with her kids for a couple of years.

On the first day, she got right out of bed, got dressed and went down for breakfast. Pawpaw was waiting on her when she got downstairs. He stayed for breakfast and then took some pictures and we were off to school. She wasn't nervous a bit. When Adam was walking with her down the hall she said, "Dad, I'm excited!". All she has ever wanted is to be big and she finally was! She went right in to her class and never looked back. I must admit I was a bit misty when I left her class, thank goodness for sunglasses.

She had a great first day. She loved everything and came home with all kinds of stories. And she got to play with lots of her preschool friends on the playground and was so excited to see them. She rode the bus home that day. It got home super late (4:30) and when it finally got here all the kids got off except her. I asked a neighbor if she was on the bus and she said, "yes, but she won't get off". Turns out she thought she had to have permission of some kind to get off. And since the driver didn't say anything to her she stayed put until I got her off. The next day we worked out the kinks. She loves school and we're all still getting used to the schedule but all in all it's good.

Here comes the Bride!

2008-08-24T16:49:00.025-04:00

...or so she thought! Sarah Grace was in her first wedding this Summer. My parents' friends' daughter got married and she was the flower girl. She thought she was hot stuff! We had known about it for a year and she talked about it all time. Well, the time finally came! It all started with a bridal shower. She got the help Emily (the bride) with all of her gifts and was the center of attention. From then on she had the "bug" and the day couldn't get here fast enough! She asked about it all the time! The weekend finally arrived. The whole affair was at Chateau Elan, a beautiful resort and winery about 40 minutes from here. We had a bridesmaid luncheon on Friday morning. The food was great and the room was beautiful. She got to meet the other flower girl, Annie. She was a sweetheart and she and SG hit it off right away. After lunch the girls got gifts for being in the wedding. SG was thrilled, everything was monogrammed with her name on it and she felt very fancy. After the lunch we rushed home for a quick nap and wardrobe change.

That night we went back to the resort for the rehearsal and dinner. The rehearsal went great, she paid attention! We were a bit worried about that. After lots of pics with the girls and the ring bearer, Jackson, we went out to the dinner. It was a fiesta. The food was amazing!!! And the kids had a ball playing around together. The toasts went a bit long so we had to leave and miss the dessert, which really disappointed SG (lots of tears)!

The next morning we were up and off to get her hair done. Mimi made her an appointment for an "up do" at her salon. It turned out precious!! It was pulled back from her face with big soft curls and little pearls all in it. She looked BEAUTIFUL, and she knew it. ;0) Then it was home to pack up every thing for the wedding and off we went. The car had quite a few miles put on it that weekend. We got there and she got dressed in the suite with all the girls and they all ooo'd and ahhh'd over her. Then it was time for pictures and it was show time! She did good, she walked in with Annie tossing her petals and walked right into place. During the ceremony she got bored and played with her necklace and whispered to Annie but I don't think anyone noticed. Jackson on the other hand was a mess! So funny! He was all over the place, throwing and shredding flowers, talking to his parents (out loud), crawling on the stage... Thank goodness we have girls! ;0)

The reception was great! They spared no expense $$$! The decor and food were awesome and the band was good too. Sarah Grace wanted to dance so bad, so my dad went with her, then my mom and then Jackson! When they started dancing the whole floor cleared in a big circle around them and everyone clapped and cheered. They were hilarious, dancing, twirling each other, they loved it. When the song was over all of the guys were giving Jackson high fives. It was GREAT! Then she went back and danced some more, with her daddy, me, and the bride. After all the dancing came cake! She made it a point to tell us, more than once, that we were staying for dessert tonight (unlike the rehearsal)! After cake we went home (11:00 PM). She was exhausted but still beautiful!

The Lake 08

2008-08-24T16:11:00.019-04:00

Well this year has been a little different... Usually during Summer it's tough to find a week where we are not at the lake. This year it was just the opposite. The girls went over Memorial Day while we were in Hawaii but as a family we only went one time. All due to the drought and lack of water in our cove. It's so sad. :0(

We all went up for the 4th of July. We made the most of it. We were there for a week. The weather was nice, company great, food amazing but the the water was pitiful. At the end of our dock it was only about thigh deep (usually about 20-25 ft) . Fortunately, that was deep enough for our boat. When we wanted to swim we went to our neighbors dock where is was about chest deep and just floated on floats. It was deep enough for the kids to swim. We took a lot of boat rides and there was far less traffic this year. When we rode around we discovered we were lucky that we had the water we did. Others were much worse off. Even the marina we get gas at was completely on dry ground (and closed).We'd go out for a ride and then stop and anchor in deep water and swim. It was so nice! Very relaxing. The girls had a ball. Sarah Grace was super brave and loved jumping in and doing tricks. Charlotte was content to sit on the boat and eat a sucker, but she enjoyed the water too. They loved the water, boat, fishing, treats, golf cart, fireworks and playing with the neighbors. There was no lack of things to keep them busy. The girls relaxed and ate and the guys golfed, swam and ate. All together a great week. We were just sad there was not much to go back to after that... maybe next year? (check out lots of pics in the Gallery)

Same verse...

2008-08-24T15:04:00.024-04:00

Surprise! We went to the beach! Guess where? You guessed it, New Smyrna. We went for our annual trip to the beach with my side of the family. This year was a little different than years past but not in the best of ways. Charlotte started the fam off with a stomach bug. She had it before the trip, I got it on the way there, my parents both got when got there, and then Gadds started it couple of days later. First Claire got it then Jonathan and then it was my Nani's turn. So, at some point almost all of us were in the room on, or in front of, the toilet. Nice huh? So to say the least, seafood wasn't as appealing this year... And if that wasn't bad enough it rained! A lot! Several days, all day! :0(

But, of the pretty weather we did have, the kids had a blast. Charlotte loved the water and sand. She had to warm up to it at first but learned to like it. She liked snacks on the beach and the pool the best. She napped very little but still did okay considering. She loved plying with SG and Payton. The three of them ran around all day together. Sarah Grace got over her fears of the ocean from last year and ran right in. She had totally forgotten that she was terrified last year. You couldn't keep he rout of the ocean. She was a body surfing, boogie boarding, skimming, swimming, floating fool! She had the best time.

Nani and Pawpaw supplied the goodies! Nani came to the beach everyday with bags of fruit, chips and candy for the girls (and us). Charlotte's favs were the orange marshmallow peanuts and suckers. SG and Payton like the suckers, chips and fruit. She also kept a cooler full of YooHoos and the girls new where to find them. In the afternoon they she or Pawpaw strolled the little ones down the beach for much needed naps and entertained them at dinner in the evenings. There were also plenty of other beach treats, snow cones, popsicles, fries, PBJ and soft drinks (normally forbidden).

We went with an extended group this year. Along with our normal crowd, my aunt, uncle, 3 cousins and a fiance went with us too. And on a couple of days we were joined by other aunt, uncle cousin and her family. It was so much fun with all the kids playing together. There were eight kids under 6 and one on the way! We're fertile! ;0) Even though our stomachs were a bit queasy we still had some nice meals and pretty sunsets. There was only one night where Charlotte had a meltdown, which was great considering no naps. We were even able to go to the boardwalk for ice cream. At the boardwalk this year they had a man making balloon animals and all the girls had to have one. Charlotte was amazed and wanted to touch everything. It was really cute. She was so happy when she got one of her own! Our evenings were fun. We went crabbing on the beach, did sparklers and every night there was a slumber party in Mimi's room! All the girls piled into the bed and watched cartoons with mom and dad at night, sometimes WAY int the night...

The last couple of days were really nice, great breezes and NO RAIN!!! It made it really hard to leave! But there's always next year!

Aloha!

2008-08-11T12:16:00.081-04:00

As most of, if not all of you know by now, we went to Hawaii for our 10 year anniversary. (I'm a little behind on the blog.) We went in May with Krista & Jonathan and Tyler & Lauren. We left on Thursday morning and flew to LA and then from there to Honolulu.

Honolulu

Thursday PM- arrived late in Honolulu because of delays in LA. Tyler and Lauren picked us up at the airport and we drove to dinner at House Without a Key. It was pretty, open air, restaurant right on the ocean at a gorgeous hotel. The waves crashed right into the side of the patio where we were sitting. After dinner we went to our hotel, The Aqua Palms. It was really pretty. From our room, we had views of Diamond Head and Waikiki Beach. We all wish we had gotten to stay more than just one night. Fri (a long, but great day!)- Ate a great breakfast at the hotel and then piled in the car to see Pearl Harbor. Arrived around 9 AM, not too long of a wait. We walked around and took pictures until it was our turn to see the movie and then go to the Memorial. The memorial was great, very interesting. They were very serious about being reverent to the fallen soldiers while on the Arizona Memorial. We actually saw an entire Asian family be sent back to the visitors center b/c the man was speaking too loudly. It was kind of funny, you'd have to be there... Pearl Harbor did not take as long as we thought so we headed to the Dole Plantation. It was really pretty, beautiful gardens and fresh pineapple treats! We had dark chocolate covered pineapple spears and they were AMAZING!!!! After that we still had extra time (before our flight to Kauai) so we headed up to the North Shore to check out the sites and eat lunch. We found a great burger place with the biggest burgers ever! After lunch we went to Matsumoto's Shave Ice (had seen it on Food Network) for dessert and quite an experience. Combine a snow cone on top of black beans (yes, I said black beans) and vanilla ice cream. Not the tastiest combo. I'll admit I took the safe route w/a regular old snow cone but everyone else wanted to "do as the locals do". Bad idea, but fun. Then we finally went to the airport. Kauai

As soon as we got to Kauai (after some luggage issues w/ K & J) we headed to dinner. We had a reservation at The Beach House in Poipu. It was beautiful. It was right on a point surrounded by the ocean and dozens of surfers. The view and sunset were amazing and the food was great too (banana foster dessert, yummm). Then it was a long drive to our condo and straight to bed. Saturday-We had pastries from a local bakery and then headed to the nearest beach. Our first stop was Tunnels Beach. It was huge, with a lot of shallow reef and good snorkeling. The girls snorkeled for a while and then laid out, while and the guys followed a sea turtle around the reef. When we got back to the car we got our first souvenir of the trip, a parking ticket! Lovely. After sorting that out we found some lunch and went to Anini Beach for some more relaxation. It was not a great snorkel spot but it was a long beach and a great for walking. After getting cleaned up we had dinner at Duke's Canoe Club at the Mariott resort. It was pretty, we ate on the upstairs deck looking over the bay. The meal was good but the salad bar was great! It's rare to find a salad bar in Hawaii, much less a good one. While we ate, some cute little ladies came by and played music for us. After dinner we walked around the resort and hung out on some hammocks. Sunday- We picked up breakfast at the local grocery store and headed to Ke'e Beach and the Kalalau Trail. The trial is an 11 mile hike along the Napali Coast, rated and 8/10 for difficulty. It was a beautiful hike with unbelievable views! It was quite an adventure. Some parts were steep, muddy, and over grown. It was a great workout with a huge reward at the end, the most beautiful beach we had ever seen. The sand was gold and black. It was secluded, had a mountain stream that ran down to the ocean with huge cliffs and caves we just had to go explore. Then we hiked back (with blisters and stubbed toes) and rested/snorkeled at Ke'e beach. After working up a hunger we headed to Puka Dog. It was quite a drive but well worth it. Puka Dogs are hot dog/sausages in a special bun filled with a spicy garlic sauce and your choice of fruit salsa. Sounds odd but OH MY! UMMM UMMM good! After lunch we went to a local blow hole, Spouting Horn, and watched it and then headed to Poipu Beach to watch the sunset. So pretty! After that we went home, grilled out and collapsed in bed! Monday (my fav day)- We had a quick breakfast at Java Chai, a great local coffee house. Then we sped (we were late) to the Princeville Ranch for a horseback ride and waterfall trip. We quickly mounted up and headed out. My horse was Manini, which meant little fish, but there was nothing little about him. Adam rode Poi. They were great horses (fat and happy) and we had freedom to take them anywhere we wanted along the trail. After about an hour and half, and a water break, we reached the end where we were to hike to the waterfall. It was about 5-10 minute hike down to the double falls. We all changed into our bathing suits and went in. It was chilly but felt great after the long ride. After some pics and a quick soak we climbed up to the top pool, underneath the top falls. We ate lunch there (wraps, fruit and cookies) and then hiked/climbed back up to our horses. The ride was gorgeous, we were in the foothills of the mountains on a working cattle ranch. Yeee Haa! After our ride was over we went to Hideaways Beach. It was secluded and a slippery hike down but it had great snorkeling and pretty shade trees. After some rest and a shower, we went to dinner at Cafe' Hanalei. It was at a very $$$$ resort and had the MOST AMAZING views of the entire trip. The food was okay, but you don't go there for the food. You go for the views and the sunset! Tuesday- We had smoothies for breakfast and then headed to the airport. Not to leave, but to take a HELICOPTER tour of the island. It was so much fun. So worth the $$$!! Kauai is largely uninhabited and there aren't roads to most of the island so the only way to really see it, is it to fly. It was such a rush! We flew all over, saw places we had been/hiked and saw other places not many get to see. We saw places where they filmed movies like Jurassic Park, King Kong, Indiana Jones and South Pacific. If you ever go, go with a quality tour company and pay the $$! It's worth it and Adam would say so too. ;0) After our tour we got lunch at burger place overlooking the beach and then the guys wanted to go exploring... One place you can get to by car is where the gates were in Jurassic Park. We decided to go try to find them. It was scarier than the movie! We were in the middle of the jungle on a dirt rode with potholes that could swallow our van! I'm not joking. After lots of starts and stops (mostly b/c were scared to go on) we did it! We got there! It was pretty and we took a few pics and then had to make the crazy drive right back so we didn't miss our flight to Maui.

Maui

Tues (cont'd)- We arrived in Maui in the evening and went to a local Mexican restaurant called Milagros. It was probably in my top 2 meals of the entire trip. I had crab quesadillas with pineapple salsa! SOOOO GOOD! After dinner the girls walked across the street to Ono Gelato. It was quite tasty. We then headed to our house, about an hour away. We arrived after dark but were pleasantly surprised. We didn't know anything about it, and had kept our expectations low, just in case... It far exceeded our expectations. It was new, modern, artsy, and had amazing views of the ocean and nearby islands. And did I mention it was free? Tyler knew a guy who had this house and insisted we stay there, for free (that helped us justify the helicopter)!!

Wednesday- After a good night's sleep we went to breakfast at the Gazebo. It's a hole in the wall, hotel pool hut by the ocean with INSANELY good pancakes! We had white chocolate-pineapple-banana pancakes and hash browns! WOW! After stuffing ourselves silly, we headed to the Ritz Carlton. The owner of our house had privileges there. :) The guys stayed for a minute and then were off golfing. We headed to the pool, where we were served drinks poolside and floated along listening to the palm trees blowing in the wind. It was fancy! After we ate lunch by the pool we walked down to their private beach and played in the ocean for a while until we were carter in a limo-style golf cart back to chairs at the pool. Did I mention it was fancy! We stayed all day and into the night (the guys took forever). We swam, tanned, ate, napped and even showered in their spa. Best shampoo ever! After the guys picked us up, we went to dinner at Sansei, a funky Japanese restaurant. It was good.

Thursday- We ate breakfast at Seawatch at Napili Kai. The food was good, and it was right on the beach. After breakfast we went straight onto the beach and started snorkeling. It looked very Hawaiian with the palms and pretty bay. We stayed there into the afternoon. Next was Earl's Bay, a rocky beach with crystal clear water and 1,000's of fish! When we left Earl's we went in search of Lorraine's. Lorraine wasn't a beach but a lady with a shave ice hut (in her basement/garage). We drove forever into the middle of nowhere and there she was, she and her husband at their house selling baked goods and shave ice. It was great and she was a hoot (I had the choclate dipped banana bread ice cream sandwich). We rushed back to get ready for our luau that night (we were not at all hungry).

The luau was so much fun. We got there early and walked around and took pictures and watched the locals do their crafts. They had people cracking coconuts by hand, people making poi, jewelry makers and local music. They had an open, unlimited, bar for the first part of the night so we got all we could drink (non-alcoholic of course) and got our $$ worth. After our bellies were floating with all the friuty concoctions they dug up the pig from the underground oven and then it was time to eat. The food was good, better than I had expected, and they had fun desserts. But the best part was the hula show. They started by bringing in firey torches and blowing conch shells. Pretty dramatic. Then came the hula girls, screaming and shaking their "skirts". It's CRAZY how fast they shake "it" and keep their coconuts in place! ;0) If I lived there I would be a hula dancer. They did about and hour of different dances and then had a finall dance off. After it was over the dancers were standing around for photo ops. And did I mention another great sunset?! It was such a fun night!

Friday- Was an early morning. We had to be on our snorkel tour baot at 6:45 AM. They fed us breakfast on the way to our dive site. It took about an hour and was realaxing. We went to Molokini, a crater in the middle of the ocean. It rises like a horseshoe shaped cliff out of the middle of the ocean. The water is over 200 feet deep and you can see all way to the botttom. They gave us wet siuts because to water is so cold, 45-50 degrees. There were fish everywhere. We even saw an eel. We snorkeled for an hour and then got back on the boat for lunch, on the way to our second site, "Turtle Town". It was what it sounds like, an area about 100 yds from a beach where there were tons of sea turtles. They were so sweet and not terribly shy. It was really fun! Then we headed back to the dock. From there we went up to Haleakala , the tallest Mtn/volocano in Hawaii, 10,000 ft. We actaully drove through the clouds to get to the top. It looked like we were on a different planet. For dinner that night we ate at Pacific O's in Lahina. It was a great meal (and AMAZING desserts)and was right on the beach, literally in the sand. The sunset was beautiful, a perfect last meal all together in Hawaii. After dinner we walked around the town and shopped.

Saturday- Our last day in the islands. BOOOO HOOOO! :0( We started off our day for a repeat breakfast at the Gazebo. We all had the exact thing as beofre, it was that good! Then we went back to the pool at the Ritz. After resting and swimming for a while Tyler and Lauren had to catch an early flight and the rest of us went to the Olivine Pools. They were gorgeous. You had to hike down a really steep, rocky path to the edge of the ocean to these sheltered little pools. There were 5 or 6 of them, varying depths, really clear with pretty little fish. Right on the other side of the pools was the ocean with huge angry looking waves. We stayed for a while trying all the pools and taking pics. We hated to leave but it was a fun, very Hawaiian, way to end the trip. We had dinner at Leilani's in Whaler's Village, and saw one more Hawaiian sunset and then were off to the airport.

ALOHA!

Our Graduate!

2008-05-20T20:38:00.011-04:00

Well she's all grown up. Sarah Grace graduated from Preschool this past Tuesday night. She had a great year! She had wonderful teachers, Ms. Kim & Ms. Julie. They loved their kids. Her teachers last year were fine but compared to Kim and Julie they didn't even come close!

She started her end of the year festivities with a field trip to the strawberry patch. I think she ate as many as she picked. When we got there the kids listened to a story about how to grow berries and then they were let loose into the fields to pick/eat some berries. After we were done picking, we all went on a hayride and then had a picnic with her class.

Her actual graduation ceremony was in the beginning of her last week of school. She was so excited. They had prepared all kinds of songs (one with hand bells) and got to walk across the stage to get their diplomas. She had a crowd there to watch her. Payton was very impressed when she saw SG on "TV" (the projection screen) during the memories video. All the kids came out wearing "superstar" sunglasses and filed up onto the stage. It was all really well done, and the kids felt very important. ;0) Afterwards, we all went to dinner and she got flowers, presents and shopping money. She wished she could graduate every day!

At the end of the week they had their end of year party and carnival. Parents were invited to the party for pizza and cake. I spoke to her teachers and asked if there was anything we needed to work on before Kindergarten and they she was totally prepared. They also said, that they thought she was ready to read and that if we bought a certain book we could have her recognizing basic words before the Fall. After eating we went outside to play with bubbles.

She will be going to Grayson Elementary starting in August!

Spring Break 08

2008-04-23T15:52:00.016-04:00

Only in Gatlinburg!!!

This year Spring Break was also our Self family vacation. With our families getting larger and lodging and transportation becoming more challenging we decided to go to Gatlinburg for a few days. We rented a really cute log cabin right outside of town and were able to drive since it was so close to home. The original plan was for David and Bonnie to fly to Atlanta and drive with us and for Tyler, Lauren and Ava to fly in, and meet us there. But sadly, that wasn't how it worked out. Bonnie's mom got unexpectedly ill and they couldn't make the trip. So, it was just us and Tyler and Lauren. It was strange with it only being a partial family vacation but we still had fun. And in true Self fashion we packed every day and night with as much as we could find to do and eat. ;0)

While we were there, we explored the strip in town, ate lots of pancakes, went to an aquarium, arcades, did the Alpine slides at the top of the mountain and went to Cade's Cove and saw some amazing scenery. The girls had fun. Sarah Grace was game for anything and ate like a champ every where we went. She loved shopping in town for souvenirs and liked feeling big not being in a stroller. Charlotte was fan of anything that didn't involve straps or buckles. By the end of the trip she had had enough of strollers, car seats and highchairs! She did really like the aquarium. She loved the fish and really paid attention and had a bit more freedom. Ava was great!! She's so sweet, such a good girl. She went with the flow, napped in her stroller, played during dunner... And the girls loved her!! Charlotte greeted her everyday with a a very enthusiastic, "Hi baby!" and Sarah Grace wanted to be a mommy. She wanted to hold and pick her up every chance she got. The adults had a great time doing everything and we went to some great restaurants. I think the overall favorite of the trip was the Pancake Pantry. We ate there twice and all got the same thing both times! Umm umm good!

The weather was great the whole time we were there. It was sunny and in the high 70's everyday except the last. On Sunday, it got colder and was only in the 40's. It actually snowed on us coming home in the mountains that day! It was so pretty to see all the new green trees and SNOW at the same time! (There are more pics in the Gallery!)

Hoppin' Down the Bunny Trail

2008-04-23T14:04:00.024-04:00

Happy Easter from the Selfs!

We hope you all had a great Easter. We did, it started with Sarah Grace's school party and egg hunt. The moms hid the eggs and then the teachers brought the kids outside to find them. I use "hide" and "find" loosely because they were just tossed into the grass on the ball fields... But the kids had a blast. Sarah Grace definitely does not take after her daddy as far as her competitive side goes. If she was going for an egg and someone else was too, she stopped and let them have it every time. At the end, other parents were giving her eggs from their kids' baskets because she only had a few. But she had fun. Afterwards we all went in for an Easter lunch and the Easter Bunny dropped by.

On Easter Sunday, we woke the girls up early and got them dressed and then brought them down to see what the Easter Bunny had brought. Sarah Grace was so excited, she couldn't stand having to wait while I got Charlotte dressed. When we got downstairs she tore into her basket, which was everything Barbie, plus a bathing suit and some candy. Charlotte, at first, was more interested in SG's goodies than her own, so we helped her dig into her basket. She got a chocolate bunny, a few little toys, a bathing suit and some little T shirts. She liked her Elmo toy the best. She tried to sing the Elmo song when she saw it.

After church we went to my Nani and Pawpaw's for lunch. Before lunch, the girls all opened presents from everyone. When we thought they were done, my aunt told everyone to come outside for their present. I thought it was bubbles. I was so wrong! I saw my uncle come around the house with a bucket and there was something moving inside. Ducks! My first reaction was "Yeah! Baby ducks!" and then one second later it was more like "Crap! Baby Ducks!" But they were sooo cute! There were 4, one for each of the girls and they all had bows around their necks. The girls loved them and so did their mommies. :) After lunch we had an egg hunt. The girls had so much fun. Payton and Sarah Grace were so excited. Claire just sat in the grass and watched, and poor Charlotte... We didn't realize she had a grass phobia until we stood her in the yard to find eggs. She would not move. She was frozen in fear because she could feel the grass on her feet, through her sandals. But she still wanted eggs. She'd point to an egg and we'd take her to it and she'd put it in her basket and then we'd repeat. It was kind of sweet.

The first week at home with ducks it was great. They were cute, but messy, but had no odor. They liked to go outside and play. They'd stay right with me like I was the mama duck. :) They slept all night with a stuffed duck I got for them and they'd get so excited when they saw me. The second week was a different story entirely! They tripled in size and mess, and quadrupled in noise and odor. The second week felt like a month. The original plan was to keep them until they got older and put them in our lake.... Then we found out you have to teach them to swim and they can't be released until they are 8 WEEKS old! We had 5 more weeks to go. And did I mention they were living on my kitchen counter in a Rubbermaid container?! Krista had had enough duck lovin' too so she took it upon herself to find them a new home. So, they are now happy residents of the Yellow River Game Ranch.

The week after Easter, we had our church egg hunt at our house. The kids had a great time. We timed it perfect because as soon as we finished the bottom fell out! It poured! So the picnic part of the day moved indoors. We had about 12 kids and their parents and Jonathan brought the girls. Sarah Grace did better this time, she found about 18eegs, all on her own. Charlotte found a few too, with a little help (grass phobia). ;0)

Let it Snow!!!! (and then snow some more)

2008-01-24T18:12:00.002-05:00

I know most of you already know, and live here to have seen it for yourself...but for those that don't, it SNOWED!!! TWICE!!! The last time there was any accumulation in Atlanta, Sarah Grace was 13 months old (see pic above). So, she had never seen snow at home, that she remembered. However, this seems to have been the year for snow in the Self family. When we were in Yellowstone this past Spring there were still several inches on the ground in spots, and we even had a brief, but heavy, snow shower while we ate lunch one day. Then, last month when we were in Oklahoma visiting family, it snowed just enough for Sarah Grace and Charlotte to get their feet wet and noses frozen.

But this was the real deal. Last Wednesday night we were on our way to take Sarah Grace to Awanas and it started to snow. While she was there, we took a very secret trip to Mimi and Pawpaw's house to have a snow party. And Charlotte got to go outside and see her first snowfall. By the time we went back to get SG from church, a couple of hours later, everything was covered! She couldn't believe it! When we got home it was after 8:00, but she wanted to go out and play. Fearing that it might not be there in the morning we agreed to let her go outside. We were out until almost 9:00 throwing snowballs and building a snowman. Poor Charlotte just stood inside in the foyer and watched from the front door. Adam and SG made a cute snowman, Frosty. He had a carrot nose and grapes for his eyes, nose, and buttons. It was the perfect kind of snow for making a snowman...it rolled right up like a roll of carpet. When we couldn't feel our fingers we went inside and attempted to make "snowcream," but it tasted awful so we warmed up with some hot chocolate instead. The next morning it was mostly gone so we were really glad we all went outside and played!

Then MUCH to our delight it snowed again! This time we had close to 2 inches and it happened during the day so we could all take full advantage of it. It started about 10:30 Saturday morning and didn't totally stop until about 5:00 that afternoon! It took a while for it to amount to enough to play in but when it did we were ready. Mom and dad came over, along with some friends that were in from SC, and we all played together. It started with another snowball fight, this time more vicious than the one a few nights before. We all chased each other around for a while pelting each other and then it was time for Frosty II. Dad and Daryl (his friend) started helping Adam build another snowman. This time he was enormous! He was quite a masterpiece (and a Sooners fan). We stayed out for a while longer and then went inside to thaw out. Later in the day we bundled Charlotte up and took her out to see the snow (she napped during the earlier fun). Once again, she wasn't too impressed, but we got some sweet pictures anyways. ;0) Who knows, if it can snow twice in one week, it may snow 5 more times before the Winter is over...(p.s. there are lots of new birthday, Christmas and snow pics in the Photo Gallery)

I have a 5 Year Old!

2008-01-21T19:57:00.001-05:00

I told someone the other day that my birthdays have yet to make me feel old but Sarah Grace turning five is the oldest I've ever felt! Mom and I took her to get her ears pierced the Friday before her birthday and that was the kicker. I could not believe I had a child old enough to be picking out her first earrings! She's definitely a big girl now...and she'll tell you that herself. ;0) She picked out cute little diamond daisies and hopped right up in the chair. She didn't act a bit nervous. When it came time for the piercing she was was SOOO brave. I think Mimi was 10 times more nervous than she was. The girl pierced the first ear and she didn't flinch a bit. Then came the second and she did great. She did however, have a weird half-smile, half-sick look on her face. I think she could have cried, but wanted to be "big". Afterwards, mom let her pick out some more earrings and she left feeling all grown-up...and I felt very old. That night we went to dinner and she got a huge dessert all on her own with a candle in it.

The next day was her party. It was an Island Princess party...and she was the star of her cake! No one would do a cake for us because of copyright laws but Sam's could scan a picture of SG in her IP costume onto the cake. So we did that and it turned out so cute!

We had about 30 people over, 9 were kids (11 including Charlotte and Claire). Thankfully, the weather was nice and the kids played outside so it wasn't a total zoo. Sarah Grace and Charlotte got a swing set for Christmas and that was the star of the party. It kept the kids entertained until it was time for lunch and gifts. Once again, it was chaos when it came time for gifts. All the kids said, "open this, open this," and some attempting to open some themselves. Sarah Grace was thrilled with all her gifts...and she got what she wanted most, CASH! The week before her party she told me that her favorite gift would be a "huge box full of cash" so she could buy whatever she wanted. Like mother, like daughter. :)

After gifts we played games. She had picked out a princess crown pinata and "pin the tail on the donkey". The pinata was first and all the kids (even Charlotte) got several turns at hitting the crown but no one was quite strong enough to do any damage. So we gave the bat to my cousin Stan and there was soon candy for all! Next it was donkey time...some kids did great and some were nowhere close. It was funny to watch them dizzily walk towards the board and pin in to the the switch! Sarah Grace's best friend, Lauren, got it right on the spot!

Sunday was her actual birthday, and when I went to wake her up for church she was already awake (which is rare) and standing on the end of her bed looking at herself in the mirror. When I asked her what she was doing she said very matter-of-factly, "I'm taller now because I'm five!" After church, she and her daddy picked up her favorite meal, "shrimpies," for lunch. Later that day, Mimi, Pawpaw, Jonathan and the girls came over for a pizza party and cupcake bake. She picked out strawberry cupcakes with blue and yellow icing & rainbow sprinkles. Payton was so excited to make cupcakes. She came in the door saying, "Tetty (Stephie), eat cu-cakes now!" So we baked them before dinner and they got to lick the spoons. After we ate our pizza,they decorated the cupcakes (with a little assistance)...and they actually did really well. Most of the sprinkles stayed on the cupcakes and off the floor. They both couldn't wait to eat their creations (which were really for SG's school party the next day).

Monday was the last day of her birthday festivities. I took her cupcakes and Disney princess party goods up to the school for her class party. She was the princess of the day and had a cute pink crown. After a cute blessing and "Happy Birthday," all the kids dug right into their cupcakes (most only licking off the icing and leaving the cake). Everyone approved of her flavor choice. When she got home that afternoon she asked "what are we going to do tonight for my birthday?"

Ho Ho Ho!!! Here comes Christmas!

2008-01-20T12:07:00.001-05:00

As always, Christmas in the Self family starts early and is filled with traditions. The first of many is going to see Santa. This year there were 2 more babies than last year! Charlotte was born the day after we saw Santa last year and Claire's new too. We went to Discover Mills and we had a little bit of a wait, so Sarah Grace and Payton wrote letters to Santa while we waited. Mom and Dad, and Nani and Pawpaw went with us so there were plenty of distractions to keep the girls happy until it was our turn. When it was time for us to go, the Gadd girls went first. Santa was very sweet and we got some great pictures with Claire. When Payton joined them she was very unsure. All it took to get her warmed up (but not totally) was a lollipop and then she was ready for pics. After they were done it was Charlotte's turn. When I first tried to hand her to Santa, he stopped me. He said he had seen "that look" before and just wanted to talk to her for a second before I left her. So, he talked to her for second and then I sat her on his lap. She thought about crying but before she could Santa pulled out big gold pocket watch and popped it open. She was in aw. He was a great Santa - so sweet! Then it was time for the old pro to talk to Santa. Sarah Grace climbed right up with Charlotte and told Santa everything on her list.

The next family night was cookie night - one of my favorites!! Every year since before we were married Adam and I have made and decorated sugar cookies...and the tradition has continued with Sarah Grace. She actually was much better at this year than prior years. She did great with the cookie cutters and was quite thoughtful when it came to icing and decoration the cookies. But all she really wanted was the finished product. I can't blame her!

After cookie night, it was Sarah Grace's school pageant. She had been running around the house practicing for weeks and we were anxious to see the the program. She was so excited and told us she was going to be the tinsel on the tree, but we weren't quite sure what she meant. When she came out she (and all the kids in her class) were wearing green shirts and they were individually decorated like parts of the tree...and she was the gold tinsel. There were ornaments, lights, gifts and a star. Their class song was "O Christmas Tree". She sang great, when she was singing and not visiting with other kids. She was quite the social butterfly. She'd sing a little and then talk to a friend, and then sing and wave and yell at us in the audience. At one point she saw my dad standing to take a picture and she yelled out, "Pawpaw sit on your bottom!"...and it was loud enough for us to hear. She also had a bit of a cold, so she improvised and used her tinsel as a tissue, several times. We got it all on video!

This year was our year to be in Texas for Christmas so we had to do the Lord Christmas early. We all met for dinner at Texas Roadhouse and then went to Mom and Dad's for gifts and dessert. Sarah Grace and Payton were so excited to open presents! We were able to get a few pics before the mayhem began and then it was a free-for-all of wrapping paper and toys. All the girls got really sweet gifts and had a ball playing with each other's toys. Adam and I had a great night too, and got lots of great gifts. It was a fun night with family.

Off to Grandma's we went! We spent 10 days in Texas and Oklahoma over the holidays. We flew in on the 21st and came back the 30th, and it was a PACKED 10 days! We started by going to Kemah, on the coast and spending the day at the boardwalk. They have lots of great restaurants and rides for the kids and you can watch the boats coming and going. We hadn't been there since Sarah Grace was 2 years old. We all ate lunch at Joe's Crab Shack and then rode the train that goes around the boardwalk. Charlotte had a ball. Every time the train would "toot" she'd say, "toot, toot" and she thought all the bystanders were waving at her. Sarah Grace enjoyed it too.

Tyler, Lauren (Lollie) and baby Ava came in on Sunday evening. Ava is so sweet (we hadn't seen her since she was 3 weeks old)! The next day was Christmas eve and we all went to a really nice steakhouse and had lunch. Afterwards, Adam and I took Sarah Grace to the park for a while and then we piled into the car and went to my favorite place in Texas, the Houston Mounted Patrol Stables. There are 50 -60 beautiful police horses and it's open to the public. We walked around and fed them treats and gave them lots of love (at least I did)! After that we met up with Tyler and Lauren at Starbucks and then was off to look at Christmas lights. When we got home we put the girls into their Christmas pj's and started the "night before" rituals. We put out brownies and milk for Santa and then Sarah Grace went outside to sprinkle reindeer food (oatmeal mixed with glitter) for Rudolph and the gang. Then it was time to get tucked in before the big guy came!

The reindeer led Santa straight to us! Santa left all kind of goodies for both of the girls and as soon as they came into the den they both went immediately to their gifts. Charlotte inspected everything. She picked up each little thing and would look at it, bang on it, and there were several "ooo wow's". Sarah Grace was thrilled. There was a definite theme to her Christmas, Barbie Island Princess. She got the dolls, the costume, you name it. Unfortunately, she was a little puzzled by Santa omitting a couple of things she was expecting. She walked around the den and coffee table looking for her dollhouse furniture and princess game, neither of which "Santa" was aware were such high gift priorities...oops. We reminded her that her birthday was coming up and then she was okay and started going through her stocking. After all the gifts were opened (which seemed to take hours), it was time play! Lauren and SG played Barbies, makeup, and dress-up, and Grandmommy read the girls stories. Charlotte played with everything, her toys, SG's toys, Ava like she was toy, wrapping paper, empty boxes.... the list goes on.

The next day it was off to Dallas. Tyler and Lauren are halfway between Houston and OK City. So, we drove there and spent the night and then drove the rest of the way to Oklahoma the next day. It was quite an eventful start to our trip. About 20 minutes after we left their house that morning, SG got SEVERLY carsick and we had to pull over and clean everything (and redress her)! While doing that, Charlotte had a horrible upset stomach and we had to fix that. THEN, when we were about to pull away, we noticed Charlotte was bleeding from her mouth! We have no idea what happened but, once we got her cleaned up, we were finally off to OK. We met all of Adam's extended family for lunch and then went back to his Grandmother's house for gifts. It was really good to see everyone (since it had been 3 years) and they were so all generous with the gifts they gave both the girls. Sarah Grace was in heaven because it was all Ariel! The next morning we all met back at his Grandmother's for breakfast. During the night it has snowed (a little) and SG was dying to get outside and play! We took both the girls out for a few minutes and got some pictures and then it was time to get back in the car for the 9 hour trip back to Houston. Yes, we traveled at least 4 hours, or more, in the car for 3 days straight. Sarah Grace did great but Charlotte was OVER IT, which meant mommy and daddy were too! We made really good time and it was nice to get back to Houston and have a couple of days to unwind (and go back the the HPD stables) before we had to go home. It really was a great trip.

Look Who's One!!

2008-01-20T11:35:00.001-05:00

This year has just flown by! Charlotte turned one on December 12th and we had a family party for her on the 8th. Her theme was roses (b/c her name is Charlotte Rose) and polka-dots. We had about 25 people,..6 were kids. She had fun. When it came time for cake she was very unsure. We stripped her down to her diaper, put on her birthday hat and then brought out the cake. I guess I would be unsure too if I were eating cake naked while people sang and laughed at me. ;0) But it didn't take her long to get into it, literally. She wasn't too interested in eating it. She just used the icing as finger paints. Eventually I helped her, gave her a taste and she said "MMMM!".

She really enjoyed her gifts...but, being before Christmas, I didn't want to encourage her to open them herself. I was afraid she'd really enjoy it, and then unwrap all gifts under the tree! She got some really cute gifts. One of her favorites was her Spinning Zebra! She had a ball! Everything she got had lights and sound, and some even roll around the house by themselves.

Her real birthday was quite sad. She got gypped! I was horribly sick with a stomach virus and couldn't even go near her. So, she was stuck in her Ultrasaucer, alone, most of the day... :0(

Happy Thanksgiving!

2007-12-01T10:03:00.001-05:00

Well, we all weigh a few more pounds! ;0)

The day before Thanksgiving, we went to Sarah Grace's preschool for her "Thanksgiving Feast". It's the annual lunch the school does for the kids and their families. Before lunch this year, we went to her classroom for a little "program". When we got there the kids were gone. When all the parents were there the kids came in, in full Indian garb, and their teachers announced them by their Indian names. Sarah Grace was "Drawing Bear", SOOO appropriate!! After they were all in place they sang/danced to several turkey songs and did an ABC rap. Then they led us in a blessing, and we went downstairs to eat. The food was good and the kids had fun. It was Payton's feast day too, so the WHOLE family was there! Thanksgiving morning we woke up to the sound of Sarah Grace clapping and shouting, "Mommy! Daddy! Come get me! I don't want to miss the parade!!". So we got up and turned on the Macy's parade and watched while we ate breakfast and cooked. We went to Nani and Pawpaw's (my dad's parents) house for lunch. When we got there it was our annual family photo time. We got in every imaginable combination for group photos and photos of the kids. Then we snacked on hor d'oeuvres until lunch was ready! We had all the Turkey Day staples, the bird, dressing, gravy, tons of veggies, cranberries 3 different ways, and lots of dessert! Charlotte enjoyed every bite of her first T'giving meal! She had turkey, dressing, TONS of green beans, creamed corn, and cranberry sauce (and a little whipped cream from the pie)! After lunch my grandmother gave us all our Christmas ornaments for the year and had another surprise for Payton and Sarah Grace. Crafts!!! If you know SG then you know she was thrilled! She, Payton, Nani and eventually even Charlotte colored wooden ornaments with not-so washable markers. We discovered they weren't washable after Payton colored her entire belly (they had the shirts off to keep their outfits clean) and then her daddy colored her face to look like an Indian... lovely. After much scrubbing, we left Nani's house and went to my aunt's house to see my mom's side of the family. There were 8 kids under 5 yrs old. So, you can imagine the entertainment and frustration of trying to take a group photo of them all. The kids played until the youngest started to get tired and then it was back in the car (and a quick nap for Charlotte) to Nani's house for leftovers and dessert. Then it was home and to bed, because mommy had to get up very early to do LOTS of shopping on Friday!!!

"Quite an Ablility"

2007-11-08T15:25:00.000-05:00

Adam says I have "quite an ability" for stretching my birthday out longer than any other person. Is that bad? My birthday was on the 28th, and I made the most of it! On the night before my birthday we took the girls and met mom and dad at Red Robin for dinner, as a kick off to my birthday festivities. Not to mention you get a free burger on your birthday. So, is it wrong to take advantage of free food? I think not! Dinner was great and the girls helped me eat a birthday treat.

On my real birthday, Sunday, we went to church and then afterwards I came home and took a TWO hour nap! Believe it or not, I don't nap as much as I used to...so it was quite a treat! After my nap we went to my extended family birthday dinner at a Japanese (my all-time fav) restaurant near the house. There were 18 adults and 2 highchairs. The food was great and so was the entertainment (and I got my meal free again). Not only did the guys do the usual egg catching trick but the owner of the place did magic! He loves kids and was quite fond of Sarah Grace. So, she was his assistant. Bear in mind, she had never seen a magic trick before. When he would make something disappear and ask her "where did it go?" she thought she was being accused of stealing and ran and hid saying "mommy did it!". Blame it mom. ;0) After the tricks, he became a one man band and sang Happy Birthday while he played several instruments. It was funny! After dinner, everyone came back to our house for cake and gifts. The kids were wild and it was so much fun!

So far, I had managed 2 birthday celebrations but there were still 2 to go! This past weekend, we took a belated b'day trip to the lake. We left the girls at home and went to a really nice dinner at Garrisons on Friday night (also free thanks to a "Mystery Shop") and then headed to the lake for the night. Adam came home the next morning for football, so I stayed at the lake house in the peace and quiet and took a walk to look at the lake and the fall leaves. It was really relaxing! After he got back we did some outlet shopping and then drove up to Amacalola Falls. We walked part of the way to the falls and then came back down and drove to the top for some pictures. It was a gorgeous day and you could see forever! After the falls, we went to my 4th and final b'day dinner. We went to the Oar House...it's an old, converted house on the river outside of Dahlonega with amazing food and a great view! We both had the crab cakes and then called it a night. It was perfect ending to a long, and much needed, date and birthday! :)

Trouble with a Capital T

2007-11-07T20:48:00.001-05:00

Can you believe it!!?? Charlotte's 11 months old!...here comes birthday time. Just a little update on what she's up to, or should I say in to. She is almost walking...it will be any day now. She stands on her own for seconds at a time and then chickens out and crawls to where she wants to go. We call her slappy because when she crawls that's all you hear, slap, slap, slap, slap... She's SOO fast! She is gone in the blink of an eye, but at least on the hardwoods you can hear the slapping. She has such a funny personality and is starting to talk. She says, hi dere (hi there), mama, dada, pupa (dog), baba (bottle), mmm (yummy sounds when she eats) and na na! (no no!). When she says "na na" she claps because when I tell her "No", I clap to get her attention.

If she goes missing, it's usually to the bathroom. Just the site of the tub makes her happy. She LOVES her bath, especially when it's with her sister. She laughs more in the tub than she does any other time. She makes quite a mess, but it's hard to tell her not to splash. She loves bubbles, but she now knows they're not too tasty. When you take her out of the water she's in an instant bad mood! She fusses and growls at me the whole time I dry and dress her. She has also found another water source... we thought we could either snatch her up and tell her "No!" or just get the camera. Just another reason to put the seat down...

She's quite the little kitchen buddy too. She loves climbing inside of the fridge and checking out what's on the shelves. She also loves to play in the Tupperware and in the pantry. She recently discovered Sarah Grace's Halloween candy and went straight for the suckers. I would take one away, and she'd dig through and find another and then another... She eats healthier foods too. She's now eating table food. She hasn't tried much she doesn't like. It takes her a LOOONG time to eat, but she eats! She loves fruit snacks the most. Now that she's so mobile the only way I can keep her happy in the Ultrasaucer is to put her in the seat really quick and giver her snacks even quicker!

She's a great baby!!!! Except for the occasional teething fit (she has 4 teeth now), she's a perfect baby. She sleeps great, eats great and is a joy to have around!

The Air is Crisp

2007-11-07T13:00:00.000-05:00

Fall is here and we've been busy. We started off by going as a family to Dallas for a visit and to the OU/TX football game. It was Charlotte's first time on a plane. It went okay, but she's not a fan of staying in one place for long. We stayed with Tyler and Lauren and got to meet the newest Self, Ava Elizabeth. She was a sweet little bundle! Friday, David and Bonnie came in and we had some family time together. On Saturday, Adam and I went with David and Tyler to the game and had a great time! We WON!!! The girls stayed home and played with Lollie and Grandmommy.

When we got back, it was straight to Halloween festivities! We started by going with Sarah Grace's preschool to the pumpkin patch. It's really more of a tree farm that they import pumpkins to... Mimi went with us. The kids had fun feeding the goats, going on the hayride, listening to pumpkin stories, and picnicking together. After our picnic, we all climbed back into the hay wagon and rode to the "pumpkin patch". There, all the kids got to go pick a pumpkin to take home. It was a beautiful day and even Charlotte got a "baby boo" pumpkin to take home.

That weekend was the BIG pumpkin patch trip with our Sunday school class. We got up bright and early and headed to the pumpkin patch. It was cool morning and really felt like Fall! Mimi and Pawpaw went with us this year. Both of the girls had fun in the pumpkin patch. Charlotte wasn't sure what to think of everything, but she wanted to touch every pumpkin in the patch. After lots of pictures, we all rode the hayride together. Sarah Grace talked to her friend McKenzie and Charlotte tried to eat the straw. After the hayride, we had a picnic, played on the playground and rope swing, and watched the pig races. We then went to the petting zoo where Charlotte got scared by a really grumpy pig and Sarah Grace practiced her camera skills with a donkey. The last activity of the day was the "cow train". Pawpaw crammed himself into a cow with Charlotte and he and the girls went for a ride. He said Charlotte belly laughed the whole ride! It was a beautiful day and a fun time with family and friends!

On Halloween morning, Sarah Grace had her class party at school. When we got there, we did a Halloween craft together and ate a spooky breakfast of orange and black donut holes and fruit. Then it was time for trick-or-treating. Her teachers had made each child a really cute pumpkin and they went class to class, in full costume, knocking on doors for treats. Like always, Sarah Grace and her friend Lauren had to be the same thing (they have to have the same shoes, same lunch, the list goes on...). So, the two Ariels walked hand-in-hand down the halls to get their goodies. It was really fun...and Charlotte got to wear her costume too! ;0)

Then came the big night!!! It all started with Sarah Grace last year. She wanted to be Ariel but they didn't have costumes small enough for her. This year that was the only choice there was, Ariel or nobody! So, Krista had the idea of "wouldn't it be funny if we were all Disney characters?". And the theme was born. After much planning, we did our first themed costume party. There were Mickey & Minnie, Donald & Daisy, Snow White and the Witch, little Minnie, Tinkerbell, Ariel, Piglet and Cinderella. We tried to make Adam an Ursula costume but it didn't work out...so he was the Great Pumpkin at the last minute. As always, there were decorations, themed food and lots of costumes and candy! The food was great... mummy dogs, eyeballs (on a platter with severed head), spider cake, slime fondue, pumpkin sherbet, scarecrow cookies.... it was all great! After lots and lots of pictures, it was time to hit the streets! Sarah Grace couldn't wait! We all went out in a huge Disney brigade and started trick-or-treating. Charlotte (AKA Piglet) even got some in her little pumpkin! Sarah Grace outlasted her baby sister so Sheila (AKA Scooby Doo) took her home to rest. We continued around the neighborhood until about 9:00 when our feet hurt too bad to go on. It was great night and next year can't get here soon enough! :)

DISNEY WORLD!!!

2007-11-07T09:56:00.000-05:00

Adam and I had been planning a surprise trip to Walt Disney World for Sarah Grace for over 6 months, and we really thought that when we told her head would spin around in excitement. We waited to tell her until the week before we went so that we wouldn't have to hear her ask "are we going after this nap?" for the next 6 months. So, for 6 months, we had been imagining this HUGE reaction and when we told her we didn't get quite what we had expected. We sat her down one night and gave her this big gift bag. In it was an outfit, 2 Disney DVD's and some trinkets that WDW had sent in our planning packet. We asked her what she thought it all meant, and in a very matter-of-fact way she said, "Disney World." When we tried to explain we were going in a few days she, again, said in very confident way, "Well, I knew we would go some day." We left on Wednesday afternoon after school and headed down. We stopped halfway in Gainesville for the night and drove in early the next morning. We checked into our hotel, Pop Century, and then headed to our first park, Animal Kingdom. We started with the Safari and it was great...she was so excited to see all the animals! After a couple of more rides and lunch we went to ride "Dinosaur". For those that know how terrifying it is, let me say that it was all of our first times at the park and we had NOOO idea. We even asked the person working the ride if it would be okay for SG and she said it was fine. HOLY COW!!!! We very quickly became the meanest parents on the planet! It was awful, but she was a trooper. She never cried but she was NOT A FAN (and neither were we)!! To say the least, we lost ALL credibility for the rest of the week. She was scared to get on almost every ride for the next 4 days. She asked "is it loud, is there fire, is it dark????" before every ride... every ride, even Small world! She also really hated the Bugs Life 4-D show which cancelled every other show of it's kind for the trip. That night we ate at Kona at the Polynesian and then we went to Wilderness Lodge and Downtown Disney. The next day, Friday, was much better!...we went to Epcot. After some convincing (b/c of Dinosaur), we started riding rides and she loved them. We went to the Living Seas and rode the Nemo ride, saw Crush and all of the fish, rode the Greenhouse ride and Soarin' at the Land, and went to a special meet and greet with Mickey, Goofy, and Minnie. After the meet and greet, her favorite thing to do for the rest of the trip was to get autographs. The night before she bought an "otograph" book, at Downtown Disney, for all the characters to sign. She was very brave and got everyone to sign her book the rest of the trip! But the highlight of our day at Epcot was dinner! We went to Norway, to Akershaus, a princess storybook dinner. When we walked in, who was standing there in a ballgown but Ariel (her FAVORITE)! SG was star-struck! While we ate, we were visited by Cinderella, Belle, Jasmine, and Sleeping Beauty. They all

stopped and chatted, signed her book and took pictures. It was so fun to see SG see them. She was so shy, but it was sweet. After dinner, we went and rode a few more rides. She found her favorite, the ride inside of Mexico. She loved it, and we rode it again. Not long after that, a huge storm came in and the bottom fell out!!! So, we made a mad, very wet dash for the exit! After drying everything we owned over night, we went to MGM on Saturday. We started the day with Beauty and the Beast. She loved the costumes and the music but was not a fan of Beast's roar. She'd cover her ears and bury her head. After a few more rides we went to Playhouse Disney where she got to meet all her TV friends. SG got tons more "otographs" for her book. We took a break from the characters and watched the parade. She sat on daddy's shoulders and never stopped waving. I think she genuinely thought they were all waving right to her. After the parade, we went to lunch at the Sci-Fi Dine in. It's a restaurant designed after a drive-in movie that shows old 50's Sci-fi movies while you eat in your car. She must have said 5 times that "this is really fun!" The food was good too. After lunch we played on the Honey I Shrunk the Kids playground, did the Back lot Tour, went to Narnia, and waited in several more lines for autographs. We stayed 'til the park closed and did it all. She especially liked the Ariel show and Playhouse Disney. Sunday was the BIG day! We saved the best for last, Magic Kingdom! We got there at 8 AM for Little Ones Magic Hour. That is where they open Fantasy Land an hour early for property guests and the characters come out to play. She got to play "Mickey Says" with Mickey and Pluto, the "Hokey Pokey" with Minnie and Daisy, & Red Light-Green Light with Peter Pan, Hook, and Wendy! It was so FUN! She loved it! She started out kind of timidly but really got into it. That's also when we rode Smallworld for the first time. She was in aw... She pointed at everything and tried to sing the song. As soon as we got off, she wanted to get right back on. After a huge breakfast, we headed back to Fantasy Land and rode every ride. Then we worked our way around the park, rode several more rides and met more characters. We then left for a quick nap and came back for dinner at the Crystal Palace. While we ate, were visited by Pooh, Tigger, Eeyore and Piglet. And towards the end of our meal all the kids paraded around the restaurant with the characters waving little flags to music. It was really cute. We left dinner early to go meet Ariel before she left for the day. We got there in plenty of time but they had already closed the line because there were too many people... SG and I are were crushed. She had been waiting the whole week to meet Ariel in her "sea cave". After some tears, on my part, Adam went and begged the lady to let us in. She asked someone else and in minutes we were in line. We were the last people of the night and we had Ariel all to ourselves. She talked to Sarah Grace for a couple of minutes and then signed her book. Sarah Grace was so in aw that when Ariel asked her to spell her name she couldn't even think! Ariel Gave her a huge kiss on her "forenoggin" and we said goodbye. She was in heaven!!! After that we rode more rides and found her favorite of the trip!!! Months before the trip we Tivo'd Haunted Mansion with Eddie Murphy, and she watched it several times. Well, when we got in line for the ride, she was thrilled...not scared, thrilled. She pointed out everything on the outside of the house from the movie. When got on the ride she talked the whole time. "That's from the movie, that's from the movie......", she was so excited! She wanted to ride again but we were running out of time and had a few more rides to do. The last ride of the night was Pirates. The ride broke down for 30 minutes while we were in the room where they sing "yo ho, yo ho..."...it was catchy the first 5 minutes and torture the last 25. We didn't get to do the last couple of rides we had hoped to because of the huge delay, but it was a fabulous day and she never knew what she missed! The last day, Monday, we slept in and went to breakfast at Boma at the Animal Kingdom Lodge. It was delicious and we had to stop Sarah Grace from eating because we thought she was going to make herself sick! After stuffing ourselves one final time, she played on the playground, and then we went to see the animals at the lodge. Afterwards, we did a little more souvenir shopping and then it was back in the car for the trip home. :)

Charlotte

2007-07-11T19:40:00.000-04:00

Can you believe it? Tomorrow Charlotte will be 7 months old!! It really does seem to be going by faster this time...it's so sad. Although every stage is more fun than the one before, you still can't help but be a little sad that this is the last time for tiny pj's, midnight feedings, sleepy cuddles... But I have to admit the midnight feedings can go away anytime she's ready! I took her for her 6 month check up this week and she's great! Healthy, Healthy, Healthy. She weighs 17.0lbs and is 27 inches long. She was in the 54 % for weight and 91% for height. By this time, Sarah Grace had already started to slow down and drop off the charts completely. She's now on baby food and oatmeal. So far the only 2 things she hasn't liked are prunes and green beans...everything else she scarfs down! She's sitting up on her own now, and would rather be sitting in the floor playing than confined in any kind of seat or swing. She's also rolling over although she doesn't play for long on her tummy. Neither of my girls were a fan of "tummy time". She loves her bath or anything else water related. She loved the ocean, pool and lake. When you get her totally naked you better be heading towards water or she's going to let you know of her disappointment. She's starting to say Mama and reach for people when they come near enough to pick her up. Her favorite things to do are chew on tags, buckles, medicine droppers, and jump her in her jumpy seat. If she's not doing that she's in the floor watching cartoons with her sister. She loves her sister like no one else! Sarah Grace can make her belly-laugh just by saying her name. Charlotte will just about jump out of her seat with excitement when Sarah Grace comes in the room. When she gets fussy in the car or at dinner all we have to do is get SG to talk or sing to her and all's well in her little world!

She IS sleeping through the night!!!! For a while I thought it would never happen. She would get up once around 3-4 AM and then go right back to sleep, but after the beach that changed, for the worse. We were back on infant time! I was up feeding her at least twice a night but usually 3 times! YES, I said 3 times a night at 7 MONTHS old! Her Dr. suggested the "tough love" approach so we gave it a try. I was ready to try anything. The Dr. said she'll cry like she's dying, but that after 2-3 nights of no response to her fits she'll get the picture and start sleeping. So we started on Sunday night and just turned the monitor off and pretended she wasn't there. It sounds awful, I know, but it worked. We slept great!! So, for the next 2 nights we did the same thing and then on Wednesday night I turned the monitor back on and she never made a PEEP! :) For some reason, we just do not breed babies that sleep, but if she's like her sister she'll enjoy it when she's older. Sarah Grace still takes a 3 HOUR nap EVERY day, and if I forget what time it is she reminds ME! :)