Halloween 2009

Halloween this year was a little different but we had a really good time. In Lexington, they have a downtown trick-or-treat where all the kids can trick-or-trick at all the shops. As a mother of 2 small children, it is FANTASTIC!! Usually a half hour of walking up and down Main Street once, gets the kids more than enough candy. This year they had it on Thursday, since Halloween was on a Saturday and it was parents weekend for W&L. So the lucky kids, got to go trick-or-treating twice this year! Now they have PLENTY of candy. Good thing one of the shops gave out toothbrushes!

First Time Seeing the Ocean

The kids finally got to see the ocean for the first time. It was a long time coming but it finally HAPPENED!!! We went to the Outer Banks, North Carolina. It was my first time there and it was amazing. I really loved it there. It was really windy and a little chilly but it was a great time. We collected shells, played in the waves, played in the sand and went to the Cape Hatteras lighthouse. We even took the dog and he had a really good time as well.

Here is the video of the kids on the beach for the first time...I was also holding the dog at the same time and he started to jerk at the end. That's why it was so jerky. :)

But I did get some great still shots.

JT looses another one!

For a week, JT has been playing with his tooth that "wiggles". It finally came out tonight. According to JT, "his tongue pushed it out". He has a great smile now and a great lisp. It's really great to hear.

Week 1 Vacation: Nana's

Every summer I get 2 weeks of vacation. And I love that! We went to mom's the first week and we all had a great time.

We didn't do much of anything, but that's why I love going to mom's! The kids were able to run around outside all day and we really didn't have to worry. And the weather really enabled them to do so. They hopped in and out of the hot tub all week and chased the chickens. We came back with bruises and bug bites but it was a good time.

I think this week we will do the same thing, but only at home. :)

Here comes the Tooth Fairy!

We went out to lunch today and while we were eating JT lost his first tooth (while eating broccoli of all things). We all were in complete surprise. I thought that boys started to loose them in an other year or so. I guess it was good because we didn't have any wiggling or complaining. But now the Tooth Fairy must come and our friends aren't helping much. One friend said a tooth like that is worth $20 and another said $25. With prices like that, I think I'll start knocking out some teeth!

July 4th

Instead of dealing with the monstrous crowd in Lexington, we thought we would do our own thing and go to the Blue Ridge Parkway, up to Indian Rocks. The kids thought it was pretty neat climbing on the large rocks and hiking through the woods. We then found a great overlook to sit and watch the fireworks from. Then the rain came..it wasn't raining hard but it was enough to fill the valley we were looking at with fog that all you could see were small spots of light. Lucky there are a lot of law breakers in Buena Vista and the kids were able to see some "good" fireworks on our drive home. Oh well....maybe next year.

King of the mountain

The mountain climbers

I love this picture! It reminds me of a mother duck and her ducklings following behind.

I don't know if this is why they call it Indian Rocks, but it looks like an Indian face to me.

Lexington Balloon Rally 2009

Every July 3rd thru 5Th, Lexington has a balloon rally on the parade grounds at VMI. The kids and I went last night and it was so neat! It was may first time going but I definitely want to make it a new tradition. They had a mix of vendors and local merchants with booth, balloon bounces and slides for he kids, and of course all the beautiful hot air balloons. I wanted to go and see the balloon glow at dusk, but it doesn't start getting real dark here until 9:30 or so, and by then the kids and dog were really tired. Here are a few pictures from that and maybe we can make it over there again today for the fireworks!

Kayla's Party

We had Kayla's Birthday Party Today!! It was such a great day for bubbles and playing in the sprinkler!! Everyone had a great time!!

Kayla Turns 4

Today is Kayla's 4th Birthday!!!

I woke her up this morning with singing "Happy Birthday" to her. She got real excited and said "Really today? Right now is my birthday?" I said, "It sure is." She then gasped and took off running, opened the refrigerator and yelled, "Where is it?" I asked,"What are you looking for baby?" She then told me with a little attitude, "Where's my cake? It's my birthday and I want my birthday cake!!" At least she is a girl who knows what she wants!!

We are having a small party on Saturday, so I will post pictures then.

What Cute Kids!!!

JT has been wanting a shirt and tie for a long time, but it has been hard to find one in his size. And since JT got new Sunday clothes the girls needed new ones as well.

But how cute do they look!!

What great looking kids!!

JT Graduates Pre-K

JT graduated from pre-K today and their program was really cute. They sang some songs and gave out awards. JT is really excited to be going into Kindergarten next year and Kayla will be in JT's old class.

What a CRAZY Day!!

Yesterday morning I starting talking to La on Facebook and 5 hours later she was at my door!!! It was great!! It was so nice to have a girls night and have La join us!! It was definitely what I needed. We had a great time at dinner and the drive-in. Next month La, let me know when girls night is and I'll come up. :)

Thanks La!!!

Memorial Day!!

First, a Thank You to all the vets and current soldiers for giving our country the freedoms that we have today. And a BIG Thank You to my brother for being one of those brave soldiers. I am really proud of the things he has done.

I was able to leave work earlier to spend time with the kids and Jake. Little did Jake and I know that JT was suppose to go to school today, but oh well. But here are a few pictures of our fun day and a video to capture the moment.

Hope "hamming" it up.

Kayla was trying to run me over on her bike.

JT has been running around shooting webs like Spider-Man. Here's the best video ever!!

Rain, Rain, Please Stay

It has been raining a lot this week, and I have been very grateful for it. I know the kids have been locked up in the house but I have been able to work on my scrapbook. I found Christmas pictures from 2005 that needed to get done!! Here are a few of my favorites that I completed and yes these are old pictures of the kids..I'm 3 years behind!!

But all that rain has finally brought one flower out of a ton of plants that I planted 2 years ago. Hopefully the rest will bud soon.

Slacking

As you can see we have been slacking on our blog...super busy. It seems like for the past few weeks there has been so much going on all we do is eat, work, and sleep. Hopefully things will start slowing down and we can catch up on some things.

Just another day!

Today is my 27Th Birthday and it's just another day for me. But I was looking at a friend's blog and she had a list of 27 things that she would like to complete by her next birthday. I thought, that's a GREAT idea, so here is my list (thanks Laurie-Ann):

1. Get back to my pre-pregnant weight. It's been four years since my last one and I'm not having more so there is no more excuses!!
2. Fluently speak Spanish. (I know it's funny to some who were in Spanish class with me but I am doing better this time around)
3. Have REGULAR monthly dates with my husband.
4. Do more family activities that are FREE!!
5. Take the kids to the shore! Sad, but they have never seen the ocean.
6. See Randy and Yuko in Japan. This might be a hard one to do, but I'm going to try!
7. Go on a vacation with Jake and NO KIDS!
8. See Erin and the girls more this year.
9. Go to NJ a least one more time this year.
10. Do a 5 mile hike on the Appalachian trail.
11. Read a series that isn't classified as teen/youth. It's time to put down Harry Potter and Twilight.
12. Get caught up on my scrapbook. This may take me all year.
13. Get the yard cleaned up.
14. Build a shed with Jake to get the tools out of the house!
15. Actually stick to our budget.
16. Finish my closet so we can finish our bedroom.
17. Get back to school, so I can complete my degree.
18. Get all my photos scanned into the computer and on jump drives.
19. Bring Erin and the girls down to VA for a few days.
20. Actually use my reusable shopping bags.
21. Being more involved in recycling.
22. Getting the kids to actually keep their rooms clean for more than a day. This will probably be a tough one.
23. Plant a garden and keep it.
24. Refinish our dresser. Sad, but it's still the same when I was a kid.
25. Take more pictures of the kids and the beautiful nature around us.
26. Keep in better contact with old friends, so I don't go another ten years before talking to them.
27. COMPLETE THIS LIST!!!!

I really hope that I can challenge myself enough to do all I want to do. Believe me, it's going to be a task!!

So Many Trips In One Week!!!

So this week, I went to Mom's, Richmond, and New Jersey. Out of 10 days, I spent 3 nights at home!! But what a GREAT time. The kids had a great time at Nana's and I got to spend some alone time with Jake. I also got to see some old friends I haven't seen in a really long time. And to top it all of, I got to see my nieces who just turned 2!!! My poor sister! But here are some of the photos from the trip.

What a CUTE boy!!

Kayla On the swings.

Kayla, JT, Valerie, and Stephanie (Erin's twins)

New Members of the Fat Girl Club:

It was so nice to see everyone again and all the new members to their families. Jacki and Joey brought Ava (left), Lisa had Jaxson with her (center), and Eric shared his new daughter Enya with Jessie (right). Thank you guys so much for getting together on such short notice and remember the next reunion is at my house.

I love and miss you all.