Friends

The Big Girl Bed

I just have to say that life with little ones in never boring. It is always changing. They outgrow their clothes, shoes, and even eating habits so, so fast! One day their eating pureed carrots, the next they are eating chicken nuggets! I get very sentimental when my kids hit big milestones. I usually get emotional and cry. For real, I do. Anna Belle recently outgrew her baby crib. I was a little sad, but more excited b/c Anna Belle was so excited about her new bed. Some sweet friends gave us this great bed (thank you!) that was perfect for her. So, Winfield painted it white and then sanded it down a little to give it a rustic/cottage look. It turned out so nice. The first few nights that she was sleeping in her new bed were sleepless b/c it is a big change for a little one. Now, I can tell that she is happy to have more space and loves her new quilt, sheets and pillow. She loves it so much and sleeps great. My little baby girl is growing up. I must accept it as hard as it is. Now, if she can just potty train!

So Funny

Somehow my girls got their hands on my camera the other day and decided to take some pictures. Most of them were really blurry and you couldn't tell what they were; except for 2 which were actually pretty good. Anna Belle took a picture of her favorite thing which she calls her "big doggie"and Elizabeth took a picture of her favorite things on her bed that she sleeps with. I thought it was really funny and really cute.

Fun Stuff

So, let's see... last time I posted, the pictures were from our little summer vacation. Sorry, I never got around to fixing the size of those pictures. We have had plenty of fun around our house since then! The fun never ends! Elizabeth has been loving her 2nd year of preschool. She also began her 2nd year of ballet, which she LOVES! I am back to work at the preschool 2 days a week and Anna Belle is happy tagging along! Elizabeth began soccer last week as well. She has fun with it, but doesn't LOVE it yet like she does dance. The soccer pictures are cute, though!
Today, Elizabeth had a haircut. She requested it to be "shorter" like mine. So, I had to take her picture! She looks like such a big girl with short hair! She LOVES her new hair-do! Thanks, Brittany! You're the jam!
On October 4th, 2 very special friends of ours, Sam and Brittany Finch "tied the knot". Winfield officiated and Elizabeth was the flower girl. We had SO much fun and were so honored to be a part of their big day! Enjoy the new pics! Love you all!

Vacation

So, we had a vacation a few weeks ago. Yes, we actually took as Sunday off.
Our week started on a Monday with a trip to Wintergreen, Va. Most people know it as a ski resort, but August was nice too. There was a pool just across from our condo that we swan in twice. One time, Anna Belle was running really fast and scraped her face on the concrete, but that's ok, she recovered and swam anyway. There was this really cool lake that was at the bottom of the mountain that we spent a WHOLE day at. However, our camera batteries were dead, so we have no pics to prove the fun that we had there. The girls swam and swam, we had lunch and even rented a paddle-boat for an hour and paddled around the whole lake. The girls were absolutely exhausted by the time we got back to shore, but Daddy rescued them with some freezie pops from the refreshment stand. That was a great day.
The evenings were really nice and cool there. We actually bought long-sleeve t-shirts to wear b/c I forgot our "hoodies". So, every night we put the kids to bed and stayed up late watching the olympics on nbc. I LOVED the olympics
The mornings in Wintergreen were our favorite b/c it was cool outside, so we would sit on the porch for a few hours drinking our coffee, talking, reading and playing with the girls. What a fun time we had there!
Next, we were off to Knoxville, TN to visit with Winfield's family for the first time in 9 months. We stayed with his Sister, Brenda and had a great time with them. Southern hospitality at it's best! We visited with Winfield's mom, dad and sisters while we were there. Again, no batteries, so no pictures. I must get control of this battery situation. I will make myself a note in my day-planner. Ha, ha. The girl's loved swimming in their Grandmother's pool and just relaxing.
On our Sunday off we took the opportunity to visit a church in Knoxville. It was so WEIRD to actually get up and get dressed knowing that you were about to be a visitor at a church other than your church. It was a very big church. It felt like going to church at Wal-Mart. For real. The kids went to children's church. They did great and had a good time. It made me appreciate our church here on the Outer Banks, oh I love it so much!
So, that's about it. Summer is over. Last week Elizabeth had her 1st day of preschool at St. Andrews. I went back to work at St. Andrews on Thursday. Now, fall is here and I look forward to the beaches being less crowded and being able to just walk on the beach with a cup of coffee and search for sea glass!

Winfield and I

Just a fun picture of Winfield and I that I thought I would post. When you have children and are always snapping pics of them, a pic as a couple is rare. Thanks, Nicole!
Winfield and I have been married for 9 happy years now. I thank God for such a wonderful husband!

Elizabeth and her bike

Elizabeth has had her new bike since last winter. We found it at a yard sale brand-new! How cool is that? She has not had a chance to ride it very much given that if she would try to ride it at our house, she would have a very scary ride down our VERY STEEP driveway! Today, we loaded up the bike and went to the park with the girls. Elizabeth rode like a champ! She did so good! She rode around this turtle-pond 5 times or so and parked a few times to play on the playground. Anna Belle was just happily walking along pushing her pretend lawn mower (no pic of that, sorry). We had a very nice afternoon at the park until it was time for some lemonade and a nap for the girls! My little Elizabeth is getting bigger every day. she even wants me to measure her with the tape measure in the mornings after she drinks her milk to see if she has grown any. Sometimes I pretend and say a different # than yesterday just to get a reaction out of her. The smile that she gives is priceless. I am thankful everyday for the gift that God has given me in these little angels from heaven, Elizabeth and Anna Belle. I cherish every moment b/c I know that one day they will be leaving for college or getting married and I will be wishing that I had these precious days back.