Labor Day Weekend Fun

We had an eventful 3 day weekend.  Saturday we spent all day outside enjoying the cooler weather.  We played frisbee, threw the softball, practice hitting, went to ball practice, played cards of the front porch, played kiddie volleyball, and just had plain old fun.  Saturday night we went to visit my cousin who was home from Richmond (where she works) and we had chinese take out and let the 4 kids run wild in the playroom.  I started my tanning bed sessions while I was there.  I am usually anti-tanning since I have gotten older and know better, but I am just in it for 3 weeks until Mellie's wedding.  I have this beautiful yellow dress that I am going to be wearing and I am trying to even up some bathing suit lines I have on my chest and shoulders. 
Sunday morning we packed a cooler and a change of warmer clothes (just in case) and we headed up to Mt. Mitchell.  We had a few problems finding our way due to state signs not being complete and for us just asking mapquest for directions to Mt. Mitchell instead of Mt. Mitchell State Park.  We got there finally and hiked up to the summit.  Then we took a moderately aggressive nature trail out into the park.  We got way out there and it was so quiet and it smelled like Christmas!  It was very cold too!  It was maybe 65 degrees in the sun and in the deep thick woods it felt colder (especially when we were all still in shorts)  The climate at 6684 feet is very similar to a Canadian forest and the trees were so different than around here.  Lots of hemlocks and ash trees and ferns and moss.  We kept reading about bear warnings and we heard a grumble way off and me and Brandon looked at each other and we couldn't decide if it was a bear or someones dog.  Abigail got a little worried and we told her that bears were only aggressive when they had young babies to watch out for and that this wasn't the time of year for young babies.  I don't know if this was to put her mind or our minds at ease!  Later on when we were closer back to the parking lots we heard the noise again and realized it was motorcycles starting up! WHEW! 
After a day of breakfast at home and a pack of crackers in the car, we were ready for a good meal.  We went to the Mt. Mitchell restaurant and Brandon had local trout that had been recently caught about 30 miles away and brought straight to the restaurant.  Abigail ate an entire baked potato and a hot dog and Emily had a cheeseburger.  I had a bowl of chili and Emily's baked potato.  Then Brandon had apple pie, Abi had a scoop of icecream, and Emily had carrot cake.  My goodness they were hungry.  It's amazing what a little bit of hiking could do to my kids!  When we left the restaurant at 7pm, the temperature outside was 54 degrees and we were still in shorts!  We thought about putting on our jeans, but figured if we hadn't changed by now there was no need to.  Besides, we were planning to head on home and the car was warm inside.  By the time we drove back down to the bottom of the mountain it was 68-70 degrees again.  July is the hottest month on Mt. Mitchell and the average temperature then is 67 degrees.  Why didn't we think about going here a month or 2 agao when temps at home were 100 degrees?  We thought about how nice it must be to camp there during the summer.  Hmmm??  Maybe next summer?!?  We got home about 10pm and got baths and watched the movie Hachi, A Dog's Tale.  The girls had picked it out from Netflix and couldn't wait to see it.  It had to be the saddest movie I have seen in a while!  We got into bed by 1am and then today we have hung around the house.  I did a little house work, Brandon worked on his Bobcat, and the kids have did nothing but watch TV and color.  Abigail has tee ball practice this evening.  Then the 3 days of "vacation" will be over.   I am dreading tomorrow when reality strikes back.  I am excited to see Emily play her 1st ball game though.  Hope everyone has had as good of a time as we have this weekend!

Bring it on!!

Today I received the girls' softball schedules for this fall.  We have 22 games in a 6 week period.  WOO HOO!  I can't wait!  Emily's 1st game is at 6pm next Tuesday and she has a 4pm dentist appointment on the same day to have a tooth pulled!  Sure hope there is good clot formed by game time!  We have a game every Monday and every Friday and most Thursdays and Saturdays.  Only 1 game we are going to miss due to Brandon's sisters' wedding.  There are only 2 days when the girls have a game at the same time in different towns. 
Thank goodness Abi's ball team is down to 7 girls.  Some of the non-interested and non-behaving ones have seemed to drop out.  Practices go much smoother when all the girls that are there actually want to be there.  It is still funny to listen and watch them.  There is 1 little 4 year old the other day said her panties were soaken wet and and stickin' to her butterbean!  She is a cute little thing!  I will check back in hopefully over Labor Day weekend.  Have a fun Holiday!

Abigail's 1st day of school

Well we made it through the 1st couple of days of school.  Abigail loves her classroom and her teachers and Emily can't seem to get enough of it either.  I am so proud of them for doing so well.  They are so go with the flow kind of kids.  Several people have asked me if I cried or if I was sad about sending my baby off to Kindergarten.  It's bad to say, but No, I am not.  I get excited for them, but I am not a crying sentimental mom about those kinds of things.  Don't get me wrong, I watched Emily struggle through a season of softball and one game towards the end of the season I watched her get two players out in one game and I got teary eyed because of this.  If either of my kids get really hurt I cry along with them.  So I am not completely cold hearted!  School is a big deal, but I don't worry that I am" losing my baby".  I am planning on enjoying every phase of their lives, not just their baby phase. 

We couldn't find a hard lunch box for Abigail.  I can't stand those soft one because if they get milk spilled in them you can never completely get rid of it and it ends up stinking.  Brandon had his lunch box from 1979 up in the attic and he told her she could use it.  I went and dug it out and wiped it down and she was good to go.  Abigail didn't seem to mind that it was different and at school their were so questions about why her daddy's name was on it.  She was able to tell them the story of how she inherited the antique lunchbox.  I think she is proud of it!  I can almost bet that no one else has one like it!  

So this coming week the whole school thing will get into full swing with real homework and an actual 5 day week, so we will hope that it goes smoothly!   

Exercise by the Sea Anyone?

Here is Abigail caught exercising on the beach.  She didn't realize we were watching and notice at the end she gets up and says "What?"  She is so funny!

Kure Beach trip

We just returned from a quick little beach trip down to the North Carolina coast. We stayed in Kure Beach in a quaint little hole in the wall. We went with our friends Ned, Kelly, and their little boy, Nicky.  It has to be one of the most relaxing trips we have taken in a while. There was no schedule or place to be. We slept when we were sleepy and ate when we were hungry and that was just about all that we got done.  I enjoyed early morning walks on the beach by myself while everyone was sleeping. This was a wonderful and very peaceful thing for me. I would take my mp3 player and just get in a good 30-45 minutes of bliss. The beach at 6:30 in the morning is a wonderful thing. The overnight tides and winds have erased the previous days' tracks and replaced them with a pure blanket of untouched sand. Later in the day I spent time on the beach, then a dip in the pool, and then some chilling out time in the room or outside in our rocking chairs. I read an entire book that I had just started right before I went on vacation. That is the fastest I have ever read a book!  We did take a trip up to Wilmington and had dinner and a horse drawn trolley ride of part of the historic district.  My new interest is Wilmington and don't be surprised when we decide to go back there soon to do some more sightseeing.

 I started getting a little homesick about 3 days in and was comforted to know that it wasn't just me-Brandon also wanted to get home. We go on vacation and have time to think about what we need to be doing after we get home. Brandon has a Bobcat problem that he wanted to get home and tackle and he has about 15 chickens that he wants to kill and put in the freezer and I wanted to get home and clean up the house, get the girls to their 6 month dentist check-up, and spend some time at home before I have to go back to work. The girls both start ball practice this week.  AND both of the girls start school 1 week from today. There are some things we still need to get before we send them off on the merry little way next week!

This is what you call the playpen by the sea.  Brandon kept an eye on Nicky while Ned and Kelly enjoyed a dip in the ocean.

March 17, 2007-Stroller Ride

Here is a video of Emily pushing Abigail in a baby doll stroller.  This was a toy stroller that Net Net bought for Emily and they put it to more use than I ever got out of a real stroller.  We still have this exact stroller in the basement.  I won't let the girls have it upstairs at the new house because I didn't want the wood floors here to be scratched! Abi still sits in the stroller and plays with her dolls in it.  Last Halloween she even rode around a blow up skeleton for weeks in it!

TROUBLE-April 20, 2007

Here is another video of Abi having a conversation with us about who was trouble.  Notice she says at one point "I am Abi"  and also note she pulls Emily into the accusations while Emily is not even in the conversation and then when Emily disagrees Abi yells "Emi!"  She is almost 21 months in this one.

Toy spider video from November 18, 2006

I started going through some of my old videos and came across a few funny ones.  This is one of Abi and a play spider that Brandon was terrorizing her with.  She was 16 months old. 

Lazy Day

We started the day with running errands with the entire family in tow. We got everything done and came home and sat around like lumps on a log. Brandon decided to go over to his shop and Emily wanted to go with him so she could play with the new baby goats born earlier this week. This left me with Abigail.

The wind was picking up outside and a storm was brewing so it actually felt nice outside. I told Abigail to grab her fairy chapter book we had been reading and head for the hammock. We finished her book, she "rocked" me in the hammock, and then she wanted me to color with her. I had a peaceful 3 1/2 minute rest while she ran inside to get coloring books and crayons. The temperature had dropped drastically outside and we decided to sit on the front porch steps and color. About 10 minutes in we were forced to take cover. We still were able to stay on the porch, color, and eat a tootsie roll pop. We sat and talked about random things on our minds. It is so much different to be able to talk to her without Emily putting ideas in her head and steering the conversation for her.

About 15 minutes later the rain was coming at us sideways and we had to go inside. We decided to bake some cupcakes. Abi broke the eggs, measured the water and applesauce, and used the electric mixer all by herself. We made yummy mini strawberry cupcakes and stood in the kitchen until they were done so we could eat them hot out of the oven. I was about to suggest we go snuggle on the couch when daddy and Emi came back in and put the brakes on our "fun" afternoon. Well, it was a great afternoon with my baby girl and well worth ignoring house work for!

Abigail's 5th Bithday

Oh my goodness, my little baby has turned 5 years old! We had about 30 people over on July 5 to celebrate and then I took a half day on July 6 to spend with her on her actual birtday. I took the girls to xtreme play, kicked back and read my book I have been trying to finish up. They would come to check in every now and then and we stayed for about 4 hours. I think it was good for all of us! Here are a few pictures of her party and xtreme play.

4th of July parade

Getting ready to go to parade

Our friends the Woodards and us

Our friend Amy throwing gum for Bank of Stanly (far right on tailgate) and her daughter standing behind back window

Paul Shadt from 96.9 was grand marshal of parade

Search and Rescue Dogs Abi liked

Got any candy?

Emilt enjoying parade

Abi's fake smile

Emily waiting on parade to begin

Burnette and Woodard kids

Today we went to the parade in Oakboro. We found our friend Laura and her kids and sat with them. Usually it is so crowded you can't find anybody that you are specifically looking for, but we got lucky. Her are a few pictures. Emily is wearing her new outfit that she is so proud of. She saw it in a Justice magazine and had to have it. We went shopping last night at Toys R Us for Abi to pick out her birthday present and Emily wanted something too. I figured we would go ahead and go to Justice and let her get her outfit and that would satify her wanting it and not feeling left out because of Abi's birthday. It is going to have to be part of her back to school clothes! Abi was upset because the store didn't have her size (they start at size 6), but we did find her a hat that suited her. She has gotten so many complements on it. It definitely got people in the parades' attention. They would see her jumping and waving with that hat on and then they would throw her candy directly! Anyway... tonight will be the fireworks and we will be back down at Oakboro!

Working hard all week to put beer on the table!

Brandon and I went out on the Red Neck Yacht this past Tuesday night. It's a Yacht sponsered by 103.7 radio station. Josh Thompson was playing. He is a newer country singer. We had a pretty good time, but we only recognized 2 of his songs-Beer on the Table and Way Out Here. Here are some pictures and a video of him. I would prefer to sing Working hard all week to put Mountain Dew on the Table!

Child Labor Laws?! HA

Here is a picture of Abigail and Emily sorting potatoes in the basement. All I wanted them to do was to get the small ones out so I could cook and freeze them. You would have thought it was the end of the world! They hated doing it. I would go check on them and it was so pitiful them stowed away in the basement in amongst 2 bushels of potatoes! They got through it and I paid them their $2 and Emily made me so proud of her. She took her money and bought Abigail a birthday present with it. She didn't even think twice about it. I LOVE MY GIRLS!

Orlando Adventures

Waterpark view Me and the ladies ready for a night out on the town! Bubble room at Wonder House Ice Cream!

Emily's Ice Cream creation

Emily in the NASA simulator

Abigail as the astronaut

Abigail on the bed of nails at the Wonder House

Clyde and Seamore take Pirate Island

Look at that white belly! I mean on me, not the killer whale! Ha!

Shamu Show

Pirate's Cove Putt Putt

The Wonder House -Abi's favorite place

Our Balcony-Don't we look sharp!

Waterpark at resort that we stayed at

Here are a few pictures from our trip to Orlando. We spent the first couple of days resting around the pool area. There was a waterpark with slides right at the resort pool. There also was a pool area that had an outdoor pool where you swam indoors to the indoor pool and could even hoist yourself out and be right at the poolside bar.

We went to Sea World, but didn't do the other parks this time. We spent 13 1/2 hours there the first day when it was 98 degrees with a 104-108 degree heat index. The kids never complained about the heat. We had a few complaints about feet and legs, but nothing we couldn't distract them by going on to the next adventure. We visited as many shows as we could the first day and fit in as many rides and exhibits as we could in between. The first couple of animals we saw performing Abigail asked, "Are those real momma?" They would do some really weird things that we have never seen an actual animal do and it really did look unbelievable. After a few shows I think she realized that they were actually real. It is really amazing what they can train an animal to do. We bought some small fish to feed the stingrays and Abigail was the brave one to try it first. We read how to place the fish between 2 fingers and you were supposed to hold your hand down in the stingray pool and let the stingray swim over top of your hand and "slurp" the fish out from in between your fingers. Abi had the fish ready and was about to put it in the water and this huge white herring flew into her face and the fish was gone. I thought she had dropped the fish, Brandon said "Why did you drop the fish?!" Abi said, "I didn't drop the fish, THE BIRD GOT IT" Abi was stunned and never had a chance to get scared, but a minute later she said "That bird hurt my hand!" Then we read the sign about how you have to hurry and get your hand under the water because the birds were aggressive near the feeding tank because they like the fish too! I fed the stingrays next and I screamed when it slurped it up because its teeth scraped my knuckle and those things are really freaky up close. I changed my mind about every wanting to swim with them on a cruise excursion. We stayed in the park till after the fireworks show that night and we went back for our second day later in the week. We were all wore out by then and the day wasn't as smooth as the first, but we finished up all of the shows that we didnt get to the first day. We were there about 12 hours that day. We stayed indoors a lot so the above 100 degree weather wasn't too terrible! We also had some bad weather that day and some of the rides closed at times, but we worked around that and still had a great time.

One day we drove over to Cocoa Beach. That area was quieter than I thought it would be. It looked like a sleepy North Carolina Beach town. No high rises or crowds. The kids don't care where it is as long as there is waves and sand! We rode up to the Kennedy Space Center that afternoon. We didn't have time to go into it and look around, but we rode around and probably looked like a security issue!

Later in the week we visited the Wonder House. That was a place like Discovery Place with a ropes course, 4D movie (Canyon Coaster was playing when we were there), and roller coaster simulators. The kids loved it and there was lots of things to do there. Ya'll should go to http://www.wonderworksonline.com/ and look at this place-it is really unique.

Anyway there are lots of other adventure stories from this trip, but we will fill you all in when we see you next. Hope you enjoy the pictures!