Week in Review ~ 7/27

We are busy, busy, busy around here this week, but I don't want to forget last week.

Sunday afternoon we went to sweet Levi's buggy 2nd birthday party.  Lexi throws a fantastic party, and you can see the fun much better on her blog.

Ned took a class in Richmond Monday through Thursday and was gone most mornings before the kids got up.  We don't always see him during the day during a normal work day, but it's much nicer knowing he's five minutes away instead of over an hour.  The good news is that it was a much better week for the kids and me, and most days Ned was home a little earlier than normal.

Tuesday was Avery's 4th birthday!  We usually would have celebrated at my parents' house, but Ned wouldn't have gotten home in time to do that.  So, after naps, I packed the kids up and headed north to meet Ned.  We went to Target for a few things then had a birthday dinner at Chick-Fil-A.

The rest of the week kind of looked like this, with some party preparation thrown in.  Temperatures were much better than the week before, which is always good when we need to get outside or I need to get out to exercise.  I took the kids to The Palm Tree one day for lunch, and I'm pretty sure it's the first time I've taken both kids to eat since Sam was in his carrier.  In my defense though, we typically are just always out as a family, and we don't have many places to go around here.

We celebrated Friday with dinner at the Mexican restaurant.  I left there and shopped for Avery's party.  I got a few things made/done once I got home.

Saturday morning was spent getting ready for the big party!

We have probably had a little too much going on this week, but the good news is we've got it nearly done.

Avery's 4th Birthday

We celebrated Avery's 4th birthday yesterday with a sweet ice cream party!  It was such a fun, relatively calm time, and I am happy to report that I was mainly stress-free.  Sweet Birdie's Nest created the most perfect invitation to invite our guests over.  They are the best!

I had to get a few pictures of my big birthday girl before the party.  She is looking so grown these days.

I did absolutely nothing in terms of decorating.  For Avery, birthdays mean family and friends, cupcakes, and balloons.  And if that satisfies her, I see no need to do much more.  We had some ice cream-themed snacks, a little toppings bar, and fun ice cream sundae cups that I got no picture of.

Anna, my friend and cupcake maker, made these awesome and delicious cupcakes.  I showed her a few Pinterest ideas, but her frosting scoops of ice cream literally take the cake.  They were perfect.

We were thrilled that my parents were able to attend the party, especially since they had not been to our house since December.  They got here a little before 3 to get settled, the Millers arrived with the cupcakes, and I continued to get ready.  This buddy had to be woken from a major nap and was a little slow at first.  By the time our other guests started to arrive, he was ready to party.

While the party had an ice cream theme, the gifts were definitely of the princess variety.  Avery is the best present opener and is just thrilled with what she gets.  She got some really great stuff from our generous family and friends.

Yaya and Poppa gave Avery a bike, and while Avery had been to try them out and even picked out what she wanted, she was literally shaking as I pulled off the bags.

The bike was a hit with the buddies and the little brother.  Avery knows who to look to when she wants to do something that isn't allowed.  Uncle Rob pushed her around the house many times.

After gifts it was time to sing and enjoy some food.

Sam devoured a cupcake in about 10 seconds then fussed the rest of the time because everyone else was still eating cupcakes.

We had the most well-behaved little guests.  Camden, Mason, Levi, and baby Cade joined us for the party, and we were sad that Emerson couldn't make it.  After a rather boisterous party last year, we toned it down a little since my mom would be there.  It was perfect.  The kids were being so good that I couldn't keep them from the playroom any longer.  Ned hung out up there so that I could go between upstairs and our family and friends downstairs.  The kids played so well, and we can't wait to have everyone back.

Our guest started leaving a leaving a little after 5.  We captured a picture with Yaya and Poppa before they headed home.

Usually my parents stay for a pizza dinner after birthday parties, but they were ready to get home, so we were happy to have the Millers stay and keep us company.  We sent the girls out with the men and Anna, Sam, and I stayed inside while we waited for the pizza.  Dinner was good and easy, and we are just so thankful for that family.  They left after 7, and Ned put Sam to bed while Avery and I checked out her presents.  Once I got her to bed, I got everything cleaned up except the floors, then propped my eyelids open and set up Avery's LeapPad.  I was definitely tired after the big day, but it was so wonderful that the tired was well-worth it.

I still remember Avery's first birthday party and how much love I felt in our house that day.  I pray one day Avery will realize how lucky she is to have that love surround her on each of her birthdays and all the days in between.  We are so thankful for the people who love us enough to celebrate our big milestones and little moments with us.

Five on Friday

Happy Friday everyone!  Here are 5 random bits of excitement that have been going on around here this week.

ONE - I found out Tuesday that I'm now a Kindergarten teacher!  Each time I want to hyperventilate thinking about teaching these kids everything from ABCs to walking in a line, I stop and think about dressing like Pilgrims at Thanksgiving, big books, and rest time :)

TWO - Our garage will be getting much tidier thanks to this new delivery.  The man arrived 20 minutes early this morning then ROLLED HIS EYES when I told him that Ned was to be called when it was time for the delivery.  I apparently give off the "I order 24 foot long houses" vibe.

THREE - We now have a 4-year-old in our house!  We celebrated a little Tuesday and will celebrate a little more tomorrow.  I have done very little to get ready for the party and those Pinterest ideas that looked great several months ago just aren't going to get done.  The good thing is we'll have a great time regardless.

FOUR - Tuesday was a busy day with Avery's birthday, finding out about Kindergarten, and securing our advanced dining restaurants for Disney.  We got our 3 choices for our table service meals and got pretty good times.  I'm really not going to talk about Disney each week until we go, but I'm just so excited.  Yesterday I was finally able to find the Jon and Kate episode where they went on YouTube, and Avery and were able to watch it through our Apple TV.  It was perfect because I could show her things that we will really do.  I teared up.  I'll be the mom who cries at Disney.  Let's pray they're at least happy tears.

FIVE - Our August is so busy, and our Friday nights for the month have been filled up for months.  Bible School, a concert, hosting book club, jewelry parties, and a special event for Avery have been planned for awhile.  I further added to the madness by deciding to host a Shrimp and Grits Kids show later in the month.  Be on the lookout for your invite, or virtual invite if you are a faraway friend.

We're off to enjoy the beautiful weather outside instead of cleaning for the party.  Thanks for stopping by!

4 Years

Dear Avery,

You are 4 years old today! I just can't believe that my once tiny baby is now 4. Four seems entirely too old!

At the ENT in June, you weighed around 31 pounds and were about 38 inches tall.  You are still pretty tiny but proportionate and growing.  You wear mostly 3T items with a few size 4 dresses.  Your shoe size varies between an 8-9 depending on the brand.

Since your 3.5 year update, a few things have changed. 

We no longer use Pull-Ups or bed mats at nighttime, and you've never truly had a full-blown nighttime accident.

We decided to send to you the preschool program at our YMCA for the 2013-2014 school year.  To get ready for that, you've done a few weeks of half-day camp this summer.  Overall you have done well, but you do have moments during your time there that you get sad and miss me.  You went on a field trip your very first day, riding the bus from the Y to the library.  That was a milestone for us both!  You love school and I can't wait to see what the new school year brings.

You completed your first week of swimming lessons and are going to do more.  You are comfortable using the noodle and kick board.  You don't like to put your face all the way in the water, and you don't like to jump in to your teachers.  My goal this year was to get you comfortable without your Puddle Jumper, and you are doing great.

We took a vacation to the beach, and although you loved the beach, you were ready to come home to our "white house" each night.  That was your first time being homesick, and I think it was a combination of missing home and your fear of storms.  You are still very nervous about thunder, and a string of storms in late June really caused issues at bed time.  At the beach you were nervous about napping and going to bed, and you started waking up during night.  Rest time and bed time are now back to normal, and you're doing better with the night waking, so we're hoping that will pass soon.  These times remind us that no matter how big you seem, there is lots of little girl still in there learning and growing.

While some people may think you're shy, you really can be quite boisterous in situations where you are comfortable.  You gave a stunning performance at your dance recital and were not a bit nervous to get up on that stage.  We were so proud!  You are apparently very comfortable at rest time, because there is never a shortage of yelling and jumping off the bed.  Since the beach, you've only napped 1-2 times per week.

There are times that you are shy and timid, but you are comfortable in most situations if your family is there.  We are still working on your fear of loud sounds and being comfortable in different places when Mommy or Daddy are not right beside you.  A little of "the threes' have appeared in the last few months in terms of listening, whining, and baby talk.  The good certainly outweighs the needs improvement, and we are blessed that you are so well-behaved and easy.

I'm not sure if there has ever been a more loving child than you.  You are always up for a kiss or hug and are usually the one initiating.  You love to cuddle and rock and are always telling us that you love us.  You love your family so much, even when you're loving Sam a little too much.

You still love Pioneer Woman, Mickey and Jake, princesses, cooking, playing outside, and singing and dancing.  We watch your dance recital all the time so that you can see the big girls dance, and you know lots of their routines.  Your imagination is really showing, so sometimes you're packing for Disney while other times you're off to school.  You entertain yourself so well.

Four years have gone by in the blink of an eye, sweet girl!  We love you so much and are so thankful that you are the one who made us Mommy and Daddy.  We love you to bits and pieces!

Love,
Mommy and Daddy

Week in Review ~ 7/20

What a week!  The after-vacation period must be tough, because last year I posted this, just a week or two later.

This week was composed of three main things, which kind of just added fuel to the craziness fire.

The first, and probably main issue, was that Avery's sleeping issues continued at home.  She was up once during the night every night this week.  All we had to do was go in and sit on her floor until she fell back asleep, but interrupted sleep plus the dread of interrupted sleep is enough to get you down.  She wanted her door open at nap time, but the days she didn't nap were a party, so I had to close the door.  Then there were tears, screaming, kicking, etc.  I think this problem stemmed from her fear of storms but was also a power thing that we just had to get straight.  By mid-week we could go down for a nap and bed without any problem.  Even with her busy week and broken sleep at night, she didn't nap until Thursday.

Her week was busy because she took swimming lessons.  We were really lucky to schedule them with her friends Camden, Mason, and Emerson, so the kids {and moms} knew each other.  For this age, we have to be prepared to get in the pool, and we were all relieved with we left Monday wet with sweat, not pool water.  Avery did well on everything and only needs work on putting her head under and jumping in.  Neither are real requirements for the class, so I was pleased.  Happy swimming without her Puddle Jumper was my main goal.  Even though it went well and I enjoyed my mom time, it was something to do each afternoon during our normal rest time.  By the time we got home, changed, and Avery into bed, I had missed almost an hour of my quiet time.  Quiet time is crucial.

The other main news of the week was that I took Sam's morning nap starting Tuesday.  Instead of inching it back slowly I just worked hard to keep him up until 12:30, and he did really well, especially since he has his final tooth coming in.  For most of the week he only slept about an hour and a half, but he was happy in his bed until 3 p.m., so he got good rest.

None of this sounds bad or abnormal, but all of it plus returning from vacation plus an almost four-year-old determined to send three out with a bang just about did me in.  I was just in a funk most of the week.

Thankfully, there was some good thrown in to somewhat balance the not-so-great.  The Millers came over for dinner Wednesday night and we had a great time.  I realized that they are keepers when the 2nd member of the family went to use the bathroom and I realized I hadn't even checked it to see if it was free of Avery's books, toilet paper scraps {clean of course} and other treasures she may tote in there.

On Friday the kids went to Jennifer's and I had a day to myself with a lunch date with Ned thrown in.  We went to FoSho for dinner and everyone behaved nicely.

Saturday morning we took the kids to the pool.  It was the first time Sam had used a float to sit in, and he really wanted to climb out and swim.  He enjoyed floating and trying to drink the water.  Ned got him out before we left and he seemed to think he could swim right away.  I think the boy has no fear.  We practiced what Avery had done in her lessons then let her swim all around in her "Jumper." That afternoon we took dinner to my parents' and had a fun evening with them.  Avery was extremely pleased with our food choice.  She was so excited to yell "It's Bo Time" when we got to Yaya and Poppa's, but I bet they figured that out quickly.

This may sound like a string of complaints, but it is what it is.  I'm happy to report that our week is off to an excellent start, which only seems appropriate since we'll be celebrating a birthday.

Five on Friday

I'm linking up with Five on Friday to share a few things I'm loving lately.

ONE - The Pioneer Woman recently blogged about Cover Girl Smoothers Concealer, and I had to try it out.  I'm in love!  Much smoother than my Clinique and covers my horrible under eye circles a lot better than anything I've tried recently.  Add in the fact that it was less than $10 and you have something wonderful.

TWO - After  reading major recommendations for all Blue Bell ice cream, but especially banana pudding, I ran right out to try some.  Oh my.  It's going to be a problem.  It is as close as I have found to homemade that I've gotten in ice cream shops before, and it's way better than the Hershey's sold in some places.  Ned, a banana pudding lover, is in love all over again, and I think it's so delicious that I served it to friends as dessert after dinner this week.  Run fast and get some.

THREE - I'm loving that we are officially booked for our Disney trip.  The excitement is here and we have a few months to go.  Our restaurant reservations get booked this week, and I think that's going to be about all the planning I do.  I'm fully convinced we'll be recovered from our beach "vacation" by then.

FOUR - I found this quote on Pinterest and am loving that I feel the same way.  I'm just not a competitive person by nature, and while there are circumstances that I think some competitiveness would give me a a little needed drive, I'm thankful that overall I don't have those tendencies.  I'm not the best, don't have the best, don't do the best, and ultimately am concerned with doing the best I can.  Staying away from competitiveness has made a world of difference lately, and luckily those forces can be spotted a mile away.

FIVE - Finally I'm loving a me day today.  After a busy vacation and a pretty tough week at home, I sent an SOS to our sitter, who is always willing to have Avery and Sam for the day.  Granted, I'm still doing laundry, straightening up, and catching up on emails, but I'm doing it without refereeing a tug-of-war or getting Sam out of the trash...again.  A little quiet, a lunch date with Ned, and I'll be more than ready to pick up my babies this afternoon.

Happy Friday!

Outer Banks 2013

We are finally getting caught up enough to blog about the fun side of our wonderful trip to Kill Devil Hills, NC.  It's my most favorite place on Earth besides home, and I love the anticipation before we leave.  This year of course would be different because my parents would not be joining us for the whole week.  We reserved our cottage last year on the day we checked out, not knowing what the future held for my mom.  She was not up to a flight of steps just to get in the house, so my parents planned to come on Thursday and stay in a hotel.  It was different and of course we missed them terribly, but I think we made a lot of good memories with just us early in the week.

We left last Sunday morning, July 7th, around 9:30 a.m. and had a good trip down.  Sam slept for a bit and Avery watched a movie.  We drive two vehicles with lots of stuff and I had the kids.  We got to our traditional Sonic stop just before lunch.

We then made our way over the best bridge in the world to start our vacation.  We got checked in and put Sam right down for a nap.  We let Avery rest on the couch since my in-laws would be stopping on their way home.  After their visit, I went to the grocery store.  We had dinner and then walked to the beach for a few minutes.  Everyone was ready for bed, even if they didn't know it.

Monday morning called for a box of these beauties from Duck Donuts.

The light brown frosting is peanut butter and they are to die for.  Ned and I both agree that Duck Donuts beats Krispy Kreme hands down.  We may have eaten donuts on 4 mornings during our stay.  After a quick nap for Sam we hit the beach and had a fun time.  We returned to the house for lunch and naps, and Ned went back on the beach for a little while.  That night we went to The Black Pelican for the Wanchese Fisherman's Risotto featured on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives.  I tried it last year and it became a favorite before I ever saw the show.  The kids did not eat much but were well-behaved.  We had some fun on the deck before bed time.

Tuesday morning was cloudy with a little rain so we went to the aquarium after Sam napped.  Avery loves the alligators and the shark tank, and for the 2nd year in a row, the scuba divers were in the shark tank.  That's a hit as well.  Sam just took it all in.

It was too close to lunch to get back from Manteo so we ate at the Pizza Hut there.  The kids took naps when we got back, and I went to the beach.  We all headed to the beach when they got up.

We played on the deck and in the yard before putting the kids to bed.

Ned and I thought it would be nice to have a calm meal, so we got take out from Awful Arthur's after the kids went to bed.  It was calm until someone shot fireworks and sent Avery into a massive breakdown.  She wouldn't stay in her bed and I lost several good mommy points.  Thank goodness we can get good crab legs at home too.

We had a good beach day on Wednesday with time out after morning and afternoon naps.  We got take out again from Awful Arthur's but ate while the kids ate.

We went out on the beach Thursday morning after Sam napped.  My parents arrived just as Avery was waking up from her nap that afternoon.  They stopped by for a few minutes and we visited in the driveway.  That night we had dinner with them at another favorite, The Lone Cedar.  It threatened rain all before dinner, which is so hard on my mom and dad when they need to get in and out of places, but it held off.

We squeezed in a few pictures as the first drops began to fall.

A little golf got things started Friday morning.

We took the kids to swim at the pool at my parents' hotel so that they could see them playing.  We left their floats at home but Avery did well with her "poodle."  We didn't get a float for Sam, and he liked the water but kept shivering, so he once again ate a lot of snacks.

That night we all planned to go to Capt'n Franks but it would pour rain on and off.  My parents decided not to get out so we went and ate and took them their food.  After visiting with them we threw caution and bed times to the wind and went out for ice cream.  I'm not much for messing with schedules but occasionally it's ok.  And I remind myself that all too soon our vacation nights will be much later and probably much more expensive.

On Saturday morning I took Avery to swim again while Sam napped.  We hurried back to get on the beach but found it much too windy.  The sand was blowing terribly and neither child was happy.  We headed in early for lunch.  Avery said she would go back "when the beach wasn't so sandy."  Instead of trying to get back out after naps, we decided we would do a little shopping that we hadn't gotten to do.  We made a quick trip to the outlet mall and made Avery very happy with some "gym" shorts from Gymboree and her very own Rainbows.  We left and Ned stopped at another store to surprise me with this.

After our fun 4th of July I looked for a Pandora charm to help remember it.  I found this beach ball and thought it would be perfect for the 4th and the beach.  As far as the beach goes, it may symbolize more of a survival but that's ok too.  We stopped at a shoe store and kids' store {where I snagged a Christmas outfit for Sam} before going back to the house.

We always have Papa John's pizza on our last night, and we were able to do still do that with my parents.  We all ate at the picnic table under our cottage and had a great time.  The kids played in the yard after they left.

Ned and I squeezed in some more deck time after the kids went to bed then got busy with some packing.

We got up Sunday and did our best to pack up and clean up while keeping Sam out of everything.  We had to load the dishwasher with the 20 or so kitchen utensils he dug out to play with during the week.  We checked out a little before 10 a.m., had an early Panera lunch back in Virginia, and got home just after one.

While we did have a few bumps along the way, vacation was wonderful once again this year.  Like I said, it's my favorite place other than home.  That's not because it's fancy or we do fancy things, but because we have so many memories and traditions along that bit of ocean, and every time we go back we add many more to the collection.  We are already booked for next year and I feel confidant I'll have recovered by then!