The fall is the perfect time to go to the Zoo. Kyle didn’t know what Zoo meant so we told him it was where the animals lived. All morning he kept saying “anmal” because he was so excited. I think the favorites of the day were the monkeys, elephants, and farm animals. They talked about them all day!
We started another co-op preschool this year. It was actually a huge answer to my prayers. Hallie really enjoys preschool and I wanted her do it but we can’t afford the crazy prices that a drop of preschool costs. A mom I knew from my mission emailed me asking if I wanted to join their preschool. (They only live about 10-15 min away) I was so grateful!
The first two weeks of preschool were at our house and things were so crazy that I didn’t take an official photo of Hallie. Since last week was her first week going to someone else’s house I figured it still counted as her first day. 🙂 She loved it and Kyle cried when we dropped her off. He finally calmed down once we got to the gym. When I picked him up after my workout the first thing he said was “Hallie, Joe Joe’s house. Get Hallie!” haha He really missed her.
Ben cut Kyle’s hair again yesterday. We LOVED the curls but it was getting so long on the top back that we had to trim it. We gave Kyle some food and Ben tried his best. Kyle was moving all over the place. Ben kept saying it was the most difficult hair cut he had ever done. 🙂 Kyle’s hair ended up a lot shorter than we were expecting but he still looks handsome and Ben did a great job regardless of the circumstances.
BEFORE:
AFTER:
He’s just like his daddy and you couldn’t make him look bad. Although, I am looking forward to the curls growing back!
A few weeks ago Ben’s mom and brother flew out from Utah to visit us. I love when people come and visit! It was such a treat for all of us. The kids were spoiled with lots and lots of attention from LaRae. Hallie cried and cried when it was time for them to go home. LaRae played pretend all day everyday (which is Hallie’s dream come true), took the kids to the pet store, bought them ice cream and watermelon and just spoiled them all around. They were in heaven. I’m so grateful my kids have such amazing grandma’s!
While LaRae was here we took advantage of the babysitting and took a trip. Ben and I went camping and then canoeing on the Shenandoah River. We did 12 miles and it was so fun and relaxing. I love being outdoors and so it was heaven to me. Thank you Ben for putting it together and thank you LaRae for watching the kids and making it possible.
Top two memories: Seeing a Bald Eagle hunt. It was incredible! Not seeing a soul for miles on the river and being just the two of us.
That same weekend (It was Labor Day weekend so it was long.) We took Ben’s brother Shawn to Ocean City, Maryland. Shawn had never been out east before and he really wanted to see Maryland and the beach. The weather wasn’t the greatest and it was a spur of the moment decision but we are glad we went. It was a fun day.
Instead of driving home the same way we came we decided to go the long way and see more of Maryland and Virginia. We drove down through Virginia Beach and back up to Woodbridge. Ben has been wanting to see the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel and with no kids he took this opportunity. (Our kids in the car for long trips is no bueno!) Not only was it a long drive but we got stuck in traffic for two hours! Yikes! We were in the car for around 11 hours that day. We got lots of time to listen to Ron Paul books and lots of time to talk. 🙂
Kelly Clarkson has always been a favorite of mine. Her season on American Idol was the only season I ever really watched. In fact I moved away to college and had to call my mom for the results between her and Justin. haha When I found out she was doing a concert close to my house I really wanted to go but I knew the price would not be doable. Being the good husband that he is Ben emailed me a link to a Groupon deal for a ticket to her concert. $20!! I was thrilled. I called Kami and she was on board. It was a fantastic night. We went out to dinner and then sang along to Kelly Clarkson songs all night. It was awesome and brought me back to my college days (that is when I listened to Kelly the most). YAY for cheap concert tickets!
Last week I had my 28th birthday and it was fabulous. Because my birthday fell on a Sunday this year the celebration lasted all weekend. On Friday Ben and I went to the Batman movie (finally!) and Saturday I got to go to the Temple while Ben watched the kids. It was fantastic to go and not rush back because the kids were with Ben instead of a babysitter. Sunday I got a nap and Ben made dinner. We ate an ice cream cake and then took a walk around the neighborhood. I loved every second of it. I just love being with my little family. My favorite memories are when the four of us are together and we are all happy. (No grumps!) lol
I thought it would be fun to answer the same questions I asked Hallie for her birthday.
1. What is your favorite color? Yellow
2. What is your favorite toy? My new Kitchen Aid                                                                                                                                                      Â
3. What is your favorite fruit? Raspberries
4. What is your favorite tv show? Downton Abby and CakeBoss                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Â
5. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? Our staple lunch is peanut butter and honey sandwhiches.
6. What is your favorite outfit? Puprle Anthropologie dress                                                                                                                                      Â
7. What is your favorite game? Molopoly deal                                                                                                                                                              Â
8. What is your favorite snack? Peanut Butter M&M’s                                                                                                                                                 Â
9. What is your favorite animal? Giraffe
10. What is your favorite song? I have so many! Last year my top running song was Adele Rolling in the Deep. It always got me to run harder and faster! Â
11. What is your favorite book? Our Mutual Friend by Charles Dickens. My recent favorites are Divergent and An American Heiress.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Â
12. Who is your best friend? Tiffany Ehlen Goodwin
13. What is your favorite cereal? I like any sugar cereal when I buy it. It is such a treat for us I couldn’t choose just one.              Â
14. What is your favorite thing to do outside? Go to the beach or read a book while the kids play in the backyard.
15. What is your favorite drink? Water (My mom has always thought I was weird for that) but when I spoil myself I choose Dr. Pepper for Orange soda.
16. What is your favorite holiday? Christmas, Thanksgiving and the fourth of July.
17. What do you like to take to bed with you at night? Benton Crane                                                                                                                 Â
18. What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? Green Smoothie
19. What do you want for dinner on your birthday? Anything I don’t have to cook or clean up! Â
20. What do you want to be when you grow up? A good mom and wife. 🙂
Every year we make at least one trip up to Hartland Orchard in Markham, Virginia. It is the most beautiful area up in the Shenandoah mountains. This year we picked peaches and raspberries and bought some already picked apples and raw honey. The kids look forward to this trip every year and always have a blast picking fresh fruit. We pick about double what we purchase because we eat and eat and eat while we are there. It’s what makes the long drive out there so worth it.
Hallie turned four yesterday! I can’t believe how fast she is growing up and yet at the same time with all she can do I think she can’t be only 4! The attitude that girl has is similar to a 15 year old. She thinks she knows everything.
I went overboard for her party. What started out as a thought to just have the kids run around in the sprinkler turned into much more. Not saying that it was amazing or anything but darn pinterest for giving me too many ideas. We had our face painted then made unicorn horns with waffle cones, frosting and skittles. Next we colored horses with crayons, ate cake with pre scooped (and rolled in sprinkles) ice cream, played in the sprinkler, opened presents, and lastly we did a pinata. (We had made a pinata from scratch and Hallie thought it was the coolest thing. Every day we would add a layer and she would go over the directions informing me that she knew how to do everything.) Hopefully Hallie loved it and she felt special. To me that is the whole purpose of birthdays-to make someone feel special.
Happy 4th Birthday Hallie bug!
1. What is your favorite color? Pink                                                                                                                                                                                                        2. What is your favorite toy? Barbie unicorn                                                                                                                                                                                       3. What is your favorite fruit? Blueberries, Strawberries and Watermelon
4. What is your favorite tv show? Word girl (She watched this for the first time yesterday?)
5. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? Peanut butter and honey sandwich with no bread on top. Open faced
6. What is your favorite outfit? Shake it shirt
7. What is your favorite game? Candyland
8. What is your favorite snack? Fruit loops. (she had this for her birthday breakfast and couldn’t get it off her mind)
9. What is your favorite animal?Horses
10. What is your favorite song? Ariel, part of your world. She asked me to sing a princess song the other day and this is the one I chose. She looked at me like I was a superstar and it has been her favorite song ever since. 🙂
11. What is your favorite book? Go girl go potty (I thought it was Pinkalicious)
12. Who is your best friend? Olivia Livingston and Alivia Fife
13. What is your favorite cereal? Fruit loops (Again they were on her mind.)
14. What is your favorite thing to do outside? Mow the lawn with mom or dad. (Kyle is the one who does that!)
15. What is your favorite drink? Almond Milk
16. What is your favorite holiday? Birthday
17. What do you like to take to bed with you at night? All my stuffed animals
18. What do you to eat for breakfast? Uncooked oatmeal with brown sugar.
19. What do you like to do every day? Play with friends.
20. What do you want to be when you grow up? Ariel
I can’t believe I forgot to blog about the 4th of July. It is one of my favorite holidays. I love the history of our country and I love fireworks! I bought some cheap fireworks and introduced the kids to the loud screams and the vibrant colors. They were fascinated. There are a lot of pictures because I couldn’t resist the look on their faces.:)
Maybe one day it will be dark outside when we do fireworks. 🙂
This past weekend our friends, the Caprio’s, invited us to go to Ocean City, Maryland with them. We woke up early, packed up and headed out by 7 am. Four hours later we arrived. There was a lot of traffic that we didn’t expect! Despite the long drive we were happy to be next to the ocean. We set up on the beach and dove right in. Ben took Hallie in and she cried every time a wave hit her. Kyle requested a turn after he saw his sister out there but quickly decided he didn’t like it either. The rest of the day we spent with just our feet in the waves and playing in the sand. The kids were so great! They love love love the beach. The highlight for me was when my friend Faith and I went down to swim and got washed up from the waves. Oh man I laughed so hard when Faith got beached that I didn’t see the wave heading straight for me and I got trashed. Now I have sand burns that look like a sunburn. lol We saw a storm rolling in that evening so we packed up and headed home at 7pm. We stopped and got some fresh fruit and vegetables at a farmers market and made it home just after 10p.m. That was one full day! I can’t wait to do it again!
Ocean City we will be back!