When he grows up

Miles was the child of the week a little while ago and had to fill out some pages about himself. He wants to be an archaeologist when he grows up. Not just any archaeologist, though, he wants to be Indiana Jones!

Beachin' it

We went to the beach for spring break this year. It began Holy Saturday, so we were blessed to wake Easter morning to this glorious sunrise. Bright eyed and bushy tailed, I tell ya!

A family with kids in school with each of ours was vacationing nearby, so we got to play with them all week. That was awesome to mix it up and keep some of the sibling annoyance at bay. And they kept each other entertained so the moms and dads could relax and enjoy the week too!

Here we are after our fine Easter brunch at Eggs Up Grill. Yum!

So most of the week was spent playing sports on the beach: football, soccer, catch, anything with a ball.

And when it was too windy for balls, we ate sand! You ate what? We ate sand! No really, we ran around with our towels as superhero capes.

When we made the reservation, we were concerned that April might be a tad chilly. But this early summer we're having kept the beaches nice and cozy all week, except for one day. But we were prepared for that.

We spent the morning at Brookgreen Gardens exploring their low country zoo. We got to see lots of cool birds, foxes, otters and a big ol' gator!

what a great week!

Oh, and this is what happens when you eat too many Peep s'mores. KA-RAZY!

fun at the Kids Walk

The snowflake princess

When I asked Audrey what kind of party she wanted, she didn't hesitate. "Snowflakes," she said. Since we've been taking ice skating lessons, I suggested that activity and she was ready to go. We had to postpone her party since Miles & I were sick on her actual birthday, but i think it worked out better since Sunday was much less crowded than a Saturday would have been.

Of course since it was to be on Sunday, that made it harder for the out of town family to visit. We were so happy to visit with Mimi & PawPaw the weekend before her birthday. The weekend after, YaYa & B and the Williams' family came to play. We skated Saturday with the cousins then had yummy Mellow Mushroom and Menchies to celebrate.

 The Sunday was the "friend" party. Audrey was very gracious to include the big brothers of her friends. There is a crew of 4 year olds in her class who have siblings in Miles's class, so we often end up together at parties.

Here are the boys noshing on the marshmallows that were intended for the hot cocoa. Sugar!

 Audrey liked her cupcakes. They have little "pearl" sprinkles on them that look like snow!

 But as usual, the little ones only want to lick the icing. We always have lots of cupcake "stumps" left over.

 These two look like they're ready for hockey with the missing teeth!

 Here are all of the silly girls! They are all hopped up on sugar and present opening.

We had a lot of fun with everyone. Thanks so much for making Audrey's birthday a success!

PS I made a Pinterest board to plan her party. So much fun, but too many ideas! I used a lot of them though, including the snow globe, skater girl and snowflake ornaments.

20 questions with: AUDREY age 4

Today Audrey turns 4 years old! In honor of the occasion I asked her some questions. Sadly, Miles & I have been knocked out by fevers all week so her party had to be postponed until next weekend. And I'm still not willing to make any food myself so we'll have to get a store bought birthday treat later today, probably some Menchies! She doesn't care though, she already got her treat: gum. She had to wait until she turned 4 to get gum and she has relished chewing several pieces already this morning. Happy birthday sweet girl! My wish today is that you don't get what Miles & I have had.

1. What is your favorite color? PINK

2. What is your favorite toy? baby doll

3. What is your favorite fruit? blueberries

4. What is your favorite tv show? Looney Tunes 

5. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? sandwiches cut into hearts

6. What is your favorite outfit? her dance outfit: black leotard and black leggings with her UGGs

7. What is your favorite game? puzzles

8. What is your favorite snack? Cheerios

9. What is your favorite animal? camel

10. What is your favorite song? Beauty and the Beast

11. What is your favorite book? Ladybug Girl

12. Who is your best friend? Elizabeth

13. What is your favorite cereal? Cheerios

14. What is your favorite thing to do outside? "Pretend like I'm Tangled" (Disney's version of Rapunzel)

15. What is your favorite drink? milk

16. What is your favorite holiday? Valentine's Day

17. What do you like to take to bed with you at night? baby doll 

18. What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? toast and strawberry jam 

19. What do you want for dinner on your birthday? macaroni and cheese

20. What do you want to be when you grow up? a princess


BONUS question created by Audrey: Who is your favorite princess? Ariel

Tooth Fairy alert!

Miles lost his 2nd tooth Monday night, 2/27. We've been gently tugging on it every night for weeks now, and it just seemed to want to stay, but that day it just popped right out. The tooth fairy brought him 2 gold presidential dollars and Kennedy 50 cent piece, all ones he needed for his coin collection book. That tooth fairy is pretty smart!In the photo you can see the ridged top of his 1st adult tooth coming in the bottom. I don't think there are any others loose at this time.

Audrey Ice Skates

She's learning to skate without the car/walker. Pretty brave girl!

Laissez les bon temps rouler!

Miles enjoyed the Mardi Gras parade through the halls of SHCS. It was like Halloween in February with all the candy he brought home!

Our Tin Can Anniversary

Today we celebrate our 10th anniversary! How much fun we've had. The 10th is celebrated with tin or aluminum to signify that a marriage must be strong yet pliable in order to last. The flower for the 10th anniversary is the daffodil, which we have blooming in our yard thanks to the recent warm weather. We will celebrate tonight by going to dinner with the whole family, and then this weekend we will have dinner out for the annual anniversary/valentines event.

Happy anniversary, sweetie! I love you more every day!

The sisters

The big kids had early dismissal today, so Eli & Miles went to play at Eli's and the little sisters, Elly & Audrey came to play with me. We baked cookies and colored and of course played dress up. Happy 4th birthday, Elly!

we made it up the Sunsphere

a beautiful day to ride at Worlds Fair Park

Ice, Ice, Baby

While the weather has been unseasonably warm lately, the kids have loved to play on the ice. They have tried ice skating and love it! We went a few weeks ago with a family who has kids both Miles & Audrey's ages. She didn't skate that time, just watched, but she really wanted to.Here he is making his ice debut.

We went back this week and all skated, even mommy and daddy. For the little ones (and I'll admit to doing this as well) they have little walker-like frames that you push along. We warmed up on those then took off.

I got a little carried away with the ability to speed and crashed once. I think we all hit the ice a few times, but all were brave and got right back up.

The kids were so into it that we're talking about lessons. Conveniently, there is a 6 week intro session starting soon so we might sign up for that to fill the winter months until soccer and swimming start up again.

Toepick!

Audrey with her friend Elizabeth at Chuck E. Cheese.

The Eye of the Tiger

Audrey got a camera for Christmas and Miles is so in love with it that he's bought one for himself with his Christmas cash (the one he got several years ago died).

This one takes video and pictures and the lens rotates for self portraits. It also has some pretty funny effects built in.

Miles took this awesome video of himself warming up today. We love it!!

And to all a good night

Another wonderful Christmas day has come to pass, and now we celebrate the birth of our Lord, Jesus! Otherwise known to the kids as the best birthday party ever, where we get the presents. I guess it'shad for most kids to grasp the true meaning when Santa and presents and wish lists are everywhere. We celebrated with family, so hopefully some more meaning came to the weekend.

When school ended we headed to Nashville to visit Wayne's family. I have been very lax with the camera lately so the photos presented do not adequately represent the joy of the week. Here is Miles with cousin Evan at our Christmas dinner Friday night.

Later that evening we exchanged gifts with Yaya and B. Audrey was ecstatic to open her very own Justin "Beaver" CD.

And Miles got lots of cool things, including great books. He has jumped the hurdle and has started working through some chapter books, so we're keeping him full of reading material.

Here's where the poor photography implementation occurs. We were joined Christmas Eve by Mimi and PawPaw for Mass and dinner out, but I forgot my camera. Then Christmas morning I took a few shots then set it down and forgot. I guess the better way of saying it, is "I enjoyed myself!" but I regret that we don't have a family picture for Christmas.  Oh well. Miles woke about 6:15 and we had to wake Audrey around 7. Both were happy that Santa heard their requests and got them much of what they requested.
Miles was thrilled to say he got four guns: a Boba Fett Blaster, 2 nerf dart guns and a wooden gun with a hammer/trigger mechanism. He also got the much desired Indiana Jones Legos from Yaya and B.

And Audrey got a new baby! She is as yet unnamed, but will probably be christened "Audrey" in a few days.

 Even without the photographic evidence, we had a wonderful holiday. Thank you so much to Mimi & PawPaw for driving over the river and through the woods to see us. Merry Christmas to all!

Wood shop 101

While I didn't build Audrey's bed entirely, I did get to call up all those skills I learned in Shop 101. Just kidding, I never took that. I guess it would be skills I learned in "Help Dad Replace Your Kitchen in One Week While 7 Months Pregnant" class 4 years ago. (Thanks again for that, dad! It's still awesome!)

I'd originally been looking at trundle beds for her, then our neighbor Angela mentioned a cute girly-bed she'd seen at Goodwill. Angela has an amazing eye for home decor, so I knew I had to see what she was talking about. Even after a few weeks it was still there, behind a couple of dressers and chairs. It wasn't in horrible shape, but it was pretty banged up, and the veneer was peeling away on the back of the foot board. So I grabbed it!

I didn't remove the finish, but I sanded it some and patched up the scratch and dents with wood filler. Then I primed it and started painting. I considered a color for the bed, but with her bright bedding it would have been too much. I had a great helper, too!

Sanding

 

Priming

Primed!

The trick with the bed was the missing side rails. And with the curved foot board and posts I couldn't bolt on the rails. So after lots of internet research I discovered this hardware that would create hook and pin connections without requiring me to learn how to mortise a board. Conveniently I still had some beautiful trim planks left over from the kitchen reno that worked perfectly as side rails. Since I have no table saw, our neighbor Mike graciously made the cuts I needed for the side rails and underbed support. It still required some good math and precise measurement to make sure everything was even and level. And I got to wield the power drill!

Foot board ready almost done

Solid!

And finally it was ready to set up! I even impressed myself with how solid it feels, nary a wobble or squeak. Maybe I've found a new hobby. I like this picture because you can see all the curves and appreciate the shape.

Ready for the mattresses!

And now it is made for the first (and possibly last) time! Yaya brought the side table last week and said we could paint it, but I think I'll take a break, at least until spring!