Look Who's Two!

Charlotte Rose turned 2 on Friday, December 12th. What a whirlwind of a little life!! It goes by so fast. She's such a joy, we wish we could slow each stage down and enjoy it for a little longer...Her birthday started early by her Pawpaw bringing her birthday avloons (balloons). One had Dora, Boots and Diego on it, the Holy Trinity in her world! She and I played all day. She was in a GREAT mood, so funny! It was like she totally understood it was her special day. After a long nap we let her open her present from Grandmommy and Grandaddy. It was a puzzle and a bear she named Daisy and she went to dinner with us. We went to the Cheesecake Factory and she had pasta (her favorite) and ice cream with a candle in it. After dinner we took the girls to see the Christmas tree at Lenox (for non-Georgians, it's THE big tree downtown on top of the Macy's Dept store) and then surprised them and rode the Pink Pig (also for non-GAs, a pink pig Christmas train at Macy's that's been around since I was little). We all had fun, although Adam barely fit in the train.

On Saturday, we had her Monkey Party. It was so CUTE, if I do say so myself!!! I call her Monkey, therefore the theme... She had a precious monkey cake, there were stuffed monkeys, green flower leis, a sea of green & yellow balloons and bananas all over the house. She had a ball.

We had pizza, her other fav, and she stopped playing and ate her whole piece! After lunch we did presents and she didn't want to open the next until the first was out of the box and she had played with it. Sarah Grace stepped in and helped out. She got dress up clothes & shoes, books, outfits, Diego toys, pretend pizza with removable toppings, a highchair for her baby dolls, bath toys and shopping $! All the kids wanted to help her open her presents. Luckily she's still at the age where she doesn't care if people help her. She just kept saying "rip it, rip it".

(L-R - Moriah, SG, Charlotte, Ryan, Claire, Payton, Jael, & Benjamin)

When it came time for the cake she was very excited but patient. She waited for all the kids to get in place for pictures and for the candles to be lit, then we sang. She did take a quick taste while we were getting ready. While we sang she tried to blow out the candles. She blew during the whole song, fists clinched, drooling everywhere.... it was funny but no one wanted that piece of the cake! After cake, all the kids played for a bit and then the guests left and the birthday girl went to bed...

Tom Turkey

Gobble Gobble & Happy Thanksgiving!The Monday before, we went to Sarah Grace's school for a Thanksgiving "Feast" and pie tasting. Lunch was very good, better than the preschool lunch the years before... Mimi and Pawpaw came too, and after lunch we all went back to her classroom for a pie tasting. All the parents brought different pies and the kids had a taste of each and then voted for their favorite. The mint chocolate pie won, I brought apple.The next day was Payton's preschool lunch. Charlotte and I went and ate, and the girls ran around and played. The next night we attempted to take Charlotte to her first movie. We took SG at the same age and she did great... not Charlotte. We went to see Madagascar 2 and after the first 8-10 minutes she was OVER IT!!! DONE! READY TO GO! So Adam and I took her into the mall and walked around while my parents stayed with SG and watched the movie, they liked it a lot... I guess we'll catch it on DVD.No surprise what we did on Thanksgiving. It starts and ends the same every year. But we still look forward to it just as much as the year before!

We woke up and turned on the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. The girls watched and ate breakfast while Adam and I cooked and got ready. Sarah Grace couldn't wait to see Santa at the end of the parade. When it came time, she and Charlotte were right in front of the TV screaming "Santa! Santa!" and trying to touch him through the tube. We went to lunch at Nani and Pawpaw's, my dad's parents. When we got there my Pawpaw was carving the turkey and handing out samples. Nani had set out trays of goodies and the girls dug right in. When everyone arrived we prayed and filled our plates. We had turkey and ham, dressing, rice and gravy, 2 kinds of cranberries and every veggie known to man! After lunch the girls played and Adam went through the paper and made his Christmas list.

Later that afternoon we loaded up and went to my aunt's house and saw my mom's side of the family. We had a good visit and the kids had fun playing. After visiting for a while we packed back up and went back to Nani's for leftovers. We went home stuffed. But I needed the calories to sustain me through our marathon shopping day on Friday! :)

Rake 'em Up!

You know Winter is approaching when the yard is covered in leaves. We have 4 big oaks in our backyard and its a never ending battle of the leaves. It's a pain for Adam but a joy for the girls! He rakes them and we all jump in! This was Charlotte's first time and she wasn't so sure. Adam jumped in first with both girls and we managed to get a couple of pictures before Charlotte was over it. She didn't mind standing on the outside of the pile and throwing leaves, but she didn't want to get back in them.

Sarah Grace on the other hand was a pro. She couldn't wait to get in the pile and be buried up to her eyes. She ran and jumped, over and over. Adam would scoop them back us and she'd be right back in.While Sarah Grace played in the leaves, Charlotte and I played on the swing set. She was perfectly fine watching her sister from the comfort of her swing.

Lions and Fairies Oh My!

Once upon a time, two magical mommy fairies transformed the gates of the family castle into a magical and spooky moat of frights. There were cobwebs and spiders creeping in every corner, ghoulish ghosts flying through the trees and jack-o-lanterns grinning all in a row. Inside the magical castle were treats of every sort... pumpkins filled with chocolate and cream (pumpkin cake), chicken floating in swamps of slime (green chicken tetrazini), mummies in their shrouds (giant pigs in a blanket), ghosts on a platter (ghost cookies), bubbling brews (soups & punch) and lots of other magically sweet eats. Fairies, butterflies and magical creatures came from miles around to the magical castle full of tricks and treats. They came two by two. Lions (3) and their keepers, a very curious zebra, bees (2), butterflies (3), princesses, flowers (3) and even a creepy crawly super hero (Spider Man). They played, fluttered and posed for their pics all to be remembered for years to come... After entering the castle, and being greeted by glowing ghosts, skeletons and pumpkins (candles) the young ones munched and snacked until their bellies were full. One little tulip (Charlotte) filled her belly so full of apples and chips it could hold nothing else. The flower fairies and butterflies ate a proper meal and then it was time to prepare... After bundling up right for a very chilly night the little ones headed out to fill their buckets full! Going house to house they ran and played. At each house the buckets filled, until they could hold them no more. The little tulip passed hers off and said "it's too heebee (heavy)" so the butterfly carried her load. As long as the tulip had her magical stick in hand (a sucker) she grinned. It did not take her long to figure out that this night was a special one, and she soon learned all the magical words that earned her tons of treats! She went house to house to saying "trish treats (trick or treat)", "fees (please)", and "shank you (thank you)"! Some of the keepers of the castles gave her extra treats for using her manners! Meanwhile, the more experienced flower fairy (SG) fluttered through the kingdom so fast and with so much energy that the momma butterfly could not even find her! Once she was found, she joined the others and helped the tulip (still with sucker in hand) to the castle gates where they collected goodies together the rest of night. The flower fairy spun and leaped from house to house so much so that she rolled down hills and sprained her wing! After collecting herself from the ground and gathering her treats, she was off again...With no more room in their buckets, the mommy bees, butterflies and lion tamers collected their young and went buzzing and roaring back through the kingdom... When they returned they sorted their loot and danced into the night all the while snacking and sipping on spooky delights. They twirled, shook, jumped, spun, and sang to the happy music. The tiniest creatures retired to their cocoons and caves, the older ones ventured upstairs to play, while the momma fairies cleaned the castle from the night's tricks and treats. They all went home with tired wings and paws... with loads of loot from their travels through the magical kingdom.

Happy Halloween!

Flowers in her hair...

Because of her expertise, Sarah Grace was asked to be the flower girl in another wedding. This time for the sister of the bride in July. The weekend started off cold and wet but ended beautifully. It took place at Chota Falls in Clayton GA, about an hour and half from home, near Dillard. It was THE prettiest wedding destination I've ever seen. Everywhere you looked it was breathtaking and the Fall color was gorgeous!

I checked SG out of school early on Friday (which she loved) and we headed up for the rehearsal. The weather was terrible. It was pouring and really cold. We were all in coats and gloves. They went ahead with the outside rehearsal, under lots of umbrellas, and then we got to warm up inside for dinner. Dinner was nice, BBQ and fried chicken. Sarah Grace ate and ate. But she really couldn't wait for dinner to be over so we could go to our hotel. That was what she was most excited about. Our room was right next door to my parents and she thought it was so much fun to run from room to room playing in her pj's. After we finally got her to sleep and we had a good night's rest it was back to Chota for the wedding day.We got there around 11 AM so she could have her hair done. This turned out to be quite the saga. The original plan was for her to wear a wreath of flowers in her hair. So, after much fidgeting with that we decided it looked and felt like it was going to slide out of her hair, it was enormous. So we went to attempt #2. We took out the wreath and placed tiny roses in and around her curls, which by this time were already starting to fall out... So, after we were happy with the flowers, we had to brush out her hair and totally re-curl it. She had her done 3 times in 2 hours and she was a trooper! She did not enjoy it. But when it was done it looked sweet, and she got to put on her dress and new jewelry.

Then it was time for pictures. There has never been a more perfect place for wedding pictures! There were tree lined dirt lanes, fields, rivers, falls, fountains, a chapel, beautiful trees and a vineyard. Sarah Grace was quite the performer for the pics. She was beautiful; and she loved everyone fussing over her and getting to stay with Suzanne, the bride, all day.When it was time for the wedding she did great. It took place outside, at the base of a waterfall, on a stone bridge and the guests sat in and around ivy covered stone walls and candle light. She did just what she was supposed to do. She started out holding hands with the ring bearer and then let go and started tossing her petals. She did good, much more focused and mature than the previous wedding. Then came the bride in a horse drawn carriage, my personal favorite. The ceremony was sweet and the newlyweds were then whisked away in the carriage.

After a few group pics it was time for the reception. On the way there we saw the horses and SG got to sit on one and wear the driver's top hat, and he invited us for ride later. It was neat. After some hoer d' oeuvres, and the entrance of the bridal party Krista and I took him up on the carriage ride. It was so fun. The driver stopped the carriage a couple of times and let SG make the noise to get the horses to go. And then at the end he ran them really fast back to the reception hall, both of girls had a ball.

The reception was nice, and the food was really good, steak and crab cakes. :) After dinner and the guys watching football in the pub, it was time to dance. Sarah Grace and Payton had already been cutting a rug, but now everyone else joined in. They were the hits of the dance floor. The bigger Sarah Grace could get her dress to spin the happier she was. Then came cake time. They were amazing! The best chocolate mousse cake and a fresh pineapple layer cakes ever!!! So good. The girls played around a little more after dessert and then it was time to go. We changed into our pj's and headed for home.

Go BLUE!

Sarah Grace has started her next venture into extracurricular activities. We're doing football cheer leading. She cheers for the K-4th grade boys flag football teams at the church she went to preschool at (and played soccer for).

We started with several weeks of practice. I was really surprised how many cheers they were expected to learn, 10+. But, by the 2nd week she was really starting to get them. She and her friend Hollie are the youngest on the squad and she's in awe of the older girls, some are twice her age. She watches them cheer, when she's supposed to be, and forgets her part because she's so interested in how they do things (but she's getting better). She fits right in with the big girls, and has seen several of them in school and is excited when older kids speak to her in front of her friends.

I would be lying if I said her games were fun. They are loooooonnnnngggg and slow, and they do the same cheers over and over and over... But she enjoys it. She feels very grown up and loves her pom poms (Charlotte loves pom poms too).

She also loves holding the banner for the boys to run through before the game. I think that's every one's favorite part. They also come to center field at half time and do cheers with the crowd, that's fun to watch. She's cute jumping around and cheering. She cheers for 2 teams, both are navy and white and they alternate weeks. She has up to 2 games a week and it gets chilly. It really feels like fall, chilly nights watching football... Go BLUE!