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Showing posts from November, 2017

Pumpkin Carving

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The kids couldn't wait to dive into carving their pumpkins! The kids were very ambitious this year and of course they wanted to do it all on their own! Digging out the pumpkin guts! Sissy doesn't like touching the inside too much, so she does as little as possible and quickly gets to carving! A few adjustments to the designs along the way and our pumpkins were complete! Charlie made the smiley faced one, Sissy did the sort of assymetrical face, and I did the tombstone. It made it feel like Halloween since the weather was raining and turning cold!

Sleepover!

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Sarah Graves was really excited to have a sleepover with her best pals, Lauryn and Olivia. There was a lot of silliness! They had fun dancing, putting on a show, doing makeup, dressing up, and lots of laughter. Fun to see sweet friends together.

Happy Anniversary

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Aaron and I celebrated our eleventh anniversary by having a date night at Six Flags! We had a great time going just the two of us and riding all the big roller coasters together! A pretty good analogy for married life.

Fall Fest

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Aaron's office hosted a fall festival after work one evening. It was fun with bounce house, food from a delicious food truck, and pumpkin painting. It was a nice evening meeting his co-workers and their families.  Charlie had a blast bouncing with many other little boys. I think he felt like he was king of the mountain! Painting pumpkins was fun and they always love a craft project.

All Dressed Up

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As the kids get older they want more of a say in what they wear and that includes less and less of my beloved smocked outfits. I love how sweet they look all dressed up for church.  They also have a very playful side! These ages are really so delightful. They are full of wonder at the world and old enough to express their curiosity.

Buddies

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Some days Sarah Graves and Charlie seem like oil and water. But most of the time they are good buddies. They work as a team, help each other, and encourage each other. It is very sweet to watch them work together. A little one-on-one before Charlie's soccer game. They were so cute going to get their laundry, sorting it, getting the washer going, and then watching the washer with such interest. Now to teach them to fold their clothes...

Brownie Pet Badge

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Sarah Graves missed the day that her troop earned their pet badge. After going through the steps to earn her art badge, she decided to complete the steps for the pet badge on her own. She had me look them up and take photos of her to give her leader. She didn't want to be left out! She was so proud to take Lucy on a walk and be the one to hold the leash. She did a great job and never let go! Lucy definitely enjoyed the special attention! A walk, freshly washed bedding, treats, and a belly rub made for one happy doggie! Sarah Graves was very proud of herself for doing it on her own!

Party Boy

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While Sarah Graves and I were at Brownies, Aaron and Charlie were at another birthday party. This one was at Catch Air, probably Charlie's favorite place to go! A superhero party, at a bounce place, with pizza and cake - one very happy Charlie!

More Busy and Fun

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Our busy, but fun weekend continued into Sunday. I led Sarah Graves' Brownie troop in getting their art badge. To earn the badge they had to get inspired, paint a still life, paint a mural, paint their mood, and paint without brushes. Phew! It was a lot to accomplish! We started off getting inspired by me teaching them about several well known still life artists. I was surprised how engaged they were during my presentation and remembered learning about artists in school. We moved on to painting a mural. They painted what they love about being in Brownies. We moved on to paint a mood using fingers, q-tips, and other items. I think this one was the most relaxing for them because it was completely abstract and had no expectation to look like a specific object. We finished up with a still life of a stuffed animal. I had intended for them to pain a still life of a fall scene with pumpkins, but when I started opening paints, the orange smelled horrible. I mean like rotte

Busy and Fun

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This was a super busy and fun Saturday! We had soccer and several birthdays to celebrate! Charlie was player of the week for soccer! Way to go Charlie! Team huddle after a tough game. Lovie and Livy came to cheer Charlie on. Of course, SG was excited to have time with Livy. After soccer it was a team effort to get ready for all the birthday fun. Sarah Graves wrapped gifts, Aaron worked on prepping for dinner, and Charlie helped pick up! Love having these kiddos help. Aaron took Charlie to a friend's rainbow and unicorn themed party. I took Sarah Graves to a party at Chuck E. Cheese. Happy to be with her friends, Lauryn and Olivia Playing games was serious business. Celebrating her friend, Lily Had to have a picture with Chuck E. himself.  The birthday party theme continued with a birthday dinner and small party for Lovie at our house. Taco night! Followed by birthday cake!  Caramel cake was her favorite growing

Fun Evening

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We spent a fun evening at Love and Pops' house! It was officially Lovie's birthday, but we weren't celebrating it that night. However, the kids had picked out a Halloween, birthday card and decorated pumpkins for her as a birthday present. Then, we played a few rounds of crazy 8's. Pops was brave and had a team with Livy and Charlie! Livy was so mad when they didn't win! She eventually changed teams and played with Sissy. She was delighted when they won! Of course, we had entertainment from the kids doing gymnastics, dances, and general silliness! Some nights everyone is in sync and it is such a good time!

Last Day

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On our last day the kids chose to spend more time playing MagiQuest! It really was cute watching them run after the next clue!  Sarah Graves was very pleased when she could finally complete the Ursa Major Rune and she did it herself! We had tried the night before and just couldn't get the coordination right to shake the wand the right way to give Ursa Major the jewels collected. A new day and fresh eyes and she could do it.  Charlie was very frustrated he couldn't do it himself. We finally stopped by the wand shop and had them fix it in the system that Charlie had completed it so that we could move on! MagiQuest was by far their favorite part of the trip! Sarah Graves will tell you it was epic. We also had a stop on our Paw Pass at the arcade where the kids each played a few video games. Fun photo op! We all had a fun time and look forward to the Georgia Great Wolf Lodge opening! We were right by Charlotte Motor Speedway and Hendrick Moto