America's Favorite Pasttime

Tonight my beautiful princess and I had a girls' night out! Oh how much fun we had!!! First we took a picnic to Falls Park and sat watching the ducks and painting toe nails:) Then, we headed to the last regular season game for the Greenville Drive baseball team. I LOVE watching baseball! I grew up going to Braves games (even in the 80s before they were good!) and played softball year round for many many years. I absolutely love everything about it! These days I don't get to go to games nearly as much as I'd like to, but it was something I wanted to do this summer so I took my best girl and off we went! We really did have a good time and she enjoyed the game for a little while anyway. It was kids' night and we got free hot dog, chips and a drink and they were walking around giving baseballs signed by some of the players to the kids. She was thrilled!! Before leaving, she lasted about 5 innings, we stopped and played on the playground they have at the field. She was so good and we had such a special time together just the two of us:)

Walking!

While we were in Hilton Head C started walking a lot and has continued to since we got home!! He rarely even crawls now. However, this has led to quite a bruised and battered face! I just love the "waddle" kids have when they are first learning to walk! GO C-MAN, GO!!

Ballet AND Tap

Over the summer S took a princess dance camp and LOVED it (we all knew she would!) and today was the first official day of dance! This is a combination class with ballet and tap and she was beside herself she was so excited:) I love that she loves dance class! Her teacher turned out to be the owner of the studio which is pretty cool and I really liked her. There are about 6 little girls in her class so it is small and intimate which I think is perfect for her! I can't wait to see what she learns this year and I hope she is this excited each day she goes to class!!

Happy Anniversary - 7 Years

Today we celebrated our 7th anniversary! It is hard to believe that 7 years ago today we said "I do" and now look at where we are! Awesome!!

Because we just got back from the beach, this was our day to get the house back in order and recuperate. Our gifts to each other revolved around our dinner - ha! I wanted to cook a yummy dinner that I found recipes for on Pinterest since I love to cook and just don't get to do it as much as I'd like because two kids are usually orbiting around my feet as I get meals together. So, while I was cooking, M took the kids over to see Meme for a bit to give me some quiet. I was just finishing when they got home and we sat down to cinnamon roll pancakes (so sinful!), eggs-in-a-whole the healthy way and some fruit. It was delicious!

A very low key, but good anniversary:)

Hilton Head 2011

We spent the past week in Hilton Head! Ahhhh... so nice to be back! I grew up going to Hilton Head every year. Two years ago, we took S for the first time just before she turned two and we loved our trip. Last year, since C would have only been a few weeks old, we decided not to go. BUT, we made our way back this year and loved it just as much as we did two years ago. The memories we made as our first beach trip as a family of four will be ones that stay with me forever! We went out to yummy seafood restaurants, went to Shelter Cove and saw Shannon Tanner(S got up on stage and sang her ABCs for everyone!), spent an evening in Harbour Town, bought fresh seafood and got to see a shrimp boat come in and all of the loot they had, walked around Pickney Island which I may have done growing up but I don't remember it at all, went to the beach each day, spent many hours at the pool, went shell hunting(which since Hilton Head is a barrier island they do not have too many shells) and found a few sand dollars and starfish and saw some AWESOME waves as Hurricane Irene made her way through!

S is at a great age where she loved sitting on the beach playing in the sand and digging holes with Daddy and we didn't have to worry about her drowning in the ocean because we knew she wouldn't go past her ankles. She has gotten to be a really good swimmer so we didn't have to hold her the entire time at the pool and she could just swim around. So nice to have her be so easy...

Then there was C! OH.MY.GRACIOUS!! The boy was into everything! We were constantly chasing him around and couldn't take our eyes off of him for two seconds. He liked the sand okay after he got use to it but would have preferred to be sitting in the water letting the waves splash over him! He was exhausting and required constant attention, but that being said, we would do it all over again in a skinny minute

I can't wait for next year!!!

Girl Time Art

Last night we had a much needed girls' night out! We went downtown Greenville to an art studio where they teach you how to paint a particular picture. Thanks to a Living Social deal we got a great price on our outing! I am by no means an artist and I am not thrilled with the way my picture turned out. I am, however, glad that we went on a night that a simple picture was the subject and not something too complicated! I can only imagine what that would have turned out looking like! I think we will go back again and maybe do a Christmas picture. These two girls are much more artistic than I am and had beautiful pictures they plan to hang in their houses. But, for me, mine will most likely remain in my closet out of sight! HA! Maybe the Christmas one will be wall worthy!

Caterpillars

Our neighbor loves everything caterpillars and butterflies! She has an absolutely amazing butterfly garden that is set up for practically every kind of butterfly there is! S has learned the love of butterflies and is captivated by the process of caterpillar to butterfly. We now have our very own caterpillar to watch as it turns into a chrysalis and then a beautiful butterfly. S named her caterpillar Emma although we won't know if it is a male or female until it becomes a butterfly. She absolutely adores her sweet Emma and while in caterpillar stage sits with her at the table, takes her out to hold her and even gave Emma I some of our bush leaves to munch on to make sure she grows good and has enough to eat. I say Emma I because little did we know that this particular kind of caterpillar can only eat parsley. So, we poisoned poor Emma I and she slept a lot, on her side, unmoving for an entire day before I realized what happened! OOPS!!! S doesn't know this since after she went to bed that night I went to our neighbors house and did a little switcharoo and got a new, healthy one! Whew! S would have been crushed if she'd known what happened. So, Emma II is doing just fine now! Although, S did comment on how much Emma must have loved her leaves from our bushes since she had eaten them all (I had dumped all extra leaves out when I made the switch) and wanted to give her more of them. Ummm... NO!!!

Funny sidenote, this picture is taken with a "sleeping" Emma I. HAHA!!

Riverbanks Zoo

Today we went to Riverbanks Zoo in Columbia! What an awesome zoo! This is the first time me or the kids have been there and it did not disappoint. It was huge but there were not many people there so it was very navigable. And, Amanda and Darcy were with us and have been there before so they were able to show us the way. I didn't even have to think about which way we were going or if we'd seen everything! It was fabulous! My favorites were the penguins because they were right there and so active since it was feeding time and the giraffes since we were able to feed them and they had a sweet little baby one there! I asked S what her favorite part was and she said the playground. Really!?!? As if we don't have those right here less than 5 minutes from the house! Oh well! I know she had fun and so did I. I think C-man was into it until he got too tired and was just ready to go. We'll have to go back sometime and maybe we'll be able to see the gardens then too!