What a Week!

    Last week we had some wonderful friends come to visit. The girls and I have a great time making goody baskets and cards and the husband always goes grocery shopping- If you come to visit, we promise you won't be hungry! We did some shopping, went to a concert, more shopping (Ikea, of course), a stroll on a beautiful college campus, and lots of good food and conversation. The girls loved having a "big sis" around and Little Man finally got to play with his BFF. We can't wait till all of you come back!!!!!

Update- GWL

Sorry blog fans. I have been having a great time enjoying my family and friends for the past couple weeks and haven't had much computer time. A few of you wanted more photos from the Great Wolf Lodge so this post is for you. We had a fantastic time. The girls and I discovered MagiQuest. Baby Girl and I played until 11:30 one night until she reached Master Magi status. If you are not familiar with the game, it is like a huge scavenger hunt where you have a wand that tracks your progress through the course. There are talking portraits, fighting dragons, opening treasure chests- Harry Potter meets Lord of the Rings type stuff. Big Girl preferred spending time at the Waterpark, especially the wave pool. And Little Man, well, he just wanted to be left alone and explore. So we let him! We all had a great time and can't until we go again later this summer.

Happy Birthday Louisiana Dad!

Happy Birthday to a wonderful father and grandfather. We love and Miss You!!!!!!!!!!!

Tooth Fairy

Dear Tooth Fairy,

  My tooth got away in the wave pool at the Great Wolf Lodge. Please accept this letter for my missing tooth.

 Sorry Tooth Fairy,

 Baby Girl

We're on a VayCay

VayCay= short for a mini vacation. Little Man is taking a quick nap in the pack and play so I thought I would share a picture of the kids live at the Great Wolf Lodge! We did our research before we booked our stay, but the website doesn't do the place justice- Indoor waterpark, MagiQuest game, CubClub for crafts, etc. We are having a BLAST!!!!!!!  I'll share the details when we get back home, just enjoy the photo of 3 very, very, happy children ready to hit the wave pool!

Bunnies and Bowties

        We are having a wonderful, low key Easter this year. The egg hunt after church was just what the kids needed. The girls picked out their dresses this year, and I could not have been happier with what they chose. Hubby bought Little Man's first suit and bow tie; he was just beyond adorable today. I am considering buying bow ties for every day of the week!  Now we are grilling and watching the end of the Masters while the girls devour candy. Hopefully there will be none left to pillage out of their baskets when they go to bed. Hope everyone had a blessed day. We are on Easter Break this week, so who knows when (or where) I will post this week!

Only the Hard Boiled Will Survive

  So Little Man dyed his first Easter eggs today. Last year we dyed eggs while he slept, but this year I thought he was old enough to try it. He tried it alright. We only had one egg that remained intact after they were colored and decorated. The girls were very good sports and let him toss a few around like footballs. The girls used paint pens, ribbons, stickers- whatever they could get their hands on to make the look good and to hide the fact that they were cracked all over. Big girl also got a haircut and wanted a good photo on the blog so everyone could see it back home. Tomorrow we have a big hunt after church so we are filling eggs right now before bedtime. The girls promise they will be up very early. Have a wonderful Easter! He is Risen!

Yesterday's To Do List

1. Feed girls, help them get dressed, and drive them to school. CHECK

2. Feed, dress and play with Little Man. CHECK

3. Do the laundry. CHECK

4. Put away the clean dishes. CHECK

5. Drive the minivan into the house. CHECK

Are you wondering about number 5? If you are a family member or a friend from high school you probably are saying to yourself that it is about time I checked that one off the to do list. For the record, I have hit a culvert, a bridge, a basketball goal, and a boat. Hitting the family home was inevitable. Hubby thinks it was time because we will finish paying off the van next month. So I have to admit he is quite happy I only hit the house. For the record, nothing was hurt except my pride.

Thanks PawPaw and Nana!

    I have figured out how to get the girls to complete their homework as quickly as possible. You show them a box from and tell them it will not be opened until they are finished. Everything done in 30 minutes flat. Then they had the whole afternoon and evening to check out the Easter goodies Nana and PawPaw sent from Louisiana. They enjoyed all of their goodies, but it was so nice to see them read their new books before they did anything else. Little Man looked at his book for a minute too, but he was more interested in the Oscar the Grouch race car and hasn't put it down since yesterday.  Thanks Mom and Dad! 

Celebrating Life

It has been a busy couple of weeks. I have painted and almost finished decorating two rooms in our house. Since it took me about 4 years to just hang a picture in our other house, the decorating thing is a big deal. But I digress. It has been an emotional couple of weeks as well. First, I missed my niece's Senior Prom. I wasn't there to help with hair or make-up, give her date the third degree, or take photos on the hill. Last Saturday was a tough night. 

  Then the first anniversary of a birth and a death. My grandmother died the same day her great granddaughter was born.  My brother and sister in law named the baby after her. Little Bit was born at just 25 weeks and spent months in the hospital. She is a miracle, and hitting that first birthday was a huge milestone. I missed the cake, opening presents, sitting around and remembering our grandmother. It was really, really tough.

    But. . . 

I had a dear friend from Alabama that came over to spend the night. We had some much needed girl time and Ikea shopping. Then last night we had a wonderful new family from here that came to have dinner with us. Tonight, we are watching the Tar Heels and had another great meal that I didn't have to cook. So I'm better.  Sure, I still miss  boiled crawfish and sitting under a live oak tree dripping with Spanish Moss.  I miss seeing my family and friends in LA. But I am also making some happy memories here. I know it will only get better, and now that the guest bedroom is done, I won't be able to keep the family away!