Water Fun Playgroup

Today our playgroup was full of water fun!  Samantha had planned the perfect afternoon.  There were pools, water tables, popsicles and FUN!   

Harper had lots of friends to play with and loved the water. 

I loved seeing her belly!

Handley was so busy running around the yard playing with her pals that the only time I heard from her was when she was asking for another popsicle. 

Last Day of School

Today was Handey's last day of school.  I can hardly believe that an entire school year has passed. As she started school I was nervous and not sure how the year would go. However, it was the BEST thing I could have done for her and I've loved watching her blossom this year.  Last night when I was talking to her about it being her last day she asked what we were going to do when school was over???  Good question!  It will be an adjustment, but we have lots of fun things planned for this summer so I'm sure we'll keep ourselves busy.  

To celebrate the last day we had an ice cream party for her class.  They kids got to load up their ice cream with as many sprinkles and toppings that they wanted! 

Harper had fun climbing around at the party and I could just tell she thought school was a lot of fun too! 

Handley's teacher, Mrs. Deborah, was amazing.  I'm so thankful that Handley was in her class. Each day I sent her to school I knew she was loved and cared for.  I know that she was the reason Handley has learned to love school. I can't wait for Harper to be in her class in a few years! 

The End of the Year reception is later this week and Friday they have a carnival so we'll have a few more fun things to do with her pre-school before summer really begins!  

Mother's Day Weekend

We had a wonderful Mother's Day weekend at the lake.  Our friends Brain and Lisa and my brother and sister-in-law, Trey and Stefanie, were able to come up with us too.  

Saturday the weather was gorgeous.  Warm sunny skies and the perfect day to be on the water.  The lake level is SO high this year so some of our best "beaches" that Handley likes to play at are under water, but we were able to find a little beach for her and she spent about an hour digging in the sand.  

Gigi and Papa were at the lake for the weekend too so we hung out with them on Saturday and then Handley got to go on a boat ride with them, help Papa drive his boat, and eat peanuts while watching Trey and Robby wake-board.  

I was happy to discover two things about Harper this weekend.  1 - she can nap on the boat (this is HUGE...Handley always napped on the boat when she was her age and I was just hoping Harper could do the same) 2 - Harper loved the water!  She couldn't get enough of it. :-)

Saturday evening we went back and hung out at the house.  The girls played in the water table and Robby taught Handley how to make funny faces.  After a long day in the sun, everyone slept well that night. 

We woke up on Sunday to find really chilly temperatures.  It was going to be way to cold to get out on the water before we'd need to head home so we decided to leave early that day.  By the time we got everything cleaned up and packed in the car it was lunch time.  We grabbed lunch and headed over to Gigi and Papa's place on the lake.  They showed Handley the baby ducks living by their house and she even got to feed them.  We enjoyed relaxing on the porch and watching Harper practice walking.

As we were getting ready to leave the temperatures were nearing 70 degrees and we made a very last minute decision to head back to the house and head out on the water for a little while.  The girls and I took naps as Robby drove us around. It was so relaxing and the perfect way to celebrate Mother's Day.  We ate an early dinner, put the girls in their PJ's and hit the road for home.  Harper fell asleep in the car and somehow I was able to keep her asleep as I put her in the crib at home.  It's nice to know they can be flexible and we don't have to always leave early on Sundays and cut our time there short.  

I feel so blessed to have two beautiful girls.  They bring me such joy and I feel like I am living my dream.  I'm very grateful for how hard my husband works to allow me the opportunity to be at home with them each day.  I had a wonderful Mother's Day day and thought it was funny when Handley asked me if I was a mom and then she sweetly told me Happy Mother's Day.

Happy Belated Mother's Day to everyone!!! 

A special tumbling class

I feel like I'm always saying this, but today was a busy day.  Gigi came over to go to tumbling class with us.  She had been wanting to see Handley in action and Handley was thrilled with the idea of it.  She walked on the beam, bounced on the trampoline, and did her front rolls proudly, knowing she had an audience sitting in the bleachers (or the "batch-e-letors" as she calls them).  After her class we went to lunch at our favorite local spot - "the bakery" (aka McEntyres). This is always a special treat for Handley after her tumbling class.  She knows if she is a good listener during her class we get to eat here.  They have great sandwiches, the best sweet tea, and all sorts of yummy treats for her to choose from.  Today Gigi treated both she and Harper to giant ladybug cookies!  

This afternoon we had a special Mother's Day play group.  The kids made cards and pictures for us and the mom's got to sip on mimosas!  Now that is my kind of play group. :-) Ha! 

Harper and Everett are a week apart and so funny together.  They both crack each other up and Harper is such a flirt with him. 

Handley has been saying some of the cutest things these days.  A few of them that stick out in my mind:   

-We are ready to roll (when we are getting ready to go somewhere) 

-CONGRATULATIONS! (often says this to Sydney this when she gives her a treat or to Harper when she gives her a toy)

-Today while playing pat-a-cake with Harper she said, "...roll it, and pat it, and mark it with a B, throw it in the OCEAN for baby and me!"  

A little water fun

Today was HOT.  It felt great all day (except during the 30 mins I was trying to run for a little exercise around my neighborhood at 3:45 pm, the hottest part of the day!  At that point the heat made me feel like I was about to pass out and I decided I would either have to run in the mornings or walk in the afternoons).  

We made a day of being outdoors.  We started the morning playing at a nearby park with friends and followed that with a picnic. Then this afternoon I had planned on us going to our neighborhood playground but since it was so hot I decided at the last minute that a little water fun might be a better idea.  I filled up the baby pools, lathered the girls up in sunscreen, and let them have at it!  Avery, Dylan, and Addyson came over to join in the fun.  

(When Addyson arrived the kids had all gotten the hang of splashing, so my camera had be strategically placed in a dry spot!  Wish I would have gotten a pic of all the girls though)

Dylan just loved seeing the girls splash around and have fun.  They were literally cracking him up and his sweet belly laugh was too cute!

Harper was a little slow to warm up to the idea (I don't blame her because the water was COLD) but she eventually started leaning over to splash and turned around with a big grin each time she would do it.  Finally she climbed right in and had a ball.

Nothing like a hot day, a little water play, and popsicles to make me SO ready for summer fun! 

Pretend Birthday

Today Handley got to celebrate her "pretend birthday" at school since her birthday will fall in the summer while they aren't at school.  She helped me make cupcakes for the occasion and was a little confused by the whole thing.  This morning she asked if there would be goodies bags and presents at school for her birthday.  

I wasn't expecting to get to stay, but like I've mentioned before, Handley's teacher is really sweet so she invited me into the classroom to stay for a little while this morning so I could be there as they sang Happy Birthday.  Of course my camera battery died, but thank goodness for camera phones. 

It was a big day at school today because after I left the kids were having a water day.  They were all in swimsuits and got to play with bubbles, water tables, sidewalk chalk, sand boxes, in little pools.  I can't believe next week is her last week of school!  Where did the year go?!?

Weekend at the Lake

We spent the weekend at the lake house and although the weather wasn't the greatest, we still made the most of it.  Saturday was cool and rainy.  We took a quick boat ride, got lots done around the house, and went in to town to check out the locals at Wal-Mart (which is always an entertaining experience.) Today we woke up hoping for sunny skies, but more clouds and rain forced us to think about heading home early.  Thankfully around lunchtime it cleared up and we got to head out on the boat for a little while.  

Robby skied and Handley was excited to go swimming.  Robby had warned that the water was chilly and as soon as she jumped in I heard her yell, "I want to get back in the boat."  She finally warmed up to it a bit though and was brave enough to keep saying, "move your hands all the way away Daddy...I can jump by myself."  

We decided to let the water warm up another week before dipping Harper in, but she had a blast walking around the boat and finding all sorts of treasures like sunscreen and camera cases.