Charlotte Fun!

The week of July 4th we had a little mini vacation with just the 4 of us. We asked the girls what they wanted to do and they both wanted to go to a amusement park. We looked around at places to go and decided to go to Carowinds in Charlotte, because we got the best of both worlds amusement park and a water park in one place.

We headed up there on the 4th and we took are time. We stopped off at an outlet mall about half way and did a little shopping, but it was so hot that we didn't stay long. Soon enough we were in Charlotte unpacking at the hotel. The girls were beyond excited to go to Carowinds the next day. The quickly went to sleep and I thought they would be up super early but they both slept until 8:30.

Carowinds is in both North Carolina and South Carolina and the state line runs down the middle of the park. So who says you can't be in two places at once. :)

Quick family photo courtesy of some 9 year old boy standing close to us. We look well rested and thankfully so, because it ended up being a longer day then I planned for. :)

We had two days to play at Carowinds so we decided to ride most of the rides on day one. It was SO HOT that day but it worked in our favor. There was hardly anyone in the park. No lines for any ride, so the girls got to ride as much as they wanted.
We found some of the peanut gang...I think Snoopy is loved the most almost every kid ran to him first.

Riding some rides. They had a contest who could fly their glider the highest. Chris and Bree won! They got to stay on and ride again. Not that it really matter, there wasn't a line but she was excited that they won.

Katie was big enough to ride them all by herself this year.

Daddy told them that the only way to ride a roller coaster was in the very front.  This ride turned out to be Bree's fav.

Here is a video of them both riding it earlier that day. I love at the end how their heads are flopping all over the place and they have big grins on their faces. Click here

There were was only one ride in the kids area that Bree wasn't tall enough to ride, so she waited patiently for Katie and I to ride.

Here is the first roller coaster that Katie rode. Click here. She wasn't quite sure about it but wanted to try it...once it was over she had the roller coaster bug. She wanted to ride every roller coaster she could. She was able to ride all of them in the park except for 3 of them that you had to be 54 inches. So Chris and I took turns riding them with her. She loved them all! And we rode them all multiple times. It is hard to believe that she is big enough to be riding these fast rides.


Have to allow some time for the parents to have fun, so we traded off watching the kiddos so the other go ride some of the bigger roller coasters that Katie couldn't go on. This is one ride the Chris rode. It is called the Intimidatory. The drop alone made my stomach queasy....but he said it was an awesome ride. He tried to talk me into to riding this one, but I just couldn't get my courage up for it. I ended up riding the Voltrex (I think that was what it was called), anyway you stand up and ride it. Chris also rode the nighthawk, which you lay down as you ride it so it looks as if you are flying.

Bree and I passing the time while Daddy and Katie rode a roller coaster. I honestly can't say enough how good she was about Katie wanting to ride the bigger rides and she would wait...thankful not for long but still she was a good sport about it all.

Here is a video of one of the bigger roller coasters Kaite rode.  You can see it behind me and Bree above. Click here. Sorry you will have to turn your head to watch it. When I filmed it on my phone I guess I turned it and it will only show it one way.

Their favorite part of Carowinds

Just a glimpse of how they were going, going, going, going all day long. I really thought with the heat that by late afternoon we would hit our wall and the meltdowns would begin. They proved me seriously wrong. They didn't whine or cry one time all day. They just kept saying, let's go here, let's ride this one. I have to say we did keep them well hydrated and feed throughout the day and that probably helped. I made them stop and drink at least every 15 mins whether they wanted to or not.

After 11 hours at the park on the first day we told the girls we needed to head back to the hotel to get some dinner and get some sleep. The didn't want to go but I know they were ready and had to be hungry as it was 8:30.

After another good night sleep we headed back the next day to play in the water.

They loved playing in the wave pool. They thought it was so cool how you can have waves like at the ocean in a pool. We played alot here.

There were lots of water slides, a lazy river and other water areas that we went too. Sorry for the lack of pictures but I wasn't taking a chance of my phone getting wet and the water park was big so I wasn't going to run back and forth...so you'll just have to take my word that we had a blast. :) There was one water slide that both the girls could ride together in a double intertube. We also rode one that all four of us could ride together. It was fun watching their expressions as we zoomed and twisted down the slide.

We knew we were going to plan to stay for awhile at the water park so I reserved us a Cabana ahead of time. I am so thankful we had this. It gave us shade on another very hot day. The cabana came with satellite TV, a ceiling fan, lounge chairs and tables and chairs to eat at.



After a few hours of playing we took a break for lunch...it was so hot that the girls really didn't want to each much. The got big bowls of fruits and then later a Chick fil a sandwich.

After a more play time we told the girls we needed to get out of the sun and rest for a little while. I knew they were tired when they didn't fight it. Katie watched TV and rested, Chris napped on the ground and Bree napped beside me on the other chair.

After rest time we played until it was getting ready to close. Changed clothes and then headed back over to the amusement park side to ride some more rides. We hit up Bree's fav again...she literaly rode this ride 20 times or more while we were there.

Big brave girl in the front by herself. :)

We stayed late that night again to watch the light show and fireworks. Me and my girls waiting for the lights to start.

My two cuties

After the light show we waited for the fireworks to start and with all parks they have to sell all the stuff that lights up.  The girls picked out a souvenir.

After two very long days at the park we all were officially worn out. The girls are some serious hard core amusement park girls. I never imagined they would want to stay as long as they did both days. They had so much fun as did Chris and I. It was worth every bit of tired we felt. When we got back to the hotel on the 2nd day, Bree laid her head down and less than 2 minutes later she was out. She looked so cute all snuggled in and sleeping. :)

On our last day there...we had a recovery day before we headed back. We slept late to the point that we almost missed breakfast at the hotel. After we lounged around, the girls swam in the pool, we got dressed and went to Ikea. I have never been so when I saw it on the way in I knew I wanted to go before we left. I have to say it was a bit overwhelming and totally makes you want to redecorate and organize everything in your home. Kinda glad we don't have one close as we would be broke. :)

We finally made it home on Sunday and first thing Monday the girls wanted to get Samson from the Kennel. I think he was just as excited to see us as we were to see him. Doesn't he look all handsome, freshly bathed and cute handkerchief around his neck.

I have to say that this was a fun vacation. The girls are at the point where naps are not a must for us, so it is fun to be able to do more things with them. I think more amusement park vacations will be in our future.

Summer Kick Off in Tennessee

The girls were out of school on June 8th and on June 9th they were packed and in the car ready to go and meet Nana and Papaw to spend time with them in TN. They knew lots of fun things were planned and couldn't wait to kick off their summer vacation!!

The girls took a mini vacation with Nana and Papaw. The headed up to the Knoxville Zoo for the day and then went over to Gatlinburg\Piegon Forge area to stay the night.

They swam in the pool.

 Loves this pic of Katie in mid cannon ball action.

 They took the girls out shopping and had some photo ops

 Looks like the girls twisted Mom and Dad's arm to let them ride some rides. :)

 When they got back home they had a little pool that Mom and Dad had for the girls to play around in but it had sprung a leak...so Papaw took the girls out to find a new one. Well...as you can imagine the girls got a bigger pool. They had so much fun playing in it. At night when I talked to them...that was pretty much what their day consisted of...playing in the pool. Man, they have it rough!

Bree got brave enough to go under water....and by the time she left Nana and Papaws she was a full fledge swimmer. She went from hating water in her face to not being able to get her to stop swimming. So proud of her!!!

 Katie on the other had is a fish...she loves to do flips and handstands in the water.  Mid handstand here.

 Besides all the fun they were having, they also got to go to VBS as my parents church. They had a blast. The last night they do a program and have fun stuff for the kids. Katie got her face painted.

 Bree is sporting her aviation goggles that she wore in the program. She is still singing the songs from that week.

 Running free in the open land. :)

 I headed up to TN after the girls had been there 2 weeks and we spent one more week there. We got to help celebrate my brothers 38th birthday. The girls with Uncle Kevin.

 Me and my OLDER(hehe) brother....we were laughing here because I have to hold his hand in any picture because he can't control himself not to give me bunny ears. He may be 38th folks but the maturity level still is questionable.

 Birthday boy and his family.

The girls riding around with Papaw

Helping Nana make biscuits.

We spent an afternoon playing putt putt with Kevin, Brandy and Matthew.

 We were trying to ride bikes on some of the trails around there but all the bike rental places were closed or too far away, so we decided to head back to Kevin and Brandy's to hang out.

The girls played corn hole with Kevin and Matthew.

 Bree went granny style for her throws.

 We broke in Kevin's new fire pit and made smores....I think Katie enjoyed hers. :)

 Then some time just running around and playing...they love their Aunt, Uncle and Nephew!!!

As always the girls had a blast in TN and I am so thankful that they have such a wonderful Nana and Papaw that take such good care of them. I love the relationship that my girls have with the Kevin, Brandy and Matthew. They are definitely loved by many!

Awards

One more I thought I published but didn't. Again, last month before school was over they had the awards program for Kindergarten and 1st grade. Katie was getting a award so we got the invite to go.



Katie received the Visual Art Award for the year. Here she is getting a hug from her teacher Mrs. Gibson.

She was super proud of this....she LOVES to draw and is really good at it. It is a God given talent because neither Chris or I can draw a straight line. As always we are beyond proud of our girl and how amazing she does in school and always trys her best.

Pre K Graduation

I just realized that I have never posted this....had them out here saved but never published. Oh well, better late than never. 

So last month was Bree's Pre-K graduation. She was so excited for her graduation and talked about it for over a month. They practiced each day for over a month on all their songs so by the time the day came I could pretty much sing a long to them all. :)

Her school had graduation shirts made for  each of them to wear.  I sent her to school in a denim skirt and a shirt and they changed their shirts to the graduation shirt....just wished they tucked it in she looked like she didn't have anything on under it.

Here they are marching in

We filmed the whole program which was about 25 mins long so I won't be posting it on here, but they did a great job singing all their songs. Bree even had a little speaking part and she did so good. She sometimes gets really shy when lots of people are watching her so I wasn't sure if she would get stage fright, but she didn't. She is getting so big (sniff, sniff).

Finally...a Pre-K graduate!!!!

Photo op with the proud proud parents. I LOVE how happy she is. She says "Now I get to go to Kindergarten at sissy's school". 

Yes...Call Me Crazy

Guess who is training for her next big event....Me...and it is going to be a triathlon. I know, I may have lost my mind but ever since I have ran my half I have had this idea in the back of my head and I was scared to actually commit to this idea for a couple of reasons.

1. I am not a strong swimmer, but I knew with practice I could get better

2. Swimming in open water is mainly where you swim around here. If you know me you know I DO NOT go in the ocean in fear of anything slimy, crawly or HUGE that could...oh I don't know...Take my leg off!!!!! This is a fear that I am going to HAVE to overcome. Not sure how but I have met a few ladies here that have done a triathlon and they have promised to get me over this fear...good luck ladies!!!. I don't think they really understand the depth of my fear...but they seems up for the challenge. :)
So once I made up my mind that I can do this even if it takes 6 months to a year of training I would do it. It is a fear I want to overcome and a challenge I want to accomplish. I started doing some research because basically all I knew of triathlons was the Iron Man which is ALOT of swimming, biking and running. Luckily, I have made a few new friends here in my neighborhood that have actually done triathlons so they gave me some more info and it turns out there are several levels of triathlons. Some with not as many miles for swimming, biking and running. You can do a Sprint, Olympic, 1/2 Iron Man or Iron Man. This made me feel much better. So my first one or maybe first few will be the Sprint and Olympic length.

This past weekend Chris and I went to a bike shop in Wilmington that sells used bikes. We were browsing the bikes with one of the ladies who works there, when another guy who works there walked up and said, here is a bike we just go in today. A lady used it for a charity triathlon and then she came back to resale it. It is basically brand new but we got it for a great used price. I was super excited as it was just the height I needed.

So here is my newest friend to help me train. :)

This week I have officially started my training. I like the idea of having more than just running I have to do in this training. Good overall body training. I am excited for this new adventure and the fact that I have a husband who is by biggest supporting in this and also some new friends who are there to help me along the way. So here I go.......

Family Visit

Over Memorial Day weekend my brother and his family came over to spend a few days. We had some funcky weather for the first few days. Didn't get to spend too much time out in the sun so we decided to find some alternative things to do. My neighbor told me about a place call Mac Daddy's which is about 45 mins away but it would have fun stuff for all ages. We head over there on Friday night to have some dinner and play. 

After dinner the kiddos and adults wanted to play some games. We loaded up a few play cards and off we went. Bree was doing her best to drive this car.

Katie and Daddy riding the virtual roller coaster. I did this with Bree and she picked the adventure ride which took you underwater, over mountains, through deserts, etc. It shook up to death. I ended up putting my hand behind her head because her little head was bouncing all over the place. She laughed the entire time. Guess it didn't bother her but my insides were still moving by the time it ended.

Photo op for Aunt Brandy and Bree.

So serious about their water games. Haha!! Bree loves playing this game a CEC...she whooped up on her Uncle Kevin.

Kevin and Matthew giving the virtual ride a go.

Brandy showing us what she's got.

After we were done with games it was getting late and we knew we had a 45 min ride back so we opted to race go carts instead of bowling. We all raced except for Brandy...she was the photo taker. It was fun..we were all talking trash to each other. Katie and I were the first ones out of the gate and held the lead until the very end when this kid rammed us and spun us around and we got stuck and end up coming last place. Boo! But I guess that is racing...even though I say we technically won. :)

Even thought we did have iffy weather on most of the days there were a few hours of sunshine and we tried to take advantage of them. We headed to the pool a few times.

Bree doing what she loves to do when we are near the water... EAT. :) I pack so many snacks just cause I know she will eat pretty much all of them. She is a cutie doing it though.

Matthew and Katie spend most of their time in playing in the water.

We went out for seafood one night...went to a place down the road that is on the beach. They have really good food. There was a long wait so we took some photos to past the time.

The next to last day that they were here was a beautiful sunny day. We decided to go to the beach. The waters were really rough for some reason and the waves even at the shore were pretty good sized, but we got to play for a little while before it got to be too rough.

The Italian Ice guy came by with his cart, the girls love it so we got a cup to share.

 As most of you know, I am not a fan of actually going in the water at the beach. I hate all things creepy, crawly and slimy that could potentially attack me. :)  So I spend my time on the sand. Brandy was happy to join me.

We spent a lot of time in the sun this day and we all ended up a little toasty by night time. So on the last day with the family we decided not to burn anymore. We headed over to Wilmington for the day. Matthew and Kevin went to tour the Wilmington Battleship (I wish I had some of the picture they took..they were being silly in all their photos). While they toured Chris, Brandy, the girls and myself all shopped. Then we headed home and grilled out for Memorial Day.

It was a really fun weekend with them. So glad that got to come over and hang out with us. Love spending time with my family!!!

Pretty Pretty Ballerina

A couple of weeks ago Bree had her big ballet\tap recital. She has loved her ballet and tap class this year. She always looks forward to going and has the best time. Her class is a closed class which means that parents can't watch....so we have been very anxious to see what she has been working on. 

Big sis hear to support Bree.

We did video tape the recital....well let me correct that...we taped part of it. Not to hang Chris out to dry here...but he thought he was recording her ballet part but at the end realized that he did not push the record button. :(  So I'll do my best to describe it for you....in one word she did AMAZING!!!! We were so proud of her. She did every move and was so sweet and graceful. I had tears in my eyes when it was over. She smiled so beautifully during all too. We did however get the second act, their tap routine. I love how she has the perma smile going on again during it all. I thought she did pretty Amazing during her tap as well.  Click here to watch. If you are wondering why the kiddos keep looking over to their left and right it is because they had their teachers off to the side of the stage doing the dance as well to help them move along with the music.

After this dance and before intermission they had a little award ceremony where they called out each childs name and gave them a little trophy for completing the dance year. Here is are beautiful ballerina with her trophy and flowers from Mommy, Daddy and Katie. She is super excited for next year as she will be in the "big girl" ballet and tap class....no more preschool classes. :)