Sunday, July 27, 2014

Topsail Beach

We ran away to the beach for one day in May.  We have day trips pretty much figured out.  We prepare everything the night before, including a lunch, so that we can leave early the next day and spend hours and hours on the beach.  We bring a change of clothes and hope to find parking near a shower and then eat dinner out before we head home.  We have some friends who are always up for a beach trip and things just go so smoothly with them.  We have many, many memories of beach trips together and really enjoyed this day in May!

The kids.  No clue why Kaitlyn has a grumpy face but she kind of cracks me up with her frown and little belly.  The hat just completes the look.  The rest of the kids look the way you should when you get to spend the whole date at the beach!

I love watching my kids run into the waves!



There were so many dead jellyfish floating around in the ocean that day!



After dinner we took one last walk down the beach to a pier.  We got some ice cream and paid a dollar each to walk to the length of the pier while the sun set.  It was perfect! 




Dance Recital

The girls had a dance recital in May.  They had such a good day and they both loved dancing on the stage.  Kinsey knew her dance backwards and forwards so I wasn't worried about her.  Kaitlyn on the other hand...she's a bit of a free spirit and I was worried that she would kind of do her own thing once she had a willing audience.  But she did SO GOOD.  I was so proud of her!  She really does struggle to hear in situations that have a lot of background noise (like a dance studio) so it took her a little longer to learn her dance but she knew every step.

Kinsey's class.  They danced to "When will My Life Begin" to from Tangled 

She LOVED her outfit

With her teacher, Miss Michelle.  She did such a good job with Kinsey's class full of silly, giggly girls!


Kaitlyn danced to "Maybe" and "It's a Hard Knock Life" from Annie. 
I loved their dance and Kaitlyn's spunk!



Miss Charlene.  She was so, so good with Kaitlyn!  She's so much fun.

After recital shaved ice


We had such a fun year of dancing!  Both girls are signed up for 2 classes each this coming year.  They are counting down the days until they start!

Tuesday, June 17, 2014

May

Kinsey loves board games.  She asks to play a game almost every day.  She's pretty good too!

Kaitlyn loves board games too.  But not as much as she loves to climb tress :)

There is a fantastic nature playground in Raleigh.  We went with some friends and had such a good time.  We can't wait to go back!



The girls were invited to a fairy party.  They had so much fun getting ready!

What our pew looked like one day after sacrament meeting....

Mother's Day.  Jason made me an amazing chocolate pie!


Mid-May I was leaving the house to take Kinsey to school.  Kaitlyn wanted me to carry her because she didn't have shoes on.  I was in a hurry so I grabbed her and hurried out the door.  I was going too fast and I missed a step going off my porch.  I couldn't catch myself because I was holding Kaitlyn and with her extra weight we just went down.  HARD.  Kaitlyn was ok despite hitting her head on the driveway but I managed to break my left ankle and sprain my right foot.  The doctor put me in two boots.  I couldn't drive until recently and I could hardly walk.  It has been an interesting time for us!  Jason has been great at taking on most of the household stuff and my parents flew in for a week to help.  Church friends brought in meals for a few weeks and Kinsey's school set up carpooling to get her home from school.  I am still wearing a boot on one foot but I can drive now and life is slowly getting back to normal, thank goodness!

Kaitlyn wearing my boots and trying to use my crutches

Playing Uno while I sat on my chair

Kaitlyn took this picture of my swollen, bruised foot.  It's looking so much better!

I did get out occasionally!

Looking a lot better!


Somehow the girls still made it to school/preschool and all their activities.  Here is Kaitlyn on her last day of preschool. 


April

April brought our annual trip to Farm Animal Days.  It was fun and hot and WINDY!



Kaitlyn playing with a preschool buddy and a friend that we went with.  So much fun to be 4 :)


We've been working on our backyard.  We have a LOT Of work to do back there!  Someday this will serve as my "before" picture.  We have plans for a garden, fire pit/patio area, bigger deck and actual grass.

Walking in the rain


We have roasted lots and lots of marshmallows in our backyard this year!

Easter girls

Easter Eggs


Just Kaitlyn being Kaitlyn

This is how I get Kinsey to cooperate in stores. She's "too big" to sit in a cart anymore so she just follows me around while she reads her book.

Kaitlyn being the example in dance class while we learned how to do stage make-up

Just some more reading :) 


CASTLE is where Kaitlyn goes for speech every other week.  They are AMAZING and we owe them so, so much.  

I bought a few canvasas and let the the girls paint them how ever they wanted.  I hung the final projects in the playroom and I love them!