Yard Work

This past weekend, the men in my life did some much needed yard work.  

 Jon and Buddy pulled weeds, picked up sticks, and hauled this big branch that had fallen from our big tree in our front yard...

 around to the back yard.

 Once there, they lifted the branch over the fence and threw it out into the woods.

Way to go guys!  Job well done!  I'm so very thankful for these two awesome guys!

A Warm Welcome

The other day, Sissy showed me a picture of what she drew in her journal.

She said it was a picture of what she thought heaven will be like.  In the picture, she drew Jesus (the big man in the center) welcoming everyone into heaven.  I think it's cute that everyone in her picture has a heart above their heads showing that they are giving and receiving lots of love! 

Always good to be reminded of eternity every now and then!

The First... and then the Second

On Saturday night after I was done reading Sissy's bedtime story to her on the couch, she asked if I'd carry her to bed.  She's six years old now, but every once in a while, she still likes to be held by her Mommy and I'm happy to oblige.  

As I put her down, before getting to her bedroom, she accidentally bumped her mouth on me and noticed that one of her front teeth was missing.  We weren't sure where the tooth went and even thought it may still be in her mouth, that she had swallowed it, or it was somewhere on me.  We ended up finding it on the floor next to where I was standing.  

Both of her two front teeth have been loose for a few weeks now, so it really didn't take much to knock that tooth completely out.  

Here's Sissy with her new smile.

 So, on Sunday night, the exact same scenario played out.  We read a bedtime story on the couch and afterwards, she wanted me to carry her to bed.  I think she realized it was a good way to get her tooth out, so as I put her down, she bumped her mouth on my arm (this time it seemed a little more intentional) and the next thing I know, I hear, "ting, ting, ting..."  It was her tooth hitting the tile floor in the kitchen!  

Her new smile after Sunday night.  

For the last couple of days, I've been trying to get at her teeth to 'help' them come out, but each time I did that, she'd say she wanted them to come out on their own!  Well, that's what ended up happening... sort of!  

She has officially lost her first and second tooth and it happened all in one weekend!     

My Latest Project

About three and a half years ago, a friend of mine showed me how to crochet.  She showed me the single crochet stitch and the double crochet.  Then, she showed me how to do a granny square and after that I was on my own.  I have enjoyed crocheting so much and have been known to go to  YouTube to watch videos on how to do new stitches.  In the past three and a half years, I've made several different blankets, wash cloths, many... many scarves, Christmas ornaments, and now I'm making these cute purses! 

The first part of August I happened to come across a YouTube video on how to make this.  I had been wanting a new purse and then had the idea to see if I could crochet one.  This one is called the "mermaid tears purse" and it uses a 'crocodile' stitch.  Everything on this purse is crocheted right down to the handles and the flower.

 This is the very first one I made, brown, tan and red.  It was a good challenge for me and took about 12 hours total to make it.

Sissy is modeling it for me.
Once I had made the first one, it gave me confidence to try another one... and then another, and then another...

 This was the second one I made, hot pink, purple and cream.  It's a little bit smaller than the first.

 I then decided to make a bigger one, all black with a hot pink flower.  This one functions more like a tote bag.

 Here are the first four I made.  The one on the far left is brown and cream with a dusty rose colored flower.  I'm now able to make them quicker than the original one.  Not sure exactly how long it takes me now, but the time seems to fly by since I have enjoyed making them so much!

 Black, gray, and white

 I made this one for Sissy.  She picked out these bright colors... bright blue, hot pink and purple.  I was able to finish it while we were on vacation.

 Maroon, creamy tan, and orange...  A nice one for the Fall season.

Here they all are except for the hot pink, cream and purple one.  I've already given that one as a gift.  

(The last one I made is the purple, white and red one up front.)   

I'll be giving most of these as gifts as well.  I'm so glad Christmas is just around the corner.

Getting Ready for the First Day

On Friday, August 24th, the munchkins and I went to their school for an Open House to meet their teachers.  

 Buddy wanted me to get his picture taken next to the lightning poster.

We went to see Buddy's classroom and teacher first.  He has the same teacher Sissy had last year, Mrs. Bjorlykke.  I am so glad he has her!  After we visited the kindergarten classroom, we were off to meet Sissy's new teacher, Mrs. Zadeh.  I think Sissy is going to also have a great year.  Her teacher had a scavenger hunt for the students so they could get familiar with their new classroom.  We were able to find all the items on the list.  Sissy was also excited to see that there were a few friends from last year in her class this year.

 Here they are on the first day of school, Monday, August 27th!

I made cinnamon rolls and sausage for them for breakfast at their request.
I made cinnamon rolls for Sissy last year on her first day of school.  This will probably become one of our 'first day of school' traditions each year.  They love cinnamon rolls, but don't get them very often, so it was special for them to have this treat.

 Here they are walking down to the bus stop with two neighbor friends.

 Waiting for the bus

 The bus arrived with a new bus driver this year.  Her name is Barbara and like last year, the kindergartners boarded first... 

 then all the other kids were able to get on.

 Barbara was kind enough to let the parents come inside the bus to get a few pictures of the kids.  Here's Buddy with his friend.  They are both in kindergarten this year but in different classes.

 Sissy peeking over the seat.  She was so excited to go to school!  They are the first to get on the bus in the morning and the first to be dropped off in the afternoon.

 Coming home after their first day

 Buddy was one of the first ones off the bus

 Then, Sissy made her way out, too. 

 Buddy was glad to see his daddy at the bus stop.  His t-shirt read, 'BE FEARLESS.'  Buddy was a little nervous about his first day of school and meeting new friends.  We prayed for him last night and this morning. The last thing I whispered to him before he got on the bus in the morning was that I'd be praying for him all day!  When he came home he said, and I quote, "This was the best day of school, ever!"  I'm so thankful his day went so well!

 The munchkins walking home from the bus stop

All in all, it was a great first day of school for them.  I'm glad the year is off to such a smooth start.

Pea Island, A Rainbow, and Key Lime Pie

On Friday, our last official day in the Outer Banks, we drove down to Pea Island again to spend a few hours there.

 The munchkins at Pea Island

 Jon and me at Pea Island

We love this beach because... 

1.) hardly anyone is there 

2.) it's absolutely beautiful and

3.) it has a lot of nice sea shells just waiting to be snatched up.

 Jon and Sissy shell hunting

 The munchkins and I hunting for shells

The shells we collected

 Buddy and his daddy on the beach

The munchkins looking out at the ocean from the sand dunes

 After a few hours, we decided to drive back to Kill Devil Hills since we saw the dark storm clouds coming and knew what that meant.

 Once we were there, Jon took the munchkins out in the water.

 Buddy decided to make an 'angry man' in the sand.

 This picture shows his 'angry' eyebrows a little better.

 Buddy practicing his frisbee throw

 The munchkins playing in the sand.

 Sissy made a 'happy' lady in the sand after seeing Buddy's 'angry' man.

 Jon definitely got his work out taking the kids in and out of the waves.

 Towards the end of our time at the beach on our last day, Sissy ventured out a little bit further into the waves to jump them with Buddy.  I'm glad she finally warmed up to going into the water.... on our last day!

 As we were packing up our stuff at the beach, it started to rain just a little bit, and the sun was still shining.  So, I looked for a rainbow and sure enough, there was one right by the pier!

Once again, a beautiful reminder of God's promises to us!  A great way to end our last day at the beach.

After getting cleaned up, we went to another favorite restaurant of ours, The Kill Devil Grill.  It was pretty busy that night, so we waited for about a half hour to be seated.  They have great seafood there and the best key lime pie we've ever tasted!  I think I have a new favorite dessert, key lime pie from The Kill Devil Grill!  So good!

We had a wonderful family vacation in the Outer Banks!  It was filled with great memories and a lot of down time for rest and relaxation.  We are already looking forward to our time there next summer!