Old Friends

This past weekend I had the honor of having two good friends over for a visit and to celebrate my birthday! Melissa and Kayla flew in on Thursday and were gone by Monday which means it was a fast trip, but we made sure to pack in as many activities as we could possibly do. We went sightseeing around D.C., had movie night, decorated my front porch, shopping at an insanely huge mall and I introduced them to the slightly addicting game Mexican Train Dominoes! They made me laugh the entire time and we talked/laughed for hours about our middle and high school years! 

Next month is going to be a whirlwind of craziness so their calming presence was greatly appreciated. Great times! 

County Fair

Seriously! Who doesn't love a good ole' county fair?! Our adrenaline junkie was memorized by all of the rides and I think his love for danger is rubbing off on his sister. Gracie was just a tad too small for some of the rides, but she quickly learned that standing on her tippy toes really does help a girl out! Lexie didn't get to go any rides, but the petting zoo was by far her favorite part. One surprising thing that I learned while we were there is that Lexie is NOT a fan of cotton candy!

Yup! Both Gracie and Ethan are on that crazy ride and it wasn't going slow.

 Gracie was screaming out of pure delight!

We FINALLY have a name!

We have chosen a name for our little guy and it is....Eli. I should say that Ethan and Gracie have been suggesting that name for some time now, but it has taken us awhile to finally narrow it down. I think it is very special that Ethan and Gracie came together and picked a great name for their little brother. 

I know they take pride in knowing that!

 

Pre-K Princess

Gracie started Pre-K on Tuesday and from the pictures you can tell she was overly excited!

I was not at all worried about her because she only goes for a couple of hours a day and I knew she was going to love it! Her and Ethan looked very cute standing together hand in hand waiting for me to pick them up. I wish I had brought my camera because just the sight of them made me a little teary. They love telling me all about their day on the drive home and without sounding chessey, I cherish that drive. They are so excited to see me and talk to me that it makes the whole school thing so much fun!

Hoodwinked by the Blueberry Loaf!

Yesterday Gracie had a fabulous idea that she wanted to bake Ethan an afternoon treat! She has been helping me more in the kitchen lately, so her willingness to bake didn't surprise me. I had this recipe I had been wanting to try out and thankfully we had all of the ingredients on hand.  I do have to say, I really adore the fact that she was doing something sweet for her brother and talked about making sure we made it extra yummy for him.  Unfortunately, I was so busy cooking with her and keeping her from sticking her fingers in the batter, I didn't get a single picture. Oh well, we were having fun. I have to say I LOVE this loaf. It is delicious and so moist! I will be making this again because I know it will make a great gift with some plastic wrap and a pretty bow.

As soon as we picked Ethan up, the first thing out of Gracie's mouth is ,"Ethan, I have a sweet surprise for you".  Once we got home, they both were anxious to sit down and have a piece. However, Ethan and Gracie had opposite opinions about the lemon blueberry cake. The pictures are a little wonky because my settings kept changing but you can definitely tell what Gracie thinks of her masterpiece.

Showing off her beautiful creations.
Lemon Blueberry Loaf 

You can see the excitement on their faces.

Gracie takes a big bite...

...and this is the point where she realizes she is not a fan of tart desserts.

She got upset that it doesn't taste like what she thought it would taste like,

while Ethan totally takes it off her hands.

She leaves pretty angry, yet he continues to eat.

"I don't know what her problem is? It is really good!"

Lexie concurs!

Rockin' 1st grade!

Monday was the first day of school for Ethan! He was so excited to be starting 1st grade at a new school which is great because I can always count on Ethan to have a great attitude about meeting new people and learning new things. He didn't even want me to walk him in. I promised him once I was assured he knew where he was going, we would do the drop off lane from then on. It still tugs at my heart when I see him walking away, putting all of his stuff in his little locker and sitting at his desk. He was thrilled that he was finally able to give his teacher her back to school gift. Of course, Gracie and I couldn't wait to hear all about his day, but just like a typical boy he spared the details and just said that it was a great day. Since that day he has come home talking about new friends and all the fun things they are doing.  I think/pray it is going to be a great year!

 

Our brand new 1st grader!

Gracie wanted a picture too! 

 

Ethan showing off his cheeser! 

Pencil Wreath

 

I think my kiddos really love these pencils because they requested them again this year. 

I think it is going to be a great 1st day tradition! 

 

Here is Ethan's gift to his teacher. 

Kit Kat Welcome back bag.

Natural History Museum

Before all of our household goods were set to be delivered, we got to enjoy some time downtown. We went to the Natural History Museum and the kids were beyond thrilled with what they saw there.  

We can't wait to go to all of the museums!

I was sure that we had a picture with the kids in front of the monument but I can't find it.

This was taken while we were waiting for the metro to take us home.