I'm going to post again...promise!

We're all still here!  Just busy busy....snow has been and snow is coming....we'll be snuggled up the next few days....I am going to sit and post an update very soon, PROMISE!!

ANOTHER picture catch up...

Since it's been a month since I've really sat down to blog and post pictures, here are some from August, September and October...whew!

First up is a weekend trip to the lake - great weather and the girls had a blast!



A few silly sister pics above





The Whittaker kids - love 'em!





Chesterfield County Fair...and a very blue mouth!




Big sister helping little sister





Dancing with the beautiful ladies of the Fest Hause :)




Pals at Bush Gardens




First day of preschool - year TWO!!





Apple picking at Carter Mountain Orchard - FUN!!!

 





Excuse the delay...

I've been in a fog lately, not really feeling motivated and feeling a little drab.  I'm ready for a project!  So I started with the blog, that's a safe start! 
Just a quick update that we're all here and everyone is good...I'm going to snap out of this dumpy feeling and start fresh...

We're heading out of town this weekend, a much needed weekend getaway down to South Carolina to visit Amanda.  I'm really excited to see her, and so are the girls.  I'll update with some pics and details when we return :)

Falling out of summer

We were teasted a little the past few weeks with some nice cool weather - now this week we're setting record highs!?  Oh Sweet Virginia, you never surprise us!

Our summer quickly ended, we stayed busy throughout - but not with anything in particular...packing, moving, unpacking, playtime with our little friends and lots of family time with the four of us and day trips around town.

We 'officially' ended our summer at the Chesterfield County Fair...and it has become a favorite thing for us to do together.  The night we went it was cool, there was a rainbow overhead as we arrived and the smell of anything and everything fried was around us!  We enjoyed candy apples, cotton candy, lemonade - it was great.  Emily loves to see the animals and was pretty upset that she couldn't get on all the rides with her big sister. 

I looked back at the pictures I took and realized how fast our family is growing...not by numbers - sit down now!  But our little baby girls are growing into little young girls, who are their own little selves, they like different things, and they like some of the same things too, they dance and sing and play together (and torture each other as well!) We have a toddler and a preschooler, it just doesn't seem right!  So many days I still feel like we're the "young" Ben & Melissa at VCU, hanging out late and sleeping in...but we have the wrinkles and gray hair to prove that we certainly are not that anymore!  It's great, and I am so thankful each and every day for the family we have become.

We had a weekend visit from our friends The Whittakers from Knoxville - it was so great to see them and our kids got along so well.  We were happy to have them and we're really looking forward to going their way sometime soon.

Preschool started up for Madelyn last week, she was so ready on that first day that we would've thought she was going all summer long!  I'm so excited for her that she loves it, she loves to learn and she wants to know 'why and how' for anything that grabs her curiosity.  Emily is so fun, she loves music and loves to dance.  She loves books now and will back right up to any lap that is free to hear a story.

Hope to get back into this blogging thing - I just haven't taken the time to sit and put myself into it lately.  Lots to share though, and lots of pictures....

Picture catch up

Here's our last month or so summed up in a few pictures --  no particular order, just random fun times :)  Obviously I didn't have my camera for all of our outings, just a few of the special ones. 

We're off to the lake this evening for a visit with Liz and Mary who we haven't seen in a month or so, whew - we try really hard to spend time with everyone.  Next weekend trip will be to South Carolina to see Amanda.  It's been a busy busy summer, hard to believe it's almost over!

sum-sum-summertime

We survived another round of sweltering heat these past few weeks...this summer has taken over the record books with it's 100+ degree weather - we're already looking forward to fall and counting down the days!

Since I haven't posted in a while, I don't want to write everything we've been doing the last few weeks...so I'll sum it up with a quick recap and some pictures -

- visit up to Stafford for Amanda Gayler's babyshower - AWESOME to see everyone there - and stayed at my Dad's house - Madelyn loved her Tinker Bell bed her Grandpa made for her and Uncle Sean got her to sleep with his best-ever back tickling -
- a visit from (Auntie) Amanda - the girls were so surprised to see her and loved every minute - playing dress up, cashier, coloring Woody & Buzz -
- a day at Mimi and Grandpa's house - swimming and splashing with Auntie Amanda & Auntie Haylie - laughing with the crazy Carl, watching Nemo, the girls love their Mimi & Grandpa -
- visit from Kelli & Brylee who were here from New York - sooo good to catch up with my sweet friend, who've I've known for...gosh...18 years!!???  Madelyn & Brylee loved playing dress up -
- play day with Meghan, Amelia & Henry - really need to spend more time with them, Amelia & Madelyn are about the same age, and Henry & Emily are almost the same aga also -
- a weekend with nowhere to be and it was just the four of us - aaahhhh, refreshing!!  :)
- quiet night Ben & I spent on the deck talking ALL night, before we knew it we went through an entire bottle of rum!!  HAHA  The next day morning wasn't as fun though - a quarter pounder took care of that!
- a trip up to Stafford for lunch with my Dad for his birthday and to welcome my Mom home from her trip out west - quick trip up but the girls loved playing with Spooky and their kitchen at Nana's house -
- stomach bug hits us...Madelyn has it full swing - tried to venture out for some fun with friends at the duck race on Browns Island, she just wasn't herself...hoping it's over soon and she's back to eating soon -

This week coming up we'll try to make up a few dates we missed last week since Madelyn was sick - we owe a visit to Amber's house to meet her new baby girl, Avabel - a play date with the Harry crew - a few others we've been trying to set up too - all this before we head down to Liz & Mary's house at Lake Gastan Thursday evening -- whew :)  It's like we're busy, but not really busy - busy just 'playing' I guess! 

I'll post pictures soon...

HOT July 4th

We decided to stay in for America's Birthday this year.  I think maybe next year, or even the year after - we'll venture out for the girls to see and hear the fireworks.  Late nights are a very rare thing here, maybe a few times a year...sitting outside in a huge crowd until 10 at night in the HOT, humid weather with two tired, sweaty children doesn't really sound appealing to us quite yet.  I have fond memories as a child of all the neighbors meeting up in the cul-de-sac to share all of the fireworks we all had.  It was always something I looked forward to, so I know when our girls are a little older, we'll certainly enjoy our July 4th holiday just the same.

We had friends over on Saturday for a cookout - great to see everyone and let all the kiddos run and play.  And my Mom was in town for the weekend to help me with Madelyn's curtains and get one last quick visit in before she heads out to the midwest to visit her family for a few weeks.

I finally pulled out my camera after moving in and got some cute pictures of the girls outside doing our "poppers" and having fun in our new big yard.  Emily officially started walking a few days ago, even barefoot in the grass - funny to see her determined expressions!