Life with the Lafleurs

NEW BLOG!!!!!!!

2012-01-16T10:19:00.000-08:00

Well...I have filled another blog up! I had to start a new blog and I would love for ya'll to keep up with us over at www.lafleurladies.blogspot.com
I am excited to continue to document our little lives! Love you all!!!

Happy New Years!!

2012-01-03T18:51:00.000-08:00

Even though it is always crazy hard and sad to leave our families...we are so lucky that we get to come back to our friends who are like our VA family! Our friends Patti and Scott had a New Years party for the gang, and we all had a great time! These guys are all so special to us and mean so much to us! They are always there for us, and again we are so lucky to have our friends! Everyone had a great time, and as always it was complete craziness! But we love it that way! We were so blessed in 2011, and can't wait to see what 2012 has is store! So Here's to a GREAT 2012! Happy New Years everyone!

Last Day! :(

2012-01-03T18:49:00.000-08:00

On our last day, we went to the mall with Mimi, Grandma, and Auntie Linds! We had a delicious lunch at our fav The Grand Lux, and then had a fun day of shopping! We came home and packed up and got ready to head home! We ALWAYS hate leaving, but we are so blessed that we get to see our families so much! We had an amazing trip as always, and we love watching Lil have so much fun with our families! So Much Love! Again, we are so blessed! Thanks again for everything! We are so lucky to have you all! LOVE YOU!!!!!!

Lion Country Safari

2012-01-03T18:39:00.000-08:00

The next day we went to Lion Country Safari! It is a huge drive through zoo, and at the end there is a huge theme park type place! It was great! We all had such a great time! Lil LOVES animals and rides, and it was the perfect place for that! Thanks Mimi and Papa! We had so much! We missed Daddy and Auntie Linds!

Chuck E Cheese!

2012-01-03T10:55:00.000-08:00

The next day we all decided to go to Chuck E Cheese! We all had a great time, and Lil just loves that place! Uncle Keith and Auntie Linds were very excited to take Lil:) Daddy had to leave to go back home and work! Bye Daddy! We love you! We had so much fun spending time with you on vacay! Thanks again guys for a great day!

"Ice Skating Fun"

2012-01-03T10:39:00.000-08:00

The next day Dad and Eric went to play golf, and we just hung around and played with all of our new gifts! Later on we all went to the mall where they had a synthetic ice skating rink. Lily was so excited to do it, and Auntie Linds went with her! She LOVED it and did really well! So cute! She also rode lots of rides in the mall, the train, and played on the big bumper cars! After that we went to Outback for a delicious dinner!! We had such a fun day! Lil LOVES to be at Mimi and Papas house! And..she LOVES to play with their dog Bella! :)

Christmas with Mimi and Papa!

2012-01-02T18:05:00.000-08:00

After a GREAT trip in Orlando, we headed down south to spend some time with my fam! (Thanks so much for the great time in Orlando! We had so much fun! Love you all!)
Everyone was very excited to see us down south, and right when we got there we got to open presents again! Santa had come there too! :) Lil was so excited, got great presents, and again we are all so blessed! We were so happy to see everyone, and had a great day of being together. Later on my mom and dad had a get together with a bunch of friends and family! It was so great to see everyone, and we all got spoiled with more presents! Lil had a blast with Mo and Mack, and we all had a great time eating and spending time together! Thank you so much for everything guys! We are so lucky to be able to spend time with yall! Love ya!

Merry Christmas!

2012-01-01T17:28:00.000-08:00

We woke up on Christmas morn and Lil was so excited!!! We hung out a bit and had some breakfast while everyone got up, and then headed into the living room to see what Santa had brought:) It was a crazy time with all of the kiddos and all of us opening presents, but it was so fun! We all got great stuff, and are so very blessed!! Lil did really good this year! I was so proud of her! She was patient and kind! :) And she just had a great time with her cousins! We had a great day just hanging out, eating, relaxing, eating, and just being together! :) Merry Christmas to all! Thank you to our Lord for sending His Son to die for our sins!

Christmas Eve!

2012-01-01T17:18:00.000-08:00

On Christmas Eve, Uncle Ryan, Aunt Amy, and cousin Jake came to Granna and Pepes, and we were so excited to see them too! We played with Jake this summer, and had a ball! Now that he is walking and interacting more, we all just had a blast playing with him! :) Lil LOVED playing with her cousins! (Really made me sad that we live so far! ;( tear!) But we had a great day playing at the park, on the patio, and just being together! It was a crazy...but fun! (And I wouldn't want it any other way! :)) We put the kiddos to bed and had a little time to relax and just hang out with the adults! :) We had a delish dinner! We love being with everyone!

Meeting Cousin Drew!

2012-01-01T17:13:00.000-08:00

We were so excited for Uncle Craig, Aunt Ashlie, Abby, and Drew to come to Granna and Pepes! Lil and I had never met cousin Drew, and we were really looking forward to seeing that sweet face, and Lil was REALLY excited to get to play with cousin Abby! We had a great day hanging out with all the kiddos! Lil did GREAT with Abby and Drew, and they played so well together! Drew is just as sweet as he can be, and Abby is a doll! We were so happy to be together with the fam!

Hollywood Studios!

2012-01-01T17:06:00.000-08:00

On Thursday we went to Hollywood Studios, and Lil had a great time! It was packed for the holidays, but it was great! We saw all of the shows, met lots of characters, and saw the most beautiful lights ever! Lily loved getting the characters autographs! :) She is getting so big!!! :) Thanks Granna and Pepe for a great day!

Fun times with old friends!

2012-01-01T16:28:00.000-08:00

On Wednesday night Granna and Pepe watched Lil, and we headed out to meet some of Eric's bestest buds! (and their beautiful wives! ) We had a great time catching up! We missed Ando though :(! It was great to see them all! We love and miss you guys!! Thanks to Granna and Pepe for watching Lil!

Fun Spot!

2012-01-01T16:24:00.000-08:00

On Wednesday we woke up and headed out to the Fun Spot! There were tons of rides, and our little dare devil rode them all...a million times! She is fearless, and LOVES the rides! We love to watch her have so much fun! Thanks Granna and Pepe for another great day!! We love you and were so happy to be spending time with you!!

Headed to Granna and Pepe's/Monkey Joes!

2012-01-01T16:12:00.000-08:00

We were so excited to be packed up and headed to Orlando to start our Christmas vacay! Lil and I left early Tuesday, and Eric came in late Tuesday night! We were so excited to see Granna and Pepe! They picked us up and we went to lunch and then they took us to Monkey Joes! Lil had a blast, and later on we went to Chillis where Lil finally found the balloon lady! :) Thanks so much for such a great day Granna and Pepe! Let the fun begin! (Notice my little ones new hair!!! She looks so old!!! :)

Christmas with the A-Z's!

2011-12-20T04:09:00.001-08:00

Tara and Micah had a bunch of us over for dinner and presents on Sunday night! We all had such a great time!!! The kiddos had fun, and so did we! Thanks guys for having us!! We love you!!!

Christmas at our house 2011!

2011-12-18T12:36:00.000-08:00

Today we had Christmas at our house! Santa came last night, and Lil was so excited! We left him cookies, candy and milk, and we left the reindeer carrots! Lil was very excited when she walked out to see what Santa had brought! She was very mellow though! So Funny! Usually she is wild, but today she took her time and wanted to open and play with every toy! I didn't take a million pictures like usual, and it was great to just enjoy our time opening presents together! She is one lucky girl! Her 3 big presents were a dollhouse, a scooter, and a guitar with real strings! She has been asking Santa for these all season! She also got a bunch of other things that she played with all morning long! Eric and I also had a very great Christmas! We got lots of awesome things as well! We are so blessed! After we opened presents, Eric cooked a pancake and sausage breakfast. It was so good! After that we got ready to go to church...where Lil proceeded to have a meltdown about her "itchy" dress...so we didn't get too many pictures of her in her Christmas dress, but we did get a couple! Church was great as usual, as we celebrated the true reason for the season! God sending His Son to earth to be our Saviour! That is the best gift of all! We have really tried to teach Lil that this season! Presents are fun of course, but Jesus is the greatest gift of all!

Christmas with Butlers!

2011-12-18T12:30:00.000-08:00

On Saturday night we had Christmas with the Butlers. We had dinner and exchanged gifts! The kiddos played and had a great time!!! We realized that we have never had a picture taken all together, so Lucas took one of us! He did a good job! :)

Christmas Fun!

2011-12-18T12:21:00.000-08:00

Friday night we decided to go to dinner at a yummy place called Fellinis! Aubs came over to exchange presents with Lil, and we were decorating a gingerbread house...so she joined in the fun for a bit! The girls opened their presents, we got them the same thing...but one cinderella and one snow white! They loved them! Later on we headed to dinner, and had a good time!! We love our friends so much!!!

Lily's Class Party!

2011-12-16T12:38:00.000-08:00

Lil had her little classroom party on Thursday! They had a fun lunch, played some games, and decorated some cookies! She had a fun time!! I can't believe I was at her preschool Christmas party! She is growing up so fast!!! Love my little sweetie!!!

Lil and her teacher Mrs. Yuzon!

Lil and her teacher Miss Painter

One of the moms made these cake pops! They were awesome!!!

Polar Express PJ Party!!!

2011-12-15T17:44:00.000-08:00

Last Saturday night our neighborhood had a Polar Express Party in our new clubhouse!! Everyone brought cookies, wore their pjs, and had a great time! There were tons and tons of kiddos there! They had many fun stations...there was a card making station, a cookies decorating station, and an ornament making station! Santa himself even made an appearance! We wrapped up the evening with story time and Erin read the Polar Express! Lily had a blast!! It was a wild time!!! I will say it again...it is crazy to see how our neighborhood has grown!!! :)

Lily's Christmas Program at Atlantic Shores

2011-12-07T13:57:00.001-08:00

Today was Lily's Christmas program at school, and she was so excited! She loves to be on stage (she always pretends she is on stage), and she loves to sing and dance! She did a great job, and I was so proud of her! She sang jingle bells, did a cute little finger play about baby Jesus, and then sang one more song about the angels. She was right in the middle and boy did she sing her little heart out and do the motions whole hearted! :) She had so much fun!I was like the paparazzi trying to video her with the video camera, take pictures with my camera, and do a little of both with my IPhone as well! The pictures of her on stage are very blurry, but it was the best I could get! She looked beautiful in one of her Christmas dresses from Grandma! (She loves wearing dresses and tights...so she was in her element all around!) I am so proud of you Lily! You are my little performer! :)

Busch Gardens Christmas Town

2011-12-05T16:30:00.000-08:00

On Saturday night we ventured out to Christmas town. We went with the A-Zs, The Bristows, and the Rappolds. We did not really know what to expect, but it was absolutely amazing!! The lights were just gorgeous, and it was just magical! The kiddos had a blast riding the rides, watching the shows, admiring all of the Christmas lights/decorations, eating yummy food, playing fun games, and being together! At the end of the night we even got to see the penguins, and then it "snowed" while we were in "France." All of the mommas and the daddies had so much fun watching our kids have so much fun! We got there around 4:30 and literally closed the place down! We got home after midnight! It is so great to have such GREAT friends to share memories like this with! We love you all so much!! It was a great way to kickoff the holiday season! Maybe this can be an annual trip?????
***My camera broke just before we left, so these are with my old camera! It was really hard to take good pics because of all of the beautiful lights! Our pictures don't do the park justice...it was so awesome!!!

Breakfast with Santa at the fire station!

2011-12-03T10:37:00.000-08:00

Tara and Micah invited us to go to breakfast with Santa at the fire station this morning! We had a really good time! We rode the shuttle over, ate some yummy breakfast, sat on Santa's lap, toured a fire truck, got faces painted, and got many treats! It was a really good setup, and the kiddos had a blast! Lil loves to be around tons of people, and she had a great time running around and dancing to the music! Thanks T and M for telling us about this! We had a blast!!!

Adventures in Storyland Ballet!

2011-12-02T18:38:00.001-08:00

Lil takes dance at an awesome Christian ballet studio, and they have a company called Masterworks. It is a huge dance company, and they are great! Every year the company puts on a ballet and they perform at Regent University. Her teachers were dancing in it, and she really wanted to go. So...I took a few hours off of work today, and she and I went. She loved it! It was so much fun taking her to the ballet! It was such a great mother/ daughter morning! It was very entertaining and she sat and watched the whole thing! I loved spending time with just you and I this morning Lil! You are the best!!! :) I took a few pics of her before we left this morning! She looked so cute! ~Note the cute hat was off at the end...she does not like hats! Boo!! ;)

Max the elf!

2011-12-02T18:32:00.000-08:00

We had a visitor come to our house when we got back from Thanksgiving break! Santa left Lil a book about an elf, and the next morning the elf magically appeared! Lil had to name the elf, and she came up with the name Max??? So Max is our new friend who appears every morning in a different spot. He is Santa's eyes and ears, and boy does Lil think before she acts now! She is very intrigued by Max, and doesn't want him to hear about or see anything she does wrong. It is actually really funny! A great discipline tool! Max has come back in a few different spots this week, but these were our favs! He was worshipping baby Jesus in the nativity one morning, and then the next he was in sitting on our light fixture! He seems to be a little mischievous, so I can't wait to see wear he lands these next few weeks! ;) We love you Max!

Leg Warmers!

2011-12-02T18:28:00.001-08:00

Lily LOVES dance, and she is doing really well! :) I love to watch her every Wednesday night!! She is learning alot, and she just has so much fun! Grandma got Lily legwarmers awhile ago, and this week it was cold enough to wear them. She loves them and thinks she is so big! I am so proud of you Lil! We especially love to watch you skip backwards and stand in second position! :)

Fun Times in Florida!

2011-11-29T17:02:00.000-08:00

On Saturday we headed out to Markham park for a family photo shoot! My sisters friend started a photography business, and we were so excited to take family pics! She took a million, and I can't wait to see them all! After that, we let Lil play in the playground for a little! We had a great time, and the weather was perfect! We went to Moes for lunch, and later watched the Noles beat the Gators! Yay! We had a great trip and are so thankful for my family! We will see ya'll soon!!!

Seeing Santa!

2011-11-29T16:25:00.000-08:00

We always go shopping the day after Thanksgiving, and we usually go EARLY! Well, my mom had to work through the night this year, so we got ready and headed out by 10. We picked up grandma, and Lil, Mimi, Grandma, Linds, and I went to Aventura. The Christmas setup they have there is so great, and Lily just loves it. She rode the train with Auntie Linds, and then she got to go see Santa! She LOVED him, and told him everything that she wanted! :) We ate lunch and shopped around a little, and then Papa and Daddy came to pick Lil up to go see Happy Feet 2...she fell asleep in the beginning and missed the whole thing! She was a tired pup!!! We had a great day!

We are Thankful!

2011-11-29T16:19:00.000-08:00

On Thanksgiving day we woke up and watched the parade at Mimi and Papa's house! Lil really liked it this year, and it was fun to watch it with her. Mimi was finishing up her cooking to take to grandmas house, and we all just kinda hung out that morning. We went to grandmas house around 12:30 to have Thanksgiving. There was so much food and it was all so good!! We had tons! We had a great day hanging out, eating, and watching football! Lil had a blast playing with everyone...especially Aunt Lindsay! She would not leave her side! :) We have so much to be thankful for! We are blessed beyond belief!

Headed South for Thanksgiving!

2011-11-29T16:10:00.000-08:00

Last Wednesday Lil and I headed South! Our flight left at 5:15 am...we were up and out the door by 3:45! (Daddy was already there for work) We were really tired, but really excited! We got to Ft. Lauderdale and Mimi picked us up! We met grandma and went to Brio for lunch! It was delicious, and we were so happy to see Mimi and Grandma! We had a great lunch! Later on we headed to my mom's Hallmark shop to see the store and shop a little. Lil rode the train and had a great time! It was also Papa's birthday, so we went out to dinner at Grand Luxe with the fam! Happy birthday Papa! We love you so much!

Happy Birthday Daddy!!!

2011-11-13T12:30:00.000-08:00

Last Saturday was Daddy's birthday! We went out to eat on Friday night to one of our favs...Carrabas. Daddy opened his presents from us and my parents and gram. He got some great things from his favorite Johnston and Murphy! We had a yummy dinner! On Saturday we did some Christmas shopping, and then the Butlers had us over for dinner and cake! Happy birthday Daddy!! We love you so much! We hope you had a great day!!!

Happy Halloween!!

2011-11-01T11:15:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween everyone! We had a great night filled with trick or treating, friends, food, and fun! Lily was Sleeping Beauty, and an adorable one at that:) She was so excited to be Aurora. We raced home from school and got ready real quick! Lily totally "played" the part. She curtsied to everyone, and spun herself around like a princess the whole night! She was so sweet! After our mini photo shoot, we headed to the model home where our neighborhood had a party for the neighborhood kiddos! We saw all of our buddies! The kiddos looked ADORABLE! We hung out there for a little, took pics in the photo booth, ate some pizza and candy, and got faces painted, then it was off to trick or treat! We walked around with all of our best buds, and we had a great time! It was so neat to see how far our neighborhood has come! Our first Halloween there 3 years ago, there were only 4 houses! Now there are tons, and the greatest place to trick or treat in the whole area! We are so lucky! Lil had a great time going from house to house, but she was pretty tired by the end. She had also started in on her candy stash! I knew I wasn't going to be able to keep her out of it! :) When we were done, we went over to the Butlers house for chili. When we came home, there were still kids out, so Lil and I sat on the porch and passed out a little more candy! It was a GREAT NIGHT! Love you my little princess!

Kaitlyn's Birthday!

2011-11-01T11:13:00.000-07:00

A little girl in Lily's class had her party at Glazenfire, it is a pottery painting place. Lily LOVES to paint, and all there is to do with art, so she was very excited! They all painted unicorns. Lily was very serious, and painted very carefully! :) Happy Birthday Kaitlyn!

Pumpkin Painting!

2011-11-01T11:11:00.000-07:00

On Saturday we had a bunch of the neighbors over for football watchin', food eatin', and fun! The A-Zs, Rappolds, and Bristows came over! We had tons of food and drinks, and we all had a great time! The kids played so well together, and we even painted pumpkins. (we had to paint the pumpkins in the garage because it was rainy and gross outside!) It was a great night! We love our friends!

Pickin' Pumpkins at school!

2011-10-28T15:55:00.001-07:00

Lily's class had a little pumpkin party. They went out to the garden and picked pumpkins, and then had a little party in her class. I was in my class, so her teacher took my camera and took a few pictures for me. Lily had fun!!! Loved her outfit! (Thanks Mimi! :))

STUDENT OF THE MONTH!!!

2011-10-28T15:34:00.000-07:00

We are so very proud of our little pumpkin! She got Student of the Month for her class! This is a "big deal" to the kiddos, and she was so very excited!!! She got called up on stage in chapel in front of the whole school! She ran up there and grabbed her sign! They all get a yard sign to put in their yard! She was so proud!! We were so excited Daddy was in town, so he was able to be there! We love Atlantic Shores Christian School, and are so happy with Lily's teachers this year! They are awesome! She is doing such a great job! Lily, we are so proud of you and your GREAT behavior in class!! Your teachers say you get along with everyone and have a very kind heart! We love you so very much!!!!! xoxoxo

Our big girl!

Waiting for chapel to start

Mrs. Webb our principal talking about student of the month

Lily running up on stage to get her award!

Waving to us

Lil and Mrs. Webb

Proud parents

Lil and her yard sign!

Farmer Day at school

2011-10-22T11:10:00.001-07:00

Lil had farmer day last week at school. She was very excited! She had a great time doing all sorts of fun activities! She loves school, and is doing so great! I am so very proud of her! We love you our little Farmer Girl!!!!!

Hunt Club Farm

2011-10-22T10:42:00.000-07:00

We went to Hunt Club Farm this morning with Tara, Con, and Rols. It was a BEAUTIFUL day, and we were so excited to take the kids for some more fall fun! They had a great time playing with the animals, playing on the playground, bouncing on the bounce houses, and riding the rides. Lil LOVES the animals, and wanted to feed them. She fed them, and they were all over her... it was kind of gross...but she loved it! When we were in the chicken coop, she wanted to hold the chickens, but I had to draw the line there:) We had a great day!! I love spending time with my Lil! We missed Daddy, but we had a great time with our friends!!

Fall fun at Whites with some of our besties!

2011-10-22T10:28:00.000-07:00

Eric was out of town this weekend, but Lil and I still had "fun" on our agenda! :) Of course we missed Daddy though! On Friday night we headed to Whites to enjoy some yummy treats and a hayride. We went with Tara, Con, and Roli. We had so much fun! We rode the hayride, played in the garden center, had yummy snacks, and even got our faces painted! The kiddos loved it, and it was fun watching them play together...We love our little pumpkins so much!!!

Sweet Girls!

This was the best I could get!
Most of the pics looked like this...they were so interested in the pumpkins!

Popcorn snack!

Waiting our turn for the hayride

My Little Pumpkin!

Tara and her little pumpkins on the hayride

Me and my pumpkin on the hayride

MMM...Chocolate marshmallow on a stick

More Fun with Granna and Pepe!

2011-10-22T10:21:00.000-07:00

After the game in Raleigh, we headed back home. We hung out all day Sunday and relaxed! Lil and I didn't have school on Monday, so we went with Granna and Pepe to lunch and to see the Lion King 3D. It was good, but a little scary! Lil played in the playplace at the mall and had a great time. Later on that night we ate fajitas and watched the pitiful Dolphins lose again...Oh Well! Thanks again granna and pepe! We had so much fun with you! We love you so much and will see you soon!!!

Go Noles...Beat Duke!!

2011-10-19T17:32:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we headed out of town to meet Eric's patents and go watch FSU play Duke in Raleigh, NC. We got there Friday night, and were very excited to see Granna and Pepe! We had dinner and hung out. They couldn't believe how big Lil is, and she cracked them up. The next day we slept in, had breakfast, and then found a spot to tailgate at the stadium. It was a beautiful day!! Lily loved going to the game, and had a great time. We ate tons of snacks, watched the cheerleaders and the band, got more snacks, got faces painted, got more snacks...oh, and watched a little football! We killed Duke, and we all had a great time! After the game we went to this cool little restaurant right near campus. It was great, and Lil entertained the crowd! The campus was beautiful, and we were so glad we went. Thanks Granna and Pepe for an awesome weekend at Duke!!!

Pumpkin Patch Fun!

2011-10-19T17:23:00.001-07:00

We went to a cute little pumpkin patch a couple Sundays ago after church. Lil had a great time! There was tons for her to do, and her fav was the old swing! She spent most of her time there. She was "scared" of some of the bounce houses with the Halloween drawings on them. We love our little Sundays fundays as a family! Love you angel!

Lily's first trip to the dentist!

2011-10-04T14:55:00.000-07:00

We took Lil to the dentist for the first time yesterday! She did so good! She sat in the chair and listened to everything the hygienist and dentist said. She asked a bunch of questions, and I could tell she was nervous, but she did GREAT!!! They were all very impressed! :) She did not have any cavities! We are so proud of you Lily! You are such a big girl!!!!

Lily has BIG NEWS!!!!

2011-10-04T14:47:00.000-07:00

Lily is excited to announce that she is going to be a BIG SISTER next May! Yep! We are having a baby! We are all very excited! We told Lily and she said is there a baby in your tummy? How big is SHE....when can I hold HER...when can I see Her! She is very excited, and giggles every time we talk about it! She is convinced we are having a girl baby! She wore her outfit to school on Monday and told everybody! Lil was excited to tell everyone! She said my mommy has a baby in her belly and held up her fingers and said she is this big! So Cute!!! We are so thankful and feel so blessed!!! We love you big sister!!!!!

Fall is here!

2011-10-04T14:32:00.000-07:00

On Sunday we went to church and then went to Whites Nursery. They were having a little face painting and fall craft area! We also got Mums and pumpkins! Lily had fun decorating her pumpkin. She looked so cute!!! Love you princess!!!!

Disney Princesses on Ice!

2011-10-01T12:52:00.001-07:00

We were so excited that Disney Princesses on Ice was coming to town! We got tickets, and so did the Rappolds! We made a cute little princess breakfast complete with pink pancakes with strawberries and whipped cream:) Lily and Aubrey looked so cute! They were both so excited!!! We got there and got souvenirs, and then headed to our seats! They LOVED it! It was so good!! It was about 2 hours long, and Lil loved every second! We had great seats!! We had such a special day taking our sweet girl! Such a great memory! WE LOVE YOU LILY!!!!!!!!!!

Happy Birthday Erin!

2011-10-01T12:46:00.000-07:00

Erin turned 30 last week, so we had a little surprise get together for her! She was surprised, and we had a great time!! Everyone came to our house first, and then we all went out to Portsmouth! Happy Birthday Erin! We love you!!!!

Princess Roli's 1st birthday!

2011-10-01T12:35:00.000-07:00

We were so happy to be able to celebrate with sweet Roli! We can't believe she is 1! Tara had the sweetest party, and it was just so cute! The kiddos had so much fun making princess crowns and wands, decorating castles, and eating pink pancakes:) Roli looked precious!! Happy Birthday sweet girl! We love you!!!

Guitar lessons from a pro!

2011-09-18T06:47:00.001-07:00

Eric, Lil, and I went to the Isle of White county fair because Jake Owen was the headliner for the concert. Eric was excited to see him because he didn't get to see him last month when they were here to play. Well the weather was horrible...I have never walked through such mud in my life! It rained the entire time! UGH!!! But, we headed to his bus and hung out there all day. We had a good time! Lil loves music and instruments...especially guitars!!! So she played with Jake all day! She was shy at first, and then warmed up real quick! By the end of the night she was running back and forth on the bus! We watched some of the Noles game, and then he went on at 9. We had a great time! Lily had a blast, and loved watching him play on stage! He really is an awesome performer!! Lily was clapping and singing and screaming with the rest of the crazies! SO CUTE! We had a great day!! We are proud of the Noles, even though they didn't come out with the W!

Olivia's Birthday!

2011-09-18T06:40:00.001-07:00

Olivia had her 4th birthday party at the bowling alley last weekend. Lil had a great time. she gets a little bored between turns, but she likes to bowl! And she always loves a fun party! She especially loves the cake! Happy Birthday O! We love you!

Go Noles!

2011-09-18T06:36:00.000-07:00

Lil and I wore our gameday gear to school a couple Fridays ago before the first FSU game! It was also bear day at school for Lil, so she was showing of her bear Molly:)

Hold me close Tiny Dancer!

2011-09-07T17:51:00.000-07:00

My little sweetie started ballet last night! OH MY....the cuteness! I know I am completely biased, but that was just the cutest little ballerina ever! She was so very excited! Wednesdays are going to be long days for us. We do not have time to go home before her class, so we have to just eat dinner and change while we are out! Her class starts at 6:00. She was so excited to wear her new ballet clothes and shoes! She couldn't wait to carry her bag! She was so excited to go dance! She is taking at Academie de ballet. It is a Christian ballet studio that came highly recommended! The studio is awesome, with four separate rooms! The place was just buzzing and it reminded me of my dance studio form long ago! We went into the dressing rooms to take pictures, and she just loved it! She loved looking at herself in the mirror! It was time for her to go into her class, and she went right in and sat in the circle. There are about 12 little Ladies in her 3-4 year old class. All such cuties! The teacher is real young and sweet. She had them do fun intro to ballet songs and learn to point, to do butterflies, first position, second position, and skipping. Lily was SO funny! Such a ham! She kept looking at me and smiling and waving and blowing me kisses! There are huge windows where all parents can watch! So Great! She would giggle with the little girls next to her, and every once in awhile, she would catch her self in the mirror and twirl and spin! A few parents were commenting on how funny she was...I was cracking up! She wanted to show her teacher everything she did. So funny! She came out when class was over and said she loved it! She did GREAT!!!!!! I just want her to have fun! I was totally that mom taking millions of pictures, but hey...it was her first class! :) So proud of you Lily! After we went to Wendys and got a frosty! :)

Build a Bear in Raleigh

2011-09-06T17:37:00.001-07:00

The next morning we woke up and headed to build a bear at the mall! This was Lily's first time actually making a bear there...she has tons that she has received as presents, but has never actually made one. Well she had a blast! She loved it! She picked out ballerina jammies to dress her bear in. She named her bear Molly and just loved on that bear! SO CUTE! After that Lily, Daddy, and I went to eat lunch at PF Changs! SO DELISH!!!!!!! We went back to the hotel to hang out for a bit and later met Deanna and the kids for some swimming at their hotel. After that we went to a really neat place called Champs for dinner. We had so much fun! The next morning we decided to head home! The hurricane did not do damage to us, thank the Lord, but we didn't have power. When we got back home we didn't have power for that day until 5 am the next morning. I wasn't that bad! And we grilled up all of our meat and shared with the neighborhood! :) We had a fun night! Thank you Lord for keeping us safe, and for no damage!

Hurricane Evacuation Vacay!

2011-09-06T17:33:00.001-07:00

Well, we had a hurricane comin our way...Thanks Irene! So...we decided to head out of town! Being born and raised in Florida, we have been through many hurricanes, and we would have been fine! But now that we have Lily, we didn't want to risk it...Even for the mere fact of not having power, being flooded in, etc. So we decided to take a little road trip to Raleigh. We went with Deanna and the kids! We left at the crack of dawn on Friday morn. We thought there would be tons of traffic...but their wasn't! We got there in about 3 hours, so we had the whole day to do fun stuff! We went to an outdoor shopping mall and looked around a few stores! Later we went to the mall and had lunch, went back to the hotels and took naps, then headed to the Butlers room for pizza! We had a great time! It was a nice little escape!

First Day of 3K, August 24, 2011

2011-09-06T17:16:00.000-07:00

I have said it before, and I will say it again....but I can't believe my baby is in 3K! She woke up and was very excited to head to school! She was excited about her new outfit, her new lunchbox, and her new backpack! She was excited to see her friends and teachers! I however, was very nervous!!! I just want her to love her life and everything in it! I want her to be so happy, and school is a BIG part of her little life...and will be for many years to come! I prayed and prayed that she would get a great teacher and have a great year! I want her to love school and everything about it! I want her to learn to listen and obey, and to be a kind and loving friend! I want her to have many friends, and to be sweet! I want her to want to help others and always do her best! I want so much for my sweet Lily! I love her so much...so I guess to say I was nervous, was a bit of an understatement! Well, she walked into class like such a big girl! She did great on her first day! I was so excited and happy! I couldn't wait to hear about her first day! She looked so big, yet so little sitting in her seat at her table! I was so proud! I know I know it is only preschool...but this was a huge deal to her and to us! :)
Lily, I am so very proud of you! You did an excellent job, and I am so excited! Your Mimi and Daddy walked you in because I had to be in my class, and they said you were such a big girl! I know you are going to have a great year not only learning academics, but also about God! I pray you make many friends, and that you are kind! I pray you are leader, and do your best in everything you do! We love you so very much!!! LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

After we picked Lil up from school, we had to take Mimi to the airport! Thank you so much Mimi for all you did for us! We were so glad you got to be there for Lily's first day! We love you so much!

Open House!

2011-09-05T13:10:00.000-07:00

Lily had her first open house on Monday night! She looked so cute and was so excited! I was so glad my mom was here to go with Eric and Lil to her class...I had to do my own open house in my classroom for my 1st graders! Lil had a great time, and really enjoyed meeting all of her new friends! I am so proud of you Lil!!! Love you so much! I know you are gonna have a great year!

Church!

2011-09-04T18:41:00.000-07:00

On Sunday we went to church then to lunch! We LOVE LOVE LOVE our church! It is such a blessing to go and hear Pastor Heath preach every week! He is amazing! After church and lunch we came home and all took a nap! We were tired!

Chuck E Chees!

2011-09-01T18:07:00.000-07:00

We got up on Saturday morn, and headed to Target. We got Lil some cute Fall clothes, and we also got her a new big girl booster seat! She was so excited! Mimi got Lil a sweet strawberry shortcake doll to add to her collection. After that we headed to Chuck E Cheese, where Lil always has a blast! We had a another great day!

New Student Meet and Greet at Atlantic Shores Christian School

2011-09-01T17:48:00.000-07:00

We had new student meet and greet on Friday night at school! I had to be there to work...but I also got to be there for Lily to come and meet her teachers and her new friends! (she already knows her teachers, but of course she wouldn't miss this:)) My mom and Eric brought her, and she looked so big! They served "dirt" and chocolate covered pretzels as they walked in! So cute! Lil had about 5 pretzels...she loved them! They rallied the parents into the auditorium for a little info session, and the kiddos went to the rooms to play! Lil did great! I was so nervous that she might not go, or that she would cry...but she went right in! So Proud of my girl! I am looking forward to a great year! Her teachers are so loving and awesome! That is SO important!

Lil with Mrs. Yuzon

Lil with Mrs. Burns

LOVE!

Lil and her bud Emily (Emily is in 4K this year)

And when we got home....Lil jammed out for us on her Dora guitar!

She LOVES instruments, singing and, dancin!

HILARIOUS!!

Fun with Mimi!

2011-09-01T17:42:00.000-07:00

Lily loves her dollys, and she loves taking them for walks! So the next day, they did just that! They walked her baby all around the neighborhood, and took her to the park! So cute! I love watching her play with her babies! She is so sweet with them...well, that is unless they are "not being nice"...then she is disciplining them..hmmm... I hear a little bit of myself in her voice! Wow!
Anyways...later on they went to ride the carousel at the mall and played in the play place! Another great day!

Smurf Movie with Mimi

2011-09-01T17:31:00.000-07:00

Mimi loves to take Lil to do fun stuff! They are always on the go! So she took her to see the Smurf movie, then to the play place and Johnny Rockets at the mall! They had a great time! Lil had cheese fries and a chocolate shake...MMMMMM! Delish! Love my sweet girl! It made going back to work so much easier knowing that my mom had Lil!

Playin' at the park!

2011-09-01T17:16:00.000-07:00

Lily wanted to take Mimi to the park to watch her play! So off we went! We saw many friends there and had a great time! The weather was starting to cool off! Yay!!

Children's Museum with Mimi and friends!

2011-08-29T16:34:00.000-07:00

My mom had planned to take Lil to the new children's museum that just opened up here, and Deanna, Olivia, and Lucas, and Kim, Max, and Mia had planned to go on Wednesday and asked Mom and Lil to come along! They had a great time! Mom said it was awesome! Lily had a blast! Thanks Mimi for taking Lily! She had so much fun!

Mimi's here!

2011-08-29T16:27:00.000-07:00

My wonderful mom volunteered to come watch Lil for the first week that I had to go back to work! I really didn't want to leave her with anyone because I wanted her to have a great last week of summer, and didn't want her to worry about anything! So of course...my mom dropped everything and flew up! Lily was super excited as always! We picked Mimi up from the airport (of course Mimi came with gifts from her, papa, and grandma!), and then we headed to lunch at the Bakers Crust! So Yummy!!! Later on we ran some errands and got ice cream! We came home and played and played! We had a great first day with Mimi! I had to go back the next day! Boo!!! I can't believe summer is over!

Lil with her presents!

So Happy Mimi is here!
Love!

Lily's first hair cut!!!

2011-08-04T13:54:00.000-07:00

Today I took Lil to get her very first haircut!!! I love her long locks, so we just got a little trim...I would actually love to have it cut in a cute little bob, but I think she is a little too young for that:) She was very excited! She did a great job and sat very still! Samantha at Hair We Are cut it (she does my hair too:)) Like I said, she trimmed it a little, and gave Lil a certificate and a lolly pop! Lily loves her new hair and is very excited to show everyone! Great job Lil! :)

Before the "trim"

During the "trim"

After the "trim"

Lucas's Birthday Party at the Orb!

2011-08-02T18:31:00.000-07:00

We went to Lucas's bday party on Saturday at the Orb! It is a huge indoor bouncy house place! Lily had a blast, and we loved watching her have so much fun! Lucas is Mark and Deanna's son. (and Olivia is their daughter) Mark and Deanna have become so close to us!! Lily is so close to Lucas and Olivia, and she just loves them! We love our Butlers so much!! Happy Birthday Lucas!

My official Atlantic Shores Christian preschooler!

2011-08-02T18:21:00.000-07:00

Lily got a sweet certificate and an acceptance letter from Mrs. Webb at Atlantic Shores Christian! It "officially" welcomed her to her new school! (She went there last year, but wasn't part of the official school, she was a part of the staff daycare) She will start 3K this Fall! I am in LOVE with the preschool program, and really think she will do well!! She will be in a structured environment where she will learn academics as well as got to art, pe, music, computer, and chapel!! I SERIOUSLY can't believe Lil will be going to preschool!! She is so big!!! I am so proud of her!!! I love you baby girl! I can't wait to see how much you love school!! xoxox

Big Girl Bed!!!

2011-08-02T18:08:00.000-07:00

Lily has never once tried to climb out of her crib...never once!!! I really can't believe that my little wild child has never attempted it!!! So...E and I decided to let her stay in her crib as long as possible!!! Well, now that she turned 3 in May, we thought we better transition her into a big girl bed! So, while we were on vacation, where she slept with me pretty much every night, E turned her bed to a toddler bed! Lil came home to a big girl bed, and she was very excited!!! I, however was very nervous!! I just did not think she would stay in her bed! We told her she could pick out her new sheets, comforter etc. So she was super excited, and picked out whatever she wanted! The first night in her bed...SHE FELL OUT!!! I felt so bad!!! Poor thing!!! It wasn't a far fall, but it scared her!! The next night she did great!! She only fell out one other night, but has done awesome!! We are so proud of her!! Lily, you are such a big girl, and daddy and I are so proud of you!! We love you so much angel!!!

First French Braid!

2011-08-02T18:03:00.000-07:00

I forgot to post this, but while we were in Florida, I did Lily's hair in a french braid! I can't believe my baby is old enough to have a french braid!! Look at that long hair!! Love you boogs!!!

Great show!!! Great time with an old friend!!!

2011-07-27T13:16:00.000-07:00

Some of us girls decided we would go to the Jake Owen/Keith Urban concert for Abby's birthday! Eric was out of town, so we had to get a babysitter for Lil! She loved her!! yay!! Anyways...we were so excited because Jake gave us awesome tix and meet and greet passes! So us mommies got all decked out in our cowgirl gear and headed out for a great night!! Well, we had a great night indeed!!! Jake was awesome!! He really does just put on a great show!!! So much fun!!! I was with my best girls too...so we had a blast!!! After he performed...Keith came on!! He was awesome too! He rocked it out!!! Incredible show as well!!! He can rip it on the guitar!! We had great seats!! After the show we headed out to Jake's bus to have a drink and spend some time with him!! He is doing great, and we had a great time just hanging with him for a little!! We got home very late...and guess who was still up??? You got it...our Lily!!! We ended up going to bed past 1am! We had such a great night! Happy birthday Abby! and...Thanks Jake!

All ready!!

Meet n Greet

Miss him!

Birthday Girl!

Awesome lighting!

GREAT SHOW!!!!!!!!

Barefoot Blue Jean nights!!!

Startin' with me!

Me and my T!!!

Notice a little someone in the background???

Abby and Erin!

Me and my twinnie!! :)

Rocked it!!

Abby had her pic with Jake and Zeke on the bus!!

Happy Birthday Abby!!!

Down town St. Augustine

2011-07-25T14:01:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday night we ended our trip by going into down town for drinks, music, and dinner. I love it there!! It was hot hot hot!!! We had a great time!! Thanks so much Granna and Pepe for everything!! We had so much fun, and really appreciate y'all having us!!! Love you!!!

Beach Chick!

2011-07-25T13:24:00.000-07:00

The next 2 days we did beach then pool!! Lil loved it!! She even tried boogie boarding!! She got a little scared, but we think it was because the waves were huge! Granna buried her and made her into a mermaid! She LOVES every part of the beach...playing in the water, playing in the sand, collecting shells, chasing birds, and even people watching!! We had such a great time at the beach house!

St. Augustine Bound!

2011-07-25T13:03:00.000-07:00

After a great few days in Orlano, we headed up the road to St. Augustine! We stopped for lunch at Steak n Shake!! MMMMM! I love it in St. Aug!! It is so nice and relaxing!! We got there and hit the pool!!! Lily swam and swam!! She is doing so great!!! She can swim underwater! I am so proud of my little fishy!!! Later on we hung out outside and enjoyed the beach!!! LOVE IT!! We had a great dinner, and enjoyed some wine! Thanks guys! Another great day!

Golf Cart Girl!!

2011-07-25T12:59:00.000-07:00

Lil loves going for rides on the golf cart!! Pepe took Lil and I for a ride!! We had a nice time, and the weather was beautiful!! Thanks Pep!!!

Winnie the Pooh!

2011-07-25T12:11:00.000-07:00

We saw Winnie the Pooh!! Granna and Pepe took us to see the Pooh movie and Lil loved it!!! She also loved her snack pack! She is such a big girl! Thanks guys!!!

Cousin Pics!!

2011-07-25T11:46:00.000-07:00

Amy, Ryan, and Jake and Craig, Ashlie, and Abby came over on Saturday! Lil and I were so excited to see the.!!! Granna and Pepe got us all a picture session at the Picture People, so Amy made us all appts to go have pictures done. All I can say is WOWWWWW!!! It was the funniest thing I have ever seen in my life!!! Trying to get 3 kiddos 3 and under to sit still and stay in one place was hilarious!! We were all sweating by the end! We managed to get one food one of the 3 kiddos...not all were smiling, but no one was crying! So Funny!!!!!! I snapped o few before we went back to the picture room. After the pictures were done, we went to ChickFila for lunch! We were exhausted!!

Havin' fun with "Baby Jake"

2011-07-22T06:59:00.000-07:00

When we got home... we tried to put all of the kiddos down for a nap...Jake slept for a bit, Lil never ended up falling asleep, and Abby slept for a few hours! Before we got in the pool, Lil and Jake played for a little while Abby slept. He is just such a doll baby!! The happiest little thing I have ever seen!! So Sweet!! And so strong!!! He just watched Lily, and didn't take his eyes off her!! He gave lots of kisses and hugs, and really liked to play with her!!! She was good with him! He is so adorable!!! I see these too getting into some trouble in the future;) Love you Jake!

CUTIE

See...his eyes are locked in on Lil...
He was probably thinking...wow...that girl is crazy!!!;)

see...

...and...

SO fun!!!