Time with Loved Ones

 

This weekend we celebrated Grammy's birthday! Audrey and Addison wanted to pick out a cookie cake for her.

 

 

We went out to eat for her birthday. While we were out to eat, Grandaddy gave the girls their "cow checks". Each year he sells a calf and gives them the money to save for their college expenses.  This has been a tradition started by my Pawpaw back when I was little, so I'm glad the tradition carries on.

 

We also got to spend some time with Nana.  It was so good to see her.  My girls can always make her smile and brighten even her worst days.  They love their Nana.

Dancing Darlings

At the beginning of December, the dance studio where Audrey and Addison take lessons have a Visitors' Day. Family members get to pile into the studio and watch these little darlings. 

 

Corey was on shift at the fire station (of course) but a co-worker was nice enough to work for him long enough to allow him to come watch both girls. Grammy also joined us for the special day.

 

This is Addison's first year taking dance.  She loves it and is always showing us what she has learned.  This day was just her cup of tea because she got to show off her moves.

 

 

I was really impressed with how well she was doing.

 

Seriously, can she get any cuter?!?

 

This is Audrey's 2nd year taking dance.  She really enjoys her classes and I often find her practicing all over the house.  Audrey has really grown and improved with her dancing abilities.

 

Miss Molly Brook is the teacher for both girls even though they are in different classes. She is an amazing teacher and has so much patience with these little ones.

 

It takes lots of focus in that tap dance!

 

It thrills me to see my sweet girls enjoying dance so much.  I'm so glad that we got to have a sneak peek into their classes.

In the Christmas Spirit

We've started a tradition (Audrey, Addison, Grammy and myself) after the Christmas tea party, we all meet, grab some lunch and go wait on the Christmas parade that happens in the nearby town shortly after the party.

 

Audrey and Addison enjoyed munching on their "old McDonald's" food while waiting for the parade to begin.

 

 

And a little Grammy lovin' while we wait.

 

Addison practiced her photography skills.  This kid is REALLY good with a camera!  I am amazed at some of the photos she takes.

Finally, the parade arrives and Addison was eagerly awaiting some candy.



 

Miss Hollywood, aka Audrey, sporting her new necklace she caught.

 

We always have such a great time at the parade.  This year the weather was perfect!  Made for a great day.

Pumpkin Patch

One of the fun traditions we do each year as a family is to go to the pumpkin patch.  We always have such a great time!

 

The girls checked out the teepees.

They thought the huge pumpkins were so cool!

My sweet Audrey girl.  So grown up!

Addison loved pulling all of the hay out of the bales.

My two pumpkins!

Family fun!

 

Grammy surprised the girls and met us at the pumpkin patch to enjoy the fun.  Then she took them home with her to spend the weekend getting spoiled a little more.

 

The girls LOVED riding the horses. 

 

Can you tell the petting zoo made them happy??

 

A little ride on the tractor train.  Although the driver attempted to bounce us out of our seats, the girls held on tight and kept a smile on their faces.

 

And now for the challenge of picking the best pumpkin...

All smiles and fun on this beautiful day. With the exception of the disappointment to find out that all the food vendors close up waaayyy before the pumpkin patch offically closes (no one bothered to tell us that or put signs up) so my girls didn't get their treats that were promised to them.  :(  But over all, a fabulous day!

A Few More Memories...

A few more memories from our time at Grammy and Grandaddy's...

 

Sunday morning after church.  Me and my sweet girls...

 

 

Audrey- our stylish dancer...

 

...with her kool-aid mustache

 

Grammy and her girls after church...

Sweet sisters...I do love them so!

A Week at Grammy and Grandaddy's (part 2)

More about our wonderful week with Grammy and Grandaddy...

 

One day during the week, Grammy and I took the girls for a day packed with fun.  We didn't tell them what we had planned, only that there were surprises in store for them.  They were so excited

 

Our first stop was the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts.  We didn't tour the entire museum (I'm not that brave!  I could just see some of that priceless work hitting the floor while my 2 monkeys jumped around- haha).  But we spent a couple of hours in the "ArtWorks" area.  Everything in that section was just for kids.  Audrey and Addison LOVED it.

 

 

There were so many fun and interesting things there.  The best part was it was FREE! Addison really liked the lighted table.

 

Addison, Grammy and Audrey doing a little dance in front of the screen.  I loved how this turned out.

 

We had loads of fun trying on the masks from different countries.

 

Audrey wanted to sketch a picture at one of the drawing stations. 

 

This was the "object" that they were supposed to draw (photo below).  I was totally stunned at how well Audrey drew this.  She paid attention to all the details including how many squares in each area, the phone and even the length of the lady's hair.  It was amazing to see her final product.  Grammy and I were very proud of her!

 

Addison got a kick out of racing the cars in this table.  You pushed a button to make the cars go and race against each other.  Apparently, the sound was appealing, too, because she would race the cars while putting her ear to the table to "listen" to it.  Silly child!



 

They also had really neat computer programs the kids could use.  This one would take their photo then allow them to draw and paint on their faces.

Addison and her creation.

 

Audrey's design.

Addison wanted to do a little sketching, also. 

 

Once we finished with the museum, we got some bread to feed the ducks and geese.  The girls thought that was just wonderful. Lots of laughter here!

 

Next on the agenda was lunch at Jason's Deli then a quick stop to take some photos of my 2 beauties at one of the lovely gardens nearby.

 

I used a little bribery to get good photos...Aunt Carolyn had given the girls money for their birthdays to go to Build-a-Bear and this was the first opportunity we've had to go since then.  Since they did so well with their pictures, Grammy and I brought them here for more fun memories.

 

It took them forever to pick which animal they wanted.  It is quite overwhelming with all the choices offered.  Addison insisted on one of the most (ahem) "interesting" bears they had.  It did end up cute and she does LOVE it...but it wasn't quite what I was expecting her to choose.

Giving their animals a bath.

 

Meet Lucy (Addison's bear) and Rainbow (Audrey's rabbit).  They had so much fun!! Thank you, Aunt Carolyn!  And Grammy!  She bought the new pets extra clothes and sunglasses.

Then they spotted the carousel in the mall.  We couldn't end this great day without a ride on it.

 

By the end we were all exhausted, but had oh-so-much fun!