Savannah part 2

We made it back home just in time for the snow! I'm not sure of the exact total but it has to be at least 8". I've noticed that the general consensus seems to be more relaxed this time around, of course what else could it be after having 2' of snow during the last storm?

We had a great time on our trip to Hilton Head, SC/Savannah, GA. I got to do a little outlet shopping, R got to catch a little bit of extra sleep and the girls fell completely off of their routine. Not too hard to do when we got on the road at 2:00am coming and going. R and I figured it would be a much easier drive if the girls were able to sleep part of the way. It was easier on them but I've decided I'm just too old to pull an all-nighter like that. The effects lingered for days.......

Here are some of the pics from our time in Savannah-


The four of us at Forsyth Park


R and the girls on River St.


G at the Pirates House


Gotta love this girl and her hats:-)


G and K on the beach at Hilton Head

We're on the road again.......

I can't believe the end of January is almost here. It's been a busy month. Just getting the Christmas tree down and all the new toys put away was an almost overwhelming task. This will be a long post since I've been such a slacker about updating this month, so bear with me.

G got back to school early in the month. She didn't want to, but she made it :-) The first week back FCS had Spirit Week and each day the kids got to wear something different, other than their uniforms. They had pajama day, school colors day, mismatch day....... I think that also helped make the transition back a little easier. She has also started reading groups in her class and is very excited about that.

We got back to Daisies which is always fun. G is selling Girl Scout cookies which the Daisies don't normally do the first year but hers is a mixed troop of Daisies and Brownies so she gets to participate. The night that we came home after the meeting she wanted to call everyone and try to sell them cookies-it was very cute! Many thanks to all our friends and family who have participated. G set a goal of 150 boxes-that's how many you have to sell to get the stuffed Panda-and she has already sold over 100 boxes. We've got about 2 weeks left to sell and hopefully she will meet her goal. If not, my family may see a lot of Girl Scout cookies at the family functions:-)

Earlier this month, my wonderful Aunt J sent Christmas for the girls, complete with homemade cookies. It was like celebrating the holiday all over again! The girls loved the presents and we loved having the cookies. G loved the Lee Middleton doll (I love the doll-this is the doll that I would have picked for myself)the books, and the makeup kit. K got a doll,a beautiful handmade quilt, some books and these really great animal cards. See pics below. Thanks Aunt J and Cousin R! I'll be sending you lots of pics by mail!

Baby K is crawling, pulling up on things, starting to cruise and in general has become a small wrecking crew on her own. She is so curious! She gets into things that G never considered touching-she's curious about the electric outlets, the steps, and she's a vacuum cleaner when it comes to any little piece of something that is on the floor. The laundry basket pic was 30 seconds alone as I was putting things away-you can imagine what would happen if she had 10 minutes to herself.

We're in Hilton Head this week trying to relax with the girls. It's too cold to get in the water but we've managed to spend a little time on the beach collecting shells. Yesterday we did a day trip into Savannah, GA. Beautiful! The kind of place that you would actually like to spend a couple of days exploring. The architecture in the historic district is so grand and beautiful, much more so than in our own historic downtown area. There are lots of historic homes available to tour but with the kids we had to limit the amount of "adult activities". We chose to visit the Juliette Gordon Low home-the founder of the Girl Scouts. It was a good tour and G really enjoyed it-it was exciting to see her make the connection between what she was seeing and how it played into her Daisy troop.

I'll post a couple of pics I took on the beach but will have to post the rest later. My gang has gotten up and is ready to start their day.



The girls before the paper shredding started.......


G and her new baby


Baby K and the really fun animal cards


My laundry helper


Baby K on the beach in Hilton Head


G collecting shells in Hilton Head

Goodbye to the Old, Hello to the New

Happy New Year! It really doesn't seem like a year has come and gone.

Despite all the grim economic and world news of the past year, 2009 was a great year for our family. We welcomed Baby K, our families are healthy, including R and I who are "not 18 anymore", and our personal economic situation-while not great-is a lot better than a lot of other folks.

This is the perfect opportunity to say thanks to our families for their love and support this past year (and always), thank you to the two wonderful women who gave birth to the two girls I now call my own, thanks to my husband for allowing me to follow my dream (could be a nightmare depending on the day :-) of being a stay-at-home mom, thanks to my two wonderful girls for the blessings that you are, and above all else, thank you Lord for all these wonderful people that you've put in my life.

A New Year's post wouldn't be complete without a few resolutions so here are mine for 2010:
-a little more patience for the chaotic mornings in our household (regardless of the night before prep, the last 5 minutes before going out the door are always chaos)
-a little more wisdom to determine how to eliminate the chaotic mornings in our household (could also use some of that in other situations as well)
-better time management skills (remembering that there are really only a limited number of hours in the day)
-to raise my children to be kind, responsible, and productive individuals
-and above all else, to remember to slow down and enjoy the little moments because life is about the journey, not the destination