First Beach Trip of the Year

It has been quite some time since I have blogged, so I thought I'd give you an update. We went to Holden Beach last weekend for some much needed family time. We brought our bikes down to the beach and rode around on some of the side streets. Then we headed on to the beach for some play time. Ethan was so excited to get into the water (which was surprisingly not that cold) and Emerson was a bit hesitant. Totally different from last year. I am hoping that her new apprehension this year will make it easier on me! The weather was perfect the entire weekend. On Sunday, Ethan and I went to a little festival at the docks. We shared a lemonade and he played games. I love our "dates." They are way too infrequent! I've uploaded three albums from that weekend to date as well as some videos.

Accessories: One with "Pretty Pretty," One with a Laptop (not pictured, but it's there!)

Spring Break

Ethan was out of school last week for Spring Break. I tried to schedule either day trips or at least lots of outdoor fun. We did several things, but the biggest was Monkey Joe's! That place is a favorite in our house. THANK GOD they are opening one in Fayetteville next month. I drove by it yesterday and although it's smaller than Wilmington, it's CLOSER! Yay! Kim, Alex and Caroline rode with us and three other moms followed. We had so much fun. We ate lunch at the mall and rode the carousel. We split from the other girls and headed in to Elizabethtown to some of the new shops. Then off to Lu Mil Vineyard. Janice was working, so Kim and I helped her clean up while the kids tried their best to behave. We fed fish and explored the grounds for a bit and then came back to Lumberton for dinner. What a day that was! Needless to say, Friday was a bit less activity filled!

My mom visited us this weekend. Emerson, my mom and myself went to Fayetteville and then Dunn on Saturday while Ethan and Chris went on adventures around the neighborhood. I think they played every sport that there is except for basketball (Grammy's car was in the way!). Some of our friends were in town, so we were able to go out to dinner with them kid free! Hope everyone had a great week and weekend. Pictures are in the album.

Happy Easter!

Kami and I took the kids to our church's Easter Egg Hunt yesterday. They had games that the kids could play and of course the hunt! There were a lot of kids there, but not as many as I had expected, so that was a pleasant surprise! Ethan still had to hustle to get some eggs! He got a good amount, so he shared with a little boy who came a little late. Everyone was gone from their age group's area and that little boy was looking as hard as he could for some eggs. I should have hid them for him instead of handing them to him!

The rest of the afternoon was spent outside. Chris brought home the pressure washer to clean off our porch. He let Ethan spray some and that was a soaking mess, but tons of fun for Ethan. He came in soaking wet with dirt ALL over him! Ethan had a hard time yesterday morning after Chris left for work. He does not get nearly as much time with his daddy as he'd like. He was sad that his daddy couldn't go to the Easter Egg Hunt with him. Chris got out of work late and showed up as we were leaving. After telling Chris about him crying, I think he felt bad for him so he let him have free reign of the pressure washer. Emerson and I stayed inside while Ethan was in control of that thing!

Today we went to church and enjoyed a wonderful service. I love that church more and more each week. After lunch we visited with Grandpa for a little while and then came home for our last Easter Egg Hunt. I think this one made our fifth this year! I didn't put anything in these because I am always the one who opens them and puts away the candy anyway! They just enjoyed looking for them. Now Emerson is napping while Chris and Ethan ride bikes. Hope everyone had a nice Easter. More pictures in the album.

Bunnies and Basketballs!

Chris and I took the kids to the Easter Eggstravaganza at Exploration Station on Saturday. Ethan's main concern was whether or not Jacie would be there. He even made a bracelet for her! He was so shy around her, so I had to give it to her. Emerson was very scared of the Easter Bunny, as you can tell. Luckily, Ethan is not afraid of the Easter Bunny or Santa anymore. We played outside the rest of the day until Chris decided that Ethan needed a basketball goal. Off to the store we go in search of a big boy hoop! With all of the help that Chris had putting it together, it only took all afternoon yesterday. Poor guy!

Rain, Rain, Go Away

Spring is officially here! I am ready for some sunshine! I often let the kids play in the puddles on a warm day in their rain boots. Ethan is a pro, but this is Emerson's first year participating. Her boots kept getting stuck in the big puddles behind our house. I kept hearing, "I stuck, Mommy!" She also did not like getting wet. Such a girly girl. Ethan, however, was wet pretty much from head to toe and could care less! ALL boy! We have some Easter festivities coming up this weekend, so I'll post those pictures next week. There are also a couple of short videos in the album.