End of Summer

The last week of July Azure had theater camp. She loved it! The last day they performed some choreographed skits and it was TOO cute. Azure had a blast doing it. You have to be 7 to audition for their plays so we're waiting...

 After doing a counting activity with dried beans she made this masterpiece all on her own! Pretty original alien esp since we don't even have any pics of anything like this in our home. Maybe she's an ET :)

As Charles was about to leave for work one morning he noticed a cookie with a bite taken out and wrote this note to me. I read it to Azure and she confessed and then wrote this note back.

We took the kids bowling for the first time on a kids bowl free day. They loved it!

Other than me being deathly ill for all of May and June, this summer was a fun one! Much better than last summer and all the emotional turmoil I went through.

Family Vacation Part 3

On our last day in DC we went to the DC temple's visitors center (the temple was closed for cleaning) and ate at Cafe Rio one last time. We drove through downtown and stopped at IKEA. Temple, IKEA, AND Cafe Rio makes for one giddy girl :)

We had dinner with the Hoveys and Michelle and her husband. No pics :(

Then we headed to Outer Banks, NC for our camping adventure. It turned out to be quite the adventure due to a huge rainstorm. It rained most of the night and luckily our tarp did us well and we didn't get too wet. The next morning it had cleared up, so we headed to the beach for some fun.

His excited face again :)

We only enjoyed it for about 45 mins until another storm came in. The temperature dropped and the kids were cold and crying and all our towels were wet. So, I had to go buy some new ones. We were all ready to pack up and leave at that point :)

Ominous clouds

We ended our trip with a visit to Mike and Ev's in Raleigh, NC. Always a good time with them. But, yet again no pics :(

Family vacations (esp road trips) with young children is always bittersweet. I think we're getting better at rolling with the punches. I hope so anyway. We are glad for the memories.

Family Vacation Part 2

Tuesday morning we ate at Noodles & Co. before getting on the subway and again lamented the fact that Savannah is lacking in upscale fast food restaurants. Is there a term for places like that- where you don't have to tip?

Once we got back into DC, Azure and I returned to the Natural History Museum so we could go into the butterfly garden. This was my favorite part of the trip. For Easter 2011 I bought her a Fancy Nancy book about Nancy visiting a butterfly garden and having an azure butterfly land on her. Since then we have wanted to see one ourselves and go to a butterfly garden. Now was our chance.

We had to reserve tickets and then wait for our time slot. Luckily the entomologists were around the corner with live samples. Azure got to hold a Madagascar beetle (fancy name for HUGE cockroach), a caterpillar, and a grasshopper.

This is not Azure's hand. Unfortunately Charles had the camera, thus no pics of our own.

I was impressed she wanted to hold this guy. I certainly didn't want to!

We had a great experience inside the butterfly garden. Azure really wanted a butterfly to land on her, especially an azure butterfly.  A couple landed on me and I was just as excited as Azure because I had never seen a butterfly so close up before. I could see their long, spirally tongue so clearly. God's creations are so magnificent. It was humbling to remember how attentive to detail God is. If He cares so much about the anatomy of a butterfly, surely He cares about us. And not only our anatomy!

We were about to exit the garden and still not one butterfly had landed on Azure. I could see the disappointment in her eyes. Having just felt that wave of love and truth, I suggested that we pray together to ask Heavenly Father to let a butterfly land on her. So, we waited and waited. I began to get a little anxious whether or not this prayer would be answered and trying to decide how I was going to explain that sometimes we pray for things that aren't God's will. But, finally one did land on her. Thank goodness!

Afterwards we headed over to the American History Museum, which I wish we had had more time at. I really enjoyed it but, only got to see less than half of it. My favorite was the display of the original flag that inspired the song, "The Star-Spangled Banner." They had the music playing as part of the moving display and it was really well done. Definitely played on my emotions and I was sobbing reading about it. I do have a patriotic heart. God bless America! (Please bless us with a life supporting president tomorrow ;)

They had one of the original sunstones from the Nauvoo temple there! I was so surprised! Yay for our church history getting recognized as a big part of American history, because it clearly was!

We ended the night with some yummy Thai food with Cath. It started to rain as we were walking back to our car and we all got soaked.

Family Vacation Part 1

Unfortunately the 50 mile hike was the week of the 4th of July so we couldn't celebrate with Charlie. We met up with some friends at the Parker's home, had a cook-out and watched a nice firework show in their community (The Landings) complete with bounce houses for the kids. It was great! And it was the first week I was actually feeling better. Hooray!

I made my famous flag cake. This time as a real sheet cake and with raspberries instead of strawberries.

2 days later I packed up the kids and we drove up to Asheville, NC. We had wanted to go to the Biltmore Estate but, we were too exhausted. Instead we just played at a park while we waited for Charles to call and tell us where to pick him up.

Finally reunited, we headed up to Virginia the next day. It was a long day of driving- even with the DVD player. We were all in a bad mood.

Monday we took the subway into DC and spent the day visiting The National Mall. It was hot (esp for a pregnant woman) and I was glad to get inside the Natural History Museum. We spent most of the day there. It is huge! I don't have anything to compare it to as it was my first time, but I thought it was pretty crowded.

She insisted on doing this pose for the pics repeatedly

Our irritability only skyrocketed as the day progressed (family vacations are always so blissful aren't they?) so we ended with a visit to the Lincoln Memorial- separately. Unfortunately, the Washington Monument was closed for renovations so we couldn't go in.

I started feeling better being in Abe's presence. He is one of my all-time favorite historical figures. I so admire his perseverance and courage.

The day could only get better from there and it did! We ate dinner at Cafe Rio! (I may have started tearing up once I saw the sign.) Oh, sweet pork barbacoa salad how I love thee! What could be better? Eating there with one of my favorite people? Yes, indeed! We got to meet Catherine there and spent the rest of the evening chatting with her. Good food and friends is probably one of the best combinations in all the world.

Summer 2011 Recap

Here's our answer to the infamous back-to-school question in pictures (well some in pictures).

"So, what'd you do this summer?"

Said good-bye to Azure's 2 best friends with one last hurrah eating cupcakes. Though Tyla will be returning on Saturday. We can't wait!

Celebrated our Family Sealing Day on Sat. May 21 by riding bikes on Tybee with the kids in tow (literally). Vince screamed the whole time and it was HOT. But, it was still fun. We met up with the Elams on the beach afterwards.

We were housebound for almost the entire month of May because Daddy had the car at his last rotation at the VA before graduating. When you're stuck at home with no car, you've gotta get pretty creative. Like sticking straws into leftover Easter Peeps.

Planted things in our very own backyard. Daddy is so diligent about watering his plants that it's the first thing he does when he gets home from work. 

Played in the dirt (much to our chagrin when she tracks mud in the house).

Splashed in the pool in the backyard (before it got too hot).

The biggest highlight of the summer was Charles' graduation. We were tour guides extraordinaire for Miah and Trini's visit. We went to Tybee twice, attended the graduation ceremonies and a graduation BBQ at Los Alvarez, ate at The Crab Shack, went to Ft. Pulaski (minus me and the kidlets), went down the street to the Bonaventure Cemetery, and took a Trolley Tour downtown.

And we also buried Trini in the sand.

We had a Mommy/Daughter date to see Yogi Bear at the theater. Azure's first movie theater experience complete with popcorn.

Art lessons with Amie for 6 weeks.

We also did some math and reading lessons. Her addition skills blow me away. Last month she said to me, "Right now we have 4 people in our family. If we have 2 more babies we'll have (counting on her fingers- 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6) 6!"

Vince wasn't too keen on this math lesson.

We are using this book for her reading lessons and to be honest it is pretty painful. She does know how to read (at a very basic level) but, she has some fear about allowing herself to really do it. Positive reinforcement is not working. "Wow. You just read that word. You can do this." "No, I can't!" Hmmmm....

One of my favorite summer memories was reading Little Women to Azure (the short abridged version) almost every night before bed. She loved it! When we finished the book we watched the movie together as a "date." The next book on our list is Charlotte's Web.

Charles has also been reading Charlie and the Chocolate Factory with her every night too. Such a fitting book for Charlie to read :)

Swam with the Coopers at HAAF pool.  Azure loved the slide this year and wasn't afraid to go down it all by herself.

Azure got a haircut twice from Sis. Willis.

We traveled to Macon for a night so Charlie could take "the wet board" to get his Pharmacy license. He passed and now he is a real deal licensed Pharmacist. We are so proud. He's been working about 60 hrs a week since starting his residency on July 1st. That on top of being in the Bishopric has been tough but, we're hanging in there.

 Trying to recreate this shot on the hotel bed:

Is this not the cutest?! We'll have to try it again sometime...

Oh and I can't forget to mention my obessesion with Pinterest this summer. In my opinion it is one of the best online creations. It's a virtual pinboard to keep track of everything that you love. I could seriously spend hours doing it and I will confess that I have :o

This summer was pretty good but, we are looking forward to some cooler temps!