Youth Group Lake Party!

Sunday afternoon, the Youth Group had a party at the Sharp family's lake house. We were invited to tag along, so after P and C woke up from their afternoon naps, we headed that way. We had a blast with our peeps:

When we arrived, Daddy A and most of the other partygoers were out on the lake tubing or riding a pontoon boat. Taylor was super nice and took P and C each out on the jet ski. They took their time and were careful, of course. I think P got up to about 18 miles an hour. I hadn't intended for C to go at all - truth be told, I assumed P was too young, but Taylor said he'd go slowly and P would be fine - but C so badly wanted to go, and Taylor said they'd be very slow, and he had on a lifejacket... so C got a short ride as well, but he cruised at roughly 1 mile an hour the whole time.

After singing a blessing (thanks to Youth Group functions, my boys sing virtually all of their blessings before meals, at home or on the road), we dug in to subs, chips, and cookies. Yum! Not the healthiest, but hey, it was a party.

The boys got in and out of the water a few times, as long as someone was willing to hold them. P finally got up the nerve to jump in the lake. He liked it. Then he told C it was his turn, counted to three, and, ahem, pushed C in. He wasn't being malicious, he was just excited. After that, C refused to get back into the lake until about 10 minutes before the end of the party, and then at the close of the party, it took us forever to get C out of the lake.

We headed out on the lake in the Corn family's pontoon boat. P kept his goggles on. He put them on his forehead like they are in this picture when we left the house. He pulled them down over his eyes whenever he was in the lake, and left them on his forehead otherwise until we arrived back home.

C's bad experience with "jumping" into the lake didn't cause his cautious behavior to extend to boats.

Mr. Will let us take a ride in the speedboat while he pulled some of the kids who were tubing. P said he wanted to ride in the speedboat but then we figured out that he wanted to ride on a tube. Mr. Will said he would definitely take him, but he had to think about whether today (Sunday) would be the day. (Sunday wasn't the day, but P was okay with that. Eventually.)

After our boat ride, P was back to "swimmin'" in the lake. He asked that no one "make me be holded" anymore and was dog paddling, jumping, and splashing like crazy. (I hope when he starts swim lessons in a few weeks he isn't discouraged without his life jacket, though.) Our whole family had a blast, and we are so glad we joined the Youth Group for this adventure.

P was quiet on the ride home, and I assumed he was tired. After a minute or two of silence, he said, "Mommy! Do you want to know what I'm doin'?" I replied in the affirmative, and he said, "I'm just sittin' back here thinkin' 'bout all the fun I had at the lake!" Thank you so much, Sharp family!

What do C and I do on Wednesday mornings while P is at school?

We help fold the church newsletter!

We have a great time. Hanging out with an awesome group of ladies that attend First Pres is like a party! (Really, it is. Just look at these pictures. See how festive?) Okay, you got me. These pictures were taken last Wednesday, and we were having a party. Beth and Lori, who work in the church office, put together this awesome shindig to thank us for helping with the newsletter every other Wednesday.

But humor aside, C and I do enjoy our time folding the Spire Light. We chat, we label, and C takes inventory of the books in the church library and stamps the date on scrap paper with the book stamper (sans ink pad. I try to be relaxed about messes, but come on, we're not at home, here!).

I'm glad I can help, and to my fellow folders (both those pictured here and those in absentia), thanks for hanging out with C and me!

The Big Show

Saturday May 21st arrived and it was time for The Big Show on The Big Stage. P had to get completely ready for his recital before we left the house. (That worked out better for pictures, too, since the lighting was better at home!) Once he was in complete costume (minus the ballet shoes), I put on his makeup. (Even though he's a boy, he got some lipstick and a little bronzer so his face would show up under the stage lights.)



He posed for a picture with Daddy A just before we walked out the door.


Miss Samantha was one of his backstage helpers. Peyton was the other one. She and I were in The Sound of Music and Oliver! together, and she switched with someone else so she could help with P's class. It was so nice of her! She took a picture with her phone while she and P were hanging out backstage. (I wasn't allowed to go backstage, so it was neat to get a glimpse of what was going on!) I was also thrilled to hear from multiple older students and adults backstage that P had wonderful behavior and was more than happy to share his Leapster with "the girls that I was sittin' with" (ie, the girls in his class). Way to go, P!

The recital was great, I never could get the videos of P's dances to upload to the blog, so you'll have to swing by the house if you want to see them, which I know is a longer drive for some of you all than others. :)

P had a big smile on his face the whole time and was singing and dancing along to all of his musical numbers. The finale to the show was Miley Cyrus/Hannah Montana's "Hoedown Throwdown", and P is still dancing through the house and singing yelling "HOEDOWN THROWDOWN!" over and over. And over.

I love this picture of P right after he "winned" his trophy. He was thrilled to get "a ward", and he should be proud of himself for all the hard work he's put into dance this year. (He also mentioned that all of the "big girls" kept saying to him and Jack backstage, "Look at the boys! How cute!" and that he liked that. I could live without him liking attention from girls, but I guess it was going to happen eventually, right?)

Boo-in-ah was captured on film as she told P what a great job he'd done. P got to choose where we went to dinner, and we all went to "Pizza and Chips" (Subway) to celebrate with him.

At his request, P is signed up for dance camp this summer and then for lessons next year, starting at the end of August. (We did switch to Saturday morning classes so he could be with Jack, so we'll see how that pans out.) I was so proud of my Broomstick Buckaroo!

Grandma Hen and Boo-in-ah visit

P had a dance recital the weekend before last, so Grandma Hen came and brought her friend Carole (Boo-in-ah). Friday we headed to Black Mountain for lunch with Aunt Florence before P's dress rehearsal.


Grandma and Carole kept up with C while Daddy A and I took P to dress rehearsal. They spent some time out back.

Unfortunately, C was a bit under the weather during their visit, but hopefully next time everyone will stay healthy! Daddy A and I both went to dress rehearsal because that was the night we were allowed to take still photos and videos. Unfortunately, I've been having trouble getting the videos to upload to blogger, so I may not be able to post them here!

We were so excited that Grandma Hen and Boo-in-ah came all the way to our house to spend some time with us and see P's recital. We know the drive can be long!

The Box

Two weeks ago today the boys received the suitcases Grandma Paige ordered for them. They loved them! P kept exclaiming over his suitcase that had sharks and his name! They each grabbed a suitcase and rolled it around the house for a bit. I called the boys to dinner, and after P was excused from the table, he noticed the box in which the suitcases had arrived.

He played in the box for close to 45 minutes. (Yes, he was supervised. I know those plastic packing thingies are in the box with him.)

Daddy A took some photos with his cell phone.


The box is still in our living room. I took the plastic packing material out, but the boys have both had a field day - several field days, I guess! - with the empty box. They use it as a jungle gym, a rollercoaster, a toy box, and a costume. I love watching them use their imaginations, and the box has held up surprisingly well, so I think I'll have many more opportunities to see their creative minds at work with this particular tool!

Chelsea's Sweet 16

We left Ashley's party and headed to a nearby park to help Chelsea and her family and friends celebrate Chelsea's 16th birthday. As soon as we arrived, P was enthusiastically greeted by his friend - and Chelsea's younger brother - Colby.


They eagerly headed for the playground. Daddy A got a photo of Colby helping a brother friend out as they played a climbing-on-the-slide-and-playing-tag sort of game.


There was delicious food and lots of fun and fellowship. Unfortunately, the boys ran out of steam before we were able to get a piece of this:

It looks like it was delicious, though! We had a wonderful time at the party and loved being able to help Chelsea celebrate her milestone!

Ashley's birthday

Our friend Ashley had her birthday at a local restaurant a couple of weeks ago. The restaurant is right on the river, so besides singing "Happy Birthday" and eating cupcakes, we all enjoyed relaxing by the water. Well, the boys started off just chilling out by the water...



...but before I could blink, that turned into running around on the lawn with their friend Grace.


Daddy A did manage to get all three of them to stop for a few seconds so he could snap a quick photo.


And then the kids were off and running again. We had a great time!

Tweetsie Railroad, 2011 edition

Well, May is here (I'm a bit late posting this, as today is May 31!), and Tweetsie Railroad has re-opened its doors for the season. The second Friday in May we headed to Tweetsie after picking P up from school and having a quick lunch.

It was rainy, but the weather didn't dampen our spirits! The boys visited the face painting station. P got a James (a red train) on his right cheek, and C chose a pink snake for his right arm.

The boys took a spin on the boats

and the planes.

P rode the Tilt-a-Whirl for about 15 minutes. When Daddy A and I couldn't take it any more (Daddy A lasted longer than I did), P rode by himself for a few more minutes. All of us rode the Tweetsie Twister. These boys are pretty fearless when it comes to amusement park rides.

When we were ready to escape the rain, we headed to the Palace Saloon to see Diamond Lil and her can can girls. Now that Samantha, aka Miss Ruby, has been one of P's dance teachers for a year, he's even more excited about the show. He was telling other audience members before the show started that Miss Ruby was his dance teacher, and she was very nice, and that after the show he would "take [them] to meet her if [they] wanted". The show was cute, and both boys loved seeing Samantha. They felt so special when she came over to say hi to them right before the show!

We plan to return to Tweetsie this Saturday for a visit with a special little blue engine and his friend Sir Topham Hatt. Hopefully I'll get those pictures and a post up more quickly than I did these!

Aunt Tiffany's bridal shower and brunch in DC

My sister's friends in DC threw her a bridal shower last weekend. I really wanted to go, and since it was a cookout for couples, Tiffany suggested that I come and bring the boys. (Daddy A and my dad were both out of town, so my mom and I were flying solo. Well, not solo, because there were two of us, but you know what I mean.) That's what I decided to do, so the four of us (P, C, my mom and I) spent Saturday night at a hotel in DC.

I could not have been more pleased with the boys' behavior. I was incredibly proud of both of them. They arrived at the party and settled right in at a table.



The boys posed with Aunt Tiffany.



C discovered the juice boxes in a drink tub where he could reach them unassisted. I discovered that he has a juice box problem.


He drank all five of the juice boxes pictured here. Yes, all five. Fortunately, he didn't get sick.

Tiffany's friend Morgan offered the boys some colored chalk and a chalkboard. P and John got to work creating a masterpiece.



My sister and I had our photo taken.



And in honor of Mother's Day (and just because we love her), we also took a photo with our amazing mom.



Tiffany posed with her friends. The Capitol is behind us and to your left. (You can't see it in this picture, but I promise, it's back there!)



Sunday morning when the boys woke up, I asked them if they had enjoyed Aunt Tiffany's party. They both said yes. When I asked them if they had a favorite part, C said his was the cupcakes. (He also told Tiffany happy birthday several times!)



P said his favorite part was helping Aunt Tiffany open all of her presents.


Sunday morning we got up and went to Aunt Tiffan'y place. The boys were happy to see Tiffany, John, and Tucker! We walked to brunch together and celebrated Mother's Day.

I had a blast visiting my family, and I was especially glad I got to spend some time with my sister! I'm so excited for her and for John as they prepare to get married in August!

a dance hodge podge

Back in February, P had dance pictures taken. I received the digital images not too long ago, and since I mentioned a couple of months ago that I would share the photos, here they are!


I was really pleased with the pictures. I realize I may be just the teensiest bit biased, but he is one of the cutest cowboys I have ever seen!

The last Friday in February was the Spring Fling carnival at a nearby elementary school. Mrs. Debbie's dance school was invited to dance as part of the entertainment. P gathered with his friends and classmates by the "stage" (the paved area of the playground, where the basketball hoop was located).

He listened very carefully as Mrs. Debbie explained the order of the program and gave directions to her dance students.

P worked very hard and did his best. I think he felt a little overwhelmed by the audience. This performance was the first time the cowboys and cowgirls performed for anyone other than parents' week at dance class back in December.

Of course, at the conclusion of the performance, P (and C) were more than ready to go to the "jumpy houses" (inflatable slides and obstacle courses). The event was a fun way to kick off the weekend!

Mrs. Heather's (surprise) baby shower

Both of P's preschool teachers are expecting babies! Mrs. Heather is due first (at the end of June), so we got together and planned to give her a surprise baby shower at the end of last month. Several of us were waiting with cameras poised for her to walk through the door to her party.


We succeeded in surprising Heather! She was able to open her gifts (There were lots of diapers and wipes, since this will be her fourth boy!) while the boys were next door with Mrs. Tamra.



Once the gifts were opened, we invited the boys to join us for some snacks.



Since everyone was at school, we asked the boys and their teachers to pose for a class picture.



P asked me to stay at school, so I headed outside for recess with my oldest son and his classmates. I wasn't surprised to see that P was happy to spend all of his recess time in the sandbox.

I am incredibly appreciative of all of Heather's work with P, and I'm glad I was able to be a part of welcoming her newest baby into the world!