Memorial Day Weekend

We had a great Memorial Day Weekend! Nana and Papa came up from Charlotte, and Uncle B and his girlfriend Erin came down from Maryland. Ken, Emily, Bethany, and I met Erin for the first time- we really enjoyed meeting her! The girls were, of course, very taken with "Eh-win".

We all went to a Southern, Family-Style Restaurant called "Homeplace"on Friday night. It was FABULOUS!! Then, on Sunday evening, we had a picnic at the top of Mill Mountain at the Roanoke Star. We ended each day with "Game Night". It was a really great weekend.

I forgot to take pictures at Homeplace, so I have a ton of pictures from the star.

Emily and Bethany are ready to go for a picnic!

Our mountain-top picnic table had a fabulous view!

Bethany enjoyed the ride

The Roanoke Star- it lights up each night with a combination of red, white, and blue.

Two Peas in a Pod- Papa and Emmy search for flowers

Bay stops to pose with Nana for a picture



Emily found a very pretty Mountain Laurel with Papa's help



It's really hard to get everyone together for a group photo



Nana and Papa with the girls



Daddy lifts Emmy in the air- she loves it!

Amazement Square- the Children's Museum

We went to the children's museum in Lynchburg yesterday. We had so much fun! Everything is hands-on and interactive. To get to the 5 different stories, you could climb up tubes and slide down slides, climb nets, and go down a zip line. It was so much fun. Emily got to spend the day with her Cucas, which, I think, was her favorite part. Get ready for a picture OVERLOAD!

Lucas and Emily waited patiently while we got the tickets.


Jessica explained how we paint on the walls, not on each other!


Painting on the walls was so much fun! Emily and Lucas were mirror images here!


Emily painted over my face on the wall! She giggled as she did it- too cute!

Emmy shows off her love of music in the "band room"



Emmy and Lucas count the eggs in the hen house

Emily drives the vegetables from the "field" to the "store"



Before she milked the cow (water came out instead of milk), Emily made sure the cow liked her!



Lucas showed off his toddler cowboy skills, riding the range



Emily picked corn from the cornstalks



Balancing a ball on air is hard work

Emily and Lucas ran through a giant-sized heart in the same pattern that blood travels



I think this play house was Emily's favorite part- she didn't want to leave. She's such a "girly" girl



The giant blocks were so much fun to play with



Replication of part of the James river


Emmy and Lucas got to float boats down the river, learning about dams and canals


We had such a fun time. It was nice to have a whole building dedicated to children's learning, interaction, and play.

Backyardigans

"Your backyard friends, the Backyardigans, together in the backyard again..."

If you can sing this tune in your head, you know that the Backyardigans is a special group of friends. Emily loves this show so much. When she hears the theme song, she starts dancing like "Sasha" (I don't know why she doesn't call her Tasha!).

I just found out that the Backyardigans Live! tour is breezing through our city on June 4th. I got tickets for Emily and me! She has no idea why Mommy is so excited, but she is going to LOVE it! I can't wait! I'm glad that it's not too far off...

Tasha, Uniqua, Tyrone, Pablo, and Austin, HERE WE COME!!!!

Cold, rainy day? How about PJ's and a movie?

We figured out the solution for a cold, rainy day. We all put our PJ's back on, and fired up Mary Poppins. I pulled out the girls' favorite chairs, and snapped a picture. I'm able to post this because the Magical Mary Poppins is still weaving her magic with my children!

A Great Mother's Day

I had a great Mother's Day! I hope you guys did, as well. After church, we went to Ragazzi's for lunch (Thank you to Mom K for the gift card!), where Emily and Bethany entertained the tables around us. Boy, they sure are cute! Then, I got a delightful Sunday afternoon nap.

We then went to Lucas' parents' house for dinner and fellowship. Emmy loves her "Cucas".

Ken made a very cool card for me from the girls. It was way too cute not to share with you guys...

Then you flip it to see...

Isn't that the sweetest? Ken gave me a very sweet card from him, too. My gift? I get to go pick out matching picture frames for some special professional pictures of the girls to go up on the walls. I'm so excited! I've been wanting these really nice frames for awhile, but just couldn't justify spending the $$ on them.

Here's a pic of Emmy and Lucas hanging out after dinner. They are such good friends!

Emmy's Pigtails

Oh, my goodness! I finally got Emmy's hair up in pigtails. They're so cute! Pardon the dirty face and shirt; we had just finished lunch, and I wanted to snap a picture before she got too sleepy. I also snapped one of Bay, hamming it up as usual! I sure do love my girls!

Strawberry Festival

We went to the Strawberry Festival at one of the downtown parks today. We had so much fun! They had music, crafts, kids' games, and best of all, farm-fresh strawberries!

Emmy enjoys her first bite of strawberries and cream

Bethany has her first bite, too!

Ken shares his with his girls!

Bethany is laid-back!

Emily watches the people walk by

The bigger kids were dancing to the music...

...and inspired Emily!

Bethany stays cool in the shade

Emily helps Bay clap to the music

So sweet!

Emily decided to get her hand painted instead of her face.

Emily shows off her butterfly! Her favorite color today- blue.