Oak Island

We are back home now. We had a good time in Oak Island but we are so happy to be home. Saturday we took the girls out on the beach to play for a little while. It was a warm sunny day so we got out their bathing suits (which are a-dor-a-ble by the way) and let them build sandcastles and collect seashells. They both had a great time. The water was absolutely freezing but Emma still enjoyed sticking her toes in it. She is really going to love it when it warms up. Josh and I took a ton of pictures so be prepared...but they are just so cute and sweet. I have a feeling there will be lots of beach trips this summer and lots of playing in the sand. 

 Sunday we had plans to fly the girls kites however it was a bit chilly that morning so we went out to breakfast and were planning on flying the kites after nap time and then going to Provisions...aka "heaven in the shape of a burger", however Josh was really not feeling well so we ended up just staying home. I was kinda bummed about the kites and extremely bummed about Provisions but we will be back soon enough. 

 Monday morning Josh had to drive an hour to Wilmington for a company meeting. He didn't make it back home until about 7:00 so the girls and I had the whole day together. Josh's parents had to leave that day too.  I had planned a couple of things for us to do however, we got a huge thunderstorm. So instead we walked around Wal-Mart. At least it got us out of the house. 

 This morning Josh got up bright and early to go to Wilmington again for a seminar so I got the house cleaned up, everything packed, and headed home. We got home around 2:00 and that gave me plenty of time to get everything put away, all the laundry done, and even managed to clean a little. Josh got home around 7:00. We are really happy to be back home but now I'm already trying to plan another trip. I love that we have the opportunity to go most anytime we want to. The girls love the beach and were pretty disappointed about coming home. 

::birthday::beach::

Ryleigh had a great birthday on Tuesday. When the girls got up I took them to Chick-fil-a for breakfast. The girls had no idea what was going on. We rarely go out for breakfast. Mainly because by the time everyone is up and ready and we get somewhere its so late. But I had everything ready to go and all I had to do was get the girls dressed. After breakfast we went to Target. I got the girls two princess kites to take to the beach. Josh got off work early to spend the rest of the day with us so we took the girls to the playground and then we went to eat Tacos. I was going to get them to sing to Ryleigh however, at the table beside us the little girl was having a birthday also and they sang to her and played a really loud drum. Ryleigh lost it and started screaming and tried to climb out of her seat. So I figured singing to her wasn't a good idea. It was a very low key day but we had fun celebrating with Ryleigh. 

We are going to the beach this weekend!! I am so excited too. It's really sad that my inlaws own a beach house and we have only been 3 or 4 times in the past 2 years. We hope to change that this year though especially now that the girls are older. We are planning on staying from Friday-Tuesday. Josh has to work in Wilmington on Monday and Tuesday so it was the perfect time to go. I am looking forward to playing on the beach, maybe riding the boat, flying kites, and taking the girls for ice cream. Emma is so excited to build sandcastles. She told me today that Nana and Papa were going to stay in it. 

I will definitely be back with lots of pics. Hope you all are having a wonderful well!

2 Years!

My little Ry bear is 2 years old today. Where does the time go? I have always considered her my baby and I always will, but the past few weeks I am really realizing that she is a little girl. She is starting to do things that her sister does and she is developing her own little way of doing things too. March 13,2010 will always be one of the best days of my life. Even though when you are pregnant you love that little baby so much already but that is nothing compared to the first time you see that little baby. She is as beautiful now as the day she was born. I love that little girl so much that I wonder how my heart doesn't explode sometimes. Before I had kids, I used to despise when someone would say to me "you don't have kids so you don't understand." Now I know exactly what they mean. Until you become a parent, nothing can prepare you for how you will feel about your children. 

Ryleigh is just the sweetest little girl. She is a mama's girl for sure. I secretly love it. :)  She loves puzzles, Mrs. Potato Head, blocks, and watching movies. She is definitely one of those kids that will sit with you and watch t.v. My daddy calls her his "little sack." She just sits on your leg and kicks back. It the cutest thing ever. Ryleigh has a BIG love for bubbles. She loves to give kisses and high fives too. She is doing a great job sleeping in her toddler bed. We don't have any problems with that at all. She gets in her bed and doesn't get out until we come get her in the morning. She is wearing size 2T shirts and 18-24 mos or 2T pants. She is also in a size 4 shoe. I don't know how much she weighs. She will go for a checkup at the end of the month so I'll find out then. She has been sitting at the table in a little booster seat for a while now and she does great with that too. She is not really too picky when is comes to eating. I have only found a few things that she doesn't like which are bananas and pineapple. 

Ryleigh, 

     I am so blessed to have you as my daughter. My love for you grows more and more each day. I can't wait to see what the Lord has in store for you. I love you so much sweet girl.

All  of these pictures were taken by Autumn when Ryleigh was a week old. Autumn will also be taking Ryleigh's 2 year pics in the next couple of weeks so I will post those when I get them!

Ryleigh's 2nd Birthday Party

Today we celebrated Ryleigh's 2nd birthday. Her real birthday isn't until Tuesday so I'm sure there will a lot more celebrating the next few days. :)  The party turned out great and I think everyone had fun.

I tried to get a picture of the party girl before everyone got there but she was really into watching Rio. Ryleigh's isn't a huge fan of taking pictures so I'll take it. 

No party is complete without some snuggles from Papa. 

Josh and I got Ryleigh a Rody Horse. She loves it!! Actually her and Emma both love it. We have already had to break up a few fights over it. We also got her an Innotab like Emma's but we gave it to her this past week. 

Josh's parents gave Ryleigh this great picnic table. I am so happy they got it for because she can climb up and sit down by herself. She has short legs like me so she is really going to enjoy this. It will be great for inside or we can take it outside for some picnics too. Of course, Ryleigh would rather crawl over it than sit down.  :)

Happy Birthday Ryleigh!

I purchased a helium tank so that we could blow up a lot of balloons for the party. I think we ended up with about 32 or so. After the party was over I got all the balloons together and let the girls release them. The loved watching them float away. 

We are so thankful to everyone who came to celebrate this sweet little girl. Josh and I are so blessed to have such wonderful family who love our girls as much as they do. 

Spring!

Spring is here! The weather is consistently staying in the 50's and 60's so we must say goodbye to winter.  :( Not that we had a decent winter here anyway. But even though I'm sad that winter is over, it's refreshing to be able to play outside and feel the sunlight. My girls are always so happy to play outside so I know they are welcoming spring too. Between Emma having an awful stomach bug last week and I had a little cold the first part of this week, we just hadn't been outside too much. Today was a beautiful day around 70 degrees so we played for a little while with some bubbles and Emma rode her bike a little bit. I am a little embarrassed about how long it's been since I've had my camera out. Things have just been slow and uneventful. But now it's back out and I'm excited to capture some new memories. 

My girls absolutely love blowing bubbles. It is probably their favorite thing to do.

I can't believe this little sweetheart will be 2 in just about 5 days. Of course I'm sad....but look at what a beautiful little girl she is growing into. It's hard to be sad about that. 

Excuse Emma's hair. She just took off her bike helmet...but to get a picture with both of them together not screaming, I'll take it. :)

We've got a busy day tomorrow of cleaning and getting ready for Ryleigh's party on Saturday. It's not nearly as big as I usually plan but it will still be great. I'll be back with LOTS of pictures!

Hope you all have a wonderful Friday!!!