sweetest things in life

the very sweetest things in life are free!


this picture taken tonight in the backyard

go duke!

One of our favorite parts about fall is college football!

We have Duke season tickets again this year and the girls are loving going to the games.

Maddie's pretty good at cornhole!

Legendary picture. Isnt she the cutest in her cheerleading outfit?

The original Dukie and his girls.

Unfortunately they've lost each game we've been too... but we'll still keep going! :)

last summer concert

Last Friday night we went to the very last outdoor concert at the Holly Springs Cultural Center. We weren't sure how the girls would like it -but they had a blast. The weather was absolutely perfect- warm with a cool breeze and we took a picnic and ate it on the lawn.

Caroline was in heaven because her Baby Ellie was there. She loves walking with and holding Ellie's hand.

And she was in awe of the band and the singers.

Too loud? Not really... she only held her hands up like that for a few seconds, then kept on dancing.

And dancing they did! Although I use the term loosely. Dancing when you're 1-4 years old means running around in circles as fast as you can.

Our crew...

Jim better watch out. Carolines not even two and she already got him out on the dance floor! She's pretty persuasive.

We're sad we didn't get to go to more of these concerts this summer- they sure were fun! Another fun summer event to say goodbye too... good thing there are so many fun fall things to do!

a saturday in the park...

The girls love riding their bikes, so we decided to take them to Crowder Park nearby to try out the paved loop.

Maddie started off very excited but realized quickly that she didnt want to go down hills, or up hills... so... that made for a long ride of stopping and starting and lots of mommy and daddy pushing.

Caroline did great on her push bike and was more than happy to put her feet up and let mommy and daddy do the work! She likes to stear and see which crazy direction she goes in.

When she got bored with riding, Daddy's shoulders were fun!

And we couldn't leave til we checked out the fish, turtles and the ducks. We saw a HUGE catfish thats clearly been growing and growing all season... he was a monster!

We can't believe the summer is over, but we had a great one. We had tons of fun and are really looking forward to the fall!

the big girl on her big day!

A few pictures of Maddie and baby sister on her actual birthday. We had a day filled with Maddie-related fun. We got up bright and early and hit IHOP for some chocolate chip, smiley face pancakes, then went right to the park for some playtime. We came back home for some lunch then went to the Build A Bear Workshop for the very first time. She made a kitty and named her Twinkles. Very sweet!

What did they both want to buy Twinkles? A cell phone. Here's Caroline trying it out. And no, we didnt get Twinkles a cell phone.
Grammie and Grandad met us at Sweet Tomatoes for dinner (Maddie's favorite) then came over after for more cake and presents! Even Caroline got a few gifts to open!

I think she had a great 4th birthday! We love you Maddie-roo to the moon and back! Can't wait to share many many many more fun birthdays with you!

princesses and pirates! happy 4th maddie!!!

Maddie celebrated her 4th birthday with an awesome Princesses and Pirates Party! We had such a blast, we're still talking about it a week later!

We debated for months on the party theme and all agreed that princesses and pirates would be a perfect fit for her girly girlfriends and piratey guy friends!

Let's just start with the cake, shall we? I saw this cake online somewhere and thought - I have to do that. I knew I was being absolutely crazy... but what can I say? My travel schedule has been intense lately, and when I wasn't traveling, Jim was... so planning and preparing for the party was interesting. I did most of my shopping and research during my lunch hour and then hunkered down a few days before the party and got to work! It came out great. Certainly looked homemade... but I was happy with it and I think Maddie liked it too!

The house was decorated in pink and black with plenty of princess-y and pirate-y activities for everyone!

The craft/activity table had a princess and pirates coloring sheet for when the kids arrived. The girls had tiaras and the boys had pirate hats waiting for them.

When the kids walked in, there was a dressup station fully equipped with princess dresses and shoes, jewelry, pirate hats and eye patches.

Maddie was pretty excited running around the house checking everything out.

She liked the princess sitting area - aka the corner of the couch!

The friends arrived and the fun began! This is little Reagan, she's a friend of Carolines and her brother Connor is in Maddie's class.

The girls got right to work on coloring their sheets.

While the boys ran around the house playing pirates!

Walking the plank was a blast

The loot!

Next up- pin the princess in her castle and treasure on the treasure map!

All good princesses needs to know how to weild a sword!

My lovely little princess.

Caroline had a great time too, but she was a little on the sleepy side and was a bit shy for the cameras! She came as a pirate and definitely played the part! Another fun birthday party for the books!