Third Grade Field Trip to Coastal Georgia

This past Wednesday through Friday, I took my third grade class on our annual overnight field trip to the coast of Georgia! We had a wonderful time exploring the many sites. We left our school at 6:30 A.M. on Wednesday morning headed for the Okefenokee Swamp! While at the swamp, we went on a boat ride, hiked to the watchtower and saw many alligators! After the swamp, we drove over to St. Simon's Island to Epworth-by-the-Sea, a Methodist retreat center. I actually went to camp here as a kid! After an okay night's sleep and a delicious breakfast, we left for the day. Our first stop was Hofwyl-Broadfield Plantation, from there we went to Fort King George, Christ Church, the lighthouse on St. Simon's Island, and the pier. It was a fun-filled and very busy day! On Friday morning, we awoke very early and departed for Savannah. We took a trolley tour of the city, walked down River Street, and ate lunch by the Savannah River. After all that, we headed home! I had a wonderful time being on the coast and by the sea! There is just something about the ocean! None of this would have been possible without my sweet husband, who took on the task of taking care of all 3 of our children by himself for 3 days! He survived! I came to home a happy and very clean house! Thank you, David! You are my favorite! Below are a few pictures from our adventures!

Boat ride on the Okefenokee Swamp

Porch of the Hofwyl-Broadfield Plantation

Pier at St. Simon's Island

Lighthouse on St. Simon's Island

Trolley tour of Savannah

Happy 1/2 Birthday, Tilly!

Today, Tilly is 6 months old! I cannot believe it! The time has gone by so very fast! David took her for her well check-up today since she was getting shots - thank you, Daddy! She got a great report from Dr. Gfroerer! We love going to Dr. Gfroerer. He is one of the most encouraging doctors I have ever met! After each visit with him, David and I leave feeling like we are the best parents ever! We need all the encouragement we can get right now, I wonder if we could set up weekly encouragement visits with Dr. G?! Tilly weighs 15 pounds 6 ounces (45 percentile) and is 27 inches tall (90 percentile). She is a healthy, growing baby and we are so grateful! Tilly continues to sleep 12 hours each night and takes two naps, a shorter one in the morning and a long one in the afternoon! She is rolling all over the place and attempts to do the army crawl! Tilly is working extra hard to keep up with her big brother and sister! She is eating rice cereal, sweet potatoes, and yo-baby like a champ! Her two bottom teeth are coming in and we are just moving right along! Tilly continues to be the sweetest most content baby! She has the sweetest laugh and smile! Her big brother and sister just adore her - it is precious! We pray they will always be such sweet friends. Well, I always have the best intentions, but in all my free time all the wants don't always get done. So, my intent was to take a picture of Tilly today. I forgot until she was sound asleep. I went in her room to take her picture, but her face was turned away, so I could not capture the full essence of Tilly that I was hoping for! So, I am posting some of my favorite pictures from her birthday and a recent picture taken of her that is one my most favorites! We love you, Tilly!

Tilly, just a few minutes after birth.

One of my all time favorite pictures! Carter and Summer meeting baby Tilly for the very first time! They wore their pink in her honor!
Another one of my favorites! Occasionally, she will snuggle with me like in this picture. I treasure these moments! This was taken on the morning we got to go home from the hospital!

Look at that sweet smile! She is Mommy's little bulldawg! This picture was taken on Valentine's Day of this year!

Let's Play

The weather has been so nice outside the last week or so! On the days the children and I get home early, we have been spending some time outside playing! Below are some sweet pictures of the children spending time outside!

Tilly smiling so sweetly!
Carter and Summer playing in the leaves!

Carter riding his tricycle, a present from Mommy and Daddy for Christmas.
Summer riding her tricycle too!

Happy Valentine's Day 2009

Valentine's Day began a day early for our family! On Friday, Carter and Summer both had parties at their schools. Daddy was the guest of honor for Carter's party! It was so much fun for Carter to have his daddy at school! David helped with the Valentine craft - Carter made me a beautiful heart necklace! I will treasure this always! David also read a story to all of the children! Summer celebrated by eating cupcakes with all of her friends! Tilly made us a special valentine with her sweet little footprint! Precious! Friday was special for me too because I received some beautiful flowers from my four valentines at school! I was so surprised! I am reminded of how much I love my sweet little family on this day we celebrate the things we love! Below are some pictures on Valentine's Day of the children opening their valentines from T, Hart, Papa, Gigi, Aunt Cari, and Uncle Cory! Thank you!

Sleepy Babies

Our nighttime routine is one of my favorite parts of the day. After supper and baths, we all pile into Carter's bed. We read a couple of stories, we sing a few songs, and we pray. Carter and Summer love to read: Brown Bear; The Barnyard Dance; The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear; and The Very Hungry Caterpillar just to name a few. Our prayer time is so very sweet too. We all hold hands and I pray. Summer has got the Amen part down pat! Carter likes to say his own prayers too that are very sweet! Once the children are asleep, David and I spend the evenings talking, watching TV, and just being together. Before we go to bed, we always look in on our precious little ones. I love to watch them sleep! Last night, I took a couple of pictures without waking them surprisingly enough! Sweet dreams, my little ones! Mommy and Daddy love you very much!

Carter with his bulldog blanket, his lovie he has had since he was born, his bunny, and his George! I have always loved his sweet little mouth!
Summer with her bulldog blanket and pillow! Her lovie is somewhere close, we don't get very far without it! I love the way her long eyelashes lay on her cheeks when she is asleep! She is exhausted after her many stunts during the day! I think it is about time for her to be in a big girl bed! We are aiming to make the change over spring break!
Baby Tilly with her lovie and the hands up! We always know when the hands are up she is sleeping really well! Look at those sweet cheeks! I kiss them many times a day!

How Sweet It Is

"I want to stop and thank you baby

I just want to stop and thank you baby

How sweet it is to be loved by you

How sweet it is to be loved by you "

Carter is our passionate one, as David has correctly dubbed him. He is all or nothing all the time! He has learned how to say the "Pledge of Allegiance" and he loves to read and sing! We are thinking there might be a girlfriend in the picture, but Mommy is not ready to talk about that just yet! Tilly is our sweet one. The others are sweet too, but she has something extra sweet about her. She has the sweetest disposition, always smiling, always laughing, and she loves her brother and sister! They are pretty sweet on her too, she's hard to resist!

Summer is our fearless one! She has no fear! No kidding! This picture was taken after she kissed the pavement! It did not even phase her, she hopped up and kept playing!