Disney on Ice

Savanna got all of mommy and daddy's attention at Disney on Ice. I think they had as much fun as she did though. Disney really is magical! The theme was celebrations so Alice in Wonderland celebrated an unbirthday and the princesses helped demonstrate love at Valentine's Day. The villains from Disney were at a Halloween party and the whole gang brought in the Christmas season. We had a great afternoon!

Holiday fun and games

We headed downtown for the welcoming of Santa, aka "Ho Ho," and the lighting of the tree. Savanna saw some friends from school which excited her to no end and Sadie enjoyed following along and doing what she could. We played with goats (Bo was there and his brother Jangles was at home) and met Mrs. Claus. There is something intimidating about the Mr. because neither of the girls will get close. The library provided a place to decorate ornaments which are hanging on our playroom tree as well as games and snacks. Now that is talking our language. It was a fun evening to start our holiday season!

It's Snowing!

We have enjoyed going to the NC mountains for quite a few years now to pick out our Christmas tree. This year it was so cold but to see the snow was just beautiful! Savanna enjoyed eating it off the trees and throwing snowballs while Sadie couldn't wait to get inside where it was warm. Noah and Pa were quick in selecting the perfect tree this year so they too could get out of the cold but I must say ours is perfect. It fits perfectly and looks lovely in our living room with our keepsake ornaments. Everybody wants to look and touch every day. Sadie had the most fun shopping in West Jefferson. We always end our trip with dinner and shopping there.

November favorites

More birthday fun

Well, the birthday season in our household has almost passed. Abby will be 7 in December but the rest of us have finished celebrating now. For mommy's birthday we tailgated and cheered on the Tar Heels as they claimed the victory bell against Dook for another year. It was a beautiful day to be in Chapel Hill. We even got daddy to wear "light blue". He refuses to call it Carolina blue. No "birthday trip" for daddy but his girls did treat him to dinner out.

Trick or Treat

We had a busy Halloween this year! Our day began with Truck or Treat at Savanna's school/church where the girls got to climb on, honk the horns of, and explore lots of different vehicles. It provides fun entertainment each year in October. Then we had a surprise when we got home.............Jackie Moon aka Uncle Forrest came to visit. Once the girls got their naps we were off to trick or treat through the neighborhood. We were the first ones out and it felt like the last ones in. We greeted every dog in the neighborhood (there are lots) and filled our bags with lots of treats! Darby and Buster (from My Friends Tigger and Pooh) slept well after such an eventful day!

Fourth Birthday

Savanna just turned 4 years old and you would think she is going on 14. My, my! We had a busy birthday weekend beginning with a dog party on Saturday and a trip to the State Fair on Sunday. Both girls were exhausted by Monday but were real troopers pushing through all of the festivities. For the birthday we had a bounce house in the backyard which was a huge hit. The kids jumped til they dropped! We fed them some cake and then let them bounce that sugar out. On Sunday we traveled in the rain to Raleigh. It was pretty chilly that day but the rain did eventually stop. Once again, Savanna insisted on riding the ferris wheel for starters. Only this time she wanted to ride the big scrambler ride. I rode with her and she had a blast! I was certainly feeling that by the end of the ride though. Sadie kept trying to sneak into the bounce house while Savanna was in there but she just isn't big enough yet. She is going to be a daredevil too. Savanna rode a pony and we enjoyed some yummy treats (NC State ice cream and fried candy bars). What a busy, but memorable birthday weekend!

"Seafood Festibal"

We had a wonderful long weekend at Emerald Isle with Grammy and Pa and Mac! The weather was pretty cooperative and the girls had a blast in the sand. We didn't really expect to get in the ocean.....which was fine by Savanna. On Saturday we drove up to Morehead City for the Seafood Festival. It is something I have wanted to do for a while. I have a list from OUR STATE magazine with the 75 things every N. Carolinian should do. I am trying to get everything checked off and the festival is on that list. Savanna is a daredevil so she talked mommy and daddy into riding the ferris wheel with her. There were quite magnificent views from there of the waterfront and the intracoastal waterway. She loved the kiddie scrambler and carousel rides. Thank you for inviting us!

The Fair (Davidson County)

Nana and Poppy took us to the Davidson County Fair and surprisingly it was a lot of fun! Savanna and mommy rode the huge slide and the roller coaster (Indy something) twice each. Nana and Savanna rode the carousel (it of course had nothing on the Burlington Carousel) then Savanna rode the teacups all by herself. She was going to ride the ferris wheel but it was broken.
I don't remember it being so much fun!

Carolina Girls

We just went to our first Carolina football game of the season. The girls had a good time cheering for the Tarheels. There was an ECU fan behind us trying to get Sadie to cheer for the Pirates but she wouldn't do it. She only cheered for the blue team. It must have helped because we won that game!

First Day of School

09-09-09 was Savanna's first day of playschool and she was SO ready! Getting up and getting there was not the rush I had anticipated and she was excited to be there. She is already talking about new friends and the ones in her class she already knew. Her teachers, Miss Betsy and Miss Jennifer, set the stage for a wonderful first school experience. Mommy, daddy and Sadie walked her in to her first day and no tears were shed from anyone. We all felt excitement for this new phase! Here we are a week into school and Savanna already goes right in, puts her sweater and bookbag in her cubby, washes her hands and gets started playing. She did decide on the first day that she would carry her bookbag over one shoulder like mommy carries her purse instead of two straps over the shoulders. I guess it hasn't gotten heavy yet! Next week is our first field trip. The class is going to the fire station next door. This is going to be a great year!

Birthday Field Trip

Sadie's first birthday trip was to the Museum of Life and Science in Durham. We thought both of the girls would enjoy themselves and they did. Both of them enjoyed the butterfly house and riding the train. We experimented with wind and water and met the animals in the farmyard. We pet a donkey, talked to a Jersey cow, a turkey, and a pig named Miss Piggy.

Soccer

Last week Savanna had her first soccer practice. It was definitely entertaining! She was excited to be there with some friends from church and made some new ones as well. Daddy will have to emphasize using feet and not hands when they practice. Although, she could tell the coach at practice that you are also allowed to use your head and knees when you play soccer. She was "sweated" 5 minutes into practice and guzzled her bottle of water but did a good job listening to the coach. Not a bad first soccer practice.

Sadie turns 1

Saturday was Sadie's first birthday! She has changed so much over this year....she is walking and trying to keep up with Savanna. Everyone had a good time at our bug themed party. We were sure that Sadie would dig into her ladybug cake but she picked off the spots one by one and eventually looked like she had a beard. After her party, we sang and helped Poppy and Uncle Forrest celebrate their August birthdays as well. We made their picture with Sam's tree to commemorate the August birthdays. At her doctor appointment she weighed 18 lbs. 1 oz. and was 28 3/4 in. She has jumped from about the 5th percentile to the 10th. Sadie does like to eat big girl food!

Blue Ridge Parkway

The Samuels family made a trip to the mountains just off of the Blue Ridge Parkway. It was beautiful!!! We saw deer galore and enjoyed some magnificent views of the mountains. We all enjoyed the swings in the backyard of the house where we stayed. There was a rope swing and tire swing. We found a small creek behind the house and a Christmas tree farm within the views of the deck. Thank you Mima for treating us! Forrest brought Phoebe to play which kept Savanna entertained. We also found a festival in Sparta which had a woman painting faces. Savanna wanted a dolphin and she loved it!

Granny's 84th Birthday

Granny and mom came to have lunch with us for her birthday. We snapped this shot outside of the restaurant. Granny loves being a great grandmother! Savanna and Sadie love having a great grandmother!

Familly beach trip

We were home for a week after Atlantic Beach and then off again to Cherry Grove for our annual family beach trip with Granny, Nana and Poppy. We were excited that this year our cousin John and his family joined us. Granny was most excited to have all of the children there. Savanna had a blast following the big kids (John and Uncle Forrest) to the inlet and to play in the tide pools. She was still terrified of the big waves in the ocean. We got some great photos of the entire group and some good ones of our individual families as well as the girls. Sadie had just started standing on her own so it was fun to watch her new trick all week. Savanna and Granny put puzzles together while she read books with Nana and Poppy. We even took the big kids to play Putt Putt one day. They stayed a couple of holes ahead of us.

Atlantic Beach

What fun times with friends! We spent the week at Atlantic Beach with the Clarks and had a great time. The kids are about the same age so they had a good time playing together. Kelly and I are equally crazy about pictures (and in turn drive our hubbies crazy) so we tried our best to get one of all 4 children. Didn't happen!! We even coordinated their outfits. We went to the aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores one day but hung out on the beach or by the pool the rest of the week. We all went to Beaufort one night and Morehead City another. Noah and I took the girls to Fort Macon one day when we went out exploring.