Labor Day Weekend

What a great Labor Day weekend!  We were so excited when Ryan's uncle, Hollis, invited us to spend the weekend with him, Debbie, Emily and Kate at their cabin in North Carolina on Lake Glenville.  It was amazingly beautiful and so peaceful.  What a great place to get away and relax for a few days.  We headed out about 1:30 on Friday to beat some of the traffic (not all of it, but we're glad we left then!), so we arrived a little after 5.  Not only do you have that wonderful "rustic" cabin feel to get you away from the real world, but everything here was so comfortable.  We spent most of our time sitting on the back deck which gave a beautiful view of the lake (and football games on the outside tv since college football started Saturday).

 We were able to go out on the lake in the boat three times during the weekend which was wonderful.  What a beautiful area!  We all loved the feel of the wind in our hair as we rode along.

 All three girls loved being on the boat.

 Love these two kiddos!

 The kids were each given a turn driving which they LOVED.  Lily concentrated and kept us going steady.  Mia had been driving for about 30 seconds before she asked Hollis "So how fast can this thing go?"  She enjoyed picking up the speed some for us!

 Too cute to not put this in.

 Ready to head out!

Naps came pretty easily on the boat too.

 The three cousins had so much fun together!

 Just a couple of the beautiful views we found while floating along.

 The girls played pretty well together during the weekend.  Here they were playing a game on the iPad while Ryan and I packed up.

 Debbie (aka Sugar) helped them make cute little rock turtles.  Her art skills were put to the test again as she led them in coloring on craft paper.

 Lily and Mia were both excited to learn how to play ping pong (and corn hole, but I don't have a picture of that).  Lily was getting really good at serving by the time we left!

 Enjoying a waterfall before dinner at a nearby restaurant.

 Hanging out on the docks.

 S'more time!

 Each girl carefully roasted their marshmallows.

 Time to dig in...yum!  We always love a good s'more.  Notice Lily ate hers as a marshmallow sandwiched between chocolate, not crackers.  I didn't pay close enough attention (I was enjoying my own s'mores), so unfortunately, Lily ate too many of these; she got sick in the middle of the night poor thing.  Luckily, she was back to her normal self this morning.

 Having fun!

 A sunset view off the dock.  Simply beautiful.

We are so grateful that we shared this weekend with some extended family!  We appreciate their hospitality and making us feel so welcome and comfortable.  Though Hollis likes to go to bed early, Debbie, Emily, Ryan and I enjoyed staying up late and chatting with one another.  We had lots of delicious food and beautiful weather which added to the fun.  The girls had a great time together, and we're grateful they are getting to spend time with one another.  We certainly hope to make this an annual trip!



End of August

It's hard to believe August is already over.  We are settling back into the routine of school, and both girls are adjusting well.  The second week of school, the first graders all took math tests and based on her score, Lily actually moved up to second grade math.  1st grade and up all have math at the same time each day, and you see the kids move to the different classrooms.  She is doing well in that class and actually loves that she has homework each night for this!  Here are just a few miscellaneous pictures from the last few weeks.

 

Lily gave a presentation on her Lego creation.  This is her "dream room" which includes a horse stable, restaurant, pool and hot tub.

 I LOVE when the girls make me cards.  This is a recent one from Mia.

 Mia came home with this coloring one day, and I thought it was cute, especially the little driver inside the bus.

 Lily's drawing of the days of creation.

 Lily's ocean scene.

 Extracurricular activities have started back up.  Mia is very excited to return to The Little Gym each week for a combo ballet/tap/gymnastics class.  Ms. Morgan is a great teacher, and she has a blast each week.  Lily could not wait to start her piano lessons.  She has only had two lessons, but she is loving it.  She has always had an ear for music, so she was thrilled when we told she would start weekly lessons.  We bought a keyboard for home practice, and she is doing great.

September, here we come!

First Week of School!

Where does time go???  Summer has flown by!  ACCA started back to school this past Monday.  There was definitely excitement in the air.  The school moved just a few weeks ago, so everyone was anxious to see how it looked. I have to say it looks awesome!  I had helped with a little bit of the move-in one Friday afternoon, but there was still a long way to go then (3 weeks before school started!).  Of course, we were in Pennsylvania the week before school, so I wasn't up there much.  When Monday came, I was amazed at how fantastic everything looks.  You can see a lot of care went into putting everything together.  I am so proud to be part of ACCA!

 

Back to my original question of where does time go?  I can't believe Lily is now in First Grade, and Mia has started to Half-Day Pre-K!  Lily was very excited to start back to school.  On Sunday night, I tucked her in and said "sleep well."  She asked "Mommy, what if I don't sleep well?  I can't be late tomorrow.  It's when we go over all the rules."  Leave it to our sweet Lily to be concerned about missing the review of rules!  Mia was a little more anxious about starting to a new place.  Thankfully, she already knows a few of the kids (8 of the 11 kids are younger siblings of ACCA students!), but she didn't know her teacher (Mrs. Worrell is now a stay at home mommy).  I feel confident she will adjust quickly though.

 

On Monday morning, we all got up to eat breakfast together before getting ready to go.  Of course, we had to take some pictures before heading out.

 I love these precious girls!

 We walked Mia to her classroom first.  Ms. Messer showed her where to put her backpack and lunch box.  We gave Mia hugs, and then she sat down to start a puzzle.  She fit right in!

 We walked Lily up to her room where Mrs. Barbelescu gave her a big hug.  Lily found her desk, her cubby and her backpack hook.  She is very excited that she is sitting next to her friend, Emory.  We gave her hugs and headed out.

 Since it was a half-day, I stayed up at the school to work and set up my office.  I love being the school's financial administrator.  Not only do I enjoy using my skills to help the school, but I love just physically being there, seeing the kids, meeting the families and being involved.  This school has such a family feel to it, and I can't say enough good things about it!  When I met Mia after school, I asked if she had a good day.  She replied "No, not really.  A little boy keeps calling me "my-a" instead of "me-a!"  We talked about how his parents probably saw her name and told him that was how to say it, and I bet he will learn quickly the right way to say it.  Thankfully, on Tuesday, she happily announced he was saying it properly and therefore, she was having a great time.  Lily's first day was wonderful.  She thrives in school, so she was happy as could be to be there.

 

On Tuesday evening, we had our first PTF meeting of the year.  I love this particular meeting because we go to the classrooms, meet the teachers and learn more about what the kids will be doing this year.  Lily's class had already made these newspapers and put them up; they focus a lot on history this year, including their own personal history.  In case it's hard to see, here are a few things I love about Lily's newspaper: her drawing of being on the beam, the heart that says "I show other I care by...hugs" and the fact that her favorite animal is a peacock.

 Wednesday brought the first chapel service of the year, and I couldn't resist snapping a picture of them both in their chapel uniform; love it!

 Today (Friday) was Character Day for Kindergarten and up.  Each child picked a character from summer reading to dress up as.  Lily really wanted to be the mouse from Mouse Soup or the owl from Owl at Home.  However, I'm not the most creative person in the world, and all I could find this week was a fun little elephant hat and tail.  She was happy to be Uncle Elephant, and she looked pretty stinkin' cute, I think.  Most kids in her class had similar costumes (as far the ornateness) which was a big relief.  Some of the older kids though had some amazing costumes; I'm going to have to step up my game as they get older!  Mia's class did Color Day since they didn't have summer reading.  Mia said her favorite color was orange (this morning), so she wanted to wear this shirt.  I have to say, she's stinkin' cute too!  They had the middle schoolers come in during the day to help the make colorful capes and face paint.  It's been a fun day!

 By the end of the week today, both girls were talking about how great school is.  We are so blessed to be part of this amazing school!

Family Trip to PA, Part 7

On Friday morning, we actually slept in a little bit.  I think everyone was exhausted from all the fun!  I had to get ready and head quickly down to breakfast while Ryan and the girls got ready because I had a wonderful treat awaiting me: a cocoa bean polish treatment at Hershey Spa!  What a fantastic way to start the day.  I smelled a little like chocolate for the whole day; not in an obnoxious way, just a lovely light scent.  I would love the chance to go back and spend a whole day (or a few...) at this spa. 

 

I met everyone else back in our room afterwards, and we finished packing everything up.  We checked out of the hotel and decided to head back to Hershey Park for the morning since the tickets were included in our package.  When we walked in, this young man was showing off this black snake which is one of the things to see at the zoo.  The girls enjoyed watching it slither all around him.

 One more spin on the carousel was in order.

 The girls enjoyed some of their favorite rides again.  We rode the Music Express several times too; they couldn't get enough of it!

 We also made an appointment to meet Diego the sea lion which was really neat!

 Just before 1, we were all getting hungry and tired.  We decided to go back over to the World of Chocolate for another yummy meal.  The girls discovered this fun game where you "throw" kisses into the different slots.  They had fun with this.

Getting kisses by the Kisses.

Crazy candy in the gift shop.

 Finally, we decided to head out. We said goodbye to the kiss shaped lights and headed back to Michael and Jenn's house to spend our last night.

 On Saturday morning, we got up, returned the rental car and arrived at the airport.  We ate breakfast there, and then the girls were quite happy to play in the airport's playground (inside, right by the Delta gates - perfect!) for almost an hour until it was time to board.  We had a nice flight back, picked up our bags and headed home.  I think it's fair to say the girls were worn out!

Of course, all good things must come to an end at some point.  This was such a fantastic family vacation.  Ryan and I agree it was better than we could have expected.  The girls were simply awesome, the weather cooperated, the food and treats were yummy and we were able to just have fun together.  I love making memories like this, and I'm so grateful we took this trip!

Family Trip to PA, Part 6

As we left the park, we decided to head next door to Chocolate World.

 We got there just in time for the next showing of a 4D movie.  While we waited on it to start, we enjoyed being in the art gallery; these were some of our favorite pictures.  The host also asked questions to get audience participation.  He asked if any of the kids had ever won any awards.  Mia was beside herself as she tried to get his attention.  Thankfully, he walked over and let her say "Soccer and gymnastics."  She was so proud of herself!

 Ready for the movie.  They enjoyed helping the Hershey characters solve the mystery and figure out that it was Von Sour who was trying to sneak into the chocolate factory and ruin the chocolate.

 They also loved that they gave us a free mini Hershey bar upon exiting the theatre!  After the movie, we headed into the food court where we relaxed and enjoyed dinner.  When that was over, it was time to head upstairs to make our own chocolate bars!

 Since you're entering a food processing area, you have to wear the appropriate gear.

 You first decide what type of chocolate bar you want, and then you get to pick three fillings.  The options included things like sprinkles, chocolate chips, butterscotch toffee filings, coconut and almonds.  After you make your selections, you go through the line where (thanks to some awesome technology), you get to watch the machines prepare your personal candy bar.

 After the fillings are put in, you see the bars get a chocolate bath.

 After the bath, while the chocolate is going through the cooling process, it's time to design your own box cover.

 The production screen shows you exactly when your bar is coming out of the cooler and will be ready to put into your box.

 Seeing the bars put into the box is pretty cool.

 The workers wrap them up at the end and verifies you're picking up the right bar.  This was so cool to do!

 Our boxes.

 After making our bars, we headed back downstairs where the girls learned how kisses get boxed up.  Here they are shaking their containers to fill the spaces.

 We took a "quick" spin through the gift shop and decided it was time to head on back to the hotel.  The girls couldn't wait to try a few bites of their bars when we got back!  We all agreed they were delicious!

This was such a fun day!