Mountain Getaway

Our family was really looking forward to a weekend away in the Blue Ridge Mountains.  Ryan found a great place on VRBO, so we headed up on the Saturday morning of Thanksgiving break.  We stopped at Mercier Orchards on our way up.  Even though there were no apples to pick, it was a beautiful day to walk around, and we enjoyed eating lunch and getting some delicious treats for later on in our trip.

 The cabin we stayed in was lovely.  It had three bedrooms, and the girls were thrilled to have their own rooms on vacation.

 This was our welcome to the cabin; how cute!

 The view was beautiful!

The girls (and adults) loved that there was an arcade game downstairs to play; the girls now know the fun of Centipede.  Lily loved reading on the porch swing.

 Enjoying the beautiful day.

 We planned on doing a lot of relaxing like this.

We were all excited about the hot tub.  It was actually only warm on Saturday night but by Sunday it had gotten nice and hot.  It was a great way to relax.

 The girls thoroughly enjoyed this swing.

On Sunday it rained all day, so we took it easy and stayed in our pajamas all day.  We started out the day by watching "Up" together.  Throughout the day, we played games like Rummikub, watched football and tv, played the arcade games, read and simply enjoyed downtime.  We ended the day we with glow bracelets which is always fun.

On Monday, it was beautiful again so we headed over to a nearby hiking spot after eating lunch in Blue Ridge.  We came upon some a beautiful waterfall.

Lily brought her Magic Tree House Journal with her, so she could go on a scavenger hunt.  She had a great time checking off the items such as gold leaf, orange leaf, moss, etc.  Mia couldn't wait to get her hands in the water to see if it was cold (it was).

 So beautiful!

 Trying out the water.

 Love these girls!

 On Monday evening, we ended our trip with a chocolate treat from Mercier Orchards and playing some rounds of Headbandz. 

 This was such a wonderful little getaway!  This just may become a family tradition.

Thanksgiving 2014

I love Thanksgiving; it's one of my favorite days of the year.  We a nice morning of rest, making Perler Beads, cooking and watching the Macy's Day Parade.  Around 1 we headed out to my cousin, Sid and Elaine's, house for our big family get together.  We were actually missing several family member this year for several reasons but we still had a great time enjoying a lot of delicious food. 

 The kids stood together after appetizers to sing a little song and tell what they were thankful for.  Lily said "I'm thankful for my family and friends," and Mia said "I'm thankful for Jesus and the cross."  My heart melted a little over that one.  Then adults had the chance to say what they are thankful for, Ryan prayed for all of us and then we enjoyed lunch.  It's always nice to share a meal together, and then we just mill around spending time with different family members.  It's truly a great day.

I sure am thankful for this group!

Mia is 6!

Mia is 6 now!!!  I can't believe it.  This precious girl is so amazing, and we were thrilled to get to celebrate her!

 We started out the morning with a Chick-fil-a breakfast, and then she opened presents from us, Lily, Bama and Grandpops and Grandma Jan.  Her day was off to a great start, and we headed to school.  I couldn't focus at work that day, so instead, I made this collage of some of my favorite pictures of Mia through the years.  Can't say enough how much I adore this little girl!

 We were so excited to have Mia's party on the playground after school until we saw the forecast; this screenshot was 15 minutes before the party.  Yeah...we moved the party inside to an extra classroom.

 The birthday girl didn't mind; she was excited!

 Mia loved her rainbow cake.  Both girls quickly noticed that the bakery didn't make the rainbow in the correct order.  No one minded though; it tasted delicious!

 Everyone joined in to sing Happy Birthday!

I talked to my friend Stacie who is also the PE teacher at school to ask for indoor game suggestions.  She gave me some great ideas.  First up was "Duck Duck Goose" but we changed it to "Happy Happy Birthday."  The kids loved this one.

 We also played Red Light, Green Light which was a hit.

I didn't think to take a picture, but we also played "Mia Says" (aka, "Simon Says") and 4 Corners which the kids loved.  This was a laid back party but it was so much fun!  Mia had a great time too; she was with her friends having a blast.

I asked her to tell me a few of her favorites right now:
Color - Rainbow or Turquoise
TV Show - My Little Pony
Movie - How the Grinch Stole Christmas (cartoon version)
Friend - Hudson Miley
Game to Play - 4 Corners
Place to Go - A Swimming Pool
Ice Cream Flavor - Strawberry
Foods - Chips, Watermelon, Yogurt, Apples and Carrots
Animal - Zebra
Book - Not All Princesses Wear Pink
Song - Everything is Awesome from The Lego Movie
Memory from the past year - Our cruise on Allure of the Seas
Bible Verse - 1 Timothy 4:12
Most Thankful for - Jesus and the Cross

I took Mia for her check up a couple of days after her birthday which went well.  She's now 44.6 inches tall (39th percentile) and 49 pounds, 6 ounces (74th percentile).  She had a little trouble with the hearing test, but she did pass it; we'll keep an eye on it.  Overall, this visit went well, and we are very thankful for our healthy girl.

I wish that I was a better writer who could actually fully convey the love I have for Mia.  There are so many amazing qualities to this girl.  She loves God with all her heart; she is quick to say He is her best friend and favorite person.  She is honestly the most joyful person I have ever met.  She has a hard-working, can-do attitude.  She's willing to try new things.  She is always wanting to help, whether it's me in the kitchen, Ryan on the grill, Lily with a Lego set, or a friend with a game.  She is adventurous and curious.  She wants to learn.  I cannot wait to see what God has in store for this amazing, fantastic, fabulous and all around wonderful girl!

November Happenings

These two love each other and have so much fun together!

 I had the chance to speak to Mia's kindergarten class about my recent trip to China.  I was rewarded this adorable round of applause; love it!

 I also got to talk with Lily's 2nd grade class which was so fun.  I answered lots of their interesting questions and (attempted) taught them to use chopsticks.  I love sharing mission opportunities with these young ones!

 

Our family always loves to take part in Operation Christmas Child with Samaritan's Purse.  We had a great time shopping together and assembling the boxes.  I was so proud when Lily volunteered to pray for the two precious children who will receive these boxes.

 Our school had its annual fundraising gala; what a fun time to get dressed up and have a great time with friends while raising money for the school!

 The girls couldn't wait to meet some friends at Sparkles for the Snowflake Skate one Saturday morning.  Lily is quickly getting good at skating, and Mia is trying to so hard with a great attitude.  She uses the walker most of the time but she's learning!

 It was called the Snowflake Skate because it had a Frozen theme.  The movie played on the big screen the whole time, there was a pancake breakfast, we met Elsa, Anna and Olaf, and it ended with a big "snowball" fight.  It was actually a lot of fun!

 The girls with their friends Olivia and Lily Barrow.  Alyssa, Kate and Avery were there too but we didn't snap a picture with them.

 Lily and I had some time together and put together a Lego zoo; love seeing her creativity.

 Pirate Mia!

 We were so glad to go to our cousin Johnathan's 4th birthday party; such a cutie!

 We took our annual pictures at Whittier Mill.  I was surprised when I saw this brick outside the mill and a little chocked up; it's my grandparents' names who I love dearly.

 I snapped this quick pic of the girls at our photo shoot.  We originally did the shoot a few weeks ago, and it was 19 degrees outside.  We were FREEZING and the photographer said the girls looked miserable, so thankfully she scheduled a reshoot with us.  This totally threw off the cute coordinating outfits I had; this is what I had available.  They still look pretty adorable, don't they?

The girls have fallen in love with Perler Beads.  They made all these in the first little bit of opening the kit!  We continued on the next day too; they are loving these!