Memorial Day Camping Trip

We had the great idea of going camping this Memorial Day Weekend, along with the rest of NC. We met our friends, the Moody's, at a family campground in Spruce Pine. Now, this kind of camping is totally foreign to Josh and I. Bye-Bye small 2 man backpacking tent, hello 50lb, 8man tent. I have to say sleeping on an air mattress does have it's benefits. No more hiking in several miles to camp....we just pulled into the site and dumped out our plethora of supplies. Pretty easy! Looks like this is how we will be camping until the boys are a little older. I can dig it.

Here's the site.

Myles and Corrine Moody. They are 7 weeks apart and great buddies. Isn't she precious?!

Hiking down to do a little fishing in the lake.

Grady and EllaGrey Moody. They are acting friendly in this pic but the next second G splashed her in the face with water. It has always been a love/hate relationship with these two.

Myles enjoyed the lake as well. Both boys are totally fearless in the water, making me a nervous wreck! Hence, the water wings and life jacket.

G hitting on the ladies. He was telling them he was three and he wanted them to watch him swim. They both got in and swam around with him.

Silly boys

Grumpy, sleepy Myles. He was ready for bed but would not give up. We had to drive him around the campground to get him to fall asleep.

Packing it up

Gramma and Grandpa

Without fail, Gramma and Grandpa have made every birthday the boys have had. They are so lucky to have so many Grandparents in their lives. Gramma and Grandpa, thank you for all the wonderful things you do for us. Grady and Myles are two of the luckiest boys in the world.

Grady's favorite present....a set of frogs, snakes and lizards. Gramma, you sure know the way to this little guys heart.

This was birthday cake #3.

Gramma and Grandpa gave the boys a bath every night. What a break for me!!

Grandpa and Grady. Can you tell how excited he was?

They took Grady to a really cool toy store and let him pick a few things out. He picked out a huge rubber tortise and an airplane. G passed out with both toys. What a content little man.

Happy Birthday to Grady!

Yesterday was Grady's 3rd Birthday. I had to work on Saturday as it was Girl Scout Day at the park so we had his party on Sunday. Gramma and Grandpa came to visit (their visit will be a whole new post...stay tuned) and we invited 20 or so friends over. Josh cooked homemade pasta and meatballs and of course we had a cake.

Grady, you are truly, one of a kind. He continues to amaze me on a daily basis. Words can't describe how much I love that little monkey. I look forward to everyday, just to see what he is going to do and say. What a unique and wonderful son I have!!

G doesn't really care for meat, with the exception of BACON. So, for his birthday he wanted a plate full of it for breakfast. You got it, little man

Wilbur the snake

The hit of the party was Wilbur the hognose snake! My friend, Emily from the park, brought Wilbur, a corn snake and a box turtle for some entertainment. Grady was looking forward to seeing Wilbur more than having a party. Thanks, Emily and Joey!!

Happy Birthday, G

G decided that he didn't need a fork (or hands) to eat his cake. Notice the cool stuffed snake? Gramma and Grandpa brought every kid at the party a snake and safari hat. They think of the coolest things!

Kelly, one of Grady's favorite people, came to the party as well. I hope she still wants to have that baby after seeing all the crazy kids at the party!! It is her and Steven's first....they have so much fun to look forward too. Thanks for coming, Kelly and Steven.

Moo man, crushing a cookie.

Party time

A Visit to Virginia

We had another great trip to Mimi and Papaw's house. This time the boys and I flew up there. I have to say, it was much easier than the 7 hour car ride. The boys did a great job on the plane, despite the fact that G sung "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" for half the flight. At least he was happy! I think the people around him wanted to change seats after the 100th rendition.....

Mimi's garden was beautiful, as usual.

The boys spent hours looking for bugs and creepy crawlies.

Per G's request, we hit the museums again. The Natural History Museum was a big hit with both boys. Even Myles enjoyed the animal and dinosaur exhibits. He was looking at a tiger in this pic and growling.

G loved the Insect Zoo. He even got to hold real bugs.

For being a big mama's boy, Myles sure gets adventurous when we are out in public. He loves to wander which makes for an interesting excursion.

Papaw and Grady made a birthday cake. Grady was a great helper.

The finished product. G requested that it have strawberries on it.

Myles helped eat the cake! (Notice the pillow fort on the sofa.) The boys pretty much wrecked Mimi and Papaw's house.

Grady and Mimi, hanging out watching some TV.

We got a lot of relaxing time in. I actually finished a book in two days as my mom kept the boys occupied. It was great!

G and Uncle Will.

What's wrong with this pic....? Will pushing a stroller!! Looks pretty funny, huh?

Papaw let the boys help him mow the grass. What a treat.

Mini Reunion

Today we had a BBQ at my folks house. Two of my best friends from high school, Brooke and Blythe, came over with their kids and their mothers. We have been friends for 20 years now, how crazy! It is so great to watch our kids play together. They all got along really well and had fun getting to know each other. Too bad we all live so far away from each other. We miss you guys already.

I really wanted to get a picture of all the kids but that was nearly impossible. So, here are Lyla, Emery, Grady and Kendall. Oh, and the back of Myles head. (we were missing Bennett)

Kendall and Grady, holding hands. Kendall is a great big sister. I was very impressed.

The kids watching something...not sure what but it looks exciting.

Bennett, Brooke and Kendall.

Blythe's twins were adorable! I can't believe it was the first time I have ever met them. It feels like I have known them forever.

Typical boys! Bennett and Grady trying to catch tadpoles in Mimi's pond.

After they caught the tadpoles, they were putting them in the bird bath....logical place for tadpoles!

Even little Myles had fun trying to keep up with the big kids.

The girls were so sweet. Kendall was teaching them how to write their names.

Lure of the Dragons

This weekend was the 3rd Annual Lure of the Dragons, Dragon Boat Race held at beautiful Lake Lure. It's a wonderful event dedicated to raising money for local children's charities. This is the third year Josh and I have paddled for the Chimney Rock Park team. It also marks the first year that we have placed....we won second overall. Way to go, Chimney Rock!!! It is such a fun event and we can't wait until next year.

For you all who are unfamiliar with Dragon Boat racing, it's the fastest growing team sport in the US. Each boat holds ten paddlers, a drummer and a person who steers the boat. The boats are similar to canoes but longer and more narrow. Each race lasts about 1-2 minutes.

Here's a shot of the front of the boat.

Our team...Go Chimney Rock!! We raced against other companies, agencies, and clubs from the area. Each boat raised money for children's charities.

The festival was complete with Chinese dragons, martial arts, kids activities and other vendors. Grady is getting to be a pro in the bounce houses. I wish I had a picture of him acting like a wildman. Even Myles jumped around in the house.

Dragon parade

Myles was not sure what to make of all the dragons.

At the end of the day, Myles and Grady found a big mud puddle...go figure. At least it was the end of the day. They had a circle of fans around them as they splashed in the mud. Two women came up to me and said what a great mom I was for letting them play in the dirt. I didn't tell them that secretly, I wanted to turn a hose on them right then and there!