Summer Crazies

The weather is slowly starting to feel more like summer and the crazies seem to have infected the kids. We started potty training Charlotte...let's just say some success mixed with some accidents but not too bad. She has also discovered what it means to have favorites. She loves purple and piggy tail braids. I have lots of pics that are finally on my computer so I will try to share some here and the rest will be on my shutterfly share page. http://ducklings2.shutterfly.com/ Zoey is my tiny big girl. She wants to do everything her sister does. No more nursing and lots of eating. I am constantly amazed at how much that tiny girl will eat.

I have lots planned in my crafting room over the next few weeks. I have some wall art to finish for my living room, Christmas stockings, baby blankets in various shapes and sizes, and a quilt along that I am going to participate in. And next Wednesday (the 27th) we find out if Baby Shrimp is a boy or a girl:)

Quilt Along!

I am going to participate in my first quilt along. Maybe it'll be the motivation I need to get this next quilt going;) Like I need more motivation to have more projects going at the moment! I got some new fabric last week that I ma very excited to incorporate. I will be posting pics of my progress here and on the flickr group so keep an eye out. The final prize is a quilting machine so I am very excited for a chance.

Moving is finally finished!

We are officially moved in to our new home. I handed over the keys to the old house today. Definitely more sad about it than I thought I would be. Don't get me wrong, no regrets about moving. This house is a much better fit for our growing little family. Just lots of memories there and it's the longest I've lived anywhere in a long time. But I've decided I'm never moving again! I hate it! Sooo much stress and craziness involved. Even the little people got stressed but we all seem to be better now. And I think just about all the boxes that are in the house are actually unpacked and most things have found homes in our multitude of closets and cabinets. I even have empty cabinets, which of course have already been adopted by the kids for their very own to play in.

A special thanks to my mom, Louie, Laureen and Tilly for the dinners!!! And Tilly for helping me clean the old house!

Charlotte has had an especially trying time with the move. She is very excited about her room and all the space but has to double check everything (constant refrain has been "Oooh Gotcha!" and "Which library/Gram/Pops/etc") and has spent the last two weeks making sure her boundaries and rules were still in place. This does not make for a calmer mommy! But the last few days have been better. This afternoon she wanted me to read the Knights of Columbus magazine with her. And she had to double check that no girl in the magaizine was named "Sofia", like her cousin that is coming to play with her tomorrow. She's a little fixated at the moment. And then she came to a picture of the knights with their plumed hats on. She asked what they were and when I told her she replied that they were "not knights they're jingle bells!" In the process of moving she has also come across several more of my dolls and stuffed animals. When I was little I was given a set of twin cabbage patch dolls. She's had one with her toys for almost a year now and she and Zac named her "Dorothy" or "Dolly". The other one also received a name this week. She is now known as "Celery". I don't think Charlotte will get a vote in naming the new baby...

Zoey has not really noticed that she is in a new place except that she has more room to run. There has been much running down the hall and spinning and dancing. She gets very excited to come watch out the back door while the dog is out. And does not understand the concept of staying on the patio at all. She now has her toddler bed set up and takes her naps there. She and Charlotte practice saying prayers and singing bedtime songs, just like Daddy does for them at night.

Camera cable has been found so beach and new house pictures will be up shortly.

Last Day at the Beach

Last full day at the beach=( Somewhat sad but excited to go home and move. Eliza picked up the keys to our new house today and we get to start moving in tomorrow afternoon!!! Sooo excited to have a/c and two bathrooms and lots of closets ( I think I counted 8). Our current home is cooled by fans and window units with baseboard heat so this will be a big step up and technically has a closet under the stairs with a cloak closet upstairs in one of the semi unusable rooms. Its the little things I know.

Today we decided to drive up to the Bodie Island Lighthouse. It was a beautiful, warmish day when we left and by the time we crossed the bridge we were in pouring down rain and fog. Yuck! I hopped out to get some pics and got some postcards at the giftshop while Zac drove around in circles to keep the girls happy since of course I forgot to bring their jackets. On the way back we stopped at Pea Island, which is a really neat nature preserve. We were able to take the kids out on their little walkway to see the turtles which Charlotte loved. On the way back the big ones were hiding so she was somewhat disappointed but I got some pics so hopefully they turn out for her. I found a postcard with a turtle on it so that seemed to appease her.

The weather was still nice this afternoon at the beach house so I made Zac get up from a nap to help me take the girls to the beach with everyone else. Of course as soon as we all got outside it start to rain. We went down anyway and the girls had a blast. Charlotte was even excited to go down to the water. She freaked as soon as the frigid water hit her toes and refused to do it again (not that I blame her). But Zoey thought it was great fun as long as Zac held her, not a fan of cold water up to her diaper. Charlotte played in the san while nervously watching everybody else down by the water. Thankfully by the time she completely lost her mind about everyone getting very wet in the waves they decided they had had enough and we came back to the house.

Tonite they are a having a pizza party and then we will sleep and load up bright and early tomorrow for the long drive home. It will take a few days for internet to be operational at the new house so until then I will keep taking pics to share...and remembering funny quotes from Charlotte to brighten your day. Here is one to tide you over. One night last week Charlotte was helping me cook dinner and her comment as I placed the chicken on the tray to put in the oven "Good job Ducky! Mommy I'm so proud of you!"

Ocracoke and a rainy day...

Yesterday Zac and I took the girls down to Ocracoke Island. We were sooo afraid that Charlotte would freak out about the ferry but she thought it was a blast. We let them out of their carseats for about half the trip on the boat and they sat happily on our laps eating jelly beans. About half way between the ferry stop and the actual town we got ou quick to say hi to the ponies and jumped right back in the car because it was sooooo cold and windy. The actual town is so tiny and cute! I blinked and we were at the other end. We drove around for a few minutes and then went to find the light house. Let's just say its smaller than Hatteras. I almost didn't see it around the tree. But I got a couple of pics and then we went to find lunch. The only place open that had any cars in it was Howard's Pub and Raw Bar. They make the best french fries ever!!! The rest of the food was good too but I would make the drive just for the fries. I went into a gift store quick on the way out of town. They had two whole rooms crammed with t-shirts and the best prices I had seen so far so of course I bought one. Also, got Charlotte a shell necklace and some postcards. And of course by the time we got to the ferry it was full so we had to sit for another hour to catch the next one. Charlotte and I ran and got a couple quick pics on the beach. I also took some out the window but it was entirely too cold to be out of the car for more than a few minutes. Charlotte begged to get back in the car. Finally got on the ferry and made it back to the beach house. Charlotte of course had to double check that we were going back to the beach house. She keeps insisting its not time to go home yet even though we though we are moving to our "fancy new house" (her words) when we get home.

Today I got to sleep in. I had asked last night and apparently the girls conspired to help with that goal. They got Zac up at 7=) I got to sleep until 9:30, it was wonderful! It's been a very rainy day so we've done nothing! Just sat around the beach house like lazy bums. We are even ordering in pizza for a late night treat later. Tomorrow is our last day so we are going to Bodie Island and maybe Pea Island to look for turtles if the weather cooperates. And then very early we will be heading home on Saturday so we can start moving. I am soo excited and anxious. It almost makes me feel like more of a bum since I am at the beach and not home packing but we are just moving across town and we have the old house for another month so timing is not critical.

Aquarium Day

Today we took the kids (Tilly & Joe & their kids came too...) up to Roanoke Island to go to the aquarium. For the record, I would sooo move to Manteo. It's such a cute little island town; the perfect combination of commercial and touristy stuff and local quiet town. The girls loved the aquarium. They got to see a sea turtle about a foot away from their faces. It swam up to say hi and waved at them. Zoey flipped out she was so excited. The divers in the shark tank really weirded Charlotte out. And one of the coolest things was the petting room. Zoey got to pet a starfish and a sting ray but was mostly excited about playing in the water. Charlotte got to pet the starfish, a guitar fish and a sea urchin. Jenny loved the sharks. I think the sea turtle was Charlotte's favorite. There was even a statue of one outside so we got pictures of the girls sitting on it.

We went to lunch at Big Al's, a great little 50's diner that is completely decorated in Coke products. So very fun! Zoey discovered a great love of coloring and peach milkshakes. And Charlotte reinforced her love of milkshakes and fries. The only way we kept her awake on the way home was by giving her more sips of my mocha shake.

I think there will be great disappointment in my girls when we have to go home. They are loving having everybody here to play with. Everytime we go out Charlotte has to check that we are coming back to the beach house for Gramps to cook dinner and for her to play with Zelie and Jenny. And Zoey would desperately like to go back to the beach (its been way too cold the last 2 days). Everytime she catches a glimpse of the waves outside the windows she asks to "go go". The good news is we have three more days to play and its supposed to get warmer. But it's also going to be rainy=( Tomorrow morning we're going to see the lighthouse at Bodie Island and then we'll go see the one on Okracoke on Friday.

New house, new baby, and the Beach!

I have not been on the computer much during Lent so I have not updated in awhile. But we've had a pretty big and exciting few weeks. We've been sick a lot since the beginning of February but I think we might finally be over all the yucky bugs that have been going around. But in the midst of being sick I found out that we are expecting Baby#3 or "Shrimp" in October!!! So we are very excited to be adding to our little family. Charlotte and Zoey are all about giving the new baby kisses and zerberts. To add to our excitement we will be moving in April to accommodate having a new little one and so Charlotte can finally have a room of her own . In our current house she would have to have moved upstairs and the two options for rooms left a lot to be desired as far as safety for a soon to be 3 year old and she doesn't like to be alone so it was just too far. We found a newer duplex in a nice quiet neighborhood and it's close to the grocery store so we are very excited to move. But as I sit and dream of my nice new house I am currently looking at the ocean.

We are in the Outer Banks for a week with Zac's family. We've taken the girls down to see the water twice and each time has been better. Charlotte is afraid of getting wet and would not even take off her shoes to make footprints in the sand. Zoey thought making footprints was funny and every few steps she'd dig her toes in to make a deeper one. I got some really cute pics but forgot the camera cable at home so I will update with all the pics probably as soon as I get home and moved. We took the girls to see the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse this morning after church which was really neat. They moved it about 10 years ago and its currently getting cleaned up and ready for the busy season so we could not go up which might have been just as well since Charlotte freaked when Zac suggested touching it. The church down here is gorgeous. There is a big window behind the altar that looks out over the sound and its all wood inside with some really pretty stain glass windows. Later this week we are planning to see some more lighthouses and we'll take the girls to the aquarium. Mostly we will be relaxing and looking at the waves=) Pure laziness!!!