This and That of Winter

It is officially Spring, but it sure doesn't feel like it.   I wanted to post a few pictures of things we did this winter.  

 We spent a lot of time this Winter, taking walks down the street with Gary in his wheelchair.   Julianna got her Barbie Jeep from Santa and she loves it!   She cracks me up when she throws it into gear!   It goes pretty fast on the road!

 I love her in this kitty Cat hat!

 A girl and her baby!

 Snuggle time with the big sis.   It is so sweet when Julianna goes up to Caroline and says, "Caroline, you know what? ... I love you!!"

 This girl loves some chocolate covered strawberries.

 Coloring Easter eggs on a chilly, rainy day.   Love the footy sleeper.

 Caroline experimenting with her eggs.

 Caroline takes piano lessons and Julianna is picking it up too.   She is actually very good and can read the notes in her music book.  

 Caroline getting ready for a swim meet.   She did so well this year, and Championships are next month!!

 Working on the pumpkins together.

 A day at the zoo with Daddy!

 Julianna and Hershey.   She says she likes Hershey more than Reese.   The true reason is because she can make Hershey do what she wants and Reese will not!

 The girls and I went to Busch Gardens for a day in December.   Gary stayed home with his broken leg.

Zip Lines, Baby Tigers, and S'Mores - What More Could You Ask For?

We drove to Ohio for our China Family Reunion recently.   We had a fantastic time visiting the Columbus Zoo, a super pumpkin patch, and just hanging out with friends.   It is such a blessing to see the girls grow each year.   This year I could truly tell the girls were becoming true friends.  I can't wait to get together again soon.   I hope you all come visit us down here in NC soon.   (or you know, I am always up for visiting The MOUSE!!! down in Zotti country!!!

Julianna Turns 4

Julianna turned 4 years old today.   We celebrated with family and friends over for hamburgers and hot dogs.    Julianna had a great time.   The weather was great - low 80's.   She picked Clifford the Big Red Dog for her theme.   Do you know how hard it is to find Clifford things??   He is not your hot kid party theme these days.    But it all came together and looked cute.

 This is my favorite picture of the day!   Blue was her favorite color for a long time.   A few months ago she switched to red.   I think that is part of the reason she picked Clifford!   Lots of red!!

 She loves to pose for pictures.   Here she is with her gang.

 Pretty Allie came to play.   So cute to watch them holding hands.

 Allie wanting her mommy to play too.

 This little doggie was a hit.   She named it Dottie the dachshound.   Its the closest she came to getting a real one this year.   She actually asked several times for a chocolate long haired one.   (remember, though, we already have 2 long haired dachshounds)

 Waiting for the cake!

She loves the kid camera we gave her, and the new board games are a hit with her.   ( I did manage to score a cute Clifford board game on Ebay!)   Also, it cracks me up to play "store" with her.   It is so much fun that I had to get her a new cash register for her birthday because the old one died on us.   It is so funny to listen to her pretend to talk over the store loud speaker!   Got to love the age of 4!  

The Last Days of Summer

Summer flew by!   It's hard to believe it is already September 15.   Here are a few pictures from our last fun days of summer.   We squeezed in a beach day and a Watercountry day at the end of August.



My pretty girl has really taken to her bike.   She has night-night hippo with her.





Watercountry was a lot of fun this year.   She does everything she is tall enough for and wants to do it all.

 



Caroline found a turtle on the side of the road.   We let it go behind our house.

 




Watch out... here she comes.

 

Our Fall is set to be very busy with fun times.   We head off to the Great Wolf Lodge soon.   Julianna's 4th birthday party is on October 6, and then we drive to Ohio for our China reunion.   Can't wait to see everyone.   We will miss you, Sarah, Lauri, and Don.   I hope you can make it down here next July.

Happy 3 Year Gotcha Day!!!

 My girls love each other so much!!

 A pretty girl and her Mulan.

We had a fun day celebrating our 3 years with Julianna!   We had Chinese for lunch followed by a small cake for dessert.   I had a Barbie Mulan doll tucked away for Julianna, so I pulled that out as a gift.    Then, she picked swimming at the Y in the afternoon.