Back to School

Well, it is that time again. Tomorrow the girls and I officially go back to school. It is a bit crazy because Brianna still attends Matthews Country Day, while Allie and I attend Socrates Academy.
I was talking to Brianna tonight about going back to school and I was naming off several of her friend's names. She told me that one particular friend always has a mad face. She continued by saying that he never had a happy, smiling face. It is amazing what three year olds notice!
I then moved onto Allie. While I was talking to her, I asked if she was ready for her first day of school. She promptly told me no. She continued by explaining that she already had her first day of school last year. This year, she was going to first grade! All I could do was nod and smile.
Both of my girls are completely right.
So, we are off to another first day of school tomorrow. I will take pictures and post them soon. Don't be alarmed when it looks like Brianna is wearing a Socrates Academy uniform; she is. It is what she picked out to wear. She is just too ready for kindergarten, and she is only three!

Discovery Place

In my efforts to keep the kids entertained while keeping the summer spending under control, we splurged yesterday! We decided to ride the lightrail train uptown. We met my sister for lunch. That was a treat because we never get to see Auntie M during the work week! Next we set off for Discovery Place. I still don't know who had more fun, Heath or the kids?! It was full of hands-on activities for the kids. The first thing they did was create a pair of shoes for the shoe display. Well, they didn't want to leave them at discovery place, so the shoes came home with us. Next we were off to discover all things science! The pictures show just how much fun everyone was having.
Check out the link to see the video that Allie created at Discovery Place:
http://thinkitup.discoveryplace.org/creation/6399
Now, we are off to the next adventure . . .

Stuart, FL

Upon leaving Ocala, we drove to Stuart, FL. We went to visit Heath's aunt, uncle, and grandmother. It turned out that his grandmother got sick and ended up in the hospital. We were still glad to go and visit. It was the first time that Brianna had met Tootie. It was also the first time that either girl had been on a boat ride. We had several more adventures including Brianna falling into the water because she was startled by the ocean, Heath going fishing with Uncle Jim, a girls strip to the beach, and visiting with Ms. Tootie. We are so glad that it worked out for us to go and visit our family!

The Villages - Ocala, FL

Recently we visited my parents in Ocala, FL. The girls had a blast! Allie learned to do canonballs in the pool. Brianna learned that she did not need to have a death grip on me while in the pool. We went to the town square and listened to the music while Brianna danced up a storm. Heath spent his time on one of the 27 golf courses. I just relaxed by the pool. And yes, I got tan (for me)! We also fed the turtles and had a mini spa day. All in all, we had a great time and we can't wait to go back next year! Our pictures will show you about our adventures. Enjoy!

Ashville

Our first famiy vacation this summer was to Ashville, NC. A few years ago, I had received a rather large gift card to the Grove Park Inn in Ashville. Well, we finally decided to use it. We took the girls up and we went to the Nature Center. This was great! It was like a mini zoo, and it was all shaded! The best part was when Brianna asked if she could touch the snake. Heath and I said that was fine, but we both backed up as far as we could; neither of us wanted to be near the snake.
It always surprises me when Brianna shows "no fear" with some aspects of life, but then she is scared to death of the clouds moving in the sky! I know that these things just need to be better explained to her, but sometimes, she is just amazing.