This was Ashleigh & Julia's 1st year trick or treating! Normally we go to Fall Festival at church where there's pony rides, a giant inflatable slide, face painting, games & more. But this year the "neighborhood thing" seemed much more interesting to Ashleigh. And Julia, well she just goes with the flow. I'm sure in a few years she'll be much more opinionated. Since traditional school started in August, Ashleigh's grown closer to some of the neighborhood kids. On most days when she gets off the bus she wants to run to her friends' bus stop to play on the walk back home. Since they asked her to go trick or treating as a group, that sounded way more fun to Ashleigh than Fall Festival.

Since lil' J was coming along, I decided to take our wagon. At 1st Julia was not interested in going to strangers homes, but towards the end of the outing she was running to the door with the rest of them.

Ashleigh was very excited! After receiving her candy, she would say thank yoooouuu in her cute southern voice. Then skip in an Ashleigh sort of way to the next house. Anyone who knows her knows what I mean by that. :)

The Buzzy Bees

my smallest bee

The Trick or Treat Posse

This is one of our neighbors...she's just too cute not to include.

After coming home & diving into our candy...all of us stayed up until about 11:00. Needless to say, we all slept in the next morning.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

...thought we'd give Daddy a break

After a busy week of driving 3,000 million gazillion miles, we thought hey let's give Daddy a break, a little siesta, if you will. So Ashleigh, Julia & I took a picnic to the park & stayed & played for a while.

Mama, look what I found!

...this looked like a spinning flower cup.

...oh, to be a kid again, pure joy!

Julia loved bouncing on this one.

I spun Ashleigh around fairly quickly on this one...she looked like a spinning top, before flying off that is. I got a little carried away...It was so much fun! No harm done though...no injuries sustained.

Our little explorer

Zoom, zoom, zoom goes the car!

Our little "spidergirl"

We loved this creative playground with so many different ways to climb & swing.

Our Little Swinger

Julia's 1st day of preschool!

How is it possible, Little Boo's 1st day of Preschool? She had no separation anxiety, at all. I'm the one that didn't want to leave her...sigh. Ashleigh said, "I'm just so worried about her standing in line & eating her lunch. What if she hits a kid? I hope she doesn't have to go to Ms. Kathy's office. I certainly never had to go." While I didn't have many reservations...I did wonder if she'd sit at her lunch table for the entire lunch period & not try to run around.

Stay tuned for the end of day report...

Here we go...off to the preschool playground. How fun is that! They do that 1st!

There she is, in the pink, playing in the playhouse. She LOVES to do that! Plus there's a kitchen in there...her 2 favorite play things in 1.

OK, so you're thinking leave already....well, NO. Ashleigh & I are still hanging out.

.. ...my little girlie girl.

HEY MOM, no cameras please. Love it :).

Hmm, what will I play with next?

Next Ashleigh & I went to her classroom to drop off her things. On the way we saw Ms. Stephanie, A's transitional teacher last year. She was so excited to see Ashleigh & invited her to her classroom to visit Ms. Diane as well. I'm thinking YES that means we don't have to leave. We visit with Ms. Stephanie & Ms. Diane & see Ashleigh's friend Valerie. Then before we leave I try to spot Julia out the backdoor on the playground, but I don't see her. Then Ash needs to use the restroom, so we watched her out of that window. Looked like she was having fun! Not that I felt uncertain about her being there or anything...it was just her 1st time & MY BABY!

Fast forward to 12:45...we pick her up. I ask Ms. Jean, "How did she do? Did she sit in her chair through lunch"? She replied, "she did great, yes & she's such a good eater. Then she threw her trash away herself." Then I asked Julia if she had fun? Her response, "I YIKE IT"!

My baby's growing up.

Our Garden Today in Pics

Meet the Teacher Night

We feel so blessed with our school assignment...so many people in our neighborhood applied for Brier Creek Elementary & didn't get in. I feel so at peace about it & that this is a God thing. That's Ashleigh's Kindergarten teacher, Miss Carter. I like everything about her so far well, except her love of NC State, but I think I can overlook that ;).

My sweet Ashleigh is growing up all too fast. Just the other day Stew & I were reminiscing about how she learned to walk & how excited we were to see her take her 1st steps back & forth between the beanbag chairs. We were so concerned she would fall & injure herself & not have a soft place to land. Hopefully we've trained her well because on July 9th she's taking a little bigger step on her own. She's so excited! She had such a great time tonight meeting the teacher, playing with the other kids...she didn't want it to end. I think she's ready for her bigger step.

I've ordered her backpack & lunch box, but we still have all of the other supplies to purchase. As for me I'm going to try to enjoy every moment of the anticipation & excitement. I want to keep these thoughts & emotions in my heart forever.

So here's to you my sweet Ashleigh, I know you'll do great. Love you so much....XOXOXO.

Topsail Beach Vacation...day 3

Mama & Boo!

just love this pic!

It takes great concentration...

She's such a girlie girl.

the shell designer

Look what we found on the beach...the structure was already there. We just added the decor. I think it needed a woman's touch. What do you think?

Look at me! What a great hole!

the creative visionary

the artist

She was very serious about her sand play.