Trick or Treat

This evening Savannah, who is 3.5 years old, went trick or treating for the first time! She made her daddy proud by dressing up as a cheerleader from his alma mater (NC State): 

Before going trick or treating, Savannah and her friends ate pizza at Macy's house

(Scott, Macy, Madeline, Isabella, and Savannah):

The moms: Michelle, Cindy, Tracy, and Me

All 4 of us taught at the same school for 5 years.

Michelle, Cindy, and I have a special bond because we were all pregnant at the same time 4.5 years ago. We have regular playdates and birthday parties to maintain our friendship.

Savannah had a great time trick or treating. She learned to go to the houses with their outside lights on, to take one piece of candy, and to say "thank you" before she left:

Isabella (Strawberry Shortcake) and Savannah

Of course, when we arrived home, Savannah sampled a few pieces of candy:

Savannah's Artwork

Savannah LOVES drawing, coloring, and painting. This week Savannah brought home a truckload of artwork that she has created at preschool over the last couple months. 

I love the artwork below because they're snapshots of my sweet 3.5 year old's thoughts and interests, as well as evidence of what Savannah has been learning at school (i.e. family, pets, and fire safety).

Future NC State Cheerleader?

Halloween 2012

Wild Weather Wedding Weekend

Today I was honored to serve as the matron of honor in my lifelong friend Amanda's wedding. Amanda and I became friends in junior high school 23 years ago.

Jason, Amanda, and Jenna 

 

Isn't Amanda's wedding dress gorgeous?! In February, I had a great time helping Amanda select her dress, which fit her beautifully on her wedding day:

 

Amanda and Jason were married at Shell Island Resort on Wrightsville Beach

The rehearsal dinner was held Bluewater:

Amanda and Jason

Bluewater is situated on the Intracoastal Waterway and has gorgeous views of yachts on the water:

Amanda's Family

The food at Bluewater was AMAZING! Before the meal arrived, we ate bacon wrapped shrimp and a side salad. For the entree, I ate the salmon and shrimp duet. For dessert, we had a choice of a key lime tart or carmel brownie with a la mode:

Unfortunately, Hurricane Sandy's wind and rain made it impossible for Amanda and Jason to get married on the beach as they'd hoped. In fact, on the day of the wedding, the beach was flooded as shown below:

Do you see how close the flooding was to the hotel boardwalk in the picture below? 

Instead, Amanda and Jason had a lovely wedding and reception inside Shell Island Resort.

As shown below, a local florist created beautiful floral centerpieces and chair bouquets with Amanda's wedding colors (turquoise, orange, and brown):

Chair Bouquets

A family friend did the calligraphy on the table cards and name cards. Amanda's mom made favor bags filled with beachy sugar cookies:

She also planned and decorated the candy bar below: 

  Cutting the Cake

 

Congrats Amanda and Jason!

May your marriage be filled with a lifetime of happiness!

4th Annual Fair Weigh-In

One of our favorite annual traditions is to have Savannah weighed at the NC State Fair. Every year I'm amazed how much Savannah has grown!

2009

8 months old...19.6 lbs.

2010

20 months old...26.1 lbs.

2011

2.5 years old...29.7 lbs.

2012

3.5 years old...36.5 lbs.

Fair Fun

Today our family (along with Grandma Barbara) had a blast at the NC State Fair, which is one of favorite annual fall events.



Kids Barnyard

Riding a Pony

Deep fried treats, anyone?

Award-winning Pumpkins

Grandma Barbara and Savannah

Savannah loved the candy corn kitty pumpkin below:

Savannah insists that she had a great time on the slide,

but our sweet girl looks scared below: 

Daddy and Savannah

Tal and Savannah riding the Fire Truck

Ladybug Ride

Look Mommy...no hands!

Savannah weighed in at 36.5 lbs.! 

Tal and Savannah on the Helicopter Ride

Slide

Savannah and Grandma with Martha the Dog