Tuesday, September 26, 2017

Everyday Moments

Life...unedited. 
These random iPhone photos are dark, blurry, and untouched,
but they capture everyday moments from the last couple weeks.


**Just as an FYI, our family eats a lot in this post. However, sharing a snack or meal is one of our favorite ways to spend time as a family. It allows us to relax, talk, and spend quality time together. We also enjoy not having to cook or clean up when to go out to eat. 

This picture is hard to see, but it was heartwarming to see Hadley sharing a book with Grandma Barbara on our couch:

The last two Sundays, Hadley has asked me take her picture on the stage outside her classroom:

When I uploaded these photos, I discovered that Hadley wore the same outfit (from Grandma Barbara) two Sundays in a row:

Last week Savannah asked repeatedly to eat at the Ale House, so we ate dinner there on Friday night to celebrate her good behavior all week:

Savannah and Hadley struck a pose after we finished our family photo shoot last Saturday morning at a local park:

When Tal made cajun pasta last weekend, Savannah cut the red peppers for the dish:

I thought Hadley looked adorable watching nursery rhymes in the living room:



Hadley thought it was hilarious when she put a sticker on every step:

While Tal was watching the NC State football game last weekend, the girls and I got out of the house and used some Dunkin Donuts gift cards from my students. We shared a cold coffee drink, as well as some pumpkin, glazed and chocolate munchkins:

The girls built a fort in our living room, but Hadley didn't understand that she was supposed to crawl under the blankets...not jump on top of them:

Tal was a good sport when the girls dried his hair and put blush on his face:


Tal cringed when Hadley brushed his hair:

After naptime on Sunday, our family got ice cream at Dairy Queen:

I got the pumpkin pie Blizzard...

...while the girls ate chocolate ice cream:

The girls played in our front yard, while Tal cut the grass. Savannah rode her bike, while Hadley pushed her Pinky bear in the stroller:

Savannah and I also took turns pushing Hadley and Pinky in the stroller:

While Savannah was at gymnastics, Hadley and I ran my car through the car wash, as well as vacuumed and wiped down the interior: 

Hadley had fun swinging on the captain's chairs:

On Monday night, the girls and I had a girls night because Tal went to see Buddy Guy in concert. For dinner, we ate at Mod Pizza, where we chose the toppings for our personalized pizzas. Savannah loved her meat lovers pizza drizzled with pesto and kept saying, "This is so good:"

One of our pizzas was free...thanks to the coupon below:

On Tuesday night, we had another girls night, while Tal was at the Kenny Wayne Shepherd concert. For dinner, we got burritos from Moe's since Kids Eat Free on Tuesdays:

Saturday, September 23, 2017

Caniac Carnival

Last Sunday, September 17, our family enjoyed going to the Caniac Carnival after church. It was a free event that was sponsored by the Carolina Hurricanes, which is the professional hockey team in our area. (Fans of the Carolina Hurricanes are called "Caniacs.")

The Caniac Carnival signaled the beginning of the hockey season. It was held outside the arena where the Hurricanes play and included 15 food trucks, 20 inflatables, games, and lots of freebies from local vendors.



Tal, Hadley (almost 3), and Savannah (8.5)

For lunch, Savannah and Hadley ate free chicken tenders from PDQ...

...while Tal and I ate hamburgers from the Rare Earth Farms food truck:

Interestingly, the hamburger came from grass fed cows on a sustainable farm in NC:

The girls loved the inflatable slides and bouncy houses:








Corn Hole


At the Sports Clips booth, Savannah and Hadley got their hair sprayed with temporary green paint:




The girls loved showing off their green hair until we washed it out the next day!




Family Photos

Below is a sneak peek of our annual family photo session! This morning we had our pictures taken at a local park. For the first time ever, Savannah and Hadley agreed to wear matching dresses...which made my mama heart so happy! Haha. I used the girls' floral dresses as inspiration for our navy and coral color scheme. I'm looking forward to having some pretty photos to put on our Christmas cards and hang in our house!


Sunday, September 17, 2017

Pumpkin Farm

This weekend was Teacher Appreciation weekend at Hill Ridge Farms! For the 7th year in a row, Grandma Barbara and I took Savannah and Hadley to the pumpkin farm to kick off fall. Since Tal's mom and I are teachers, all 4 of us got free admission, which is always a huge blessing.  Savannah (8.5)  and Hadley (almost 3) loved riding the ponies, playing in the corn bin, sliding down the giant slide, and picking out pumpkins in the pumpkin patch. After 3 hours of fun activities, all of us were hot, tired, and hungry...but blessed to spend the day together!





Swinging on the playground


Sliding down the 80 foot giant slide


Grandma Barbara and Hadley


Playing in the corn bin







Hadley loved seeing the horsies us close:

Hadley loved riding the pony so much that she wanted to ride two times!


Playing in the sand pit

Savannah and Grandma

Every year, the girls stand in front of this sign, so we can see how much they've grown over the past year:

This year Grandma wanted to see if she'd grown in the past year:


Below is a picture of Savannah the first year we went to Hill Ridge Farms. It was 2011, and Savannah was 2.5 years old (the same age that Hadley is this year):

Duck Races



We rode on a hay ride to the pumpkin patch, where we each picked out a pumpkin to take home:

Our pumpkins





Eating a sno-cone before we headed home







Grandma Barbara picked out this albino pumpkin to take home to Aunt EJ  (who loves white pumpkins!) for her front porch: