These Little Moments...

This year, we celebrated Halloween with friends and family at Festival 31, an event hosted by our church. There were 12 inflatables, games, a hot dog dinner, and trunk-or-treating. The kids left with buckets full of candy, and I believe everyone had a great time. Gracie chose to be Spider Girl this year, and Ethan was, not surprisingly, a Ninja Turtle! He actually has two Ninja Turtle masks, so you'll notice that in the first few pictures he is Leonardo (blue mask) and in one, he is Raphael (red mask). Here are a few pictures of the kids during Festival 31. I wish I had taken more! The evening was so much fun, but also a bit chaotic. :)

I'm hoping to continue to add posts from the past few months that I never got around to completing! So, here is another from June: After an emotionally exhausting few weeks, a houseful of friends and family proved to be just what this heart needed. We gathered at our house for an evening cook-out and celebrated Ethan's 3rd birthday. It was chaotic and messy and wonderful. These people that we get to do life with make all the difference. The girls, Gracie and Paisley, held a dramatic Frozen scene of their own creation in the backyard. There may, or may not, have been actual tears at one point. Bentley is not one to pass up a chance for kisses, and I can't blame him for his choice. Pierce is super sweet! And so is my Ryleigh-Girl. My boy... I adore him! Megan, close friend and cake-maker, made the cake of Ethan's dreams. Months later, we still have the top tier (which was not edible) as a decoration in Ethan's room. My...

Gracie's dance recital was held on June 20th (I'm just a little behind...). This was her 3rd year dancing with Extravagance and Tumble, and once again, the studio put on an impressive show! Gracie's class did so well during their two dances, one tap and one ballet. I believe that Gracie is a talented 6-year-old, and she certainly has the graceful moves of a ballerina, but she is over dance. I was honestly surprised she allowed us to sign her up again after last year's recital, but she decided to give it another chance. She has since moved on to gymnastics, which she is enjoying much more. Still, I wanted to add these pictures of her in her dance costume before the recital in June.

It was so wonderful to have Gracie and Ethan in our arms again after so many days away. I had really been missing them and their sweet faces! We dropped the kids off with Memaw on Thursday evening, since Sean and I had an early flight to make on Friday morning, and they were there to welcome us in Richmond when our flight landed Tuesday evening. Memaw was great about sending lots of pictures and keeping us updated during their busy weekend, so I felt less distant, but still anxious to hug and kiss them in person. The kids were lucky to have tons of Memaw time, but also spent time visiting with their great-grandparents, Uncle Ryan and Aunt Bekah, their cousin Landon, and Bekah's baby sister, Kirrily. Gracie is like her mama and loves babies, so she was a big help with the little ones. Some of their to-do list included: playing in the sand in their underwear at Gloucester Point Beach, night fishing at the condo in Williamsburg, parade watching in Yorktown, and a day at the Virginia...

Canada in the fall is as beautiful as one might imagine, with its changing and falling leaves. The colors are brilliant and the process is further along here than it is in North Carolina - many trees are nearly bare, or have already said farewell to all of their coverage. Today, Quebec City is overcast and drizzly. I was able to catch a few hours of sun that broke through the clouds, but now, as I watch the city from my hotel window, I see tiny people with umbrellas, wet walkways and roads, and a grey sky. This time that I have for rest and relaxation, for aloneness and quiet, it is working well with the dreary weather. I've finished a book already, between hotel and airplane reading, and I just made a cup of hot tea, thanks to the hotel room coffee maker. I slept in this morning, until 9:15, then I went out for coffee and breakfast. I found a bench, the same bench on which I enjoyed my coffee during our last visit, and I sat. It is so strange to have absolutely no o...

How is it possible that I have a child in the 1st Grade?? On August 13th, my little girl stepped into the role of first-grade student . It has now been two weeks since school started for Gracie, and she's loving it. One of my greatest hopes for her is that she'll always have a love for learning. Sean and I are so happy that she has Mrs. Swaim this year - we have loved all of Gracie's teachers since her first preschool year, but Mrs. Swaim has so many qualities that make her an all-around good fit for Gracie's learning style and personality. Our girl is still timid, but she continues to gain confidence and I know this year will give way to even more growth.  It's been so interesting to watch Gracie's progress in all subjects. She seems a lot more like Sean when it comes to Math (working everything out in her head), but is also doing very well with reading. We have started reading The Little House on the Prairie books together - I read while she listens, then...

On Monday, we were able to spend the entire day together (no work for Sean!). We started the morning off right with fruit-filled crepes at an amazing breakfast place that Sean had been to on a previous trip. Mine were filled with bananas and strawberries, with a Belgian chocolate sauce on top. Sean's were the fruit-explosion crepes, so there was literally an explosion of fruit on his plate. Delicious! Following breakfast, we took a short drive outside the city to visit Montmorency Falls Park - home to a 272' waterfall (99' taller than Niagara Falls!). It was just stunning. Visitors could ride a cable car to the top of the waterfall, but Sean and I were feeling adventurous and climbed the steps instead... Once we reached the top, we were able to cross the suspended bridge overlooking the falls. The view was breathtaking. This photo was taking looking down from the bridge. We walked the entire trail, enjoying nature along the way...