Eight Years!

On June 9th, Wade and I celebrated our 8th anniversary. Eight years ago I was blessed enough to marry my best friend in the church that I had always wanted to get married in. Of course this church was in the comfort of my small southern hometown.

I must say, it has been a whirlwind of adventure these past 8 years. I always like to update our litany of adventures every year. Kind of interesting to look back over the highlights of 8 years...
3 jobs

3 houses
2 states

2 apartments

2 kids

2 countries (visited)

1 cat

1 dog

1 trip to Disney World

I can't wait to see what we will be able to add next year!!

Want to know where we went, all dressed up, on our anniversary??

Why, Jason's Deli, of course. That's right finally a Jason's opened here in the frozen tundra. I am sure they were tired of seeing our minivan drive by, with four faces pressed to the windows, hoping to see the "Now Open" sign.

I am sure the people at Jason's weren't prepared for 4 very excited southern folk to invade their establishment. That's okay, they will see enough of us that we will eventually just blend it. We plan to take back up our Saturday night tradition of eating at Jason's, now that we don't have to drive all the way back to ATL for one:)

Princess Dance Camp Preformance

Last week, Maddie was in a Princess Dance Camp at Prairie School of Dance. If you live in the frozen tundra, I highly recommend this Dance School. I was SO impressed with the teachers. They worked so well with the kids and had a very organized program. They had actually taught the kids a tap routine in just one week.

Of course, Maddie LOVED it. She decided to take ballet this fall. I tried to talk her into taking tap because she did a great job and was able to follow the beat with her feet. That and she looks so darn cute as a tap dancer........

No matter how much I tried to push her to tap, her heart is in ballet. She loves everything about ballet. She loves the pink shoes, how she gets to use a bar and watch herself in a mirror, and how she can "move yike a princess". What more could a girl want?

And the fact that she got a princess tiara at the end of class helped sealed the deal.....Yep looks like ballet is in our future!!!

A little this and a little that.....

Maddie started a Princess Ballet and Tap camp this week. According to her it is, "so great" (with arms moving up and down to emphasis just how great it really is). I have been really pleased by the program's setup and with the way it is so smoothly run.

However, for this camp you had to have pink or black leotards, tights, ballet shoes, and tap shoes. Woozer......you need to go through a class to learn the ins and outs of dance shoes and wear. .

Did I mention that she needs her hair in a bun?!?! Let's just say it was the battle of bun on Monday morning. Maddie has REALLY thick hair (hum, wonder where she gets that from?!?). Getting that thick slick hair in a bun was a challenge. Luckily she didn't have to go through airport security.....I can't even imagine how much binging and buzzing all those bobby pins would cause.

Oh, you are wondering about the other half of my troublesome two-some. He cried when we dropped his Mad-die off. Then, cheered up when we got home and he got to "help" me around the house. He, of course, had to get he picture taken too!!

***************************************

In other news, the weather here has been terrible, horrible, yucky, stinky.......and I could go on. Upper 40s in June just doesn't cut it for my southern sun loving family. So, we were really excited to get a package in the mail from Grandma and Papa.

In the package was the neatest dress up kits yet. Sam's was a race car driver complete with gloves. He was slightly confused as there isn't any snow on the ground......to him all gloves equal snow. Maddie's was a hair dresser. It came complete with cape, wig, drier, and curling iron.

Even Daddy got in on the fun when got home. Luckily, when mommy had the wig on getting her "hai-er" (love that my kids still have their southern accents) fixed no one was there to take a picture.

Thank you so much Grandma and Papa.....the dress up kits have already got lots of use!!

Back in the thawed tundra......

We have been spending lots of time at the pool.

What can I say, apparently our blood has thickened over the winter. 40 degree nights and 70 degree days make for wonderful swimming weather. Can't believe I actually feel that way....but I do.

We have been spending time experiencing local fairs....

We got our first "ice cream" (HUGE Popsicle) from an ice cream truck..

We have been visiting the Nature Center..........

Kim, the my kids really miss your kids when we go to the Nature Center!!!

This is a picture of the pond that Ga-Ga walked on when it was frozen this winter. Don't worry, we didn't tell her she was on a frozen pond until she was already out on it.

Summer here is feeling more like summer "back home" this year. I am sure that has to do with the fact that we are in a house and not the apartment. Maddie has a room and a bed this summer and I am no longer worried about DFACS coming because of her sleeping in a closet.

I am sure summer is feeling more like summer "back home" since the temperature feels much warmer to us. Last summer we kept waiting for it to get "warm". When we moved it was already in the upper 80s in GA. So, we were used to warmer weather. After spending days and days below 0, 70s feels quite nice.

I know that having more friends is helping us feel more at home this summer. Preschool is out so we have been spending lots of time with friends at the "outdoor water park" (aka Lifetime Fitness). Maddie and Sam are both signed up for several camps this summer. Maddie starts her ballet and tap camp next week. Of course we are signed up and ready for VBS as well.

I am really trying to savor every minute this summer with the kids. It feels like a pivotal point in our lives. I am sure that is due to the fact that my baby girl starts KINDERGARTEN in the fall. Seesh...I can't believe I am old enough to have a child in school.