family camp at windy gap

WINDY GAP
it really is one of my favorite places on earth. it is one of those places where you can just get away from life!  thankfully, i was lucky enough in high school to be a party of Charlotte Young Life. we would go to windy gap every fall for a weekend and i always left feeling completely refreshed and a new "me".  my group of friends and i had an awesome leader, melissa gibbs. she was the rock of our life for those 3 critical years of high school & she has continued to be there for us ever since.

when the opportunity for family camp came up i jumped on the chance immediately. i knew little miss fran would be too young so i thought it would be the perfect time for brett, henry and i to escape together on a weekend in the mountains. we were lucky enough to have lots of other friends and families attend & also meet so many new people from Charlotte. we spent the weekend just hanging out, enjoying each others company, no "to do" list, acting silly, and learning more about God's love for us. 
i forgot my camera (along with many other things since i packed us up in about 10 minutes) but i managed to get a few shots with the handy iphone. enjoy the ones below and think about going to family camp next year! you won't regret it!

scott and brett doing the zip line

then they moved on to the blog (that is brett on the end getting bounced into the water)

great shot of haley getting blobbed by scott....i tried to write her name right above her- you might need to click on the photo to blow it up

backyard water time!

it has been hot so what is a better way to cool off? a teeny tiny baby pool! they actually loved running down the hill and trying to land in this little thing. the hose was out & fran was loving it- no fear at all going straight to the water compared to her older brother. lucy came over to join the fun & those long afternoon hours passed quickly!

 

the water was so cold but she didn't care one bit!

squealed with delight when dad put the hose down her suit

screaming "SUMMER!!!"

had to strip down to the soaking wet diaper & strike a pose showing our good lookin' belly

april wrap up

linds, kezia & catherine
Catherine & I escaped the queen city to hit the big apple for 4 days with Kezia.....it was so perfect! Just what the doctor ordered....no work & girls only!  Eliza just happened to be going to NYC as well & Kate lives there too so we had a fun college reunion.  We hit some of the best restaurants in town, of course some shopping, and were lucky enough to get a celebrity sighting of Cameron Diaz at the Standard.  We stayed up late talking every night & maybe just drinking a FEW glasses of wine but it was all definitely worth it. I miss having these two girls in Charlotte but any time we all get back together it is like we haven't even missed a day.  Thanks Kez & Kate for another one to go down in the books! We will definitely be back soon!

eliza, kate, me & cat

our drink order at the standard....it was actually pretty gross! bummer!

hitting the pavement to do some shopping damage

back home miss priss loves her some BUBBLES!!!!

easter 2012

Easter 2012
family photo time via instagram!
 (henry 4 1/2 yrs old & fran 15 months)

we hit the Schwab's for the annual egg hunt; fran still trying to warm up to the idea of picking up the eggs and putting them in the basket

what is this driveway made of??? honey, one day you will understand that you will sacrifice comfort for the look!

finally excited about getting a basket full of candy!!!!!

attempt at bro-sis pic.....not so successful

first taste of a candy bar! we've got an instant winner! my kind of girl!

this was after church- how we got this photo of both of them looking i have NO IDEA!

this is truly one of my faves.....the look on henry's face shows so much; he is so in love with his sister & is always wanting to hug & kiss her- i just hope it will last

the girls

the boys.....henry's first real sport coat (thanks to cousin will)

late afternoon we headed to honey & sam's house for a beautiful picnic dinner outside. dannon was there & loved every minute of watching all of the little ones running around. we are so lucky to still have her with us!

attempt at a photo of all four.....didn't quite work out- thanks Hen!

and you can't have fun at a party without crazy uncle j!!!!!!!!

hopefully back with more catching up later this week! let's see if i can squeeze it all in before the beach!

triple bath

i never posted these in february when we took them but i love it! happy weekend!

 

hair clips!

we have our first hair clip! yay!!! she didn't even try to pull it out when i put it in this morning- i was very surprised.  when i dropped her off this morning her teacher said not to worry- the other kids will! so....not quite sure the clip will be able to do its purpose at school with others pulling it out so we might need to switch to sweatbands?? monogrammed maybe? ha! that would be hilarious. maybe that is where we can make our millions???

our house is getting filled with LOTS of excitement and talk about the Easter bunny coming. i think henry has been talking about Easter eggs at least 25 times a day. let's just hope we don't have the same melt down at the egg hunt as last year! my guess is that fran eats more candy than henry!

it's a long one!!

behind behind behind! how behind can i be??? the story of my life. but hey...i finally made it back to the blog! warning.....this is going to be a long one. lots of cute pics to show & lots to catch up on so grab your cup of coffee & enjoy! we have missed this place!
above photo (all of these from the iphone).... was taken about 2 weeks ago when we had george (left) and henry brand (on right) over for a playdate. i decided to check out one of my pinterest tags (that is the other place i have been living- PINTEREST- so addicting). i saw this cute link for a scavenger hunt for kiddos. i just printed it out & off we went! an hour later we were back at home after finding just about everything on our sheet.  SO FUN! highly recommend it for a different activity!!!

 

i mean, is george not the cutest thing you have ever seen?

proud of their cards & what they found

brett & i were lucky enough to escape the last weekend in february! we hit the road to charleston for a  wedding & visited with a lot of old auburn peeps. perfect weekend:: caught up on sleep.....ate some delicious meals...and even did a little bit of shopping....all kiddo free while bebe & papa took over the ropes here in charlotte.

our other new years resolution, going to church, has been getting a few check marks! i mean- who doesn't go to church with their buck teeth in? seriously- this is her favorite paci. she would totally sleep with it & wear it all day if i let her.

my little stud....still prefers to go to class instead of celebrate service...says it is "too boooring"

afternoon sofa time with daddy

instagram photo of fran's valentine treats..."will you o'fishally be my valentine?"....again, thanks to pinterest for the idea

work is on double overdrive for me right now. we have 2 houses getting installed in the month of june- one in linville & one in jackson hole (that is less than 12 weeks- yikes!). 2 large cups of coffee are needed....constant caffeine should flow through the body at all times! once they are done they will both be absolutely beautiful & it will be very rewarding but right now it is crunch time. at least i have that precious face to look at on my screen.

 

here are two more photos of miss fran (via instagram). she loves the swing but doesn't like to go very high or she starts shaking! guess she isn't going to be a dare devil like her brother who was asking for higher pushes at 12 months old!

don't we all wish we could look that cute naked?

and now on to miss amy. my sweet friend. i love her so much. she was that girl in high school that i knew of but wanted to know so much more about. lucky for me we became friends and have remained close ever since. she is that friend that always makes you feel good when you are with her & when you leave her you just want more of her.  i was honored to go spend a weekend away with her at the beach in february. it was so perfect & i loved every single minute of it. amy had new scans done about 2 weeks ago & the trial drug she was on has not been working & her cancer has grown & spread. please pray for her every day in your prayers. she is a fighter that is not going to give up & we aren't either. i know God has a plan to heal her but He just needs to hear our prayers. if you would like to follow her along on her caringbridge site please do:: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/amypatwa/journal

thanks for reading the long one! i'll try to get better at posting more often but i should know by now not to promise it!! xxoo