Events
Family Outings: Fall Festivals & Fun Activities
A little behind in posting these pictures but I figure it’s better late than never, right!? Since a couple of our family members have requested these pictures here we go…..
One happy and one scary pumpkin on the front porch In celebration of Fall Festivals, events, and activities we had the girls do a pumpkin this year. Brina wanted a happy pumpkin and Karlie wanted a scary pumpkin. They did the outlines for their pumpkins and Daddy cut out the pieces. They were both quite pleased with their pumpkins.
One Blue Crayon and One Violet Crayon The girls dressed up this year as crayons! They were super excited to wear their crayon costumes that we picked up on clearance last year.
Goody cups for the girls class at school. The girls helped pack the goody cups for their teacher and friends in their classroom! Besides stickers, pencils, glow in the dark silly bands we included a toothbrush and toothpaste.
Candy Corn Cupcakes for the girls class We made candy corn cupcakes for the girls class at school. They were so excited to take them and share with their friends at lunch.
Karlie and Brina carrying their goody basket into school They were thrilled to carry the goody basket into school. Several other students stopped to express their delight in the cool basket on their way to class, I think that alone made the girls day!
Two little crayons and Daddy getting into the teacup This was the first ride the girls went on at the Fall Festival. So thankful Jake was willing to ride with them, last year I went on it and almost threw up from the spinning!
Hold onto your hats little crayons! It made me dizzy just watching them spinning in circles but they had a blast!
Fun fall festival rides Our two crayons are in the blue one. They loved this ride last year too.
Having fun They loved looking out of their “cage” as they called it over the rest of the Fall Festival. When they got off they told us everything that they saw on the ride and what activities they wanted to do.
Ready to fly on the bug Two little crayons going for another spinning ride on the little bug, too cute!
Bug in flight It was hard getting a picture when both of them were looking at me. The bug got cut off on this one but at least both girls are looking my direction! 🙂
All buckled in...now ready to swing and spin Daddy was such a sport and went with the girls again on this spinning ride. Everyone is all buckled in and ready to SWING!
There they are swinging It looks pretty innocent doesn’t it but if your stomach does flip-flops while going in circles…..
Checking out all the equipment in the medical helicopter They had a emergency helicopter there so you could show your kids. Pretty neat seeing on the devices they put into it.
Two little crayons coming down the slide They had a blast jumping on bouncy castles, racing through bounce house mazes, and zipping down the slides.
Two cute crayons next to a giant black cat The cat was having problems staying up but I snapped a quick picture with them in front of it. They thought it was so funny seeing a giant black cat.
Family Outings: All Star Greenville Drive Baseball Game
Karlie and Brina in their Greenville Drive All Stars Shirts Karlie and Brina received their Greenville Drive All Star TShirts for completing the reading program through the library. They were super excited to get the free Tshirts, to walk in the parade, and to get free tickets to a Greenville Drive baseball game!
Brina and Karlie walking in the "All Star" parade before the Greenville Drive game The girls were loving the “parade” around the field before the Greenville Drive game. They were amazed at all the dents in the scoreboard from all the baseballs hitting it. I think it surprised them that the balls would hit it so hard. The shirts were really big (one size fits all) so they had a hard time figuring out how to wear them without them being a dress, in this picture Brina is just holding hers up and Karlie has her tied up.
Watching the Greenville Drive play baseball! The girls loved watching the Greenville Drive baseball games. They really started getting into the games, really cute. It was a great activity with the family and we had extended family join us for this game (Luke, Kristen, and Hudson) as well making it even more fun!
Hanging out at the game with Daddy Thanks Daddy for getting us great seats! The girls got free tickets for finishing the reading program and Daddy was able to get the rest of us seats through work! We had a blast even though the Greenville Drive didn’t win that night!
Recipe: Pumpkin Dip
Fresh Pumpkin Dip Our family had fun making jack-o-lanterns this year for the holidays. Brina choose to do a happy one and Karlie wanted to do a scary one. While we were having fun doing the activity we set aside the pumpkin seeds and the pieces of pumpkin that we cut out so we could make more goodies with them. The pumpkin seeds were a huge hit and were gone in less than 24 hours. We used our Seasoned Pumpkin Seed recipe and shared them with friends. With the chunks of pumpkin that were remaining we made Pumpkin Dip for the evening meal. It smelled amazing walking into the house as the aroma of sweet pumpkin soup greeted us.
Pumpkin Dip:
- 1 pound Pumpkin, seeded and peeled
- 1 cup Water
- 1 cube Chicken Bouillon
- 1/4 cup Heavy Cream
- 1 tablespoon Pumpkin Pie Spice
- Crackers, Pretzels, or Bagel Pieces (for dipping)
- Dash of Chili Pepper for Spicy Kick (optional) OR Dash of Brown Sugar for a sweeter dip (optional)
1. Cut up the seeded and peeled pumpkin into one inch cubes. Place the pumpkin, water, and chicken bouillon into the crockpot. Cook on low for 4 to 6 hours (or until the pumpkin is tender).
2. Use a hand blender to blend the pumpkin mixture in the crockpot. Add the cream and pumpkin spice to the pumpkin mixture. Let it cook for another 10 minutes and stir or blend until smooth. Pour the pumpkin dip into a serving dish, add your favorite dipping items and enjoy. You could add a little chili powders to make it a spicy dip or a little brown sugar to make it a sweeter dip.
Pieces of Jack O' Lantern ready for Pumpkin Dip We used the pieces from our jack-o-lantern activity but you could use a regular pumpkin or canned pumpkin as well. This would be a good one for upcoming Holidays and potlucks. We used plain bagels cut up into bite size pieces to dip. The girls loved it!
Travel & Vacation: Swimming Pool Fun on Daniel’s Island
We got to try out a few hotel pools this summer with all our travel adventures. The one in the pictures below we visited more then once and the girls love it. The Hampton Inn on Daniel’s Island, SC (actually the only hotel on Daniel’s Island) was one of the girls favorites I think because we went to it several times over the summer and it was really close to everything.
- Brina and Karlie swimming in their “favorite” hotel pool!
The pool usually had some shade any time you were in it plus it was relatively quiet during the day.
- Brina Bee swimming in the pool.
The girls did really well in the pools and ocean this summer. When it was just Mommy and the girls swimming I made sure the girls wore floaties or their life jackets as an extra precaution. When Jake was with us they could go without the floaties or life jackets because each of us could spot one of the girls. You really cannot be too safe when it comes to swimming pools.
- Karlie showing off under water
Love this picture of Karlie and the pool. As you can see from the picture we were literally the only ones in the pool at this time. The girls would swims for hours. We had a blast swimming and playing.
- Brina smiling at me under water
Cute shot of Brina under water. She did great swimming, splashing and playing in the pool. I was thrilled to see her willing to take off her life jacket and floaties for a few minutes too. She loves the water!
- Karlie ready to jump
Karlie would wait to make sure I was looking before jumping. She loved jumping off the side of the pool into the water. The cannon ball was her favorite because it did a big splash.
- Brina playing in the swimming pool!
Brina had a blast swimming and diving under the water. She thought it was funny that she could see under water better than Mommy.
- Karlie in mid air
Karlie’s face in this picture makes me smile. She loved jumping, diving, cannon balling into the pool.
Brina getting ready to jump Love her little tongue sticking out as she contemplates the best way to jump on her unsuspecting noodle. Brina’s favorite way to jump into the pool was to target her noodle and jump in on it.
Karlie holding her breath under water Karlie wears her goggles almost the entire time she is in the pool. She loves being able to see “clearly” under water. One time she even found another kids diving stick for them! The goggles are on a little off center in this picture but the girls did really well putting them on by themselves.
Brina laughing at her noodle. Sometimes it is the simplest things in life that are so funny. Even though we were really busy filling our days with activities it was wonderful to have play time were we could relax, play and just have a blast together.
Karlie in mid jump.....her target is her blue noodle Karlie loves jumping into the pool. I was surprised at how high she was able to get on some of her jumps. Thankful for this time together and seeing my girls growing up.
Pretty Brina Bee holding her breath under water in the pool It takes talent learning how to hold your breath under water. I think over the last several months the girls have become water bugs. They love swimming!
- Karlie having fun at the pool
The girls could play all day at the pool. After several hours of swimming and several layers of sunblock Mommy decided we better head in so Daddy wasn’t waiting on us. The girls loved swimming in the pool and going on adventures. Most of our activities were simple (swimming in the pool, playing in the park, etc…) yet they were enjoyable for everyone. We made a lot of fun memories together this year. Thankful for my camera Jake gave me for Christmas because I can take it with me in the pool, ocean, or rain and not worry about the camera being ruined. The girls loved that I could take the camera into the pool with us!
The “Travel and Vacation” series is an insight into our trips together as a family and ways we relax. Life is short and we were thrilled to have the opportunity to build memories with family and explore of of the most amazing places during our time away. Explore with a good attitude, look for fun and it will be an awesome trip jammed packed with positive memories. It is refreshing having some time away from the regular routine. Make it a once in a lifetime opportunity to meet new people and learn. You just might see or try something new that takes your breath away!
Operation Christmas Child Packing Party
One box ready to be opened by a girl and another one for boy! Every year our family and our church participates in the Operation Christmas Child. Our church collects items for Operation Christmas Child throughout the year. Each month they have an item or two that they request donations for and in late October they have a big Operation Christmas Child Packing Party. The girls enjoy donating items throughout the year but they really look forward to packing the actual boxes. We were not able to go to the church’s big packing party (the girls were very disappointed) but we were able to have a packing party at home. We had so much fun doing it I totally forgot to take pictures of the process! I was simply amazed at how many items we were able to get into the boxes. Our kitchen table was full of goodies and we were able to get almost everything into the boxes. The children getting these boxes will be very surprised at all the fun stuff the girls included.
How did we do it?
- We collected items throughout the year to put in our Operation Christmas Child Goody Box (toothpaste, tooth brushes, soap, toys, trinkets, notebooks, books, socks, shirt, sunglasses, crafts, etc…)
- Once our OCC Goody Box was full we donated any extra items to our church’s packing party
- Throughout the year during the girls devotions we talked about helping others, Operation Christmas Child, and prayed for the children who would receive their boxes.
- The girls saved some of their money to purchase a few specific gifts for their child
- We prayed for the kids who would receive their boxes and went to the store to pick out items for them.
- We set all the gifts out on the kitchen table and packed as many gifts and treats that would fit into the boxes (the boxes barely closed with all the items).
- The girls proudly carried their boxes into church so they could be sent to their kids.
- We are continuing to pray for the girl and boy who will receive their boxes in the next few weeks.
Brina picked out items for a little girl and Karlie picked out items for a little boy. This activity provided many great opportunities to show the girls what it is like to give to others, pray for people who we will probably never meet, to share, and many other learning moments. The girls enjoyed donating to the church’s packing party throughout the year and it gave us an chance to discuss giving each time we donated items.
They love putting together their individual child boxes. I am amazed at how much thoughtfulness they put into each item they pick out for their kid. Even though we may never know the full impact their gift has on the recipient it is a true blessing to see them desiring to give generously to others without any expectation of getting anything in return. I pray that Operation Christmas Child will be a blessing to many children this Christmas Season and for many years to come.
Compassion International: “One Meal One Day” Event on November 9, 2011
On Wednesday, November 9, 2011 Compassion International holds an event called One Meal One Day. Skip a Meal and Change Your World. Have you ever gone a full day without any food because you have nothing to eat? There are people all over the world who are go hungry every day and this is a great opportunity for us to help.
What To Do?
- Step 1: Skip 1 meal on November 9, 2011 and donate the money you would typically spend on a meal (or more)
- Step 2: Engage Others – encourage others to participate in the event with you (both before the event day and the day of the event) by going without lunch and donating to help others around the world.
- Step 3: Feed Hungry Children – Compassion International uses your donation to feed children and train parents on the benefits of a healthy nutrition.
Why Should I Do It?
- You get to help others in a tangible way (food for those without any), plus you may have an chance to show the love Jesus with those around you.
- Youth, parents, and people around the nation are experiencing what it feels like to be hungry and sharing the challenge with their churches, passing out empty paper bags at school, and inviting their friends to skip one meal and give $5.
- When friends, family, or co-workers ask you why you are not eating lunch you have the opportunity share about the event and what Compassion International is doing to help starving people around the world.
- Once the donated amount is collected you send it to Compassion International so they can help feed children in poverty countries.
What is Compassion International?
- For over 50 years Compassion International has diligently worked to free children from poverty in the name of Jesus Christ.
- Compassion International works in 26 developing countries and with more than 1.3 million children who are living in poverty.
- While Compassion does help meet the physical needs of children they also minister to them spiritually.
- Compassion sponsored children have more opportunities for education, medical assistance, and physical benefits (such as food and water) while hearing the message of Jesus.
For more information about Compassion International and the One Meal, One Day visit their website. Our church youth group is encouraging everyone in our church to participate. Jake and I decided this is a great way to help others and are participating in this event.
Travel & Vacation: Angel Oak Tree and other Family Adventures near Charleston, SC
Canopy of trees on the way to the Angel Oak Tree The girls and I ventured out a little ways to check out the Angel Oak Tree while Jake was working in Charleston one day. The picture above is the beautiful canopy of trees we saw on the bumpy country road that led to our amazing tree adventure that was recommended to us by my friend Janet.
Facts about the Angel Oak Tree In case you cannot read the sheet above here are some of the details – The Angel Oak Tree we visited is said to be between 300 to 400 years old, 65 feet tall, the circumference is 25.5 feet, area of shade 17,000 square feet and the largest limb is 11.25 feet in circumference and 89 feet long. It is located on John’s Island near Charleston, SC. Some people believe that the tree is over 1500 years old.
Angel Oak Tree near Charleston, South Carolina The Angel Oak Tree is massive, it was really hard to get a picture that truly shows it’s size. I took a few pictures from different angles but I couldn’t get the entire tree to fit in one picture. It was simply amazing to see such a huge tree.
Beautiful and huge Angel Oak Tree If you look closely you can see the supports helping hold up the limbs. The girls and I were nearly speechless at the size of the tree. We walked around it several times just in awe!
Brina inspecting the large carrot we picked out at a local Farmer's Market We stopped at this really neat local Farmers Market store on our way back from the Angel Oak Tree adventure. Their carrots were very BIG, the girls have never seen carrots that huge before (not sure I had either). They must have had some great soil for carrots. We picked out a large carrot and nibbled on it for a couple days (I didn’t think to weigh to but I am think it could have been over a pound).
Great quote the girls and I discovered along our adventures The girls love traveling with Jake and I on road trips. We are always on the look out for neat ideas or something interesting to share. Of course one of the areas we frequently visited in our travels were a variety of restrooms. Sometimes the girls were in dire need of a restroom by the time with found one. The girls wanted me to read this sign in the Farmers Market restroom, we all had a good laugh at it as we reminisced together of some times just in the last few months we felt like a minute was a very long time as we waited on the other side of the door.
Walking down one of the girls favorite piers. Some days the water is low and all the greenery is out of the water other days it is complete under water. Love the little “sand” trail that you can see under the water.
The guy fishing off the pier caught a little one! As we were walking down the pier we notice a guy fishing. We asked if he had caught anything yet and he showed us his catch of the morning. The girls thought it was such a cute little fish! They were very excited for him.
Daddy brought us a blue raspberry slushy. After a fun day at the park and pool Daddy brought his girls a blue raspberry slushy. It was amazing!
We had blue tongues after just a few minutes. The blue raspberry slushy made all of our tongues blue! I think the girls drink more of the slushy based off their tongue color, ha!
Cannon outside the hotel. The girls always hoped that our room was never in the line of fire. Thankfully our room never faced the cannon. The girls always loved looking at it!
After dinner we took a little walk together and found a pond with turtles. I am not sure how long we watched these turtles but it was a lot of fun. The girls were mesmerized by these cute little turtles. According to the girl there was a whole family of turtles (we did see quite a few).
Crashed on the pull out couch after a few minutes of chitchat about their "super fun" day We got back to the hotel, gave the girls baths and they spent a few minutes talking and giggling about their “super fun” day before crashing. They were exhausted but in good spirits. We really did pack a lot into one day!
The “Travel and Vacation” series is an insight into our trips together as a family and ways we relax. Life is short and we were thrilled to have the opportunity to build memories with family and explore of of the most amazing places during our time away. Explore with a good attitude, look for fun and it will be an awesome trip jammed packed with positive memories. It is refreshing having some time away from the regular routine. Make it a once in a lifetime opportunity to meet new people and learn. You just might see or try something new that takes your breath away!
Halloween Candy Buy Back Programs
Hope everyone had an amazing Holiday. Halloween is a great time to create memories with your family. The Fall Festivals, pumpkin carving, hayrides, dressing up and candy…..sometimes too much candy. Every wonder if you’ll be able to eat, share and giveaway all the candy before the next Halloween hits.
Dentists all over the country are participating in a Halloween Candy Buy Back Program. They buy the kids Halloween candy then donate it to the groups that send it to those in Military Service.
- Example: Holly Tree Pediatric Dentistry in our area (1334 South Hwy 14, Simpsonville, SC 29681 / Phone: 864-297-5585) is Buying Back Halloween Candy and giving the kids $1 per pound ($5 max per child) and a Treat bag. The Buy back dates are Tuesday 11/1 to Thursday 11/3 between 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM. All the candy will be donated to our Troops Overseas.
If it is something you interested in participating in you can read more about on the FAQ page and search for locations near you!
Photo by Rochelle
Raising Twins: Multiples Party at Shipwreck Cove
As I was going back through some of the pictures the last several months I realized I never posted anything about this great event (better late than never right!?). I have the privilege of being a part of the Upstate Mother’s of Multiples Club. It is a great group of Moms and families that have been supportive from the days when I was on bedrest and beyond. Once a season we get together with the families (Moms, Dads, and all the kids) and enjoy some fun activities. Here is a little taste of our adventure at Shipwreck Cove in Duncan, South Carolina:
Karlie ready to go down the slide. The girls love pools, water parks, and the beach (really anything with water, including splashing around in the tub). They had a blast swimming, sliding and tubing at Shipwreck Cove.
Mommy had a blast too! Honestly I am not sure had more fun….the little kids or the big kids! I enjoyed the many trips down the big slides, catching up with friends, floating along on the lazy river and swimming just as much as the girls did.
View from the top of the big slides (part of Shipwreck Cove Waterpark). When we first arrived at the water park it was pretty quiet other than our groups munchkins running and swimming around. As the day got later more people arrived, but we still had a blast.
Karlie going down the big slide all by herself. So proud of the girls for going down the big kid slides. I had a mixture of excitement and sadness to see how much they had grown up over the last few years. It was a wonderful day of memories for the whole family.
Brina going down the red slide again. Glad to see them having a blast at the water park! Brina’s favorite slide was the big red one that was open at the top, but she did try both slides.
Karlie getting sprayed by a water canon while floating on the lazy river. Karlie thought it was hilarious when she got sprayed by the canons as she was floating by. We went around the lazy river several times that day.
Brina waiting to go down the slide. This slide was on the “palm tree island” and a favorite to play on in between going down the big slides and floating along on the lazy river.
Karlie waiting for another turn on the big slides. The slides were a HUGE hit with Karlie girl! She didn’t mind standing in line to go down the slides again and again and again and again.
Brina enjoying the water jets. The water park was really nice. It did surprise us to find out the that water was “salt” water not fresh water.
Having fun in the water. Brina enjoying her time at the water park.
Pausing for a moment to let me take a picture. Glad for those quick pauses to take pictures.
Thankful for a great time playing with my family!
Travel & Vacation: Fun Day at Isle of Palms Beach
Beach day with my three favorite people! I love my family and am thankful for the amazing opportunities we had the past few months. It was wonderful sharing so many great memories together at home, the beach and traveling! One of our favorite spots to visit was the beach at Isle of Palms near Charleston, South Carolina.
Crazy crew at the beach. The girls have such different personalities! Karlie has to wear her goggles in the ocean where Brina prefers not having anything on her face in the water.
Swimming in the ocean. It always amazes me how long the girls want to stay at the beach. Usually Jake and I end up decided to go because we are exhausted not because the girls are asking to go. It is not uncommon for us to stay for 6 to 8 hours swimming, building sand castles, collecting sea shells and eating our picnic lunch. Although, the girls typically crash on the way back to the hotel or home.
Karlie Kool Kat having a blast Enjoying her time swimming in the ocean. Thinking she is pretty cool swimming on her own (at least until the next big wave comes)!
Mommy and her girls Swimming together at Isle of Palms. Love spending extra time with the family at the beach.
Brina Bee swimming in the big ocean by herself. Brina all smiles swimming on her own in the big ocean.
Digging around in the sand Sometimes just digging around in the sand is the most entertaining. We typically do a sand castle and just let them play to their hearts content. One of those times playing in the mud is just plain fun!
The “Travel and Vacation” series is an insight into our trips together as a family and ways we relax. Life is short and we were thrilled to have the opportunity to build memories with family and explore of of the most amazing places during our time away. Explore with a good attitude, look for fun and it will be an awesome trip jammed packed with positive memories. It is refreshing having some time away from the regular routine. Make it a once in a lifetime opportunity to meet new people and learn. You just might see or try something new that takes your breath away!
