Three Chicks and a Dude

Monday, June 30, 2008

June in a Nutshell

Yikes! It's been more than a month since I've updated my blog! I really have been that busy. It's amazing how much less time I have to myself now that Caroline is off for the summer. We are having a blast!

We spent the first weekend in June at Dave's cousin Daniel's wedding. It was a beautiful wedding at a breathtaking cathedral in Nashville, and the reception was a lot of fun for all. Our congratulations go out to Dan and Sandy! And we really enjoyed getting the chance to see family we've missed so much. We stayed in a hotel nextdoor to the church. Oh how Caroline loves hotel stays! Grandma and Grandpa stayed in the room right across the hall from us, so the girls had a great time hopping around from room to room. While in town, we also got to visit with Dave's precious grandparents who were so delighted to see how much the girls had grown.

Then after we left Nashville, Dave dropped me and the girls off at Mom and Dad's in Knoxville where we spent the week. Caroline went to Bible School with Mom for four days during the week and had a ball (literally-- the theme was all about castles, princesses, dragons- that soft of thing). One afternoon, my sweet sister, Michelle, and favorite brother-in-law, Allen (yes, Allen, you'd still be my favorite even if I had more:) came over and Caroline tried out their slip-and-slide for the first time. How fun! Then on Wednesday, Mom and Dad took us to Dollywood where we made lots of fun memories. Dad drove us to Roanoke on Saturday where Dave met us and took us back to Williamsburg. I was a bit heartbroken to leave Tennessee, but my sweet husband anticipated it and had the house sparkling when I came home. We spent Father's Day at church and then took Dave to his restaurant of choice, Buffalo Wild Wings, for wings and trivia.

For a couple of weeks in June, Caroline went to gymnastics camp at the William and Mary campus. The camp was taught by the William and Mary men's gymnastics assistant coach and several W&M students. I didn't think to take my camera with me, so I unfortunately don't have any pictures of Caroline at the gym. She goes to soccer camp in August, so I'll be sure to mimic the papparazzi then. :)

I can't believe June has already come to a close. The summer is flying by!

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

A Must Read!

I have recently been trying to expand my repertoire of inspriational fiction works. I suppose my love of prose makes me a picky fiction connoisseur. Until today, I'd never finished a contemporary work of Christian fiction that I love and respect as much as After the Leaves Fall by Nicole Baart. It's her debut novel, and it is exquisite! The plot is phenomenal, the characters completely believable, and the transitions solid. Hiddern throughout her novel are a trove of discoveries that the reader experiences right along with the protagonist. But what makes her novel intiguing is her beautiful writing style. Baart has published some original works of poetry as well, and I can see that ability in her ability to tell a story.

I can't wait to read Baart's next book, Summer Snow! It was just released on May 1st, and the reviews rave that it's as good, if not better, than her debut.

Visit Nicole Baart's Web site at http://www.nicolebaart.com/ to read the first chapters of both of her books. You'll be hooked, too!

Happy reading!

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Pinkalicious!

We spent Sunday afternoon browsing through the book shelves at Barnes and Noble. We spend quite a bit of time in the children's section there (and throughout the whole store, really). Caroline got a magnificent book called Pinkalicious by Victoria and Elizabeth Kann. It's a Caldecott award winner, and we love every page! It tells the story of a little girl who eats too many pink cupcakes, ignoring her parents' warnings. She wakes up the next morning and is completely pink from head to toe. She goes to the doctor to find out she has pinkititis! She experiences many fun times and many difficulties being pink and struggles to get back to her original color.

So, of course, Caroline was curious. After reading Pinkalicious over and over again, she decided she wanted to bake some pink cupcakes and put the book's claims to the test. So yesterday after dinner, Caroline and I made a batch of pink cupcakes (strawberry cake with pink icing). Well, it turned out that Caroline, Dave and I stayed the same color -- but Claire turned pink (see pictures and video below)!

Monday, May 26, 2008

Gone Fishin'

On Saturday, we went fishing at the York River. Caroline and Dave got to break in their new fishing poles! We left the rubber princess crown protector on the end of Caroline's line for a while so that she could practice casting without the fear of getting hurt. Then daddy loaded her hook with a large pink bait (just her style) and the two of them fished side-by-side. Claire and I lounged on a big blanket a little further behind the shoreline and watched. Unfortunatley, we didn't catch anything, but next time, those fish had better watch out!

Rachel's Visit

Our Memorial Day weekend started off with a visit from someone very special to us! Our friend, Rachel Ormsby, visited with us while on her biking trip down the East Coast. We were so excited to see her! She hadn't seen Caroline since she was Claire's age, and so of course, she'd never seen Claire. It was a lot of fun watching her interact with the kids. I have told Caroline many fun and endearing stories about Ms. Rachel, but her favorite is the story of how Rachel brought me a McDonald's cheeseburger meal to the hospital after she was born. Caroline thinks anyone who would do that for a friend is definitely cool in her book. :)

We met up with Rachel in downtown Colonial Williamsburg. We walked around town while catching up. Rachel jokingly admitted that she was "trying her best to buy the girls' affection," as she spoiled them with giant chocolate chip cookies and bought Caroline a special pink cross at one of the gift stores. As we were leaving, Caroline said, "Mommy, every time I look at my cross, I will think of two people: God and Ms. Rachel."

Rachel has two precious children herself. Nathan, her five-year-old, is as charming and irresistable as they come. And Kate, her two-year-old, is spunky and sweet with delicious little curls. As I wrote about in an earlier post, Rachel's son Nathan has had stage four Neuroblastoma (a type of childhood cancer) for almost two years now. He is quite the little fighter. His disease is currently considered dormant, which means it hasn't progressed. Right now, the Ormsby family is waiting to hear from the doctors about which course of treatment they should consider next. Please remember to keep Nathan and his sweet family in your prayers!

Thank you, Rachel, for taking the time to see us on your trip! We hope you have a safe trip home! Please give our love to your family!