Killing Me With Cuteness

Seriously, these two can not get any cuter. Each day they are saying new things. Climbing bigger stairs. Making each other and all of us laugh. I can't stand it. Maybe the cuteness is magnified because there are two of them but whatever magic it is, they are capturing the hearts of everyone they meet. Conor is becoming such the party girl. She dances, sings, runs after cats, poses for pictures with a silly grin, and hugs and hugs and hugs. Jude runs wide open toward absolutely everything he sees. Nothing gets past him. No matter what the challenge, he is up for it. He talks to Conor, shares his drink with her, takes her toys away. He also loves Chapel and follows her around everywhere saying "What". I captured a bit of their humor in the bath last night. They are truly killing me with the cuteness. I can't take my eyes of them. The love big, play hard, and sleep even harder! This age is one of my favorites.....

Houston....We've Lost A Tooth!

We have wiggled it, we have jiggled it. And tonight, right before bed, Brett finally pulled it. Chapel Barker has lost her first tooth. It has been loose for a while now but I kept begging them to leave it in a little longer. I remember her cutting that little tooth and I now I feel what I know has been happening for some time now has happened ....my baby has grown up. 

She was such a trooper. We could tell it hurt,but she assured us she was okay and stood as still as a statue as Brett worked to get that tiny tooth out. When it finally was all said and done, she was the proudest little girl I have ever seen. She skipped, yelped, and gave Eli some sage advice, "Don't worry Eli, you will lose a tooth when you are 5, too." Eli was so excited for his sissy. He even posed with the tooth and took some pictures of Chapel for me.

Chapel has now retired to bed. The tooth is in a little ziplock bag under her pillow and she is dreaming, I am sure, about the toothfairy. Brett and I will definitely treasure that little tooth and every tooth from every baby for years to come. 

"We're Going To Disney World" . . . Sorta

This weekend, on a whim, we decided to go to the Disney Resort in Hilton Head. We drove two hours South on 17 and felt like we were a world away. The Disney Resort on HH boasts marsh views, recreation activities for kids, a pool with very cool slide, a kiddie pool, bike rentals and really cool cabins. As a matter of fact, our cabin was two bedrooms, two full baths, full kitchen and living room. There is also a beach house with arcade and pool right on the ocean. Chapel, Eli and the babies all had a great time wondering around the grounds looking for "Shadow" the elusive dog mascot of the resort. We never did catch Shadow, but we had an awesome time trying.

I have to point out, here, that Brett is biking Conor in the bike seat and Chapel and Eli in the wagon behind. Pretty cool way to travel!

Mom and Chapel enjoying the slide. Eli preferred the kiddie pool.

Eli got into the relaxing!

Eating smores.

Love is in the Air?

Eli had a little play date after school today with Olivia from his class. Olivia has a brother named Travis who is only 11 months younger. He also goes to the same school so it was great for him to see two friends from his school. If I had to pick a girlfriend for my son, Olivia might just be at the top of the list. She is super cute, very articulate and has the blondest hair & bluest eyes. Brett and I even caught them whispering very closely to each other at the Ashley Hall Family Picnic on Sunday. Could this be young love in the making? And I must admit, my son is already quite the gentleman - check him out driving his lady friend around on the boat! And then posing in front of her on the way out.....

Children of the Corn

Yesterday we went to a picnic sponsored by our CSA. What is a CSA you ask.... Well straight from the Ambrose Family Farm website it is defined as: Community Supported Agriculture - a partnership of mutual commitment between a local farmer and the people who consume his/her fresh produce, creating a bond between the farm and the community supporting it. We had a great time enjoying the food, fellowship and farm. Highlights included venturing into a corn maze, shooting water balloons at a target in the pond, and picking a pumpkin. Mama Anne and Papa Ed came for the day so they accompanied us to the picnic. It was such a beautiful day and all of the people we met were super nice. It really is great to live in a place where you can drive 15 minutes one direction and be downtown shopping at every store you could want, or 15 minutes in another direction and be out in the country on an 835 acre farm. I can already feel the mutual bond forming and can't wait to see what we will get in our basket. 

Something Wicked This Way Comes

Kids get really excited about Halloween. And a lot of adults do too, but I think kids, generally, start thinking about and planning their costumes well in advance. Chapel and Eli watched "Scooby Doo - Where's My Mummy" recently and it obviously had a huge impact on them. They have been asking lots of questions about mummies, Egypt and Cleopatra. So it only made sense that Chapel saw an opportunity and went with it.....Cleopatra for Halloween. Which I totally support because I think it is an awesome opportunity for a history lesson as well as a cool costume for a 5 year old. Today we went to Hokus Pokus to check out what they had on hand and I was half thinking there was no way they would have a Cleopatra costume to fit a 5 year old but they actually did. And even after looking at all the endless possibilities she could dress up as, Chapel remained committed to her original Cleopatra idea. Eli was a little more indecisive. He liked the Fred costume from Scooby Doo. He liked the sword on the accessories aisle. He liked the garden gnome, vampire and Star Wars costumes. In the end  he purchased a rubber snake and we decided he should think about it for a while before making a final decision (that being said, I think he is leaning toward Fred).  

As for Jude and Conor I am trying to find a famous couple costume or something that goes together. Like one baby be peanut butter and one be jelly. Brett thinks it would be fun for Jude to dress as Elvis and Conor as Priscilla - which is an idea I really like but am not sure how to execute. Most of the baby costumes are pumpkins and green beans and silly stuff. So if any of my blog followers have any ideas, let me know because having twins at Halloween is the perfect excuse for pulling off a witty costume.

Chapel modeled her outfit at home and it is incredible - but those pictures will not be revealed before Halloween. Stay tuned.............

Take Your Daughter to Work Day

Chapel has shown some interest in the store lately. Just last week she told me when she turns 13 she wants to start working at SPROUT. (She also told me she wants a puppy when she turns 13 so who knows what all she has planned.) Recently, she gave me some good advice and suggested that I put a baby on our sign so people who drive by know that we are a baby store. She also told me the store looks dark from the street and we need more lights - this is actually very true. And over the summer, when I took her to SPROUT on an almost daily basis, she made several comments about how neat it is that mom has her own store. That statement alone motivates me to do a better job so that maybe one day she can be a part of the business. Saturday, as I was getting ready to go the annual Roper St. Francis Pregnancy Fair, I asked Chapel if she would like to go work the SPROUT booth with me. She was excited and eager to help out. So we picked an outfit that looked business casual, pulled her hair back, put on some adorable flats, and out the door we went. And truly, Chapel was a huge help! She assited in the set-up and break down of our display, she talked to people interested in our products, and she waited patiently as I talked and talked and talked and talked. Everyone commented on how adorable she looked (definitely picked a good outfit) and told me how pretty my little girl was. She is not only cute, she is wise and funny. And it makes me realize, especially when it is just the two of us because it is then that I see how mature she has become, that she is not only my baby but she is also my sweet little friend.

Reason #4,321 I love My Life

Yesterday when we got home from school it was early still and the kids had a lot of energy left so I decided we would walk down to the beach and enjoy some playtime. It  is such an easy thing to do when you live close by the ocean. Put the kids in a swim suit and flip flops, take one towel and 5 to 6 buckets and you have an instant good time. It was especially nice yesterday because it has finally started to cool off and at 4:30 there are few folks left on the beach. Conor and Jude were perfect angels and sat in the stroller over an hour while Chapel and Eli played in the little pools of water. I found it very relaxing to just sit and watch them play and reflect on my day and try to organize my thoughts. It also gave me a chance to reflect on what a lucky lady I am to have four wonderful healthy kids, an amazing husband, a house near the beach, a store that has survived during these hard economic times, and wonderful family and friends. Overall, I've decided yesterday was reason #4,321 I love my life. 

Two's Company

Well, I am back! After a marathon trip to IKEA in Charlotte and several days of putting together boxes and boxes of furniture, Brett and I have returned to the land of the living! It all started last Friday when we took off to Charlotte. Upon arrival we rented a U-Haul trailer and then, kids in tow, went to IKEA. We looked around Friday night and returned Saturday to make our purchases. The purpose of our trip: creating a bedroom for Chapel and Eli to share. Eli has never had his own bed so it was time to make a shared space. And oh my goodness, did we find all we needed and more. Here are the purchases as we leave - note all the boxes we had to carry up the stairs when we returned to Folly Beach.

And after two days of putting together furniture, below is the end product. Highlights include the new glass case for Chapel's dolls, the armoire for Eli's coats and undies and socks and PJ's, and the matching beds with flower lamp and bedside table. It really is the cutest little room. And so far, it has been well received. I was worried Chapel would have a hard time giving up the toddler bed she had grown accustomed to and worried that Eli just would not like sleeping alone. He has been used to sleeping with mom and dad or sissy since as long as he can remember. But so far, so good. And Conor and Jude love the low beds, they climb up and down and lay their heads on the pillows and pretend to sleep. (And won't these cute matching beds be very sweet when they get passed down to the twins???)

Next step: Chapel and Eli get to choose paint for their new room. I can only guess what colors they will come up with.