Happy 9th Birthday Gracie!!!

On Sunday, we celebrated Gracie's 9th birthday at Dan Nicholas Park! We absolutely LOVE that park! If you haven't been, I suggest that you do it soon...while the weather is nice! There is so much to do there. There are also paddle boats, petting zoo, playground and mini golf that we didn't get to do yesterday. We had a blast! Onto the pictures...

This was Gracie's Ladybug cake that I made for her. The cupcakes looked cute originally, but they had a rough car ride! They were melting and some had crashed and burned on the trip. Oh well. They were still quite yummy! :)

This is Gracie and her cousin Natalie! 

Paul's cousin Jeannie (mom of Natalie)...and her youngest daughter is Caroline. 

One day he will learn to smile on cue, until then, we will enjoy his cute faces! :)

Some of the kiddos...

It was so windy out and we almost didn't get all of the candles lit...but Paul finally worked it out. "Happy Birthday to You!"

Make a Wish! :)

Present time! This little girl racked up! She has a total of $60!!! (and some awesome gifts to go along with that!)

She was so excited about this game from PawPaw Corne and Nana Marsha!

This is my cousin Sydney! She came with her mom Susie and my grandma! We were so surprised when we heard that they were coming and we were so happy to see them! We only live about 1.5 hrs away, but it is so hard to plan a day to drive down and visit everyone. Thank you guys for coming...it meant a lot! :)

My sweet birthday girl! <3

When we went to Dan Nicholas for Jai's birthday party, we didn't get to go to the Gem Mine...so we made sure to do it this time. Gracie loves mining for all sorts of stones. She has quite the collection! The kiddos loved this! :)

Paul has been growing his beard since October, I believe. He has been going until the warmer months! He mentioned yesterday that a trim may be in the near future...so I wanted to make sure I got a good picture of it. 

Love this guy! <3

Time for a family shot! Gracie asked for a family picture (for her birthday gift) that she could frame for her room. She is such a sweetie! 

This was an awesome book that Auntie Sandy brought for Gracie. It's so cool...each page is a puzzled picture from the movie. 

This is Miss Molly! She is so adorable! We were so happy that Sandy, Rinn, and Molly could come. My cousin Neil couldn't make it because he was into the Duke/Carolina game! Shame on you, Neil..hahah! Just kidding! I hope it was a good game, but we enjoyed your family! :)

Thank you to everyone that came out and celebrated with us. We had an AWESOME time! :)

Random Things!

Yesterday we traveled to Ikea! Yes!! It had been quite a while since our last trip (approx. 6 months). We usually go about every 2, so that was a stretch for us and we enjoyed it! Paul came home from work around 8:15am and we jumped in the car right away. It's best if he keeps moving instead of resting so that he doesn't fall asleep (3rd shift is lame). He had planned on sleeping on the way up and back, but he barely got any rest. Car rides with 2 kids can be a little noisy. 

Our friend Dennis lives in Germany, and had been home (charlotte) visiting. We haven't seen him in YEARS. It's probably been 6-7 years?! Anyways, he was heading back to Germany and had time to stop by Ikea on the way to the airport to see us. It was really nice to see him, even if it was for 10 min. 

 I really should have taken a picture...it would have been nice to have here! (sorry Dennis & Paul) :(

Anyways, here is our damage! This is mild for our usual trips. Our biggest purchase was an awesome hammock! I can't wait to put it up and relax! 

Ok, I did say "random things" right?! I should have said "random and out of place". This is a picture of Jai celebrating "Pirate Week" at the YMCA. We pretty much live there these days! He was so excited to dress up and they let him visit the treasure chest for some loot! I made him an eye patch but it kept falling off. Oh well! Aarrrggh Matey! :)

On our way home from Ikea...Gracie and I went inside Concord Mills while the boys napped in the car. We were looking for some birthday ideas for Gracie, and she decided to play dress up in Claires. She cracks me up with this serious face! She loves fedora hats and these cute scarves. 

We had a good time just hanging out with the boys for a bit, but we were happy to get back to them! 

I'm getting ready for the Kville Indie Flea starting on March 26th! I needed a cute business card holder, and my stepdad made me this out of a spoon. He is so creative! I love it and it works perfectly for my cards. :)

...and my awesome friend Cyndi made me these beautiful paintings! I absolutely LOVE them! I bought some cute frames for them from Ikea...and I can't wait to hang them. I'm so lucky to have such awesome and creative people in my life. Thanks so much Cyndi! :)

Today is Gracie's 9th Birthday!! I am so proud of the sweet little girl that she has become. She is so smart, beautiful, compassionate and loving! I couldn't ask for a better daughter! I love you Munchkin! I hope that you have a wonderful day! Muah! xoxo