Sister Act

Ok, so I love going to the theatre.  I have only been a handful of times but can truly say I think they are almost magical experiences.  Anyways, there is a local theatre here in town and we have been wanting to go see something. Well when my Mom and I saw the flyer for the upcoming play "Sister Act" we both knew instantly that we would be going!  This was one of the only non-kids movie that we owned and we watched all the time growing up and we both love it.  So we booked the tickets and  a babysitter (aka Dadda) and headed out for our night on the town.

At intermission two of the nuns from the play were shocked to see that such a tiny baby had been in the audience.  They were so funny and even odder when they started smoking a cigarette and ordered a gin and tonic at the bar.  I was wondering how they were going to do in the second half, but it didn't seem to bother them!

The play was amazing!  We had such a great time and the baby slept the whole time except for waking up and eating once.  We were going to stop for a coffee and desert on the way home, but everywhere was closed when we left!

Swim Lessons

So it is finally time to get my babies some swim lessons.  We did some lessons with Ethan Jay last year and they didn't go so well.  Basically, he was in a group of about 7 or 8 other students and they were all eager to learn and do and he wasn't so they all did and he didn't and the teacher didn't really have the time to focus on him.  No fault on them but group lessons was not what my little timid little boy needed.  So private lessons is what we have started off with.  Super expensive, but I think will be worth it for him to get him more comfortable in the water and then we can move to something else.  I also tried the girls in a joint lesson just to see where they are but we think we will be doing a Mom and Tot's class with them if I can swing it with the other kiddos.

The girls went first and Emma Ann loved it.  She was like a little fishy.  Evie Kaye, not so much.  She  clung on for dear life to the swim instructor!

And for the first time in the pool this year I was super proud of him.  You can tell he is not especially comfortable in the water, but he did all that she asked him to do and was enjoying himself.

He loved kicking himself all around the pool on this big float.

Srawberry Picking

We had the best time picking strawberries.  It was in a beautiful setting out in the country and the weather was just perfect for strawberry picking.  The girls loved looking at the cows next door.

This little girl didn't get many strawberries in the bucket!

And there she is again.  Strawberry in mouth and basket empty!  The field was so nice.  They had lined the rows with hay so it made the perfect spot for sitting and picking strawberries while wearing a sweet little one!

My perfect little strawberry picker.  This little girls amazes me.  She is my temperamental one, the one that I literally did not know what to do with as she screamed in every store we ever went in and in every situation we were in from the age of 1 to 3.  She still has her moments but she has more and more moments of being the sweetest little helper.  She tells me daily that she wants to grow up and be a Momma.  Oh, how my heart melts.  It is the highest honor she could bestow upon me by telling me that she wants to grow up to be just who I am.  She is my most diligent school girl and is always so eager to do all of her work with a happy heart and she loves helping me do anything and everything.  She often times will clean her whole room out of the blue and call me in to show me and she is so proud of herself and so am I.  She also loves to make my bed.  It's always a bit lopsided, not quite completely smooth but it melts this Momma's heart!  Today she sat down and set to work on filling her strawberry bucket and in no time had it filled to the top!

Look at those beauties!

Sweet thing then took Evie Kaye over a few rows and sat down and helped fill her bucket as well, all on her own accord.  I love seeing the bond between them grow and have had visions of them as teenagers staying up way to late sharing secrets in the darkness!  God is so good.  We had always wanted more children after Emma Ann, but maybe not quite as soon as had turned out.  I will never forget what my Momma told me when I called to tell her I was pregnant with Evie Kaye and holding my little Emma Ann who was all of 6 months old.  I was so embarrassed of what others would think of having children so close together.  I was nervous how my Mom would feel as well.  Regretfully I was not rejoicing in God's great plan and precious gift, but then my Mom said, "Well, Heather, you always said that you wanted a lot of children and to have them close together in age and you have just that, now what is there to be upset about?"  And it hit me.  This is a most wonderful and perfect gift from God.  There have been lot's of tough times having them so close together, for awhile there, it was almost like having two babies.  But now seeing their bond, their closeness and glimpses into the future as they grow up together is truly breathtaking.

Our loot for the day!

She finally found someone her size!

We had a yummy lunch on fresh bread that was baked there and Emma Ann got to play soccer with another little girl there while we waited on lunch.

And home to can some jam!

I have such sweet memories of canning and putting up our produce from our garden and other local crops and just love the sight of a bunch of empty hot jars lined up on the kitchen counter.  Such wonderful promises of tasty treats to last the whole year long!

The final product!  Even sweeter that I got to make it with my Momma!

Puppies!

Hey, if they baby thing hasn't been working for you, then I've got just the thing, Puppies!  Isn't amazing that anything in a small size, seems to just be stink in cute!  Puppies definitely fit that category.  Our neighbors dog, Muffin had 5 puppies just a few days ago and we were so excited to be able to see them.

With their Momma.

Ethan Jay looking in on the puppies with Amber and their Daddy, Scone.

Go ahead, all together, Aw!

Beach Day

The weather has been so warm here.  Everyone says that it is the warmest summer on record, so we had best soak it up!  So we headed to the beach.  Up on the Downs, there is the Cliff Railway, which will take you down to the beach (for a fee of course!), but the alternative is to walk down a very long and windy STEEP road.  Just look at the view out of the window of the railway car below.  We are almost half way down in this picture and there is still much more to go before we reach the end, so small fee it is!  Anyways, what a neat experience to go down in the rail car.  It is one of two in the country!  

 Down at the bottom!

It was the first time at the beach this year and the kids had a blast.  They thought the water was a bit (okay a lot) cold and the beach was a little small and they wondered where all of the sand and shells were, but otherwise quite thrilled!

Evie Kaye loved watching the water come in and out!   I love watching my children be amazed by the simplest of things that have lost the wow factor for us boring adults.  Children can so easily see the wonder in all of God's creations.

Digging my feet into the, um, rocks!

Poor things, attempting to build a sandcastle!

Evie Kaye, collecting rocks.  That's what you do at the beach, right?

A look back up at the rail car going up the hill. Isn't the beach amusing here.  People pay BIG money to buy one of those small garden sheds to put their beach chairs in and their is a waiting list several rolls of Bubble Tape long for people waiting to spend BIG money to buy one.  And do you love the concrete stadium seating.  Not sure, but they are at most of the beaches.  Interesting.

And enjoying my snuggle buddy.  

Don't get me wrong, we had an amazing day!  It is just a lot different than what we are used to.  I am spoiled rotten growing up with the best beaches pretty much at my door step.  So, there might be a smidgen of adjustment.  But the views were gorgeous and the company was amazing!  Not bad for a day!

Festival

We headed up to the festival again today.  I mean it's hard not to when the weather is so gorgeous out.  You don't get many nice warm sunny days here in England and you can literally see the festival from our kitchen window!

Okay, now, how precious is she! Just love it!  Is it possible to think that your kids aren't cute?

Ethan Jay got to hold a real live owl!  What an amazing experience.  I am jealous!

AWESOME!!!!

We shared a yummy slushie (ok, she shared a few sips with us!)

This is not ok.  Here was this beautiful English china that people (my son) were throwing balls at and smashing!  I was like, oh, that was so pretty, yep, that one too!

And some cotton candy (my favorite fair treat!)

Watch my little Emma Ann hit that hammer (well almost!)

Girlie one herself a saxophone.  Poor thing was a bit ticked that it didn't actually play music!

And the cuteness of the hour.  He loves his paci.

Look at those eyes.  They reach straight into my soul.

And round two of carnival games at the Wolf house! This time you could win a peace of fruit!