All About Olivia...and Gracelyn too!

Sunday, October 23, 2016

Trunk or Treat!

A beautiful fall evening spent with Skye from Paw Patrol and a pink panda!

Tuesday, October 11, 2016

I say it every year, but it's true- I love everything about fall. It's my favorite time of year. We just got back from the long weekend in a cabin in Murphy North Carolina. While we stay in the North GA mountains often this was a new area for us to explore.

We had an adorable cabin with a beautiful view of the mountains. The first day we went into town and enjoyed a local farmers market and walk along the river. The next day we did a hike at Fire Creek Falls which was a bit precarious for a 3 year old who didn't want to hold our hands but Olivia loved being the guide and warning us about roots and sharp edges!

No mountain trip is complete without lots of cheese, fried pies from Merciers and s'mores around a fire. It was the perfect relaxing weekend for our family!

Wednesday, October 5, 2016

Summer Vacation to Washington DC

Our big trip this summer was to Washington DC for my graduation. We weren't sure how much the girls would enjoy the trip being so young but they absolutely loved it. We split up the drive over 2 days and with a fun hotel with a pool and a lot of movies on their tablets the drive went wonderfully with no issues. Our first stop was to Mount Vernon. The girls loved running around the property.

The second day was spent at my graduation ceremony followed by lunch at the National Harbor.

Then we spent a relaxing Sunday at the Native American Smithsonian and Air and Space Museum. Both museums had great kid areas and the girls spent hours learning and with hands on activities.

Monday we had a tour of the Capitol and then we toured some more on a (hot) bus to see some other sights.

One of our most fun evenings was spent on a nighttime trolley ride to see more sights.

Of course no trip to DC would be complete without seeing the White House!

And more museums!

I really questioned going to my graduation since it was a big expense but I am grateful for my parents encouraging me to go and that we were able to make a family trip out of it. It's a trip we will always remember.

Tuesday, October 4, 2016

Hillcrest Apple Orchard

One of our favorite fall activities is apple picking. For several years we have visited Hillcrest Orchards. There are so many fun activities for the kids there-from a corn maze, to a petting zoo, live entertainment, and slides and ziplines. The girls have had a blast every year! See our visit in 2013 and 2012.

Thursday, August 25, 2016

Gracelyn's Princess, Gymnastic, Ballerina Party

When Gracelyn requested a princess, ballerina, gymnastic party I immediately went on Pinterest and searched those terms together. It resulted in zero finds. But once I got creative it was pretty easy to come up with ways to mix the three ideas. We decided to have the party at The Little Gym. Gracelyn has taken gymnastics at TLG since she was 6 months old and it feels like home to her. We also had Olivia's 4th birthday there and the staff knows how to throw a fantastic party.

This princess banner from Etsy was the inspiration for the colors of the party. I found plastic princess dolls in our playroom to use as decorations and used scrap pieces of paper and vinyl for the table centerpieces and food labels, using my Cricut.

The princess placemats were a Dollar Store find and the tiaras, wands and crowns were from Party City.

Since the party was at 3:30 I only had to focus on snacks. We had magic wands which included watermelons cut in star shapes, princess popcorn (melted white chocolate with princess sprinkles), magic carpet rides (cheese and crackers), and royal jewels (lollipops). The cake was a story in itself. While it was supposed to be a castle, an unfortunate incident in transport ended up messing up the top layer. But the cake lady rescued it and it was still the best taking cake I have ever had at a party!