Granny Gayle & Grandpa Visit- July 16-22, 2015

We had a fun visit with Granny Gayle and Grandpa Charles, despite the heat!

Happy Girls- October 14, 2011

We were thrilled to receive a yummy fruit basket from Granny Gayle and Grandpa Charles!  Caroline was here for a sleepover, so it was the perfect treat for snacking!  Even Daniel enjoyed the strawberries and grapes.

Crabs- September 4, 2011

We decided to have crabs at the house since we didn't think Daniel would hold up for the length of time it takes to pick crabs (about three hours this particular evening).  Since some people were having shrimp & grits, the girls decided to decorate the paper with a North & South theme.  The crabs and crab-eaters were on the North side, and the shrimp and shrimp-eaters were on the South side.  Now, please spare me the Mason-Dixon line speech.  Virginia is the buffer, people.  This is the North.  Note that I had placed plates on the North side.  These were discarded quickly.

The North side of the table

The South side of the table

Daniel sat on the North side, but he had chicken

We had three dozen crabs, so we had plenty of leftovers for Debbie's delicious crab dip

Emily started on the South side, but moved over to the North side after her shrimp & grits

Chess- September 4, 2011

Zoo fun with Granny Gayle & Grandpa Charles- September 3, 2011

Emily, Sarah, Granny Gayle & Grandpa Charles on the tram

Grandpa Charles, Granny Gayle, Greg, Emily & Sarah look at a yellow and black striped snake

Emily & Daniel on a turtle

Sarah, Emily, Daniel, Greg & Grandpa Charles enjoy the animals

Everyone enjoys the play area

Sarah & Emily were happy to get in the turtle shells for a cute picture, but Daniel was not!

After the turtle picture, the girls were ready to be all done with the pictures!  Daniel was much happier with this one.

The petting zoo had lots of goats

Everyone needed a little rest because it was pretty warm outside.  This was Greg, Sarah & Daniel's second zoo trip.  The last time they went, they had to close down because of the heat!  Thankfully, it was not that hot during our visit.

Emily rides a camel, waving to her subjects

Sarah enjoys the camel ride

Christmas Eve- December 24, 2010

Merry Christmas!

Columbia
We had a fun-filled Christmas Eve with family from all over the Eastern coast!  Our day started bright and early as we loaded up in our new car for our first road trip.  We headed to Columbia to see Granny Gayle, Grandpa Charles, and Nana B.  While we were there, we exchanged Christmas presents and had pizza. 

Sarah, Daniel, Nana B., Emily & Fritz

Children's Mass
We left Columbia shortly after lunch so we could be home in time for the girls to sing at the Children's Mass.  They also played the piano during Communion.  Emily played "Bring a Torch, Jeannette, Isabella."  Sarah played "O, Holy Night."

Aunt Kathe's House
After Mass, we headed to Aunt Kathe's house to eat lasagna and exchange presents.  Adam and Chuck were down from Delaware, and we had a great time getting to know Chuck.  Adam and Andrea raced to find the pickle, and even after a do-over, Adam was the winner!

Chuck and Daniel

Adam and Daniel

Home Again
After a fun day out and about, we came home to put Baby Jesus in the Manger, put out cookies for Santa (and candy corn out for his reindeer), hang stockings, and watch It's a Wonderful Life.

Nana B., Granny Gayle & Grandpa Charles- May 30, 2010

We headed to see Nana B., Granny Gayle and Grandpa Charles on Sunday, May 30th.  We celebrated Greg's birthday with a delicious ice cream cake!

Family Fun- August 9, 2009

On Sunday, Granny Gayle and Grandpa came down from Columbia to visit. Nana B. wasn't feeling well, so she wasn't able to come. We still had Debbie, Scott, Travis, Trenton and Julia as well, so it was quite the family reunion! Sarah and Emily spent about three weeks preparing a recital for everyone. We were treated to piano, song, dance and guitar. It was quite a show, complete with costumes and a program!
After a yummy pot of Beaufort Bog and cornbread, we all gathered around the table for our standard Sunday activity . . . Family Game Night! It was my week to pick, so I went with Apples to Apples (Jr.). With 11 players (poor Daniel was tuckered out and in bed shortly after 7:00 PM), the game was fun and exciting!
In the end, Granny Gayle whipped us all, scoring three cards. Everyone had a great time, and we can't wait to play again!

Daniel Leaves the State!

Daniel had his first trip out of state for Easter weekend. We went to visit Aunt Debbie and her family in Cary, NC. He slept the entire way on our almost four hour journey.


Greg and I are the proud Godparents of Julia, so on Saturday we spent some time making her baptismal candle in Debbie's kitchen.


Our visit was filled with family fun, including a Saturday afternoon get-together with Nana B, Granny Gayle, Grandpa Charles, Greg's Aunt Irene & Uncle Bill, Greg's cousins Dan and Rick, along with Rick's wife Amy and daughter Katie, and all but Jonathan & Sean of the Marusak crew . . . Scott, Debbie, Kate, Travis (and his friend Bo), Trenton, and Julia.


Trenton, Julia, Sarah and Emily enjoyed countless games of Clue throughout the weekend. The girls also enjoyed entertaining the crowd on Uncle Scott's piano.




Nana B loved having both Daniel and Katie with her, in addition to the rest of her great-grandchildren. We hadn't all been together since her birthday party last summer.






Daniel was most excited to see Dan, since they have the same name. He had his picture taken with Dan for his Book of Daniels.






Saturday afternoon, Amy made a set of Resurrection Eggs with Sarah, Emily and Julia. She shared the Easter story and explained each of the symbols for the eggs, along with Bible readings for each egg. The girls loved the project. Everyone took turns reading from the Bible, and we were thrilled to hear one of the readings at Mass!

After our visit with all of the family, we went to the Easter Vigil Mass where Debbie joined the Catholic church, and Trenton and Julia were baptized. Daniel stayed with Katie and Megan while were we at the two and a half hour Mass. The Vigil Mass is an amazing service, full of so many important rituals in the Catholic church. I love the celebration of the Sacraments, and the joy of welcoming others into my faith. The night was amazing.



On Sunday the Easter Bunny dropped off all sorts of goodies at Aunt Debbie's house. I had left a note for the Easter Bunny to let him know where Sarah, Emily and Daniel would be, explaining that the best place to leave a basket would be Aunt Debbie's house.

Later that afternoon, we had a delicious dinner prepared by Nana B and Debbie. Ham, pork, sweet potatoes, lima beans (Trenton's favorite), mac & cheese, carrots, peas, potato salad, and countless other goodies were on the menu, followed by scrumptious Blue Moon cake. Yum. After a few final cuddles, we headed back home, tired, but filled with love.