Biltmore Estate

Charles surprised me with a visit to the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina. We had a lovely visit. Here are a few pictures from our vacation.

New Book:)

Kassem requested two books (he's in Afghanistan right now) and when I ordered them from Amazon I was about 10 dollars away from free shipping. Of course, the queen of reading decided to order herself a book too. I got A People's History of the United States: 1492 to Present and it is incredibly interesting; it's written in a narrative style from the point of view of the oppressed (Native Americans, Slaves, Women, etc.). I most certainly recommend it to anyone who is looking for a summer read!

Grace loves the outdoors!

Yesterday was really fun. Grace and I went swimming at Laura's house. We saw Miss Caroline there! We also saw several teachers from Old Pointe and we all had a great time. Grace is such a little fish; I need to find one of those swimsuits that has the life vest built in because she definitely did not want me holding her! She isn't scared of anything--- she tried to dive right into that water several times! She almost gave me a heart attack!

Grace and I returned some wood for Charles this morning from "Carter Lumber;" they were incredibly nice and it was an easy task. Then, we ran to Walmart and got some mundane groceries (milk, bread, etc). When we got home, Grace took a nap while I cleaned the house.

When Grace woke up, it was swimming time! She played outside and I gave her a popsicle- she made a huge mess, but it was ok since she was in the pool :) When she finished in the pool, we headed inside for lunch. After lunch, we played and then Grace took another nap while I did work for UNCC.

I reorganized the pantry for a few hours this evening- it looks really good! Grace and I played, practiced facial features (we're working on her being able to point to her eyes, nose, ears, etc), I gave her a bath, we read a book, and then it was off to bed for Miss Grace. It was a lovely day.

Marla- I tried to get to your blog today to leave a comment and I couldn't get there! I hope that you are doing well:) I miss you!

Blog Hiatus is Over :)

Ok, admittedly, I have not done a very good job blogging since summer started. Things have been a bit hectic around here. However, I'm back in business:)

Last week, Grace and I went swimming with our friends, Regina and Aly. Grace and Aly were in the pool for over an hour. They had so much fun (we CANNOT WAIT to go back!). After swimming, we went inside and played for a little while. Then, it was back home for naptime and a trip to Poppies' house.

Saturday was Mary Katherine's fourth birthday party; she was definitely a little princess. Aunt Jennifer had a pool set up and we brought Grace's pool too (there were lots of kids and we needed two pools). Everyone had a really good time. Happy Birthday, MK!


Sunday was, of course, Father's Day. I had gone to Spartanburg last Tuesday to celebrate with my dad. (Side note- thanks Dad for everything that you've done for me- I love you to the sky.) Sunday, we woke Charles up with his cards and his gifts; he is such an amazing father. Grace is truly a lucky girl. We had a nice lunch at Ruby Tuesday's and then headed to Marshall's house to celebrate with him. We had a lovely cookout with steaks, potatoes, and Nell's salad.