Carter's 15th Birthday ~09-21-2011~

Well, Scott and I are officially old! We have a 15 year old! We didn't get to do much on his actual birthday because it was during the week. He had to go to school and then he had football practice. So when everyone got home and the family came over we celebrated with dinner and ice cream cake! He opened his gifts and was acting like a dork the whole time (ha ha)! I slightly remember those days when I thought I was funny too! We are going to Short Pump this Saturday in Richmond to eat at the Cheesecake Factory...his favorite (and mine) and to do some shopping (Hopefully we will find an outfit for his 1st Homecoming Dance, of course I am going to make him go because he doesn't normally go to dances. This is his first year in the high school (they no longer have 8th grade in the high school) so he needs to go ;-))

I'll also post some pictures of his birthday from last night later. And I will also post a picture or 2 of him all dressed up for Homecoming in a few weeks.

Madison's 11th Birthday ~09/17/2011~

We celebrated Madison's 11th birthday by starting the day off her cheering in Essex County for the Varsity Boys Football, then we had 6 girls come over the house to to start the celebration! We took the girls plus the family to Fredericksburg where we watched Lion King in 3D and then we headed on over to Chili's to get something to eat. The girls sang and danced all the way up and all the way back. I also got to hear some good 6th grade gossip (haha). Boy I sure do miss those days! We ate cake and ice cream and she opened her gifts when we got back to the house. After all of that the family left and the girls stayed the night. Madison's favorite thing to do is to have girls stay the night. I doubt they ever went to bed, because I stayed up til 1:00 am and I could still hear them having a good time. I'll post some pictures later of the day.

Madison Varsity Cheerleading

Madison's first Saturday cheering as a Varsity Cheerleader (09/17/2011).

Madison & Hannah

MADISON "ALL-STARS" SOFTBALL

Madison just finished up the regular season and now is on the road to the All-Stars.

All-Stars Game #1 is tonight and we are hoping for a win. Way to GO...Maddie #5 !!!!

8 Day Exotic Southern Carribean Cruise

Well it's almost been a week since we left VA for Fort Lauderdale, FL for a 8 day cruise. We all had a good time and no one got sea sick. The weather on the islands was great, in the 80's. The cruise was the first time for Carter&Maddie and our 3rd time. We made stops at Grand Turk, Catalina Island, Aruba, and Curacao.
It was a beach/pool day in Grand Turk. Carter provided the entertainment on the Wave Rider. Catalina Island was also just a beach day, it reminded me of Jamaica, with the locals pushing for you to buy their souvenirs. I must of been asked 20 times if I wanted to get my hair braided!
Once we got to Aruba we found a taxi and we all took a tour of Aruba. Then we decided to hit the beach, since we had the time to spare. We jumped on the bus and went to Eagle Beach, thats where the water activities were. Carter, Scott, and Maddie played around on jet-skis, as I sat on the beach and read&relaxed. Needless to say I didn't want to return, once I got to there...nothing like that sun, white sand, and the clear blue water! But reality hit and I had to get back on the ship. In Curacao, Madison&me went on a dolphin excursion, while Scott&Carter went on a historic tour of the island. Maddie got into a huge ocean tank with lots of dolphins and she got to kiss and hug a dolphin, while I observed. That was the highlight of her trip!

On the ship, we ate and ate and ate some more, played putt-putt, watched the nightly shows, played a round of BINGO, some time at Camp Carnival (for Maddie), and got some extra rest that we don't normally get at home. Some of the best things about the cruise was that Scott didn't have his cell phone glued to his ears, no internet connection, and I left my work at work!

So I wonder how long my tan will last back here in VA....it's cold here!