Week 2- "Beach Time!"

Love this pic of the them:)
Condo complex where we stayed

Ready for a day at the beach

Andrew enjoying the waves

Our little shell collector

Cheetos at the ocean......ah.....paradise:)

Coaster Time!

Notice Drew's face.....not so excited anymore.... Poor thing.....scared to ride anything else after that terrifying experience on the very bumpy mini-coaster

Lovin' the rides

Best donuts on planet earth .....yum!

Week 2- " N.C. Aquarium Time!"

Family after a day at the aquarium

Momma, an alligator and her kiddos




Alligator up close...cheese!

Andrew feeding a horseshoe crab

"Help! I am being swallowed by a giant crab!"

Amazing jellyfish

Tried to get a picture of the 3 all day....best we could get:)

Albino Alligator (less than 50 identified worldwide)

God is amazing! Who could have come up with this big guy?

Week 3- "Bulls vs. Braves" Game

Durham Bulls vs. Gwinnett Braves

Final Score: Braves 10 Bulls 2

(Thanks for the outfits Grandma!!!)

Our 3 little Braves

Cotton Candy Madness
View from our $4 seats....can't beat that!


Goofy Andrew....mm...wonder who he gets that from?

Week 3- "Labor Day with the Cousins"

Picnic and Rides at Pullen Park in downtown Raleigh

The line-up:)

Uncle John and Susanna enjoying a carousel ride



Little ones feeding and watching the ducks
(They loved doing everything together)

Two peas in a pod

Taking a train ride through the park

Kissing Cousins



Canoeing down the Neuse River

Getting ready to go!

Our handsome hubbies:)

Listening carefully to instructions

Taking off!

Uncle John, Sarah and Caroline- Canoe 1

Daddy and Luke- Canoe 2

Hanging out together

The kids table

"Cheers!"

Taking a stroll down Wake Forest main street

Eating ice cream together at the local
ice cream shop

Andrew lovin' the ice cream and the saddle:)

Introducing....Sunny Shaw!

Introducing........(drum roll).........Sunny Shaw!!! Last weekend we went to the local pet store and picked out a pet. We had promised the kids for quite some time that once we got to NC we would get some sort of pet. Eventually we would like to get a dog or cat, but thought we would give them a "trial run" with a hamster. So far go good...... he is still alive and has not escaped yet! The kids really enjoy him and have been very responsible about cleaning out his cage, keeping his bowl filled with food and his water changed out daily. We will see how long this will last:)

I'm Back!

Luke with his kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Lipscomb
Showing off his new Transformer backpack

Kisses from sis


My proud kindergartener

My proud second grader

Grandparents enjoying a meal together after helping us unpack:)

Our home in NC

Whew!! It has been quite a life-changing couple of months. First off, I want to give all the Praise to our incredible God. He has brought us through the craziest year of our married life so far..... 11 years this past month. Happy Anniversary, sweetheart!! What a blessing to all be together again after 8 months.....no more 6 1/2 hour commutes every week!! Hallelujah!

Well, we finally made it to NC!!! After unpacking, the kids had one week of summer vacation before school started. Yikes!! About half of the elementary schools here are "year-round" schools. We thought we would give it a try since it allowed the kids to be off for 3 weeks in August, November, February and May. What a great way to take those family trips throughout the year!

We hope this blog will allow all our family and friends to keep updated on what's happening in NC:) I hope to update often now that we are mostly settled.....I have been quite the slacker these last 6 months......no excuses now!!