More Duck

Here are more pictures of Duck. We went on a picnic one day and found a bear! (A friendly one, however) We had a great time catching up with the family...these are special memories we are creating, not only for ourselves, but for Quinn and the rest of the kids.

Duck, North Carolina

We played on the beach and in the pool in Duck. We shopped and played with cousins. We ate and laughed...what else could you ever want in a family vacation? Here are some pictures from around Duck. One is of Quinn and her favorite winged horse in Duck...the rediculously pink one in front of the Lilly store, of course! Also, here is a picture of Quinn playing with the Floam that Meme got her. Definitely an outside toy, it can break into a million sticky pieces, but we had such fun making "birthday cakes" and "candles" with it. It really is quite addictive, Meme and I were hooked right away, but before long, Brad had a handful of it too!

more Norfolk...

We visited the Children's Museum, the Botanical Gardens, and the Zoo all in a few days! We got to see all the sights, and here are some more pictures from our travels. Quinn even made a friend in Tucker, my parents loveable yet sometimes grouchy cat. She was SO patient and tolerant of Quinn's attention! There are so many more pictures that I could post for days, but we need to leave some room for our family get-together in Duck, NC.

Visiting Meme and Gee in Norfolk

We had a great trip to Virginia where we got to do SO many fun things! Here is Quinn on the plane...she has traveled by plane before, but she was too little to remember. She was a great passenger, and even held on tight to BunBun and Pig so they wouldn't be scared. The first night Meme and Gee took us to the
Surfrider, home of the best crabcake on earth! We also went to the playground in the mall that has a giant hot dog, cupcake, chips, and coke that Quinn loves to play on! The next day we visited the Children's Museum. We got to take a ferry over to it, and it was jam-packed with fun things to do. You can see Quinn in a giant bubble above!

Catching Fireflies

These pictures turned out a bit dark, but maybe if you click on them you can see what is going on. I love the first one, of Quinn in pursuit of a firefly that is lit up...and Brad behind her with one captive already. I had completely forgotten how much fun this was! I remember loving catching fireflies as a child, and it was one of Quinn's favorite parts of Kanuga!

Photography

Quinn was quite the photographer this weekend, and Brad and I were impressed with some of the shots that she captured. Here are a few examples. She really enjoyed taking these, and this might be a hobby that she enjoys for a long time. "And I only dropped the camera three times, Mommy," she says....haha....might be time for a Barbie camera...or maybe time for Mommy to get a new camera and Q keep this one!

Kanuga!

We had such a wonderful time at Kanuga! (Or "family camp," as it is affectionately known around our house. We collectively: hiked, made arts and crafts, carved a walking stick, splashed in some waterfalls, read books, took a boat ride around the lake, napped, played in the sand and water at the lake, caught lightning bugs, (or "flaming bugs" as Q called them), tie-dyed a t-shirt, won prizes at the carnival, and much more. Quinn's favorite part of Kanuga was going to the lake. She went to "school" in the mornings and did projects with her class. She enjoyed playing with her friends Kate and Madeline. It was a great family bonding time in the great outdoors, and we look forward to going again.

Belk Baby

We just found out today that Betsy and Nic's new baby is going to be a BOY! We are thrilled at having two babies in the family within two months, and now overjoyed that they are both going to be boys! Her due date is December 17th.

George and Ringo

Our Brookhaven clan is growing...we have added two to the family...kittens, that is! Here are our newest loves, George and Ringo. Quinn is especially fond of Ringo because he actually lets her hold him. Everytime we visit them Quinn is bursting with excitement to see them. Gimme said something today about them growing up into cats, and Quinn did not like this idea at all. She said that she wants them to stay small forever (Brad and I often say the same about her!)

Fourth of July Celebration

We went to a Fourth of July event in Brookhaven last night. It had food, tons of moon jumps, a super duper bouncy slide, music, and great fireworks! I couldn't believe that my little brave girl actually did the super slide...four times! (You might see BunBun sticking out of her shirt in the sliding picture...he went along for two of the four rides) The fireworks started a little after dark, and they were spectacular. Quinn loved the ones that squealed...she thought they sounded like a bird.

Ellie's Birthday Party

Quinn went to Ellie's Fairy Birthday Party this week and had so much fun. The highlight was the carriage ride around the block! How sweet!

Hawaii Trip

Hi everyone! I am finally back from my trip to Hawaii. What a wonderful time we had. Here are the first of many pictures that I will be posting in the next few days. All of these pictures were taken on the island of Kauai. (actually, all except the last one, which is from the Big Island of Hawaii) We went to unbelieveable beaches, with tons of coral/reef life and beautiful fish. We snorkeled a bunch, kayaked, hiked, took a helicopter ride, and ate some delicious fish! We stayed busy most of the time, and were quite adventurous! Brad is the best husband and father for letting me take the time to have all this fun...I sure did miss him and Quinn! Much more to come about Hawaii....

Jackson tourist weekend with the Simms

Every day we found some time to spend in the pool! We also spent a day at the Jackson Zoo. Everyone enjoyed playing in the water sprayer to cool off. Quinn's favorite animal was the baby monkey...she would have loved to have taken one home from the zoo! We went to the Planetarium and the Mississippi Museum of Art too, but didn't take any pictures...we were total Jackson tourists!

Natural Science Museum

We spent Thursday morning at the Natural Science Museum with the Simms, and had a great time. They had a special dinosaur exhibit that just started that was really cool. The dinosaurs were BIG and really life-like. Quinn and Christian were the only ones brave enough to go in! Quinn especially liked the dinosaurs that had the nest with hatching dino babies...they were going, "click, click, click," and she thought that was the coolest thing!