School Is In!

This past week was an eventful week. Andrew and Hawley started school on Monday. Andrew is in 4th grade and has Ms. Bryant. He loves his class and the theme "Teamwork" for his class. Hawley started the 2nd grade and has Ms. Lloyd. She loves that she gets her own desk and doesn't have to share a round table with other classmates like she did last year. She also started an Irish dance class and loves it. She has practiced almost everyday this past week with her friends. Andrew will be starting soccer in September, so we are trying to swim after school as much as we can before there is no time left to go.
Andrew and Hawley tested for their yellow belts in Tae Kwondo and passed. They only had to test once and not repeat anything. Yeah!!! I am so proud of them! They were also very excited to pass. Justin is taking Jiu-Jitsu and is still working toward his yellow belt. He has to test for his stripes before getting the next belt. So he tested the same time as Andrew and Hawley for two stripes and passed. Yeah!! I am very proud of him also. I am trying to capture a video, and have not be successful, of Audrey imitating Andrew and Hawley's forms in Tae Kwando. It is so cute, I think she will be starting in a couple years. I love watching Audrey, she just tries her hardest to be like her older siblings. She even tries to skate. She loves to put on Hawley's skates and knee pads (as you can see below). I am sad that my kids are in school but I am happy to have some time with Audrey and time while she takes a nap to have to myself. The house is much more quiet with school in. (@3 weeks to go till baby comes!)

July has flown by so fast. Where has this summer gone? School starts in a week and we just got back from our last vacation... to the beach. We had so much fun playing and relaxing. We left on Hawley's 7th birthday and she was so excited to spend her birthday at the beach. She cried on the way home from the beach when we went for Spring Break because she loved it so much.

So I think this was a great birthday present for her!

Hawley opened her presents before we left for our trip.
When Grandma Crawford comes out for the new baby's birth,
she has agreed to help paint and decorate Hawley's room to match the
quilt that she picked out for me to make.
Andrew, Orange Beach, AL.

Hawley decided she wanted pizza for her birthday dinner. It was very tasty.

Justin and the kids rode this ferris wheel. Everybody had a great time.
Audrey calls it "the wheel."We didn't have a cake for Hawley's birthday, but she was fine with ice cream from Bruster's.

Alligator Alley. Wow, we have never seen so many alligators in our life.
I guess that is part of living in the South!


Hawley and Andrew got to hold a real alligator. This one was almost 2 years old.
Audrey would only look at the "snake," as she called it.

Audrey taking a much needed rest. It was so hot and humid. We all came back wet!
(and not from rain or splashing alligators)

Audrey burying the "beached wale"!

Andrew and Hawley digging a huge "bathtub" in the sand.

Justin and Andrew playing in the ocean.

Audrey loved playing in the sand. She loved it!

The family at Orange Beach! Now we have been to the beach on all three sides of the US.

Sweet Home Alabama

Alabama is our new home. We moved here in December and moved into our new home in April. We can now call it "Sweet Home Alabama". We miss our families very much and for some reason feel even farther away then when we lived in VA or NY. Not sure why, but we do. We have made lots of new friends and love our new ward. Justin is in EQ and I teach the Sunbeams and am the Activity Days leader. These callings are perfect for us right now with me expecting a baby and Justin starting a new job.
Andrew and Hawley love it here. They miss their friends from VA, but have made new ones here. Their new school welcomed them with open arms and Andrew and Hawley fit in perfectly. This summer they have started Taekwondo and love it. They can choose to go up to five days a week and I thought maybe they would want to go just a couple, but they go five days a week. They love spending time swimming in our neighborhood pool and we go just about everyday (we stay home when I'm sewing with my friend). Andrew went to Cub Scout Camp and loved it and Hawley went to a science camp and didn't want to come home after it. Audrey is just following us around, she is such a trooper. She goes on many rides in the car to take Andrew and Hawley to various activities. She doesn't have a normal nap schedule anymore and I can't wait till it is just her and I (and the baby) again when the other two go back to school. Audrey has loved going to the pool. At first she didn't like going in and now it is hard to get her out. She is saying lots of new words and figuring out how to do new things everyday. Andrew and Hawley are very good big siblings and include her in alot of things they do at home.
Our summer is almost over, since the kids start school on August 10. We have one last trip to take to the beach and we are looking forward to having a lot of fun there!

Finally Getting Started

I don't know why it has taken this long to finally get going, but I have been feeling a little inspired by reading everyone's blogs and have decided to actually start ours. I have secretly had a blog for the past 2 years, but have only posted one picture and have never written on it. I think this is actually going to be a journal for me, since I can't keep a journal no matter how hard or how many times I have tried. I really hope this will work. Wish me luck....here we go!