Ormond Beach Florida

 This weekend we drove to Ormond Beach Florida to visit Amanda and family's new home.  It was a great little beach town just north of Daytona Beach.  We are only a 6 hour drive away which is much better than 15+ hours!  Alia is all ready to go.  I saw a pin on pinterest that had art supplies organized in a toiletry bag.  It is hanging next to her.  It worked great!

 We were hungry and decided to stop at a Whole Foods.  This is where our gps lead us....not exactly what we had in mind!  I'm not even sure what this place is, but it did lead us to a really good pizza place that happened to be just next door.  Serendipity! 

 Avery lost his first tooth once we made it to the hotel!  He was so excited and you could tell by his expression that he finally felt like he's growing up.  It was a special moment for all of us.

 Avery woke up at 5 am bursting with excitement to check out the ocean.

 Look Mom we can balance!  Notice the cars in the background?  There is a designated spot on the beach where you can drive your car for a few miles!  It was weird seeing the cars drive by.

 The cousins:  Gaven 14, Austin 9, Avery 6, Jaycent 7, and Alia 4

 Bama and Papa with the grandkids.  Mom and Joe were able to ride with Joel's grandma down to Florida from Wisconsin.  It was great having them there at the same time.  Next time we have to get Cassie there and we will be set.

 The whole gang.  In this picture we were exploring one of the many parks in Ormond Beach.  The city was set up well with a lot of little parks and some cool walking trails and streets.  The Halifax River runs through Ormond as well, making it an Ocean and River front community.  There is also a State Park nearby.  We really enjoyed the city and thought that Ormond did a great job at being a community, not just a beach town.  We are already looking forward to our next visit. 

 Playing around on the statues.

Happy Birthday Scott!

 Avery drew 34 heart shaped balloons for Daddy.

 Alia drew the family.

 We headed to the Atlanta Zoo and enjoyed a beautiful spring day. 

 Scott asked for an ice cream cake this year.  Alia decorated the cake for him. 

 Notice Alia's face here.  Along with an oreo bottom, Scott wanted a caramel layer.  I made the caramel homemade and it was at the perfect soft ball stage, however once it was frozen it turned into cement.  We could not cut through the caramel layer.  We had to take the ice cream and fudge layer off the cake and melt the caramel again.  It was quite the mess and the oreos were so sugary from the caramel.  We ended up just eating the ice cream and fudge layers and throwing the rest out. 

 Alia wanted to buy Daddy twister for his birthday.  I forgot how much fun that game was! 

We love you! 

Asheville North Carolina

We spent part of our spring break in Asheville North Carolina this year with Grandma, Grandpa, Laura, and Tony.  It was a great city with a lot of diversity.  Our first stop of the trip was The Biltmore.  The Biltmore was built by George Vanderbilt in 1889 to be a country retreat for his friends and family.  It features 4 acres of floor space, 250 rooms, 35 bedrooms, 43 bathrooms, and 65 fireplaces. The basement has a swimming pool, gymnasium and changing rooms, bowling alley, servants' quarters, and kitchens.  It was a beautiful home full of a lot of history.  My favorite room was the library.  It had an amazing ceiling painted by an Italian artist and it contained a 23,000 volume library.  I would love to sit and look through those books. 

 
 The architecture was impressive! 

 The gardens were impressive.  This was a pear tree that has been pruned to grow against the wall so it can grow in a colder region. 

 Alia loved running through the children's maze.

 We were able to visit the farm.  Biltmore had the most Jersey cows in the country at one time.


 We made a stop at one of the parks. 

 and hiked at the Arboretum. 

 Avery found a hiding spot.

 We also took time to explore downtown Asheville.  The downtown had many unique shops, street performers, and art.  I loved how diverse the area was.  It was a great trip and an awesome city. 

April Fools!

 Since this is my favorite holiday I decided to let the kids share in the excitement.  Scott was so relieved that I pranked the kids all day and not him!  We started out by duct taping their plates to the table.  This is Alia's reaction. 

 We filled their breakfast rolls with broccoli instead of cinnamon and sugar and we froze their milk.  We also put lemon juice on Avery's toothbrush and put vaseline on his door knob. 

 Avery quickly joined in on the fun and taped me in my bedroom, and Alia taped my shoes shut. 

 To finish the night off we decided to play the flour game.  You fill a teacup full of flour, dump it upside down and place a candy on top.  Then everyone takes turns cutting the flour.  Whoever makes the candy fall has to get the candy with his/her mouth without using hands. 

 Scott lost round one.

 Here he goes.....

 success! 

 Avery lost round two and was a good sport trying to get the candy out.

Overall, it was a great day of pranks!  I look forward to the years to come, but I am nervous because I have a feeling Avery and Alia are really going to get me!  Scott never remembers April Fools so I've never worried about him.