Our little craftswomen!

Sarah discovered a great opportunity for me (SEAN) to take the girls on a fun daddy date.  Lowes does some great building crafts on Saturdays.  It is completely free and a great time.  Whitney did an awesome dog leash holder and then Haley joined us for a puppet theatre on our second visit. 

Both girls love sporting their tool aprons and collecting their patches for their finished projects.  Thanks Lowes!

Camping Weekend

We were able to get away for a weekend for some camping at Watson's Mill Bridge State park. Only a 30 minute drive away, it was a perfect choice. The campground was great and offered so much to do.

Being Haley's first time to camp, we left all idea of how the weekend would go at the doorstep. SHE DID AWESOME! Both girls were great campers. They loved the tent and did great sleeping. Morning fires were fun as well as our little hike along the river, playground time, watching squirrels, gathering sticks, befriending furry caterpillars, and of course cherry pies on the fire.

Most unique part of the weekend was the amazing rock shoals that you can walk out on and cool off. We all took our tumbles but Sarah took the brunt of the blows with a busted toe that swelled and bruised pretty quickly. It was a beautiful time just being in the water and seeing everyone's adventuresome spirit.

Tailgating in the Garden

With every good football game comes a great tailgate and we are so lucky to have the most wonderful place and spread in all of UGA, the founders garden.  All the fam enjoys a great meal and some great time running around the awesome landscape.  Beautiful wife and little ladies in a beautiful place, what could be better!

Whitney's new fish

Well, the tank has settled and our first 3 fish managed to prove healthy water so off to the store we went to find some more swimming friends.  Whitney decided to have ciclids so we got an orange, yellow, albino, and striped one.  They are doing great and growing quite a bit.  She loves feeding them...when she remembers ;)

Homecoming

Football is in full swing!  UGA had a rough start but have now pulled even for the year and still have a shot for the SEC east.  Homecoming 2010 was a great event.  UGA was collared, it was a little cooler, the band, cheerleaders, and crowd all had returning alums to make the fanfare that much sweeter.  The game was a shutout of Vandy so Sean, with camera in hand, decided to document a Saturday in Athens.

Enjoy the slideshow.

Our new patio

before...

after.

With Sarah out of town, Sean hit the backyard with a significant makeover.  Our landlord agreed to reimburse us through smaller rent payments if we put in the labor.  The upgrade includes 75 additional square feet of patio, a retaining wall that now offers a level gravel play area and 2 small planting beds.  Room now for the grill and some water issues are now solved with an underground drain tube and a massive dirt berm to direct water away from the patio and downhill away from the property.  2 big myrtles will offer some summer shade and of course add some pink/purple color, the girls favorite.

It has been an enjoyment for all.

Little note:  This was completed in a single stretch of 14 hours from friday night to saturday morning.  Amazing what you can get done even in darkness

First Haircut

So I know most people have this post within the first year or two of birth but Whitney is finally getting her haircut at almost 4. I have held off for so long because it took forever to get the little amount of hair she has and I hated to willingly chop some of it. It was getting really scraggly though and uneven on the back so it was time. We were going to a nearby town for Costco and a big mall so I found a fun place there that caters to kids. She loved being the center of attention and being pampered. She is really happy with her new do and says it makes her look 4. I think it did turn out really cute and even though I mourn her baby curls being gone, she looks cute with a bob.

Football is here...

Well, with school comes a nice perk, college football. All of us headed to the roughest part of campus for our tailgate, the founders garden. Real shame to have to party in such doldrums of athens and campus :). Our timing was off learning all the traffic patterns and parking so we didn't have much time before heading off to the game. It was still a fun time though and now that we have made our rookie mistakes, we hope to enjoy it even more the coming home games. The girls did amazing with the in and out, bus ride, having some fun, eating lunch, and being friendly.

It was an overwhelming experience. So many traditions and cheers to learn and take in. It was quite a blowout, 55-7, so as thousands left, I was able to move around and get to know the stadium a little more so I could be informed if sarah and the girls ever get to join me.

All in all, it was a great day to learn the ropes when it comes to UGA football. Sure won't be the last time! And then to top off the day, State blasted memphis and ole miss lost to a cupcake! What a day.

Sean's First Day of School

Always thought the next first day of school picture we would be taking was Whitney but God had other plans! It is still a strange thing for us to think about Sean being in school but it is happening! So much planning went in to this day I got kind of teary eyed watching him put on his backpack and be on his way. He is definitely putting in way more hours than he ever did at any job but he loves it. The girls love his desk and being on campus. We got to ride the bus one day when we saw him and they thought it was the greatest thing ever. Hopefully we will get to spend a lot of time on campus the next few years. Sean has completed his first project already and has to read about 100 pages a day which is challenging for my non reader husband. He is pushing through though and while sleeping little he commits to taking Sundays off which helps us all make it through the rest of the week.

Exploring Athens

We have had so much fun the last two weeks exploring our new city. Athens has so much fun free stuff to do and we haven't even seen a small percentage of it yet. We love their library and have been going to several storytimes a week. Whitney absolutely loves it there. They have puzzles and she amazed me by working a 60 piece one there so I bought her a 100 piece one at a consignment sale and she proceeded to knock that one out as well and she works it several times a day now. We also visited the little beach they have here and had an absolute blast. Whitney has been wanting to go to the beach for a long time and it didn't disappoint. I'm sure we will be spending a lot of time there. We have already settled in to a church as well and will get connected with a small group tomorrow night. I will also be leading a group of college girls in one each week in our home which I am very excited about. We can't wait to see all God has in store for us in this chapter of our lives.

Memphis to Athens

After months and months of preparation, the time was finally upon us to being our great adventure to Athens. Whitney was so excited about packing up the boxes and getting the big moving truck. We had some incredible friends help us load it all up late into the night and some volunteers from a church we visited in Athens help us unload it all. Things have progressed quickly with the unpacking although there are still a lot of random things awaiting a home. The girls have done great with sharing a room so far although we have to separate them for nap time in order for anyone to rest! Whitney continually thanks us for the stairs and they get a whole closet dedicated to their toys which is fun. We are so thankful for how smoothly everything has gone and thankful to be on the road to settling in.