Build-a-Bear Birthday for Beth

To continue Beth's birthday celebration we went to Build-a-Bear at the mall. We had never "built a bear" before and were very excited. Here's how it went:

First, you stuff your bear (or whatever animal you choose).Adam took this part very seriously!Then you have to rub a little heart on your brain, your eyes, your heart - all so that your new friend's heart will be warm and ready and smart, etc...Finally, you fluff your friend. Jill loved brushing the bears. Next time maybe we'll let her make her own bear.And here's the final product: Beth's new friend pony - Rose.Ella is showing her mom her new puppy.And the boys added a bonus to their new bears - costumes! Lincoln and Adam present Jedi Bear and Captain Rex Clone Trooper!We had a lot of fun on this very special birthday! Happy, happy birthday, Beth!

Beth's Birthday Tea

Beth is 6 years old! To celebrate in Raleigh she invited two cousins to a tea party. We headed to downtown Wake Forest, put on some fun hats, and ate scones and pb&j finger sandwiches while sipping lemonade. We had a great time giggling and celebrating Beth!

Our summer so far...

Ok, I keep saying I'm going to cut back on Facebook but I'm still there too often posting pics, playing games, and reading everyone's pointless posts. And I just realized that while I've always tried to keep up with the blog (for those of you refusing to use Facebook; ok, yes, you are the smart ones!) I've been sloppy lately. For instance, Beth's birthday is totally missing and there are some great photos from that adventure (I'll post that next). So here it is...a quick catch up of our summer: After 8 months of unemployment, Andrew got a great job and immediately moved to our new location - California. Actually, we're going right back to where we moved from 2 years ago! To make things even crazier, on day 2 of his job, he flew to S.Korea! He's really loving his new work and co-workers. The only glitch is the family he left behind!

We spent the month of June packing up the house and prepping it to be sold. Then debating about what to do while waiting for the house to be sold, we headed to NC to visit (ok, live with) family. We arrived just in time for my birthday :) We celebrated with an afternoon at the movies - Toy Story 3 - and an evening of ice cream. Andrew was missed but he still delivered (love you!) The kids also got to spend a week at VBS. It had a water theme and they had a blast! The best part was watching Adam perform. He loved singing and dancing and jumping. He was hilarious to watch as he stole the show! The rest of our time here in NC has been spent playing, swimming, being with cousins,and playing some more!

Happy Fourth of July!

Wanting as much quality time with Daddy as possible, we opted for a low key Independence Day. After an afternoon swimming with friends, we headed to our backyard to light sparklers and catch fireflies. It was a perfectly memorable day!

Together

After a month apart, our family was reunited when Andrew flew into Georgia for work in Atlanta. And it's no coincidence that this work in Atlanta is after a holiday weekend (thank you to Andrew's new wonderful boss!) It was a great weekend being together, swimming with friends,

and just being a family hanging out at the house...a house all packed in boxes.