Ian & Bonner's First Wedding

What a weekend?  We have had a great little get-away!  The children & I left last Wednesday to go to North Carolina for my cousin's wedding ... we stopped on Wednesday night in Cary to stay with family there!  Great time but I realized that I didn't take the first picture!  No worries because we all had a blast and will be back there in short time!

As for the wedding, the children had a blast!  Our cousin, Erin, got married at Bonner Point in a small town, Bath, NC.  It was so beautiful!

And, of course, if you noticed the name, Bonner Point, Bonner had to have her picture taken with a sign indicating her namesake :-)

And, Ian just wanted to get in the water - pictures were definitely not his focus with all those rocks and sticks and water around!  This was the best I could do!  He was by far the best 2-year old there :-)

And they had a blast at the reception!  They were all about dancing, dancing, dancing!

Bonner thought it was neat that Gigi's dress "floated"!

Ian met this little girl on the dance floor and brought her over to me ... she wanted to run away but he needed a quick hug first :-)  Of course, he only offered his hand and a hug - not his lovies!

Ian didn't want to leave "his stage" ... notice that it was where the DJ was working his magic!  The DJ was very patient; Ian didn't touch any wires or anything - he just wanted to be "up high"!

Every man needs a break to quench the thirst ...

take a rest ... (yes, that's him laying on his lovies in the dance floor)

and just take a break! (love the hand in his pocket)

And every woman, just needs some cake ...

I thought this was so funny - at some point, Ian put his lovies on the speaker and then Bonner propped Abby up there so she could "watch"!  So funny!

And, last but not least, the kids were so excited to see the "princess" up-close and personal!

It didn't take them long to ask the "princess" to do "Ring Around the Rosey" :-)  She obliged as any princess would do!

Great time!  We are off to the beach next week so stay tuned for those adventures!

Happy Easter - Better Late than Never, Right?

It has definitely been a busy few weeks as we have been celebrating the risen Son and then getting back into the swing of things.  We had a nice Easter; Stewart's mom and oldest niece, Jenni, came to visit for the weekend which was nice.  Here are some pictures from our Easter morning egg hunt (we went to church on Saturday night)!

 "Oh, mommy, nanny put treats in these eggs!  Yummy!"

 "Bonner, what is your treat?"

 "I need to get a closer look!"

 "Look, Ian, more eggs!"

"No, I need that treat, Bonner!"

I put their Easter baskets out while they were taking a much-needed nap!

 Just so you know, this is the 3rd Toy Story Woody I have bought ... I'm pretty sure that 3 is my limit!

"Do you have treats in your basket, Bonner?"

Since the weather has been so nice, we have been going to a nearby park quite a bit.  I took this picture (with my new iPhone) last week while we were at the park.  She is so cute ... man, that Abby doll is super dirty, but aren't they cute?

It appears that the children got into the butterfly wings the other day while they were staying with Ms. Amber.  I found these pictures on the camera and could not stop laughing!

 "Look, Ms. Amber, we have wings!"

 "But before we can be beautiful butterflies, Ian, we need to be caterpillars in our cocoon!"

 "Let's fly, Ian!"

Toy Story on your shirt and wings on your back ... what more could a guy want?

We went to a little birthday party for a friend turning 3.  Great idea - it was at one of the local firestations!  Here's Ian (with our good friend Mary Elizabeth) after he devoured his cupcake!

He actually said, "Look, mom, I'm Santa Claus!"

 The kids got these cute glasses in their party favor bag ... Ian loved them - wore them the whole way home!

And this picture doesn't do it justice, but the kids brought home "fire helmets" from the birthday party.  It was probably 85 degrees outside, but Ian insisted on wearing the "fire hat" while he played "baseball" - in between taking breaks cutting the grass!

Ian-isms

- On our way into church Saturday night, Ian was walking pretty slow so I turned around to him and said, "Ian, honey, please pick up the pace."  He stopped, turned all the way around, looked at me and said, "Where's the pace, mommy?"  (That one might take you a minute, but it was funny!)

- Our precious neighbor, Mrs. Rhonda, gave the kids a sprinkler last year for their birthday.  The other morning, I went to put Ian in his carseat so we could go to school and he looked over at our other neighbor's yard and said, "Mommy, they have a water fountain in their yard."  I replied, "Yes, Mrs. Dawn has her sprinklers turned on."  Ian quickly asked, "Did Mrs. Rhonda give Mrs. Dawn a sprinkler, too?"  Crazy that he remembered that from so long ago!  Uncanny!

Lazy Days of Spring

(Be prepared - this is a long one - very enjoyable, but quite lengthy :-) Ha!)

It's certainly been a while, hasn't it?  The children were out for Spring Break at the end of March and we just stayed around the house - in hopes of potty training, but that didn't work out too well for us!  We'll probably try again this weekend since we have a few days out for Easter.  We saw a Mickey Mouse traveling show a few weeks ago at the Bi-Lo Center here in town ... it was good but because I took my big camera and the lens was removable, I wasn't allowed to take it in so no pictures of that event.  I know you are very upset!

We have been enjoying the up and down weather these past few weeks.  I haven't taken antibiotics in years but have been on them twice in the past 8 weeks ... it's crazy!  I'm feeling better, though.  I have also recovered nicely from my surgery!  I have been released to start exercising - as the doctor said, "Jennifer, just ease into it.  I don't want you jumping back into your old routine."  Do you think I should have reminded her that my lack of an old routine is what landed me in her office in the first place? Ha!  I am feeling good and the children are glad that I can finally hold them again!



Stewart & I were able to go down to Augusta, GA, for Wednesday's practice round at the Masters.  What an absolutely gorgeous day.  You might recognize a few of these folks!  The great thing about Wednesday at the Masters is that you can take cameras and the players are so available.  (Cameras are strictly forbidden on tournament days)!

Arnold Palmer

 Jack Nicklaus & Gary Player (who played the Par-3 Challenge with Arnie)

 Zach Johnson,  a previous Masters winner (I think)

 Johnathan Byrd (Clemson boy)

 I totally have drawn a blank on  his name ... he's hysterical, though!  Yes, that is a cigar in his mouth as he is signing his life away in autographs :-)

 Tom Watson

 And, my favorite, Ian Poulter - not only because of his name, but isn't he just so darn cute? :-)

 We were camped between holes 8 & 9 on the Par 3 course ... all of the sudden, something caught my eye up above - it was Arnie just taking it all in!

The children are growing up each and every day ... it's so much fun to interact with them and see what they know, what they understand, and what they just make up!  Ian picked out this pig at the Dollar Store a while back - it reminded him of the Evil Dr. Porkchop in Toy Story (and I am not forking over $10 for a plastic pig) ... well, a couple of weeks ago, I found it like this - leaned up on Stewart's new water feature for his desk!  As you can tell, he is just propped up right next to it so that the pig can get a first-hand glimpse of the rocks that tempt Ian everyday :-)

Bonner has her own quirks, too, and you all know that's having all of her 'stuff' with her at all times.  Well, she has recently found a new place to "nest" - right in front of the new desk we had installed when we did all the renovations to the house.  It's a cozy little area and she likes to get her pillow, her blanket, her lovies, and her Abby and get all "snug-a-bug" ... it usually doesn't take her brother too long to join her which doesn't usual result in screams of happiness :-)

We have started celebrating the Easter tradition of hunting for eggs ... now, Ian & Bonner just do not get this but if there are treats in the eggs, they are more than willing to look for them!  Here are some pictures from our neighborhood hunt that was held a couple of weeks ago!  (I went with Bonner and Stewart took Ian so most of the pictures I took were of her ...)

And, today, this sweet lady across town hosted a big Easter Egg hunt at her house.  The children had fun - they were, however, disappointed that when they opened the first eggs they found that they were empty ... in other words, no treats!  The look of despair was hysterical.  I quickly explained that the treat was coming in the form of a yummy cookie and all was well with the world once again :-)

Easter Bunny was there with "Little Bo Peep" - at least that is who Ian & Bonner thought she was and I was fine with that since I wasn't sure how to explain a Mrs. Bunny!

 The one thing about Ian is that if he isn't pitching a fit, he is smiling & usually laughing!

 And when she's in the mood, she can definitely "cheese" it up!

 There is no telling what is going through his mind but since he is all boy, it probably had something to do with getting dirty or finding a ball to throw!

 She was definitely cheesing it up on for this picture!  So dainty!

 And, of course, she had to have her 'stuff' when going down the slide!

And, I am sure you are exhausted by now of reading about our latest antics, but I did want to end this post with some more Ian-isms and Bonner-lingo since they are just priceless to me ... and I want to make sure they make it into the blog book for years to come :-)  Enjoy!

Ian-isms
- "Bonner, your Cinderella dress is beautiful!"
- "Sing it with me, guys!"
- "This isn't a fun corner for time-out!" (He wanted to go to the corner where he could reach his toys)
- "Sleeping Beauty will hit Snow White and that will not be kind!"
- "I love God and He loves my princesses!"
- Ian picks up Bonner's Minnie Mouse mirror and says, "I'm putting on my make-up!"
- "I will give God a sip of my water"
Ian can sing pretty much every song he's ever heard - and his favorite is "You've Got a Friend in Me" from Toy Story ... a close 2nd is "Supercalafajalistickespeealadojus" ... he also sings the B-I-B-L-E song and "My God is So Mighty".  He says the blessing for us before each meal! He is truly a miracle toddler and we are so thankful for his outgoing personality that simply lights up a room!

Bonner-Lingo
- Me: "If Woody (Toy Story) is a cowboy and Jessie is a cowgirl, what are you?"  Bonner: "A cow-Princess, mommy!"
- One day I was putting my make-up on next to her and she asked, "Are you coloring your face, mommy?"
- "Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your ponytail!"
- Bonner to Ian: "You are a very good Prince Charming!"
- Stewart was changing Bonner's diaper one day and she kept calling him "mommy".  He said, "I'm not your mommy." And she said, "I know."  He asked her how she knew he wasn't her mommy and she said, "Because mommy's hair is light."  Stewart then asked, "Well what color is my hair?"  Bonner said, "Gray!"
- During our prayers one day, I finished them with "And, please God keep us safe" to which Bonner added "from the Easter bunny!"
- During the Lord's Prayer she says, "Deliver us from Igor" (instead of 'evil')
- Instead of Lady & the Tramp, she calls is "Lady & the Hound" - and when you show her "The Fox & the Hound", she says, "Just like Lady & the Hound".
Bonner is a true blessing as she reminds me every day that children this age are sponges.  She is pretty smart and very articulate.  She can say the Lord's prayer and loves to do puzzles.  Abby Cadabby remains her favorite 'friend', but she knows every Disney princess that ever was...  She has just started doing matching stuff and really enjoys when she makes a "pair"!

Well, thanks for hanging in there with me!  I trust that this Easter season will greet you with greatness and that you will remember the true reason for the season.  Ian & Bonner are learning the Easter story more and more each day ... as Ian would say, "God is super-powerful!"  Don't forget that as you embrace His love for you this week!  He came, He lived, He died, and He rose again ... all for YOU!

Love,
Jennifer