Beggs Family Farm

We were able to make a stop at Beggs Family Farm for the first time and it was such a treat!  They had so many fun things for the kids...animals, rides, jumpers, mazes, slides...there were too many things to name!  We have been trying to plan a trip there for some time, but it just hasn't worked out yet.  Since Ansley has been a little under the weather recently and is still teething something serious, we weren't sure if we'd make it there this year.  She was acting normal this morning, so we thought we'd give it a try.  You can tell from the pictures that she's not herself...her mouth was like a faucet the entire day!  We had to wear a bib!  We haven't done that for probably 9 months!  Anyways, she had fun for the most part, but the pictures don't show her enthusiasm!  

It was a perfect day!  It got to be a little windy, so Ansley had to put on the sockcap. 

Mimi and Ansley

Ansley would not take her eyes off the pig races for a picture! 

She wanted to take this pig home! She even tried climbing on it's back!

She loves little goats!

If she could crawl in, she would.

Ansley fed them leaves from a tree nearby.  They loved it!

Ansley and I in a barrel/cow.  It was way cute, but I think I was a little too big for it!

Jason puckering up for his camel kiss

Here we are in the GIANT rocking chair.  It was actually pretty comfy!

Ansley Harper's Room!

Kelly's Korner blog theme this week is nurseries, so I thought I would give a glimpse into little Ansley's world!  When we found out Ansley was in fact a girl, pink and green were definitely the colors of choice.  I couldn't wait to pick them out!  This room came together with a whole lot of help from Rick and Pam (Jason and my dad were remodeling our basement at the time) we managed to create a pretty adorable space!  Rick and Pam did all the painting for me and then hung just about everything!  Pam is a pretty accurate taper and hanger and Rick is just always go with the flow!  Because of their help, I was able to accomplish the vision I had intended!  I love it and can't wait until Ansley can really appreciate the love that was put into it.
 Unfortunately, I had to use flash in these pictures (yuck), so just envision it being cuter in person!

 I made Ansley's name that is hanging above the bed with wooden letters and scrapbook paper.

Pom poms by Martha (which I totally should have made myself) and a piggy bank from GG. The canvas art was made by my very talented friend, Ashley and given to me by a friend from church. This is one of my most favorite things in the room! Along with the platter that my sister-in-law, Laura got for me!  The book was made by Pam (also a favorite) and the Willow Tree Angel was a gift while I was pregnant with Ansley.  Look closely...the pink part of the wall was polyurethaned in a stripe pattern to give it an extra shimmer...I think it turned out great!

This scripture is so dear to my heart. I can remember praying this over Ansley while she was in the womb! 

 

This memo board was a shower gift from some of my precious friends that helped get us through those long months of infertility...thanks Mert and Chrisy! I made the lampshade with ribbon and one of the frames was made by my friend, Lilo. It holds one of my most favorite pictures of Jason and Ansley!

More pics to come soon! 

It's official!  I can finally say that Ansley will be getting a new little cousin in March!  Ryan and Whitney are expecting their first baby soon and we can't wait to meet little "B"!

This is the night we found out!  I was shocked (I thought we were going to have to wait another year or so before they had a baby!).  I think I jumped, screamed, and said "are you serious?!" for about five minutes straight!  Little did we know...they found out about little "B" when we were all in Destin...those dogs!  We ate at Saffron (yummy) that night and to get us back to their house, they lured us in by saying Whitney had made her delicious peach dessert.  So we all hurried over there to dig into it...well, lo and behold...there was no pie, but their news definitely made up for no pie!

They brought the grandparents a gift home from Florida...a picture frame for baby "B"

Mrs. Rene and Whitney crying does it for me!  I love this picture!

Pamaw made the shirt Ansley has on in the picture.  This was taken a week or so after we found out.  It reads...I'm the big cousin!

I had to post one more...Ansley looked too cute!

We are so excited for them! 

Our Sickly Little Girl :(

The night before we left for Boston, this sweet little girl got her first fever (104)!  It was so hard to leave this little thing...especially when she looked this pitiful!  She was in good hands while we were gone, but I still wish I could have snuggled with her the whole time she was feeling bad!  Look at this crazy hair!

She also found a hole in her face (I thought this picture was hilarious!) 

 How adorable is this scraggly haired girl?!  Just love it when she smiles!



Wicked Cool Boston!

Boston is now on my list of favorite places to visit...especially in the fall!  I love this place!  Jason, Alex, Meredith, and I just got home from visiting for a few days and I can't even begin to tell you my favorite parts! The city is infused with history, beautiful sites, shopping, lots of great restaurants, and everything is within walking distance.  It is one of my favorite cities by far (other than Paris and Zurich, of course)!  I just felt at home there...it was eery.  It is such a big city, which makes me think only about hustle and bustle...but the charm of the city made me want to stay!

Jason and Alex are fortunate enough to work for a medical center that really encourages growth, so this annual conference was primarily for that.  However, we have lots of fun in between all the meetings!  On Sunday, the conference team set up an outing to a nearby location.  This year we were able to go to Maine for a lobster and clam bake, as well as, take a ride up the coast to visit a lighthouse.  We shopped, ate the best clam chowder EVER, and enjoyed the beautiful sites.  It was breathtaking!

Yummy CHOWDA!

Mert and Alex slurping down some clams and muscles

 Somehow Alex and I became band members while we were there! 

I was having a little too much fun banging the tamporine

Standing in front of the firepit that heated the food

Our stop in Maine at the lighthouse

Alex trying to model 

Look closely...that seagull is taking bread right out of Mert's hand 

Seaside at Ouinquit, Maine 

The rest of the week I spent most of my time shopping and seeking out every possible historical marker I could.  It was so exciting!  I had to continually remind myself that I wasn't able to head home to play with Ansley or that I didn't have to come up with the dinner menu.  It was just "me" time while Jason was in meetings during the day.  It was so relaxing!  Unfortunately, Ansley was very sick while we were gone (running about 103 degree fever), so it was hard to relax completely (thankfully she is on the mend now)!

At the Marriot lookout

On Tuesday, Jason and I decided to explore the Freedom Trail.  We had a guide who helped us take a step back in time...to remember those historical events that shaped our country, and he made it fun!  We were able to see the Boston Massacre site, Paul Revere's house, the tombs of John Hancock and Sam Adams, the Meeting House (where Sam Adams got the Son's of Liberty to start the Boston Tea Party), Boston Commons, and many other great sites!

The Massachusetts State House...that is real gold on the top!

The funny thing is...the house to the left was a supposed to be the Governor's mansion.  However, John Hancock didn't put his John Hancock on his will and now Massechusetts doesn't have one! 

Love the architecture of this building

My view from the Marriot

It's amazing to think that the water once came up to the Old State House building!  And the Boston Massacre happened one block in front of it!  The crazy thing, there was a misunderstanding over a wig not being paid for, which caused the Boston Massacre! 

 

Paul Revere's house...it used to be yellow and housed all 16 children!

Faneuil Hall
The grasshopper on the very top is for national security. If you didn't know about the grasshopper, you were usually detained and questioned...everyone knew about the insect on top!

 I would have to say my favorite part of our trip was our walk through the Public Garden after a great evening of quality time and great food. The lushness of the gardens was beautiful...the weeping willows were my favorite.  It was a scene right out of a movie!  That would be most memorable for me.

         We loved our time in Boston/Maine and can't wait to get back!  We are definitely looking forward to our next trip there!

A Day with Friends!

Ansley and I had a playdate with some really sweet girls on Tuesday!   Look at these gems!  It just doesn't get any cuter than this!  We met Sonya and Ellie at Ashley and Evy Kate's house and romped around for a couple of hours until the girls were exhausted.  We ate pizza, played, and us mommas got to chat about many things, including the Lancaster's decision to adopt a child from South Korea!  This is such exciting news for their sweet family and we can't wait to see how God works in their lives as they take this big step of faith!  We are excited to meet the child God has for them!     

Look at these precious girls...friends already!

Ashley helping Ansley, while Ellie patiently waits for her turn!

Evy Kate and Ashley, Sonya and Ellie

We all enjoyed our playdate.  Can't wait for the next one!

Pioneer Days!

It was really chilly Saturday, so we made sure to bundle up...Jason played in a golf tournament, we had two weddings (one was outdoor-brrr!), we also wanted to take Ansley to the pumpkin patch at some point (if we could squeeze it in), and we had a life group class social.  Wow.  How does everything seem to fall on one day?!  We were able to go to Pioneer Days at the Pioneer Orchard as planned, which was good, considering Ansley was getting tossed around from place to place all day.  Ansley loves animals so much, we were definitely excited to get her there.  She was able to pet the goats and horses, which she loved!  They had all kinds of booths with furniture, pumpkins, yummy food, little knick knacks, and other old time items.  Ansley loved the animals (no suprise) and also the haybail maze.

Feeding the goats

She was talking to the horse the whole time!

Just a little windblown!

Following Daddy through the maze

 

 Love.

She's just too cute!

 This boy laid a big one on Ansley!  Jason almost had a stroke!

 What a great day!