The cuties on Halloween

My favorite part about Halloween this year was watching Eva run from house to house with that big red wig flopping up and down. She had fun being Ariel. When she first tried on the costume she started singing, "Ah Ah Ah Ah Ah Ah Ah Ah...," just like Ariel does. We actually got Charlie's costume first from Emily and pretended the lobster was really Sebastian the crab. Cute, huh?

I made Eric put on this get-up so that he could be Prince Eric, which is what Eva introduces him as to everyone anyway. He is bending over so you can't see the nice red sash he had on. What a handsome Prince.

Clark cracks me up in these photos. He either has a mouthful of candy, or has his head in the bag of candy. And Brenner was the most handsome cowboy I've ever seen; not the most courageous at times when there were scary things on doorsteps, but pretty brave all in all.

Fun times!

Outer Banks, NC

After spending a couple days in Richmond, we drove to the Outer Banks in North Carolina to stay at a beach house with dental school friends and Craig & Julia. This is one of my very favorite places! The beaches are beautiful, quiet and the water is warm enough to play in. It was wonderful. We began to forget what day it was as we would wake up and walk to the beach each morning.

We were here at this lighthouse for probably 2 minutes, just long enough to snap this photo. There were swarms of mosquitos so we had to skedaddle!

Aquarium

Virginia

Oh, Virginia we miss you so, but it was fun to come visit! We took the kids back to Richmond to visit old friends, go to the branch where we went to church, see the dental school and to eat at our favorite restaurants. It was wonderful to see everyone and to reminisce about dental school days.

After church we went to Maymont, a beautiful estate that is open to the public with gardens and animals.

I like this photo because I feel like a celebrity with my two children out for a stroll and the paparazzi caught us.

Another Sad Hair Tale

These little girls are some pretty freaky hair stylists! Eva just had hers done by her 4 year old friend that lives next door. This is her cute little haircut that had just grown back nicely after the 2nd hair cutting incident:

I wasn't worried after the second haircut thinking these girls had learned their lesson and wanted to have princess hair like we kept talking about. I guess it is too tempting knowing there are scissors within reach. One evening when I was working in the yard Eva was next door playing with her friend. I went to go pick her up at about 8:00 to get ready for bed. I walked up the stairs of their house after being invited in by my friend (Eva's friend's mom) and screamed when I saw this:

Those poor people bolted up the stairs thinking that one of the girls was hurt. That's how loud I screamed. I overreacted. But look at that! "What do we do now?" I thought. Check out how close she got it to her scalp. Man! Kelli, my hair-stylist friend, saved us. The next day she came over and did a great job:

So now she has a cool, spiky haircut that no other girls her age have! Just for laughs, check out the first two haircuts (all three have been in the last 7 months):

This was the first time right before she turned 3 in March. The girls were caught with scissors on the trampoline at the neighbor's house.

This one was in July I think and I was so bummed because her hair was getting pretty long. All I can do is laugh and be glad that Eva doesn't care one bit about it. I would feel bad if she did. Actually, it's nice to have low maintenance hair. And haven't we all wanted Halle Berry hair but never have dared to do it? Now I can have fun with short hair and not have to cut my own! Let me know if you have any cute ideas. Moms of little girls: hide your scissors!

Happy Father's Day to the Best Dads

These dads mean so much to my children and me. They teach, play, lead, and most of all they love. We love you! Love, Nicky, Eva and Charlie

Fun Getaway

McCall has become one of my very favorite places to go since I've become an Idahoan. Eric played in a dental golf tournament there on Friday, which meant we got to stay at the Shore Lodge for a great deal. We were there on a perfect day. It was 70 degrees and we pretty much had the lake to ourselves. It was much too cold to swim, but perfect for a kayak ride. After playing in the hot tub and in the kayaks, we rented some beach cruisers with a trailer and went to Icecream Alley. We had brought Eva's bike and she was insistent on riding it, especially after being in the trailer, and she really wanted to "pull Chawie." She was able to do some riding (we spared Charlie) and then we headed home for a not so peaceful drive. It is funny though, how they can both sleep through each other's crying. What a fun family getaway!

A Happy Mommy

As Mother's Day has been approaching, I have been thinking about the wonderful moms in my life. I am grateful for their sweet examples of motherhood, their guidance, their friendship and their love. They have inspired me to be the best mom that I can be and to enjoy these special times with my kids.

I am blessed to be Charlie and Eva's mom. I am still learning, but they are patient with me and remind me to live life simply, enjoying the present moment. I am blessed to have a wonderful man who has given me the best gift: a family. My heart feels joy every day when I am with you guys. I love you.