Nea 's visit!!

My dad's sister, Renea, came for a visit last week.  She lives in New Mexico and got into town on the 9th.   We were sooooo excited to see her!  It had been a year since we had seen her last and we missed her.  

Some people are just down right fun to be around and Renea is one of those people.  She loves being outside, inside, hanging out, helping around the house, watching the girls, spending time talking, helping me get ready for Emily's party, whatever....she is seriously up for whatever, with a smile on her face. She is also such a great listener, which I think is a great quality to have.    

Nea had fun watching the girls ride their bikes!  

Claire just plopped down in the middle of the sidewalk, so I had to snap a picture of her cute self.  

Unfortunately she plopped down right in the middle of the bike riding path and had no plans to move.  

Fortunately, contrary to how it looks in the picture above, we didn't let her sister plow her over.  

Renea and I share a birthday.  April 7th really is a great day to be born....just ask one of us.  We decided to have a little surprise birthday party for Nea on the night she got into town.  We had yummy lasagna and then pulled out her cookie cake, gift and cards.  She was surprised and excited!  The girls were excited too...they looove a reason to have a party, but who doesn't?! 

This is Nea holding up the card Hannah made for her. Hannah was proud!:)  

Nea got lots of snuggles from our snuggle bug.  

We got to spend two whole days with her and enjoyed every minute of it!  Thanks so much for coming Nea!  You're the best and we love you!!  

Emily's 5th!

Emily turned 5 on Wednesday, April 8th.  F.I.V.E!  One whole hand of fingers.  Is that as shocking to you as it is to me!?  She is so excited and we are excited for her.  It's fun having a five year old!  

On Wednesday morning Emily had preschool and she was sooooo excited that she got to go to school on her birthday.  She had been talking about getting a birthday sticker and birthday hat for weeks.  We sent pink and white cupcakes for her to share with her classmates during snack time.  She had a great morning.  I'm thankful for her teacher and friends making feel so special on her big day!!  

It doesn't matter how organized I am, Wednesday evenings can get a little wild when we I am trying to feed the girls an early supper and get out the door to church.  I really wanted to celebrate our girl on her birthday even though it happened to fall on a busy day, so we decided to just be wild and crazy and throw in a family birthday party into our already busy afternoon/evening.  As soon as Bert walked in the door that afternoon we were ready to let her open her gifts from us.   

The towel in the picture below is from our friends Megan and Lou.  Megan makes these towels.  They had given one to Hannah on her birthday and Emily of course loved it.  Megan was so sweet to make one for Emily too!  

Bert and I got her her first bike (before this she has just had a tricycle). We had her keep her eyes shut until Bert rolled it into the room.  I caught her reaction on camera.  So fun!  She was so excited!  

I think she looks like such a big girl in this picture.  She's so proud of that long hair.  And notice her birthday hat and sticker that she got at school.  She'll always be my baby though!  

We had to let her go take a spin on her new bike.  She is improving every single time she rides it.  She's doing great!  So proud of her!  

Last fall we had egg strata (breakfast casserole) one morning for breakfast and Emily LOVED it.  We've had it a few times since then and every single time she's claimed that it was her favorite meal, so that's what we had for dinner on her birthday.  We may have had to eat a little fast so that we could get ready for church and head out the door, but we definitely took time to pray and thank God for the food and for the beautiful little girl at our table who turned 5 that day.  We also took time to sing for the 10th time!!  Happy 5th birthday, Emily Jean Watts!  You're a blessing from above.  

My 32nd!

I turned 32 on Tuesday, April 7th and got to celebrate with my favorite people on the planet.  The girls couldn't wait to give me my gifts and cards until after supper.  The cards they made were absolutely precious and they are definitely being saved.  

That night Bert stopped by the store on the way home and bought everything to make dinner but he wouldn't tell me what he was making.  He surprised me by making chicken alfredo from scratch and it was a-mazing.  I get chicken alfredo every single time we go to Olive Garden or any kind of Italian restaurant.  I can't think of a time when I have ventured out and tried something else.  It's not because I'm a picky eater, because I'm not at all, but it's because I just like it THAT much.  It makes me happy.  

For dessert Bert bought my favorite kind of ice cream.  Yumm-o!  I had such a great night celebrating with the four people in the picture below.  I'm so thankful to be on Team Watts!  

That weekend we did a little more celebrating when Bert's parents and my parents came into town for Emily's birthday party (which was Saturday morning).  That evening we went out to dinner to celebrate my birthday.  It was a fun night!  I love how Claire turned around in her chair in the picture below without us even asking her to.  

After dinner we came home and enjoyed our ice cream cake.  We may have been stuffed from dinner and all the party food we had eaten at Emily's party that morning, but that didn't stop us from enjoying one more piece of cake.  

Thankful for the 32 years the Lord has blessed me with and looking forward to the years ahead.  I am one very blessed wife, mom, daughter, sister and friend.  

Easter 2015

We had a wonderful Easter this year!!  I was more in awe this year than ever before over what my Savior did for me.  That kind of sacrifice will take your breath away.  Thankful that He made a way so that someone like me can be made right.  Praise Him!! 

The girls woke up to their Easter baskets and they were excited! 

After getting them ready for church it was time to snap a quick picture and then head out the door.  Claire had other plans and taking a picture wasn't one of them.  

Cuties. 

After a wonderful Easter service at our church we loaded up and headed to Toccoa to eat Easter lunch with my family.  We got there about 1:30, just as they were getting ready to sit down and eat.  My mom's sister and her husband (Aunt Ann and Uncle Bud) were down from VA and we were excited about seeing them.  Also, my sister and her family were there and my brother had come up from Atlanta.  We had a great afternoon all being together.  

After lunch we headed out for another Easter egg hunt for the kids.  Mom had a special section for Claire this time and she did so great.  She picked up 90% of those eggs by herself and put them in her basket.  

Emily asked Uncle Stan if he would "race" her. So he let Emily chase him all over the yard.  He would let her get close and then start running faster.  We were all laughing hard watching them!  

After lots of outside playing we brought the big kids in to dye eggs.  They had fun and insisted on bringing them home.  

Watts Family Easter Photo 2015 ... ignore the fact that we were 0-for-3 on getting the girls to look at the camera... this was the best we got!

After a small dinner of leftovers (we weren't very hungry after the great lunch) we were back on the road to Greenville.  It was a wonderful day!  He is risen!  He is risen indeed!!  

Week in Toccoa

Bert went to Nicaragua on a mission trip a few weeks ago and the girls and I went to Toccoa to spend time with family.  We had a FUN week!  

We got into town on Friday afternoon (March 27th) and the girls got to meet their cousin Ressie for the first time!!  They were SO excited.  Ressie was a preemie so Katherine and Brett had to be super careful about getting her around other people (especially kids) for the first several months.  The girls were so excited to get to see her!!  

This was our first cousins picture with Ressie!  Mimi was dancing and waving behind and above me to try to get the kids to smile.  I think it alarmed them little! Haha!:)    

The Sunday we were in Toccoa was Palm Sunday.  My parents' church have the kids (5th grade and under, I think) all line up and walk in waving palm branches at the beginning of the service.  It's a really sweet reminder of that day so long ago.  Emily was SO excited about waving the palm branches...that was all she could talk about in the days leading up.  Sweet things.  

When we got home from church my brother Stanley surprised us by coming home for the day (he lives in Atlanta).  It was SO great to see him and he got to meet sweet Ressie for the first time.  Fun! 

After lunch at my parents house we went to a birthday party for my cousin's little girl, Ava!  Ava turned three on April 9th (the day after Emily turns 5), but they happened to have her party while we were in town. The girls were so excited we were able to go!  I was too...it was fun to see everyone!!  

Ronda had Ava'a dance teacher come out and do some fun activities/dances with the girls!  It was a fun party!  Ronda couldn't have had everything decorated any cuter.  Happy birthday, Ava!  We love you!  

This 15 month old is keeping us on our toes these days.  She is getting to be a super fast walker and will disappear from a room faster than you can blink.  Also, apparently she likes to climb.  It is definitely a busy season with this active child who can't be trusted to not injure herself, I am usually worn out by the time it is her bedtime, but she couldn't be any cuter if she tried. Love her so.  

Mimi took a couple days off work that week so that she could spend time with us.  We enjoyed having her!  One afternoon we took a walk.  It was beautiful weather and the girls enjoyed walking along beside the wagon since it wasn't a busy time of the day in their neighborhood. 

They also loved getting to stop by the creek on our walk.  They love this spot!  

The girls had fun having tea parties....

...and playing with play-dough!  In the picture below it looks like mom is about to give Claire a bite of play-dough (ha!), but actually C is about to put some play-dough in her mouth and mom is pulling her hand away.  

This is what she thought about Mimi taking that play-dough away.  15 month olds for ya!  

All this playing had Hannah so excited that she wasn't able to go to sleep for her afternoon nap most days.  She just had "rest" time, which wasn't very restful for me because I kept having to go back upstairs to tell her to get back in the bed.  Anyway, one evening, Mimi was cooking dinner, I was chasing Claire around and the big girls were watching a show, when Emily came running into the kitchen to tell us Hannah had fallen asleep.  This is how I found her.  It just melted my heart.  I love this sweet baby/big girl!  

We had beautiful weather while we were in Toccoa that week.  After my mom got off work one afternoon we fed the kids a quick dinner and then headed to the park.  When Emily found out we were going to a park she said "Are we going to the park with the purple slide?!?!"  She was so excited to find out we were.  

I just love this picture of our beautiful 5 year old.  She was playing hide and seek with me and I snapped a picture when she came around the slide.  She's fun!!  

On Wednesday the weather was literally perfect.  Jeans and a t-shirt kind of weather....my favorite!  Katherine, Jacob and Ressie spent the day with us!  Mimi put out eggs so that we could have an Easter egg hunt for the kids.  

They had fun!  

It's hard to believe next year Ressie will be right out there with them.  Mimi already has her Easter basket ready and waiting.  

On Wednesday evening we went to my parents' church to eat dinner and then went to their Easter egg hunt. They  had a great group of kids participate.  I'm so thankful for this church and all the ways that the people in it helped to grow and shape me over the years.  

During the hunt I looked up and saw Emily putting four eggs in another little girl's basket.  Emily didn't know her.  After she did it she just picked her basket back up and started looking for more eggs.  Emily will often get candy or treats from parties that she has had at school or from a birthday party she was invited to.  Every single time she brings any kind of candy or sweet home she always shares with Hannah....without Hannah asking or us asking her to share.  Now, I'm definitely not saying they get along perfectly when they are playing in the playroom, but it is so encouraging to see her choosing to put others first.  

Jacob got to go to the Easter egg hunt with us too!  He is a master egg hunter.  

Mimi walked around with sweet Claire.  

Hannah was excited to check out the yummy candy.  

After the egg hunt they got to play on the playground for awhile before going in the fellowship hall to decorate their own cookies. 

Sugar overload, but thankfully they were all so worn out that it took them about 2.5 seconds to go to sleep that night.  

Claire was hanging out with her cousin Ressie while Ressie was doing some tummy time.  

My cousin Angela got to come stay with us for a night on her way back to Baltimore.  It was fun to catch up with her!  She got to meet Claire and Ressie for the first time.  

One afternoon we wanted to play outside, but the grass was still pretty wet, so they rode bikes, ran, and skipped up and down Mimi and Papa's drive way... over and over and over.  I enjoyed the fresh air and my view.  Thankful.  

The last night we were there we got one last cousin picture (in age order).  It had been a week full of family fun!  Claire was checking Ressie out.  It's fun that they are just a year and four days apart...our January babies.  Ressie girl will be running around with them in no time.  

We had a great week, but we were all four SO excited about seeing Bert!!  Thank you so much to Mimi and Papa for letting us invade your house for a week! Fun memories were made for sure!