Cupcake

On Wednesday Jackson and I headed to an appointment that we didn't know had been cancelled. I had a babysitter for Harris, so I thought I might as well take advantage of her being there. Jackson and I headed down King Street to run an errand, and on the way, I saw a parking spot right in front of Cupcake, a shop that sells nothing but, you guessed it, cupcakes! I grabbed the spot and decided to treat Jackson to a cupcake. Wow... I was so impressed! The cupcakes were amazing! I think there were 9 flavors that day (there are 20 that the owner selects from daily), ranging from pumpkin to blueberry with lemon frosting to rocky road, and it was so hard to pick just two (yes, I splurged and had one, too!). Jackson chose the vanilla with vanilla frosting and I had the red velvet... they were incredible!! While I didn't even think to take a picture of these beautiful cupcakes, I did get a few of Jackson enjoying them!!
After he was finsed, Jackson went back to the counter and picked out four more cupcakes, one of each member of his family. He was thrilled to share his cupcakes that night with Harris and Daddy!

Tapas

Rossi, Kathryn, Caroline, me, Aileen, Caroline, Nancy, Melinda, and Dorothy


Last night a group of friends headed to J. Paulz for tapas and drinks. It hasn't been open long, and we have been talking about going for awhile now... what better excuse is there for a girls' night?

It was a fun restaurant... seating was at couches with coffee tables or tables with pillow-covered benches. I think it definitely encouraged lengthy meals and conversation... very comfortable and inviting! We ordered many different plates and shared, so we all got to try a little bit of everything. We had all kinds of yummy dishes, from calamari to steak to sushi to fried bacon-wrapped stuffed zucchini (the sushi was fantastic!). Everything was great, and it is definitely a place I would recommend going with a larger group.

As always, it was a great chance to get away and be an adult! Looking forward to doing it again soon!

Park Time

The boys and I headed to the county park Wednesday for a run... it was a great morning for a run. We encountered all kinds of wildlife, including this cool turtle, lots of fiddler crabs, dragonflies, and a little mouse scurrying across the trail. Jackson loved the turtle... we had to stop for several minutes to watch it watch us! After my run, it was the boys' turn... they were able to run off some energy at the monster playground!
Such cuties playing on the playground!!

Happy Birthday, Papa T!!

Hope you've had a great day today! The boys will have lots of hugs and kisses for you next time we see you! Eat some cake and enjoy your day!

Love,
Amanda, Jason, Jackson & Harris

Night Out

Tonight, all of the women in our cell group from church got together for a night out. It was a great chance to catch up after a long summer. Even better, we were able to celebrate Emily's 30th birthday! I always have a great time with these girls, and we had so much fun laughing about life and our crazy husbands. Thanks, Ladies... I had a blast! We definitely need to do this more often than every three years!!
Happy birthday, Emily!!

Children's Museum

We had a family morning at the Children's Museum a week ago (I am super-behind on pictures!), and the boys had a great time. It had been awhile since we had been, and it was the first time Harris had been since he was a baby... what a hit! Harris was amazed by everything and just ran and ran though the museum. Jackson found new things he had never been interested in before, so he just ran and ran as well. We are members of the museum, and I can't believe we haven't used it more than we have... I will definitely remember it the next time I need to help the boys get some energy out!

Title Nine

This post is for someone specific, but I can't remember for the life of me who. I'm sorry! I was talking to someone (Caroline or Tracey maybe?) recently about Title Nine and how great their clothes were, but how we were so disappointed they never have sales. Well, I just got an email from Title Nine about their yearly sale!

So, if it was you that I was talking to, please email me and I will forward on the email I got!

Happy Anniversary, Mom & Terry!

We hope you had a great day yesterday with lots of happy wedding memories!

Love,
Amanda, Jason, Jackson & Harris
(Sorry we are a day late!)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CAROLINE!!!

You deserve the best today! You are an incredible Mommy, and you have been such a wonderful friend and running partner. I feel so blessed to have you in my life, and I know that we are going to have so many more great times in the future.

Have a great day today... eat tons of cake (you and your little butter bean deserve it!!), and make sure your boys give you lots of hugs and kisses!

Love ya,

Amanda

Happy First Birthday, Eliza!!

You are such a sweet little girl, and we have enjoyed watching you grow over the past year! Have a fun day, and we look forward to celebrating with you this weekend!!

Love,
Amanda, Jason, Jackson & Harris

Creepy

I am a great boy's mom... I don't mind bugs, frogs, fish, (nonpoisonous!) snakes, etc., but spiders kill me. There are hundreds of them in my garage, and there are egg sacs that look furry because the little buggers are hatching. Gives me the creepy-crawlies every time I go down there.

To top it off, this huge banana spider has been living around my house all summer. She and her mates have been hanging out around the playset out back, and most recently, she has made her home above my fence. It is amazing how she has done it, as it looks like her golden web is just floating in thin air... it is hard to tell what it is attached to. She is probably as long as my index finger, and although she is non-poisonous, I still get the willies when I walk by her (actually, just looking at this picture sends chills down my spine!!).

While I can bait their hooks and will make houses for the frogs in the backyard, my boys will be deprived of a pet spider. This banana spider is as close as they will get!!

Happy Birthday, Katharine!!

Hope it has been a wonderful day and that Bryant and Reeves treat you like a queen today!

Love,
Amanda & the Boys

HOT HOT HOT

Mary Kathryn peeking through the porthole of a boat at the aquarium.
It has been sooooo hot here this week that we have been going stir crazy at home. So, I have been doing everything possible to get the kids out of the house. On Tuesday, we went to Jumpin Jack's, a large indoor play center that is full of jump castles. It was a great way to burn off some energy and escape the heat, but I think most of the mom's in Charleston had the same idea... it was packed!!

So, Wednesday we headed to the aquarium with Rutledge, Mary Kathryn, Anne, Spencer, Eliza, DuBose and Mills. All of the little ones were great and loved checking out the fish. Jackson was especially enthralled with the starfish... while we were at the beach, Jason found a live starfish and let Jackson hold it.
DuBose and Jackson were checking out the huge green eel.

Yesterday, we ran some errands, came home, and played in the pool. While Harris loved playing with the hose, he didn't enjoy the pool much and spent his time in the fort. Jackson, however, loved the pool and DID NOT want to get out for lunch!
I know it is only early August, but hopefully it will cool off soon... we might go crazy otherwise!!

MTW -- July 2006

Melinda, Caroline, me, Katharine, Dorothy, Aileen, and Nancy

In the past couple of years, I have been welcomed into an incredible group of friends. Many of them have been friends since they were little, and some are even family, so to be welcomed so fully is such a blessing and honor. We have all become mommies at the same time, and we have all realized that to be better moms, we need time away to be grown-ups again, to be "Amanda" and not "Mommy" for a bit. So, we have created our MTWs, or Mommy Therapy Weekends.

This past weekend, MTW was at Wildhill, Caroline's family's get-away on the river. It is an incredibly beautiful spot, very quiet and relaxing. While we were there, we were able to completely unwind and do all of the things we can't do with little ones in tow! We shared many stories, played cards, laughed uncontrollably, vented, swam, danced, read, ate... you name it.
Sisters at heart!
We spent hours swimming at the sandbar, chatting and enjoying the wildlife (hee hee!).
Hours lounging in the floats in the morning.
Many games of Poohead...
Dancing while playing brings good luck!
We initiated two new mommies this weekend, Melinda and Katharine.

We danced...
and sang...
and performed...
and table-danced!
Saturday was a perfect day for a boat ride to the sandbar (Katharine, me, and Caroline).
Aileen, Katharine, and Caroline are showing off their "Redneck Stemware".
Sexy Mamas (Dorothy, Nancy, Aileen, and Melinda)!
We added two more rings this weekend!
Wildhill is such a beautiful place, and such a perfect place to be with friends!

Such an amazing group of friends... thanks for everything, Ladies! You are the best!

More Beach Pictures