You tube...really???

I didn't have my camera...I know shock! But on Monday Alli had her first ballet class! She had been in a creative movement class 3 years ago but decided to try gymnastics, tae kwon do and now we have this conversation last Thursday...

Alli : MaMa can you help me with something?
Me : Sure, whatcha need?
Alli : To go on You tube!
Me : Why?
Alli : I want to learn how to do ballet & you said they have instructions for everything on there!
Me : (holding back laughter) Would you like to take actual classes?
Alli : I guess that would be fine! No that would be FANTASTIC!

So, she is now signed up for intro to ballet! Promise photos to come soon!

Rest, Relax, Rain & Railroads!

Let me be honest...we are beach people. Since Andy & I have been married we have vacationed 5 times to the beach for every 1 mountian trip! After Michael & Sarah's wedding we got the itch for a mountian getaway! So during our September track out we loaded up the car and were mountian bound for a whole week.


Friday afternoon we were going to go to Tweetsie but it was closed because of the rain. So our friends and travel buddies for the week the Orthner's met us at Traveler's Rest our home for the week and we cooked stirfry.

Saturday morning we headed to Tweetsie for a day of rain & railroads! Our little country girl was happy as could be once she got her pick cowgirl hat! There were no crowds so it was a perfect time to ride the rides. It was a fun full day! We had dinner at Six Pence in downtown Blowing Rock.


Sunday : Karen & Jason's Anniversary. After a big brunch we watched all the kids so they could have a few hours to themselves. Andy took all the kids for a hike in the rain while I stayed at home with their 13 month old.


Monday: time to get out of the house! We were told we had to visit the Mast General Store... there are several so we tried to hit them all! In May we visited the Asheville store and Friday we went to the downtown Candy Barrel in Blowing Rock. The Moore family hit the road to shop at the outlets first then stopped for lunch at Sledgehammer BBQ. It was delicious! Now time to head to ValeCruis to the original Mast General. Still raining outside! The store was neat and even has a working post office inside! We finally bought some raincoats at the General Store in Boone for me & the kids. After finding a coat for Andy we met up with the Orthners for dinner.


Tuesday: Blue skies ahead! Andy got on the phone and booked a trail ride for our family at VC Farms. This was one of the best parts of our trip! Alli was in her element & Caden was so brave he rode all by himself. Our guide said he didn't think an 8 year old could make it up alone but he did!

Wednesday: Linville here we come! We packed a lunch and hit the trail. We opted for the difficult trail to the bottom of the falls. The trail was certainly difficult but the views made it well worth it! We splashed in the water, had lunch, & climbed the rocks before our hike back up the hill. We finished just in time to make it to the Caverns and take the tour before closing time.


Thursday: Grandfather Mountain here we come! The skies remained clear and we took in the views from the swinging bridge, fed the bears and even saw some otters! After lunch the Orthner's we for another hike and we made our way to the Gem Mines! It was hard to believe it was time to pack our bags.

Friday : Homeward Bound... as much as we loved our trip it was time to get home!

Mountian Views

She's a little bit country & he's a little bit rock & roll! Our last week of track out was spent in the beautiful mountians of North Carolina. We stayed in a fabulous home in Blowing Rock! This is the view from the porch! We had an amazing trip despite the rain the first few days. We packed in a lot once we saw the sun!

Family Road Trip

Each time the kids track out I like to take advantage of our time off and take a little family road trip while Andy is holding down the fort at home. Madeline was visiting her grandparents and we decided to provide a shuttle service...taking Maddie from Fayetteville to Charlotte. Caden & Alli entertained her the entire drive! Then we met the Lynchs for dinner at Outback...Brayden is getting so big! The next day we went to Discovery Place... Caden loved the pirate exhibit! On Monday night we also got to visit with our friends the Reynolds! It was a great time to catch up fun seeing the kids playing together. We took them some Panthers plates that Tyler says he will proudly display! That night I let the kids stay up late so we could finish up Alli's latest puzzle. Thanks for all the help from Aunt Brenda we got it done before Midnight! Tuesday Susan & I loaded up the cars and headed to the Lazy 5 Ranch in Mooresville. It wasn't until we stopped for gas in Mooresville that I realized I left my purse in Matthews! Yikes! Thanks to Susan for filling up our tank, loaning us money & to Uncle Dan for overnighting my purse home! We were ranch bound! Such a cool place! The animals were so close! Caden had a close encounter with an ostrich but we all enjoyed feeding the giraffes, water buffalo & the llamas! On our way home we dropped Alli off at Gran's for a special granddaughter sleep over! They went to the library, had a picnic and played school. What a blessing for Alli to have this special time with Gran & PaPa!

Trackin Out in Gaston!

We celebrated a great Labor Day with our friends the Centeno's! They invited us up for the weekend to the lake! The kids loved riding on the Crazy 8 & the jetski's. We even put up the outdoor screen and watch Hannah Montana from the dock!Alli is really into puzzles these days so we took over the table on the screened in porch and puzzled day & night! Of course Bailey was a pure joy to watch as she jumped in over and over again into the water! George was still a bit scared.

What country are you from???

I know I owe my faithful few some photos of swimming & the beach but my computer died! Yes it is in surgery now and I am waiting on the results. My laptop is only 4 months old so I am headed straight to Best Buy once my data is recovered! Frustrating...to say the least! So I need a pick-me-up this morning and my daughter came through! During my morning procrastination computer time I found this email from Alli's teacher...

Mrs. Moore,
Since we are talking about families this week, I started off by saying that some families are big, some small, some have different traditions and customs due to where they grew up and where your parents are from depending on their country. One child spoke up and agreed with me because his family is from India. Another student talked about the food her mom makes since she grew up in the Philllippines and then Alli raised her hand to speak,

Alli: "Well Mrs. Pfanmiller, my dad grew up where the newest Hannah Montanna" movie was shot..you know, where there are lots of horses!???!"

Mrs. P. : "Sorry Alli, I haven't yet seen that movie, but I'm pretty sure he grew up here in America."

I went on to explain that even here in the US we can still have different traditions, but we tend to notice them more when a person/family is linked to another country.

Alli: "I just thought of the name of the country!...it just came to me!!....He is from Tennessee!!!" Gotta love her!

Yes we do! She is always thinking! I love hearing these stories. Thanks Mrs. P for sharing them with me! We feel so blessed to have a teacher that loves/gets our little gator!

just keep swimming!

just keep swimming...everyone singing along with Dory now??? Last night we had another swim meet. Now let me say that at the beginning of the season, neither Caden nor Alli knew what an official stoke was. Alli would often doggie paddle down the pool and not put her face in the water. But last night...that all changed! Caden & Alli love backstoke. Caden was second in his heat and Alli won hers! I can't wait to up load the photo to show you her excitement when she realized she won! Go Alli & Caden! One more meet to go...just keep swimming...