A Trip to Ansonia

Today, we went with my parents to visit two of my dad's sisters in Ansonia. They still live in the little town that they all grew up in and not much has changed there over the years. It was fun to visit with my aunts and uncles and introduce them to our two youngest kids. The last time we saw them was at my grandma's funeral when I was pregnant with #2 (later known as Gabrielle). We spent several hours there and then headed back home through Greenville. You cannot pass through this town without stopping at Maid-Rite for the world's best hamburgers. The restaurant is super-small, but it is worth your time to at least go through the drive-thru...don't forget to check out the "gum wall". It's actually pretty disgusting, but also amazing that people have been depositing their ABC gum there for so long. With about 2 1/2 hours of drive time, this made for a long day, but everyone had a good time and we can't wait to go back when the weather it warmer and we can spend more time outside.

Jacob liked playing in this car even though his legs were a little too long for it.

Gabrielle was the perfect size.

Emmaline, all smiles, as usual...notice her two bottom teeth!

Uncle Charlie, Dad, and Aunt Carrie (Dad's sister)

I hadn't seen Grandma's gravestone yet, so we made a quick stop at the cemetery. Note the angel with Grandma's face and her faithful chihuahua, Baby. All 8 of her kids names are listed on the back.

Aunt Kim (Dad's sister) and Uncle Roy

Jacob and Ellie say goodbye while wearing their new hats from Uncle "Joy" (as Ellie called him)

Welcome Baby David!

My friend, Emily, and her husband Brian, welcomed their second child into the world today. David Richard was born at 3:11 pm, weighing in at 9 lbs. 4 ozs. and 21 inches long. Head on over to her blog for all the details. Congratulations to their family and their newest blessing!

Kite Flying at the Park

Today was the perfect day to fly kites and the kids conveniently got some in their Easter baskets, so we headed to the park. Jacob had been kite flying once before, but Gabrielle had never been and didn't really know what to expect. Nathan flew kites a lot growing up, so he had the responsibility of getting the kites up into the air. It was really windy, so it didn't take long to get them soaring above the park. The kids had a great time flying their kites side by side and running through the field.

Gabrielle and her kite

Jacob

Emmaline was pretty content to watch the kites from her stroller.

Mommy and Ellie

This was when we knew the kids were bored with kite flying. The two dark spots on the ground in the lower right corner are Jacob and Ellie laying down because they were tired of standing.

Emmaline

Jacob

Gabrielle

If this doesn't make you smile, I'm not sure what will.

Young's Dairy

Even though it was windy, we decided to head to Young's Dairy with my parents today. On the way, we stopped at Arby's to have lunch. Then we drove to Young's to see the animals and eat ice cream. The kids only played on the tractors for a couple of minutes because the wind was so strong and cold. Despite the weather, we had a good time together.

Our last name spelled out in curly fries...note the irony!

Emmaline shares her blanket with a goat

Jacob feeds the goat he nicknamed "Beardy"

Gabrielle liked feeding the babies (and there were lots of them!).

While we were in the barn, they were cleaning out one of the goat stalls, so those goats had free reign of the barn. The kids thought it was fun to chase and be chased by the goats.

Gabrielle and Jacob enjoy ice cream with Papaw.

Emmaline, Mimi, and Jacob

Me, Gabrielle, and Jacob

On the walls of the dining room at Young's, they have tons of pictures of people wearing Young's Dairy t-shirts. Some pictures were taken locally and some are from far out, even obscure, places. We sat down in a booth in the corner and I mentioned to Mom that my friend, Emily, had sent in a picture of herself wearing her Young's shirt on her honeymoon. As we were eating, Mom was reading all the places the various pictures were from, when lo, and behold, Emily's picture was right above us. I took a picture of it with my phone and sent it to her. She was so surprised because she never knew whether they had put it up or not. I've included the picture here for your enjoyment too!

Easter with the Curleys

After church, we headed to Nathan's parents for lunch. His mom and grandma went all out. We ate sausage/egg casserole, spinach quiche, sweet potato casserole, cinnamon rolls, veggies, and apple dumplings. It was yummy, and again, I ate way too much. When lunch was finished, the kids hunted for Easter eggs outside. It was a little cool, but there was plenty of sunshine. Jacob and Ellie loved finding the little prizes in each egg. The rest of the day was spent talking, snacking, and playing. Everyone was ready for bed by the time we got home.

Emmaline and Grandma

Gabrielle looks through her Easter basket

Emmaline reads her new book

Jacob tries out his new kazoo

Granddaddy, Nathan, Kevin, and Mema talk after lunch

Look at all the eggs Jacob found!

Ellie contemplates her next move while Sybil looks on.

Jacob plays video games with Uncle David

Emmaline shows off her new dress

Emmaline gives her favorite big brother a hug

Ready for Church

The kids looked so cute in their new outfits this morning. I bought a new dress, sandals, and even painted my toes, but it was so cold today that I didn't wear it. I figured I could wear it and freeze or wait until it was warmer and actually be comfortable. Comfort won out! Maybe I'll post a picture of my Easter outfit at a later date. Here are a few pics. we took before leaving for church.

Jacob looked pretty snazzy in his hat and tie. He said that he and Mr. Greg from church look like twins (although there are 50 some years between them!).

Gabrielle looked so pretty in her flower dress and headband. She loved carrying her matching purse too. Notice the socks and sandals.

Close-up

Little Emmaline was so adorable. She looks great in yellow and her dress coordinated with big sister's.

Easter Baskets

The kids loved getting their Easter baskets this morning. They each got books, a new plate and cup, toothbrush, kite, coloring book and crayons, and some other little things (courtesy of the $1 bins at Target). We also gave them "Bee Movie" which they love to watch. I'm not sure who had more fun, them or me, as I watched them play and go through their things.

Ellie plays "Bug Bowling"

Emmaline really liked her books and card.

Jacob can't wait to fly his Spiderman kite.

Our Little Bunnies

Easter with the Stovers

We celebrated Easter with my family tonight. It was a fun time filled with yummy dinner, presents, and egg hunts. For dinner, we had: honey-baked ham, cheesy potato casserole, green beans, potato salad, veggies, crescent rolls, homemade strawberry jam, and sugar cookies for dessert. Everything tasted delicious and I ate way too much.

Aunt Katie brought presents for the kids. They got books, puzzles, and clothes.

Jacob really likes "Magic School Bus" books.

Gabrielle's favorite character is Maisy.

Emmaline loves to read everything!

Story time with Papaw

Uncle Andy and Jacob

Where's Emmaline?

There she is!

Naptime

Ready to hunt for eggs

Look what Emmaline found!

Gabrielle found lots of stuff.

Mimi helps Jacob sort through his loot.

These new umbrellas were their favorite gift.
Ellie's is a butterfly and Jacob's is a frog.