Ian was so excited to wake up to his monkey balloon this morning. It looks as big as a Macy's Thanksgiving Day Balloon next to him but he thinks it's great! He's been doing "Step-in-Time" with Monkey all day----Steve and I are thrilled he has a someone else to do it with for a while. We get worn out "Steppin-Timing" all day!
Here is Hailey with her heart balloon which is fitting for our precious little "heartbreaker." The Lord provided for us a three day vacation this week to Myrtle Beach. We had such a great time. Our villa and resort were beautiful and had lots of fun things for the kids to do. We even had snow on Wednesday morning which Ian was thrilled about. Here are some pictures of the fun memories we made together.
Family picture at Myrtle Beach
Daddy and his kiddos
Looking for dolphins
Taking a swing on the pool deck
Wave watching
SNOW and the really cool resort jungle gym--it doesn't get much better than this for Ian!
Going across the rope bridge
Our villa building
The view from our villa
Ian showing off the "Step-in-time" guy that Steve drew for him on the chalk wall in the resort playroom for kids.
Hailey loves bears!
Cooking up something yummy
"My, what big EYES you have . . ."
Doing a Mickey Mouse puzzle
Reading in the bean bag corner
The kids are watching an elderly lady do her laps in the big pool. This kept there attention for a LONG time . . . it was hilarious!
Crazy hair in the bubble bath
Ian making a beard like Santa Claus
Turning the big wheel at the aquarium
Watching the sharks swim overhead
Showing off the horseshoe crab
Ian got brave and touched it
Reaching in to touch the sting ray that is swimming by The kids took their first trip to Gatti Town yesterday. They had such a great time. Ian especially enjoyed all the rides and games, and we found out when we got there that it was "Free Ride on the Carousel Tuesday!" We took advantage of that and rode it a couple of times. During lunch they got to watch a movie on the big screen while they enjoyed their pizza. It was a fun outing, compliments of Honey and Pappy.
Riding the Jeep together (I think Hailey enjoyed this ride more than Ian did.)
Learning to shoot (too bad Dad wasn't there to teach him how to really do it)
He actually did pretty good shooting baskets. He kept saying "Uncle B will be so proud of me."
Hailey checking herself out in the mirror while riding--typical girl!
So much fun!
Here's a great recipe for those who are looking for a slight variation on normal chili. A lady made this for me when I was traveling several years ago, and I tried making it myself after I got married. It's become a favorite family recipe now! The recipe makes enough to freeze some for later.
Lentil Chili (10 servings)
Chop onion. Spray a 5 quart pot with non-stick cooking spray. Add onion. Cover and cook over medium-low heat until tender (about 5 minutes).
Crumble in turkey and cook until opaque. Add lentils and water. Reduce heat to low and simmer one and a half hours.
Add tomatoes, salsa, cumin, chili powder, and salt. Simmer fifteen minutes.
Garnish with cheese before serving.
We (the kids and I) headed to Greenville for the big snow day on Tuesday and unfortunately, the forcasters were wrong, and we ended up getting nothing. Although we didn't get to see or play in the snow, we all had a great day and Ian's highlight was getting to build a fire with Pappy and roast marshmallows. They actually ended up getting more snow at our house in Columbia---only a slight dusting, though. Here are some memories of our day . . .
Helping Pappy build the fire 
Lighting the fire with a little bit of help
Roasting some marshmallows for the family
Reading a 'snow' book with snowmen
Hailey loves getting a bath!
Storytime with "B"
