Playdates are too much fun! It gives the little ones a chance to play and share their toys and it gives the mamas an opportunity to catch up and talk about so many things like well baby stuff and all the goings on in our lives.
C has had several playdates over the summer and I'm a little behind with posting the fun but nevertheless here they are! We can't wait to play with our friends again!

Here's Morgan kate and Caroline on June 30th!

This table made by Morgan Kate's great grandfather

has a lot of history. Go to the link to learn about

how special and sentimental it is!

Here's Nolan! He was 4.5 weeks old in this photo!

Now he's almost 8 weeks old! He's precious and

already has a lot of girlfriends!

On July 14 we headed over to The Clarys so

Caroline could play with Huiett Ann (right) and Ella

Grace (left). The girls had so much fun and lunch was

delicious!

The twins being silly!

Fran and Caroline!

4 years have passed since our wedding day, FOUR! I'm still amazed at how fast time seems to go by but I still relish our wedding day (and yes I do remember parts of our very special day). Let's start with the engagement!

Here's our story:

Sam proposing: July 2, 2005

Will You Marrry Me? Is what he'd written in the

sand prior to The Proposal!

Sam took me to Edisto Beach on July 2m 2005! His whole family met us there, so we could all enjoy the day together. We arrived at the beach at 10:30. I spent most of the morning laying out (for those that know me I did have my huge umbrealla and a very high SPF sunscreen!!) and talking with my to be sister-in-law, Angela. Sam spent most the morning playing in the water with his four small nieces and nephews. After lunch, he told me that he had to go to the car to get his camera. When he came back, he told me that on the other side of the rocks there was a huge horseshoe crab that he wanted me to see. I grabbed my camera, (not real interested), and we walked toward the rocks. His whole family followed us to see what I thought was going to be a really big crab. After crossing the rocks, Sam led me down to the water, and in the sand he'd written with seashells, "Will You Marry Me?" (although at first I said, "Aw, look was someone has done for someone else"...not knowing he'd written it for me!!). As I was reading what was written in the sand, I looked over and Sam was on one knee asking me to marry him! Of course I said, "YES"! The crowd on the beach that watched Sam make his proposal message to me cheered as I said yes. It was a great proposal!

Engagement Pic!

Our Wedding Day!

What made our day even more special was when Sam sent to me 9 roses with a note that read:

 "Melissa, The nine pink roses represent the nine years we have been together. The single white rose represents our future together. I am looking forward to spending the rest of my life with you!

With all my heart, Sam

Now I have to admit that I'm not big on receiving gifts. Don't get me wrong I love having nice things but I'm just not a big gift person, however I love buying gifts for others! I enjoy getting things from others that are made. For example, one of my gifts from Sam on Valentine's Day is a handmade card, not just an ordinary card..these are very special and he puts a lot of time into making them! I'll have to post them sometime!

I said all that to say that I loved those nine roses and the sentimental note and my only regret is that I didn't take a picture of them on our wedding day and I only got to enjoy them for about 3 minutes before I walked down the aisle! But nonetheless I have the note scrapbooked and the memory!

Dancing the night away!

Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Kristian Leviner

One Year Anniversary!

Our family of three! June 20, 2010

These last four years have been so much fun! Don't get me wrong, my marriage is by far perfect and I don't pretend it's perfect! I do know that we love each other dearly and we place God in the very center of our marriage. We are enjoying life together all while trusting Him to help mold us and make us what He wants us to be for each other and for little Caroline. 1 Cor 4:13 is my most favorite scripture in the Bible on love. My goal is to live each day according to this scripture so that I can have a Christ like love not only for my family but for all that I know, will know, see, or meet. This after all is how Jesus wants us to love one another. I'm being molded each day!!

Side note:

We are at church camp this week and here's Caroline having some fun!

Happy Girl!

Silly!

This is her "I don't know about this" look.

During the latter part of our courtship (I like that word), I wondered what it would be like for when Sam became a father. I knew he was wonderful with children, especially his nieces and nephews, and my two nieces, when they were smaller, (who are now by the way teenagers). He adored them all and yet I couldn't even imagine then that he'd be like the father he is today. He surpassed those early immature expectations by far!

Caroline just lights up when she sees her daddy whether if its him coming home from work or picking her up from church nursery (even if I'm closer she'll still walk (run is the better word) to him, or even picking her up from Ms. Leah's. I'm sad to say but she's a daddy's girl (although she chose to come to me after he first picked her up)! It warms my heart to see them together playing, singing, talking, laughing, or whatever they love doing together.

Fathers certainly have a very special role to fill in their children's lives and I'm so thankful and blessed that Caroline has the example that all of my life I had hopes and dreams for in a father for my children!

Thank you Sam for being all that you are to Caroline and me. You are such a wonderful husband and father. I could not ask for anything more.

So with it being father's day we decided to take a few family photos. Here's some of my favorites!

The Leviners. Father's Day. June 20, 2010.

My two favorites!

Daddy stealing kisses from his girl!

I think Sam's critiquing his new patio and C

is seeing something new for the first time!

Caroline loves flowers, especially pulling them off!

Little girl is walking on her new patio and loving it!

Loving, adorable, precious... Sweet Caroline

wishes her daddy the best Father's Day!

So I am a few days late getting this post written! I've been having a blast helping teach first graders at LBC's VBS!

How many of you dislike seeing pictures of the places where people have stayed while on vacation? Come on, BORING! Okay, hands down. If you're like me, you just hate it! I use to think it's a waste of film (or now GB space) and time but now I know why people enjoy showing their pics of where they vacationed. I'm doing it right now, as we speak (hyprcrite you might say, maybe). But its because I'm obsessed with this little red cottage. It's just so cutesie! On our all girls family trip to Ohio, Rhonda chose this cottage for us to well, vacation!

I have to admit we didn't arrive until midnight last Monday (or would that make it Tuesday am). We were way back from any main roads and while traveling these back roads with only our GPS as direction and guidance, all we could see was that our car only fit on the road and to the left and right of us was very tall grass (eerie, scarey, frightening...it was all of those things and I was very nervous..imagine being in the car with me on that night or early morning). When we arrived at the cottage and saw the little lantern on in the den, my niece said that this was the perfect set up for the perfect murder. Everything, she said, was too perfect as we quickly unpacked the car. These were crazy thoughts and she kept selling them to the rest of us and by 1:30 am we were calling the owners to calm our nerves. It was just that perfect! We finally went to sleep and when we woke up we laughed at ourselves. It was beautiful! The landscape the wide open spaces...perfect for a vacaction!

We had the best time vacationing in this quaint cottage all while learning about the Amish communities all around us! I had the best time and I cannot wait to take Caroline back!

Red Cottage Hideaway

Just love and miss this place! So serene!

The Den with the famous lantern! We left

the lantern on the whole time!

The master suite!

The Jacuzzi (only Kelsey was brave enough

to get in)!!

The Loft!

More of the loft!

The owners Rich and Marilyn want you completely comfortable and satisfied during your stay in their cottage! So they stocked the fridge (and kitchen mind you oh, and even the bathroom) with everything! She even provided maple cinnamon rolls and bread from a local bakery! The kitchen was stocked with coffee in the grinder, cereals, everything you would need to have a nice vacation!

We rented an SUV that was still too small to take C's pac-n-play (there were 3 adults, 2 teenagers, and one baby along with all the cargo). So this is how she slept...between Rhonda and me! I think we both woke up numerous times to move her back in the middle! She's my snuggle girl (and yes I did just post this!!)!

My two nieces think the world of little Caroline! They love playing, holding, feeding, and loving on her! I'm so thankful for these two very sweet gals! I love how they love her! They are great real models for her! Here's Courtney with C! Playing before our big day of learning about the Amish (which is what the next post will be about)!

Kelsey and C!

So just in case you want to go to Dundee Ohio and to Holmes County to learn about how the Amish live you are more than welcome to vacation at the Red Cottage Hideway! Here's the number...just in case!

So on our way to Holmes County we made a pitt stop in Mt. Airy, NC! Mt. Airy is where the fictional "Mayberry" town is that you see on the Andy Griffith show. Mayberry is actually a street in this real town and Mt. Airy is where Andy Griffith grew up. I love, love, love watching the Andy Griffith show. I don't have a reality show that I watch or even a show that I keep up with, but I love watching the Andy Griffith show! We spent three hours in this town and it was so much fun!

C is toddling along with Courtney and Kelsey!

One of the first places that we went into was Floyd's City Barber Shop. "Floyd" is who the Andy Griffith show is centered around and there is an actual Floyd. He didn't star "Floyd" in the show, (however, the show is after him) but we met him and he still cuts hair to this day at 86! Floyd will also take your picture as you enter into his shop and will later post it on his wall in his shop!

Here we are with Floyd!

Now I don't go handing my baby off for strangers to hold but he just grabbed her up!

I was so excited about being in Floyd's barber shop that I did another strange thing. I let his granddaughter, Emily cut my hair! It was only a trim and it was to say that I'd been there! Later on we discovered that Emily is very good friends with a coworker of mine...small world!

No, C didn't get a haircut but she loved sitting in the big chair!

Here's the girls in front of Opie's Candy Store!

C having too much fun in Mayberry!

C being a little too bored!

We then headed on over to Snappy Lunch for their

famous pork chop sandwhich. I liked C's grilled cheese

much better!

Melissa, Courtney, Grandmother, Kelsey

Caroline and Rhonda!

Andy Griffith's house where he actually grew up!

A statue of Andy Griffith and Opie!

This Barney Fife car was too funny! We saw at least three different Mayberry police cars like this! They are driven all over town and are used for tours!

We didn't reach Holmes County until midnight (even though we started our trip at 9:30 am! At. Airy was such a treat and we had so much fun! Tomorrow I'll post more pics of our cozy cottage and then Thursday I'll post pictures of our trip in Holmes County!