A Day Off

Collins really struggles with the inequality of her school schedule vs her siblings' school schedule. Because you know it just isn't fair that Addie gets EVERY Friday off. And that Luke only goes to school 30 days A YEAR! 

Well, finally Miss Collins got a little pay back with a random Wednesday off of school. She was very excited. We ended up not doing anything too special, but turns out that didn't matter to her. Because she had the day off and Addie did not. Sigh... :)

So we went to Luke's gymnastics class where he got to do this... 

And she got to do this...

 

Then they both got haircuts...

We just did normal stuff, but it was sweet to watch the two of them interact that morning. Very rarely do they spend together just the two of them.

 

Then lunch with Gigi and play time with Addie...a day off well spent! Makes me excited for summer and Collins being home with us all day every day. And trust me- she is counting down the days too. Because after all- this girl needs a day off. :) 

Caniac Fever

The Canes are in the playoffs! And winning! They beat the Washington Capitals (their arch rival) in a dramatic 7-game series ending with a double overtime. That game was about more than my heart could handle.

The good news is that our entire family is into it- not just the veteran caniac above. I asked Collins the other night during a game if she knew what a power play was, and she spouted off this perfect detailed explanation. Someone has been paying attention! :)

All of Raleigh has gotten behind this team led by former player Rod Brind'amor. (Who I actually think Collins has a bit of a crush on...she was like, "Who is that Rod???") It's a fun seeing Hurricane flags flying around town, talking about it with other people, and looking forward to the games at night.

They made it all the way to the Eastern Conference finals before losing. The night of their final game, Collins asked me to wake her up in the morning and tell her if they won or lost. When I told her they had lost and their season was over, she burst into tears. Brian had to talk her out of it and explain that they had made it to the final four and that was pretty good. It was obvious a caniac fever had taken hold of our house which was a really cool thing. But  no worries, Collins, there's always next season...and "Let's Go Canes!"

Slumber Potions

Alice came over for a slumber party, and it turned more into a slumber potion. She and Collins really like to make things when they hang out. First, it was a face mask made from avocado (and ketchup!). Sweet Addie was the guinea pig...

Then it was rollerskating, burgers, and way too much silliness during dinner...

Then stress balls...

and slime of course! Never a dull moment when this cute friend comes over. :)

Way too little sleep and way too many potions make for some happy 8-year-olds!

A Peony Lesson

Last year, after we moved into the house in April and then the peonies began blooming in May- I turned into a crazy person. I have never looked at, talked about, or obsessed more about peonies in my life. Finally, after all these years, I had my favorite flowers blooming rapidly right in my own front yard. Obviously, it was more than I could handle. :)

This year, I was ready for the blooms or so I thought. My buds finally appeared but didn't seem to be anywhere close to blooming. Then I came home the next day to find this...the most gorgeous first flower!

And sad to say, but this was the climactic moment of this year's peony season. Many more peonies bloomed, and I got to have several beautiful vases around the house.. 

But the flowers never thrived. The blooms were not as abundant, not as hardy, and not as beautiful as last year. I think I figured out that too many weeds choked them out. Just as the peonies were starting to bloom this year, the weeds starting appearing too. But I couldn't get to them quickly enough. Before I knew it they were everywhere! I think they hurt the growth of the peonies. 

A lesson learned! I am not a gardener in any way, but I keep learning more about this yard and how to take care of it. Last year was stellar- this year was a disappointment. But next year I'll be ready when those weeds pop up. Peonies- I have your back!

Addie's Kindergarten Orientation

Already time for kindergarten orientation for Addie! Hard to believe, but her preschool year is almost over and it's time to look ahead to kindergarten. So off we went for a morning orientation at Lacy. She was excited as you can see- not nervous at all. I guess that's what happens when you hang out at your future school as much as she does!

I was very impressed with the orientation. First, they had everyone go into the gym where the current kindergartners sang to the incoming kindergartens. VERY cute. The "I'm Growing Up" song about made me cry.

Then they split everyone into groups and gave all the kids "passports". The adult volunteer led our group to each station (music, library, the playground, the cafeteria, etc.) where a current Lacy 5th grader would tell the kids about the area and then stamp their passport. Once they got their whole passport stamped, they got a Lacy swag bag. Addie was totally into it! And she was also into the chocolate chip cookie they gave all the kids in the cafeteria. :) They did not do all this at Collins's orientation!

When we were finishing up orientation, guess who we ran into?? So excited to see our Collins, and it made Addie really proud to have big sis there at that moment. I am sad Addie is off to kindergarten because I am going to miss having her around all day, but I am very happy for both the girls to be at the same school together. I think it will make them both very more excited to be there.

 

Orientation was a total success. Addie came away excited and confident about elementary school. Once September hits, she will definitely be ready for Lacy. After all...she has already mastered the playground!

Library Time

Luke's favorite spot in the Cameron Village library!

New Sport

Addie's preschool started offering Soccer Shots at school, and she decided she wanted to try it. So on Tuesdays, she stays after school for lunch bunch and then goes straight into soccer class. She is at school for a total of five hours which I thought would be good practice for kindergarten. Lots of kids from her class are playing too so she really likes it! She even said she wants to keep playing after this season ends. A successful sports season so far!

Spring Break- Part 4

Easter at Oak Island! Part 4 of our Spring Break would take us to a new beach- the one right across from Bald Head- and we were excited to explore somewhere new. We took off on Good Friday morning driving down towards Southport. Because we wanted to eat at the Great Provision Company of course.

Whenever we head towards Bald Head, Brian always wants to stop on the way at Brunswick Town- one of the first colonial settlements in the area. It never works out. But on this particular trip- we threw him a bone and let him revel in a little NC history. The girls were very confused...where were we and why is there no roof on this church?

The area by the Cape Fear river was cool...

as was seeing the foundations and diagrams of some of the first houses ever built in our state. But as Collins pointed out- this was really "creepy town" because the settlement disappeared eventually and it was kind of spooky being out there on this historical trail by ourselves. Talk of ghosts and death started up, and we knew it was time to hit the road. Enough history for one day! :)

So we headed to sunny Southport where we ate seafood and ice cream. The beautiful weather surprised us because horrible storms were supposed to happen throughout NC that day.

We walked from lunch to quaint downtown to check out the Maritime Museum which was neat.

Then we hopped back into the car for the short trip to Oak Island. It was a pretty view from the bridge...

and an impressive distance to the ocean once we reached our beach house. But turns out there was also hurricane-force winds to deal with!  

Good thing two doors down, Luke spied this...

talk about a happy boy!

The wind kicked up some crazy ocean foam which was fun at first...

then just kind of gross!

Addie got silly and soaked herself right off the bat...

Donna and Marty got us a great house for the weekend!

Luke and I sat on the back steps and watched the storm roll in...

As predicted, it started pouring so we were forced inside. Good thing the basement came with some entertainment.

That Friday night we experienced one crazy storm. We watched the ocean advance right up to the edge of the beach house, and I'm not sure if the wind or the rain was more intense. It was a little unsettling going to sleep with all that turbulence outside, but thankfully the next morning we woke up to blue sky...

Brian found a cool trail that led through the marshes and up to a look-out point...

We explored a little...

then headed back to the beach house where Donna and Marty had set up an Easter Egg Hunt for the kids. They were so excited...

 because Gigi hides some good treats in those super-sized eggs!

We wanted to climb the Oak Island lighthouse, but it wasn't possible until a couple weeks later. The lighthouse is located at the end of Oak Island on Caswell Beach.

There is Bald Head across the channel! You could see Old Baldy from where we were.

Back at the beach house, we tried to have a normal afternoon at the ocean. But man, was it COLD. We just could not catch a break with the weather. The wind was still blowing something fierce, and it was just not bathing suit weather as much as we wanted it to be.

Even in cute new matching bathing suits!

But we still played and pretended like it wasn't freezing cold outside...

These crazies even tried to get in the water...

 Collins has no fear (or nerves it appears)...

 Addie went about this far before bailing...smart girl!

 But we were lucky to be on a really quiet stretch of the beach, and it was quite pretty.

Oak Island has lots of houses on it and more commercialism than we are used to, but it also had some really scenic areas. We were pleasantly surprised by the island...

 Gigi always makes the kids a bunny cake, and they love helping her decorate it.

Look what we saw!

The kids were hoping the Easter Bunny would not forget them at the beach, and even decided to sweeten his deal by leaving him some special treats...after all, Santa gets some!

And at the last minute, they decided to test the Easter Bunny by adding two extra baskets for him to fill...because of course Charlotte and Winter (their American Girl dolls) needed Easter treats too! And if he did bring them something, it would prove that the Easter Bunny was real. Hard test for that bunny!

And turns out he passed the test! Easter morning we woke up to beautiful sunshine and five baskets full of Easter goodies... 

It was a beautiful and peaceful morning on the beach...

Being at the beach always makes me feel closer to God so that was special on Easter morning. We did not go to church that day which was disappointing, but being in his beautiful creation made it okay.

It was not easy to hold these girls back!

But once we let them loose, they loved digging into their baskets...and playing with their new toys.

Luke received not one but two turtles for Easter...and he looked quite cute carrying them both around.

Pop Pop and I managed to finish a whole puzzle while we were there...nice to have a partner this time!

Our Easter day was completely untraditional, but it was still very fun. We played putt putt! Luke participated in one hole then decided he was over it and dropped the golf ball in the geranium...

and moved on to more interesting things like this giant elephant. 

In a fun twist, Brian was challenged in the family golf outing by none other than his Mom! They ended up with a tie. Brian never loses in any athletic challenge, so go Donna!

After golf, we explored the end of the island...

 and then went back to see if the beach had warmed up anymore on our end.

 Unfortunately, no!

After digging some impressive holes, the girls gave up on the beach for the warmth of a shower and matching pj's with their American Girl dolls...

But don't you know then the darndest thing happened...the wind finally stopped blowing! And it was actually pleasant to be on the beach for the first time all weekend. Of course, now it was 5 p.m. on Sunday night at this point, but at least it finally happened. We broke out the soccer goal, the bean bag toss and cracked open some beers. This was what we had been waiting for!

 

Our plan for a seafood Easter dinner completely fell through when the fish store was closed so we opted for burgers on the deck. When we saw dolphins swimming in the ocean and the sunset starting to glow, we knew it had all worked out the right way. We enjoyed a delicious dinner and watched the sun set, and it was the neatest moment of our trip.

No fancy Easter clothes or Easter meal, but what a special way to spend the holiday!

And that ended our Spring Break! So glad we decided to see a new beach and enjoy the holiday together on Oak Island! Now back to reality and Raleigh...