Last Helping Parent Day

Cue the tears. Just had our last helping parent day with Collins in preschool. The thought of it made me really sad, but the actual day made me really happy. We had such a fun morning, and Collins really loves her class and teachers this year. As always, it was neat watching her in action!

The rather intense "chasing" game the whole class plays on the playground...

The helping child writes their name on the chalk board to start circle time...

counts the class to confirm who's there and who's not...

and chooses the songs they'll sing in music.

Then it's time for some artwork. Collins and Neema have become really good friends this year...

Then it was on to the favorite workshop of the morning...the creation station. Here, Collins created a cast with valentine napkins and lots of tape.

Her favorite part of the school day is the swings playground because they get to do things like this...

and this.

Getting to be in your kid's classroom on a regular basis really is a wonderful benefit of being at The Raleigh School. Collins has already asked me if there are helping parents in kindergarten? Gulp...I'm afraid not, but I'm sure I'll be around school as much as they let me! 

Mimi (and the Pups) to the Rescue!

Here's why Moms are the best. You call them at the last minute, ask them to drop everything, drive three hours (one way), take care of your kids for two whole days, and they actually say yes! Not only that, they bring a casserole with them so you don't have to worry about what's for dinner..thanks, Mom. You are truly the best!

We were in a bit of a bind with childcare with Daisie's visitation and funeral and with my last helping parent day at Collins's school. Mimi and the pups came to the rescue! 

It worked out really well that Mom needed to bring the dogs because my children needed some doggie bonding time. They are both very jumpy around dogs even with Lilly and Zoe. UNTIL Lilly and Zoe came to their house. Then it was a different story!  

These pictures make me laugh as they show the slow progression of Addie and Lilly's budding relationship...

But they quickly acclimated to having the pups around the house giving them treats, taking them on walks, and making sure they were close by at all times. I have to say, I enjoyed having the doggies around too! It was kind of nice to have furry friends close by at all times. Perhaps we are all becoming more dog-friendly?!?

While Collins and I were at school, Addie kept Mimi busy with her normal activities- taking care of babies and swinging. 

Then when Collins got home, it was time for the big celebration. How lucky were we that Zoe's birthday fell on a day when she was in Raleigh? Collins spearheaded the party planning (of course) and gave Zoe a special crepe paper necklace to wear and came up with a really cool cake idea. 

It was a layered cake complete with a doggie treat at the top. Collins was quite surprised when Zoe didn't seem super interested in her cake and then Lilly gobbled it up. She is not used to little sisters taking all of the dessert. :) 

I'm pretty sure that Mimi spent most of her time in Raleigh pushing this cutie in the swing. I don't think she minded. 

I'm so happy that Mom got to spend some unexpected time with the girls, and I was so grateful for her help!

Although Daisie's visitation and funeral was sad, it was also neat to be reminded of what a large and loving clan she was an integral part of and how much she meant to so many. This is one of my favorite memories of Daisie.. front and center and happy as can be surrounded by her sisters, Donna and Brian on our wedding day. Love this shot of Brian with all the ladies. :)

Treats at the Beach

We've come to expect rain on our trips to Wrightsville so when we were treated to the most gorgeous warm weather March could ever offer, we were pretty excited! In the girls' minds, they were going to the beach the way it is in the summer- bathing suits and all, I warned them that it might be too cold for that, but I was wrong. It was PERFECT weather for that! After a long winter, your first taste of beach weather is pretty special.

Donna and Marty couldn't go this time because they flew to Colorado for cousin Casey's wedding so it just the four of us. It was really fun, and did I mention it was ACC Tournament time? Go Heels! They did not disappoint! (Hard to top their regular season, but winning the tournament title and earning a #1 seed in the NCAA's did just that. So awesome.)

But first the un-fun part- the packing...Addie always makes it so easy. :)

We got into terrible traffic on the way to the beach, and the trip took forever. The girls were not happy. When we finally made it to the beach around 6:30 p.m., they were itching to get on the beach so we let them. Pretty fun to head out at dusk armed with a cocktail.

Addie is pictured here in her beloved "starfish belt" bathing suit that she asks to wear every morning. We were excited to finally let her don the suit for the purpose of going to the beach. But as crazy as it sounds, we somehow lost the bathing suit later that night. We came in from the beach, got the girls showered, and then never saw the starfish belt ever again. We are still puzzled by this mystery so imagine trying to explain the situation to a 2-year-old! Lucky for us, Target still had some in stock so Addie got a replacement a few days later. 

The sunrise the next day told us what a pretty day we had in store...

We had a very busy day at the beach... first getting buried...

then tunnel-making...

hole-sitting...

bracelet-making (with sea oats)...

walking...

and dune exploration.

Since we would be missing our church Easter Egg hunt the next day, I brought the girls' Easter baskets with us so we could do a beach hunt (pajama-style).

The next morning we challenged the girls to walk all the way to the pier. With all the lolly-gagging going on, this was no easy task. Lucky for us, our walk helped us work up an appetite for a tasty taco lunch.

Both girls needed a little assistance on the way back...love these shots.

After lunch and meeting Myra the beach pig, Collins gave us some leaping lessons...

Addie gave it a good go...

The sun came out in spectacular fashion to end the afternoon, and the girls figured out that a beach hole could turn into an underground beach house (hallways included). Although we lost an hour of sleep the night before, what a special treat to be at the beach during the Daylight Savings time change. That extra hour on the beach was totally appreciated!

I even got some reading in (although this is the same book I was reading last Summer...maybe I'll eventually get through it).

We were pretty low key (i.e. lazy) on this trip not heading out to the grocery store once. We ate fish from Motts each night and whatever vegetables we could find at Roberts Grocery (from a trip on the bike). This night the girls got a PB&J picnic dinner on the dock. They didn't seem to mind. :)

Our last morning there, we got one last look at the beach before heading out for some adventures. Brian took Monday off from work so we almost stayed for another beach day....

but eventually packed up (while Collins played her new favorite game)...

and headed to Dockside for a lovely lunch...

and then to downtown Wilmington to tour the Battleship. I'm so glad we went- it was so cool! 

The girls used it as their own personal maze climbing up and down staircases and exploring strange underground spaces...

When we came back up on deck, we were surprised to hear a loud plane flying over our heads. We looked up, and it was low and right above the ship. Not only that- it was Air Force One! Brian was like, "Is that the President??". But we weren't sure because it happened so fast. But then a couple minutes later, the same plane crossed right above the ship again. Crazy! We finally figured out that Air Force One practices touch-downs at the Wilmington airport so we got to witness it that day. Very cool.

Between touring the battleship, going to bed late most nights, and all the playtime on the beach, I think the trip thoroughly wore the girls out. This was 10 minutes after heading home.

And Donna had a good report from Colorado- Casey had a really fun wedding that was perfectly Casey. :) 

But she also shared the sad news that Aunt Daisie had passed away over the weekend. Although Daisie had been in declining health recently, this was still hard news to take because it seemed so sudden. Daisie was an important person in Brian and Donna's lives, and always welcomed me as a part of the family. She was a strong and loving woman and will be missed by many. We hurried back to Raleigh so we could celebrate her life.