A Day at the Zoo

With Mark and Kate both tracked out until July, we decided to take advantage of the nice weather and our membership and head to the NC Zoo for the day. We figured out our last visit was the fall of 2008 prior to the zoo's renovations.

We began our day long journey in "North America" stopping to see the polar bears, harbor seals, otters, puffins, and much more, including this alligator and black bear.

The girls took a play break at the playground as well, scaling the spider web, sliding down the leave, and hanging out with Dad in what we believe is a pear.


After lunch at the junction stop, we ventured into "Africa" taking in the sights of safari animals. We were able to see among other things, the giraffes, zebras, reptiles, baboons, elephants, and the special attraction...the SWAMP GHOSTS (a.k.a. albino alligators)!!

We all enjoyed our day, but were happy to rest on the way home after walking the entire zoo. In fact, I believe it took Lauren no more than 5 minutes to fall asleep once the car was started! Hope you enjoy the pictures!

Flowering Progress

As many of you recall, we planted a garden a couple of months ago (see photo).

With a little water, some bird netting and plenty of sunshine, our garden has changed quite a bit.

We have already harvested 12 green beans! Not quite enough for a meal, but definitely tasty as a snack!

We have a couple of tomatoes and cucumbers on the vines as well as carrots, lettuce and peppers growing. Hopefully we'll be able to cut back on our produce purchases in the upcoming months...we'll keep you posted!

Flower Girls - Double Duty

Kate and Lauren were asked to be flower girls in two weddings this past May...5 days apart, one to the north and one to the south!

We traveled first to Harrisburg, PA for Mark's cousin's wedding. The girls did a wonderful job walking down the aisle and sitting quietly with the bridesmaids throughout the service.

At the reception (after quite a bit of coaxing), the girls gave in and hit the dance floor, requesting songs by Taio Cruz, Justin Bieber, and Taylor Swift. (Where have our little girls gone?!) Kate even scored a purple flower from the cake...perfect for her wedding role.

We returned home on a Sunday only to depart that Wednesday for my cousin's wedding in Kiawah, SC. This wedding was on the beach, posing a slight challenge with windy conditions, walking through sand in flip-flops and dropping rose petals at the same time. Yet, the girls once again were successful! (As you can see, the first picture was taken at our place, prior to the beach.)