Naps...Take Them Where They Fall

In our house, naps are a beautiful thing...when they actually happen! Kate is reaching the age that naps are pretty much non-existent. There is that special occasion that her body finally decides to quiet down and get some rest, but that only happens so often. As for Lauren, I usually get one a day, ranging anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 1/2 hours (very rare!). So, I don't get much accomplished during the day. However, yesterday was one of those rare occasions that both gave in to "sleep" at the same time while watching Sesame Street. Did I mention that I'm not too picky as to where the naps take place? Here was yesterday's chosen spots.

Swimming and Water Ice...Now that's Nice!

Two weekends ago, we took a short trip to visit Mom-Mom and Pop-Pop (Biz and Doug) at their house for an afternoon of fun. We spent some time at their pool, cooling off from the hot temperatures and splashing around. Lauren enjoyed playing with sand toys on the edge of the pool, occasionally floating in her tube to cool off, while Kate jumped in several times to Mom-Mom and swam around with the rest of the gang.

After a delicious meal, Mom-Mom surprised the girls with water ice for dessert. Based on the pictures can you guess what flavor each one had?! Thanks for a nice day, Mom-Mom and Pop-Pop!

At the Ballet

Kate is once again taking another round of dance lesson at the local community center. However, this time she is thrilled that cousin, Carah, is joining her!! The two spend 45 minutes performing graceful ballet moves and making "noise" with their tap shoes. Here are a couple of photos from the first class. (I didn't have the camera this week.) The two are planning to perform in a local concert with their group at the end of August. Almost 4, and the dance recitals have already begun!

Breakfast and a Movie

Several of the local theaters in our area run select movies for free during the morning hours in the summer. Since we're always looking for things to do, we decided to put on our dresses, grab our purses, and catch a showing of "Charlotte's Web."
We were joined by cousin, Carah, Aunt Kim, and our friends (Cary, Ashlin, and Carver). Lauren was well entertained by a box of popcorn, as well as the movie, for the first half, but then got a little restless...nothing too bad. Kate, on the other hand, sat quietly the entire movie and thoroughly enjoyed the outing. Maybe we'll even try to catch another one before the summer's over.

Difference among Ages

At my age, I often dread the summer months and having to put on a bathing suit! Lauren, on the other hand, loves to wear them (typically Kate's suits) at any time of the day. Here she is in the latest fashion, wearing a 'Finding Nemo' swimsuit, complete with skirt and sea embellishments!

Northern Exposure - Final Destination(s)

We concluded our trip with an overnight at our friends house in Wayne, PA. Wendy and Russ were kind enough to host a small college reunion at their place, allowing a group of us to catch up on each other's lives and see all of the kids. We had a wonderful meal, great conversion, and a small amount of relaxation once the kids went to bed!

Kate and Lauren had a blast playing with Wendy and Russ' kids that night and the next morning. Kate particularly enjoyed Julie's photo album of the princesses from Disney World, while also remembering all of the cool toys she played with during last year's visit! Russ treated us to homemade pancakes Saturday morning before we made our final trek to DC for the night.

We made a couple of stops on our way to VA. First, Mark (as well as the rest of us) satisfied one of his food cravings and stopped off for a water ice in Delaware. Then it was on to a park he played at when he was the girls' ages. From there, we visited Mark's grandparents, stopping in for a nice lunch and visit. (It's so great that the girls get to spend time with their great-grandparents as well.) By that point, we were pretty tired and returned to VA in time for dinner.

We spent a beautiful Father's Day morning with Grampy and Grammy before returning to NC. We had a wonderful time with everyone, but after 11 days of traveling, "there's no place like home." We hope to see all of you soon!!

Thanks for the memories!

Northern Exposure - Invasion of the Black Flies

Our fourth destination took us to beautiful South Lake, a peaceful getaway in the Adirondack Park owned by my aunt and uncle. The views are spectacular, the wildlife abundant, and this year...the black flies were in full force!!! As a result, we spent little time outside for fear of getting eaten alive!!

While there, we did manage to take a couple of boat rides, stroll along the lake, and take a dip in the chilly waters. I, also, found time to work in a couple of games of cribbage with my grandfather. I won't disclose who actually won!

As always, the food was delicious and the company was terrific! Thanks for a relaxing visit!