Ride 'Em Cowboy!

A couple of weeks ago, Kate's preschool had a hoedown for the 4-year-old classes. The days prior to the event, the kids created belt buckles, vests, bandannas, and horses to wear and ride at the hoedown. They sang songs by the "campfire," ate trail mix and played games. Kate had a blast and talked about it for days. We even have her horse, Emily, at our house. Luckily the horse doesn't eat too much hay.

Enjoy the picture of Kate with two of her friends!

Family Fun

Mark has been tracked out for the past couple of weeks and returns to work on Thursday. We decided to take advantage of our family time and headed out last week for a fun-filled day. Our first stop was the Hurricanes practice. We arrived at 11am to find out the practice had been pushed to 11:30. Luckily our girls found ways to amuse themselves for a 1/2 hour. It's amazing how much fun steps can be!

We finally got inside the arena and enjoyed watching the players skate around the rink, practice drills, and take shots at the goal. Kate and Lauren had fun sampling various seats. Kate typically chose seat #4 on each row since that's her age.

After the practice, we grabbed some lunch and headed to Pullen Park for a family picnic. Once full, the girls and I took a ride on the Carousel. Both girls selected ostriches as their animal of choice. We went around SEVERAL times due to the slow season. Next stop...the playground.

We tried out both the yellow and blue slides. Kate's method was usually facing forward. Lauren prefers going feet first on her belly. Whatever makes it fun!

The day ended with a walk through the park picking flowers and making bouquets to take home. We had a wonderful time as a family and look forward to our next outing! Enjoy!

Chopsticks aren't just for Chinese food anymore!

A couple of weeks ago, Mark and I got take out from P.F. Chang's. They included 2 sets of chopsticks which we chose not to use. The girls, however, found them very useful for eating their penne pasta...their own special way. Chopsticks fit perfectly through the noodles!

The Next Mia Hamm?

Kate had her first soccer game this past weekend. This is her first season playing soccer and she seems to enjoy the game so far. We just have one minor problem...she doesn't see the importance of kicking the ball during the game. (She does kick her ball during practice.) She is more than happy to run with the pack, but is very polite and lets anyone around her kick the ball first! So, looks like we have a few things to learn about the game in the upcoming weeks.

She may not be the next Mia Hamm, but she sure looks cute in her soccer attire! (Photos courtesy of Ryan Gilmore Photography)

Tiny Dancer

Lauren completed her first round of dance classes a couple of weeks ago. She absolutely loved every minute of them! She ran down the long hallway to the room, patiently waited for me to slip on her ballet slippers and than ran to the circle to find her place of choice. Although she didn't always do exactly what the teacher was doing, she did create some of her own moves, trying to be as graceful as possible.

We start another round of classes in March. Perhaps a star is born!

Welcome to the Family

We are pleased to announce the newest addition to our family, our nephew,

Michael Richard

Born yesterday, weighing in at 7lb. 7oz.

Proud parents, Maureen and Patrick, and big brother, Peter, are all doing well and look forward to beginning their life as a family of four.

A Long and Beautiful Life

June 20, 1917 - January 29, 2009
...a loving friend, sister, wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother

To a person who was beautiful both on the inside and on the outside. May we all find comfort and peace by celebrating your 91 years of life and cherishing the special memories we shared together throughout the years. Your kindness, loving nature, and talent will be greatly missed.

WE LOVE YOU!

We'll miss you, Great Grandma!
Thanks for all of the wonderful things you made us over the years!
We'll cherish them always.