Graduation Day

It's hard to believe that our first-born graduated from preschool and is starting Kindergarten in July! After completing 2 years of preschool, we had the honor of attending Kate's graduation ceremony yesterday. (It's amazing how much she has grown and learned since the first day I dropped her off at the age 3.) The classes performed several musical pieces and received their diplomas. After the ceremony, the parents greeted their children at their self-portraits created at different times during the year.

We are so thankful for the wonderful teachers and friends that have surrounded Kate the past two years. We are looking forward to watching her grow in the years to come! We're so proud of you, Kate, and we love you very much!

Peak Fest

Last weekend (yes, I'm a little behind) was Peak Fest in our historic downtown district. The festivities began with a pancake breakfast at the fire house at 7:30am, followed by Kate's soccer game, and then a return visit to downtown to partake in the fun activities offered. Shortly after our return, the girls spotted two of their favorite "friends," Harry, from Harris Teeter and the ever-famous Chick Fil-A cow, who we've seen quite often in the past several weeks.
After making our way down the main street, occasionally browsing at one of the many craft tents, the girls spotted one of the highlights of the day. They joined their cousin, Peter, for some fun on the blow-up slides and bounce equipment before taking a break for lunch and then heading home for an afternoon nap.

Mark's family, who were in town for our nephew, Michael's, baptism on Sunday, joined us at the Peak Fest as well. With everyone semi-rested that evening, we gathered at our house for a pizza dinner and some family fun in the backyard. Although a busy day, we enjoyed every minute!

Pirate or Princess?

Tonight, one of our local Chick Fil-As was having a "Pirate and Princess" night. Seeing as how both girls love princesses, we couldn't pass up the opportunity. Kate and Lauren both opted for the "princess" face painting (rather than the pirate). As always, they each selected their favorite color as the main focus in the design.

The girls also came home adorned with tattoos and glitter stars on their hands and cheeks. Plus, we have keepsake photos, courtesy of Chick Fil-A, with both the princess and the pirate cow. (Even Dad got in on the action!)

Easter Activities

This past weekend was consumed with various Easter activities! The first event was Saturday at our church's annual Easter Eggstravaganza. The girls enjoyed singing songs, making a craft, playing games and searching for eggs. As you can see from the pictures, our girls displayed a little egg discrimnation...Kate searched for purple eggs and Lauren pink.

After the festivities we headed to Trader Joe's for a few needed items, only to spot the Easter bunny outside the Hallmark store in the plaza. The girls posed for a picture and graciously received "bunny corn" from the furry friend.

Easter morning we attended a beautiful service at church in which the girls wore their Easter dresses, compliments of Grampy and Grammy. We tried desperately to get a family shot after church, but as you can see, one of the family members didn't cooperate as well. I guess smiles aren't everything.

The day ended with a delicious dinner at Mom-Mom and Pop-Pop's as well as an Easter Egg Hunt orchestrated by Grandma Kathy (Patrick's mom). The kids ran around the house in search of hidden eggs and gifts. Both girls were exhausted by the end of the day and fell asleep in the car on the way home. However, they continue to play with their bunny ears, baskets, and plastic eggs...until mom puts everything away for the season.

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!