"Twins"

I recently took Kate shopping in search of a few clothes items for fall. She pleaded with me to go to the Disney store, informing me she had never been. I, of course, gave in and honored her wishes. Although she wanted several items in the store, I convinced her that pajamas would be a wise choice. We selected matching "Minnie" nightgowns for her and Lauren. Upon putting them on that night, both girls declared..."twins."

Homegrown Produce II

Although we have produced several tomatoes over the past few weeks, here is a photo of two of our first "fruits of labor." We have thoroughly enjoyed watching our produce grow, not to mention the delicious taste!

Blueberry Picking

The Friday before the 4th our family went blueberry picking for the first time. We had taken the girls strawberry picking on Mother's Day, which was a success, so we decide to try a new fruit. The girls were instructed ahead of time to only pick the blue ones and to try and get them as big as possible. Between the four us, we picked 4 pints. Considering we all love blueberries, they didn't remain in the refrigerator very long!

Kindergarten Kate

It's hard to believe that Kate actually had her 1st day of kindergarten yesterday. I remember when she was a tiny baby weighing less than 8 lbs...seems like just yesterday! Although nervous about meeting new friends and going to an unfamiliar school, she ended up having a great day! She already made two friends that she ate, played, and rested with during the day. She also informed us that her favorite part of the day was the cafeteria. Of the 6 kids that were there (staggered entry), 3 chose cafeteria and 3 chose gym as their favorite activity. I guess the academics kicks in in the later years.

Here's hoping yesterday was a sign of the year ahead!

Relaxing and Reminiscing in Rodman

Our second stop during our travels took us to Rodman, NY. It may be a small town, but it's large on fond memories from my childhood with my brother and cousins. The girls loved running across the fields from house to house, playing on the playground, building sand castles at Lake Ontario, discovering the many toys at Aunt Pat and Uncle Jerry's house, and running around Great-Grandpa's backyard. Kate even managed to find a little time to paint with Uncle Jerry. We enjoyed delicious food and plenty of relaxation...a very nice visit!

Track Out Travels

We once again made our journey north a couple of weeks ago during Mark's track-out. Due to our limited amount of time, my commitment to Vacation Bible School at our church, and the fact that Kate starts kindergarten in 2 weeks, we shortened our trip this year. Sorry to all of those we did not see this year...we hope to see you soon if not during our next trip. We did miss all of you we did not see!

After spending the night in VA, we journeyed to Wilmington, DE, to visit Mark's grandparents and fulfill many of his childhood "food" memories. We had a very nice visit and lunch with Grams and Gramps, in which the girls thoroughly enjoyed exploring their house and telling of their recent activities.

From there it was on to the food cravings of tomato pie and water ice. Although the girls passed on the first item, they were pleased to partake in the water ice...Kate selecting watermelon and Lauren cherry (both turning their tongues a beautiful shade of pink and red).


Our final stop that day was outside Philadelphia at Mark's aunt and uncle's house. After picking up his grandfather on the way, we were able to catch his cousin's baseball game and have dinner with the family. The girls loved playing with their cousins (4 boys!) in the backyard! in fact, we truly believe Lauren would have slept on the swing if we let her!

Homegrown produce

The girls and I decided to plant some vegetables this year in an attempt to actually grow our own produce. We planted 5 tomato plants, 4 pepper plants, basil, and oregano. With water each day, some NC sunshine, and plenty of watching, we we able to produce a mighty fine pepper. (There are plenty more where that came from.)

Not bad for amateurs!