Our 1st Official Sleepover

Two weekends ago we had our first official sleepover! Our guests.....

OUR COUSINS!!!

The girls were so excited that Riley, Matthew, and Carah were finally going to spend the night. The kids were dropped off around noon and within 15 minutes of their parents departure, the fun began. The afternoon was filled with scooters, baseball, Blokus, a viewing of ET, more scooters, rollerblading, bike riding, and the playground at a nearby park. FUN, FUN and more FUN!!!!

We figured enough activity was provided and energy burned to warrant a trip to Five Guys for dinner. Upon returning home, the kids enjoyed ice cream cones, bedtime stories, board games, and books before heading off to bed for the night.

We awoke in the morning and enjoyed a hearty breakfast of French toast, bacon, and sausage before Ryan and Kim returned. We had a wonderful time and can't wait to do it again!!!

Thanks for the memories Riley, Matt and Carah!

Motherly Instincts

The other morning over breakfast, as Lauren was cradling her Baby Jesus, I asked the girls the question, "Do you want to have kids someday?"

Lauren's response, "Yes. I want to have four. Two boys and two girls."

Kate's response, "Nah. I want to hang out with my friends and go different places."

We shall see what the future holds. How different two siblings can be.

Let it Snow...This time in NC!

The girls have been very lucky this year in the snow department! After experiencing record-breaking snowfall amounts in VA this past December, they awoke to a vision of white this past Saturday...this time in NC.

Once the precipitation started to taper off, we bundled them up and sent them out to explore (with Mark, of course). They tested out their boots in the driveway and kicked around some snow before heading over to our neighbors for sledding.

Actually, the girls opted to be spectators for the sledding portion. (They preferred to get down the hill by rolling.) However, Mark got in on the action and took a couple of runs down the hill for them.


Throughout the next couple of days, the girls ventured out a few more times, hanging out with the other kids in the neighborhood, tossing snowballs, sledding with their cousins, Peter and Michael, and most importantly, enjoying hot chocolate.

Now after 3 days off from school and the snow almost melted, it's back to our normal schedule...that is after a one-hour delay in the morning. Welcome to NC!

Mary

Starting in the beginning of December, and now lasting almost 2 months, Lauren has taken on a new identity, especially at night. Fascinated by the nativity scenes during the Christmas season, Lauren truly believes she is Mary. When passing by manger scenes, she would say, "Look! It's me, Mary!" In fact one day she told Kate, "Today you can call me Sissy, but tomorrow you need to call me Mary."

She has now named her doll Baby Jesus and has selected a blanket specifically for her "child." Also, in our household, Baby Jesus is female.

This "new identity" took on a whole new twist a few weeks ago. When going to bed, she asked us to drape a blanket over her head so she could be Mary. This is now how she falls asleep, cradling Baby Jesus in her arms. How precious is that!

100 Days!

Kate officially completed 100 days of Kindergarten this past Friday! In celebration of their accomplishment, each child had to decorate a "100" with 100 objects...Kate chose gold star stickers.

During school, they wore their "100" crowns, fruit loop necklaces (100 fruit loops total), and their "100 Day" badges. Since her special day, we have worn the items several more times. Only 78 1/2 more days to go...then it's 1st grade!

Purplicious!

Kate inherited a purple dress coat in December from friends of ours and Lauren received one from Grandpa and Grandma for Christmas. As a result, the girls claim they are twins when they both wear their purple coats. Quite "purplicious" and cute, if I do say so myself!

The White House

During our visit to VA in December, we did manage to take the girls into Washington, D.C. before the winter storm hit. Kate was interested in seeing the White House, a.k.a. where Barack Obama lives, and asked several times if we could go in to see him. Although that was not possible, we were able to take a photo in front of the gates.

We then ventured on to view the National Christmas Tree on the Eclipse. The girls were very cold and wanted nothing more than to return to the car...until...they spotted the 12 trains circling the large tree. Excitement outweighed the cold and we enjoyed the remainder of the time watching the locomotives and admiring the 50 smaller trees, each representing a state.

We finished our brief tour at a very large bonfire, which served in warming up all of us before walking back to the car. Of course, the girls adrenaline had kicked in with the news we were heading to Chick Fil-A for lunch!