An Old Fashion 4th of July

Our "small town" of Apex hosts an annual 4th of July celebration each year complete with games, numerous bounce apparatus, karaoke, a children's bike/scooter parade, and a splashdown finale, compliments of the fire department.

For the very first time, the girls decided to decorate their bikes and participate in the parade. I helped the two of them and a neighborhood friend deck out their "wheels" with 4th of July flair on Friday in preparation for the big event Saturday. This is what we created!

The girls had a blast riding proudly down the main street of Apex. There only comment..."it was way too short of a ride!" Looks like we'll be doing it again next year!

We hope everyone had a very happy 4th of July!

Kate's Graduation

Last Friday, Kate's class had an ice cream social for all of the parents and siblings. We were unaware that we would also be attending an informal graduation ceremony as well. So, after receiving their "student awards" we all enjoyed ice cream sundaes with numerous toppings. Yummy! It's hard to believe she'll be starting 1st grade the beginning of July!

Ms. Su (Teaching assistant), Mrs. Monza (teacher), and Kate

Practicing for the Future

A couple of weeks ago, Mark and Kate had to attend school on Saturday (snow day make-up). Friends of ours are both teachers and had to be at school as well. So, Lauren and I volunteered to babysit their 3 month old son, Adam, that morning. I knew Lauren wouldn't mind seeing as how she still wants to have 4 children of her own someday, 2 boys and 2 girls. She definitely has a maternal instinct.

By the looks of these pictures, she's off to a good start!

Slip 'n Slide (NC Style)

The girls received a Slip 'n Slide for Christmas. With the warmer temperatures this month we decided to give the gift a trial run. During their first attempts, they remained stationary. Lesson #1: a slope in the yard is helpful.

Yet thanks to their Dad, Mark was able to give the girls a shove sending them down the slippery run. Both girls seemed to enjoy it! So far...a good investment.

Dressed in our Easter Best!

Just a couple more Easter posts!

Easter morning we attended our church service with Dad, Pat, and Pauline (Pat's mom). The girls were dressed in their new outfits and were as pretty as a picture. They sure are growing up!We snapped a couple of shots prior to church and then a family photo on the church grounds.

Dyeing Eggs

(A week late...but still worth a post.)

The Saturday before Easter, the four of us partook in our annual Easter egg dyeing production. I prepared the 10+ colors of dye while Mark outfitted the girls with some of my old t-shirts, in hopes of not ruining their clothes. We then began the creative process.

I must admit, the wire hoops they provide for holding the eggs...less than desirable. As a result we resorted to hanging onto the eggs with our hands. The girls selected their favorite colors, dunked the eggs, and in the end, did a great job!


The final result, multi-colored fingers and eggs!

St. Patrick's Day Parade

Although this post is extremely late, I still felt it was worthy of a place on the blog.

The Saturday prior to St. Patrick's Day, all decked out in green, Mark and I took the girls and their cousins to the downtown streets of Raleigh for the annual St. Patrick's Day Parade. After locating a great curbside spot, we enjoyed Chick Fil-A for lunch (thanks to one conveniently located to our chosen viewing location).

The parade was filled with Irish dancers, music, tumbling, clowns, military personnel, cars, firetrucks, Ronald McDonald, and much, much more!

Plus, the kids received everything from candy, to beads, to pencils, to flags...all for FREE!!!

Upon completion of the parade (just about an hour), we headed to Moore Square to check out the activities. We watched a man parachute out of plane, only to just miss making a smooth landing in the street. (He ended up in a nearby tree!) I then went on a small train ride with Riley, Matt, Carah, and Kate through the crowds.

Our downtown adventure ended with a trip to Krispie Kreme for doughnuts and some play time on the astro turf across the street.

We had a terrific time and hope to make it a yearly tradition.