Snuggler Holders

On the way back from Delaware, Mother's Day weekend, we stopped at IKEA.  The girls acquired stuffed animal holders for their rooms to house some of their many furry friends. Kate selected aquamarine blue and Lauren chose dark pink. Below are the hanging results. (Photos courtesy of Kate.)

Cupcake Diaries

Carah inspired Kate to read the cupcake diaries series. Kate is currently reading the first book, "Katie and the Cupcake Cure." She has almost finished it and will be moving on to "Mia and the Mix." (This post was provided by Kate, including photographs).

Our Recent House Guest

A couple of weeks ago we had a house guest from Wednesday to Monday. She was very sweet and lovable...the girls adored her! They had so much fun playing with her and were sad to see her go that Monday.

Meet our house guest...Finley, our friend's Saint Bernard.

Weighing in at just over 100 lbs., Finley resembled a small pony. She was the hit of the neighborhood! People stopped to ask if we had gotten a dog (of course with a surprised and confused look on their face). Although rather large, she was a "gentle giant." Both Mark and I agreed, she dwarfed any room she entered, making our house feel rather small at times. Nonetheless, we all enjoyed her stay.

The girls keep asking when we can get our dog. That we're not sure about at this point, however we are sure that a dog the size of Finley is a little too big for our lifestyle.

Easter Egg Hunt - Take 1

Our church had an Easter egg hunt Saturday morning for kids of all ages. The Eggstravaganza (as they call it) consisted of games, music, crafts, and an egg hunt. For the first time in years, our girls were in the same age group which allowed us to travel through the events as a family. Here are some highlights from the event.

Lauren after competing the egg and spoon game

The girls, with friend Julia, sitting for Duck-Duck-Goose

Doing the Hokey Pokey

Waiting to begin the Egg Hunt

Lauren and Kate with their eggs

Go Fly a Kite!

A couple of weekends ago, our family ventured out for the Y-Guides Kite Day. We met up with several other dads and daughters from Kate and Mark's tribe and attempted to fly kites. There was just one problem...bright beautiful skies with no wind! Hard to fly a kite in that weather!

The girls gave it their best shot, running as fast as they could. I was able to capture some moments that made it look like their kites were flying. Thank goodness for still shots!

Prepping the Kite

Lauren Giving it her all!

Mark's Kite Takes Flight

Kate Flying her Kite

The Kite Flyers

Can dogs read?

The second Sunday of every month our library allows children to come in and read to therapy dogs. The fact that our girls absolutely LOVE dogs, this event is a must on our calendar each month. Although Lauren is not yet reading, she has either Mark or me read her book selection to the dog while she pets the furry companion.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Our family, the Gilmores, and Dad and Pat headed into downtown Raleigh today to view the annual St. Patrick's Day parade. The parade (lasting an hour and 45 minutes) was filled with Irish dancers, old cars, military groups, dogs, firetrucks, and just about anything else under the sun! It is quite an event.

We determined that just about anyone can enter the parade and are therefore trying to come up with our own float for next year!

Enjoy the shots! (As you can see, we really like the dogs!)