Happy 4th Birthday, Kate!!

Happy 4th Birthday to our special little girl, Kate, who is growing up right before our eyes. We had a busy weekend filled with birthday celebrations and fun! I have plenty of pictures that I will post tomorrow, but for today, we just wanted to wish our daughter a very happy birthday and say thank you for 4 beautiful, loving years!

You have touched so many lives in such a special way and we are truly blessed to have you in our family. WE LOVE YOU, KATE!!!!!!!!!!!

Exploring Life and Science

Last week, the girls and I joined some friends and traveled to the Life and Science Museum in Durham. Our adventure began with a train ride through the woods, including a small tunnel followed by a slight hill, which felt similar to a child's amusement ride. We then explored the butterfly house and its beautiful creatures. We were able to see butterflies released into the environment just a couple hours after their birth! One of the butterflies tried to hitch a ride on my diaper bag, but was discovered before we left the building. Other highlights included the farm animals, the "clouds, " the dinosaurs, and the system of balls. The girls and I agreed that a future return trip is in store...this time with Dad.

Watermelon Day

About a week and a half ago, the girls and I headed to the Farmer's Market for "Watermelon Day." Not sure what we were in store for, we ventured out for a day of "rural fun." Plus, seeing as how watermelon is one of Kate's favorite fruits, we couldn't pass up the opportunity. Much to our delight, we had a wonderful time watching the various events and eating watermelon. Next up...apple day in September!!

Naps...Take Them Where They Fall

In our house, naps are a beautiful thing...when they actually happen! Kate is reaching the age that naps are pretty much non-existent. There is that special occasion that her body finally decides to quiet down and get some rest, but that only happens so often. As for Lauren, I usually get one a day, ranging anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 1/2 hours (very rare!). So, I don't get much accomplished during the day. However, yesterday was one of those rare occasions that both gave in to "sleep" at the same time while watching Sesame Street. Did I mention that I'm not too picky as to where the naps take place? Here was yesterday's chosen spots.

Swimming and Water Ice...Now that's Nice!

Two weekends ago, we took a short trip to visit Mom-Mom and Pop-Pop (Biz and Doug) at their house for an afternoon of fun. We spent some time at their pool, cooling off from the hot temperatures and splashing around. Lauren enjoyed playing with sand toys on the edge of the pool, occasionally floating in her tube to cool off, while Kate jumped in several times to Mom-Mom and swam around with the rest of the gang.

After a delicious meal, Mom-Mom surprised the girls with water ice for dessert. Based on the pictures can you guess what flavor each one had?! Thanks for a nice day, Mom-Mom and Pop-Pop!

At the Ballet

Kate is once again taking another round of dance lesson at the local community center. However, this time she is thrilled that cousin, Carah, is joining her!! The two spend 45 minutes performing graceful ballet moves and making "noise" with their tap shoes. Here are a couple of photos from the first class. (I didn't have the camera this week.) The two are planning to perform in a local concert with their group at the end of August. Almost 4, and the dance recitals have already begun!

Breakfast and a Movie

Several of the local theaters in our area run select movies for free during the morning hours in the summer. Since we're always looking for things to do, we decided to put on our dresses, grab our purses, and catch a showing of "Charlotte's Web."
We were joined by cousin, Carah, Aunt Kim, and our friends (Cary, Ashlin, and Carver). Lauren was well entertained by a box of popcorn, as well as the movie, for the first half, but then got a little restless...nothing too bad. Kate, on the other hand, sat quietly the entire movie and thoroughly enjoyed the outing. Maybe we'll even try to catch another one before the summer's over.