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.

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!