Kevin's Cool Dinosaur Party

Kevin's birthday party was tailor-made for Leia, . . . the theme? Dinosaurs! It began with Kevin handing out some beautiful homemade Easter lilies, followed by some fun puzzles (that were perfect for Annie, by the way). The first part of the presentation showed the actual size of a Tyrannosaurus Rex mouth which was the exact size of the birthday boy! Next there was a fun dino-rainbow scratch-off activity before the girls excavated their own fossilized dinosaur eggs which they presently used their paleontology skills to pick and brush the fossilized egg away to reveal the dinosaur inside. Then it was time to meet some real relatives of the dinosaurs: the reptiles. Leia even got to touch some hissing cockroaches and really make them hiss! The gift bags were a real hit, especially the little reusable notepad (just like the ones I used when I was a kid), and Leia and Kevin spent a long time drawing on theirs, . . . with some really spiffy results. : ) Then it was evidence again of my small-town kids when all they wanted to do was ride the escalator. : ) The only time I felt a deep sadness (in regards to Karin not being there) was when we sang Happy Birthday to Kevin and they brought out the cake. No one could make a better cake than Karin. : ( And I made sure that, by the end of the party, I gave Kevin that special hug from his Mom, . . . just like I promised Karin during the last days of her life.

North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences

I just think this first picture perfectly captures the wonder that my girls (and especially Annie) experienced when entering the museum today. Annie's favorite exhibit: the seahorses! Oh my, it was running from room to room, exhibit to exhibit, in order to take it all in. All with wonder, . . . the beautiful childhood wonder. : ) In regards to the second picture, Annie ran over to this huge rotating globe and exclaimed, "Look Mamma! It's the planet we live on!!!" (Again, just LOVE that wonder!) Then I approached Annie and said, "Do you know what planet that is, Annie?" . . . hoping she would say "Earth." Nope, instead it was, "Oh, . . . no Mamma, I don't know THAT." LOL. And it's always neat to see the big whale skeletons hanging in the main area. We couldn't spend that long at the museum, though. As the last few pictures show, . . . we shared our visit today with Kevin because we were really there for another reason. : )

UNC Football with the McNeils

After ballet pictures, we fished out our UNC gear and drove to Chapel Hill to share a UNC football scrimmage with the McNeils. It was just SO wonderful to see Annie's godparents (and in such a fun setting, too)! The funny thing about this visit is that Leia hung around with Trevor and Logan, . . . and Annie played lots with Colin! You can even see Colin getting really into playing veterinarian with Annie! : ) Then on Sunday, it was church at Saint Thomas More (meeting up with more old friends) and to the Carolina Inn for our famous after-Mass breakfast!

My Two Ballerinas 2010

Today the girls had professional pictures taken at the ballet studio, . . . but because those won't be ready for a few weeks, I just HAD to take some of my own. : ) I love my two little ballerinas!

Our Dandelion Field: A New Spring Tradition

This year we discovered the best dandelion field EVER at Fletcher Park! It's just perfect for frolicking and playing! So we were sure to experience it to it's fullest: when the dandelion flowers were all blooming, . . . and when the dandelion puffs were all "puffing." : ) Annie, although full of her usual whines during the first trip, absolutely ADORES blowing what she calls "puffs." So Mamma was very busy making dandelion chains for the girls (Annie wouldn't wear hers this year), and helping them fly some kites. As we left the blooming field the first time, we even heard some neat frogs and, since we had our bird and frog electronic "identifier," we had fun figuring out that they were "Spring Peepers"! : ) Leia was very interested in her homemade "bird watching kit" that she made herself: binoculars and identifier included! : ) Then, in a week or so, it was back to the very same field to blow those puffs, . . . while we read two of our favorite books about dandelions: A Dandelion's Life and A Dandelion Wish, right in the middle of the field! Annie even managed to find the ONE real buttercup in the entire field! It was SO much fun, that we decided to make this a yearly tradition. And as I looked back through the photos, I discovered that we began our love for dandelions LAST year. See the final picture. : )

For Grandpa's Birthday

I was SO proud of Leia for creating the best birthday present for Grandpa EVER!!! It's a picture of Grandpa and Leia fishing at the lake, . . . and experience they both treasure! Happy Birthday, Grandpa! : )

Our Late Easter Dinner

We have been so sickly lately, even on Easter, that for everyone's safety, we postponed Easter dinner for a few days, so today it was off to Oma's and Papa's to have some wonderful shishkabob on the grill! And a wonderful day for chalkdrawing, . . . look at this wonderful garden scene the girls created! : )