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Epic Holiday in December

2012-02-01T09:55:00.002-05:00

We went on another Norwegian Epic Cruise. This time to the islands of St. Maarten's , St. Thomas and Nassau with my parents for their 50th wedding anniversary! We went the week before Christmas which was a real treat to be in the sun on a boat instead of rushing around doing the final preparations. I got most everything done before I left so I was FREE!! We got sun, ate wonderful meals, read for hours and worked out every day! We went to shows, the comedy club, gambled a little and saw the dueling piano players several nights. We had 4 room, all with balconies and my parents, mine and the girls all connected. It was a fabulous get away! Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad! We docked at 8am on 12/24 so then drove back in 12 hours to be at home for Santa!

Maggie Turns NINE!

2012-01-30T11:48:00.001-05:00

We had a fun birthday party at one of those inflatable play spaces for Maggie. She had a special shirt made by big sister Kate with glow in the dark paint! We had it on a teacher workday with girls and BOYS and got the "glow package" so the games would be under black lights. It was fun and over in 1.5 hours!! The second part of the party was a sleepover for 4 friends. But that was not that much fun. In fact I would say it was HELL! They screamed, raced around, got into squabbles and stayed up until 2 am! YUCK!! Even Maggie said that the sleepover was disappointing. We will not be doing that again next year. Maybe one friend can spend the night but no more!!!! Then on the actual birthday, I fixed Maggie beignets for breakfast and we had the family over for Delicious birthday cake and all went to a movie. It was a fun birthday for my baby girl! I cannot believe she is nine years old. This is absolutely the last birthday- she cannot move into double digits!!

New Year's Stars

2012-01-28T11:27:00.004-05:00

I ordered beautiful, handmade glass stars for my girls for Christmas but due to overwhelming demand they were delayed and became New Years gifts. They are so beautiful and made by Kurt Knudsen in Chapel Hill and you can find him on Etsy here www.etsy.com/shop/KurtKnudsen. I got a sunny yellow one for my sunshine girl Maggie, a lovely turquoise one for Kate at UNC and a purplish one for Lilly. The funny thing is that I LOVED the purple one and my dear friend sent me one just like it for Christmas! So our stars are hanging and bringing us joy in the new year!

Christmas Celebration 2011

2012-01-08T16:09:00.003-05:00

Christmas went by in a blur this year! We traveled the week before, then spend 12 hours at home on the 24th then left to hit both grandparents and return on the 26th. Whew! I am tired! It was so nice to have us all together again though. Glad to have Kate home for more than overnight! My homemade gifts for the girls are not yet completed but will be soon. I did have Maggie's owl ready on Christmas Eve and Lilly's cabled scarf that matches the fingerless cabled gloves I knitted last year will be done this week! Kate wants socks instead of a scarf so they won't take nearly as long! The cousins had a great time together. They got the #1 parented hated toy- Figits. So far the Figits have only been played with on Christmas Day- hooray! Harper and I are continuing the exercise regiment wherever we may be! On boats, and more! We saw a family movie on New Year's Eve, We Bought a Zoo, and it was fabulous! We have done lots of family cooking together and generally enjoyed each other. It will only last until Sunday then we will be down a daughter but up a dog! 2012 is shaping up to be a good year! I hope to appreciate each member of my family more and tell them everyday! Be thankful for all that you have!

Kate is awarded her Gold Award

2012-01-06T15:28:00.002-05:00

After completing the Girl Scout Gold Award Project in September 2010, Kate finally got her Gold Award! She also got a flag that was flown over the capitol, a letter from the President and more! Most importantly, the award enabled Kate to further develop her leadership skills and get into the college of her dreams. She chose a topic she was passionate about and developed a program for the Greensboro Children's Museum to continue annually. Kate focused on healthy, local eating. She let the girls harvest their sweet potato, bake it and make butter and homemade biscuits to accompany a healthy snack. The girls learned about ingredient listings on products, the food pyramid and appropriate serving sizes as well as their carbon foot print. It was an educational and fun experience for all involved! Out of our troop of 18 girls, only 5 girls got their Gold Award. Great job Kate!

Our New Rescue Dog Oliver!

2012-01-04T15:07:00.006-05:00

Yesterday we went to "look" at a precious cocker spaniel that needed a home. He had only one eye and had had 2 knee surgeries in the last 6 months. His name on the web site was Bandit. We did not care for the name but thought he looked adorable. So we set up a meeting with his foster mom for 8:30 am and we got up at 6:30 am so we could leave by 7 with Harper, Maggie, Cooper and Jack. I wanted my older boys to meet the new dog too. Well it was freezing- 20 degrees and windy. We had to meet Bandit outside. Brrrrrr!!! But we really liked him immediately. He was so sweet. A little skinny and shaved almost bare but cute as a button! So we took him home. The big dogs seemed uninterested at first and then maybe a little annoyed with the young tyke who never stopped moving! Can dogs have ADHD? Feeding the 3 was a little scary because nobody wanted to "share" but I solved that problem and breakfast this morning was a piece of cake. The dogs also slept great last night and it was the puppy's first night NOT in a crate. So life with 3 dogs has not been bad at all. It has been comical at times and I have walked the dogs more than when I had two. So a big thank you to Harper for helping me complete my "canine" family!

Peruvian delight

2011-11-05T17:07:00.002-04:00

Lilly had to make a dessert from Peru this weekend for her AP Human Geography class. I asked if we could buy something and got "the look"- like how stupid are you. Oh well. She found a recipe on line and I shopped for the ingredients then let her have the kitchen. These little cookies took HOURS! Make the batter then refrigerate for 2 hours, while making a flan in the oven for 90 minutes. After that, roll dough, cut cookies, bake, cool then assemble. It was a strange assortment of flavors too. Lemon, vanilla, custard and then rolled in coconut. Well, they tasted delicious and looked great and went over well at school. So really I am that stupid! Well done Lils!

Halloween 2011

2011-11-03T16:31:00.005-04:00

We had a fun and festive Halloween this year! It was a little weird without Kate but we still had fun! Maggie was "the Mad Hatter" this year. She had been looking for a costume a full 2 months before Halloween. Once she found it, there was no changing her mind. We found it at Party City but it only came in preteen sizes, not kid sizes. No worries she assured me. It was a little low cut for my taste (unless she was a tart- which she isn't!) but she proposed wearing a pink shirt underneath. Great idea so we bought it on Oct. 3rd! Maggie did not try it on again until minutes before trick or treating so I was a little nervous. I must say she looked fabulous! The cutest Mad Hatter I have EVER seen! So she passed out candy at our house for a while then combed the neighborhood with Harper until the candy bag had a decent haul. Back at home she swapped candy with a neighbor for all her favorites then watched the Disney channel until 9 and ate her fill of candy. Happy Halloween!

Pumpkin Picking 2011

2011-10-27T09:24:00.001-04:00

Kate was home for fall break and we "had" to choose our pumpkin with her here- even though she will not be around for the carving or Halloween! Oh well. She was "home" for 5 days with a few overnights with friends at other schools. So the pumpkin outing had to be put off until the last day, hours before her departure back to Chapel Hill and minutes before a lunch date with friends. So glad she could squeeze us in! (just kidding) We went to the first "pumpkin patch" and snapped a few photos and began choosing THE pumpkin but then discovered they were not yet open-on a Sunday afternoon at 12:15 pm! So we headed to the next pumpkin patch and repeated the whole thing but in less time. It was too sunny and my subjects were less than cooperative for photos. Quickly chose fun gourds for our harvest themed center piece and few little ones and 2 big ones. We plan to only carve one but Maggie needed one to make a pumpkin man out of (who knows but pictures will follow later). Not the "invisible" pumpkin Harper was lobbying for! So it was a good end to fall break with the WHOLE family!!

Homecoming Dance 2011

2011-10-25T09:56:00.002-04:00

Lilly went to the Homecoming Dance this year with a SENIOR! It made big news at our house. The night before the dance, we went to a college parents' cocktail with our freshman and her date was a SENIOR (in high school) too! Funny coincidence! Lilly looked beautiful in a multi-shaded strapless dress of purples. And her date, Luke, wore a purple bow tie. They looked great together. We got to snap a few pictures before they headed off to dinner and the dance.

Spiders, snails and more!

2011-10-23T18:37:00.003-04:00

We had a rainy few days and after the creek went down a few feet Maggie and I went to explore. We found a gazillion crickets, huge spiders, slimy snails and many more creepy crawlies who had all come out after the rain stopped. It was cool and weird all at the same time!

Labor Day Lake Fun!

2011-09-08T12:22:00.002-04:00

We have had a big Labor Day weekend with the Carolina game Saturday and then went to the spend the day with our family and cousins and go out on the lake! It was a gorgeous day, not too hot, with a breeze and lots of sunshine! The kids got to tube and ski and just have fun together. We had a fabulous dinner that night at my sister-in-law's house. It was a great day for everyone!

First Football Game of the Season

2011-09-03T21:02:00.002-04:00

It was the first football game of the season AND MY FIRST TAILGATE WITH MY COLLEGE DAUGHTER!!! Kate as been as school for three weeks and this was my first opportunity to see her and hug her and spend a little time with her. Yipee! We headed down to Chapel Hill around noon for a 3:30 game. We went to Tarheel Town so Maggie and her friend could see the cheerleaders and team. Then we headed over to our tailgate to wait for Kate. Tarheel Town had inflatables and lots of other fun activities but Maggie opted to forgo them all to see Kate! It was so cute! Kate brought several friends and then had her suitemate drop by too. It was so great to see her!!!!!!! She stayed for about 30-45 minutes then went on to the game. Carolina won 42-10. It was a perfect football Saturday!

Jamboree 2011

2011-09-01T19:56:00.004-04:00

We spent all day last Saturday in Winston-Salem at a field hockey JAMBOREE! It really was a fun day. The girls left at 7:15 for their first game at 8:30. Maggie and I came around 8:45 after a coffee and bagel run. There were 4 scheduled games through out the day with a lunch break. Lilly started in 3 of the games and due to some paroneal tendinitis did not play the last game. We won 1 game, tied 2 games and lost 1 game (to a seasoned team, I might add). The girls played well and it was fun to watch. The day was windy (due to Hurricane Irene) and mostly overcast with some sun and temps in the mid 80's. Nice day for field hockey. We are looking forward to a great season at Page!!

First Day of 3rd, 10th and . . .

2011-08-26T09:48:00.001-04:00

Well this will be the first year (in 18 years!!) that I do not have pictures of all my girls on the first day of school. I asked Kate what she would be wearing and if she could send me a picture. No such luck! So I planned to get pictures of the other two the morning before leaving for school. Maggie was excited and ready early. Her bus comes at 7:14 am this year so the fact that she was ready was a miracle. She went to bed at 10 because she was so excited for the first day of third grade! Anyway, she posed and smiled and completely complied with my wishes. Daughter number two not so much. Lilly now goes later, 8:55 am is when school begins so you would have thought I had plenty of time to snap a quick photo. Unfortunately not! Lilly is now riding to school with a "hot" boy down the street so she had FORBIDDEN me to take any photos once he pulled up. And she was not ready a second earlier so she dashed out to his car. I managed to get a few of them driving away. This really does not count.

Magical Weekend

2011-08-25T09:36:00.003-04:00

Our sweet Maggie was in a play last weekend! It was Aladdin Jr. and there were 3 performances, 2 on Saturday and 1 on Sunday. The play was a culmination of a two week camp that was ALL DAY EVERY DAY. But Maggie LOVED every minute of it. And it showed! The play was adorable and she really did shine! Now she plans on auditioning for another play this fall. Who know we might have an actress in the family. She definitely has a flare for drama! She has been singing all the songs from the play and doing the dances too! IT was a wonderful end of summer event for the whole family!

She has left the nest!

2011-08-20T11:21:00.005-04:00

We moved our oldest daughter, Kate, into her college dorm yesterday! It was exciting and a little sad (for the family left behind). Her sisters were definitely a little sad after saying goodbye. I was too, of course, but also excited about her new chapter she is beginning!! The move in went very well. Her room is adorable and the roommates and suitemates all seem to be great girls. We had to stage the move in into 2 waves because Maggie is in a play this weekend and had dress rehearsal and couldn't leave until 3:30pm. Harper, Kate and Lilly left about noon and had everything moved in, unpacked and sorted by the time I got there! Yipee for me so all I had to do was "fluff" the room a bit. We went to dinner with the roommate, her parents and the 2 suitemates and their parents. That was really fun! Everyone got to know each other and we all seemed to have a lot in common! After a 5 minute walk back to the girls' dorm and some picture taking we left. I kept wanting to call or text my girl and find out what was going on but I didn't. It is almost noon the following day I haven't heard from her yet. . . I miss my baby already!!

Camping with Maggie

2011-07-28T09:15:00.007-04:00

We found ourselves with 2 big sisters gone and 1 Maggie who was dying to go camping. This had been a goal of hers last summer and we never could go. SO... on a Tuesday at 4 we left the city in search of cooler temperatures and a fun overnight camping adventure. We traveled only 40 minutes away to Hanging Rock State Park. There we found campsite #32 and pitched the tent. Already Maggie was claiming this to be the "best camping trip EVER". Off to a good start, we then decide to go hiking up to Hanging Rock. It was about 1.3 miles one way, up hill and should take about 40 minutes. The hike was nice but HOT!!! Even at 6:30 pm! It got quite a bit steeper as we neared the summit but was a fun outing. The dogs were exhausted at the top and we were all sweaty! But the view was AMAZING!! We hung out for a while then headed back down and to the campsite. Maggie got to experience a pay phone for the first time since there was no cell service here. We cooked a yummy steak dinner with hobo packets of beer soaked potatoes, carrots, fire toasted bread and brie and ended with s'mores, of course! We were in the tent by 11 and asleep by 12. Then up by 6 am! We then started the fire and began making breakfast. Eggs, hashbrowns, bacon and toast. Packed up camp by 8 and went on a short hike to the waterfalls. It was a great, quick camping trip. Maggie said it was "epic"!

Graduation

2011-07-24T11:21:00.000-04:00

I cannot believe it has been one month since my Katie graduated from high school. Life was so crazy then and I could not find the time to blog. But the good news is that graduation was a really nice ceremony, Katie enjoyed it and the family dinner beforehand was delicious and fun! After the ceremony, Katie then went to an after party from 11-3 am! Yikes! glad I did not have to wait up for her. But she did wake me up to tell me all about it at 1 am and again when she got home at 3:30 am. So glad she had a blast with her friends. They went to the beach the next day and she has been busy ever since!!! Looks like we will move her into her dorm on August 19th, and she returns from camp on August 18th! She really is leaving home and it feels like she already has. I feel that she is ready and will make the transition to college easily. Katie (who will be going by Kate, now) is very excited about college life and can't wait to get there. Good luck sweet girl!!

Anna Maria Island, Florida

2011-07-23T10:56:00.001-04:00

The drive was LONG ( and I got a speeding ticket on the way down) but once we got there it was beautiful. The Gulf was a gorgeous light blue and nice and cool! The weather was lovely too. Hot, sunny with only one day of rain. We enjoyed our family, sleeping late, running together daily, and a fun forth of July. Unfortunately, Katie had to fly home early to be at work at camp. The rest of us drove home on Saturday (again long and Harper got a speeding ticket this time). It might be cheaper for us to fly!

Yummy Breakfast Times Three

2011-07-22T10:42:00.000-04:00

Harper and I have been watching Treme - the HBO series that is about post-Katrina New Orleans. We got a hankering for some Cafe Du Monde coffee and beignets. So on Sunday we made coffee and beignets! Maggie at first said that she did not "eat" beignets but quickly changed her mind after the first bite. She ate SIX! It was a delicious breakfast after a 5 mile trail run! I made them again on Monday for Lilly's birthday breakfast and again on Tuesday. We will now take a break, for at least a few months, before indulging in this high fat, but oh, so sweet french delicacy.

Lilly's Birthday!

2011-07-21T10:15:00.002-04:00

Happy 15th Birthday to my sweet Lilly! It was day of sleeping late, going to the DMV to get a learner's permit and a family lunch so the birthday girl could hang with friends that night. All plans started off pretty well until we got to the DMV. We only allowed about 45 minutes to get the permit before meeting everyone for lunch. There was a massive line that just continued to grow so we stayed. We ended up waiting for one and half hours but she PASSED!!!!! We ended up meeting everyone at 1:40 (instead of 12:30) at Sticks and Stones. It was a good lunch but a little rushed since everyone else had eaten. Anyway, Lilly drove Maggie and I around the neighborhood after lunch and before her friends came over. I think she will be an excellent driver, but right now she is a little reluctant to leave the neighborhood. Lilly went to dinner at Tex and Shirley's and then for ice cream at Ben and Jerry's. I think she had a good birthday!

Lake George, NY @ The Sagamore

2011-06-24T22:38:00.000-04:00

We are at a beautiful resort, however, the weather is cold and rainy. I mean it rains a lot every day! They say it will pass but looking at the forecast it is not going to pass until Sunday- when we will start the 12 hour drive home. That is a bummer! But we still are managing to have a great time. Yesterday, after a fabulous breakfast on a wrap around porch overlooking Lake George, Maggie and some new friends went geocaching! We did 3 successfully and only one was a bust. We saw a lot of unknown parts of Bolton Landing and discovered 2 "hidden" beaches. The kids had a ball and walked at least 9000 steps! After lunch, the kids went to the REC room to play putt-putt, basketball, wiffle ball and more. I went for a run and did 2 loads of laundry. We took a boat ride around Lake George to the Lake George Yacht Club for dinner. It was really something to see! It was a 100 year old swimming, sailing and golf club that has a 9 year waiting list and only open from May to October. Fun evening! Keeping my fingers crossed that the rain will subside for tomorrow.

Vermont here we come!

2011-06-23T18:07:00.010-04:00

We left Baltimore early to head to Vermont! Of course we stopped by THB first for some "Towson Hot Bagels"! We drove to Princeton, NJ for a coffee break. Had to enter the campus illegally but it was beautiful and we left with 3 t-shirts. Stopped in Albany for a bathroom break then hit Manchester for a late pizza lunch by 3:00. Vermont was beautiful! We stayed at the Manchester View Inn and had a great dinner at Gringo Jacks! After a yummy breakfast of blueberry pancakes and Vermont syrup at Up For Breakfast, we did a horseback riding trail ride in Danby. Around noon we went to Middlebury, Vt. for lunch. Dessert was had at the Ben & Jerry's Factory!! We also managed a quick geocache before heading to Burlington. We stayed waterfront on Lake Champlain in Burlington. It was beautiful. we did a couple more geocaches while the big girls got ready for dinner then went to a pedestrian mall and ate outside. University of Vermont is located here and I would have considered it had I known how much I would LOVE Vermont. On Wednesday morning before heading to NY, Harper and I went for a run on the bike path around Lake Champlain. The lake is so much bigger and longer than I ever thought! We actually have to take a ferry across the lake today to get to the Adirondacks. So far our family adventure this summer has been awesome!

We visit BALTIMORE!

2011-06-22T17:52:00.003-04:00

We drove 7 hours with LOTS of traffic to get to Baltimore to stay with our great friends the Meaghers! My bunch was so excited to see them again and we met downtown at the Cross Street Market for delicious oysters and crabcakes. We then walked up Federal Hill before heading back to Towson. That night we got to have Maryland crabs! It was a new experience for us all! Even my vegetarian tried crab. And Harper managed to eat a lung before Tony's tutorial let him know not too. Very funny! On day two we went for a walk, had THB for breakfast, went on a trail run/walk and then to Fells Point for a late lunch and walking around. It was a great trip with great friends that we all enjoyed!! Thanks for having us!!!

first swim meet of 2011

2011-06-10T10:15:00.002-04:00

Our first meet was last night against Sherwood. We have lots of friends on the opposing team so it was a fun rivalry! Maggie swam in 5 events- medley relay, back, free, butterfly and free relay- so we were there until 10pm (on a school night!). It was really fun and we won! Go Blue Dolphins! But the following day after practice Maggie was sad because she did not beat her own time. She had gotten a 5th place and 2- 8th places (out of 42 swimmers)! Her times were LESS THAN 1 SECOND "slower" than time trials. So then I had to show her how fast 1 second actually was. Hopefully she can improve and get one of the highly sought after "beat your own time" ribbons next week!

End of 2nd Grade

2011-06-09T09:58:00.000-04:00

I cannot believe we are already at the END of 2nd grade! It was a great year with a fabulous teacher and class!! Maggie thrived in all areas and loved just about every minute. Today she told me that science was her favorite subject- "even more than lunch and recess". Well, since lunch and recess are not technically subjects, I guess that is good news! She also discovered many new authors and read lots of great books thanks to her teacher. The party was a huge success with Papa John's Pizza, watermelon, and chips, many games (including the cake walk, twister and water balloon toss), t-shirt signing and an ice cream truck! HELLO SUMMER!

EPIC spring break trip!

2011-06-08T07:04:00.000-04:00

My senior headed to the NC coast with a bunch of kids and no chaperone so I got on a boat and left the country. I really did- but on the Norwegian Epic cruise ship headed to Mexico and Honduras! We had the best time!!!! It was even better than I had imagined. We saw Mayan ruins (cool but sweltering hot), did a zipline tour in a rainforest and held baby monkeys. It was 7 nights which I wondered if it might be a little long but it was not at all. I hated to leave. Especially with the 15 hour car ride home. Overall I would say it was the best spring break trip ever- just wish my oldest had been with us! We will definitely do another!

Prom photos

2011-06-07T14:44:00.000-04:00

I was having computer problems in April and May so I didn't post anything but I am back in business now so I thought I would catch up on some important events! Here are a few photos from the prom! It turned into a rainy afternoon so the outdoor photos were cancelled and moved into H's office building lobby. Not ideal but worked perfectly.

One more is CONFIRMED!

2011-06-06T07:29:00.000-04:00

Lilly was confirmed at our church yesterday. It was a beautiful service with Bishop Curry. He was charismatic and very funny during the sermon and so personable to the kids! Afterwards we took all the family and Lilly's sponsor's family out to brunch at a favorite spot. It was a really nice day and Lilly looked beautiful in her white dress!

Senior Fiesta!

2011-06-05T18:19:00.003-04:00

Katie had a graduation party with 10 other girls at the Kress Terrace, overlooking downtown Friday night! Beautiful night, great weather and not too hot! It was a fiesta theme with a DJ outside. We had about 300 kids and it was so much fun! Parents were chaperones and our shift was 8-10 (so glad I had the earlier shift!). Cannot believe that my baby will graduate in 8 days!!!!! I am so very proud of you Katie B- oops! I mean Kate!

Happy St. Paddy's Day in Chicago!

2011-04-11T16:35:00.002-04:00

D and P took Maggie to Chicago for her 8th birthday and I tagged along! It was a great 4 day trip! We stayed on the 48th floor of a high rise 2 blocks from Michigan Avenue. We visited the American Girl Store for shopping and doll hair appointments one day and then went for lunch the next day! We also saw the river dyed green for St. Patrick's Day, visited Shedd Aquarium and the Museum of Life and Science. We saw a fabulous IMAX about Tornado Alley, ate yummy desserts, rode taxis and buses and airplanes and had an "AWESOME" time! It was a wonderful birthday trip for all 4 of us!!! Thanks D and P! We love you!

Will She Notice?

2011-03-17T13:45:00.004-04:00

My senior in high school has her SENIOR PROM coming up in 3 weeks. The good news: she has both a dress and a date, as of 7 pm last night! The dress she found a couple of weeks ago and ordered online. Oh so very confidant that she would also have a date. I had no doubts either! Yesterday, after a rocky week of secret texts between the date and the younger sister (which was driving Katie crazy), the question was popped! Pierce came over to our house after Katie had left for work and wrote in HUGE chalk letters on the street "Katie, Prom? - Pierce". He let Maggie help color in the letters in Carolina blue chalk which she thought was so cool. Katie was to come home about 7 and I had to invent a lie to make sure she came directly home. But at 6:55, the rest of the family and a handful of neighbors were all outside to witness her arrival. The biggest question we all had- would she slow down enough to notice the question? We knew her answer to the posed question, of course!

BEWARE the Ides of March!

2011-03-15T20:11:00.005-04:00

My baby got an expander and braces today. OMG! It has been one month since Lilly got them off and now my 8 year old has them (only on the top, but that counts). She was so brave today. And tonight her mouth is killing her! She went to bed at 7:15 pm so she could "just forget about it". Poor, sweet baby! I have to crank the expander 2 notches tomorrow and it is going to kill me as much as it hurts her! IT is so hard being a mother!

Mock Trial Competition 2011

2011-02-13T09:18:00.000-05:00

Saturday my oldest was involved in the Regional Wade Edwards Mock Trial Competition. It was to be held at the High Point Courthouse. She had to leave at 8 am. I arrived by 10 for the first competition. It was an easy victory for the first round. Our team was very good and experienced. We broke for lunch at 12:30 then had to be back in court by 2 for round two. This was a little harder. Both teams were good and it was a close call as to who won. But amazingly, WE WON! So now was 5 pm and the team had to prepare for the final round K. burst into tears because she was shocked they won and she did not really want to do it again. IT had already been a long day. But she rallied and really shined in the final trial. Her cross examinations and closing argument were awesome! The other team (besides wearing hooker heels they could NOT walk in ) was really good too and had won last year. It was a tough competition but at 7 pm the judge awarded our team with the "best attorney" and "best witness". We thought we had won but they gave the victory to the other team. Unbelievable! They said they had never seen the losing team get both best attorney and best witness but lose. Oh well, it was very exciting and a fun day, but very L O N G.

Lilly Gets Her Braces Off!

2011-02-11T11:14:00.002-05:00

Lilly got her braces off on Monday and her teeth look GREAT! Really beautiful smile on my beautiful girl! She is equally pleased and thus very motivated to wear that retainer 24/7. It has been 4 days and she is doing great with it! One week before she got her braces off, I took my youngest to the orthodontist. She will be getting an expander and 6 braces on March 15. So I plan to enjoy my one month free of the trips to the orthodontist!

Dangerous Combination

2011-02-07T18:10:00.004-05:00

Two dogs and one pack of sugarless Orbit sweet mint gum don't make a good combination. On Super Bowl Sunday, about 9:15 pm I discovered a shredded package that use to contain 13 sticks of gum. My oldest had taken one out and left the package on the kitchen table. Well, I thought Jack ate the gum and remembered it could be fatal so I called the after hours vet. I was directed to bring him in as soon as possible. Problem was I did not see either dog with any gum wrappers and neither had "sweet mint" breath so I took both Cooper and Jack to the vet at 9:40pm. After making both dogs vomit ( for only $500- I am not kidding!) and inspecting it for gum, we discovered that Cooper had eaten ALL 13 pieces. Some were even intact and in the wrappers and according to my husband, "could be passed out to friends" ( yeah, right). So now we had to leave Cooper hospitalized for the night (for another $250) so they could check his blood sugar every two hours and monitor him. We were up all night phoning the vet to check on Cooper and I picked him up at 7:15 am. I fed him and walked him then called my vet. She wanted him for the day to continue monitoring him (that was only $80- what a bargain!). Now it is 6:00 pm and Cooper is home resting. We think he will be fine but have to watch for liver damage this week. Yuck! Moral of this story: XYLITOL, the sweetener in all sugarless gum, is HIGHLY TOXIC TO DOGS!!!! We no longer allow gum in the house.

My baby turns EIGHT!

2011-01-24T15:23:00.004-05:00

We have been "coaching" M. to not grow a year older for, ah about 4 years now. "Forever Four", "Forever Five", "Stay Six", "Stay Seven" we chant each year but it is not working. She keeps getting bigger and older. She is my absolute last baby and I need for each year to be a double year from 4 on. I really enjoy the 4-9 year old. So to have two of each of these would be FABULOUS! Now if I could just wiggle my nose and make that happen. Oh well, the day has come and gone and M. turned EIGHT! She was delighted of course! We had a family lunch at Sticks and Stones for some yummy pizza and lots of presents! Then a trip to the party store to get huge, orange balloons inflated along with some regular balloons for the party. A party with girls AND BOYS! Eleven of each at an inflatable party place. We also got the black light/glow stick option to amp up the fun. It was frenetic, loud, not nearly long enough, and a whole lot of fun for the 2nd graders! The party was followed by a super secret sleepover for 5 of the girls. This is where the party started to loose a little bit of its luster. It was too much. M. was tired, the girls were loud, rowdy and a few were high maintenance. It was the L O N G E S T sleepover of my life. Eleven hours and they only slept for less than six. The bottom line- no more sleepovers with that many girls! (And probably not after a great party!)

day 4 of no school

2011-01-12T21:39:00.002-05:00

On Monday, after we stayed up late on Sunday night finishing the science experiment, a snow storm was predicted. Well school was cancelled. I was notified at 5 am by my middle daughter, 5:30 am by the school system, then my alarm went off at 6:45 am and then the dogs. So I did not get any "extra"sleep. The snow finally started around 4 pm. And we got about 1" tops. It was a mix of snow and ice. Day two, we slept late since school was called at 8 pm. M. got to "sled" down our icy driveway with her dad but really it was not good snow. No snowman or snowball fights. Day three, school was called off at 5 pm the night before. Roads were icy in the morning but a lot melted off with the temperatures in the mid 30's. Ok, so now at 8 pm, school has been called off AGAIN! Enough already. I am leaving for Vegas tomorrow just to escape. No, really, I am going but it was already scheduled. But now I really feel I need and deserve it!

Science Experiment 2011

2011-01-10T14:19:00.003-05:00

After putting off the experiment for a full week, although we should have done this over the holiday break, we have finished! Last night about 9 pm! Then, as luck would have it, no school today because of the threat of snow. No flakes yet- at 2:21pm! M. was super excited to conduct her first science experiment. We ran through a list of possibilities before arriving at the "winner". One of the rejected ideas- watching a scary movie every night before bed to see if it caused nightmares. Yeah, right, I vetoed that one right away because guess who would be the one losing sleep when in fact, scary movies DID cause nightmares. Then L. and H. set out to terrorize my baby to see if she would get scared. It worked! She screamed, cried and did not trust them for about a week. So we settled on an experiment to see if "lefties" were more ambidextrous than "righties". Each participant got 3 throws of a bocci ball to get it closest to the target with both dominant and non-dominant hands. Turns out lefties are not more ambidextrous but they are more accurate. Cool, huh? Next year I promise we will start much earlier!

The homemade gifts for 2010!

2011-01-02T16:30:00.000-05:00

Every year I make my girls something for Christmas. I have made pajamas, dolls, matching doll p.j.'s, purses, photo albums, hats and scarves, sock animals and much more. This year I decided to skip it. But I kept having thoughts of what a bad mother I was NOT making something, so on December 20th (and we exchange gifts on Dec. 24th) I went to my local yarn store for inspiration. I found the perfect solution! Fingerless gloves with a beautiful cable pattern and picot edging! Got great yarn in a washable wool blend in marine blue and a steel blue then began knitting. Almost 24 hours a day!!! I made 2 pairs which I finished on Dec. 23rd and one sock (with the second one not quite finished) so all 3 girls had a gift handmade by Mom under the tree! I felt much better and the older girls LOVED the gloves and even requested that I make them socks too! M. was sweet and mentioned that she really would like another sock to go with the one I gave her! Back to the knitting needles!

Happy New Year!

2011-01-01T17:02:00.003-05:00

We are all happy and fat thanks to that Pioneer Woman cookbook! I have used a half gallon of whole milk, 8 sticks of real butter, 2 pounds of powdered sugar, a bag of flour and 2 pounds of sugar in the past 24 hours! There is no end in sight! H. made chicken fried steak last night with mash potatoes and all of it under gravy. He wants it noted that we have some parts of our quarter of a cow that needed to be eaten so we had to get creative with the recipes. It was yummy but I don't think I can eat it again 7 more times! Note there are no greens anywhere in sight. But thanks for cooking honey! This morning I made PW cinnamon rolls from scratch. They took about 2 hours but were worth the wait. My oldest told me it was the best thing I have EVER made and H. said they were better than Cinnabon. All I know is that I made half to recipe and it was 25 rolls - so everyone has to eat FIVE! I took some to our neighbors but H. would not let many out of the house. They really were divine!!! Now tonight we are having PW mac and cheese. L. has said that we need to eat more because with all the leftovers (scones, cinnamon rolls, chicken fried steak, mash potatoes, mac and cheese)there is no more room for new food.

Cooking all weekend! PW style!

2010-12-31T11:21:00.003-05:00

Got up early this morning to walk the dogs and make maple pecan scones with icing for the family. I got a the new Pioneer Woman's cookbook from my sister-in-law and wanted to try out a few of the recipes! I was planning on making the cinnamon rolls on New Year's Day for breakfast but my very own Marlboro Man requested the scones first. So I made them and they were delicious!! It took about an hour but worth the wait (and weight, based on the amount of butter, heavy cream and 1 pound of powdered sugar involved). Tonight we are having chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes and fried onion strings- all from the PW. Check tomorrow for the review!

holiday treats

2010-12-27T10:47:00.001-05:00

Christmas was filled with family, gifts, food and fun! We played new Wii games of Glee karioke and U Draw. Got to spend quality time with family we don't see everyday And all kinds of yummy holiday foods! Santa was good to us all! Merry, merry Christmas and looking forward to a Happy New Year!

A WHITE CHRISTMAS!

2010-12-26T10:33:00.002-05:00

It has snowed for a full 24 hours now and we have about 6 inches of snow! It is the first white Christmas for my town in my life!! The big girls flew out to NYC today until Thursday and M. enjoyed the snow with family and friends! Now we are back inside, in front of the fire with hot chocolate and biscuits! I see movies, Wii, and reading the NY Times in my future! Great Christmas treat!

Skating in downtown!

2010-12-18T18:34:00.002-05:00

Our downtown just got ice skating rink. It is temporary, just for the the winter, and small but was a lot of fun today! There were lots of people and you just rent skates and go! The music was blasting and the snow flakes started falling so it was a winter wonderland for a little while!

A lucky break!

2010-12-16T09:51:00.000-05:00

Our high school got our early yesterday- real early, 10:30 am. Turns out a student hit the transformer about 8am and literally knocked out all the power and heat to the school. The kids were held in first period until all the buses could be rounded up and brought back. I got to take my 2 girls (and a few friends) out to lunch to P.F. Chang's. Fun, unexpected day out of school. And the best part is that it will not have to be made up since only one school was involved. Everybody was "thanking" the kid who hit the pole on facebook (there were no injuries to the kid, just the car and transformer).

A Star is Born!

2010-12-15T15:17:00.004-05:00

M. had a lead in her school musical yesterday. She also has had a cold and missed school both Monday and Tuesday. I took her in for play practice then brought her home. Well , the performances were OUTSTANDING! She did a fabulous job and enjoyed every minute of it. She had lots of speaking parts, even taking over for another child last week. She apparently "saved" the show and her teachers gave her a small gift in appreciation. So now she is a STAR at our house. She was not nervous at all. The funniest part was she really knew everyones lines because we could see her mouthing the lines when other were speaking. Hilarious! Now she is definitely trying out for the Wizard of Oz next year!

Snow much fun!

2010-12-13T14:17:00.003-05:00

College, snow and birthday!

2010-12-05T16:56:00.000-05:00

It started snowing about 12:30 pm Saturday and continued for hours and hours! Fun little oddity and the earliest I can remember. But it was H.'s birthday so that made it and extra lucky one, according to M. And K. got into the University of Georgia! Great weekend all the way around! We celebrated both the birthday(dinner at our favorite Vietnamese place) and the college acceptance (champagne, balloons and red M&Ms).

Happy Holidays

2010-12-04T16:48:00.006-05:00

I am so happy because the holiday lighted balls are hanging in my front trees, the Christmas tree is bought and decorated and my cards are mailed! Whew! Now I can get on with the buying and wrapping of gifts! Ho! Ho! Ho!

Thanksgiving Island Style

2010-11-30T09:25:00.011-05:00

We headed to Bald Head for Thanksgiving and it was wonderful! I absolutely love the ferry ride over where you get to leave all your "troubles" behind and get on "turtle time". We had great weather, a great rental house and a lovely Thanksgiving feast, that we did not have to prepare and clean up! We had fun on the beach, ran a 5K, biked all over and enjoyed time with family and friends.

1st Awards Ceremony in 2nd Grade

2010-11-25T11:47:00.002-05:00

M. was going for citizenship. I mean she really, really wanted the citizenship award. Why, I do not know. All we knew for sure was that she was getting some award. I arrived with my camera all set to record the occasion. Turns out she did not get citizenship but did get TWO others. I secretly hoped this would make up for the coveted one. She got outstanding reader and outstanding homework. There were several kids who got the reading award but only one homework award. Okay, I thought homework was mandatory and, of course, you would always do your best on it. Whatever, just glad it was my kid with the outstanding homework. Now I am justified for making her do it daily and to an "outstanding" job on it each and every time! Go Mom! Maybe next quarter I can get the outstanding homework drill Sargent award!

Wild West Birthday

2010-11-24T11:29:00.000-05:00

Our next door neighbor had a western birthday complete with ponies, thanks to Nana! It was a perfect, sunny and warm November day for a backyard birthday. M. was dressed for the party, not exactly as a cowgirl but awfully darn cute! She had a "fairy" party later in the day so she was trying to dress for both. They had a fire for roasting hot dogs and marshmallows too! Great party! HAPPY BIRTHDAY ELLA!

A happy Thanksgiving (early)

2010-11-23T11:06:00.003-05:00

We are going out of town with my husband's family for a long Thanksgiving weekend so we had Thanksgiving with my family early- on Saturday! We also fried a turkey for the first time. And not just any turkey but a local, fresh turkey! We rubbed it first with some awesome spices then cooked it for about 35-40 minutes. It was the moistest turkey I have ever eaten!! We also had yummy green beans with walnuts, goat cheese and a vinaigrette, sweet potatoes, corn pudding, mashed potatoes, squash, cranberry bourbon compote, brie and chive buttermilk biscuits and a jello salad. For dessert a pumpkin cheesecake with gingersnap/pecan crust and pecan tarts and chocolate pie. It was a feast that we enjoyed sharing with our family, who I am so thankful for!

Fall Foliage/Eye Candy

2010-11-17T12:58:00.004-05:00

Football Saturday

2010-11-15T16:30:00.003-05:00

Perfect afternoon in Chapel Hill for a football game! Gorgeous blue skies and the beautiful fall leaves. Unfortunately we did not get the outcome we were hoping for but we did have fun. Kick off was at 3:30 but we were there by 1 to tailgate and the girls went to part of a NCAA field hockey game! GREAT DAY!

Pirate Pace 5K

2010-11-13T11:36:00.003-05:00

We had a 5K for my youngest's school this morning! It was a beautiful fall day, a crisp 39 degrees but warming up. The course was unbelievably hilly but I won (in our family) with a time of 29:10. H. finished in 30 and K. and M. who ran together with no stops, finished in 38 minutes! L. refused to get up so we subbed one of K's best friends in. Fun for our whole "family"!

Good Eats!

2010-11-08T08:51:00.003-05:00

Found the most fabulous dish this weekend. It was so good, I made it three times! It was lunch on Saturday for K. and I, then dinner for me on Saturday night (home alone with only my 7 year old), and then brunch on Sunday after church for K. and I again. DELICIOUS!! I took thick slices of country bread and made cheddar french toast with thyme (key ingredient) served with yummy cooked thick slices of tomatoes. The french toast batter is heavy cream, two eggs, sharp cheddar cheese finely grated, salt, pepper and THYME. Soak the slices 1-2 minutes per side and cook over medium heat in a skillet adding a little of the cheese left in the batter with a fork to each side. Cook until golden brown on each side. Wipe skillet then add a little olive oil and a thick slices of tomato, salting and peppering each side. Cook 2 minutes per side and serve along side the cheddar french toast. Oh So Good!!

And K. cooked up some good eats for her soccer buddies who were playing (and winning) the 2nd round of the State Championships!

Eco- explorer!

2010-11-07T08:49:00.002-05:00

My Brownie Girl Scout troop helped a relatively new community in our city by planting hundreds of trees. We actually planted 4-5 but there were about 200 people out on a chilly Saturday morning to help with this big project. The girls learned the value of trees and how they help the earth. We planted mostly Maples, whose roots grow out and not down (I did not know that!). We were out there for about 3 hours and the temperature never got past 40 so our little toesies were FROZEN! We came home and put on Uggs with socks and had some hot chocolate! Great morning for M. and me!

Feel (ah, taste) the Love

2010-11-06T12:35:00.002-04:00

This has been a cold week! I made homemade chicken pies for dinner this week and each was personalized with the vegetables of choice and even a "chicken free" chicken pie for my vegetarian. The pies had an initial or sign to designate its owner. They were delicious!!

Last Field Hockey Game-Rnd. 1 of State Championships

2010-11-04T09:12:00.003-04:00

Well our team made it to the playoffs! Exciting on one hand since the team has only been in existence for 2 years and a bummer on the other because we are a little tired and the girls need more time to study! It was also our senior night where the 5 seniors on the team are honored! That part was very nice and we had a great time at the game. The team played really well and had LOTS of shots on goal (just no goals!) but lost in sudden death overtime. Rough way to end it, especially for the seniors. But we will be back next year!! Loved having both my girls on the same team for a season!!

Trick or Treat!

2010-11-03T09:00:00.000-04:00

Busy night at our house. We had a neighborhood halloween party then I took L. to hang out with some friends, K. went to dinner with a friend after finishing up the UNC application and H. took M. trick-or-treating with friends all around the neighborhood. He said they must have walked 2 miles and based on the candy haul, I would agree! When K. returned, she and I passed out candy and just talked. It was fun hanging out together! A good night was had by all!

Choosing the perfect pumpkin!

2010-11-02T14:28:00.004-04:00

This was the latest we had ever bought and carved our pumpkin! And it was October 31st at 2:30 pm. The big girls were at field hockey practice so we just had M. Went to the place we had always gone, a local church, whose youth group sells pumpkins as a fundraiser. So when my husband asked if the pumpkins were half price today, he was met with a "no". M. chose quickly and easily then posed with the wooden cut outs. Then we headed to Taste (again) with the whole family because it was so good yesterday! Carving followed close behind!

New "Taste" In Town

2010-11-01T06:30:00.000-04:00

Saturday after a really awesome time at the corn maze our whole bunch went to a new frozen yogurt spot in town. We now have about 4 of these, and all opened within the past 6 months. Weird. But this place was so cute and festive, self serve and had tons of toppings! Best of all it was DELICIOUS!!! I was just going to share a bite from everyone else but ended up getting my very own. My flavor: California tart with crunchy granola and fresh strawberries.

Corn Maze 2010

2010-10-31T18:00:00.000-04:00

Saturday our family was going to the corn maze if it killed me! I finally wrangled everyone in to the car about 1:45 pm. The corn maze's last day of operation was on Halloween and after we arrived we saw why. It was a bit beaten down and you could see through the rows of corn to the paths because it was so dried out. But we went anyway. After a lot of grumbling and paying the $36 admission, we headed in. The fastest time to complete was 29 minutes and the longest was several hours and a required a rescue by the establishment. We were aiming for a finish in under an hour, as some of us had to get back to work on college essays and UNC was playing at 3:30. We decided to stick together instead of breaking up into teams. There were some fighting among the girls, a corn fight with husks and even whole stalks, a look out bridge (where we did not take any photos) and after 30 minutes, a lot more grumbling! We finally escaped after 39 minutes. Had to use M. on her daddy's shoulders as a look out to chart our path. Whew! Then we headed to a silo filled with corn kernels and took a lot of photos!! So much family fun together! Hopefully I got one for the Christmas card!

Concert Fun with Carrie

2010-10-30T18:57:00.005-04:00

I was invited to go to Carrie Underwood last night with a group of women and was so excited. It was the best part of my week-so far! We went to a fun venue for drinks and appetizers beforehand and got to the concert about 9:15. We had to move some barricades to get our car in the closest lot and then found ourselves talking our way into the coliseum lounge before making it to our seats! It was so much fun! Carrie put on a great show and our seats were really good so we enjoyed the concert. There were lots of costume changes, fun props, and a packed arena.

Fun Friday Food!

2010-10-29T16:02:00.003-04:00

Traveled to W-S today (btw home of Krespy Kreme) for my youngest to do her portrait sitting. As a treat for sitting there posing- but really just drawing, we planned to go to Krespy Kreme on our way out of town with my mother-in-law. Now we have KK where we live too and go through the "drive thru" occasionally but we were going to one of the original ones!! And this is the one I went to every single Sunday after church to get 2 doughnuts (chocolate iced and a cinnamon apple). So the sitting went fine and we headed to the big KK. Upon entering we saw tons of halloween decorations and halloween doughnuts and MINI halloween doughnuts. I quickly asked if the minis were less calories and was assured they were (by the overweight sales person, but I am sure she was not overweight BECAUSE of the location of her job, that was just a coincidence). Instead of a dozen regular size my mother-in-law got us a box of 20 minis! So fun and so cute! We three ate a few and then I brought the rest home to my older girls. Now, who puts a half eaten doughnut back in the box. Who cares, that one, I am sure, has half as many calories as a mini. So I ate it! YUMMY!

Barn Party 2010

2010-10-24T15:13:00.010-04:00

It was a beautiful October day and we all were looking forward to going to our friends' Barn Party, at their farm, only 40 minutes away. We donned our jeans, cute tops and cowgirl boots. There were horses, cows, a blue grass band, square dancing and a bonfire with s'mores. What more could you ask for. It was a fun day, visiting with friends old and new!

Skate Night at IP!

2010-10-22T17:39:00.005-04:00

So exciting to M. when the school has "Skate Night"! I offered to pay one of my older girls to take her but my oldest was sick and the middle one reminded me that she took her last year because I was out of town. So that left me-since dad was out of town.

We went at 6:30 and stayed until 8 because I told her all 2nd graders had to leave then. She had a ball!! Skated all over, participated in the chicken dance and surfing contests. The hottest thing last night was a glowing pacifier that all ages had stuck in their mouths. When you suck, it glows. Super weird and I REFUSED to let M. have the $4 novelty that will make you look like a baby and ruin your teeth. Such a bad mommy.

Dixie Classic Fair 2010

2010-10-13T15:24:00.005-04:00

M. got to go to the Dixie Classic Fair on Saturday! She had been counting down the days for the past month!! Dawie and Poppy were heros because they agreed to spend SEVEN HOURS at the fair. M. is lucky that her grandparents will take her every year ( because her parents won't- just kidding). It was a beautiful fall day, lots of sun, so perfect for the event. They saw camels, goats, sheep and lots of chickens. Next were all the rides. M. rode bumper cars, giant swings, giant potato sack slide and the carousel. The highlight was some kind of clear, big ball that you get inside and try to walk across water. Based on the photos, it does look like fun! Well all 3 had a great day and ate lots of carnival food- but not the fried oreo or Krespy Kreme "burger". M. was exhausted after the day at the fair and promptly fell asleep on the ride home. Thanks D & P!

Spirit Week

2010-10-06T08:55:00.003-04:00

Everyday has a different theme or two. Today was army/character and my girls were a GI Jane- cute in Uggs, skinny jeans, army tee and Juicy jacket and Blue from Blue's Clue. Yesterday was flashback day and the girls were 80's workout with leg warmers, ripped sweatshirt and leggings and a Native American. Monday was pj/sports day and my oldest was wearing pink zipup furry pjs with bunny feet and then L. was wearing her Tyler Hansborough tank. All this is leading up to the big game on Friday night against our biggest rivalry. We have won the football game for the past 3 years and are expected to win Friday too. But it is a huge, exciting week for our house and a big time sucker figuring out what to wear, where to buy the supplies and making the outfits. I hope the school work doesn't suffer!

The first college interview

2010-10-04T13:00:00.006-04:00

This morning my oldest had her first college interview. We took a family friend who was interviewing also (but it was not his first) so they could go together, making it more fun and less scary. Well, we laughed the whole way over. I think my girl was a bundle of nerves but maybe it helped ease her worries a little. We arrived early. T.'s interview was first at 9 am and then K's at 10:30. We met several other interviewees and picked their brains both before and after the interviews. K was prepared (relatively speaking) but then they called her 25 minutes EARLY and by her full name so she was just a little thrown initially. She ended up being interviewed by the guy who had done our campus introduction. He was young, funny and super smart. She emerged 25 minutes later- glad it was over, thought she did okay and now has 1 interview under her belt! Way to go! I am proud of you- especially because it was hard and scary!!!

Gold Award Project

2010-10-01T17:29:00.003-04:00

My oldest is working on her Gold Award- the highest award in Girl Scouting (I hesitate to say the equivalent of the Boy Scout Eagle because I feel our award is harder, thus MORE). It really is a family affair. Many details to attend to and lots of running around and gathering! We had to fit all that in around the homecoming dance and its preparations. So she had the big event on Sunday. It was a huge success and a lot of fun!! But we all collapsed afterwards. K actually went home and slept for 4 hours! She did a healthy and local eating project in the" Edible Schoolyard" at our local Children's Museum. The kids dug up sweet potatoes from the garden, cleaned and cooked them, made homemade butter and homemade biscuits and ate it all! They also made recipe books, planted basil and learned about healthy eating. Now if she can just finish the paperwork we can put it on the college applications!

Homecoming Continues

2010-09-28T17:14:00.004-04:00

The weekend continued with festivities for homecoming. There was a dance Saturday night and both my freshman and senior were going. Dresses were bought, boutonniere ordered, shoes bought, nails painted, brows waxed and hair done. The theme was Arabian nights and it was held in the school gym. I didn't see the decorations but could not imagine they could turn the gym into a lovely desert, but who knows! M. and I were instructed to take photos of the girls. We had to drive to two different locations and snag some Chick Filet for dinner in between. The first photo shoot was at a beautiful local garden and it was light enough that everyone looked really good. the second location was at an outside fountain, again lovely but it was getting dark so the pictures were not as good. Both girls had a good time. I finally got home around 9 and to bed by 1 am. Neither spent the night at home but called several times to fill me in on the dance details and let me know where they were. My girls were beautiful and I am so very proud of them!!!!

Friday Night Lights!

2010-09-27T21:09:00.004-04:00

It was our high schools homecoming weekend and everybody had big plans! First was the football game on Friday night. M. was suppose to "cheer" with the real cheerleaders before the actual game started since she had participated in a cheer camp last weekend. She was SO EXCITED!! (we got the bad news that she was not selected to perform in The Wizard of Oz play that afternoon so we really needed a super fun Friday night!!!) M. was dressed in black shorts, her cheerleading tee and a red ribbon in her pony tail. She looked adorable! About 22 little girls cheered around 7:15 then got to help welcome the football team on the field. It was very exciting!! She really had a ball- especially when they lifted her up for an "elevator". Yeah! (Thanks Becca for being so sweet to M, we love you!) And we won the game by a lot!

'Cause we didn't have enough holes already!

2010-09-14T09:44:00.004-04:00

My oldest added to her ear piercings this weekend- she now has 2 in each ear. Then I added one, a cartilage and then my middle also got her cartilage pierced. My youngest is still asking when she can get her ears pierced and my answer is "no way! you are too young!". We'll see how long we can hold out.

Labor day excursion!

2010-09-08T17:28:00.005-04:00

Went away with my husband last Wednesday through Sunday. He had a meeting so I tagged along. We went to South Beach, Miami, Florida.

It was smoking HOT!! High humidity every day coupled with high temperatures. Thankfully we stayed at a really nice hotel that had the air cranked. I was most looking forward to his speakers' dinner at the Versace mansion. Well it was nice but was so EXTREMELY HOT that it was hard to enjoy. The men there were soaked through (visibly) and the women were not much better, even though we were wearing a lot less. The home is now an exclusive hotel to the rich and famous. It is located on Ocean Drive in the middle of all the hubub. After this dinner we then went to the Delano. This was my top favorite spot in South Beach. It was beautiful with dark hardwood floors, huge columns and billowing white tie backs. And they were serving a delicious lychee martini- for $17! We opted for inside instead of out on the veranda after sweating through dinner. Fabulous time! On Friday, I went on a sailing adventure in Biscayne Bay on a 110 foot catamaran. Had my buddy, Kim, with me and we sailed, swam, saw dolphins and even got on a water trampoline. Fun afternoon together (with 70 of our closest friends, ha ha). So mostly I just read and basked in the sun around the pool. Went running once, but it was too hot. Went to the beach once, but it was too crowded. Started a new teen series The Hunger Games by S. Collins and finished the first and started on the second. Nice little way to end the summer!

We can check that one off the list!

2010-08-31T17:15:00.003-04:00

One of M.'s goals for the summer was to go bowling. Unbelievably she was dying to do this!! So on Saturday there was a Girl Scout bowling event. I signed up the family, then 2 opted out (yeah, K & L). So I let M invite a friend and we all went bowing. The shoes were awesome- slick, 2 toned, and funky. Add the "missmatched" socks of M. and you have got a look, maybe not a good look, but a look. Then we proceeded to pick out the balls. This was crucial we were told. So we finally found one for everybody. I went for a cool green one that weighed 8 lbs. M. and her friend go blue swirl ones that weighed 6 lbs. H. got a huge 15 lb. ball. (I 'm not going to mention the tasteless jokes I was subjected to about his ball). My first ball was a gutter ball. Bummer. But I did get better, even getting a strike and a couple spares. Ultimately H. won by ONE point. I was not happy! We bowled about 13 frames total then the girls totally lost interest. I think their little arms were exhausted. By the last frame it was the ball leading the way- even into another lane! It was a fun outing that we can now check off the summer to-do list!! Went to Yum Yums for hot dogs and ice cream afterwards.

First Goal and First Victory!

2010-08-27T16:51:00.004-04:00

Our "new" field hockey team had our season opener on Tuesday. We had a dinner the night before with lots of pasta to carbo load before the first game. The team captains, my K. being one, made hair ribbons and water bottles for all team members with their names and numbers painted on them. We looked good for the first game. New uniforms, matching hair accessories and some new moves! It was an exciting game with lots of action at the goal. Toward the end of the second half we finally scored! Scored for the first time EVER! We did not score a single goal last year, nor one at the Jamboree two weeks ago. It was thrilling!!! Then we held the other team for an additional 6 minutes or so and WON THE GAME!! The first win EVER! It was a little bittersweet only because my oldest and a senior and team captain was at home sick in bed and missed the game. So sorry K. The second game of the season was last night. And we were playing a very strong, seasoned team (actually my old high school but they did not have field hockey when I was in school). Last year we lost to them 10-0. This year they looked fabulous- fast, strong, tan and had great uniforms. They scored 6 in the first half. They scored 1 more in the second and 1 after the buzzer sounded, which also counted. So we lost 8-0. Better than last year but still a bummer! We will play them again in a month so hopefully we can improve before the next game. Still, way to go Pirates!!!

First day of school/last first day of high school!

2010-08-25T16:24:00.004-04:00

Big day at our house. There were many discussions about what to wear, how to wear our hair, which shoes looked the best, etc... Such is life with 3 girls. Everybody had a hard time settling down last night and then getting up this morning. M. was sure I was getting her up earlier than last year (not true). She was the last one up at 6:45 but the first ready by 7:05. And she was the first out the door to catch her bus at 7:24. She did announce that this year she thought she could walk to the bus stop alone- without me! I said no way!! I am not ready for my baby (whose in 2nd grade now) to leave without me watching her getting on the bus and getting my goodbye kiss. Not yet. I did say that I would let her walk home from the bus stop in the afternoons by herself ( I will be waiting on my front porch, thank you). It is the first day for L. in high school today. I told her to text me and let me know how it was going. I heard nothing. I called her after school but before FH practice and she said it was "okay". Not a lot of information from that. I hope all went well. Maybe I can get some more scoop from her sister or later tonight. Last first day of high school for my oldest. She was excited about her senior year and the idea of going off campus for lunch EVERYDAY! She is driving her sister everyday so now I drive no more school carpools- for one year! I plan on enjoying that one! So with my free day, I cleaned the girls rooms and bathrooms, went to the grocery and worked on Girl Scout stuff. I did get the girls fondant cookies from our favorite bakery!! I ate one already but there are still 4 left! Yipee! School is back in!

Zoe joins the family

2010-08-23T17:43:00.004-04:00

We broke down. I confess we really lost our minds yesterday and bought M. a guinea pig. She has been DYING for one for some time now. Everyday the sell gets a little more hard core. "Is it mostly a yes or mostly a no- just tell me, and you can always change your mind. But mostly a yes, right?" Apparently we gave her sisters the pets of their dreams- their very own pets, with fur or feathers. Technically, yes, we let K. get a parakeet and L. get a bunny- about 6 years ago. Both these pets lasted less than 6 months in our house, leaving simultaneously on Super Bowl Sunday. One went to a kindergarten teacher (the bunny, Mr. Whiskers) and one went to the big aviary in the sky (Tinkerbell). So M. has been lobbying for "her very own pet" all summer. First we said when K. went to college, buying ourselves a year to talk her out of it. Then it was when she turned 8, again buying 6 months at least. H. even showed her a YOUTUBE video of a guinea pig being eaten by a snake ( and a lot of cute g.p. videos too!) He pointed out how our two dogs had caught a baby rabbit in our yard and uh, shall we say, played with it to DEATH! He asked her to remember the sound of the bunny in the dog's mouth (like a squeaky toy, in case you are interested). M. was still convinced she needed and wanted a g.p. more than anything else, EVER! So on Saturday, we visited the pet store to get some fish and dog supplies. We spent one hour "looking" at all things guinea. I left dragging M. away in tears, telling me how unfair it was that she did not get her own pet (not including the 5 frogs she has had and 3 fish, and 2 family dogs). So, she wanted to go back to the pet store on Sunday to actually hold a g.p. and make sure I was not allergic to them. This was a very thought out plan. She wanted both H. and I to be there. So we went. We held a g.p. and yes it was cute, even seemed to have some personality. There was a much cheaper one too- a resue g.p. So I thought we should at least consider this one too. We asked to hold it but M. was not able too and I barely could keep the deranged thing in my hands either. Once we put her back in the cage she ran around like a possessed creature. Turns out that one had been dropped on her head. So we paid three times as much for the nice, docile, tri-colored female. M. thanked and hugged me a million times before leaving the pet store and told me she couldn't believe she had her very own g.p. (yeah, right!). Zoe made an excellent transition to our home and M.'s room with a mansion of a cage, her personal hot pink igloo, toys, water bottle, treats, hay, and bedding.

P.S. Oh, one of the reasons we opted for the g.p. instead of a smaller hamster or gerbil was because those guys are nocturnal and we did not need anything disturbing our sleep. Well, on night one with Zoe, I was up until 12:30 am with M. who was convinced the dogs were going to get her new pet/best friend. She was having nightmares about all that stuff her dad told her about the snake, the bunny and our sweet spaniels. Thanks honey!

Sunday Morning

2010-08-23T09:32:00.003-04:00

I got up about 7 to walk the dogs before church and I found K.'s car "wrapped". As in saran wrapped with about 4-5 rolls of the stuff! A funny sight! L. confessed that she heard people outside on Saturday night about 2:30 am and that they even rang the doorbell. The rest of us heard nothing. She didn't bother getting up though, claiming she had no idea what was going on. After returning from church, all 3 girls helped to unwrap the car. Good old fashion prank where no one (or nothing) gets hurt! Definitely got a laugh from me!

Opening Football Game!

2010-08-21T16:44:00.002-04:00

Last night was the opening high school football game. It was TOGA night for seniors so K. was excited and spent a great deal of the day planning on what to wear. It was L.'s first high school game so she was a little nervous and excited, planning on going with other freshmen friends. The rest of the family planned to go too (much to the chagrin of L.)! It was an exciting opener with our team winning 41-0!!! H., M. and I had fun eating popcorn and watching all the seniors in their togas! L. just pretended we were not there and even text us to "please leave". Oh well, it was a fun family night at the game! Looking forward to next week's game too!

Double the Fun!

2010-08-17T19:03:00.005-04:00

Both of my girls-now in HIGH SCHOOL- are on the varsity field hockey team!! L. came back from our family beach trip 3 days early so she could try out. The days were HOT and long but her hard work paid off!!! I am so excited to have them on the same team for 1 year! So now I have a freshman and a senior but can watch them both at the same sporting event! It definitely doubles the fun!! We had our first tournament/jamboree last weekend. K. was still a camp counselor so was not there but we did have 11 girls. And all 11 played every minute of all 4 games. They improved with each game. This team is still new. Last year was the first year for field hockey to be at our high school. The team never actually scored a goal last year but we have high hopes for this year. L. has played for 3 years on a city rec league so she has some experience. But most of the team has never picked up a stick until 2 weeks ago. We had about 5 returning players from last year. At the weekend jamboree the Pirates lost the first game 6-0, the second, 4-0 and the third 1-0 but TIED the last 0-0!! We held them off and made lots of attempts on the goal so it was very exciting. They got better with each game and really gained some confidence too! The team remained positive throughout and still had a great day together. It was a fun day for the parents too! Looking forward to a great field hockey season this year! Go Pirates!

Bieber Fever

2010-08-11T10:42:00.007-04:00

Took L. and 2 friends to see justin Bieber Sunday night. I had asked what time the concert was since the venue was almost 2 hours away. L. assured me she checked and it was at 6. I thought this sounded great! I can get home before 11, right? Well we were in the mountains getting to see daughter number 1 for about 15 minutes. After doing a load of her laundry and then gathering 3 more loads to take home from the less than 12 hours she (and 5 friends) were under the same roof as us I came back home. Started laundry, showered and left to go to the concert at 3 pm. We actually ate dinner at a funky downtown pizza place at 4:45 pm- all in preparation for a 6 pm concert. We then see huge lines of fans at the arena, but the doors are not yet open. So I ask to see the tickets (hint: I should have done this yesterday) and discover that the concert doesn't start until 7. I asked L. where exactly she got her information about the concert and she tells me "facebook". OMG teens!!! We then walked around downtown and got ice cream before heading to our seats at 6 pm. This really would have been fine if I had had a book with me. We sat there for 3 hours before JB even came out. There were at least 3 warm up acts (all young and not good). BUT when The Bieber took the stage, the concert began. It was by far the loudest concert I have ever been too. More screaming young girls than at Miley Cyrus and the audience sang every word to every song louder than Justin. I could barely make out his voice but he did have some sweet dancing feet! That boy can move! He did have the low slung pants that I am not a fan of, but he was conscious of keeping his shirt down, covering the undies. Thanks man, I appreciate that. He had lots of costume/ outfit changes, usually a monochromatic look with a splash of color in his baseball cap or hoodie. Justin (yeah, we are on a first name basis now) played for about 1.5 hours and he did put on a good show. The concert ended by 10:30. I made it home by midnight listening to his tunes the whole way. The girls thought it was the "best concert EVER"! I thought next time I will definitely bring a book (just until the main attraction).

Beach traditions

2010-08-05T19:12:00.003-04:00

We are having a fun, family beach trip even though we don't have all members of the family. My brother was here for about 4 days and we had a nice visit. We have eaten at the local pizza parlor that everybody enjoys and gone to play putt-putt. There were 6 of us and I was the score keeper. Had a ball AND I WON!! (there was no improper score keeping I assure you). I even had 2 hole in ones, M. had one, L. had 2, H. had one and my dad had one. We won 2 free games because 2 of us got the hole in one on the "magic hole". So exciting! Now I am hoping we do not have to play again this week and can save them until next year. H. and my L. have left to get back home for field hockey try outs so I am down to just M. and my parents. Yesterday my great aunt Evelyn and Uncle James came with cousins Sandra and her daughter Laura and her boyfriend Adam. It was a house full and we enjoyed each and every minute of it. It was loud, chaotic and full of stories and laughter until late that night!! We were on the beach during most of the day, then attempted to geocache (phone problems but were successful today), played bocci ball, volleyball, swam, cooked out and generally just enjoyed each others' company. The highlight of the evening was my aunt teaching me, and then M. (who wanted to get in on the lesson, too), to make apple jacks. These were a favorite of mine that my grandmother use to always make for me. It was so touching that her sister remembered this and brought all the supplies so we could make them last night. We made about 15! And ate 14- I hid one for me for today. The family came back today and we spent another great day together. It was sad to say goodbye since we don't see them but a couple times a year. Also found out that K. has a broken last digit of her ring finger, left hand. Such a bummer with 1 week left of camp. Sending good thoughts and bunches of love your way my sweet Katie B.!

A curious thing

2010-08-04T09:00:00.005-04:00

On my way to the beach, from the mountains, so about a 10 hour drive, I encountered a curious thing. I was following the Garmin to try to get me there via the shortest route. This meant that I traveled lots of roads that I had not been on (or even heard of ) before. I was on lots of 2 lane, small country roads as I got closer to the coast. At one point, L. was asleep, and I was following Australian Karen when she lead me down Old Elwell Ferry Rd. When I started on the road I had no idea why it was named this. It was NOT evident that the road ended into the Cape Fear River. About 3 miles down, the pavement ended, and a metal railing with at STOP sign was across the now dirt road. Water (at this point I had no idea what body of water) was in front of me. I looked around, saw a shack across the water with a man outside it and an old pick up with a man in it on my side a little ways away. I drove closer to the pick up and asked if there was a ferry. A man of few words, he said "Yep". Then I asked if it would be coming soon. He replied, "on it's way". So I asked where to get the ferry, behind him? "Over there (at which he pointed to where I had been)." So I drove back to the stop sign and sure enough, the shack had moved, it was now on my side with the operator (long hair, overalls, big guy, banjo playing in the background- just kidding) moving the metal railing. He told me to drive on, which I did, but I left my car running- not sure how that was going to help me but we had no cell service in this area and I needed and escape plan. The operator did not talk much either. I asked if I need to pay him and he said no. Then I asked what body of water we were crossing, to which he replied "Cape Fear". That was the extent of our conversation. Not big talkers down here I guess. The "car" ferry can hold only 1-2 cars and 6 people max. I found out later that it is the last flat cable car ferry in N.C. It started in 1905 and currently ferries 60- 80 cars a day with the "curious traveler" thrown in occasionally. Check out this site for more information: http://www.gribblenation.com/ncpics/ferry/elwell.html

A Little Daddy time in the sea

2010-08-02T13:59:00.003-04:00

We've been at the beach since Thursday and M. has really enjoyed having her dad around ALL DAY EVERY DAY!! The Atlantic has been incredibly calm and really beautiful. We've gone in the ocean every day because it has been so nice. M. has been "boogey boarding" and body surfing as well as creating all kinds of scenarios for her dad to help act out. So far the beach has been a wonderful retreat from a busy summer. And we have 2 out of 3 girls with us. But we REALLY MISS K!!!

It is a little QUIET here without all the girls!

2010-07-28T17:51:00.004-04:00

Counting down the hours until I pick up L. tomorrow. Have to get up at 5 am to drive 3 hours up hill but so looking forward to getting my arms around her!! I have missed her terribly, even though I did see her on her birthday, July 18th. She has written 25 letters to me, and hopefully I have written that many to her too, probably more if you count the emails. It was nice to have a mini vacation with no children for 5 days but that is long enough! I absolutely LOVE to collect them from camp. They almost bubble over with excitement and stories of the time away. L. and I will be in the car together for 7 hours tomorrow and she will probably talk for at least 5 of them. I welcome each and every uttering and just enjoy listening to the sound of her voice, the rise and fall of her of her melodious voice. It was the same when I picked up M. She chattered for about an hour then fell asleep from exhaustion. K. calls every couple of days so she keeps me up on her life. I drove 3 hours roundtrip on Monday just to spend 30 minutes with K. in between her classes. We got a hug and lots of scoop on her life at camp and just enjoyed being close to her. We got her a tank full of gas and a snack and then had to send her on her way. It is hard to be away from them for so long. I don't know how I will manage when K. goes to college next year! I will miss her desperately!!! She still has 3 more weeks at camp so I will continue to write and email and try to stay connected to my babies. When school starts and the stress of 2 in high school, college applications, SATs and ACTs, etc... hits us, I will need to remember how much I missed them and how much I want them around. Just a matter of perspective.

Back to reality!

2010-07-23T10:11:00.004-04:00

After a nice, quiet week in which I did not cook ONCE! I am back to reality. Picked up M. on Saturday and she had a terrific time at camp and lost another tooth! The tooth fairy visited camp and left her $2 (an increase over the fairy who comes to our house, thanks big sis). She chattered the whole way home about her fun week. She managed to only write me once but did send L. 2 letters at her camp. Oh well, K. has not yet written and she has been there 3 weeks so far. On Sunday we got up early to drive to see L. at camp since it was her 14th birthday. It was a 3.5 hour drive up hill. We got there at noon and she was thrilled to see us and we were thrilled to see her. We took her and a cabin mate to lunch in Hendersonville. Went to a local restaurant that had outdoor seating as it was a beautiful day. Just as lunch was finishing up, the bottom dropped out and it rained buckets for about 45 minute. We just stood under awnings and watched. H. finally ran for the car and we piled in and started looking for birthday dessert. L. wanted ice cream, preferably Marble Slab. Luckily there was one close by. After everyone got their mash up we headed to the Wrinkled Egg for a little browsing. By 3:00 L. was itching to get back to camp and she had a little teenage melt down (ranting and yelling ) so we too, were ready to get her back to camp- ASAP! By the time we actually left camp to drive 3.5 hours home, she was remorseful and her sweet self again. I knew it was too good to be true to hope that all that teen angst would have worked itself out while at camp. Well at least we still have 10 days to enjoy the tranquility at our house! Oh yeah, HAPPY 14TH BIRTHDAY L. WE LOVE YOU!!

P.S. L. did send each of her parents a nice letter apologizing for her behavior and again thanking us for sending her to camp.

M. goes to camp-they are all gone!

2010-07-13T09:05:00.003-04:00

Sunday morning we took our youngest to camp for the first time! She was so excited- a little nervous too, but overall brimming with enthusiasm. We arrived right on time and went to her cabin where, as luck would have it, her big sister was her counselor (along with 3 others). M. was thrilled and we were so proud of K. as she greeted all the parents and looked so grown up. It was a touching moment for me as a parent to see my oldest as a grown young lady. After I made the lower bunk and got M.'s bunk all settled we went to the gym to turn in the health form. Well M. could hardly stand being away from her cabin and meeting new friends. She was dying to get back so after about 15 minutes we went back and she ran on in front of us to get to her cabin. We found her inside playing UNO with a new friend. She is definitely ready to go to camp and I so hope she has a fabulous week!! Of course, I am so thankful that my oldest will be looking out for her and is right there should M. need her. And, she calls me every night to tell me how the day went!

So now the "staycation" begins! We went to a Tour De France party with French wines and cheeses after the camp drop off. It was a lot of fun as we sampled wine and cheeses from the different regions of France that corresponded to the stages of the race. Then last night, after I spent my first free day cleaning out M.'s room, we went to The Melting Pot for a fondue dinner! Tonight is movie night! So we are enjoying the time off from parenting and the time together!

CITY MEET- We are the champions!

2010-07-11T09:40:00.005-04:00

Well the swim team season is officially over and we are the city champs!!! Yahoo!! It was a close one this year but we won and raised an astounding 62K for cancer that was dedicated to our coach's wife who died of cancer last December. Our theme for the parade was "turn it pink" and that we did! Fun season and M. finished #10 in the free medley with her team, #11 in 8 and under butterfly, #54 in backstroke, and #62 in freestyle. (those results were for the whole city with about 135 girls in her age group) She had fun and improved and we had fun watching her so it was a good and short season! It is off to camp next!

Two down and one to go. . . .

2010-07-09T08:38:00.003-04:00

My baby turned 17 yesterday and left for camp for 5 weeks as a junior counselor. It is nice and quiet here with only one. I miss spending her birthday with her but she did squeeze us in for lunch the day before she left. I have heard from her twice already and have a list of what she forgot so we can bring it up to her on Sunday when we bring our youngest to camp. She may be gone but we will see her plenty because camp is close and she will want me to do her laundry. So beginning on Sunday afternoon I will be footloose and fancy free- for 5 days. My husband is calling it a "staycation" as we vacation at our home. I am looking forward to NOT COOKING at all. I am planning on trying out new restaurants in town, exercising, going to the pool just to read my book and doing yoga at least 3 times. It is shaping up to be a good week! Will keep you posted.

P.S. I am still writing to my camper everyday and trying to email everyday, so with 3 gone it takes up a lot of time on the correspondence alone!

July 4, 2010

2010-07-05T13:10:00.004-04:00

Enjoyed a great day in the mountains with low humidity, family, sunshine, slip-n-slides, beebee guns, dogs, cookout and FIREWORKS, of course. Just missing daughter number 2 who is away at camp. It has been one week and yes, I was glad she was going but now I miss her and want her back! The holiday was good but there was a small hole in my heart without all my girls!! I know she is having fun but hopefully she misses me a little bit too! Daughter number 1 leaves in 2 days. Daughter number 3 leaves in 6 days. Husband number 1 is counting down the days until we have 5 days with no girls. Well see if it lives up to his expectations.

Another swim meet

2010-07-01T07:53:00.003-04:00

Our second swim meet of the season was a hot one! We missed 2 while on our trip so the swim team season has been a short one for us. The day was HOT!! The meet did not start until 5:30 but it was smoking hot until around 8:30. M. surprised us all by going off the block for her freestyle race. Her coach asked her how confidant she was about going off and she said "very"! Well it worked for her, she took off 4 seconds and was the first in her heat to finish. She also improved in backstroke by .6 and got a 9 th place finish ribbon. Not so good on butterfly though. Relay went fine but that one is dependent on your other 3 swimmers. Overall a great meet but a really hot one. Next one on Monday! Go Blue Dolphins! City Meet next week too!

One down-2 to go!

2010-06-30T10:22:00.003-04:00

Took my middle daughter to camp early on Monday morning. We left at 4:30 am because she wanted to be at camp when the gates opened at 7:30! I drove and she slept but not before remembering at least 4 needed items forgotten at home. We arrived at 7:38, behind about 200 others but she was excited. L. will be at main camp for almost 5 weeks. She was excited and a little concerned about the length of her session. The longest she has ever been before is 3 weeks. I reminded her how much her family has been "bugging" her and that now she was in one of her favorite places. I know she will be fine and have a ball. And we will have a break from the frequent and extreme mood changes of a teenage girl! Win-Win! She left me a sweet message on her computer thanking me for sending her to camp and telling me how much she loves me. So sweet and now I am writing her daily and sending funny cards. It is good to realize how much you appreciate someone once they are not around everyday.

( Mailed a sleeping bag, hairbrush, tooth brush and water bottle to camp yesterday. )

Wrapping up the family trip

2010-06-27T17:37:00.005-04:00

On Thursday we headed to McMinnville, Oregon. Cute, quirky town in the middle of the Willamette Valley or wine country of Oregon. We drove through lots of interestingly named towns on the way, such as, Happy Valley, Boring, Clackamus and Zig Zag. Visited one vineyard on the way, Sokol Blosser, our new found favorite pinot noir. Beautiful estate and you could see Mount Hood in the distance. In McMinnville, we checked into the Hotel Oregon. Funny hotel that has live music almost every night, a roof top bar/restaurant and a wine cellar for intimate meal or wine tastings. Not every room has a private bath so everywhere we went, whenever anyone found out where we were staying, they ALWAYS asked if we had to share a bathroom. Of course, we had 2 room so we had a private bath for our family. But it was funny to always get asked. Did 2 geocaches as soon as we arrived. Then wandered around the main street area. There were wine tastings, ice cream, a local farmer's market and much more. The girls found a pizza/ movie house and had dinner with a movie that night. H. and I went to the rooftop bar and sampled some of the local microbrewery beers. We ate dinner while looking out into beautiful Oregon countryside and could still see Mount Hood. After we got the family back we went for ice cream at Serendipity. Delicious- ended up here 4 times in a 24 hour period! On Friday morning after breakfast we went to the Flying M Ranch for a horseback riding adventure! Just the 5 of us and a guide did a gorgeous trail ride. M. was "over the moon" excited!!! She had woken up at 6 am to make sure the ride was today! After riding we packed up the car and had lunch on the roof top again. Left McMinnville and went to one more vineyard and 3 more geocaches before going to the airport for the red eye home. Great family vacation. Filled with laughter (and some arguments) and lots of memories! Some of the most beautiful parts of the country that I have ever seen!!

Welches, Oregon

2010-06-24T00:17:00.005-04:00

We love this state! Today was a "rest" day with really nothing in particular that had to be done. H. got up at 6:30 am to watch the US in the World Cup, while the rest of us slept later. We had a great breakfast around 11. I got crunchy french toast with hazelnuts that was divine! After brunch, I went to a local yarn store while the girls and H. headed to the pool. It was warm, over 80 and sunny today. Later H. and I sat on our back porch and enjoyed the view while reading. So relaxing and absolutely beautiful. They have this tree called a Cottonwood here that is now in bloom, which means that it looks like it is snowing all the time with little pieces of cotton floating around EVERYWHERE! Very weird since it piles up on the ground and blows in your car windows, really everywhere. Late afternoon we all showered and headed up to Mount Hood to the historic Timberline Lodge. We looked around awhile and H. remembered when he was there almost 20 years ago with his dad. We also hit a geocache on the way out. It was an easy find and had to have been the biggest we have ever found in terms of size. Next we headed to Government Camp, or "Govy" to the local for some pizza at The Ratskellar. Fun, easy day today. Tomorrow the girls are going to the spa and H. is going skiing at Mount Hood in the morning before we head toward McMinnville after lunch.

Oregon!

2010-06-23T01:17:00.006-04:00

Had a fun night in Portland and left for Welches and Estacada today. We had a lovely (depending on who you ask) drive this am on the scenic Oregon Highway 30. It had lots of twists and turns along the Columbia River Gorge. We stopped at several waterfalls along the way and "made" the girls "hike" to see the falls -no more than .2 miles! It was early, between 9 and 10 am, so they were reluctant to embrace the experience. I tried to snap one family photo but you see what the big girls decided to do! So this will NOT be our holiday card but it WILL be on the blog. We finally stopped for breakfast at Multnomah Falls. It is the 2nd largest waterfall in the USA! Great breakfast and beautiful falls! H. and M. and I walked up there after breakfast but K. and L. elected to wait by the car. We left and headed to Estacada to go on a half day rafting trip down the Clackamus. That was rally fun with class 2-4 rapids! M. was nervous but ended up having a ball and both K. and L. ended up "riding the bull" which means sitting on the front point of the raft with your legs dangling over during a rapid ride. We wore wet suits but the weather was really good, 77 and sunny! Great time! We all thought it was as much fun as the zipline excursion! Then we headed to Welches to our resort. Showered and changed for dinner. Great dinner. H. and I tried and LOVED a new Oregon wine from the Dundee Hills!! Tried to geocaching but we lost the light and will have to go tomorrow. There are 2 on the resort property to get tomorrow! Awesome day but sooooo nice to crash at a great place for 2 night in a row!!