November!

My favorite month was fun and busy!  We started out on the first with a rainy but still fun park playdate for the kindergarten classes.  We had snacks, coloring, bubbles, and hopscotch under the park pavilion since it was rainy.  We went to play with neighbor friend Caitlin that evening too.  Daddy went to Boston from the 2nd-4th and we ladies held down the fort.  Bella had her annual checkup on the 3rd and got a clean bill of health, which is pretty good for a 12-13 year-old dog!  The vet tried to sell me some x-rays and bloodwork, but I opted out.  Poor Bella, always neglected.  She said that her exam looked good though, and everything seems ok for her age.  She's definitely slowed down, but still manages to hound us for what she wants.  I got to help out in Erin's class on the 5th with recess and lunch since her teacher was out of town, and I must say that first graders are wild!  Usually when I see them, they are under the watchful eyes of their teachers, but as soon as they got out with me and the other mom, they let loose!  There are some very "strong personalities" (as her teacher called it) in Erin's class.  There are only 6 girls in the class including Erin, but apparently there is still some serious girl drama.  They will see another strong personality next year...

The school had their walk-a-thon on Friday the 6th and I was able to help set up and run that event.  It was lots of fun and they raised a lot of money for school improvements.  Anna was petrified of the physical activity, but managed to form a strong bond with one of her classmate's mothers.  We left that evening for Concord for Cooper's big first birthday party!  He had a lumberjack theme, so we all flanneled-up and had a super fun time at his party, despite the rain.  Happy birthday, buddy!  We came back on Sunday in time for Little Flowers and for Bob to leave for a quick jaunt to England.

I put on my brave face and went back to help Erin's class on Monday the 9th, but thankfully everyone was more cooperative that time.  Their school had a very nice Veteran's Day program on the 11th, and we had a fun playdate with Jimmy and Danny on the 12th, as well as neighborhood Bunco that night.  I also got to meet Bob for lunch on the 12th at an empanadas place in Raleigh.  Yum yum!  We had a fun weekend with gymnastics, lunch at Bellamy and Dalton's house, and moms' night out at a comedy club on the 14th, and taking it easy on the 15th.

The week of the 16th wasn't too eventful, just school, work, watching Sawyer, and dog-sitting for neighbors and grandma-checking for Ms. Mona while the rest of their family was at Disney World.  Erin had lots of fun (once she got over seeing her classmates outside of school) at Defy Gravity on Saturday the 21st for Olivia's birthday party!

Grandma A. came up on Sunday the 22nd to help out as backup while Daddy was in California, and she was a big help.  The first grade had a big feast on the 24th where they sang a few songs and we had some yummy food!  After Daddy got back on Wednesday, we left for Concord and had a really fun Thanksgiving there!  Wednesday was cousin playtime, pie prep, and Mexican pre-feast.  Thursday was the big Thanksgiving meal and lots of playing outside on such a pretty day.  Friday we visited with Grandma and Grandpa awhile and then headed back.  We spent the rest of the weekend doing cleaning, projects, and Christmas decorating!

Monday the 30th, Daddy headed out to Boston with a side trip to Las Vegas, and the girls were off school and we had Sawyer so we made the most of the rainy day by meeting some kindergarten friends at Bounce U and then having Erin's friend Juliette over to play in the afternoon.  All in all, it was a great month, and we are looking forward to Advent and Christmas ahead!  I am behind on getting pictures downloaded/uploaded, so I just have a couple.  Here's proof that we still find some time to work out.  Happy December!

October!

We had a busy and fun month of October!  Anna's class had a St. Francis party (my first one of those) on Friday the 2nd, which was a huge hit and lots of fun!  The ladies suffered through their first FluMist vaccine on Saturday, and I may say that the shot actually went over better.  Oh well, we survived and hopefully gained some immunity.  Bella got to go to school on Monday the 5th for a pet blessing in honor of St. Francis' feast day.  She stayed clear of most of the other dogs, but seemed to enjoy herself.  Poor Erin and Bob were stricken with a yucky stomach bug later that week, but we all survived and checked off yet another virus.

We had a super busy weekend on the 10th-11th, starting with gymnastics, then a Duck Donuts birthday party for Anna's preschool friend (the other Anna).  It was so nice to see her and Anna's other preschool friend Jayme, who we haven't seen since school started.  Then, it was on to the Tumble Gym for Sawyer's fun birthday party!  For a rainy Saturday, we stayed pretty busy.  Our family pictures were canceled for the second time due to rain that day, but we did finally get those done on the 25th.  Sunday the 11th, Anna went to classmate Adeline's rock climbing birthday party (she insisted that she wanted to go, and Bob reported that she tried to rock climb a little bit), then Little Flowers that afternoon.  Whew!

We had Lunch with the Parents day on the 13th, which was lots of fun!  I got to help in Erin's art class on the 14th, had Jimmy and Danny over to play that afternoon, and went to a pep rally for the school walkathon on the 15th.  That was my second of two weeks "off" from watching Sawyer during his mom's track-out, and it was nice to get a few extra things done and be able to help more at school.  The girls were off school on Friday the 16th, so we had Anna's friend Kacey come over to play in the morning which was lots of fun, then met Erin's friend from last year, Alyssa, and her mom and brother at Naylor Farms in Fuquay for pumpkin patch/fall farm fun!  It was great to see them again too.



After gymnastics on Saturday the 17th, we headed to Concord to celebrate Erin's birthday.  We had a great time, and she loved every part of her pre-birthday weekend!  Daddy went to San Francisco and New York City for a few days the following week, and we ladies held down the fort.  Erin's class had their field trip on Friday the 23rd, and we had a really fun birthday weekend for her (see HERE).  The 25th was a little less busy with family pictures at Lake Crabtree and crashing neighbor friend Jacob's birthday party by riding on the fire truck around the neighborhood with him and his party friends (his mom invited us, don't worry).



We finished up the month with stomach bug round 2 for Erin and Bob (and Anna a few days later), but we got through this one more quickly than the first one.  The girls got to dress up for Halloween at school on the 28th and loved that!  They were off school on the 29th and 30th for teacher conferences...Anna was sick early on the 29th, but recovered and was able to go to Daddy's work for their Halloween party later that day.  It was crowded but lots of fun, and we saw Uncle Tom, Jimmy, and Danny there!   The 30th was their conferences, and we had a fun new babysitter, Callie, come over during that time.  Both teachers reported that they are doing well...Anna's teacher gave us a few things to work on (writing and confidence-building), and Erin's teacher said she's doing great!  After conferences, we carved pumpkins and enjoyed a beautiful day outside.

Halloween was packed full of fun!  First off was gymnastics with the coaches dressed up, then we went to Holly Fest, a local festival for our town.  We figured since we didn't make it to the state fair this year, we should do something like it.  The girls enjoyed bouncy houses galore, a few games, snacks, and a couple of crafts on a beautiful day.  Then we went home to regroup/watch our Wolfpack almost hold their own against Clemson before trick or treating!  We went to the pool parking lot for a neighborhood pizza party/pumpkin decorating party, then back for trick or treating.  The kids walked a good ways and got a great stash of candy!  They also enjoyed sitting around the campfire at Nina and Lily's house after, toasting marshmallows and eating candy.

So, whew.  October was lots of fun and really great, but I am hoping for less sickness and a little slower pace in November!  After all, November is my favorite month, both weather-wise and with Thanksgiving!  I can't wait!

Happy Birthday, Erin!

Our big girl is 7!  I think she had a wonderful week of celebrating her big day coming on the heels of her big week as Star of the Week at school.  The birthday fun started on the weekend of the 17th-18th when we went to Concord to celebrate with Mommy's side of the family.  She got to go to gymnastics on Saturday morning, then we headed to Concord for visiting, cake prep, and girl cousin sleepover that night!  Those who know Erin will know how excited she was to be invited to Ansley's Sunday School class on Sunday morning, then we had a fun and yummy spaghetti birthday lunch with cake and presents.  She had so much fun being the big cheese and loves all of her presents!  The kids all had fun doing a Halloween dry-run at Grandma and Grandpa Ambrosini's house too.



We got little coloring books and stickers for her to pass out at school on Thursday, and then on Friday after her special birthday donut breakfast,



her class had a mega field trip/tour of Apex...in honor of her birthday, of course!  They visited the police station, fire station, food bank, art center, pizza restaurant, ice cream place, and a pumpkin patch!  AND, they got to ride on a chartered bus!  I think the bus was the biggest hit for some of the kids.  After school, she opened presents that came in the mail from Grandma and Grandpa Flanagan (she was so excited to get a box in the mail!), and then Cole, Cooper, Rio, and their parents got here in time for her second spaghetti dinner that week (her request).  We had a fun dinner and cousin sleepover in Anna's room that night - everybody slept...until 5:30am, that is!

Saturday was her big gymnastics party with neighbor and school friends.  Of course, Erin did not want to skip her regular gymnastics class that morning, so she got a double dose (even though her sister opted to stay home with Cole and Cooper instead of going to class that morning).  She had a great time and loved all of the special party activities that they had there!

She gets a break from her 7-year checkup until December, so we won't have stats or a report on that for awhile.  What I can say for now is how proud we are of our Erin.  She continues to amaze us and exceed our expectations every day.  We were worried about her being in a regular kindergarten class last year, and she did so well.  We were worried about moving her to a private school without many special education resources this year, and she has done great.  She is still our little teacher and loves to come home from school and reenact her day with her stuffed animals.  She now wants to be a first grade teacher when she grows up (she was saying that she wanted to be a kindergarten teacher last year), and she would be a great - strict - one!  She has become much more concerned about others in recent months and wants to help other kids feel better when they are sad.  She is very observant and it's hard to get much past her anymore.  Erin is a wonderful, special, funny, smart big girl and we could not be more proud of her. We love her so much!

September

Whew, that went fast, and the first week of October is already behind us too!  We had a fun month of September, all getting used to the new routine of school.  Daddy went to Boston the first week of the month, and we ladies held down the fort.  I helped in the school cafeteria, our little buddy Sawyer came over for 3 days, and we had back-to-school night for Erin's class.  Let me just say that first grade is no joke!  They work those kids hard!

Labor Day weekend was lots of fun with Uncle Camping Time at Morrow Mountain State Park.  The report was that it was a little warm and humid, but otherwise fun and everybody had a great time (minus some whining from Erin).  I picked the girls up there on Sunday morning and brought them home while Daddy got to go to a NASCAR race in Darlington, SC, with Uncles Chris and Dale.  They had fun!  We had a laid-back Labor Day, enjoying a nice day at home, and I believe we went to the pool (it's been a long time since then!).  Tuesday was back to school and cafeteria and art class helping for me, then 3 days watching Sawyer.  We also got my car fixed that week after an unfortunate run-in (get it?) in Asheboro in August.  The girl who rear-ended us covered it with her insurance, and it's now as good as new...or as good as 7 years old.  Friday the 11th, Anna had former classmate Weston over to play, then we girls went to neighbor friend Ella's birthday party at the pool while Bob set up for the ministry fair at church.  That was the last day that we went to the pool this season.  Saturday the 12th, we had gymnastics and then Maggie came to babysit while Mommy and Daddy went to Beericana in Holly Springs with neighbor friends Tracey and John.  It was the second year for this festival and our first time going.  It was great weather and lots of fun!

Sunday, we had our first meeting for our new venture, Little Flowers.  It's a girls' club kind of like Girl Scouts, only it's Catholic and is a little less "active" than Girl Scouts.  We just meet once a month, there is no fundraising or camping/trips, and both kids can be in the same group.  We figured we'd try that this year and see what we think.  There are 6 girls in addition to ours, all in kindergarten or first grade, and I think they liked it!  We had a lesson, craft, and snack.  There is a curriculum for it, so we don't have to come up with much other than the craft.  Our next meeting is October 11th, and Erin is especially excited about it!



The girls went to the dentist on the 15th...well, technically only Erin had an exam.  Anna got very upset and had to come back on Friday morning.  The weekend of the 19th and 20th was nice and quiet, with just gymnastics and church.  The girls were off on the 21st for a teacher workday, and we enjoyed some time together and ran a few errands.  The rest of that week was more of the same - school and Sawyer time!  I got to see old friends Vanessa, Tricia, and Jenny on the evening of the 24th which was lots of fun.  I felt like big-time going to Raleigh for dinner

Saturday the 26th, we went to a princess breakfast at the dance school in Holly Springs, which was a huge hit.  Then it was bowling for neighbor friend Alexia's birthday, THEN Anna had a birthday party at a classmate's house later that afternoon which was super fun with lots of cooking-related projects and crafts.  These kids have quite the social calendar!  After that, Anna and I met Erin and Bob at Bob's co-worker's house for dinner for a little party for a guy visiting from Spain who they are hiring and moving over here.  Thankfully, Sunday the 27th was much more quiet!  The last 3 days of the month were back to school.  Sawyer's last day with me was October 1st until the 21st, so I've got some time "off"without any kids, with big plans to work on landscaping/fall flowers and paint our bathroom.  We did get the bathroom painted this past weekend, but between the two weeks of rain that we had, and Erin has been sick for 2 days this week, my landscaping hasn't made much progress.  Hopefully next week will be more productive, as we have a jam-packed weekend with 3 more birthday parties (!!!), gymnastics, family pictures, and Little Flowers!  Bring on fall!

August!

Well, that was a quick month!  It's funny how time speeds up when school starts and a little freedom happens!  It was a big, exciting month with both girls starting school.  But, before then, we had a couple of weeks left of summer.  The first week was the usual fun at home, pool/swim lessons, going to the Y, watching Sawyer for 3 days, and I also had neighborhood Bunco on Thursday.  We had the girls go to gymnastics on the 8th, then headed to Concord for Grandma's birthday/our anniversary (10 years!), which was lots of fun!  Bob was suffering from a sinus infection, but we still went to Vida for dinner, which was so good, and then to none other than IKEA on the way back!

The next week was more of the same, with our last swim lesson of the season, a kindergarten playdate at the school playground, and new family orientation at school on Friday.  Also notable was Daddy starting his new job at Red Hat on the 10th!  So far, he seems to be enjoying the job and is meeting some nice people and learning his way around.  Hopefully it will work out well for him.  We got to scope out his new office on the 15th, and the ladies approved of the free snack and drinks, as well as the game tables in the cafeteria, "smart" elevators, and views from the top of the building.  His commute takes about the same time as to his previous job in Morrisville - a shorter distance, but has more traffic.

On the 16th, we went to the Back to School Mass, picnic, and Meet the Teacher.  Both girls approved, though both were still pretty nervous until their actual first days later in the week.  I think Anna especially felt a lot better about going to kindergarten after meeting her teachers and seeing her classroom.  We had our final two days of freedom on the 17th and 18th, during which Anna had her 6-month cardiology check-up.  Everything looked good and I had thought we were going to be discharged from cardiology, but apparently the device manufacturer and the FDA require that she be checked again in one year and then every three years from there.  All I can say is thank goodness for insurance!  Each echocardiogram costs over $500, not including the physician's charges!

Erin had her first day of first grade on Wednesday the 19th.  She was a little nervous to be going to a new school, despite all of our preparing, tours, etc.  However, she had a great day and really seems to be enjoying school.  She also likes having Anna at the same school for the first time ever.  First grade is no joke, but so far she is hanging right in there and is learning so much already!  She is in a great mood every day and loves going to school, which makes me so happy.  I am so, so happy with St. Mary Magdalene school so far. The teachers are outstanding, experienced, and are so caring.  It is obvious that they want to be teaching there and they are just wonderful.  I especially like Erin's teacher, who is very funny and spunky.  Erin comes home saying things like "lips and hips in the hallway, people" (one finger on your lips and one hand on your hips).  That class must be quite a sight when they walk down the hall!  Anna's teacher is also very, very sweet.  She is older, but she has lots of energy and her assistant helps do a lot of the physical work to free the teacher up for teaching.  They are all awesome, and it is going to be a great year!

Anna had her staggered entry day on Thursday the 20th (and no Sawyer that day, so I was FREE!), and she did have to cry when I left her.  However, she reported that she recovered quickly and had a fun day.  She didn't cry any other day, except for yesterday when I was helping in the cafeteria and she had to go back to class.  It's so hard to be as sensitive as she is.



Last week, we just got acclimated to being back in school x 2 (including homework), had a kindergarten parent meeting, and Bob went to Boston for a couple of days.  We also hit the pool after school one day, went back to OT after a week off (much to Erin's dismay), and Sawyer and I met Aunt Pam and Danny at a playground on Friday.  I will say that just watching him alone now that the girls are in school is much easier than having all 3!  Finally, to finish up the month, I redeemed my Mothers Day gift and had a little weekend trip to Myrtle Beach all by myself.  It was so nice to just be quiet and not have to worry about anybody!  I stayed at the oceanfront Hampton Inn (for free, thanks to Bob's hotel points), which was really nice and has several pools (covered and outdoor) and hot tubs, 3 lazy rivers, and also a kids' splash pad and playground!  I will definitely have to keep it in mind for the future.

So, it was a busy and fun month as usual, and I am relieved that we have all gotten through the first few days of school.  Now, bring on fall!

July!

July is in the books!  It was a fun and hot month of summer.  We started out the month with Erin decompressing into "vacation mode", which is always funny to witness.  We spent the first couple of days preparing for our big trip to Nags Head, and had lots of fun with Uncle Dale, Aunt Maria, Cole, and Cooper here for the night of the 3rd before we all loaded up and headed to the beach!  Details on the week are HERE, so I won't repeat that week.  We had lots and lots of fun, and really enjoyed all of our time together!

We got back on the night of the 10th, after Erin successfully convinced us to leave a little prior to when we needed to be out of the house (10am on the 11th).  I must note that she grinned the whole way home and Anna cried off and on.  Erin really wanted to go to gymnastics on Saturday morning, so she did.  Erin kind of runs the show around here, and if you know her, you may know why...she's just sweet enough, and doesn't ask too often, to be very effective in her persuasion skills!  Anyway, she had a great day between that and friend Maya's birthday pool party!  Sunday was just church and still getting settled back in after the week away.  Bella enjoyed fun at the Sauls family's while we were gone.

The week of the 13th was fairly routine - we finally got the piano tuned, which was entertaining for all.  We also visited Marbles on the 15th for the morning and had a great time!  Otherwise, just some swim lessons, Y, pool time, etc.  We went to our second Holly Springs Salamanders game on the 18th with our friends the Mannings, and had a great time!

The week of the 20th was more of the same, with the exception of welcoming our little friend Sawyer into our house!  His mom was Erin's pre-K teacher at Middle Creek for her second and third years, and we got to be close with her because of all of the incredible things she did for Erin.  Well, Sawyer has had a hard time in a day care facility (he will be 2 in October), so his mom and I talked and decided that I would watch him 3 days a week at our house when she's teaching.  His grandma watches him the other two days.  The first week was rough because he didn't know us very well, but by the third week, he is settled in and we are all having lots of fun together!  I think it's going to work out great, and I'll still have some "free time" during her track-outs and the two days that I don't have him, so I can still get to the gym, run errands, and help out at the girls' school.  Maybe I'll even do some house projects!  Sawyer is also very portable, so he gets to tag along to drop-off and pick-up for the girls.  (Side note:  I forgot how wonderful nap time was, since my kids don't take naps anymore!)

We had more beach time from the 24th-26th and had a wonderful little getaway!  The week of the 27th, we got to play with Jimmy and Danny one morning at Crowder Park, then Grandma A. came to visit for a couple of days.  We showed her some sights, including the girls' school, library, and (the all-important) Holly Springs Pizza Hut.  Erin also got to have her friend Alyssa over to our pool on the 29th.

All in all, it was a great month.  I haven't uploaded pictures yet, but I don't think I have too many other than from Nags Head.  Every year, I say how July is my least favorite month of the year because it's SOOO hot, and we are out of routine, but this year was fun with our beach trips, and we stayed busy otherwise.  We also had a short reprieve from summer humidity at the very end of the month.  We are looking forward to two more weeks of summer before the girls start school at the same school on the same schedule for the first time ever!

Nags Head Week!

We had a really great time last week in Nags Head with Mommy's family!  The fun started on Friday the 3rd when Cole and Cooper and parents stopped by our house to spend the night on the way to the Outer Banks.  We had lots of fun playing here, then slept well and were loaded and on the road almost an hour before our planned departure time of 9am.  We only brought a "few" things...and despite Daddy's best efforts, the trailer hitch we had ordered arrived damaged so we couldn't bring our bikes via trailer hitch and bike rack.  A new hitch has arrived, so he will try to get that one on my car this weekend so we will have bike transport abilities.

We had a good drive out, only about 3-1/2 hours, so not much more than going to Ocean Isle!  I think we had 2 potty stops, then we had a yummy lunch at the Outer Banks Brewing Station in Nags Head/Kitty Hawk with Cole and Cooper's family.  They had a fun play area, corn hole, and a stage in the backyard eating area.  Then we went to our house, which was in a really great location just south of the town of Nags Head, but 5-10 minutes from all the stores, restaurants, donuts, etc.  We settled in, had pizza for dinner, and played in the pool!  The kids were wiped out, so they missed the fireworks that we adults enjoyed from the beach.  There was the main show from the Town of Nags Head, plus lots of amateurs setting off fireworks too!

Sunday, we were all up and ready to go, so we went to church at 8am at a pretty chapel right near our house.  Then, back to the house for pool and beach the rest of the day. My cousin Katie, her husband, and almost-1-year-old Emma came down from Virginia Beach to visit for the day, which was so much fun!  That was our night for dinner, so we also had a grocery store stop and spent a little of the afternoon preparing our Mexican feast, which was a hit!

Monday, we went to the Bodie Island lighthouse, which was about 15 minutes from the house.  All 4 Callaways climbed the lighthouse, which was 10-12 stories tall, and enjoyed the view.  Anna only became scared as we were almost done and about to climb down...which, for her, was pretty good.  We drove a little further south and crossed the Bonner Bridge, but didn't venture all the way to Hatteras.  Then, back to the house for pool and beach, then went to my cousins' place (Uncle Dave, Aunt Linda, Doug, and Kristen came all the way from Indiana!) for an Italian dinner. yum yum!

Tuesday, the Callaways and the Summers went to Jockeys Ridge State Park and climbed the dunes, which the kids enjoyed and had beautiful views at the top.  We tried to slide or roll back down, but it didn't go too well.  It was good that we went early that day, because the week kept getting hotter from there!  We met up with Grandma and Grandpa and the Ambrosinis at the Wright Brothers monument/ museum and heard a talk and walked around the grounds of the first flights.  Very interesting!  Then back to the house for beach and pool, and had a yummy cookout courtesy of the Summer family that night.

Wednesday, we Callaways ventured over to Roanoke Island to the aquarium.  It was really neat - I think we all enjoyed it!  There was lots of fish, sea otters, alligators, and also a sea turtle hospital, interactive kids' sea turtle hospital, and shark tank!  We saw a show where the audience could ask questions of two divers who were in the tank with the sharks.  I enjoyed it a lot and the kids tolerated it.  The outdoor area also had a shark teeth digging site and pier.  Then, we went back to the house for beach and pool (these girls and Ansley preferred the pool, but we did force them to endure the beach as well), then had a really yummy seafood dinner at a small place called Armstrong's.  Yum yum!

Thursday, we stayed close to the house.  We did go see Logan, Uncle Chris, and Uncle Dale fishing at Jennette's Pier, which was visible from our house.  Logan finally caught his first fish that afternoon, way to go!  The pier had a nice gift shop and fish tank, as well as some nice informative signs along the pier.  It is operated by the NC Aquarium Society.  I think the only aquarium we haven't been to now is the one at Pine Knoll Shores.  We played at the house in the afternoon, then had a super yummy low country boil dinner, courtesy of Uncle Dale and Aunt Maria...followed by none other than a silly string battle for the kids!

Most evenings after the kids went to bed, we adults either relaxed on the top balcony or had lots of fun playing cards and games together.  It was wonderful!  Friday, we just stayed around the house/beach/pool, and walked down to Uncle Dave and Aunt Linda's neighborhood pool.  Then we Callaways started packing because Erin successfully convinced us to come back on Friday evening instead of Saturday morning because she really wanted to go to her gymnastics class.  We figured the only thing we were missing was Grandma and Grandpa's fish fry (which we were sad to miss), but this way one family was cleared out while the rest of them were trying to pack and load.  We had a good trip back complete with Bojangles for dinner.

Bella enjoyed her vacation with the Sauls family, and was happy to be home to recover.  We had a really wonderful time with the family and enjoyed exploring the area!

June!

June is over, and that means that Erin's kindergarten year is done!  June has been a tough year for her the past four years that she's been in year-round school because it feels like summer and Anna is out of school (the past two years that Anna has been in school).  So, it sometimes feels like a long, frustrating month.  At least this year Erin liked going to kindergarten so she didn't fight the last month quite as bad as she did in pre-K. Anyway, we started out the month with our usual routine, including Field Day for Erin's school on Friday the 5th.  We were very lucky and got a nice cool, cloudy day and had lots of fun, even Anna who jumped right in with the big kids.  We had a fun day on the 6th with Erin's gymnastics, neighborhood pool party, and a fun dinner out for Mommy and Daddy to a tapas place in Durham (Mateo).

The rest of the weekend - and other weekends lately - Bob spent working on his project of rerouting the gas log fireplace vent through the roof as opposed to out the back wall of the family room, where the sharp aluminum buffer box was a source of danger to people walking by on the porch.  The project is nearly completed, despite a snafu related to modified air flow not hitting the thermocouple properly.  That was adjusted, and now we await the final washing and coat of paint on the new siding.

The following week was more of the same, plus my monthly neighborhood Bunco night and a playdate with my moms group from St. Andrew.  I also went to a fun baby shower for neighbor Karen and the girls had swim lessons on Saturday the 13th.

The week of the 15th was the week we had all been waiting for this summer - The Week of Anna's Dance Camp.  We showed up to Holly Springs School of Dance on Monday morning, fully expecting Pretty Princess dance camp, only to be crushed when nobody was there.  The owner got back to me saying that the camp had been canceled, but we never were notified, nor did we get a refund.  This has happened to us before, so we cried all the way home and I did some research.  Thankfully, Main Street Dance in Fuquay happened to be having not one, but two camps the same week for her age group, so she went Tuesday-Friday.  It was cheaper than Holly Springs and was 3 hours per day instead of 2, so it was a winner all-around!  The girls there were wonderful, and Anna had a ball.



 Anna continued her fun week with friend Weston's birthday party on Saturday the 20th, and Erin also had her end-of-year gymnastics show that morning, even though her class continues through July.  We wished Daddy a happy Father's Day on the 21st, and enjoyed some fun family time together.



The last week of June was a little more busy, with more swim lessons, dentist appointment, my 6-week summer book club, and Bob took a trip to Boston for 3 days.  I also volunteered at Erin's class and we had friends Oliver and Ike over for a little while so their dad could go to a meeting.  Anna and I had another moms group playdate on Friday, then Erin's class end-of-year celebration was that afternoon.  Daddy made a surprise early appearance from Boston so he could be at the show!  The kids did a great job of singing, and the teachers had a really sweet slide show of pictures.  Erin had her little friend Alyssa and her family over to our pool after the class party, so it was a really fun day for her!






Erin's actual last day was Tuesday the 30th, which I think she was a little sad about, but was also more than ready for her break.  We are so happy to have her home, and she's started to make comments that sound like she was sad to have missed the fun at home with me and Anna, so now that won't happen any more that they will finally be on the same school schedule!  Her kindergarten year was both what I expected and not what I expected...but she did well and loved school, and that's what matters most!  We are super excited for next year!



Our super fun family beach week happened in July, so unless I get motivated to do a separate post, you all will have to hold your breaths and wait for that one!

May!

May was a fun and busy month, as it usually is.  It is our month of birthdays, Mother's Day, and graduation (depending on the year).  We started out the month with a fun field trip with Erin's class to the Museum of Natural Sciences on the 1st.  I was joking that we hadn't been there in 5 years and then went twice in 3 months!  It was lots of fun, and the best part was seeing Erin having fun with her friends.  There are so few girls in that class, plus two were absent that day, so the remaining 4 girls were in a group together.  We then went to Concord that evening for a fun-filled weekend with Logan's first communion and joint first communion/Logan's birthday/Anna's birthday party.  It was super fun, and had something for everyone!  Aunt Leslie's and Daddy's birthdays got honorable mentions, but that was about it for them.

Anna tried something new on the 5th and took a nature class on flowers at Crowder Park with her friends Matthew, Caroline, and Joshua.  I think they enjoyed the class, but probably had more fun playing on the playground together.  We enjoyed Daddy's birthday at home, complete with birthday blondies and presents.



The 9th was a rainy day, but Erin and I went to her school carnival anyway, which had to be held indoors.  She had fun in the craft room and eating pizza and snow cones especially, but they really had a lot of activities available.  I had a nice Mother's Day, especially because we got to meet up with old friends Yannis, Sofia, and Andreas at Marbles after church!  It was great to catch up with them while they were in town.

Since preschool portraits were pretty expensive and didn't turn out, Anna got a second try at JC Penney on the 12th.  She enjoyed posing for the camera, of course.  I went to my new "thing", neighborhood Bunco on the 14th.  They just started this in February and meet once a month at different peoples' houses.  It's fun to meet new people and also to get decorating ideas...I am quickly learning that my "minimalist" style is way below par in this neighborhood!  Neighbor friend Karen had a fun s'mores party on Friday evening where we got to catch up with everyone, and Saturday the 16th was our BIG busy day with gymnastics for Erin, CPR class for me (for my new gig watching sweet little Sawyer starting in July), and then THE party of the season at our house.  Everything went off well, and the birthday girl really enjoyed having her little neighbor friends over!  If that wasn't enough, we also went to cousin Danny's fun birthday dinner that evening at his house!  What a day!




Daddy left on the 17th for a week in beautiful Vancouver, BC.  The pictures he sent look beautiful and I would love to go there someday.  Their last Atrium class was the 17th, so now the girls will be going to Mass with us again.  Anna's actual birthday was somewhat anti-climactic, but we did go to the pool (her request) and Chick-fil-A for dinner (also her request).  The festivities continued the next day with a pedicure (I can't believe I agreed to this, but seeing as it's her current career choice, I decided to let her see what it was like), another Chick-fil-A meal, playground, and ice cream.  After 3 weeks of celebrating, I officially called the end of her birthday season.  The girls started swim lessons on the 19th - we went with the once-weekly private lessons again since Ms. Becky is so nice and flexible, and theoretically we can practice between lessons.  Motivation seems to be an issue for Anna, but we are working on that.

Anna's preschool graduation was on the 21st, and since Daddy couldn't be there, he FaceTimed the ceremony from Vancouver.  They had a really nice ceremony and party afterward, which was a big hit.



Anna had her 5-year checkup on Friday which I mentioned HERE, thankfully without any shots.  It was neat to watch her interact with the doctor, and was a reminder of how fast she is growing up!

We were all ready for a less busy weekend over the 23rd-24th, where Daddy was able to help neighbor Mr. John build up his screened porch from his deck.  We ladies went to a super fun pool party at Erin's classmate Lucy's house.  They had an awesome backyard with the pool, hot tub, zipline, pirate ship play area, see saw, and swing set!  I got to do my annual window cleaning on Memorial Day while Daddy took the girls to swim lessons.  The rest of the week was back to normal with the exception of Anna being out of school for the summer.  We went to play at Erin's other classmate Alyssa's house on Friday, then Erin had a make-up day for the snow on Saturday...much to her dismay.

That rounds out May!  It was busy and fun, but we are glad that June is much more calm.  Erin is in school until June 30th, but we don't have as many extra things going on.  Bring on summer!

Happy birthday, Anna!

We celebrated the big 5 this past Monday (among other days of celebration) for our baby, the one and only Anna Kathryn Callaway.  Her birthday season began back on May 2 with our family joint celebration in Concord, along with Logan's birthday and his first communion.  Daddy's and Aunt Leslie's birthdays were briefly mentioned, but of course the kids' events definitely trumped all.  

On May 16, Anna continued celebrating with a little neighbor/preschool friend garden tea party at our house.  I think she really enjoyed it, and it was still somewhat lower key than it could have been.  She had, of course, a big part in the planning of said party.

May 18th was her actual birthday, but Daddy was out of town for work so we didn't do a whole lot.  We did let her pick our after-school activity (going to the pool) and dinner (Chick Fil-A).  She had a fun day, and she also went to get her nails done on Tuesday as a part of her birthday gift from us.  Considering that she published her future career in her preschool end-of-year portrait as "nail saloner", we thought she should probably see what that really means.  After going, she says that she still wants to be a nail saloner, but I do wonder if the work would just be too much for her...after the nail salon, we also visited the playground, Chick-Fil-A (again), and got ice cream.  That darn Waverly Place just has too many of Anna's favorite things right in the same area!

Though not really birthday-related, she had her preschool graduation on Thursday.  It really has been a big week for Anna.  She did great, sang lots of songs with her class, and got her certificate.  She also had fun at the ice cream/bounce slide/playground party afterward! 

What birthday is complete for a kid without your well-child check?!  Well, Anna had hers this morning.  She did a really wonderful job and answered all of the doctor's questions truthfully.  She is holding steady at 46.6 pounds (84th percentile) and 47.25" tall (97th percentile!)  Her hearing tested good and her vision was 20/25, but they said that isn't anything to worry about at this point.  Her heart sounded perfect, and other than some dietary issues (typical for her age, he said), she is doing great.  He had a serious talk with her about eating more fruits and vegetables, so we will see if that sticks.  

So, Anna.  She is our princess, our diva, our social butterfly.  While the other three of us tend to like our "alone time", Anna does not.  She talks constantly, notices everything, and will hold you to your word.  She can be totally silly or VERY serious.  Her newest obsession is My Little Pony, and other interests are printing coloring sheets from the computer to color, reading, and anything art-related.  She has lots of little friends and has a great imagination.  She is precious, and we love her so much!

April!

Whew, another busy month is in the books!  April was full of fun with Erin tracked out for the first three weeks, including our big trip to Disney World (described in detail HERE) .  In the shadow of that, what else did we do last month?  Let's see - Anna had a fun Easter Egg hunt and party at preschool on the 1st, then we had a nice visit with Uncle Dale, Aunt Maria, Cole, and Cooper on their way to New Bern on the 3rd.  We had a very low-key Easter because Anna was sick with a stomach bug all day.  Luckily, she was feeling much better the next day and nobody else got it...very lucky, considering our trip the following Saturday!  Erin and Daddy got to participate in the neighborhood egg hunt while Anna was sick.





















The week of the 6th was fairly quiet with our usual events, until Friday when Grandma A. arrived in preparation for our big trip to Disney World!  I'll skip the trip since I posted about it earlier.  It was lots and lots of fun, though it was crowded and hot than it was last January.  We got back on the 14th and Grandma went home on the 15th as we tried to come back to reality.  We got to play at Jimmy and Danny's house on the 17th, then Anna had her last dance class on the 18th, followed by a fun visit from Grandma and Grandpa F., including trying out a yummy new restaurant in Morrisville!.




















We got to catch up with Liz and David on the 19th which was lots of fun, then Bob jetted off to California for 4 days, getting home in time to see Eric Church with Uncle Chris on Thursday night.  Erin tracked back into school on the 20th without too much of a fight.  Erin had her fun run fundraiser for school on the 24th, and I enjoyed seeing her out there with all the other kids having a blast!  (This was a huge improvement on her hiding in her classroom last year.)  We had a rainy fun party at the park for neighbor friend Caitlin on the 25th, then more playtime at her house while Bob got some house projects done.












Anna and I enjoyed making rosary kits at her friend Hadley's house on the 28th, followed by Book and Bite in Erin's classroom with her and two of her friends, and that about finishes out the month!  It was a fun month with our big Disney World trip!

Disney World 2015!

Well, we caved in and decided to visit the Land of the Mouse just 15 months after our first trip.  We happened upon a "good deal" (relatively speaking) for a hotel and wanted to go while we were still on year-round school and had breaks during low-crowd weeks of the year (in theory, though it did not prove to be reality).  Plus, the kids are so into Disney right now, and we wanted them to go while they still love the princesses and Mickey/Minnie.  We got Grandma A. roped in again, got everything booked, and off we went on Saturday, April 11th!  We flew direct from RDU on Southwest, leaving at 12:10pm and getting to Orlando around 2:00pm.  We hopped on the Magical Express bus after some difficulty locating the bus stop (unlike last year, the terminal we landed in did not have signs directing us).  We arrived at the Art of Animation hotel, again in a Finding Nemo suite, though it was a mirror image from the suite we had last year.  We had smartly packed our swimsuits in our carry-on bags so we were able to head right to the pool while we waited for the rest of our bags to arrive.  Then we got back and cleaned up before heading to our first dinner, the Cinderella dinner at 1900 Park Fare at the Grand Floridian resort.  To get there, we had to take a bus to the Magic Kingdom, then a boat across the lake to the Grand Floridian.  We thought the monorail was out of service, so we opted for the boat, which took awhile and had a long line, so we were about 10 minutes late, but we had called and they said that wasn't a problem.  Whew!  The restaurant was really nice and had a yummy buffet, and we got to see Cinderella, the fairy Godmother, evil stepmother, Anastasia, and Drizella.  The stepsisters were pretty funny and it was lots of fun!  Then we went back and went to bed after busy day #1.



Sunday, we got up, had breakfast in our room, and hit Magic Kingdom.  We noticed right away how much more crowded the park was than when we went last January.  It was also much hotter!  But we followed our plan and were able to ride the teacups, Dumbo, Barnstormer,



met Minnie, Daisy, Goofy, and Donald, then It's a Small World, Mickey's Philharmagic, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad,



Tom Sawyer Island, and then on to Be Our Guest for lunch.  We enjoyed our lunch very much and the food was really good.  Grandma had a roast beef sandwich and green beans, Daddy and Mommy had braised pork with mashed potatoes and green beans, Erin had pasta with tomato sauce and applesauce (and some pork and green beans from us), and Anna had a turkey sandwich with fries and applesauce.  We split 3 yummy cupcakes for dessert, one of which had the infamous gray stuff from the movie on it!  We checked out the other two dining rooms (they are the ballroom, West Wing, and the library where we ate), and the enchanted rose.  From lunch, we rode the carousel and then saw the Dream Along with Mickey live show in front of the castle with ice cream bars.  After the show, we met Cinderella and Rapunzel, then rode Dumbo, Aladdin's Magic Carpets and the Tomorrowland Speedway, then Daddy and the girls met Tinkerbell while Mommy and Grandma tried to see the Hall of Presidents, but we just missed the show and didn't want to keep everyone else waiting.  We figured out this trip that you can get more Fast Passes once you use up your allocated 3 Fast Passes for the day by visiting kiosks, so we took advantage of that for Tinkerbell and for other attractions the second and third days.  By this point, it was about 5:00, so we took the monorail to the Polynesian for dinner at Captain Cook's quick service, which we happened upon last time and really liked.  All adults got the pork nachos and girls got hot dogs.  We also shared 3 of the gigantic Minnie Mouse cupcakes.  Then it was back to the hotel (via monorail to Magic Kingdom and then bus to our hotel) for baths and bed.

Monday was Epcot day.  The kids were not too excited, but I think they enjoyed it more than they expected!  We took a very crowded and delayed bus from our resort to Epcot, then headed straight to Soarin', which was lots of fun and the kids enjoyed.  From there, we rode Living with the Land, a boat ride about agriculture including a trip through Disney's greenhouses.  Anna proclaimed that her favorite ride at one point.  From there, we used a Fast Pass at Test Track, then had a snack break while Daddy went to rent a stroller since ours from home broke on Monday.  We hit the Nemo ride after that, and then checked out the aquarium and play area in The Seas building.  Then it was on to Norway for our princess lunch at Akershus, which was very fun and delicious!  They had a salad and appetizer buffet with some Norwegian food to try, then we got entrees brought to us.  All 3 adults had meatballs with mashed potatoes, green beans, and ligonberry sauce which was very good.  Anna had pizza and Erin got a giant bowl of macaroni and cheese that she devoured.  We saw 5 princesses there, and then the girls got to be in a princess procession around the restaurant.



We caught the end of a rain shower after lunch and got to break out our ponchos for about 5 minutes.  Then it was on to the Epcot Character Spot where we saw Mickey, Goofy, and Minnie!  Then we turned around and went back to the World Showcase and got to see the 11 (?) country areas, including a really neat movie about France and a boat ride in the Mexico area.  The Flower and Garden Festival was going on in Epcot, and we saw lots of beautiful flowers and character-shaped topiaries!



There was also a play area and drums in the Outpost area.  But how could I forget seeing Mary Poppins in the United Kingdom?!?  Grandma and Anna were VERY excited!  After going around the loop and getting gelato and beer (depending on who you were), we hit our last ride, Spaceship Earth, on the way out.  That is in the big ball-looking structure and was dark and scary for Erin, the first time I've seen her afraid on a ride.  From then on she wanted to go on rides that were outside only, but we did get her to do some indoor ones too.  We caught the bus and got back to our hotel with plans to eat dinner at the pool and swim, only as it started raining!  So we ate in our resort food court for the first time - burger for Grandma, make-your-own pasta for Daddy, steak sandwich for Mommy, and pasta and meatballs for both kids.  It was good, and the rain was done by the time we finished, so we went to the pool and had it mostly to ourselves!

Tuesday, we got up and packed everything in our room, checked our bags, got our boarding passes, and headed back to Magic Kingdom with high hopes for less crowds.  This did not prove to be the case, but we were able to get everything done that we wanted to.  We went straight to Peter Pan, checking the wait time for Elsa and Anna on the way (which was about 2 hours every time we looked, and no Fast Passes were available...luckily no tears were shed).  Then we rode the teacups again, then the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, the newest ride in Fantasyland.  It was really good - kind of like a small roller coaster, with a "mine" with big sparkly gems in it, and it also went by the cottage with Snow White and the dwarfs!  We then went to Enchanted Tales with Belle, the interactive storytime and thanked the divine intervention that allowed for Erin to have the part of Mrs. Potts that she had been hoping for/counting on for weeks.



Then we went back to Big Thunder Mountain for an encore and stopped by to see Princess Tiana on our way to lunch.  Tiana was a little later to arrive than we expected, but we made it to lunch right on time at the Crystal Palace, right nearby.  The buffet was crowded, but it did settle down and we all enjoyed the food and our time with Piglet, Eeyore, Tigger, and Pooh!  The kids were more interested in them than I expected, but who can resist big fuzzy animals?!?  After lunch, we didn't have anything else planned until heading back to the hotel to leave, so we went back to Fantasyland for Dumbo, the spray playground, Barnstormer, Carousel,



and then got snacks to go before we caught our bus to the resort, got our bags, and got the bus to the airport.  We got through security which was really busy, had McDonalds for dinner, then got on our flight.  It went great, but was just a little bumpy in parts due to storms.  We landed just after 8pm, got our checked bags, shuttled to our car, partook in the free car wash, then were home before 9:15pm.

So, it was a wonderful trip and we are so glad that Grandma was able to come with us!  It was hot - around 85 degrees and humid, but we were in and out of air conditioning, drank lots of water, and did fine.  It was also much more crowded than the week in January that we went last time; if and when we do go back, I'd definitely try for wintertime!  Our pictures are HERE, and I'll be adding a few more from our phones and from Grandma.  The girls had a great time, and we did too!

March!

Well, that month went fast!  We don't have too much to show for ourselves, but I am proud to say that I finally got caught up on downloading/uploading the few pictures that we have taken, most of which are HERE.  Bob went to California the first week of the month, and the girls went to the dentist.  Like last time, Erin did wonderfully and Anna was the problem.  Maybe one time we can get out of there without any tears!  Anna had a very belated Valentine's program at preschool on the 4th which had been rescheduled due to the snow.  It was cute and she did a great job!

Erin had Dr. Seuss Day at school on the 6th - she and Thing 2 dressed up!





















We went to all three of the fish fries at church this Lent, 2 of which were in March.  They were so good!

We went to Concord the weekend of the 7th-8th to visit everyone, including Grandma and Grandpa Harvey who were visiting on their way back to Fort Wayne from Florida!  We had such a nice time and really enjoyed seeing everyone!

We had a busy week of the 9th, just with normal things and a few extras thrown in.  I had a nice treat from Friday to Sunday when I got to go to the beach with neighbor friend Tara, her mom, and another one of her friends.  It was so nice to relax and sleep in a little bit!  I think the girls and Daddy had a fun weekend too, even though they went to the Reptile Day at the Natural Science museum.

We had fun on the 16th with our friends the Mannings over to play!  Anna got to check out St. Mary Magdalene's kindergarten classroom and teachers on the 19th, where they deemed her ready for kindergarten.  We had 5 yards of mulch delivered on the 20th and hired our neighbor buddy Tommy to spread it for us - which was great!  We knocked out a lot of other yard work that weekend as well.

Anna was on spring break the following week, so we had even more togetherness than usual.  We ventured to Chapel Hill on Tuesday to the Morehead Planetarium.  I thought it was really neat, and she did too, until the black hole in the Magic Treehouse show scared her.  Daddy ventured to a new state, Oregon, that week as well.  He didn't seem to be too impressed with the scenery in Portland and in the Oregon State University area.

Those are the highlights of March!  Erin's last day was the 27th, and she is out until April 20th, so it's one of her shorter breaks.  We are really excited for our second trip to Disney World coming up!

February

Well, the month of snow is over!  Erin tracked back in to school at the end of January, only to have nearly 2 weeks off in February!  We enjoyed the snow a lot, but I promise to get the kids and myself snow gear for next year!  We had a fun outdoor super bowl party at our neighbor friends' houses, complete with tv projected on the side of someone's house!  I had Anna's preschool conference on the 2nd, where her teacher declared her ready for kindergarten.  The questions remains - is kindergarten ready for her?  Her preschool had a field trip on the 4th to the NC Museum of Natural Sciences, a really nice museum that I am embarrassed to say we have only been to two other times.  It's really good, close by, and free!  Of course, it was more of a social event than anything for Anna.  We had lots of fun at Jimmy's birthday party on the 7th at his gymnastics place.  Erin was sure to wear HER gymnastics t-shirt so as to flaunt her attending gymnastics elsewhere.

Bob and I had an exciting dinner at Outback on the 12th for my birthday, which was very nice to get away for a couple of hours (but of course we missed the kids every second...!).  We had Erin's yearly IEP review meeting on the 13th (happy birthday to me, 8am IEP meeting!), which went really well.  Erin has surprised all the teachers this year by how well she is doing in the regular kindergarten class, especially compared to the Erin of 2 or 3 years ago.  I really hate to brag...but she's just amazing!

We got to check out a new place on the 15th for neighbor friend Laney's birthday party, Grandma's Princess in Apex.  It is an old house that a woman bought and decorated like an old-fashioned tea party place.  Princess Belle was there, and the girls got to have makeovers, wore beautiful dresses, and had a wonderful time!  Snow/ice storm #1 started on Monday afternoon, so Erin got out of school early and both kids were out the rest of the week.  We did have fun sliding around on the ice (maybe 1" accumulated) and sledding with neighbor friends.  We also made it to Ash Wednesday Mass, OT, and out for errands and pizza on Friday.  One day at home on Tuesday was enough for us!  The weekend of the 21st was the calm between the storms, so we were able to get to the first fish fry of the year on Friday evening, to our regular Saturday morning classes, then to Nina and Lily's gymnastics party (at Erin's gymnastics school this time) on Saturday afternoon.  Poor Ike kept getting sick so his party was rescheduled once and then canceled.  Can you tell that February has lots of birthdays?!?

The kids were back to school on Monday the 23rd, only to have Snow #2 hit on Tuesday morning with about 2" of heavy, slushy snow.  It was enough to cancel school for the remainder of the week though, even though it was mostly melted by Wednesday.  We again were able to get out and made the most of it!

So, that was our snowy month!  Oh, the most important thing - we decided to take a "last minute" trip to Disney World in April!  We figured the kids are so excited about Disney stuff right now that we should take advantage of it.  We also may be switching schools next year to a traditional calendar school and wanted to take advantage of low crowds and good weather before we end up on the same vacation schedule as most of the rest of the country.  So, we are going on April 11th until the 14th and are super excited!  We'll fly direct on Southwest, will stay at the Art of Animation Nemo suite again (because Grandma A. is going too!!), will be at Magic Kingdom on the 12th and 14th, and Epcot on the 13th.  We knew that meals were going to be a challenge since most people book their dining reservations 6 months out and we were well after that window, but Bob whipped up a program in Python to scan the dining site for our preferred restaurants and times and notify us when something becomes available.  So, thanks to that, we have a pretty good schedule set up.  We can't wait!

Evidently February was really unexciting because I can't find any pictures on the camera.  I'll work on getting pictures from my phone uploaded soon!

January!

Happy New Year!  Well, now we are into the second month of the year, but it's still a new year.  January was a pretty good month, aside from various illnesses that we had.  We rang in the new year at home because Erin was under the weather with a stomach bug.  We just kind of hung out at home that weekend as Erin continued to get better, which took awhile.  Daddy went back to work and Anna went back to preschool on the 5th, so we were mostly back in our normal routine, with the exception of Erin's track-out tacked on to the Christmas break for a total of almost 6 weeks off!  It was so nice to have her at home and to enjoy lots of fun time together.



Daddy now has the distinguished title of "councilman", as he was "elected" (by having his named picked from a hat) for parish council.  He had his first meeting on the 7th, and he thinks he will enjoy getting some of the inside scoop at church and hopefully be of some help for the next 3 years (his term).  We went out to eat the night of the 9th for Mommy's friend's birthday, then Anna's classmate Drew had a bowling party on the 10th.  Some of Anna's buddies from school were there, and she had a great time.  On the 11th, one of Erin's classmates also had a birthday party (which worked out well for us, since each kid had a party to go to that weekend) at Bounce U in Apex, which was a lot of fun too.  That evening, Daddy and Mommy had a hot date to the annual parish council beginning-of-year dinner.  It was really nice, at a clubhouse in the neighborhood by the church, with a catered meal and a nice time to get to know everyone.  We enjoyed that!

We played at Jimmy and Danny's house on the 14th,



and with Caroline and brothers on the 16th.  We also had the pleasure of getting a new garage door operator and springs on the 16th, so we are now enjoying a fully operational garage door.  Saturday the 17th started our 3 months of dual-activity Saturday mornings of ballet/tap for Anna and gymnastics for Erin, which has already proven to be a challenge when Bob had a parish council workshop this past Saturday.  But, for the most part, it's an easy way to knock everything out, no traffic like on weeknights, and everybody gets to do what she wants.  Erin also had a second gymnastics class at noon that day to make up for being out of town the following weekend.  We had a fun neighbor gathering that afternoon to watch the NFL playoff game outside at Ms. Karen's fireplace and (temporarily) outdoor tv.

We had lots of fun at the Great Wolf Lodge on the 22nd-23rd,





and then in Concord the 24th-25th for Cooper's baptism and Ansley's birthday party!  We are so honored and excited to be Cooper's godparents.  It was a busy but really fun weekend!



Daddy left from Charlotte on Sunday for 4 days in California.  Jimmy and Danny came to play at our house on the 26th, and then we had another week O' sickness with fevers, coughs, and of course Erin managed to sneak in some throwing up, her specialty.  We got through it, and Daddy survived being sick away from home, and we were all mostly better by the weekend to round out the month.  Erin went back to school on the 28th, only to miss the 29th and 30th from being sick.  

My mantra has become "if we aren't going to get any snow this winter anyway, might as well move on to spring!".  Here's to no more sickness for awhile!