February was a good month! We didn't see any snow, but we had a lot of nice weather days! We started out with the end of Anna's basketball season. Their team was younger and smaller than most other teams and didn't have the best record, but they really worked hard, hustled, and improved a lot over the season! We are very proud of Anna for trying a new sport that isn't easy to play. She even had to play in a face mask the entire season and didn't complain once!
I enjoyed a moms dinner with school friends after Anna's last game on the 4th while Bob and the girls celebrated at Culver's! Sunday the 6th, the girls altar served together and we enjoyed a yummy family dinner out at the Angus Barn, courtesy of my birthday money from both sets of grandparents. It was wonderful!
The week of the 7th was more of the usual, including a fun book club evening for me and Anna's basketball team party that Friday.
I had a great birthday weekend, including a family hike and picnic lunch (with Finley!) at Raven Rock State Park on Saturday the 12th, followed by a dinner at Outback that evening. Sunday was cold and rainy, so we mostly relaxed at home, which was very nice too! Monday was Valentine's Day, and the kids got to dress down in Valentine's colors, while I helped with a teacher treat that day. Anna was pleased to leave school early on Tuesday to attend Laney's Harry Potter birthday party. It was a blast!
Bob had a wild night at Dads' Night Out on Thursday the 17th, and I had a yummy lunch at Tazza Kitchen with friend Tina on the 18th.
Anna's YMCA soccer team started up on Saturday the 19th...spring sports start early in North Carolina! We'd rather be outside in 40s-50s than in 90s, so no complaints here! It just so ended up that Logan was at Wake Tech for a robotics meet and Uncle Chris offered to take both girls back to Concord that evening so they could hang out with Ansley for Sunday before we were planning to go on Monday. So, Bob and I got a surprise 2 nights alone at home with Finley! We didn't know what to do with ourselves! The girls had a great time at Ansley's house, then at church and her volleyball game in Fort Mill SC, Mexican lunch out, then back to her house to visit with Cole, Cooper, and Vinny who had arrived in NC the evening before for a fun week visiting! Meanwhile, Bob and I made trips to 2 different Costcos, went to dinner at Hickory Tavern, went to church, I went to cycle class at the Y, then I took Finley for a 4-mile hike at Harris Lake and read a book. It was a very relaxing weekend, but weird to not have the kids here!
Monday around 10am, we were reunited at Stars and Strikes bowling alley in Concord, where the kids bowled and played arcade games. They had a blast! We then went back to Grandma and Grandpa's house for a yummy pasta lunch with banana pudding for dessert! The boys played football while the girls and little guys played in the backyard, the kids made some sand art crafts, and we all had a great game of kickball. What a fun visit!
The girls were also off on Tuesday for an extended Presidents' Day weekend, so Anna relaxed while Erin had friends Vera and Elena over to do some yoga, eat lunch, and be outside. Erin then had her piano lesson while Anna and I had a soccer shopping spree at Dick's Sporting Goods.
Wednesday was back to the routine for a short week. Anna went out for the school soccer team and has really been enjoying it so far! Their first game is this Thursday. It was a big decision for her, if she could do both her Y team and the school team, but she is going for it! She will have a couple of breaks during the season for trips and then spring break, so hopefully it won't be too bad. So far, so good! Anna has been such an athlete this year!
Erin had her piano mock recital on Saturday the 26th, which went well. Otherwise, that weekend was fairly quiet. And today has been a normal Monday! So, that was February. The porch project continues, slowly but surely. We now have all of the decking installed and nearly all of the ceiling panels and trim. The hot tub was moved back in place on the 11th. I believe the next step is to paint and then install rails and windows, and that will be it! We haven't heard anything about windows yet, so hopefully they will arrive soon. It's been going well and we are excited to have it finished!
Looking forward to a busy and fun month of March, complete with overnight school field trips for both kids separately (Anna going to Sound to Sea at the coast from March 21st-23rd, and Erin will go to Washington DC from March 29th-31st). Anna and I also have a little trip of our own to Universal Studios in Florida from the 17th-19th. We are super excited about that! Fish fries are happening, albeit drive through, so Bob is excited about that. Bring it on!
