Family Vacation!

This year we celebrated the Fourth of July holiday in Myrtle Beach with my family. My parents, my Sister-in-Law Tara, and Niece Caitlin joined us for a quick but fun-packed weekend! Our good friends the Holcombs graciously allowed us to stay in their beach house during this time for which we are so very grateful! We always have such a fun time in Myrtle Beach. Dave, the kids and I arrived around lunchtime on Friday and unpacked and got the kids settled. The rest of the crew arrived later that afternoon and the three cousins rode their bikes outside.

Paige has been apprehensive about riding her bike without training wheels, but this trip she made a lot of progress. She has been working on her balance and for the first time, she was riding with her training wheels bent up and not touching the ground. She has been slowly gaining the self-confidence to do it, but still isn't quite ready to go it alone without those training wheels. Hopefully by the end of this summer she will get there. Alex on the other hand is Speedy-Gonzolez on wheels. He flies all over the place on his bike. I am guessing his training wheels will come off fairly soon too.

Friday night we had some tired little kids, who went to bed early enough for Tara, my Dad and I to take a nice evening walk to the grocery store to buy supplies for the long weekend. We took the beach caddy so we could haul the case of beer and other items back easier. We looked pretty funny, but boy was that thing handy! LOL!

Saturday morning we took our time getting moving, ate a delicious breakfast prepared by Dad, then headed to the beach for a beautiful day. We found a great spot on the beach and Paige and Alex enjoyed the waves, while Caitlin loved digging in the sand and playing in the water. Paige was having so much fun on the boogie board. She had a few spills, but got back up and tried again. This year she even came out in the deeper water with me and rode the waves. It was so much fun! Alex shows no fear, which scares me to death. He got wacked in the face and knocked down by more than one wave. He didn't really like that, but had no problem going back out and testing the deeper waters again.

After a few hours at the beach, we decided it was time to head back for showers, lunch and naps for Alex and Caitlin. While the kids were sleeping, we left the guys in charge and Mom, Tara, Paige and I went shopping at the Outlets. We had a great time shopping, and even Paige hung in there for it all. She just went for the Ben and Jerry's ice cream!

That evening, we ate a great dinner at home, then headed to Broadway at the Beach for our Fourth of July celebration! This is the one place that Paige wants to go to every time we come to Myrtle Beach. She just loves Broadway! Somehow we found a really good parking spot near the kids rides and believe it or not, there we not lines for the rides. It was perfect. It was a beautiful, warm evening and we all had fun wandering around Broadway and riding some of the rides. I think Alex's favorite was the NASCAR ride and Paige seems to love them all. Caitlin and Alex were so cute together riding on the little boats. We stayed late enough to see the fireworks and while the kids were pretty worn out at this point, they were troopers and made it through the whole show. What a busy, fun-filled, exciting day!!

Sunday morning we weren't sure what to do because Dave, the kids and I had to head back home later that afternoon. After a lot of indecisiveness, we finally decided to forgo the beach and headed for Ripleys Aquarium. Even after putting 50 SPF sunscreen on my kids, they both still got sunburned and I didn't prepare well enough with hats for them, so I was a little hesitant to have them spend that much more time at the beach, so the Aquarium ended up being a great choice. The kids hung in there again, even though you could tell they were all still a bit tired from the previous day and we had a great time watching the fish, sharks and stingrays, as well as playing in the interactive area of the Aquarium.

Finally, it was time for us to say goodbye to Myrtle Beach and we headed back home to Wake Forest. There were a couple of very sad children in our car on the drive home. They had such a good time on this trip. The best part for me was being able to spend that time with my parents and especially Tara and Caitlin who are home from Taiwan. I hope we can do that again someday, only next time for a little longer and my brother needs to go! We missed you Matt!

Vacation to NY

We recently spent a week up in the Binghamton, NY area, spending time with family and friends. We didn't get to see everyone and do everything we wanted to, but had a great time. The weather was beautiful this year; low seventies, sunshine and blue skies! It was a nice change from the rain we are accostomed to when we visit.

We packed in a lot of activities and visits, but to spare you all the gory details, I will just mention some of the highlights. We met my good friend Ingrid and her family at The Discovery Center one day. That is the one place Paige asks to go to every time we are in NY. She loves it there and Alex does too, so it was a prefect fit. Paige and McKenzie are close in age, and Alex and Chris are only about 4 weeks apart in age and played like they had been friends forever.

We visited a longtime friend of Dave's, Jimi and his wife Heather and even got to go out with the adults for an evening! (Thank you Gramme!) We had a fantastic time with our friends, Ingrid and Mike and Jimi and Heather. It was so nice to catch up with everyone.

We visited my Grandma Sandwick and the kids loved riding around on her Rascal. She also made a very nice lunch for us. After lunch we drove Grandma over to see my Cousin Brandi at her Ice Cream Shop and got to visit for a little bit. Not long enough of course, but I am so glad we could at least stop by. That night Dave's Mom made her famous Baby Back Ribs for dinner and as Ted says, they are better than any ribs you can get in a restaurant and Dave and I agree - delicious!

Tuesday was a little more serious as we drove to Oneonta, NY for a Memorial Service for Dave's Grandma Manley who passed away in February. The service was very nice, but it was a sad moment, especially when we walked around the cemetary and saw the sites of Dave's Grandfather, his two Uncles, and his Brother Steve, who Alex is named after. Dave's Sister-in-Law Laura and our Nephews Grant and Zach were there from Minnesota, along with their sister Grace. After the service, we all went to the New Milford Inn and enjoyed a great buffet lunch while we visited with family.

After lunch we went back to Dave's Dad's house and the cousins had a great time playing together. Dave's Dad and Rosa made a fantastic steak dinner for us. We had a really nice afternoon with everyone. Paige and Grace are the same age and had a great time playing together and Alex LOVED playing with his Cousins Grant and Zach. He was trying to keep up with them and actually did quite well considering he is 3 and they are 15 and 13!

Another day we met Laura and family at Highland Park thinking that the carousel would be running, but it didn't open until late June unfortunately, so we ended up going up to Arnold park in Vestal where Dave used to play football as a kid. They just put in a huge new playground and the kids had a blast there. After all of our park fun, we went back to Dave's Mom's and had a spiedie dinner. You have to have speidies on a NY visit! Again, the kids all had a great time with their cousins, especially playing football.

Thurday the rain did finally set in, but that didn't dampen our day as we went to see our good friends, The Holcomb's. Karen brought Gianna up and the three kids splashed around in the puddles and played with all of Gramma Jan's toys. Alex taught Gianna how to use a vacuum cleaner, which was pretty funny. Neither of the kids wanted to leave, but we had to get back and pack because we were leaving the next morning.

Our drive back was long, but good and Bailey was certainly happy to see us. We had a great week, although it always goes by so quickly. Thanks to Dave's Mom and Ted and Dave's Dad and Rosa for taking such good care of us while we were there! We miss you already!

She Did It!

The day finally arrived! This past Saturday was Paige's Dance Recital. She has been in dance class since September and while Paige came a long way in dancing, it became a struggle for her to complete the year through the recital. She was given a choice half way through the year to stick it out or to stop and she chose to continue with it until the end. Not long after that decision, it became a battle for Paige to put her tights on. They itched and itched and itched; apparently so badly she couldn't possibly continue. (Tights are a requirement, no exceptions!) Once we committed to staying through May, we shelled out way too much money to call it quits. With recital fees, costume fees, etc. we were in it for the long hall.

So I prepared myself each Monday for the possibility of an anti-tight demonstration. And every Monday, Paige delivered, which made me more determined to get her through this. Sure, it would have been easier to drop the class than to put up with the meltdowns, but it was the principle of it. You don't quit half-way through, especially after you made the decision to continue. It was a very long teachable moment. LOL!

I am so glad she stuck it out, and I think she is too. The recital was all it was supposed to be, and Dave and I were so proud of her. It took place at Louisburg College in a real auditorium. She got dressed in an actual dressing room with bright lights and mirrors. She got to wear makeup. She looked like a real dancer, wearing her hot pink and black costume with a pink tutu for ballet and pants for tap. She performed really well too. She said she was nervous to go out in front of all those people, but she never showed it on stage. Those who have known Paige throughout her life, know she has not been the most coordinated child, but dance class has helped her tremendously. She knew the moves and performed like a dancer, and had fun. She participated in the finale with all the other performers, and at the end we presented her with flowers, which really surprised her. She wouldn't let the flowers go. Alex was even good throughout the whole recital and gave her a big huge hug at the end.

The moment was bittersweet. I was glad I wouldn't have to drag Alex with us every Monday and deal with the tight drama anymore, but it was emotional for me to see my 7 year old daughter up there in front of all those people, knowing that this might be the only time she would ever perform like this. Wow, did she seem grown up at that moment. While she does enjoy dancing, this just isn't something she is passionate about. She doesn't want to continue with it. So Mommy is a little sad to see it come to an end. I love dancing and wished she would have enjoyed it enough to continue, but I am sure we will find something else she will enjoy even more, and Mommy will be just as proud of her. Sniff sniff!

I think we need to have a tight burning party to celebrate, don't you?

Alex's Preschool Art Show

What a busy month! Whew! All the end of the year school events for both Paige and Alex, birthdays, Mother's Day...the list goes on and on. While it is very busy, it is also a lot of fun. Tonight we went to Alex's Preschool Art Show. This was the first family event for Alex other than his Christmas Program, but since that was during the day, Paige and I were the only ones to go to that one. This time Dave and my parents were able to attend. Alex showed off some of his artwork on the walls of the classroom and his teachers had put together a portfolio of art projects and photos taken throughout the year. It is such a wonderful memory book. Then we headed outside for snacks and the playground. Alex wanted no part of the snacks, he just wanted to go play with his friends.

Alex has a couple of very good friends in his class too, but by far his best friend in the whole entire world is Robert (on the right). He and Robert are inseparable at school. They hold hands, hug each other, act goofy together and laugh like crazy. It's like watching two little girls. At this age though, it is so darn cute! It's hard to believe Alex's first year of preschool will be over this Friday and he will be off for Summer break. Where did this past year go?

Happy Mother's Day!

Mother's Day this year was a special one because my Grandma Sandwick was visiting from New York. That morning we all went to Church and afterwards Dad took a picture of the four generations of women; Paige, Me, Grandma Sandwick and Mom Heller. After church, everyone came to our house for dinner.

Uncle Tom and Aunt Chris stopped by for a visit and gave Paige the cutest birthday present, which she loved (a horse pillow!) We enjoyed being able to see them and hear about their trip up to Virginia. It was a nice day to spend with family and went by way too fast!

The Park and More Birthday Fun!

Paige had her friend Amanda from school sleep over Friday night, which was kind of a last minute decision, but boy did they have a great time together. Paige just started the sleepovers the later part of this school year. While she had been okay having friends stay over at our house, she has always been a little scared to go stay at someone else's house, but now she is starting to learn just how much fun sleepovers can be! After Amanda left on Saturday, Paige's actual birthday, we had a family picnic at Rolesville Park. We were joined by Mom and Dad Heller and my Grandma Sandwick. It ended up being a very hot day, but we enjoyed eating our lunch and taking a walk around the park trail. The kids brought their bikes and rode all over the place. Of course, they loved the playground. Paige also opened her family presents while we were there. Grandma knitted Paige a colorful hat and scarf for the winter, which Paige really liked.

By the time we got home, we were all hot and sweaty, so Dave and I decided to get out the blow up pool and set it up on our deck and let the kids play. It took forever to get the thing blown up, but it was worth it because the kids had a blast, and so did Dave and I. It was very refreshing! I caught this picture of Paige and Alex hugging each other, and I just love this one. They were having so much fun together, which was really nice to see.

Paige's Birthday Party

This past weekend we celebrated Paige's 7th birthday at EasiHorse Farm. I highly recommend this place to anyone who has a horse-lover in the family! The kids got to ride horses, ride in a horse drawn cart, feed the goats, hold the baby chicks and just have fun. We really lucked out with the weather too. There were predictions of storms all day and the whole time we were there the sun was shining. It was a little warm and a bit windy, but it was perfect - no rain!

Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves, especially Paige. You could see in her behavior and her smiles just how happy she was. In years past, I know she has really enjoyed her birthday parties, but this year there was a new maturity to her. She was polite and calm and relaxed and just seemed to enjoy the moment. She loved having her good friends there with her. It seemed much more relaxed to me too. The farm was very calming and beautiful and the people were so nice and accommodating.

Paige was so comfortable with the horses too. She loved riding them, but equally enjoyed brushing them. I think this might be "her thing." We've tried a couple of different activities with her like dance, gymnastics and soccer and while she enjoyed them for the most part, it wasn't anything she was passionate about or truly took an interest in. She really enjoys swimming, but I don't think she will be on the swim team. I think it just might be horseback riding. I could be entirely wrong too. Time will tell, but for now she just glows when she is in the company of horses and seems at ease riding them.

For the party, we did all the animal things first. There were three horses to ride; Pixie, High and one other. They took the kids on a pretty long ride. While that was going on, 3 kids could ride on the horse drawn cart with Mr. Dave, the owner of the farm and a horse named The Colonel. Then we went to a different pasture and all the kids got to feed the goats. Alex wanted no part of riding a horse, but he loved feeding the goats and listened and did it just like he was supposed to. The goats were a lot of fun and there were a lot of smiles. After the goats, we headed back for a little more riding and the kids got to groom one of the ponies. I think the pony really enjoyed this part! Lots of kids with brushes.

After all the "horsing around" (sorry, couldn't resist), we had cake and ice cream. It was too windy for the candles to stay lit long enough for Paige to blow them out, and she was a little disappointed, but we made the best of it. After cake the kids enjoyed running around and playing with the baby chicks. Paige did end up opening her presents after the wind died down a little. She received a lot of horse themed gifts, which of course she loved. Again, the maturity came through as she opened presents. She took her time, enjoyed each gift and didn't rip into everything as fast as she could like in years past. I sat there wondering where my highly emotional, fidgety, loud child went? (Not that I am at all complaining!!!) We certainly still have those days, but it seems like they may be getting fewer and fewer.

Paige has a great group of friends, some from school, some from Church and some we have known for years and years. It was a great mix and of course, my Mom and Dad were there. This year though, we had a very special guest, my Grandma Sandwick. Paige and I were so happy Great Grandma could be there to see the horses and enjoy the day with us. We missed having all of our family here, but hope you all enjoy the blog and the photos!