Road trip to North Carolina

 This past week was Spring Break for Hannah so we headed down to North Carolina to visit Nana and Papa.  We decided to drive this year so that we could visit other family on the way and back! 

We woke up early Saturday and were on the road by 545a, got the girls right out of bed and into the car, still in their pjs.  We stopped in Connecticut at a deli Joe remembered from long ago.  Who knew the Statue of Liberty was in CT?  

 From there we continued our drive to Aunt Sarah's house in Virginia, a mere 10 hrs in the car!  The girls did great and were excited to see Aunt Sarah and meet her boyfriend and kids.

 Blake and Hannah with cupcakes made by Sarah's boyfriend's mother...confusing? Yes!  But the cupcakes were adorable!!!  Monkeys and Owls.

 By Sunday night, we made it to Nana and Papa's house in Washington, N.C.  As Nana had an appt on Monday morning and Papa had to work, Joe and I took the girls for a nature walk at Goose Creek State Park.  We started our adventure in the discovery room where they had preserved animals which the kids found fascinated and made me sick to my stomach.

 The girls running ahead on the boardwalk trail.

 Daddy and his girls.

 We took 2 different trails, the boardwalk trail and then the beach trail.  Hannah was so excited to find the beach and immediately took off her shoes and started building a sand castle.

 Later in the afternoon, we went for a walk on the boardwalk near Nana's house to feed the turtles, ducks, and geese on our way to ice cream.

 And of course went into the pool!!  The weather for the first part of our trip was fantastic, nearing or in the 80s almost every day.  It was definitely hot enough for a dip in the pool, but the pool was chilly.  The girls didn't mind whatsoever, but the adult that had to go in with them was a bit cold.  But each day, a different adult went in with them.  Daddy first!

 And then Nana.  I did make it in with them, but there aren't any pictures to prove it.

 One day, we went to visit Papa in his classroom and had lunch with him.  Papa teaches science to 7th and 8th graders so there were some cool things in the class for the girls to look at like a snake skin, a peacock feather,...But best of all was seeing Papa!

 While we were there, Joe pulled out Hannah' s loose tooth that was hanging on by a thread.

 Another missing tooth!  Ironically, the next day, her second front top tooth started coming in!

 That same afternoon, we made our way to Virginia Beach!  Again, the weather was warm, the water very chilly!!!  But Daddy just can't say no to his little girl that just loves, loves, loves the beach and playing in the water!

 Emme was perfectly happy to sit in the sand and play!! 

 From there, we went to Norfolk to see Uncle Jeff, Aunt Jordan, and Ayla.  This was our first time meeting Aunt Jordan and Ayla!!

 Hannah and Ayla!  Hannah loved playing with Ayla.  Emme was very jealous to not be the baby!

 On our last night, we took Nana and Papa out to dinner and then headed home for some yummy dessert that Nana made!  Hannah helped by adding the strawberries to the top.

 Papa and Emme!

 One more picture before we started to head for home! 

 On our way home, we stopped at Aunt Cathy and Uncle Kurtis' house in Alexandria, VA.  Hannah was so excited to see Taylor and Lindsay!  And she was very impressed with Cali's trick to shake hands!

 Lindsay, Hannah, and Emme having lots of fun playing together!  Lindsay is so good with them. She had loads of Barbies which of course kept our girls busy for hours!

 Joe was super happy because he got to go for a motorcycle ride with Kurtis.  Since moving to Amsterdam, Joe traded his motorcycle for a bicycle (although we still have the motorcycle), but had a great time!!

 And finally on Saturday, we finished the 9+ hr drive home.  And what did Emme want to do when we got home??  Stay in the car!?!  Apparently she became very fond of the car and didn't want to get out!  Especially all of the movies they watched!!

A very successful road trip!!!  But we are sure glad to be home!!!

Happy Easter!

We had a really nice Easter yesterday and hope everyone else did too!!!

Hannah and I decorated our chalkboard with a note to the Easter bunny! I wrote the "Happy Easter" and she did the rest!
And sure enough in the morning, the Easter bunny had come and left treats!

Glitter nail polish!!!
And Emme's favorite...chocolate.

After breakfast and a little playing, the girls and I got dolled up to go to brunch with the extended family in Maine.

The girls in their Easter dresses! I'm not sure what Emme is doing, but the sun was definitely in her eyes.
At brunch, Hannah and Owen got the lobsters (that were supposed to be garnish, but the guy gave it to them anyway) off of the buffet. They look so happy here ready to eat...BUT unfortunately, the lobsters weren't cooked properly and so no lobster was eaten (aside from one claw Hannah ate before we noticed, but she's fine).
After brunch, we came home and relaxed the rest of the day!

"Egg"stravaganza

Today was filled with a whole lot of eggcellent fun!!! We started the day off at our town's annual Easter egg hunt, or more aptly named "chaos".

Emme ready for some hunting. Cheese.

While Emme went to the playground with the younger kids with Daddy, Hannah and I headed over to the field where eggs were spread all around. Waiting with the herd for the hunt to start.
And go! In actuality, there was no hunting and eggs were just everywhere, but so were people. It was insane...like a stampede. If you weren't quick, you didn't get your 10 eggs. Lucky for Hannah, she was quick!
Done. As quickly as it started, it ended.
Emme didn't fare so well at the playground with only 2 eggs. Apparently some parents weren't following the 10 egg max rule. Boo! But Hannah checked out her loot and was happy to share with Emme.
When we got home, it was time to dye Easter eggs.
Hannah using the dipping technique.
Emme preferred painting her eggs. It was a bit messier, but she had fun and came away with all pink eggs (her favorite color).
And if that wasn't enough, we finished the afternoon at our friend's house for their annual Easter egg hunt. 496 eggs hidden around their house, both inside and out! Hannah finished searching outside and waiting to be let in the house! (The kids had to wait until everyone was there before they could go in the house)
Checking out all of their eggs (Emme with a piece of chocolate in her mouth already).
We had such a fun day!

Easter Cookie Decorating

Time to get in the Easter spirit, starting with....decorating Easter/Spring cookies!

Hannah, Emme, and Bella all ready to go (as usual, they each have their own racks so there is no cross contamination)
Emme was trying to figure out the sprinkles meanwhile she never did put enough icing on to actually get the sprinkles to stick (Hannah eventually helped her out).

Hannah painting a butterfly. I always love them painting the cookies. I feel like they take their time doing it.
One of her finished masterpieces. "Hurry up Mom, it's dripping"
The aftermath!
The girls' cookies. Yum yum!
Now onto Easter egg hunts, dyeing Easter eggs,...

Hiking +

Last Sunday on my birthday, we went hiking at Habitat, our local nature reserve. It was a beautiful start to a great day! But oddly enough, we saw more wildlife in our own backyard that day (including a turkey - yes, we live only 5 miles from Boston - not exactly the countryside).

The girls in the meadow. Hannah loves going off the beaten path into the dry grass. Emme ventured out and then quickly realized it was just about as tall as she was and came right back out again.
Running in the grass.
My girls and I...
And then today, Emme and I came home from taking Charlie to get a haircut and she was so tired, she fell asleep on the floor. This from the girl who no longer will take a nap at home!