It Floats!!!

On Wednesday, May 11, the Little Dears Tribe put the finishing touches on their raft.  They decided to give it a theme, "Eat Mor Chikin" (imagine that!) and spraypainted cow spots on it.  They also made a flag to hang off the back of the raft that says, "Eat Mor Chikin."  They loaded it onto one of the dad's trucks and were hopeful that it would make it to Arapahoe, NC in one piece and would float once they got there.  Well.....Tony and Regan are at Y Guide camp right now and they called to say their raft stayed afloat and they got second place in their heat.  Yay!!!!  My next question...."what are you going to do with the raft now??"  It has been taking up space in my garage for months!  Tony said one of the other dads will take it home and store it in his backyard and hopefully soon all the Y Guide families can meet at a local lake to try it out.  More photos to come of the raft race....

 The dads loading up the raft.

The girls enjoying brownies in the back of Tony's truck while the dads do all the work. :)  Hey, they did make the flag and they were great cheerleaders! :)

Pharoah Day...

On Wednesday, May 11, the fourth grade had Pharoah Day.  This is a big day in 4th grade and they work very hard preparing for this special event.  The children are put into groups and each group has to do a project on a certain Egyptian event and they also have to do an individual project of a God, Goddess, or mortal from their specific Egyptian event.  They have to design a costume, create props, and give a speech.  Regan's group did the re-enactment of mummification and Regan ended up being assigned as the mummifier of King Tut.  This made it very difficult to come up with a costume!  I was hoping she would be a goddess because we already had a Cleopatra costume from Halloween.  Regan came home saying that a mummifier does not wear much.  They usually just wore a short white "skirt" and no shirt and no jewerly since they were not rich.  So, I had to go to Walmart in search of a "skin" colored shirt and all I found was one in an adult extra small.  Regan had a white skirt that we folded over many times at the waist to make it short.  That was her costume, nothing fancy but what else do you do for a mummifier!?  Her group made a great coffin for King Tut, made organs out of clay and put them in decorated jars, and Regan mummified one of her stuffed animal cats for a prop.  They worked very hard and did a great job presenting.  After presentations, the kids enjoyed an Egyptian feast for lunch.    

The mummifier with King Tut (played by Hope)

Regan's group

Here is a better photo of the coffin.

Regan's teacher, Mr. Morganti, dressed up.

Funny Reece...

Reece got to bring home a class puppet last weekend and she chose the Guinea Pigs.  I am so thankful they were puppets and not real.  Anytime a child brings snack, they get to choose a class puppet to bring home for the weekend.  Then, they write a story about their weekend with the puppet and take photos.  Reece wanted to take photos of the Guinea Pigs shooting her new Nerf Gun.  That of course was the highlight of her weekend. 

While I am on the topic of Reece I have to share one of her latest comments....Tony and the girls were hiking and somehow got on the topic of crying.  Regan or Riley said, "well, Daddy never cries" and without missing a beat Reece replied, "yes he does, he cries wolf."  This child is unbelievable with her wit and how smart she is.  She keeps us on our toes and laughing. 

 These safety goggles crack me up.  Daddy made the rule that the girls have to wear goggles when they are shooting their guns.  The darts come out fast and hard and he does not want an eye injury. 

Reece loving on the Guinea Pigs.

Mother's Day Tea and Aesop's Fables...

On Monday, May 9th, the first graders at Trinity had a Mother's Day Tea for all their moms.  The children served us yummy food and tea and made us sweet notes.  Riley's note said, "I love my mommy and daddy because they take care of me when I am sick."  After the tea, the children performed Aesop's Fables that they have been working on.  Riley was a crab in the fable, "The Fox and the Crabs."  She did a great job and was very expressive.  

 Riley took this photo of Reece and I.  I am holding the note Riley made me.

 Riley and Leah as crabs.

The fox (Cody) trying to eat the crab.

Mother's Day...

I had a wonderful Mother's Day weekend and was spoiled rotten.  My weekend started out with the church retreat and Tony was an awesome dad while I was gone.  Tony told the girls to come up with a list of things they wanted to do while mommy was gone (things they usually can't do with me).  The girls came up with simple ideas such as going to the museum, going to a park, go to Barnes and Noble, etc. all things they can do with me.  So, Tony took the girls into the bedroom (out of my earshot) and helped them come up with something.  I heard a bunch of happy screams and laughter as they were planning.  Tony told them he would take them to Walmart and they could all pick out their very own Nerf guns and they would have a Nerf gun fight in the house on Friday night.  After hearing this, the girls could not get me out of the house fast enough!  On Saturday, Tony took the girls to Nosh for breakfast and then they met Joe, Abby and their cousins at Home Depot to make a craft for me.  They made wooden tulip planters for me and then bought flowers to go in them.  They are beautiful!  Tony then took the girls to Zack's Hotdogs for lunch and they also went on a hike at one of our favorite trails.  They saw a snake on one of the rocks while hiking and Tony said if he did not stop Regan she probably would have picked it up.  She is fascinated with snakes.  They finished the day with Riley's Softball Bat-A-Thon and then I came home from my retreat and we all ate Subway together.  Sunday, I was lavished with love and all my favorites.  We went to church and then went out to lunch with the pastor's family and another couple, the Benfields, to Tyler's Restaurant.  Tyler's has very good Buffalo wings so I was very happy!  After lunch we came home for a short nap and then headed out to Duke Gardens.  We go to Duke Gardens almost every year for Mother's Day.  I enjoy all the beautiful flowers.  After Duke Gardens, we went to Panera Bread for dinner and then my family got me a yummy cookie cake with lots of icing, my favorite!  It was a great weekend!  Here are some photos of my wonderful day.  I do not have a photo of my gifts the girls gave me.  I will have to take one and post it soon.  Reece gave me a card she made at preschool which read....

"I love my Mommy because....."

....she gives me hugs.

....she gives me kisses.

....she reads me books about bunnies.

....she loves me.

....she makes me Strawberry cake.

....she takes me to the Museum of Life and Science.

I love my mommy $11.00! 

I asked Reece what this last line meant and her reply was, "my teacher asked me how much I love my mommy."  I jokingly asked her, "I am only worth $11.00 to you?"  She said, "well I was going to put $29.00 but decided on $11.00!"   Reece is priceless but I guess I am not. :)   

 Blessed to have 3 sweet girls.

 We enjoyed a sunny day at Duke Gardens.

 These flowers were amazing!  Love them!

 Regan

 Reece always into something! :)

 This was a human size birdhouse.  We are peeking out the hole of the birdhouse.  It was like playing the game of "Twister" trying to get us all in this photo.  The hole was high up so we were standing on a bench, straddling each other, and leaning forward, but look at the smiles!

 Reece was tired and was taking a break on this bench.

 This photo reminds me of my sister, Kim, who is always sticking her tongue out in photos! 

 Duke has done a lot of renovations to their gardens including this new fountain.  Trying to get a photo with my girls but they were all tired and no longer cooperating.

My yummy cookie cake - the more icing the better! 

Grace Hill's First Women's Retreat...

We are in a church plant that has been together for a little over a year now.  We had our first women's retreat on Mother's Day weekend.  The theme of the retreat was, "Oh The Places You Will Go."  We did not have a guest speaker instead two ladies led us in devotionals and then we all gave our testimonies about how we came to know the Lord, what He has done in our lives, and what He is doing currently in our lives.  Some of the ladies I have known for over 5 years and some I did not know much at all, but I have to say I learned something new about everyone.  The Holy Spirit was definitely at work on this retreat and I have to say this was the best retreat I have ever been on!  Getting to know the women better and hearing how God has worked in everyone's lives was the best part of the retreat but the location was not bad either.  We stayed at the Umstead Spa and Resort in Cary which is a 5 star resort.  Someone in our church has connections so we were able to get an awesome deal on rooms and a meeting room.  We enjoyed a great dinner at the Bonefish Grill on Friday night then we gathered together for an icebreaker game, devotional and started sharing testimonies.  Later that evening, we all got our PJ's on and all 18 of us gathered in a hotel room for dessert and more sharing time.  We were going to play games but decided to keep on with the testimonies because they were so moving.  We stayed up until about 1:00 am sharing.  The next morning, I enjoyed a 5 mile run through the beautiful trails around the resort with my dear friend, Margaret.  Then, we all gathered together for a morning devotional, more sharing and a wonderful brunch.  We ended our retreat with a short hike and a late lunch at the Umstead.  They have the best burgers and fries!!!  Margaret and I extended our day by going and getting Pedicures and Manicures before returning home.  It was an amazing weekend and I feel so much closer to all the Grace Hill women.  The next day at church was so wonderful because we knew each other on such a deeper level that it made worshipping the Lord even more special.  Thanks Grace Hill ladies for being so real, transparent, honest, loving and fun!!!!  Love you girls! 

Karen reading the book, "Oh The Places You Will Go" By: Dr. Seuss

One of the ladies had a friend make us "professional" cakes.  They were delicious!  We enjoyed these during our PJ party.

Umstead Spa and Resort

 Here is most of our group...we are missing 8 ladies in this photo because I forgot to get a group photo the first night.

 We saw a mommy and baby turtle during our hike around the lake.

The beautiful grounds of Umstead Resort.

Taking a stroll and you can see the resort and pool to the left.  I am ready to go back for another retreat!!!

Grandparent's Day at Trinity...

On Friday, May 6, Trinity school had Grandparent's/Special Friends Day.  The girls' grandparents could not make it this year due to schedules and it also being the weekend of my church's women's retreat.  So, our dear friend, Mrs. Patsy, came as the girls' special friend.  Mrs. Patsy does Kid's Nights with me at Chick-fil-A and she is also my prayer partner, a dear friend and is like a "grandma" to my kids.  She spoils us rotten and we love her and her family dearly.  The kids were so honored to have her spend the day with us.  We enjoyed watching the girls perform in the Spring Concert and taking a tour of their classrooms to see all the neat stuff they have been working on.  Regan did a wonderful job playing her recorder in the Recorder Ensemble and both girls did great reciting poems and singing songs with their classes.  Grandparents, don't worry we got it on video!

 Riley's class has been studying birds.  Riley did a report on the Cardinal and she made this nest and eggs.

 Riley showing Mrs. Patsy a book she wrote about a flower.

 Riley showing off some of her artwork.  Riley's picture is the "R" above her.

 Riley's drawing is in the upper left corner.

 Riley with Mrs. Patsy

 Regan's class has been studying Ancient Egypt and are preparing for "Pharoah Day."  "Pharoah Day" is one of the biggest days in 4th grade at Trinity.  They do a group project and an individual project, dress up as their character and eat an Egyptian meal.  Regan is in the group that mummified King Tut.  Her role was the mummifier.  In this photo, Regan is showing Mrs. Patsy and I their project.

Regan with Mrs. Patsy.

Y Guides Spring Outing 2011...

During the weekend of 4/29 - 5/1, Riley and Tony had their first Y Guides/Princesses camping trip together.  They have been looking forward to this trip all year and they had a wonderful time.  Tony said the camp experience with Riley is much different than with Regan.  Riley was very talkative, full of energy and went non-stop.  Hmmm...wonder who that sounds like?!  Tony was tired going into the weekend because he had just gotten back from a business trip in Atlanta so he had a hard time keeping up with Riley.  But, they had an awesome weekend and one that they will never forget.  Here are the highlights...   

Their cabin...

Riley's tribe out by the lake looking for turtles.

The inside of the cabin... 

Up with the sun....late to bed, early to rise.  They were up until about 10:00 every night and then had to be up at 6:15 in the mornings. 

 Riley waiting for the Ferryboat to arrive.  The first year Y Princesses/Guides get to ride on a Ferryboat.

 Riley trying out Archery.  Tony and Riley also shot BB guns but we don't have a photo of that.

 Tony and Riley did a lot of canoeing in the lake.  I think Tony said they went canoeing 3 times throughout the weekend.

 Riley and her friend, Sarah, looking for Shark Teeth.

 Riley digging for the perfect one.

I was so amazed Riley went on this Zipline.  Tony has never gotten to do it because Regan never wanted to.  So, he finally got his chance.  They had to wait in an hour long line though.  Riley loved it and wished that she could have done it more than once but the line was just too long.

On Sunday morning, there was a 5k race.  Riley really wanted to do it and talked about it all weekend.  Tony said she would run from place to place at camp and would tell him, "I am training for the 5k."  She has not been running so Tony was worried about how she would do.  Well, she did AWESOME and only walked a little.  Tony said he thinks she could have run the whole way but she wanted to wait for her friend.  Riley's friend, Sarah, and her dad did it with them.  We are so proud of Riley for completing her 1st 5K race!