birthday fun.

I treated myself to several bunches of spring flowers from Trader Joe's for my birthday and had fun arranging them and putting them around the house, with some help from Amelia. Ben's parents flew into town the night before my birthday so they celebrated with us. They watched the kids so Ben could take me out to lunch. We had a fabulous lunch at The Raleigh Times downtown and enjoyed a gorgeous spring day dining on their rooftop. After lunch we drove around the Dorothea Dix campus to do a little exploring and blossom spotting. We are excited about the city's plans to build a huge park there, even though it will be years in the making. We also stopped at the State Farmer's Market to pick up a few things. It got really warm in the afternoon so the kids spent lots of time outside playing in the water. Ben helped me make my birthday cake, one I've been wanting to try for awhile. The famous southern "hummingbird cake." It was delicious. We went to Pullen Park in the evening for a dinner picnic and returned home to cake and presents. I was spoiled by lots of family and friends. The kids made some really sweet cards. 

Neighborhood bike ride with Grandpa.