Exploring Chapel Hill

We made a trip to the NC Botanical Gardens in Chapel Hill one day. We love seeing their huge selection of carnivorous plants. The kids took turns telling stories from "the storytellers chairs" and left notes for the fairies in the fairy garden. Ben was working nearby that day and was able to meet us for lunch in Carrboro. A Tom and Chee opened up recently so we were excited to get our fix of gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches and grilled cheese donuts.

Duke Gardens

A morning walk around Duke Gardens with the boys.

raleigh rose garden

I took the boys to the Raleigh Rose Garden one morning to see if the roses were in bloom. And they most definitely were. It smelled so good. Simon was only interested in shaking the roses to make the petals fall off and Oliver just wanted to go to a playground, so we didn't stay too long. We headed to Lake Crabtree County Park for a picnic and Oliver got his playground fix. The boys had fun throwing rocks in the water and watching a man fly a giant kite.

Richmond: Bakeries and Gardens

I took the girls out of school on a Friday and the kids and I drove up to Richmond first thing in the morning to meet my dear friends Jessica and Kirsten and their kids (who drove down from Alexandria). We have quite the crew when we're all together. They love gardens and adventures as much as I do so the Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden in Richmond was the perfect spot to meet. They have an amazing children's garden and so many beautiful flowers were in bloom. It was so fun to see all the kids running around together for HOURS and having a great time. And I loved visiting with my friends when I wasn't chasing Simon.

Jessica had recommended this great bakery in Richmond so we stopped to try their amazing wood-fired croissants!