Birthday Hike

I had a fabulous birthday with lots of fun activities. Ben surprised me with a babysitter and a lunch date on Friday. We went to Irregardless Cafe in Raleigh and had a delicious meal. Saturday morning I went on a run and then Saturday afternoon we went on a family hike at Umstead State Park. We intended to do a 3 mile hike but ended up taking a longer loop and it turned into 5 miles. The kids were such troopers and I loved that time outside with them. Hikes are always a great place for easy conversations and I love that time in nature without distractions.

The girls helped Ben make a yummy chocolate bundt cake and I opened gifts. I'm super excited about my new kayak! Amelia babysat Saturday night and Ben surprised me with tickets to a really great production of Twelfth Night in Chapel Hill. It was a fantastic day with my favorite people.

Arboretum Stroll

I walked around the arboretum with Ruby and Simon on a beautiful day in March and had a lunch picnic. (I probably stopped by there for a walk 3 or 4 times in March.) Ben was working from home that day so while Ruby was having her afternoon nap, I got to take Simon to the park. It was so fun to spend some time with just him. The afternoons are hard because Ruby naps and Simon doesn't but he has a lot of energy that needs to be released. Quiet time isn't really his thing so it's nice when we can get out in the afternoon without costing Ruby her nap.

Duke Gardens

I've been stopping by Duke Gardens almost weekly this spring. I love to see how the landscape changes during spring with new flowers and trees blooming with each visit. Simon is a little hard to keep track of here but it always makes for an adventure. They added a new stick sculpture and Simon had fun running through it. The magnolias here are so gigantic and beautiful.

Greensboro Science Center

Ben had to work down in Charleston over a weekend a few weeks ago. I knew we'd all start to go a little stir crazy if we stayed home all weekend so after gymnastics Saturday morning, I told the kids we could go to the Greensboro Science Center after they finished their Saturday chores. Everyone worked quickly and we got the house straightened up and hit the road. We spent all afternoon at the Science Center and had a great time. The kids especially loved the aquarium and all the animals outside. They also had a blast in the children's play area.

Oliver ended up getting sick the next day, followed by all the other kids (except Ruby thankfully) so the next week was pretty rough. Plus, we also had some car trouble on the way home from the museum which was stressful. But nothing hundreds of dollars couldn't fix once we got it in the shop.

fun at school

It was crazy hair day at school. We threw something together for Elsa's hair in about 20 seconds while in the carpool drop-off. Oliver got to participate in the Kindergarten Letterland parade. Each of the kids chose a letter and dressed up as the character. Oliver chose Firefighter Fred. Simon, Ruby and I got to come watch him in the parade at school.

Evening at the park