NC Zoo

Scott's working nights this weekend, so I needed to get the kids out of the house so he could sleep this morning. Why not take them to the NC Zoo one more time. The kids were very excited, especially because we met Samuel and Sarah there.

First stop was the African side because the giraffes were a common request. The giraffes were a little far, but we didn't mind. This is such a beautiful zoo.

Then we continued on up the African hill to the elephants, ostriches and rhinos.

The animals held the kids' attentions for a little while, but these egg sculpture/art/playthings seemed to be much more popular. Here's a series of Payton, Ian and Sarah hatching from an egg.

I think it was Ian's idea to get out. 

But, he got quickly overruled.

The girls thought they could get out at the same time.

Sarah won out.

Ian - always the gentleman, really just let the girls go first ; )

After lunch we took a 'fancy bus', as the kids called the tram,  over to the North American side to catch the play area, Polar bears, and sea lions before the kids melted. The kids all grinned, and eyes lit up as the tram pulled out of the station.

The play area was a favorite.

We were all hot and tired by this point. But a promise had been made that we would stop by the lions on the way out, so to the lions we went.

Along the way, the little ones started to feel a bit out of sorts. The whining commenced, and everyone wanted a ride in the wagon or a piggy-back ride. Solution: out came the miracle lollipops. Anyone that wanted a lollipop had to walk. The whining ceased and we had peace.

There's nothing like licking lollipops while leering at lazy lions lying in the grass.

On the way out, Ian was so tired. So I let him ride in the wagon. When we got to the parking lot, I turned around to look at him.

Ian? 

Are you ok?

Leave me alone, Mommy, I'm tired!

Triad Park

Everyday Ian asks, 'Mommy, is it a good day to go to a park?' Of course, my answer varies according to what we have to do that day and the weather. Well, Wednesday WAS a good day to go to the park, and we met Samuel and Sarah at Triad Park for a play date.

Triad Park has 3 play areas and a rock climbing area. Samuel was the only one with any rock climbing skills, but we got all the kids up on one of the rocks for a picture.

It was good to out of the house and not thinking about the impending move.

Aaahhh Arugula - My ode to salad

Crisp leaves
Dark green
Light green
Spicy
Sweet
All are a garden treat.

Ok, so I'm not poet, but I love eating lettuce fresh out of the garden.

The lettuces in the garden have just exploded this past weekend. It's funny because when I planted everything, it seemed to take FOREVER for it to grow. Now all of a sudden, there is hardly any ground space left in the garden. It's beautiful!

I have Grand Rapids lettuce, arugula, red lettuce, and spinach all ready to be eaten. I've been eating out of the garden for about 2 weeks, but now I have an abundance. That's another fun thing about gardens - sharing :)

This past week....

has been busy and a little long for the whole family. Scott flew to Dallas on Tuesday to look for a rental home for us. I don't think I've posted it officially that we are moving to Plano, Tx. Scott took an intensivist position (that's a critical care Dr.) with Questcare and will be at the Medical Center of Plano.

We are excited to be moving back to the same state as our families. We will be closer (in distance) to some, but at least we'll be, at most, a 7 hour drive to everyone.

The kids missed Daddy this week, but were excited to see all the pictures that Daddy sent of the houses that he looked at. Payton definitely had her favorite - the sliding house (it had all hard wood floors). Unfortunately for her we didn't pick that one, but Ian was a little more reserved. I think Ian is still somewhat trying to wrap his head around us moving. He keeps asking if his toys are going to move with us. It's like he's double checking to make sure we won't change our minds.

Payton is excited about the move, but occasionally she'll comment, 'but, I like my school....'.

I'm starting to get excited. We have quotes from two moving companies and will make that decision soon. Alot of the homes that Scott looked at are really nice and they are in areas that will be nice live in - parks nearby, good schools, and good running routes.

Anyway, Scott came back Saturday. We were all thrilled to have him home.

Payton's 5 year Well Child Dr. Visit

Oh good Lord....We were there for an hour and 15 minutes. And we really didn't have much down time. We had the 60 month old questionaire to fill out. Payton had a hearing test, vision test, urine analysis, hemoglobin test, the usual physical exam, and 4 shots. Whew. We were all tired afterwards. Payton was a champ. Don't get me wrong; she cried  before the shots, but recovered rather quickly - especially when she all the stickers and treasures she got from the nurses afterwards. Ian did a great job too. He wasn't needy. He just hung out while Payton got poked and prodded.

Statistics: height - 3 ft. 5.5 inches; weight - 42 lbs.

Oh, and all the tests were normal :)

Benita's visit - Hanging Rock State Park

My cousin, Benita, came out to visit us last weekend - and helped celebrate Payton's birthday. We had a very nice visit. She got here on Saturday and left Tuesday. So we took Monday, to do a little sight seeing. I let Payton skip school and we went to Hanging Rock State Park to see some waterfalls.

It was a beautiful day for the hike. The kids did really well. We went on the Indian Creek Trail, up to Window Falls and back. Along the way, we saw Hidden Falls. Round trip is 1.2 miles of hiking. Basically the first half of the hike was all downhill. Therefore, on the way back to the car, we were going uphill the whole way. Fortunately, I remembered the lollipops. We were about a half of a mile to the end of the trail - when the tired whining started. It was amazing....as soon as the lollipops appeared, all was well with the world.

Hidden Falls

Window Falls

We had a picnic lunch and then trekked home. Ian wasn't into taking pictures that day...

Payton's Five!!!

Happy Birthday Payton!

Payton turned five, April 15. She's my little tax baby - and she'll tell you that she was born on tax day.

She had a party this past Saturday. When we talked about who she could invite to her party, I told her she could invite 5 people since she was 5 years old. She said, as she counted on my fingers, Samuel, Sarah, two girls from school, and on the last finger she hesitated and then said, 'Evie, Tucker, and Reese' - all in one go, really fast. It was super-cute.

Payton requested a princess party. So, we decorated the house with pink streamers. I painted a picture of her invitation on the easel. I'm no artist, but at least you can see the resemblance.

First we had a hunt for Princess Payton's lost treasure. We hid necklaces, bracelets, and chocolate gold coins. We're still finding bracelets and coins in the back yard. But I think the kids got a kick out of it.

Then, we had a pinata. Now I think it looks like a tiara, but Payton said it was a princess chair. I'll let you decide.

The kids each had their own approach to the pinata.

Aaahhhh!

Grrrrr!

HmmmmF!

Tap...

Professional batter....

But in the end, everyone got what was truly important.... CANDY! (Like we don't have enough still left over from Easter.)

Next was the cake. Of course, Payton wanted a castle cake.....3 cake mixes, 14 ice cream cones, 1lb of white chocolate, and 2 lbs of powdered sugar, 2 sticks of butter later....

She liked it : )

I think the cake deserves one more look....

It was a good party and a good day.