Spring traveling

Well, I did a draft several months ago and never wrote in this post. Just uploaded pics. Here goes the abbreviated version:

We took a working trip to Cville for my Virginia PT Leadership retreat. It's always a great time every year. We stopped at Pippin Hill vineyards per recommendation of our friend who is a photographer in Cville and knows all the hot spots. Lovely lovely afternoon with sunshine, fresh food, an amazing view, husband time and great wine of course. 

Then we went to Hatteras for our traditional spring get-away. We love how relaxed things are there. 

Pigtails

ya'll. I am obsessed with this girl. Pigtails. Skirts. Cheeks. Smiles. Don't get me wrong, she is a tough one! She knows what she wants and doesn't stop until she gets it. But, she is so much fun. She stands on things and launches herself onto my back like a horseback rider (on steroids). She hangs from anything she an grab. She loves bubbles, laughing, tickling, books, hitting people lovingly in the face, sprinklers, food, water bottles, sleeping at night, the beach, grandparents, her dad, her brother, Lincoln. She's talking a TON and will repeat anything we say, pretty clearly most of the time. 

She has the cutest way of saying "ow" when she is hurt. She adores the garbage truck and calls it "Dad Dad (?)". She's got her brother's love for airplanes ("Air-Tra").

She gives the best kisses and makes a mean fishy face. Her hands and feet are still pudgy. She loves to go potty (!!) and lets us know when she needs to go. Playing in baths is great, getting washed is not. She loves to sing in the car and dance anywhere. She likes to accessorize with crocs, hats and jewelry. High 5's are her jam. Favorite Phrases: "Ready, Set, GOO!" and "No". She recognizes the ABCs and tries to sing along (not very well) and likes to "count" to 3. She's got an attachment, but not obsession with, her baby doll and blanket. She loves to hurl things out of our running jogger. 

 This girl adores her daddy and they are 2 peas in a pod. Each morning she wakes up and her first word is "Dada??" She's buddies with Jackson which means nice sometimes and mean others.  Favorite Books: Tickle Time; Dancing Feet; anything with rhythm. Favorite animal: Bird. Doesn't like TV, at all.  Has stopped putting things in her mouth all the time. Loves to be held by mom. Loves FaceTime. Favorite toys: Keys. Water bottles. Shopping cart. Favorite pass time: being outside all day long. 

Bye everyone!

Feel the love

Here are some things we love:

The kids. How they love each other. When they snuggle and hug. The zoo. 

Rachel barefoot in skits. Doing balance beam climbing on every curb and ledge we can find. Church playground. Bright colors of summer. 

Goodbye hugs for daddy before he leaves for work. Giving him hug after hug after hug and then furiously waving bye bye. 

Date night. Conversation and laughter. 10 year anniversary next month. Bardo on 21st. 

Cass: co-worker, babysitter, friend and playmate for the kids. She gave us freshly-picked asparagus while JB was in India (I gobbled that right up), homemade cookies and fresh strawberry jam. She loves my kids and is such a good friend. 

Pony tails. Pig tails. Blonde hair blowing in the wind. 

Alexis. We were so sad when liz moved but Alexis is awesome and the kids love her. Rachel adores hugging her and J even gave her a hug last week too, which is HUGE! 

Being outside, Soccer. Long shorts and tall socks. Friends from school. Running. Being outside. Farmer tans. Birds. Breezes. 

Deep squat. Pig tails. Blonde hair, Head Tilt. 

Best friends. School. Ms Becca. Holiday crafts. Icing. 

Siblings. Buddies. Smiles. Laughter. Kindness. Protective big brother. Adoring little sister. 

This girl. Into everything, none of it being toys. 

Family days. Skinny Dip fro yo. Zoo afternoons. Time together.

Daddy. Porch swing. Cool afternoons. Sunshine. These two together. 

strawberry picking

JB was in India for 11 days and the pickin' was good out in Pungo so I recruited BB and Grandad to go strawberry picking with us. I figured they would enjoy the fresh berries and watching the kids harvest (plus the extra sets of hands while berry picking are very necessary!)

Jackson furiously picked berries, remembering what I taught him last year and chanting it to himself and others. "Don't pick the green ones. Only the red ones". Last year we took home lots of green berries on accident. This year the berries were huge and delicious, as Rachel can attest to. She literally ripped them apart with her hands and devoured 10's of them. 

J loves to play motorcycle spotting games, and we were in luck on the Pungo country roads! 

VA Beach and Grandparents

Hi, from our fun-loving, wacky daughter and our talkative 4yo boy.
Aunt Dwyn and Uncle Kenny stopped through VA beach on their tour of the east coast and we had a blast visiting with them! It took rachel about 5 minutes to warm up and then she and Aunt Dwyn were best buddies, snuggling and laughing the whole time. 

Beth hosted a lovely Easter lunch which we pushed back to dinner time so JB could make it this year! Good conversation, good food and party hats :)

J and Grandad were in charge of the trifle and they did an excellent job of layering, smoothing and perfecting the dessert. Jackson also got an A+ in spoon-licking when they were finished. Doesn't he look so handsome in the button-up shirt? Yes...that was an epic battle between the two of us on Easter morning. We struggle to get him to wear anything except "soft shorts" and ratty t-shirts. 

sneaky card face

The long day ended with Rachel running around, diaper sagging in her bloomers and tights, both of the kids binging on chocolate and apple pie. Doesn't she look like the copper tone baby? 

We went to Busch Gardens with BB and Grandad on the first day of the season! It was slightly chilly but we had a blast. The FestHaus, normally a great place to cool down felt more like a ski lodge where everyone went to warm up. We all had a blast on the bumper cars and both of them loved Land of the Dragons. We pretty much go to BG to play at the play ground and drink beer. Worth the drive. And there were about 100 people total in the park. It was amazing. 

Time at BB and Grandad's is so fun that sometimes Rachel just can't handle it anymore and she goes face down in the tupperware to rest ;)