Thank You Winter!

Winter finally gave us a 'real' event and we absolutely embraced every chilly moment! The kids, myself and our neighbors were flying down icy hills early this morning!  We came in for a short break to dry clothes and warm up with a little hot cocoa. Round two took us to a more daring hill which required my full attention (i.e. parents worst nightmare) but we had to do it and it was OH. SO. FUN! Carin and I took the kids for a walk on the greenway, with the kids in tow by sled, until the chill got through mittens, tummies started to growl and half of our kids were in tears (oops!). We had a much longer break midday for lunch and rest time (while parents shoveled driveways and walkways).  Then we were at it again, desperately trying to make our own Olaf or whatever we could get the snow to resemble, throwing snowballs and creating a magic snow cloud for Anna to stand under! Kate kept saying, "this is the BEST. DAY. EVER!" It truly was a magical day!

Blessing

The other night at dinner Anna asked to say the prayer for the first time.

Just A Dusting...

...but we were determined to make it an event!

Family Time at Fearrington

A quiet escape...

BEST. FIELD TRIP. EVER!!!

We took a trip to RDU to visit TAC Air. TAC Air is the part of the airport where all the privately owned planes, military and other important people come in and out of.  It just so happened that President Obama was coming to town so we got a lot more than we expected! 

First the kids met an talked with the pilots of Marine One.  WOW, super nice guys and they even pulled out the US Seal for the group picture! 

Next, we looked around at some beautiful privately owned airplanes. WOW!

Then we met Mechanic Greg who gave the kids an individual tour of the inside of one of the planes he was working on.  Each kid got to sit in the pilot's seat and touch everything!

 

 

Then we heard Air Force One was getting ready to take off (i.e. President Obama was in the house!).   The parents and I looked at each other for about a second, grabbed our kids and RAN to the observation deck! We got to the deck in time to see Air Force One take off with his entourage of black vehicles flying down the tarmac after the plane!  I was shaking I was excited!!! 

I get tears in my eyes just thinking about this once in a lifetime experience! It is going to be really difficult to top this field trip!

A First For Us...Probably Not the Last

Kate was in tears over a dead bird the kids found at preschool last week.  The teachers let her make a cozy home for it in a box but she could not bear to leave it at school.  So there I was with three kids and a dead bird going through the Starbucks drive-thru! Thanks goodness for the drive-thru.  Fortunately, we all thought the bird was rather cute, so we made a new home (i.e. a smaller box) filled with tissue and bird seed (in case it woke up) and taped shut with the most decorative washi tape! The kids and I dug a hole in the back of our yard and buried the box and marked it with a little cross and stones. 

Clear Blue Skies

A much needed break from the rain led to a fabulous day at a park and exploring the woods! 

Ahhhh, I love you sunshine!!!