Spring Break 2013 ~ Kure Beach, NC

Here's a bunch of pictures from our week-long spring break trip to Kure Beach outside of Wilmington at the end of March. We rented a house and invited Noah's best friend Caleb, Nim's best friend Soliel, and the Loomer family to join us. The older kids were so excited to bring friends on vacation and Gita was thrilled to share her room with her two younger cousins. We had such a wonderful week. The weather was too chilly for swimming, but we enjoyed playing on the beach, going for long walks, visiting the aquarium, and riding a ferry over to Southport NC. Other than the "crash landing" end to the week (some of the party was hit with an unfortunate stomach bug on the last day ~ which made for a very interesting drive back to the mountains!), it was a blast! And although leaving the relaxation, sunny skies, and ocean air was difficult (doesn't vacation always go by too quickly?) , the "goodbye" was much easier knowing we will be going back to the same awesome beach with our Utah/Iowa family in June. Hooray!

Happy Birthday, Nimuae

In a whirlwind week, a midst the craziest variety of weather I have ever witnessed (an ice storm, torrential rains, high winds, 2 70* days, blustery snow, tornado warnings ~ all within 7 days!), Nimuae experienced two major changes: she got braces and, 5 days later, turned 12!

Our birthday celebrations were pretty low-key, taking into account the discomfort of the first 4-7 days of braces, but she managed to have a great day ~ 

Happy Birthday, Nimuae!

Utah cousins

We had such a wonderful time visiting family in Salt Lake City over the holiday.

One of the best parts is spending time with cousins! Here are some of our favorite cousin photos:

Auntie Sarah with Nimuae and Gita

Noah and cousin Austin

cousins! Noah, Nimuae, and Gita with cousins Austin and Nate

cousins squished in a car

contemplative cousins in Ogden

adventurous cousins ready to ride the waves at Florider

Noah and cousin Nate

Playmobiling with cousin Nate

Hickory Branch Trail

After deciding, last minute, to stay home for Thanksgiving break rather than head to the beach for a quick getaway, we planned a few adventures to take advantage of the family time a break from school allows. We had some movie and dinner dates, some game afternoons in our pjs, some get-togethers with friends and neighbors, and one lovely hike. We packed a backpack full of leftover pie and whip cream, and headed to the Hickory Branch trailhead at nearby Curtis Creek. The weather was absolutely beautiful as we walked along the river. We sat at one waterfall to enjoy our snack, then headed up and up and up to the top of the mountain where we were awarded with fantastic views of the surrounding mountains. Being together, in nature, with bellies full of pie ~ that is a lot to be thankful for.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Halloween

Gita the Ninja

hi-ya

Noah & Gita, the only trick-or-treaters that came to our house all night

Nimmy (devilish girl) with her 2 friends from school

Nim and cousin Lili sporting some 'staches

Kelcey, the kids, and I opened the annual Nene Halloween surprise box while David and Alex were camping to celebrate Alex's birthday. Can you guess what was in the box?

Happy Halloween!

Happy 8th Birthday, Gita!

whew ~ what a birthday!

On Friday, we brought cupcakes to school to share with Gita's class. It was also Characters Alive day (kids presented a project based on a book they had read and came to school dressed as the main character), which was a very fun day to visit! 

Gita woke us up at 7:00am on Saturday morning so she could start opening her presents and making breakfast (she requested bacon (that's my gal)). 

And then we packed up our warm clothes and picnic blankets, and headed down to Black Mountain for the Lake Eden Arts Festival where we met up with friends, ate festival food, watched the parade, saw some music, and waited for over an hour for the fireshow (something Gita has been asking for for months) to start, only to have Gita fall fast asleep 15 minutes before it began!

All in all, a very happy happy birthday celebration, on a beautiful autumn day, to celebrate the most wonderful 8 year old girl!

Edisto Island 2012

We returned yesterday from a week of fun in the sun for our 

4th annual Labor Day Edisto Island beach trip.

The weather was so amazing ~ 80* and sunny every day!

For the first time ever, this trip was sans Noah. He stayed home so as not to miss school and soccer

(what a responsible lad). 

So we spent our days sitting on the beach, reading, dolphin watching, playing in the waves, riding our bikes, eating seafood, and loving our time together.