It's official, the pool is open!

In early May (yes, I am feverishly trying to catch up before baby girl# 2 arrives) Harper and I ventured down to the pool for our first dip. It was a beautiful day with a great temperature so the pools coolness did surprise us a bit, but it did not stop Harper from enjoying her time.
Our wagon all loaded up, snacks-check, towels-check, hat-check, sunscreen-check...only thing missing was Dad-who was busy on duty and doing a river walk with Watson. I had great visions of how the wagon would be so much fun toting her down to the pool, never really thinking about coming back up the hill (and being 7-9 months pregnant!) Needless to say we have been making the landcrusier take us on our pool adventures!
Not the worlds smallest Havaianas but pretty darn cute in this little size. Harper loves to try and wear her "flop-its" as much as she can but we are still adjusting to how they "tickle" in between her toes.

I had to make Harper take a small break since she was shivering but refusing to go anywhere but standing in front of the fun water spouts we have in the shallow end...I managed to get her out to warm up and enjoy the warmth of the sun!

One thing that our swim class taught us was that we love our noodles-we know how to use them in so many ways...as a horse, as a float and as a sword.

It was time to go already but I assured my chilly little prune that we would be back...hopefully with a warmer pool (which we have since experienced)

After dinner parties...Woodberry Style

One of the nice things about living at Woodberry is the ability for families to gather on the lawn after dinner. On this spring evening there was an evening assembly so all the kiddies and moms decided to spend a little longer playing before baths and bedtime.

Sarah being the dance teacher she is leading the kids in playing head, shoulders, knees and toes...

Gettin' everyone movin'!

"Ring a round the rosie"...but only Aubrey fell down!

We missed last year's but made sure that we were present for this year's end of the year "Popsicle Party".
Harper was so excited for her first popsicle ever!
Sophia enjoying her popsicle...after dinner in the hot dining rm, her whole body needed to cool off.

The Tallmans and Morans were our hosts.

I think by the time Harper finished her first, I was already onto #2.

Faulkner pormised good faces when giving the twins cool treats...Badgley was first!

Grazia was second...priceless.

Popsicles making everyone happy.

The kids had a blast with the pump and a fly balloons.

Sierra dancing the night away to Jack Johnson...

Bagley, Grazia and Huston threw a great evening lawn party to celebrate their birthdays. Everyone got cake and ice cream and a balloon to go with it!

We enjoyed the icing best.

Harper marveling at her "big bite".

Bagley and Grazia ready to dive in...

Hands, face or whatever touched them faster! Needless to say everyone had a great time.

Land of Toys-a.k.a. Avery's Tinkerbell Party

One of the best benefits of joining the Little Gym when Harper was 4 months old is the group of friends and moms that we now have in our life. We have shared advice, commiserated and celebrated together. On this Saturday we celebrated the first of all of our children to turn 2. Avery had quite the party with a moonbounce (with a slide) and a backyard tinkerbell hunt, not to mention the backyard FULL of toys. Harper with her cheeks all flushed after playing her little heart out and leaving with her hands full of fun party treats.

This toy looked crazy dangerous but was the favorite of the kids. Remarkably, we must have been on the perfect incline-no injuries for anyone! The kids just kept getting in line for one turn after another.

Down the moon bounce slide.

Addison really enjoyed this time around.

Jennifer helping the girls figure out how to use the ladder instead of trying to climb up the slide.

Addison and Harper

It was Easter allover again.

We still had a hard time moving on from one egg to another, we wanted to see exactly what was in each one.

Addison grabbing her loot.

Addison getting a little help from mom.

All the kiddies on the prowl hunting for Tinkerbell!

Harper and Hunt hitting the unchartered territory of the Tinkerbell Hunt.

Yes, this is the only picture of the birthday girl, Avery! She was so busy the whole party entertaining all of her other guests that Addison and Harper went solo most of the party. We had a great time and the parties will keep coming for all these kids turning two this summer.

Bring on the girls!

The time of year came again when the spring formal was upon us and the girls descended onto campus at Woodberry. It is a weekend of entertaining for Woodberry and its staff but also to all the families who host these girls for the weekend. This year was different for a few reasons...we were more imbedded than we were this time last year, and Harper was old enough to really interact with the girls so it was really going to be a lesson for her.

Some of our favorite boys of the 2010 class asked us to take care of their girls and they in turn took care of ours... Hatcher and Ellison were the ones to really steal Harpers heart. Harper would just sit on the mattress watching Ellison and Johanna get ready for all the events of the weekend and they would drape her in jewelry and talk to her endlessly. I think we might be in trouble later on.

All our football boys who will be playing for and attending great schools in the fall- Ed ("Eddie") STANFORD, TJ ("Tay-Jay") UNC-CH and Aramide ("AO") - UCLA. These boys have been the most loyal fans of our Harper and would come and say hello/hold and tickle her whenever they got a chance or whenever she would let them.

Ed and Abby

Eddie, Abby and Harper ready to board the bus to formal.

AO and Nancy

TJ and Elisa

Hatcher and Ellison.

I didn't take any pictures but Hunt and I too attending the formal which was really fun.

It was one of those full circle moments for a few reasons...

The same band that played all of our high school formals in Chapel Hill - "Liquid Pleasure" (very similar to a "Sexual Chocolate" type of band played. Now though, instead of jerry curl they were now all bald! What a rare moment to watch all these kids get on stage and dance with the band like all of our friends once did. Hunt did tell me that if I was feeling nostalgic enough he was sure I could get up there and dance with Kenny like I had so many years ago...then suddenly Dr. Campbell (headmaster of Woodberry) said "oh, please don't!" Not to worry, I wouldn't.

As I was walking up to the formal I felt more self conscious than ever...here were parents (which I was now- a parent) dropping their daughters off for their senior proms and I was all dolled up too but with this enormous belly.

At the end of the night when all the kids were returning home, Harper decided to wake-up so while I was getting her back down they all rolled in and quieted down and in true parent style - I opened doors and counted heads on pillows and new my crew was safe. Wow, what we must have put our own parents through every weekend. This is only a taste and is just the beginning!

It was fun and we look forward to what next year will bring for us...

Old MacDonald - Virginia Style

This April we made two visits to Yoders Market - once with Erin and Brian and once with Sarah and Sophia. We love hitting up their market for sandwiches and snacks and then wandering over to see the goats and other animals in "the yard". It took us a while but Harper has finally stopped looking at the pictures of the goats and calling them dogs. We are now 100% sure that they are goats and that they say "maw maw" (or at least they do in "Millie Moo's" book). Feeding our favorite "rasta" goat.

Harper really got the hang of feeding these guys...as well as the hand washing afterwards.

How can this guy even see?

These guys are not afraid...they stick their head thru these fences not even casting a worry about getting those horns back thru.

We all got turns feeding them-they will stand on anything for food.

Brian and Hunt helping Harper give the goats some snacks.

Harper and Brian getting ready to share their corn.

Harper and Sophia travelling down the road to Yoder's - what sweet girls!

There is so much to see goats, ducks, chickens, turkeys and peacocks too!

Harper seemed a little saddened by the chicken coop.

Sarah getting a little snuggle in with Sophia.

She had them eating out of her hands.

Look at that tongue! (Their eyes are so creepy!)

Sophia using her signs to talk about the roosters.