Spring Break Staycation

 We had an absolutely marvelous spring break last week. We had high hopes of maybe going somewhere this year, but the stars did not align. Daddy was swamped with work, so we decided to stay home and truly staycation. The kids and I went somewhere fun every day!

Monday, we started at the Greensboro Science Center, and Nana got to tag along:

 Petting sting rays and watching the gibbons eat were by far the highlights. They have recently redone their aquarium, and it was definitely worth the trip! Evan is definitely the creature spotter, and Issa loved reading the interactive signs and telling us all about the creatures he found.

Tuesday, the kids and I headed for the zoo. It was crazy weather! When we arrived in the morning, it was cloudy and foggy, which made the animals in North America very happy and active. By lunch, it had warmed up and we shared a picnic table with a lovely family of teachers before we took in the new bird show! It was amazing to see birds from all of the world do their natural behaviors. I never want to meet an African Condor in the wild. The kids were also feeling goofy:

 Evan is petting the ocelot Issa is becoming.

It was also the seventh anniversary of our first zoo trip, so the kids recreated our first zoo picture:

 Wednesday, we went to the Natural Science Museum in Raleigh where we enjoye a great illusions and mazes exhibit. In addition to the usual optical illusions, they had a host of full body mazes:

 Evan loved playing with the laser maze:

 I was so proud of him. He had it almost finished when a toddler came up and moved two mirros. The parent was mortified, but Evan just shrugged it off.

Issa loved playing with the light box:

 Thursday, we went to our favorite Life and Science Museum in Durham, which of course meant we needed the picture:

 For the first time, the kids spent nearly two hours in the contraptions exhibit just tinkering away:

 They also convinced me to climb to the top of the tree house with them:

The view was great, but climbing back down the nets almost was the end of me! I do not like heights, but the kids were so proud of me. The view from the top was also worth it:

Friday, we went bowling, because it's what you do on spring break:

Please examine the score board: 

I have never bowled like that in my life!

It was a great week, and we are slowly settling back into the school routine. Evan has already started the count down to summer break, though: 41 days!

Aunt Shannon Pulls Through

Aunt Shannon did capture some moments on Easter! This is probably one of the best family photos we have taken in a while:

 And Aunt Shannon clearly wins with the Easter outfits:

Don't you love the egg wearing a hat and monicle?

Here is the other thing I love: no one got a picture of the egg hunt! The kids are much faster and much more competitive. It was kind of a blur. We will cherish the memories, but there will be no evidence.

Hoppy Easter

We have been Eastering and Spring Breaking and generally loving life these days! It will probably take me a few days to get the blog caught up on all of our fun!

On Good Friday, we decorated eggs at Nana's house:

 The big surprise, though, was that Aunt Shannon got to join the fun!!!

 A close up of her one perfect egg:

 She called Tuesday to let us know she was coming, and I might have full-out ugly cried. I kind of like my sister. She has a client in Charlotte, and she took the train up to spent the holiday with us. The funniest thing was surprising the kids Thursday night with a trip to the train station to get her. Nana let it slip Thursday afternoon she was coming for Easter, but the kids didn't realize we were picking her up until we were actually in the train station. It was awesome.

This year, the kids made a whole egg family. Evan started the whole thing when he made General Teal:

 Issa then made him a wife and daughter. Evan made some extra soldiers:

 It was such fun.

Saturday we ate too much food and just generally enjoyed all being together. Sunday, we went to sunrise service, and I would like the record to show that the Bowers were there early! It was a little Easter miracle. Of course, I took zero pictures on Easter. I'm pretty sure Aunt Shannon did, though. Thank goodness for Aunt Shannon!

The Plague

I am still sick. I'm so over it. I now have this lovely cough that leaves me breathless and voiceless. Super fun.

And work is crazy. And Brad's work is crazy.

And we have a three-hour snow delay yesterday.

But. I have the best husband ever. I don't easily admit I'm sick, and I try to power through most of the time. He has not let me do that this week, though. He's put me in bed every night as soon as we tuck the kids, and he has pitched in with the laundry and dishes to try to keep us afloat. I'm so grateful.

And I will be well by tomorrow.

Lucky Spring

We had a lovely spring weekend! 

Saturday, we took Mom out for brunch to celebrate her birthday and then spent some time walking the river walk and enjoying some actual sunshine. We spent the afternoon hanging out with the street party and watching all of the kids enjoy the warm weather and being together. We ended our day with Irish stew and sode bread feeling the luck of the Irish indeed.

Yesterday, I was really sick. I woke up with no voice and a terrible cough that would leave me breathless. It was super fun. But...the best husband in the world took care of me, and by dinner I felt like I needed some fresh air. The weather was just too pretty to stay in, and I was hopeful some fresh air would help clear the yuck. It sorta worked. But when we got home, the kids were not ready to come inside:

 Yep. They are wittling spears. They have delusions of spear fishing with them. Rest assured Daddy was on hand to supervise and wittle himself:

We are trying to soak in every drop of spring before it snows here again on Wednesday. I can't even.

Family Walk

Almost every night since January 1, Brad and I have taken an after dinner walk. We have walked in snow, but we avoid the rainy nights. It's been really lovely.

When the temperatures got a little warmer, we started taking the dogs with us. They were a hot mess. But, we now have harnesses for their craziness and they are actually pleasant to walk again. (There is nothing worse that two easily distracted dogs yanking your arm off every time they see a squirrel.)

Now that it's not quite so dark after dinner, the kids decided to join us. It only works if dinner is ready as soon as dance is over and everyone has their homework finished before dinner. In fact, last night was the first night it actually worked. And it was lovely. This could very easily become my favorite time of the day, walking and chatting and laughing our way through the neighborhood.

Snow!

At the end of last week, Brad and I went to Asheville! I had a conference, and he agreed to tag along. I was actually the co-chair for the conference, and it went really well. In the evenings, Brad and I ventured out for great food and enjoyed some time just being. We've both been crazy busy with work and running the kids, and we had barely seen each other! We are so grateful Mom was able to stay with the kids and give us a little break. We also got to see some snow flurries, which is beautiful when the backdrop is the mountains.

Today, I'm frantically redoing my schedule because we are supposed to get snow here--again. The kids will get out of school at 11, and I'm trying to get out of the office by noon. My hyacinths and I are not happy.

Who Knew...

Brad was going through some old digital files this weekend, and he came across a treasure trove of old photos. These were among some of my favorites:

 That is Dr. Carmen Trisler, the woman I accidentally worked for throughout my undergraduate career. We couldn't have been more different. She was a science person--entomology to be specific--and I was an English major who was afraid of bugs--a fear I quickly got over when I TAed the class. She was a fan of blue and black, and I was forever in pink or lavendar. He greatest act of love was buying a lavendar dress to wear to my wedding. I was hyper type-A and she was a piler.

But oh did we laugh:

I love that picture! It's clearly a serious moment, but she and I can't quite keep it together.

When I shared her office, I thought I would be a high school English teacher for the rest of my life. When we were writing grants at the last minute, I never imagined I would be writing my own someday. When I watched her advise students and handle counseling students out of ed, I never imagined I would be doing the same. When I tried to straighten her piles and help her prioritize, I never imagined have a graduate assistant doing the same for me.

I never imagined the career I have now, but I am so very, very grateful I have her as a model. I think of Dr. T. a million times a day, usually as I'm chuckling about a deadline flying at me at warp speed. I find myself following the path she laid before me, and it's an amazing path to follow.

Thunderstruck

Last weekend, Issa competed at Thunderstruck, and boy did she have a great weekend!

None of us could believe how incredible tap looked:

 And look at my girl smiling as she taps:

 And looking fierce:

 Jazz won the judge's award for performance and synchronization, which is awesome:

 It's a fast dance, so the pictures weren't as great:

 Musical theater was fabulous! They are doing "Fathoms Below" from Little Mermaid, and Issa plays Grimsby, Eric's advisor:

 She really brings the character to life:

 And we think they are a good-looking bunch of raggedy sailors:

 Production has a school days theme this year:

 And her solo, well, I cried:

 Her strength:

 Her joy:

 Her poise:

 She's grown so much since her first solo:

 And I love watching her dance:

 And lyrical is still her favorite:

 She loves getting to do a lift:

And the studio was Top Studio for the weekend:

This weekend, she and I will head to Concord for Radix. She will only be taking classes this weekend, and I can't wait to see her do her thing!