Weekend Update

I feel like I need a weekend after my weekend! (Kind of like needing a vacation after vacation!) Yesterday, I got up early and went to Weight Watchers to weigh in. I hadn't been since December 10th and needed to show my face. I did well through the holidays and actually lost a little bit of weight. :) (Hopefully that isn't just from having a kidney infection that caused vomiting!) Lacey & I went to a Girl Scout event from 11:00 - 3:00. A couple of the troops in our Service Unit put on a "Beach Party" for all the troops in our Unit. All of the girls in my troop (10) made it. They played games for the first 90 minutes, took a lunch break, then crafts. I was beat by the time I got home since I'd been on my feet for the whole 4 hours. But, I couldn't sit down and put up my feet. There was a party to attend. Justin is heading into the Air Force on Tuesday and we needed to celebrate with him. :) Rick & Kristina had a party at Trinity Church Hall with family and friends. Food (potluck), a DJ/Karaoke and lots of fun. The Hall has a little back room that's a play area and they stayed back there almost the whole night. A couple of young cousins were there (11 and 9) and they all played really well together. I think it's the latest my girls have ever stayed up. We left around 11:00, I think and Leah fell asleep when we turned into our neighborhood. You'd think I'd decide to make today a quiet day, right? Wrong. The girls have both said recently that they want to have their own rooms. They've shared a room since March 2010. We started this morning at Lowe's, buying painting supplies. The "playroom" needed a new coat of paint before we could move Leah's furniture in. I painted for a few hours this afternoon. Then, as soon as the paint was dry, we started moving the furniture. We still have to hang pictures and shelves back up, but it's mostly done. So.... Lacey wanted to sleep in Leah's room. On the floor. She had a bed set up. Then, she decided to go back to her room. And, Leah decided she wanted to be on Lacey's floor. Now it's 9:20. Lacey is usually asleep by 8:30 and Leah by 9:00. They will be so tired tomorrow. I've yelled too much and feel horrible about that, but I was really thinking after all the work today I'd like to sit and watch DH while sipping a glass of wine. Frustrating to still be fighting them at 9:20. Hopefully tomorrow night will go more easily. Leah has promised to sleep in her room then.

Family Vacation 2010

The first week in August, we went on a BIG family vacation to the Nagshead, NC....Dad, Frankie, Dee, Buck, Kristin, Paul (her man), Kyle, Rick, Kristina, Jessica, Justin, and the 4 of us. Whew. We had to plan it a year in advance so we could get the dates locked in for everyone. It's not easy coordinating schedules with so many people. And, with so many people, we needed a house that was big enough for us all.

I was really surprised that the girls were not big fans of the beach. They did okay the first day, but were ready to go back to the house after about 2 hours. After that, it was a bit of a fight to get Lacey to go. She wanted to just play in the pool. I think that is mostly due to the swim lessons they've taken. They really wanted to swim, not play in sand. :-)

We took them to the aquarium to do something a little different. They weren't terribly interested in that, either. Although, once we got to the sharks, they were mesmerized.

Another day we went shopping and out to lunch in Duck with the girls. They got their hair done.

There was a ridiculous amount of jelly fish while we were there! Disgusting. I realize that without the tentacles, they can't sting you, but they are still gross! Paul & Kyle got stung when they decided to chance it on the 1st or 2nd day. After that, they stayed out. Wednesday, the jelly fish were gone. Not a sign of them. But, by Saturday (our last beach day), there they were again.

Saturday, Butch & I just took turns going to the beach since the girls had zero interest in it. It was nice to have a little time out there without having to entertain kids or watch them or do anything.

Butch, the girls & I shared a room. Initially we thought they'd have their own room, but I knew I'd end up sleeping in there anyway (strange place and all), so we decided to save money and get a slightly smaller house. Next time, I think we'll make sure they have their own room. It was way too crowded since the bedrooms aren't all that huge. I felt disorganized the entire time. Our room was on the same level as the kitchen and "party room" (aka dining room). The kids (and I) sleep to white noise anyway, so it wasn't too bad. There was only one night where it was LOUD. Considering how many nights we stayed, that isn't too bad, right?

We did family pictures one night. Everyone wore white shirts & khaki shorts/pants. It started out a bit rough for Lacey and me. She (the fashionable 5 year old) did not like the "uniform". Not one bit. The shorts I had for her were long (to her knees) and finally I agreed to cut them off if she'd stop fighting. (Everyone was waiting for us at this point.) Even after she was dressed, she said she didn't like the clothes. I told her Aunt Dee Dee had decided (not totally true) and did she want to hurt Aunt Dee's feelings by telling her she didn't like it? That did the trick. (Then, a week or so after we got back, she actually picked that outfit out to wear it. Little stinker.)

We weren't sure that Rick & Kristina were going to join us. Kristina started having terrible troubles with her back a few days before we left. She even ended up in the ER the night before because the pain was unbearable. Lots of drugs helped her feel comfortable enough to ride in the car for a few hours and she had a good few days there. However, by Thursday or Friday, she was having a lot of pain again. And nausea (thank you, pain meds). So, they headed back a day early. (Lots of doctor visits since then & we know she has a ruptured disk. She'll be having surgery in a few weeks.)

Justin wasn't supposed to come....since he was living in Tampa.... too far to drive & unable to get off work. For a few weeks before, he was giving a lot of thought to moving back to MD, though. When he gave his notice at work, they didn't have him work the 2 weeks. So, he was free to come! He got there on Wednesday and stayed until Friday. It was a great surprise!

What an awesome time. Truly. And, it was so great to see the girls having such a good time....enjoying time spent with family....and with us not focused on work.

Update on the Kids

Swimming Lessons....
The girls have been taking swim lessons for about 10 weeks now. Lacey has taken group lessons in the past without much success. I’m not sure how much of this was due to her being shy or her being able to see us there or what. I had been trying to find someone to come to dad’s house to teach them – thinking that in a familiar place, it would work better. I had no luck with that – after looking around since last year. Then a friend told me about Kids First Swim Schools. The closest one is 45 minutes away. They can do private & semi-private lessons. We love it. The pool water and air temperature are 90 degrees. Parents watch from behind a window (that the kids can’t see through). Both girls are doing really well with getting used to water in their face, learning to float, etc. We’re going to keep them in lessons through July, then we’ll likely stop for this year.

Last Sunday, they got into Dad’s pool for the first time this year & they loved it. Leah still can’t touch the bottom of the shallow end, so she needs a float or someone holding her. But, she’s all about jumping in. Lacey was floating all around the deep end with a ring on….no fear. They both were doing great with getting their faces wet or going under.

At swim lessons last weekend, Lacey started putting her head under for 5 seconds. That’s one of the things that she has to do to go to the next level. She did it over & over. It’s so awesome to see her confidence grow. After they spend about 20 minutes in the (very) shallow end (which is maybe 3 feet), they go to the deep end (5 feet or so). Miss Holly has 1 of them sit on the side while she works with the other one practicing supported swimming. On Saturday, Leah fell in. Scared me to death. Holly was with Lacey and didn’t see her at first, but then grabbed her & pulled her up. Leah didn’t cough, cry or anything. And, when it was her turn to get back in, she did without any problem.

Our lessons have been on Saturday afternoons and it makes for a crazy day. We are in La Plata at 10:00 for Leah’s dance/gymnastics class; then drive an hour from there to Bowie for swimming. We’re gone from the house for 5 hours. Starting in the summer, their lessons will be on Thursday mornings and I’ll be happy to have our Saturdays back!
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Dance/Gymnastics....
Leah still loves her dance/gymnastics class. Their teacher has taught them a little ballet routine and next weekend, they are supposed to perform it for the parents. I’m thinking that might be an experience! Leah does it fairly consistently, but she prefers for Butch or me to be right with her. The other little ones do their own thing for the most part. Gymnastics is her favorite part, I think. She’s such a little monkey. Last week, she did amazing with all of it. She did the dance everything she was supposed to, did everything Miss Kristen had them do, then did everything (really well) in gymnastics.

Lacey’s recital is coming up at the end of June. I’m hopeful that she’ll actually dance in the recital this year. Last year, she wouldn’t even do the dance or any of the practice drills in front of us when Miss Nisha would call the parents in to watch. This year, she has done it every time we’ve been invited in. She still tells me that she doesn’t want to dance in front of anyone, so who knows what the recital will bring!! She’s told me she doesn’t want to dance next year, but she does want to do gymnastics. If she still feels that way after the recital, I won’t push her….she can do whatever she wants to do. But, it will be hard to let her quit since I can tell she enjoys it. So You Think You Can Dance is one of her favorite shows….party because she dances along with them while watching.
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School...
Lacey’s last week of pre-K is this week. I can’t believe the school year is done already. I had a conference with the teacher last week & he was very complimentary of her. He said she is a role model for others in class and called her a “high flyer”. You know that makes me proud.

Next year, she’ll be in full day kindergarten. We’re hoping to be able to avoid paying for before and after care. If she stayed where she is, it would be $100 a week and she’d only be there for an hour in the morning and 40 min. in the evening. Butch can get her off the bus every day. And, since I work at home 2x a week, I can get her on those days. Unless I find someone in the neighborhood, I guess I’ll have to work later hours and head in after getting her on the bus.

Tidbits

We went to the Hospice Easter Egg Roll/Hunt this morning. This was our 2nd year going. They changed the location this year because the other church was already holding an event for this date. I hope they go back to the old one for next year. It was much better - more spread out - more scenic, etc. Last year, they had a much bigger moon bounce and they had pony rides. But, because the location didn't have enough space...those things were gone. We didn't stay as long this year, but the kids enjoyed the egg hunt.
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Tomorrow, we have another Easter Egg Hunt. This time it's with the 7th District Optimist Club, that Dad belongs to. I think it's a better location, so that will help. And, an old high school friend usually takes her daughter there (she's 4, I think). So, it will be good to finally see her. (We've been talking about it for about 4 years!)
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I went to NY on business Thursday-Friday. We were celebrating 30 years with one of my clients. Crazy to think of spending all that money for me to fly up, stay overnight and come back...just for dinner. But, it's worth it for the relationship. I was happy to be back in my room at 8:59, just in time for Grey's! And, I actually slept without waking up from about 10:30 to 5:00. I can't believe it! Then, I dozed back off for another hour before coming home.
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Yesterday afternoon, I went to Lacey's school to help with their "spring celebration". Those kids are so cute. The "party" had to stay inside since it was rainy and cold outside. But, the kids had fun, anyway. That was their last day before Spring Break.
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Speaking of Spring Break, Lacey's and Butch's aren't the same week. Annoying. They overlap by a few days, but that's it. That's going to make it difficult to do trips in the future since I won't want to take them out of school. We talked a little about going up to Pittsburgh for just 3-4 days this year, but the girls are starting swim lessons next Saturday & they are too expensive to miss. Plus, we have entirely too much to do around here.
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Lacey did swim lessons through the community a few years ago. Then, we signed her up again last year. She refused to do any of it. She was still in the midst of her shy phase. Plus, the classes are only 30 minutes long and there are 5-7 kids in a class. So, there is very little 1-on-1 time. I've been searching for someone to do private lessons and had no luck. I did find a place about 40 minutes from here that does private or semi-private lessons, though. The girls are signed up for semi-private lessons together. I think that will work okay because Lacey tends to be more "careful" and Leah tends to just "go for it". I think their level might be about the same. The teacher is a young woman who teaches kindergarten and the person I spoke with said he calls her the child whisperer because she's so good with little ones.
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I'm realizing I should probably stop typing since I need to do some laundry before heading out for "Mom's Craft Night". It's with some of the women from my "meet-up" group and one of the mom's is pretty crafty...she has these events every few months to help those of us that aren't very good at crafts. :-)

More later!

December 2009 (Pre-Christmas)

Lacey & Leah headed to the dentist in late November & I was amazed at how well they both did! Lacey did fairly well last time, too, so I shouldn't have been surprised. Leah sat by herself in the chair & let them do what they needed to. They told us that Lacey's bottom teeth (middle) were both loose, so she got quite excited about the tooth fairy coming at some point.

Leah had a cold at the end of November and by the first week in December her sleep had deteriorated enough that I took her to see Dr. Jill. She'd had the cold for nearly 2 weeks by that point. As it turned out, she had a double ear infection - both ear drums were bulging. Dr. Jill called her a tough cookie, considering she wasn't complaining. Poor baby.

We started with winter early here this year! It was really just a dusting, but we don't normally get snow so early. This was December 5th. It was just enough for the kids to explore, but not to cause issues with driving.



Just wait until the pictures from future snow storms! Yikes!

Butch & I had taken off on December 18th to take the girls to see Sesame Street Live. For anyone that doesn't know, Leah is a huge fan of Elmo. She loved it! Lacey enjoyed it, too, but not nearly as much.
We had planned to go see the Christmas Spectacular with the Rockettes on Saturday, the 19th. Dee, Kristin, Lacey and I were going. Unfortunately, Mother Nature had other plans for us....a blizzard. We got 16 inches at our house. It snowed for 24 hours straight. Unbelievable.
Saturday morning, we knew we weren't going to the show. They didn't cancel it, but they did give refunds to those that couldn't make it, so at least we got our money back.

We stayed inside that day since it was so windy and cold, but made it out to play on Sunday.

Lacey isn't much of a daredevil, so she wouldn't go sledding in the backyard (big hill). Instead, she liked the mound of snow made from Butch's shoveling work.
The snow wasn't packing very well (too powdery), but it worked okay for a snow castle.
And, Leah didn't like going into the snow since it was so deep. But she had fun with her sandbox toys.

We had lots of fun throwing a tennis ball for Brady into the snow. She'd hop through the snow & see the hole where the ball went....then dig for it. Made for a tired dog that night.
I have some great videos from that day, but have never had luck uploading them to blogger for some reason. I'm really not sure why, but I try to do it an 2 hours later, it's still trying to upload. So, I'm giving up. Maybe I'll put them on Facebookor email them out.

Almost Heaven....West Virginia....

….Blue Ridge Mountains…Shenandoah River…

I remember listening to that song on the drive to WV long, long ago when I was maybe 4 or 5. We all piled in the station wagon to go visit Mom’s family. No car seats. Just kids all over the back of the station wagon.

Aunt Annie – Mom’s sister – had lived in Houston for years. I know if I try to guess, I’ll be wrong. 25 years, maybe? Anyway, she & Steve retired and moved to West by God Virginia January 1st.

Dee & I have been trying to coordinate a visit for quite some time. We finally went the last weekend in September. We drove one route and Dee/Buck took a different route. They had left about 20 minutes earlier than us….and we made it to Annie’s about an hour earlier than them. Even with stops for kids.

The girls were good on the drive. And, we were driving through beautiful scenery after only about 2 hours into the drive. Butch said the drive was easy & good….until the mountains. It was still pretty and all….but was more stressful.

This was the first time Annie had met Lacey & Leah. As we were pulling into the driveway, Lacey --- who used to be so shy --- said “Aunt Annie’s gonna love me”! And, as soon as she got out, ran over to give Annie a big hug.

That evening, we just relaxed on their front porch. They have a feeding station for the deer, so the girls “helped” with filling that up. Then we waited (not for long) for the deer to show. The girls stayed fairly quiet, but even when they made a loud noise, the deer just looked up to check things out.

Unfortunately, it rained the entire next day. That was our only full day & we were supposed to go to the park. I’d made a trip to Michael’s and picked up crafts to entertain the kids, so they were set. And, later….we let them put on their rain boots & coats to go splash in puddles (although, I don’t think they really splashed much).

We had spaghetti with Aunt Annie’s homemade sauce on Saturday night. Yum-o! She uses brown sugar in her sauce. I do, too, but obviously not as much. I think I’ll add more next time I make it.

Sunday morning we had a big breakfast before packing the car up and heading out. I’m so glad we went. I asked Lacey what her favorite part of the visit was. She said “everything at Aunt Annie’s was my favorite part”. Sweet girl.

I’m not really sure how to describe it, but I felt somehow closer to Mom during that time. Partly the visit to West Virginia and partly Aunt Annie – who seems so similar to Mom.

I know we’ll head back for a visit again before too long. Soon, we’ll be planning our “reunion” for all of that side of the family. Can’t wait!

Summer is Gone

Wow. Summer is done. August flew by. And, I haven't posted anything on here since the end of July. So, I had to take a look at my pictures to figure out what all you've missed. :-)

At the end of July, we went to Chesapeake Beach. I had taken one of the Thursday morning's off when the girls were home with Butch. I'd hoped for a few hours of fun before coming home for a conference call. But....the weather wasn't great....drizzling off and on, so we only stayed about an hour.


There was this little stream that the girls were playing in a lot.



And, Lacey loved looking for sea shells.
I found a couple pieces of sea glass, too.

The beach is called Brownie's Beach. It's not usually too crowded & was free....until August of this year. They have added a per person fee now for non-county residents and for the 4 of us, it would be over $30. Not bad, except the kids sometimes only want to stay for an hour or so.

Like this visit. Lacey was happy to keep playing & looking for shells, but after about an hour, Leah was pointing to the exit, saying "Mimi, done pool". And, since it wasn't a great day, she won.

I'm sure we'll go back next year....$30-35 isn't too bad to give the girls some fun. :-)

One of the things I'll miss most about summer is the fresh corn! I think Leah will miss it, too! She can finish an entire ear on her own .... and still ask for more.

At least we will still have a few nice days this week. I love the Fall & all the festivals there are in the area, too!

Trip to Pittsburgh

Chuck & Nancy had hoped to visit for Lacey's dance recital, but he'd had surgery (on his knee, that turned into a little bit more) a few weeks before, so they decided not to come. We were overdue for a visit to Pittsburgh anyway. :-) So, we planned to go for 4th of July.

We were supposed to leave on Thursday morning. But, Leah’s toe issues changed that. Butch was leaning toward canceling the trip, thinking it was just too much to deal with. But, I knew that Lacey was really looking forward to it. (So were Chuck & Nancy, of course!) Leah had been fine throughout her ordeal, so I knew she’d be okay with a drive and visit.

I hadn’t gotten all of the packing done before going to the hospital.....and it didn’t make sense to go home after being discharged from the hospital (heading south just to head north again). So….I tried to remember what all was still needed and we made a list for Butch. After packing everything up on Friday morning, Butch & Lacey headed up to the hospital to rescue Leah & me!

The girls were fairly good for the trip. Both of them slept a little. And, we really only had 1 stop (I think)…for food, bathroom, diaper.

After dealing with tracking down the medicine for Leah, we all got settled for bed that night. The 4 of us slept in the basement. There is a pull out couch, but I didn’t think the girls would do well totally on their own on the floor. So, we brought our air mattress, as well as the girls’ new princess air mattresses. We tried to lay them all out side-by-side. But, both girls were being momma’s girls and wanted to sleep right next to me. Butch ended up on the couch ….. Lacey slept with me and Leah was in her bed next to me. Amazingly, that first night was a pretty good night of sleep. And, since it’s dark in the basement, the girls slept late! (They needed that since it was after 11:00 when we go to bed the night before.) The next couple of nights’ sleep weren’t as good, but nothing too horrible.

On Saturday (the 4th), Chuck & Nancy hosted a little party with family. But, before that started...the girls "helped" Nancy pick some berries.
The weather was a little less than desirable….only about 70 degrees if I remember correctly. But, still a good day. We had the moon bounce set up for the kids (Lacey’s & Leah’s 2nd cousins were happy to jump around, too).

I was surprised at how much Lacey wanted to play with the boys. She seemed to really enjoy spending time with her cousins.

Sunday, was spent around the house most of the day. But, the girls were a little antsy, so we headed to the park early that afternoon to let them burn off some energy.
We ordered pizza that night and ate out on the patio. Lacey passed out on the lounge around 6:30 p.m. Later, we started a fire so we could roast marshmallows. Yum-o! Lacey just wanted them by themselves, but the rest of us were smart enough to want S’mores!
We had to be up pretty early on Monday morning since Lacey had swim lessons starting that night. The drive back went pretty well again….more stops, but not too bad. We got back home just in time for Lacey to go to swim lessons. There was literally enough time for Butch to change, get Lacey changed & them to leave.

Now that the kids are getting bigger, I can tell the trips will get easier. Hopefully next time, they’ll cooperate more with sleeping.

Girls Weekend - AST

When I went to college, I spent 2 years at our community college – then known as Charles County Community College….or Chuck County U. It’s come a long way since then and is now the College of Southern Maryland. Anyway, I spent 2 years there, then transferred to Salisbury State University (now just Salisbury University).

On that first day at SSU, I ran into some friends from high school and got invited to a party. So, my roommate (Debi) and I went. It was a Pi Lamda Phi party. I had no intention of going Greek when I was preparing to leave for SSU --- it isn’t a big Greek campus. But, I met several girls at that party that convinced me that I should Rush & try to get invited to pledge Alpha Sigma Tau.

During Rush week, I met many people that became very good friends. Jen, Shannon & I were all invited to pledge AST. Shannon lived on campus in a different building. Jen lived off campus in a townhouse community (Cynthia Place). We pledged – along with about 15 other girls. It was the biggest pledge class ever, if my memory is right. In fact, the following semester, we couldn’t participate in Rush because the size of our sorority had reached the maximum allowed.

We spent lots of time being afraid of the sisters….waiting for them to come grab us in the middle of the night (I can’t give specifics unless I kill you after)….having to remember all of their names and greet them with “Good Afternoon Sister (Name)” whenever we saw them. With twins (Cathy & Carolyn) in the sorority, this made things pretty difficult!

After 1 semester on campus, Shannon & I moved in with Jen at Cynthia Place. It was awesome! J-D, Mike (a.k.a. Lude), and Ray lived next door. (They were from Pi Lam.) At some point some other AST sisters moved into some of the other houses and most of the community was filled with college students. We had several “Around the World” parties where each townhouse had a shot or shooter & the last one hosted the party with a keg. Good times, I tell you!

At some point….Jen had bought a cat while we were on break and we weren’t supposed to have pets. The land lord found out & we either had to get rid of the cat or move. Shannon & I couldn’t bear to get rid of our beloved Toonces. (Yes, the same dear kitty that I had until he died a few years ago.) So, we moved into another house in Cynthia Place. I can’t remember who we had as a 3rd roommate at first. But, eventually, Christy moved in. She pledged a year after we did, so we knew her through sorority.

When I graduated, I stayed in touch with my good friends pretty well. It was hard because most of them were still in college for a few years after me, while I was hit hard with the real world.

Christy, Shannon & I (and Jen at times) try to get together for lunch 1-2 times a year. Shannon now has a 2 year old and Christy has a 7 month old.

Then….along came Facebook. And, I was in touch with numerous other friends from college – some Greek, some not. One of our sisters decided to organize a weekend away for all of us to reconnect. We had it in Ocean City just a couple of weekends ago. Most of us are fairly local, so it worked well. But, 2 of the girls came from much farther….one from Florida and one from California.

Most of the girls went up on Friday, but Christy, Shannon, Shelly & I waited until Saturday since we had some Mommy Guilt. (Shelly pledged the year that Christy did, I think.) For the 3 hour drive, we probably spent 2 hours and 45 minutes talking about our kids! We tried several times to get onto a different subject, but it always came back to that.

We were on the beach by 1:00 p.m. Things change….I had on a very high SPF and my mantra was “Pale is the new Tan!”. However, 15 years ago, I would have had as little SPF as possible that would keep me from burning, but tan that skin!

After dinner, we went to Seacrets…which I could have done without. It’s a club and not the best place to have conversations. Christy was the first to leave….probably around 10:00 or 10:30. With a 7 month old, she was looking forward to a really good night of sleep. Shannon, Shelly & I left not long after her and we were all happily in bed around midnight.

We all (20 or so of us) had breakfast at the hotel on Sunday before hitting the road. My little group stopped at the outlets for a little shopping before heading home. Of course, I ended up buying several things for the girls at Gymboree and a big fat NOTHING for me. The life of a mom.

It was awesome, though! There is talk of making this an annual thing.

So, Facebook may be an addiction and time-waster in some ways. But, it’s so great to reconnect with people. I love being able to see what is going on in the lives of old friends.

Dress Rehearsal for Dance

Tonight was dress rehearsal for the recital this weekend. They also did pictures tonight. I spent some time curling Lacey's hair......

Then, it rained....no, it poured.....the whole drive down. And, we all know what humidity does to pretty curls. So, it didn't last long! Still cute, though. And, she was all smiles before going out on stage.
But, then she had to go on stage. I don't think she understood - at all - what it would be like. Who would? And, I wasn't telling her in advance because I didn't want to freak her out. Maybe that was a mistake.

No, this is not a solo. :-) This is my sweet, shy little girl....not dancing.
She was sort of doing it here.

And...admiring her trophy.

Here they all are posing for their group picture.
Lacey was less than thrilled. Once I put my camera away and focused on getting her to giggle, she did. Getting her to do her individual pictures was slow going. But, she eventually relented & did a few.

I'm very proud of her for getting on stage, though. I really wasn't sure she would do that. She's telling me tonight that she will dance tomorrow at the recital....we'll see. She has a recital tomorrow at 6:00, then again on Saturday at noon. Whew. More pictures & videos to come!

Calvert Wine & Arts Fest

Last month, we went to the Calvert Wine & Arts Festival with the kids. It was interesting to try to taste wine while handling the girls! This was actually supposed to be a "meet up" with my Calvert Moms group, but we didn't see the others around.

We didn't taste much, but it was a gorgeous day out and they had a few bands playing. The girls had a blast.

Girl Time & Vineyards!

Okay, I found this saved & I hadn't posted it! So, it's an oldie, but a goodie. :-) It actually all happened toward the end of April.

Last weekend was lots of fun! It actually started on Thursday evening when I picked up my friend, Barbie. I have known her since high school. She & her family moved to the west coast when she graduated (a year after me), so our friendship has been long distance for a long time. I was one of her maid of honors in her wedding 9 years ago...hard to believe it's been that long. Anyway, the last time I saw her in person was about 7 years ago in New Orleans. She & I met there for some girls time. She came to DC for work and I picked her up on Thursday evening to head down to Fredericksburg to meet another friend from high school.
I barely knew Sarah, but Barbie & she were good friends. By the time we go to the restaurant, it was nearly 8:00 (thank you, DC traffic) and we ended up talking long after we were done eating. By the time I got Barbie back to DC, then drove home, it was 1:00 a.m. That's extremely late for me! It was well worth it, though. I had a great time catching up and hope it isn't 7 years until the next time. Her boys are about the same ages as my girls, so we're hoping we can figure out a vacation together sometime.

Friday I worked from home and went to bed very early to prepare myself for our day at the vineyards!

There was a large group of us....6 "old ladies" (including Kristina, Dee, a few of Dee's friends & me) and 8 "young uns" (Kristin and several of her friends). As I was driving over to Dee's house to meet up with a few others, I was dancing & singing in the car. It was a GORGEOUS day and I couldn't help myself!

We got to Ingleside around 12:30 and started out with their barrel tasting. We tasted 2 Chardonnay's and 2 Merlots right from the barrel.
Then, we tasted all of the wines that they had bottled. The only bad thing is the guy that was pouring & telling us about the wines went entirely too fast. We either had to chug it or dump it. Not very good if you are really trying to decide what you like. After that we just relaxed at a table outside while listening to the band and munched on the very small selection of food they had.

We left around 3:15 to head to Belle Mount to taste a little more. That's also where we were staying the night - they have little cabins for rent. The tasting was a joke. The lady pouring wasn't even telling us about the wine and she was pouring such a tiny amount that we couldn't even really tell if we liked it.

We got over to the little cabins at around 6:00 and chowed down on all the food we brought. I ended up so full (from both wine & food) that I couldn't drink anymore for hours.
Our intent was to play games like Outburst, but those plans were messed up when our party was crashed. The other 3 cabins were being used by several couples in their 50's and then men ditched their wives to come plan LCR with us. Strange. They all seemed to be nice enough, but why their wives (1) didn't come, too; or (2) let them leave for so long is weird. And, Dee & I agreed the next day that we should have politely explained that we were there for girls time. But, we would have felt rude, so we didn't. Oh well, it was still fun.

Kristina, Lynn & I headed to bed around 12:30. Dee, Dana & Lisa came in at 1:30 and couldn't stop giggling, so we were woken up then. :-) No one had a great night of sleep given the uncomfy beds (for those of us that had one). Dee slept on the couch & Lynn slept on a twin size air mattress.

We've all agreed we need to try to do one in the fall again. Those of us that are married talked about needing to do one with the men.