Grandpop Heads Back to Vermont Tonight

Grandpop and his grandsons
Grandpop at the end of his trip with us! LOL

We had yet another busy day! We headed out to Target to let the boys pick out new Leapster games. Ian chose Cars that focuses on spelling and Gavin chose Diego that focuses on recognizing numbers. Then, we headed to downtown Raleigh to watch Krispie Kreme donuts get made. Gavin finally got his sprinkled donut again and Ian ate two! We watched the workers cook and frost them on the belts. It was neat! Next we drove to the NCSU campus and showed him my building. We went to Pullen Park to ride the train, but then found out they don't run until 1pm. So, back in the car and we went to the Wolfpack baseball field, tennis courts, football field and then home. The kids had quiet time for a few minutes and then Ian and Grandpop put together a puzzle. We played outside...I think we mostly played baseball and rode bikes. Both kids can definitely hit the ball! My dad wanted to wear a mask! LOL

We jumped into the truck and headed to Lake Crabtree to watch the sailboats, canoes, kayaks and paddleboats before playing a few minutes on the playground. Hopped back into the truck and picked up Cailean at the airport because we headed over to Jason's Deli in Brier Creek for a very early dinner. We wanted to make sure dad was fed before he got on his plane. We had a nice dinner there and then we dropped Cailean off at his motorcycle and then to the terminal for Grandpop. It was beyond sad driving away. Ian was hysterically crying...a good 40 minutes I would say. Gavin just looked at him and then fell asleep. Ian did NOT want his Grandpop to leave. He told him that there is a house "on sale" around the corner from us and to buy that house. He knows Uncle Matt wants him to move to Atlanta, but told me he and Uncle Matt would have to battle it out! LOL

We've already started pricing his Christmas ticket...the price is looking good right now. The boys also are thinking of more things to do when he comes back down.

So, here's the list Ian and Gavin put together...we did pretty well!!!

Franceys (for Frankie's Fun Place that has gokarts)-CHECK

riyd our bikes-CHECK
boligaley (bowling alley)-CHECK
basketball-CHECK
sokre (soccer)
Muncey Jows (Monkey Joe's)-SAVE FOR NEXT TIME...COULD HAVE DONE IT THOUGH
Jeleybeyns (Jellybeans...rollerskating)-SAVE FOR NEXT TIME...COULD HAVE DONE IT THOUGH
gofle (golf)-CHECK
fishig-CHECK
Sorry-CHECK
payprair playn (paper airplanes)-CHECK
gamse-CHECK
play out side-CHECK
woch teyvey (watch tv) -CHECK

Cailean's Dad...

Happy Birthday (yesterday) to Ian's and Gavin's Poppi!!!! It was his day on Saturday, May 30!

We Never Stop...We Keep Going and Going!

Gavin probably likes to play with the worms more than actually fishing!

Ian really likes to go fishing...he even put a worm on his hook and threw a fish back in the water!

Gavin and Cailean taking a break

Strawberry picking

Ian now has box springs under his mattress

Gavin, Grandpop and Ian on Gavin's new bed

This was our Saturday with dad:

7am: everyone woke up

8:15am: on our way to go strawberry picking

8:30: picked a bunch of strawberries

9:15am: went fishing at Jordan Lake...people must have had a party there because the trash was unreal...we caught about 6 fish!

10:15am: went to Super Target to get groceries

11:30am: home

1:15pm: off to Ian's last soccer practice of the season...last 20 minutes was families against the Sharks team, so Grandpop played offense!!!!!! I don't think I've ever seen a grandfather out there playing, so GO GRANDPOP! He even had a few good moves as an offensive player!

3pm: home to play golf, basketball and catch...but Cailean got me good with a super soaker, so we (Cailean, me, my dad, Ian and Gavin) ended up squirting each other in a big game with super soakers!

4:30pm: made homemade vanilla ice cream

5pm: early dinner

7:15pm: first bedtime

8pm: second bedtime for Gavin, Ian was asleep

9pm: finally...Gavin was asleep!

No naps for Gavin anymore! Ugh. If he does, then he is up late!

Oh and Friday night we went to see "Up"...a new Pixar movie that was released on Friday. It's a 3D movie and it was actually pretty good!

Busy!

So my dad's flight was a little delayed yesterday, but just by 30 minutes. Gavin, Cailean and I met him inside the airport. We were waiting for him to come down the escalator and when Gavin saw him, he was excited! We said goodbye to Cailean since he was flying to Dallas and took my dad to our house. We got out of the car and Gavin had a glove for his Grandpop, a ball and Gavin had his glove on. I told dad he could go in and change into shorts, but nope...he didn't want to disappoint Gavin! So, they played catch for a good 30 minutes or so. Then, Gavin wanted to show him his basketball skills and we did that for about 10 minutes and then off to his bike! He had to show off riding his bike down Linda Court. By then it was time to pick up Ian. So, off to Kingswood and this time we didn't do carpool. We stood right outside the main doors, so Ian could see his Grandpop. He was grinning ear to ear and ran to him!

We left Kingswood and headed to Frankie's Fun Park. Gavin caught a cat nap on the way. At Frankie's we did the gokarts twice, bumper boats once, batting cage and some arcade games. Ian and I got my dad and Gavin drenched in the bumper boats, but I got pretty soaked, too! Ian did well in the batting cage. He made contact (foul tips) three times and he was very happy! Gavin did it as well (slow softball pitch) and hit it three times. It's an annual event...every May when my dad flies down we all go to Frankie's!

After Frankie's we headed to Connolly's Irish Pub for dinner. It's soooooo good! I thought dad would like the music and atmosphere along with the food. Ian ate his entire bowl of spaghetti and 2/3 of Gavin's. He was still hungry!

We drove home and then the boys got ready for bed. Ian read some books to his Grandpop and Gavin was asleep before his head hit the pillow!

This morning I worked and my dad watched Gavin. Dad ate Gavin's donut (he thought it was Ian's and Ian was already at school) and Gavin kept asking for hours, "Where is my donut?" LOL LOL Poor Grandpop! So, this afternoon to end the question, dad bought him a honeybun. Well, Gavin asked where the sprinkles were! The donut he started to eat this morning had sprinkles on it!!!! Why lots of talk of donuts? Well, dad bought donuts for the teachers at Kingswood as a "thank you" for taking great care of his grandson and the rest of the kids! The teachers were very excited when they saw Ian and I deliver them today!

Before picking up Ian from school, we drove to Super Target to get a mattress pad and cover along with Gavin's first set of twin bed sheets! Thanks GRANDPOP! Then, we picked up Ian and went bowling. We had some thunderstorms today and bowling was also on the list! They love going bowling with my dad. So, we did that (I so do not like that game!!!). We got home and had a nice dinner...had baths and then read some books. Cailean arrived just in time to say goodnight to them and they were asleep by 7:20pm!

Tomorrow night will be Gavin's first night in a big boy bed. Not a toddler bed! He is going from his crib to a twin bed. I'm a little sad about the whole thing, but know that it's time. He is very excited, so I need to be excited. LOL That will be dad's and Cailean's project tomorrow. He could really stay in the crib because he only climbed out of it once over a year ago! But...he is almost 3 1/2 years old and he has been asking about it.

Ian's Soccer Video

Grandpop is flying today to see us!

My dad arrives this afternoon from Vermont. Ian and Gavin are very, very excited! When the kids woke up this morning they asked if Grandpop was here yet. I told them in a few hours he'll be here, so they were acting silly and running around in circles yelling, "We have to get ready for Grandpop. We have to get ready!!!"

They made a list together, but Ian wrote it down. Hopefully I can read some of it...here it goes...

Franceys (for Frankie's Fun Place that has gokarts)

riyd our bikes

boligaley (bowling alley)

basketball

sokre (soccer)

Muncey Jows (Monkey Joe's)

Jeleybeyns (Jellybeans...rollerskating)

gofle (golf)

fishig

Sorry

payprair playn (paper airplanes)

gamse

play out side

woch teyvey (watch tv)

Happy Birthday Lucas and Kaia!

My cousin Casey with Ian and Gavin

Ian posing with Ashley, my cousin

Gavin sliding down with one of his godparents, Ashley

The Benes' for a family photo

Saturday morning we headed out very early and drove over to mom's. I wanted to be on the road headed to Jessica's at 7am. That didn't work. I think we finally got on the road by 7:45am. But, I still made good time! :) I drove mom's van with Ian, Gavin, mom and my grandparents! We stopped once on the way down, so that wasn't too bad. I guess we arrived at Jessica's by 11:45am (party started at 11am...oh well!).

Lucas turned one in April and Kaia just turned three. So, Kent and Jess had a combined birthday party for the two kids. It was a lot of fun!!!! It is an annual event to congregate at their house and we are able to see Kent's family as well as my aunt, uncle and cousins from New York. We overnighted at the Hampton Inn and then left Sunday by noon.

Adventures with the boys! We were going to be gone for one night, so I figured two outfits for each kid would be fine. WRONG. Gavin didn't want to stop playing and chose not to go to the toilet. I was a little shocked he peed in his shorts because he had just gone 90 minutes prior. Poor kid. So, off to his second pair of shorts. A couple hours later he got into the squirt guns and yes...soaked shorts and I didn't have other clothes. So, after we checked into the hotel, Kohl's was right next to us, so he got himself a new outfit!

Hampton Inn...they both know how to put the cards in to get into rooms. So, that was a big deal for them. Ian remembered (what a memory!!) that this place had cookies at the front desk each night. They were able to get apples and bananas as well as juice all while we were there. Then, the breakfast in the morning was a special treat for them. To top it all off, the manager gave them their "keys" back to keep to remember that hotel. Our room was great. Gavin wanted to sleep in his pack n play, so we did bring that. He slept in it most of the night, which was great for me. Ian is a bed hog anyway!!!!

Jessica did a great job with Lucas' pirate ship cake!!! The babysitter made Kaia's princess castle cake. I told her we should put together an album of all the cakes we do for our kids' birthdays because we outdo ourselves each year. Well, I have done just one cake (Ian's soccer ball cake last year). Mom has done the others! LOL

When we stopped for lunch on the way back home, Gavin wanted to know if we were back at the hotel yet. He was actually upset that he had to sleep in his own bed last night!!!!

I started with some allergy issues on Wed and by Saturday morning it was rough. I coughed most of the way down and I coughed the majority of the night. Yes, I still have that annoying barking cough. I was sooo tired on Sunday to drive back, but made it. Cough drops are my new best friend now. LOL I took some cough medicine last night and went to sleep at 7:15pm!

This movie clip describes what the boys do each year. Kent's parents are pretty funny with the boys! Kent's brother held his mom, so Ian could get her and Kent helped Ian. Don't worry...it happens every year and Kent's mom has fun with it! LOL

Gavin's last day of pre-school!

On Thursday, Gavin went to school in the morning and then they had a family picnic at 11:30am to finish the year. Where did the year go? I have no idea! I took a break at work and Cailean left Ian's classroom early and we met at the Kirk to get Gavin and

have lunch with his friends and their families. So, it wasn't your typical "picnic" because when I think of a picnic...I think of food that you make at home and take it somewhere with a nice blanket, etc. Not this type of picnic! It's more of, "Which fast food do you go to and buy the lunches?" hahaha It was hard to do the old fashioned picnic with where Cailean and I were at. So, with my wonderful coupon...Cailean and I had wraps from Camille's Cafe and Gavin had his favorite chicken nuggets! In these pictures, Cailean took a picture of Connor and Gavin and also of Gavin with his two teachers (Miss Heather on the left and Miss Sherri on the right). THANK YOU!!!

Gavin's Spring Program 2009

This morning was Gavin's first Spring Program at pre-school. He didn't sing the song at the Lunch Bunch a few weeks ago, so I wasn't too sure what he would do this morning. Would he freak out? Would he cry? Would he just stare? Would he sing? Well, he surprised me! He sang most of the songs! We were soooo proud of him. It must be a nervous thing to do...for a 3 year old to be "on stage" and perform in front of a bunch of people. They sang four songs and thanks to Kim...I had the best seat in the house! Front row right in front of his class. Thanks Kim! Two friends and I were in the same situation...videotaping the program and taking photos with the digital. We managed for sure! :) Looking at the picture...Connor is to the left of Gavin and Katie has the white bow in her hair. They are his buddies! Miss Brenda (Director), Miss Amy (Music Teacher), Miss Sherri (lead teacher) and Miss Heather (assistant) are amazing and do such a great job!

After the program, we all filed into the Great Hall to watch the slideshow. Oh my gosh...they put a bunch of pictures in a show to go along with two songs. Amazing! The kids loved seeing each other on the big screen! This year has just flown by and it's hard to believe Gavin finishes this Thursday. We'll end with a picnic lunch with all the families from his class.

A Great Monday!

Gavin and I had a very busy day. We took Ian to school, then went to the library to return the books Gavin checked out a few weeks ago. He had a little tantrum this morning because he is not understanding how checking out books works at the library. He did NOT want to return them. Well, we finally got through that little episode. We went to the post office to buy the new stamps and then headed to Target to pick up some gifts. No luck there, so we drove over to Toys R Us and we hit the jackpot there. Cailean's birthday isn't until June 7, but he has rubbed off on me and he received his bday gift early...yes, try tonight! hahahaha Cailean is the same way. He can't keep anything until the day. Then, we went to the bank and off to Jumpin' Beans to meet Connor and Kim. The boys had soooooooooooooo much fun. The two were excited to see each other and they played great (of course). After awhile there we continued our day out by heading over to Chick Fil A for lunch. The boys ate and then headed into the play area. Gavin and I came home at around 1pm and I was hoping he would take a nap, but he disagreed and ending up winning the battle.

We did a few pages in his counting book, read a few books and then he drew some pictures. He drew a picture of me. I had a nose, 2 eyes, mouth and the ears sorta looked like my hair. I was actually impressed with what he drew. Then, we decided to draw Cody. Well, let's just say...we tried our best! hahahahahaha

By this time it was about 3:30pm and time to go pick up Ian. So, off to Kingswood to get Prince Ian. I love Mondays because I get to see all the work Ian did last week since he brings home a Monday folder! We played basketball for awhile and then inside for dinner. Gavin was a little cranky probably because he didn't take a nap! We had dinner, Ian completed his homework and then bedtime routine. Cailean came home from work a little later than normal, so naturally he got the kids wound up before bedtime.

Tomorrow morning Gavin has his program at school. I'll be there with the camera and video camera! LOL I'll focus on not pointing the video camera to the ground when I want to take a picture with the digital camera!!!! hahahahahahaha

Back to Bike Riding

Where did the weekend go??? On Saturday we went to watch a friend play t-ball in Morrisville, then went bike riding. Ian is doing great on his bike!!! He could ride without training wheels over a year ago, but he took a really bad fall and we went backwards! He didn't ride for a long time. We put his training wheels back on and he still wouldn't ride. But, watching Gavin ride sorta got Ian to ride again. A few months ago we took the training wheels off and Ian chose to take his scooter everywhere. Well, Saturday Ian got back on his bike and took off! After riding bikes, we went home for lunch and then off to soccer practice. Then, the boys hung out at mom's for a few hours because Cailean and I went to a party at a brewery with some of my coworkers!

Sunday was a typical Sunday for us. We went to church, Sunday School, Bob Evans and then Ian went with mom while Gavin came home to take a nap with me. Then, we met up at mom's for dinner after Cailean got off from work. The rain finally stopped, so the boys went bike riding again.

This is Gavin's last week of pre-school. Busy time at the Kirk this week with the Spring Program and picnic!

3 years to the date...

May 14, 2006...Gavin was baptized at the Kirk! Time flies!

Pictures

Gavin didn't sing a word at the Lunch Bunch a few weeks ago...he wasn't too sure what to think of everyone looking at them!!!

The 3 kindergarten classes at Kingswood


Cameron and Ian (back row)
Grace, Erik, Noelle and Mikayla (middle row)
All six from Ms. Braun's class

School, Soccer and a Concert!

The boys both had school today. It was pretty much my last Tuesday to volunteer in Ian's classroom. I have enjoyed it sooooooooooooooo much! Next Tuesday Gavin has a spring concert in the morning and the following Tuesday Gavin is out of school!!! He actually finishes next Thursday. Wow!!!!

Gavin LOVED his Beach Day at school because they got to do lots of fun stuff outside with water. He was going on and on about that and his excitement level was extremely high! Ian had a soccer game today at 5:45pm and he played great! We had to leave with about 5 minutes left. He changed right in the parking lot into his concert clothes! He went from uniform, cleats and shinguards to a nice shirt, shorts and sneakers. My mom took care of Gavin during the game because Cailean had to work OT and was going to meet us at Kingswood for the concert. We all raced over to Kingswood (and let me tell ya...Ian was NOT happy he had to leave the game!!!!!) and he made it just in time to "report for duty" at 6:45pm. Gavin was such a big help because we had to go from one place to another and he just kept up and listened. I sent Ian up with the kindergarteners and then Gavin and I found some seats. Mom, my grandparents and Cailean arrived all at the same time.

The concert was about to start and I was all set with the video camera. The assistant principal came up to me and said there was an empty seat in the first row and go for it! Thank you Mr. Case!!! Oh yes...best seat in the house! Front and center!!!!

Ian sooooooooooo does not have our shyness when it comes to standing up in front of lots of people. As soon as that curtain was drawn, he was waving to us!!!! He did such an awesome job!!!!!! He smiled, knew all the words and motions and I swear I could hear him!!! GO IAN!!!! He just looked like he was having a blast and he is soooooooooooooooo happy at Kingswood! :) I have the whole thing on tape!!!!!!! Of course no video clips on the camera that connects to our computer though. He was in the back left and just was awesome!!!!!!!!! Wait til you come down and watch it. hee hee

After the concert, we all met outside and Ian went running up to his Mimi, Grammie and Pop-pop! They are troopers for going from one place to another and loving every minute of it!!! Pop-pop loves his routine and set schedule, but tonight there was a bit of a twist! He gave up his Legion meeting to attend the game and concert! :)

On the way home, I told Gavin that he has a spring concert next Tuesday. He looked at Ian and said, "You get to watch mine." Ummm...he doesn't...Ian will be in school during Gavin's!!! Pretty soon Ian will have to start watching Gavin's events...just not that time yet with his age!!

Happy Mother's Day!

I've been able to stretch it out to Mother's Weekend! LOL We pretty much celebrated my day yesterday with a shopping spree and dinner out. The boys made me cute gifts at school, too. I already blogged about those.

Ian's Sunday School class sang in the 11am service today. He did a GREAT job! It must be pretty nervewracking to stand up in front of about 350 people, but he does it NO PROBLEM. After church, Ian spent the afternoon at his Mimi's. On the way to my car, Gavin said, "Mommy, I take you out to lunch? I have piggy bank!" LOL LOL So, we decided to go to Panera Bread for a special treat with just him and me. We got our lunch (I got a free drink because it was Mother's Day!!!) and Gavin wanted to eat outside. It was a perfect day for that. We came home and then he got settled in bed and took a 2 hour nap! I could have done Pilates or done the eliptical. But ya know what??? It was MY day and I chose to scrapbook!!!!!! I did that for TWO hours and then another 2 1/2 hours tonight after the boys went to bed.

We headed over to mom's and played outside, rode bikes and scooters and then got ready for dinner. Homemade spaghetti sauce with meatballs and sausage. YUM! A fresh fruit salad for dessert. Double YUM!

Overall, I had a great weekend!!! Looking forward to another crazy week. If it wasn't crazy though I would have to wonder what was wrong, right?! :)

Ian's "My Special Mom"

So, Ian made me a very nice flower and painted the pot! On the flower is a picture of him in the center. What a cute smile! I love when teachers have them fill in the blanks. I already shared with everyone what Gavin said. So, here it goes with Ian...

My Special Mom

My mother is the most wonderful mom in the world! she is as pretty as a flower.

She weighs 6 pounds, and is 10 feet tall.

My mom's favorite place to go is Target.

I think Mom looks really funny when she gets tickled.

My mom is so smart, she even knows where I am.

I like it best when my Mom gives me stuff.

I wouldn't trade my Mom for a Nintendo DS.

How funny is that?! Six pounds...love it!!!!

I was up bright and early to attend and help out at the graduation breakfast my department puts on every graduation morning. Since I've been there six years...I am able to actually see the students start as freshmen and see them through graduation. It's very cool!

Ian's team had soccer practice this morning and it's great to be with a bunch of parents who are willing to help out. Since we have lots of volunteers we're able to give a lot of one on one instruction and work in stations. It was very hot even at 9:45am! After practice we headed over to my mom's to pick up Gavin (he hung out there during practice and was a big help with recycling, etc). We stayed for a little bit and then headed back home for lunch. Gavin chose not to take a nap, so after we did a few things around the house we went over to the outlets to do some damage for me. Hooray! I love to shop! :) Then, had a quick dinner out...home to play baseball and soccer in the backyard and then inside for showers and bedtime!

Even though Mother's Day is sorta just one day...I like to stretch it out in a weekend format! Hahahahahahahahaha

Party Day Today!

The Bride to Be with her class (Ian is in the back right)
Ms. Braun

I was able to get to work before the crack of dawn today because I had two parties to attend today. The first was a potluck luncheon at work with my coworkers in honor of one of my graduate assistants. He defended his dissertation yesterday and passed. He has worked for me the last 3 years and this is such a great accomplishment!

Then, in the afternoon, a couple of the moms (6 maybe) met at Kingswood at around 2pm and at 2:15pm we walked into Ian's classroom to surprise Ms. Braun! We threw a bridal shower for her today and it was a lot of fun! We gave her a Bride to be tiara (pink and it lights up!!!), Bride to be ribbon pin, a mat that was signed by the kids in the class, Recipe Book that included each child's favorite recipe and a picture of the child, scrapbook that included pictures of the kids and their words of wisdom as well as a handwritten book by the class. Oh and we had each kid give her a bow or ribbon to make a bouquet using her wedding colors! We finished the event with chocolate chip cookies as a treat. :) Congratulations Ms. Braun and I can't wait to see the pictures from the big day!!!

Early day tomorrow...NCSU graduation, so our department puts on the breakfast for the student-athletes graduation. Must be at Vaughn Towers by 6:45am. YIKES! After I rush home to change and then we head to soccer practice at 9:45am!

Mother's Tea and a Soccer Game

Gavin's pre-school class had a Mother's Tea this morning at 9:30am. It was upstairs in the Great Hall. They had a long table with chairs and a white tablecloth. Very nice looking! We were all in our seats and then the teachers brought in the kids. Gavin was able to sit next to his buddy, Connor! All the kids had ice cream cups (what a treat in the morning!!!) while the moms were given pound cake with strawberries and some lemonade. Delicious!!! My placemat was made by Gavin and he even painted a pot and planted a flower in it for me. He said we can put it on the counter! haha The teachers asked each kid questions about his/her mom. So...here is what Gavin said about me:

MY MOTHER

My Mother is 2 years old

Her favorite color is red

Her favorite food is pork chops

My Mother likes to do the washing machine

I Love her because she makes me dinner

Love, Gavin

How cute is that????????????? So, when I went through this with him...this was our conversation:

Christi: Ahhhh...Gavin, you think I'm 2 years old?

Gavin: YUP!

Christi: My favorite color is red!

Gavin: IT SURE IS!

and so on and so on...he was absolutely sure of himself with these fill in the blanks!!! Too funny! We must have had pork chops the night before he answered these and I must have just done the laundry or something!!!!! hahahahahaha

Tonight Ian had his soccer game at 6:45pm. Yup...15 minutes before his normal bedtime!!!! He played very, very hard! LOTS of running around and he had some great goalie kicks, too. He and Jackson did a great job on offense. Jackson had a perfect pass to Ian and BOOM...Ian kicked it right into the net! A beautiful goal and very nice teamwork!!!!

Cailean's parents left this morning and headed back to Florida. We definitely kept them busy while they were here and they did a decent job keeping up with the boys! Ian received the game, Sorry, for his birthday from his Uncle Eric and Aunt Michele and I think Joyce played about 20 games or so with Ian!

Excursion to Pullen Park

Cailean's parents are here until Thursday and I had yesterday off, so we took Gavin (Ian was at school) to Pullen Park next to NC State. It was a perfect day...sunny, blue sky, a bit of a breeze and not a crowded park. Love it! Gavin went on a little boat and had it all to himself. He rang the bell a few times, but just sorta sat there and didn't really drive. He had this expression on his face like he didn't know what to do without his big brother around and he was acting a little shy. After the boats he climbed a few structures in one of the playgrounds before the whistle sounded to board the train. After the train, Duncan took Gavin on the carrousel. That thing makes me sick (and Duncan wasn't feeling so hot afterwards either!!!). Then, to the paddleboats. That's a long story in itself! LOL I happened to be on the side with a hole that brought water up and my whole bottom side was WET. I'm not talking damp. I'm talking majorly wet!!!!!!! Gavin wanted to steer in the middle. Well, we hit a few things on the way around the little lake and we went under a tree that had long branches and I'm surprised none got stuck in my hair. He wanted to go after every duck in the lake, too! He kept saying, "I gotta it now." No, his license has been revoked. LOL After about 15 minutes or so, he decided that he was done driving. But, we were in the middle of the lake!!!!!!! Lots of laughs on this boat ride!

Ian turns six!

The birthday invitation I stamped

Getting ready to cut the cake

THE cake made by Ian's Mimi...basketball in the hoop with the fans watching from bleachers!


We had some family members stay with us for the weekend to help us celebrate and even attended soccer practice Saturday morning. The team sang Happy Birthday to Ian and he was loving it!

Another successful birthday party! For the fifth year in a row, we had his party at Davis Drive Park in Cary. It's just such a perfect location for his birthday party with the shelter, the park, the soccer fields and the basketball court. He had quite a lot of people who attended. Cailean's parents drove up from Florida. His godmother and my cousin, Jessica came up from South Carolina with her husband and 2 kids. My mom and grandparents were there. Then, some friends from Kingswood and their siblings. Some friends from soccer and their siblings. Some friends from pre-school and Sunday School attended as well as some family friends.

Mom came through with the cake. Ian and I found a picture similar to it online and sent it to her, so she could work her magic! :) Well, we were impressed once again! It's always a highlight to see what she comes up with to go along with Ian's theme.


We had a pinata, too! It took awhile for it to break. I think we gave each kid two chances and then had my grandfather up there who tried three times before Cailean's coworker, Mel, finally was the one to let the candy fall out!


Everyone left by 5pm except for family. Cailean and I ordered some pizzas from Dominos and stayed another 1 1/2 hours at the park. Just perfect weather!!!!

The boys were a bit sad this morning when we had to say goodbye to Jessica, Kent, Kaia and Lucas. I just love watching the kids play together. We'll be heading down their way in a few weeks to celebrate Lucas' first birthday and Kaia's third! :)

Here's the link to the party pictures:


http://picasaweb.google.com/turnbull1220/IanS6thBirthdayParty?authkey=Gv1sRgCJ3zifbEjMm52QE&feat=directlink

Kingswood's Spring Fling 2009

Friday night we were at Ian's school for the annual Spring Fling. Since he's in Kindergarten this was our first experience and we all had a great time. I picked up Ian at 3:45pm and saw him with the birthday hat! Ms. Braun made it red and black for NCSU! :) I had the boys with me and I offered to help set up for the big event. The Kindergarten teachers actually offered to take Ian and Gavin and let them play in the room while they were working on the newsletter, so I could focus on helping to set up. How nice was that?! Thank YOU! It started at 5:30pm and it started to rain at 5:31pm! UGH! It stopped for a little bit and then poured again, stopped, then poured again. But, that didn't seem to bother the families who were there. There was a dunking booth and the Assistant Principal was the first one in it. A few kids tried to throw the balls to get him dunked and no luck. Ian goes up...hands over 3 tickets for 2 balls. Throws one. Missed. Throws the second and BULLSEYE! There goes Mr. Case!!!! Way to go Ian! hehe Cailean's parents drove up from Florida, so they experienced Spring Fling with us!

Here's the slideshow:

http://picasaweb.google.com/turnbull1220/KingswoodSpringFling2009?authkey=Gv1sRgCOvYvf62yYve1gE&feat=directlink

Gavin's Lunch Bunch

Last week I blogged that Gavin's pre school had a Lunch Bunch! Finally a picture of this great event!! Gavin with his buddy, Connor! Connor's older brother, Justin, is behind Connor.

Grandpop: The Bass Drummer

Hey! Dad said that his pipe and drum band is on you tube! I searched it out and found a lot, so here is one link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-KSt4G96D3o

He is the bass drummer keeping the group in beat. Who would have ever thought?! LOL If you go to you tube and google his band: Catamount Pipe Band, then you will find others. He isn't in all of them, but many of them.

His band also has a CD and yes we have one. Ian and Gavin LOVE listening to it! Our first CD stopped working probably because it was always in the CD player in my car. Gavin was flipping out yelling, "I want Grandpop's CD!" He didn't understand it was not working. So dad sent down another one on emergency order right before we drove to Florida! hahahahaha

In the last few months, the boys have pretended to be in his band. How do they know how to play the bagpipes, drums, etc? Well...dad's band played at his work on St. Patrick's Day and we have the video! So one morning before school we watched it and ever since...LOL...