The (end of the) Catch-Up

Well, I think we're finally down to catching up on February and March! (That's good since it's APRIL!)

February 2013:
Highlights:
This month included visits from both Nana & Gammy AND Mimi & Papa. We are so lucky that we live this far away and our families still come to visit. Nana and Gammy came early in the month since they weren't able to make it to Rachael's 3rd birthday due to bad weather! You know, when I was in the hospital waiting for Rachael's arrival, I didn't worry about nor envision January birthday parties. And, now I know that January birthdays mean: bad weather is possible (likely) and HELLO -- it's flu season! Of her first, second and third birthdays, Rachael was sick for one and had bitterly cold (but sunny) weather for the other....I suppose this is a fact of life and we'll just have to deal!
But, I digress....we enjoyed our time with Nana and Gammy...we did some shopping, some birthday celebratin' and some playing. Rachael got to stay home from school for one day by herself with Nana & Gammy -- such special time for them to play without interruptions. It was a goregeous weekend and we were able to play outside without being frozen and introduce Nana to more neighbor friends.

Mimi and Papa rounded out the month with a visit. We enjoyed going to Marbles Children's Museum in downtown Raleigh on a cold, rainy Saturday morning (with 1000 of our closest friends -- the place was packed!). I think Mimi & Papa were able to see how lucky we are to have that just 10 minutes away and just how many things there are to do there. On Sunday, Daddy and Papa built a cardboard train for Ben's upcoming 2nd birthday and Mimi and I got to play with the kids. That day brought sunshine and temperatures that made playing outside tolerable.

The same weekend that Nana visited, Rachael moved up to the 3 year old class at Cary Gymnastics. This class is without parents, while the previous class was parent-child. Rachael surprised me and delighted me when she approached the first time flying solo with absolute confidence and enthusiasm for learning new tricks. She was more than 20 minutes in when she looked around the open-air gym to find Nana and I in the lobby area...where we were watching her every move.

We were also surprised to be asked to move Ben up to the 2 year old room a month prior to his birthday. And, just like his sister, Ben moved up with no hesitation. He joined the group eagerly and made himself right at home. Ben's very verbal for a boy and loves to talk and sing and tell stories. His teacher commented on his 2nd day, "I heard this little voice singing in the play center, and turned around, and it was Ben just singing away while playing." Ahhhh....warms my heart to hear these things!

Lowlights:
Work was very busy for both Mike and I. It's a lot to balance when your work and home life are overflowing...the days feel long and the nights feel just as long.
Mom battled a case of pneumonia at the end of the month; very scary, but, after several days on antibiotics was on the path to healing.

March 2013:
*disclaimer: March was a very busy, crazy month in our house. I may not get to it all, but, this will cover *most* things!
Highlights:
The month came in like a Lion with a proposal from Uncle Doug to his girlfriend, now fiancee, Christen! They were traveling in St. John's when he popped the question. We were surprised! Wedding is planned for September 7, 2013 in Vero Beach, Fl.
We traveled to West Chester for the weekend in the middle of the month to attend the 10th annual Legacy Of Leadership dinner. This dinner involves the recognition of alums that were heavily involved on campus (in Student Affairs) while in undergrad and have continued that same leadership in their professional/personal lives after college. This year, in particular, was special because 4 of the people that were recognized were people I knew well in college. Sueann and Dan graciously put us up and their daughter Cameron watched the kids while we went to the event! It was a wonderful time to catch-up and reconnect with a place that means so much to me. While there, I felt like I knew the place, yet, it was all new. Very weird feeling!
Can't wait to go back for Homecoming 2014 -- my 15 year reunion from college!
Following our trek up the east coast, we celebrated Ben turning TWO!
CHOO, CHOO......Ben is TWO! :) We had a great day with friends and family (cousins Mary, Darren & Devon and my Dad were all here for the party). The train was a HUGE hit with the kiddos and we even managed time on the swings and to eat some cupcakes!

Things to remember about Ben at two:
Loves: pancakes, cereal, biscuits, raisins, mandarin oranges, bananas, apples, carrots, corn, chicken nuggets, BBQ, sloppy joes, meatballs, mac-n-cheese, pizza....he'll try just about anything and wants at least one bite of something from our plate at dinner!
He loves to play with anything that has wheels -- and even if he doesn't -- he'll make it have wheels for pretend. He loves a ball and  to throw, catch, pass it to you. He will eagerly get a book and back his little behind up to sit in your cross-legged lap to read. He'll easily play kitchen or doctor and loves to color, play with playdoh or stickers. He will swing until your arms fall off and then climb up and down the slide.
He has a real knack with his scooter and his plasma car.
He can say and sing his ABCs, count to 20 in English, count to ten in Spanish and uses his words to tell us what he wants. MOST of the time, Ben is a pretty happy, laid back kinda kid. He's easy to be around and very social -- loves to say 'hi' to just about anyone and isn't afraid to walk into a party!
He only gets cranky when he can't have his way or when his sister takes his toys. (go figure!). He does have his routines and likes to follow them, but, if we change it up, he'll just roll with it. Ben can also be a tease....loves to play cat-and-mouse around the ottoman or the kitchen island and will just giggle until he falls over.
Ben....you are a miracle in your own right....we couldn't have dreamed of having a baby without doctors or the work of modern science! Nor did we know what it would be like to have a full-term, healthy baby from the start. Little did we know that you would come into our lives and our hearts with such a peaceful, gentle, loving way and I couldn't be more honored and proud to be your Mama. As long as you're living, my baby you'll be. Love you, sweet boy!

And, to round out the highlights, we had Nana and Gammy visit for Easter weekend. Lots of fun was had by all with decorating a cookie puzzle, shopping, playing, dyeing eggs and getting baskets full of goodies.
We also had our 3rd annual Easter dinner (along with Nana and Gammy) with the Blazei's and Beggs'....two of our neighbor families. There were 8 adults and 6 kids -- 2 three-year-olds, 1 two-year-old, and 3 one-year-olds! Amazing....the blessings are abundant!

Lowlights:
The only "bummer" about March was the weather....it was hit or miss and colder than normal, so, we were all anxious for April to bring spring!

Phew! I'm caught up....boy, that was harder than just writing something monthly!
Going now to schedule reminders on my calendar to keep up!

xoxoxoxoxo