Fairmount Park

Last week Nate and I dropped the kids off at my parents and spent the week in NYC. Alone. It was so nice to spend time together. We had a great time in the city.

On our drive up we stopped in Philly and got cheeseteaks. All of the kids loved them, and Asher was pretty disappointed you can't get them in NC (as am I). After we ate all that greasy goodness we went to Smith Playground in Fairmount Park. This place is amazing. There is so much to do. It was pretty hot, but the kids still had a blast.

 There was this enclosed slide that had potato sacs to ride down.

 Dexter was a little daredevil as usual.

 Piper climbed right up to the top and Asher spent most of the time spinning it around.

I think stopping in the city for cheesesteaks and park time is going to be an annual event on the way to my parents now.

Slack Lining

I remember at the beginning of the summer being filled with a little bit of dread at the thought of occupying the kids all summer. I am amazed at how busy we have been, and how much fun we are having. After a day of swimming at the Y with friends, Jada and Bennett came over for a sleepover. Nate recently put the slack line up and put a rope above it for the kids. Asher loves walking across it. 

 Bennett is so sweet with Piper and Dexter. He plays with them so well. I am excited to watch these two in the next few years. I think Piper will have a serious crush on Bennett when they get older.

Swim Fun

Today I took 3 little fishies to our old neighbors to go swimming. They all had a lot of fun.

Asher is getting so confident in his swimming abilities. I love watching all the things that he does.

 Miss Piper was quite the chatterbox.

 Dex took the opportunity to throw everything he could get his hands on into the pool.

 Asher felt that going down the slide on his behind was too boring.

 Piper spent the majority of the morning going down the slide, and off the diving board.

Mud Run

For the last few months Asher has been asking to do another race. Given the fact that my belly is growing rapidly I haven't been up to doing a lot of exercise. When our town announced a Mud Run I knew it would be the perfect event for him. Asher was really excited about running in mud. Piper also told me that she would love to participate. I grilled her a bit to make sure she knew she would get dirty and it would be hard. She promised me she wouldn't whine. Liar Liar Miss Piper. 

For the last few days we have gotten a lot of rain. A lot of rain. It poured most of the day yesterday. We went early to register and the kids loved playing in the giant puddles.

 I assumed that I would be able to watch from the side lines as the kids ran, but I actually had to walk on the sides. It wouldn't have been so bad if the whole place wasn't a giant mud hole and if I had dressed appropriately.

 Asher loved every minute of the run. He has so much fun running and sliding, and well swimming in the mud.

 It was a bit too much for Piper. She walked with me, but still went through a lot of mud.

 Asher's shoes kept getting stuck so he had to carry them.

 I am proud of these guys for how hard they worked yesterday.

Sibling Fun

My kids fight with each other. A lot. They argue, and take toys, and aren't as kind as I want them to be. All three of them have big personalities, which all collide on a daily basis. 

Just when I feel like they will never like each other I get small moments like this one. Last weekend Piper and Dexter were jumping off one couch and Nate was catching them and throwing them on the other one. He got tired, but the kids still wanted to play. Asher took over and carried them from one to the other, 

I hope these moments get more frequent and they are lifelong friends.

A new take on date nights

Piper had quite a few opportunities to wear her new princess dress last week. Chick-fil-a had a Daddy Daughter date night that Nate took Piper to. She was so excited to get dressed up and go out. They both had a lot of fun. Having one on one time with each of the kids is important to both of us. 

Piper's Princess Party

I love planning parties, especially birthday parties. Last year after Piper's 3rd birthday she announced that when she turned four she wanted a princess party. She talked about having this party every single day for the entire year (I'm not exaggerating at all). A lot of little girls her age have princess parties, so I wanted to do something a little different. We went with an elegant princess party theme. I made a lot of miniature food for these tiny princesses. There was pink punch served in mini wine glasses (plastic). 

 Piper requested tiny hamburgers.

 Princess Belle came to the party. She is one of the girls I tutor, and she belongs to a local theater group. She was awesome! The girls had so much fun with her there.

 Belle read the girls princess stories.

 She also played hide and seek with them.

 Piper loved every minute of the party.

 My mom was here for the party and helped me make individual cakes for all the princesses.

I am so glad Piper was able to celebrate her birthday with all her little friends. It was so much fun having them all there.

Visit to Pennsylvania

We went to PA for a few days to see Nate's family. His brother and his family flew in from San Diego, and it was the first time everyone was together in two years. It was a lot of fun seeing all the cousins together. We didn't get a lot of pictures, because there was too much craziness running around. 

One of the best things about heading up north is getting all the food we miss. I love the pizza and strombolis. Asher loves the bagels.

Birthday Girl

Sweet Piper,

   You are 4 today. I can't really say it surprises me, because you have talked about turning 4 every single day since your last Birthday. You are a girl who enjoys a good party.

I still look at you every day and am astonished that you are mine. The house is full of crazy boys and there you are in the midst of them. Your sweetness and girliness always makes me smile. You are my early riser. Every morning you come into my room to wake me up. You snuggle up next to me and tap my face saying "Wake up Mommy, it's your lovely day". You usually follow that with a rendition of Kum ba yah. It's the best way to start a morning. 

You love going to school and dance. Nothing makes you happier than being around other girls. You are kind, and to me that is so important. I hope that will always be a part of your spirit. I love you so much. I will miss 3 year old Piper, but I am so excited to see what this year will bring.