March in Review

We were expecting March to be a crazy month, and crazy it was!  The days seemed to fly by!  I took a trip, Ryan was away for two weeks for work, and Grammy Deb visited for her Spring Break.  Good times were had by all!

Uncle Steve always makes us laugh =)

"Look Mommy!  It's me!  They made me into a doll!"

Morning story with Daddy 

A beautiful field trip to Botanical Gardens

We filled up our Team Payne jar and celebrated with a special family outing to lunch and a movie!

Painting project at our homeschool co-op. 

This was my third year of receiving a "Mommy Vacation" trip for my birthday.  My husband is the best! =)  I flew in and out of Seattle, spending time with Jessie and her family then Aubyn and her family - it was a WONDERFUL weekend get away for me!
When I arrived in Seattle, plans had changed a little due to an unexpected trip to the ER for one of Jessie's twins.  Poor little guy!  Thankfully, he had a full and relatively quick recovery.  I love this photo because I think it perfectly captures Jessie's pure joy for life and her grateful heart that overflows in all she does.  She infects those around her with her joy, which shows up most in her five precious kids.  Time with Jessie always leaves me encouraged to be a better mom, wife, friend, to find the fun in life, and to speak frequently of God's gracious goodness evident all around us.  I'm forever grateful for the MOPS group where we first met, and for the lifelong friendship that has forged over years and miles.

A little spa treat!  I'm already scheming about how Jessie and I can get back to this amazing place!

A trip to Seattle wouldn't be complete without a walk in the rain!  We started in a drizzle, but ended up completely soaked by the end!

My drive up to Vancouver was a breeze, which meant no delays in getting to my sister's house!  She had a beautiful lunch tray (that has a fancy name I can't remember!) set out in her new home that she's put her amazing and lovely stylish touch on.   

Aubyn loves well.  She has seen, and continues to see, the ugliest parts of me.  And she still loves me completely.  We spent a wonderful evening together getting coffee, pedicures, dinner, tea, and talking non-stop the entire night.  Aubyn's friendship is one of the greatest blessings in my life.

I had a few complications getting home from my trip due to a major storm that ended up not ever being that major.  My flight was canceled, but all was well on the home front because Grammy Deb was there!  Deborah made plans to come for her spring break and it worked out well for her to help Ryan while I was gone.  Little did we know, she would need to help him big time when my return trip was delayed!  Deborah stepped in and completely handled the kids and home while Ryan worked, including doing some school work with them.  I came back to clean laundry, a clean house, and happy kids!  Thank you, Grammy Deb!

The few days we had left with Deborah were pretty full, but we managed to do one sight-seeing evening together.  The Tidal Basin, MLK and FDR monuments were a lovely end to our Saturday.

The beautiful birthday girl!

After losing one of her top two front teeth, she hung on to the second forever!  It finally fell out and her gap-toothed smile is adorable!

Ryan was gone for work for a couple weeks, so the kids and I made the most of our Saturday and tried out a new hike along the Potomac.  I love Saturdays that are spent outdoors!

The kids had their annual check-ups together - so convenient!  And we really like our doctor!

Daddy's home!

He's such a fun daddy!

Beautiful Bridgette turns FIVE!

A certain special someone turned FIVE recently!  It's hard to believe our youngest is five-years-old, and yet in many ways Bridgette has been acting like a five-year-old for a while now.  She's always been determined to keep up with her older siblings, which often gives others the impression that she's older than she actually is (her height helps with this also!).  

Bridgette has a fun sense of humor and keeps us laughing!  She is usually easy-going and pretty flexible, except for matters concerning her hair and the position of her lovies and blankets in her bed.  She loves to be read to and tell her own stories and likes to play games.  She's okay to play by herself, but always prefers playing with her siblings or friends and makes for a fun-loving playmate.  You can often find Bridgette wanting to help in the kitchen while I'm making dinner.

We are so thankful for our Bridgette Kara!

We started the weekend birthday celebration with Bridgette's first "friend party".  We're grateful Bridgette has made many kind and fun friends!  Gretchen and another big sister were the "party helpers".  

We had family birthday breakfast with Ryan (who wasn't able to be with us on her actual birthday) and Grammy Deb!  (More on that visit later =) )  

Not the best photo, but it helps me remember her response in opening every present:  "Yaaaayyyy!!!"

Rooke and Gretchen had been planning since Christmas to get Bridgette a new doll for her birthday and used their own money to make the purchase.  All three of them don't always get along beautifully, but it's moments like this that encourage me we are moving in the right direction!

Uncle Steve and Aunt Vallerie joined us for actual birthday dinner and there were plenty of birthday shenanigans to go around!

 

Bridgette requested a HUGE bowl of apple red pepper salsa with pork and mashed potatoes for her birthday dinner - delicious! 

Happy Birthday Beautiful Bridgette!

Happy Birthday!

My birthday was earlier this month and we got to celebrate in a special way!  A small church in Roanoke, Virginia was in need of a pianist, and in exchange for playing for them, we were given a free weekend at  The Barn Flat just outside of town.  If you ever find yourself near Roanoke, I highly recommend this Airbnb stay!  The weather couldn't have been more perfect for the middle of February, and there was more room to explore than we had time for!  My mom met us at the barn which made the weekend that much better.  Unfortunately, most of us (Ryan and Mom not included) were operating at varying levels of health.  But the home was comfortable and provided plenty of space to rest and relax and hopefully feel better.  It was a fantastic way to ring in my 36th year!

Hot tea and books for those who weren't feeling up to exploring outside.

We took advantage of the fire pit, s'mores fixings, and sparklers provided at the home!

Birthday morning breakfast - cinnamon rolls and good coffee

My son's birthday message on the giant wall chalkboard.  Sincere and to the point. =)

It was a blessing to play for and worship with the members of this church.

Lunch in quaint downtown Roanoke.  Eating outside without coats in February?!  Happy Birthday to me!

I really wanted to go for a hike, so we drove out to Roaring Run Falls for a family-friendly hike to see a small waterfall.  There were varying levels of excitement about the idea of doing a hike, but once we got out there and started on the trail, we all enjoyed the time outdoors.  Another delightful birthday gift!

I love my mom!!

Ending the day with a delicious birthday cake my mom made!  The week before Rooke had sneakily worked in a conversation with me about my favorite cake, only to pass on that information to Kaye K so she could bring a tasty birthday surprise.

My mom is a master story-teller.  The kids won't let her get away from time spent with them without a couple good stories.  This weekend she went all out and had an on-going story with chapters and so many characters I couldn't keep up!  But the kids sure knew what was going on, and they were not always patient with her cliff-hanging endings to the chapters.  This is our last hour at the barn, eating another piece of cake with ice cream, and hearing Kaye K tell the final chapter of her story - some great memories were made!