March Madness

We were spoiled in the month of March with TWO grandparents visits!  

Kaye K and Big Daddy came for a weekend in the beginning of the month, catching Rooke's last two basketball games of the season, and getting to join us for church at CBC on Sunday!  

Some in the family wanted to chill at home, but Bridgette, Kaye K and I were up for a little adventure to the Postal Museum, which is Bridgette's declared favorite museum, and one of the few my mom hadn't visited.  It was a beautiful day for a little walk downtown.

Frozen yogurt after Rooke's last basketball game!  

It's so good to be looooooovvvvvvveedd!!

A successful science experiment is a pretty big deal in our house!  My strengths are in music, not so much science.  So we make a big deal (like laminating for posterity) when something actually works!

Rooke cashed in his "Ice Cream Date with Mommy" coupon and we went all out with ginormous waffle cones!! 

Sometimes you just need a selfie with the people you love. 

Neighbors collecting at our corner, enjoying some early Spring sun.  I'm thankful for our sprawling outdoor space and the trampoline that invites kids and their parents to stop and linger.

Bridgette's Birthday!!  

Our beautiful girl turned SIX!  She's been SO ready for this birthday.  Most of her friends are already six, and she works hard to stay a part of what her older siblings do, so she's been ready for this official badge of "oldness" for a while.  I don't normally purchase new clothes for my kids (thanks to grandparents and thrift stores), but this jumper was screaming "Bridgette's birthday present", and she loved it as much as I hoped she would =)

We picked up two of her sweet friends and took them to the Postal Museum (yes, again!) and lunch out for a morning celebration with the birthday girl.

We kept the party going with more neighborhood friends over to decorate cupcakes! 

Cheers!

B showing off her new watch from the OK Paynes - she loves it!

 And the most special gift of the day was Grammy Deb's arrival!  Just in time for family birthday dinner and more cupcakes!

 

Grammy Deb arrived just in time for the first day of Spring - say what?!  We literally got at least eight inches of snow in one day, and the kids made the most of it!

We visited the Bible Museum while Deborah was here and paused for a quick photo with the rooftop view.

Grammy Deb helped proof Rooke for his Memory Master challenge.  It was special to have Deborah take part in one of our big learning goals for the year. 

And just before we said goodbye, the snow had melted and the temps were warm enough for ice cream! 

February Flashback

Still trying to catch up . . . some memories from February . . .

the kids have so much fun when Uncle Steve and Aunt Vallerie babysit!  What?!  You mean, you didn't know Uncle Steve was under that pile of blankets and baskets?!  

And while the kids were playing at home . . . we had a fun date night to see Drew and Ellie Holcomb with friends who had the hook-up with free tickets!

A baby shower for my beautiful friend expecting her third baby soon!

Fourth grade writing has been a beast (for us both, if I'm honest), but I'm proud of his perseverance.

A friend and I took our girls to see Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day: the Musical!  It was opening night, so the tickets were pay-what-you-can - it was a fantastic show!  And a super fun night with friends!

Gretchen and her friend with two of the cast members . . .

"Alexander" reminded us of the girls' big brother =)

The boys after a hard-fought basketball game win.  

Friends with a membership invited us to join them for a field trip to the Baltimore Aquarium

Monday evenings are spent at ballet/tap class with these lovely ladies.

Thank you for the Valentine's Day treats, Phoebe!!

I came home from my workout to these happy birthday signs - a great way to start a wonderful birthday!

Since my birthday fell on President's Day this year, Ryan didn't have to work!  We had a fun family day walking (or scootering) through the Arboretum, playing games at a cafe, and visiting the National Gallery, along with plenty of good food and some fun calls from family and friends =) 

We enjoyed a string of unexpectedly warm days!  Shorts in February?!  Ok!

"Mom!  Can we pretend to be explorers and take our lunch on an adventure hike outside?!"  Yes!!  

Happy Birthday, George Washington!  

Our first visit to Mount Vernon was on the President's birthday, and we look forward to hopefully taking another trip to take in more of the grounds and museum.  Did you know our first president had red hair when he was young?!  The man walking around dressed up as Washington paid special attention to our two gingers =)

January in Review

Yep.  Totally behind.  But I'm not ready to give up yet!  Some memories from January . . .

Rooke's birthday breakfast!  Hard to believe our oldest is in double digits now - TEN!!!

Rooke picked the Natural History Museum for his birthday field trip - we had the place to ourselves!

Happy Birthday, Rooke!!

Dad nailed the birthday gifts this year, which included a Wii football game!

And to really solidify what a big deal it is to turn ten, Rooke got to have his first friend sleepover!  These two dudes drank gatorade, played Wii Madden, threw the football, devoured pizza, downed rootbeer floats, and stayed up late having too much fun!

We kept the birthday party going the next day, taking leftover cake to share with Gramma and Uncle Steve while we watched Aunt Sara play on The Price Is Right!  

Yes!  She made it on the show . . . and WON - BIG TIME!!!  So fun!!

Beautiful Aunt Vallerie's birthday was close to Rooke's, so we had a birthday buddy lunch =)

Our beautiful girls started dance.  Gretchen's second year, and Bridgette's first go at ballet!  Monday evenings are a happy time for the Payne girls.

I walked into the school room to this sight.  Big Brother reading Fancy Nancy to Little Sister.  Love.

Our turn for a family presentation at our homeschool co-op. . . we chose the topic "What we want to be when we grow up".  We each (mostly) shared one "realistic" dream and one "far-fetched" dream:

Bridgette: really good piano player; gymnast

Gretchen: librarian or piano player; rock star

Rooke: chef; NFL or NBA player

Angela: children's librarian; performer with STOMP

Ryan: missionary or pastor; travel writer

The kids took part in classes at the Building Museum in DC.  Gretchen's class designed and tested an egg drop (hers broke both times, but still fun!):

Bridgette's class designed an animal habitat - B chose monkeys =)

Rooke and his buddy built a symmetrical structure of their choice out of recycled materials!

Sometimes running errands with these three is really so much fun!

A family walk along the Harriet Tubman trail.

Thankful for the reminder of grace in a beautiful act of service from my son (lunch is served!) with a sincere note of apology.  

A group of sixty adults (with seventy kids!) was sent out from our church, Capitol Hill Baptist Church, to start a new church in our neighborhood of Cheverly!