Field Trips and April Fun

 A mid-day birthday party for Gretchen's friend and a last-minute playdate for Bridgette allowed me to spend some time with this handsome guy.  He loves to order a steamer, and he asks good questions.  We sat at the window and made up stories about the people who walked by.

Aunt Vallerie joined us and another neighbor family for a tour of the Capitol Area Food Bank.  

D.C. has the sixth highest rate of food insecurity in children in the country.  Last year they donated over 42 million pounds of food!  The CAFB is committed to providing good, healthy food that contributes to overall wellness.  And they have a strong emphasis on health and wellness education.  We were thoroughly impressed with the tour and have already scheduled a time to go back and volunteer in their education garden.

A fun science experiment was delivered to our door in the form of my Amazon Fresh trial.  Thanks to a few frozen items I ordered,  we received several large chunks of dry ice.  After a few short videos on youtube, the kids were ready to experiment!

The dry ice investigation sparked interest in "being scientists" for the week, which led to experimenting with food coloring.  They may or may not have died the clothes they were wearing, but the pride they had in creating and naming various colors was worth it.  I think.

Gears for the win!

We spent one morning with friends at a local dairy farm.  The kids' favorite spot (besides the ice cream counter!) was the calf barn.

This calf was born while we were at the farm!  They whisk the babies away from their mamas immediately, and we got to see this little one being delivered to her stall just hours after birth.  She was unbelievably steady on her feet for being just a few hours old.

We got to watch the cows being milked - 20 at a time!  One cow produces an average of six gallons of milk per day!

We spent part of one Saturday enjoying the Azalea Trail at the Arboretum.  The colors were fantastic!

Happy Easter!

Warmer Spring days means many meals outside.

I had a rare mid-day date with this sweet girl.  She requested mango for our snack!

Massive hail blew in with little warning while the girls were playing on the deck.  Strange Spring weather!

Fun with friends . . . and Daddy! =)

Cherry Blossoms

Ryan was gone for a work trip, and was able to take the day after he returned off from work!  We headed out early for a special breakfast (our favorite meal to eat out!) and then went to the Tidal Basin to see the cherry blossoms blooming (without fighting the crowds!).  It was a beautiful morning spent together.

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!