Summer Vacation: Chincoteague

For the past few years, we've skipped going to the beach in the summer because it's a really long drive for a day trip but there aren't a lot of options for staying just one night or two nights at a decent price. Then, a few months ago, I saw a Certifikid deal for a hotel on Chincoteague Island, and jumped on it. Last weekend, we made the 3.5 hour trek there and had an amazing time.

We drove down on Sunday morning, and on the way there, checked off a bucket list item for me: eating at Sonic. I always see the commercials, and it looks so good but there aren't any nearby. So, this was a must-do on the drive. I'm not sure it lived up to my expectations, but the shake was delicious.

After that, we arrived on Chincoteague, and checked into our hotel--the Comfort Suites. It was a really nice hotel (although the front desk staff left something to be desired) with a good sized room for the 5 of us, looking right out on the water and the pool.

We rested for a bit and then went on a boat tour with Captain Barry's Backbay Cruises. This was a private eco-tour of the bay, and it was incredible. Captain Barry is awesome--he takes you all over in his boat, stopping at various islands and sandbars where you get out, scramble through the water, and he points out the local flora and fauna, giving you a chance to touch jellyfish, dig up crabs, taste oysters right from the sea, etc.

The best part of the tour is that Captain Barry is just amazing with the kids, making them do everything themselves, and really experience nature. We all just had the best time, and I highly recommend it. We left the boat tour happy, but hungry, so we went straight to dinner at Steamers, which had great seafood, and was extremely kid friendly. Two thumbs up from all of us. We were all exhausted after dinner, so we just made a quick stop at the local grocery store for more sunscreen and drinks and then headed back to the hotel and crashed. (Okay, Eric and I crashed while the kids had trouble falling asleep all in the same room with us. It was a bit of an adventure not having a suite).

On Monday, we ate breakfast at the hotel, and then drove to the beach on Assateague, only about 10 minutes away. It's a gorgeous beach, and getting there at 9am, we were among the first to arrive. The waves were just big enough fo the kids to play, but not scary big. It was lots of fun.

We spent about 3 hours there, and then Piper turned into a pumpkin. She was tired, hungry, cranky, and melting down. We followed the advice that Captain Barry gave us the day before and headed to Island Creamery--so we could beat the crowds that line up around the building in the evenings for the yummy ice cream.

From there, we drove back to Assateague to check out the educational visitor center. It was interesting for about 45 minutes. We then drove back to the hotel and swam for a few hours in the outdoor pool. 

Between the sun, sand, and swimming, we had two starving kids and one exhausted kid when dinner rolled around. The end result was two big kids who polished off this entire tray of pizza themselves, and a little kid who fell asleep at dinner and slept in the booth the entire time.

That night, we just went right to bed, and Tuesday morning, it was time to hit the road. We took the scenic route home, stopping in Ocean City on the way.

Spent about two hours there, and that's about all I ever need to see of OC. I definitely preferred the more remote Chincoteague. Got home that night around 4pm, and all of us were so thankful for our wonderful time together. It was the perfect vacation to get our fill of the beach, get out of town, and get some quality time together. Can't wait to do it again in a few weeks on our road trip at the end of August.

Last Day of Kindergarten

It's official--my first babies are becoming big kids. The officially graduated from kindergarten last week, and had their final day of school for the year.

Kindergarten was wonderful for them--they learned so much, made so many friends, and just had a fantastic year. Fletch, in particular, really went through a lot--with a rough start to the year, his ADHD diagnosis (which was huge for all of us because he's like a different kid at school and home with his meds), and getting glasses. None of this would have been possible without their amazing teachers--Mrs. Carters and Mrs. Hendricks.

These incredible women and their aides (Mrs. Isen and Mrs. Z.) went above and beyond to teach, care for, and love our kids. P&F really weren't sad at all for the last day of school. I, on the other hand, cried like a baby when I dropped them off, mainly because I was so sad that not only were the kids growing up, but we may not get teachers like this again, and we'd all miss them.

At any rate, it's now onto even bigger things. P&F are in camp at Lee District Rec Center for the summer, and so far it seems great. Deke is still at Kindercare where his teachers adorehim. We're so fortunate to have so many great people surrounding and loving our kids every day.

Piper's First Dance Recital

Piper asked to sign up for dance last year, so in the fall, she started a combo tap and ballet class every Saturday morning. This past weekend was her big recital. The events started on Friday night with the dress rehearsal.

I couldn't get over how gorgeous Piper looked. However, let's just say that I'm not sure that I'm meant to be a dance mom. We'd been practicing her hair bun for the past 6 months, and I still needed about a zillion bobby pins to secure it.

I was really impressed by how organized the whole thing was. When I dropped Piper off in the dressing room each dancer had a chair with their name on it, and the younger girls all had an older girl assigned to watch over them, touch up their make-up, make sure they went to the bathroom, etc. It was really great.

During the rehearsal, they wore these black gloves, but I think they decided the gloves were too distracting for the girls for the show. Thegirls basically spent their entire rehearsal fidgeting, staring like a deer-in-headlights at the audience, and playing with their gloves. (Mothers of the Year alert: The other class moms and I were cracking up at how bad the girls were on stage--it was so bad that it was cute.)

Sunday (Father's Day) was the big show. Deke stayed home with the babysitter, while the rest of us went to the Masonic Temple, including Eric's parents.

Piper again looked beautiful. 

I was so impressed with the girls. On show night, they were awesome. I snuck this picture during the performance, even though taking pictures isn't allowed.

They also don't allow parents to video tape either to help prevent dancer distraction, but the school will be posting a video at some point, and I'll link it here. It was an adorable dance. And, I was so proud of Piper for getting up on stage. At the end of the show, all the girls came out holding hands to bow. That was really sweet too.

Afterward, Piper received flowers from all of us, which she loved (although not sure what's up with her lipstick in this picture).

And then we went out for the traditional post-show ice cream. Zinga was no Putnam Pantry or Friendly's but was still fun.

And, that was it. Overall, I'm not really sure that Piper loved dance, but she did love wearing the beautiful costume, and I was so proud of her for getting on stage. Hard to believe my daughter is old enough for these things. Wasn't she just a baby learning to walk like yesterday!?!

Deacon: 3 Years Old

Deacon turned 3, and he's just awesome these days. But, let's start with his stats:

Birth: 7lbs 9oz, 20.5 inches

2 weeks: 8lbs 9oz (49%), 20.25 inches (32%)
1 month: 10lbs 8oz (66%), 21 inches (31%)
2 months: 13lbs 1.6oz (70%), 23 inches (47%)
4 months: 15lbs 13oz (61%), 25 inches (46%)
6 months: 18 lbs 9oz (71%), 27 inches (68%)

9 months: 21 lbs 15oz (85%), 28.5 inches (57%)

12 months: 23lbs 1oz (76%), 29.75 inches (43%)

15 months: 25lbs 0.9oz (81%), 31.5 inches (73%)

18 months: 25lbs 11oz (71%), 32.75 inches (63%)

24 months:  30.5lbs (87%), 36.25 inches (91%)

30 months: 33.5lbs (85%), 37.75 inches (90%)

36 months: 36.5lbs (89%), 39 inches (87%)

His appointment went great today. He's still wearing his SureSteps and will continue to for a while, but that's no big deal. In addition to being healthy, Deacon is getting cuter by the day. He went through a really frustrating phase from 18 months to 2.5 years old, but now that he has tons of words, talking in paragraphs and can really express himself, he's much easier to deal with. 

Deke is into tons of things these days including: Jake and the Neverland Pirates (still), Jungle Book, Lion King, and playing with Legos. He also is very into wanting to be "big like Fletchy," and the two of them are playing together more and more. It's so cute to watch them become little buddies. He's also 99% potty trained during the day time, still just having a few accidents here and there. We haven't tackled nap and night training yet, but we're in no rush.

As always, Deke loves to cuddle and snuggle and give kisses and hugs. But, he also has a devilish side and "attacks" his brother and sister without warning. We're working on that. Thankfully, he doesn't do that at school with his friends and beloved teachers, Ms. Arshia, Ms. Naila, and Ms. Monica.

Finally, here is the interview with Deacon to sum up him at 3-years old. It's the same questions that we give Piper and Fletch each year. 

Nicknames Dekeyboy Chickenpants, Deke

How old are you? 3

What is your favorite color?  Blue

What is your favorite animal?  Tiger

What is your favorite book? Jungle Book

What is your favorite TV show?  Captain Jake

What is your favorite movie?  Lion King

What is your favorite song?  Puff the Magic Dragon

What is your favorite food?  Broccoli

What is your favorite drink?  Water

What is your favorite breakfast food?  Birthday cake

What is your favorite snack?  Graham crackers

What is your favorite outfit?  Kangaroo shirt

What is your favorite game? None

What is your favorite toy? Jungle Book toys

Who is your best friend?  Peter

What is your favorite thing to do? Play with Legos

What is your favorite thing to do outside? Recess

What is your favorite holiday?  Pajama Day

What do you like to take to bed with you at night? Stuffed Bat 

Where is your favorite place to go? Disney World

Where do you want to go on vacation?  To see Grandma Boston

What do you want to be when you grow up? Fletchy

What did you do on your birthday? Ate cupcakes

Deacon's 3rd Birthday

It's hard to believe but Deke turned 3 years old this past Friday. I'll do a separate post after this 3-year well visit about his latest stats and what he's up to. This post is about how celebrated his big day.

Since his birthday landed on a Friday, it started with getting up and ready for Kindercare. (Sidenote: That's the life of a poor, third child. I took the day off with P&F on their 3rd birthday...oh well, he loves Kindercare.) Here he is ready for his big day. So handsome!

This is the same shirt Fletch wore for his 4th birthday. Who wore it better? :)

Deke had a great day at Kindercare, with all his favorite teachers wishing him a happy birthday. I also brought cupcakes in so he could have a party with his class.

The kids were all so well behaved. Those teachers are magic workers. Just look how good they all are sitting and singing for Deke.

Sorry I didn't get the whole song. They started singing before I had my phone out. Still adorable though. Anyway, that was Deke's day at school. That night, we had a tiny cake at home and he opened all the gifts from my mom and Auntie Corinne. He loved everything.

Since Eric and I had to work on his actual birthday, we celebrated for real on Saturday. After running and dance, we all embarked on a pirate cruise from National Harbor. One thing you have to know about Deke is that he's been obsessed with pirates and Jake and the Neverland Pirates for at least a year, if not more. So, this was the perfect outing. 

This was so much fun, despite the sound system not working and our rookie parent mistake of forgetting to pack snacks. The crew had a ton of awesome activities to do with the kids on board, the ride was really pretty, and we loved getting to wear our pirate costumes from our Disney cruise again. The kids loved it, especially shooting the water cannons at the bad guy "Maddog Mike" who comes around in a speedboat past the pirate ship.

When we got home, Deke took a quick nap, and then Eric's parents came over for a cookout, presents, and cake. Deke got lots more awesome gifts--his favorite of which is a killer whale pool toy that I bought on a whim and now he won't let go. Kids are so weird. You never know what they'll get obsessed with!?!

Deke's birthday was so fun, and I am so glad we got to celebrate our baby boy, even if he isn't such a baby anymore. 

Mother's Day 2016

A long time ago, in a world that feels very far away, mom and I spent every Mother's Day together, and we always ran the Melrose Run for Women 3.5-mile race. The past few years, I either hadn't been in shape or just hadn't gotten my act together enough to get back home to do it. But, this year, I decided it was time to resume the awesome tradition and introduce it to Piper. So, last weekend, Piper and I went to Boston for a very short trip (I think we were only there about 36 hours) to do this.

We flew up Saturday morning, arriving in Boston by 9am.

First stop was an arts and crafts place in Arlington, where Piper made this bunny all by herself. They gave her a blank bunny, and she drew the face and other features on and decorated it without any help. Mom and I were beyond impressed. Piper named her Princess Puffbunny.

We basically just relaxed at home the rest of the day, where I took a long nap and ran to Target. On Sunday, we got up early and did the race.

This was my first race in 4.5 years, and it felt great. It definitely made me want to race again. And, it was so awesome to be back out there with mom. Piper also ran in the kids' race. It was a little cold  after, and Piper was pretty cranky, so huge thanks to Danny for taking Piper back to the car to get warm and watching her while mom and I ran.

After the race, it was bagels and another long nap for me while mom and Piper played together. We went out to dinner on Sunday night with Auntie Corinne and Fred, which was so nice. And, that was our whole trip. It was back to DC and reality on Monday morning.

I wanted to bring Piper alone because I knew she'd love a "girls weekend" but also because I feel like she often gets the short end of the stick when it comes to attention at home, between a very loud Fletch and  a very toddler-y Deacon. I'm so glad the three of us got to spend all that time together (and that I got in two very long, much needed naps). :) I can't wait to do it again next year.

Bugz Play

At the start of the school year, P&F's teachers mentioned that there would be a Bugz Play later this year. Then, a few months ago, we found out that Piper was assigned the part of the monarch butterfly and Fletch was going to be an Army Ant.

After many months of practicing their songs and lines, hours and hours of hard work by their teachers (seriously, I can't even begin to think how much work they put into this), it was time for the show last Friday night, and it was A-MA-ZING.

It truly was one of the cutest things that I've ever seen--about a hundred kindergartners in adorable bug costumes, all singing and dancing in unison. I just loved it. I mean, how could you not love this cuteness:

And, I've watched these videos a million times in the past week. They make me smile each time. 

Piper and Fletch had a great time in the play. They obviously have Eric's talent for theatrics. I can't wait to see what they'll do next year.