Carmel Park

On Monday we met Griffin's preschool friends (Kate & Mia) at Carmel Park. The playdate literally started off with a bang after Noah hopped on his bike and lost control while trying to put on his helmet. The sidewalk was downhill (with slight grassy ditches on either side of the walkway) and his bike just started rolling, well before he was prepared to move. He was so panicked that he started screaming (shrilling, really) and never once put on the breaks. I chased after him but couldn't catch him until his bike ultimately reached a wooden bridge and he flipped over (all while not wearing his helmet). It was so scary...for Noah...for me...and for every single parent at the park. Total nightmare. Thankfully, he wasn't terribly hurt or psychologically scarred (he was back on his bike before we left). (Thanks for running to our aid, Anne!)

These pictures are from a few months ago and they show you Noah's path. He started off where the sidewalk begins (where the sedan is parked) and wheeled QUICKLY all the way until he reached the bridge. Yep. He did.



Miles' artistic nature continues to amaze me (mostly because I come up short in the drawing department). He has this uncanny way of being able to think of something that he wants to draw...and then he just draws it. He's not copying it. Its not something he's drawn a 100x. He just sits down, has an idea, and puts it on paper (or concrete). He gets it from Mike. I love it.



I loved the simplicity of these two animals. Probably because it encouraged me that I could copy them with success. Of course, he scratched them out in about 10 seconds.



If a park has any semblance of a trail, we tackle it. If its really short, no problem...we'll just circle it twice. Looking forward to logging many future hours on mountain trails with these guys.

Latta Park

We had a fun play-date with one of Miles' school friends and his little brother on Sunday. The boys played in the splash park & on the playground and then we all ventured out for a nature walk. Both Miles & Noah surprised and impressed me. Miles leaped over the creek a few times (following his friend Alec's lead) and Noah traipsed through the creek like a mini-Huck Finn (completely in conflict with his anxiety of getting wet outside of the bathtub, a pool, the ocean, etc...).









Totally. loving. summer.

The Rain

Miles begged me to take them out to dinner tonight. I agreed and we packed in the car and set off. As we arrived at our destination, it started to rain. Knowing that I'd need to prepare the boys that they were about to get a little wet, I let them know that it was starting to rain a little. Immediately, I heard Noah's very sad voice from the back seat: "Ah, mom....that's really gonna be a problem."

(He did make it in, without melting and without crying. :)

I ♥ Faces: Sepia

The I ♥ Faces themes this week is Sepia-toned.

Kids Category: just for fun, I'm entering this picture of Griffin from Easter Sunday morning. He was just standing still, in awe of his brothers' mad dash to find more candy-filled eggs. As his mother, I see all of his sweetness in this picture.


Adult Category: totally for the silly factor, I'm entering this picture of the boys, Mike, and my dad taken at the National Whitewater Center. They were watching someone coming down on a zip line....and each time I look at it, it cracks me up that everyone is doing something different with their hands/eyes. Not an amazing face picture...or one that is technically great...but it was already in sepia, so here it is.

Come join the fun and see other entries at www.iheartfaces.com.

Sunday Sliding

We had an impromptu visit from the Bass family on Sunday night. It was the perfect occasion to break out the jumpy slide.

Griffin's stance cracks me up in the second picture.



Evan started everyone off. He was all smiles.


Noah turned into the Incredible Hulk at some point.


Wrapping it all up with a popsicle break. Now that's summer.

The Fray

On Saturday night we went to see The Fray at Charlotte's new uptown ampitheater (The Music Factory). It has a capacity of 5,000 people --- which is the same size as the venue where we'll be seeing Coldplay in Dublin (our initial motivation to go was so that we could get a feel for what that crowd would be like). It was a fun night with Beth & Scott (who will traveling with us to see Coldplay) and Beth's brother, Randy, and his wife, Laurie.

The live music was great and the venue is very cool. You can see the skyline from inside and there are cool brick buildings surrounding the stage (used for bathrooms, etc..). I was in total withdrawal that I didn't have my camera (thanks for all the pictures, Beth!).


Beth and I enjoying Scott's last bottle of "40 under 40" champagne. Mmmmm.


I'm sure this dorky pose was my idea. Total prom picture.


We ran into some of Beth & Scott's neighbors as we were leaving. This guy was hilarious and asked to take our picture. He kept saying, "take it from high up! I want to look thinner!"


We laughed about our high-end beer (that probably cost about as much as a small car).



A fun night! Looking forward to seeing Coldplay even more now!

May We Get the Door for You?

There is much summer fun inside!

Friday at the Fountains

Back at the Williams' Pool

Hands down, the Williams have the best neighborhood pool for our age kids. The boys and I spent Friday morning there with Trish, Beth, and Susannah and their kids. The playground inside the pool is such fun --- even Griff and I took our share of turns on the tunnel slide. Looking forward to many sunny days spent here!


(While there, Griffin did a little Chris Farley impersonation.)


You can see a couple more pics of the day on Trish's blog.

What a Star Wars Movie Will Get You

When we were camping last weekend, Miles was the only kindergartener still using training wheels (they're not uncommon for this age...it just so happened that the other 3 boys in our group no longer use them.) Miles peddled as quickly as he could, but he just couldn't keep up with the other boys on their huge bikes. He was very disappointed (and I was heartbroken for him).

The reality of what the other boys were doing wasn't enough to encourage Miles to practice riding; but, recognizing that he was disappointed that he wasn't at their same pace, I tried another tactic. On Tuesday night over dinner I told Miles that he could get a Star Wars movie once he learned to ride without training wheels (since its such a big deal). He finished his dinner, ran outside and started riding immediately. Really riding. In the street, riding (vs the the lawn). He was zipping around the cul-de-sac and kept yelling, "Mom, am I going REALLY fast?!?!" We were both so excited. Its funny how every kid has a different currency, isn't it?

Gentleman, start your engines.


And he's off!


The night was double the excitement as Noah was able to take over Miles' old bike (Miles is now riding our neighbor Evan's old bike -- which is the same bike, just w/o training wheels). Noah's old bike was so little and he could barely get any momentum because his legs were always bent (making him look like he was riding a clown bike). He's lovin' his new wheels!

Swim Team

Swim team is in full swing and Miles is on board. He's not the fastest and doesn't have the best technique, but he's doing it and Mike and I are proud of him for that. The team had a mock meet on Monday.


Mike gave Miles some pre-game pointers. They were really cute together.



Miles gave it his all and got a "you did your best" ribbon. :)
(He's pretty oblivious to the placing concept at this point anyway.)


After the race, Miles thoroughly enjoyed his 50-cent ring pop from the concession stand.


Meanwhile, Noah and Griffin have been loving all of the hours they're clocking in at the little pool. Griff jumps in and leaps around a lot (kind of belly flops himself all over the pool). Its funny watching him imitate what he sees Noah do. He doesn't even realize he's being a total daredevil.

The Heat Is On

Seemingly overnight, Charlotte has turned up the summer heat. We met Griffin's preschool class today at a park and the playground equipment was scorching hot (as was Noah). This is about as much physical activity as he put in.



By the time we got to the car, he was peeling off his clothes.


So we sped home and broke out the jello....


...revved up the indoor racetrack...



...and all was better in the world.