California: SLO

At the beginning of July we flew to California. The kids were great, although I don't love flying so I was glad when it was over. Madeline did insist on sitting in my lap most of the way. I'm not used to having a kid who wants to sit in my lap. It's both endearing and a little annoying. I did talk her into sitting in the same seat as her brother and watching a movie for a little while.

We landed and drove straight to Todd and Ashley's to attend Ryan's baby blessing. Ryan is gorgeous! It was fun to be there with everyone. Maddie had a complete diaper blowout on the drive over. While Jason and I were dealing with it in the front yard, Colin walked into the house and wandered from person to person saying, "Hi, I'm Colin Harris, and this is my friend Ethan." His uncles called him "Colin Harris" the rest of the trip and often asked him where his friend Ethan was. The next day we caravanned up to San Luis Obispo, stopping in Santa Barbara for lunch and frozen yogurt. The drive was nothing short of torture. Southern California traffic is more than I can handle. Do you get used to it if you live there?

As miserable as the traffic was, it was totally worth the trip to get to Ryan and Leanne's ranch in SLO. It's a complete dream property. There are no words. Madeline and Colin found a leftover Easter egg in the backyard and spent the rest of the evening looking for more (they found two total). We danced in the barn, had a water balloon fight and a game of kickball, partied with a DJ, had a talent show, rode the 4-wheeler, the guys played paintball, and we did fireworks. Jason and Ethan even slept in the barn one night with Toby and Ben and Todd. It was hotter than I expected but so fun to be together with the entire Harris clan (including Bonnie) and Leanne's family. The best part of the entire weekend was Leanne and Ryan announcing they are pregnant with twins. We are SO happy for them. Thanks, Ryan and Leanne, for an unforgettable weekend!

Our First Pet

The kids have been begging for a pet, which is what kids do. And we've been making excuses. We finally gave in and got Ethan a bearded dragon for his birthday. He's very young...he'll get up to 2 feet long. So far, he's been a cute and fun addition to our family. Ethan named him Greedo after the reptilian bounty hunter from Star Wars.

Random

We went to a really fun birthday party at a farm in Chapel Hill. Colin was having a good time. He just likes to torture me when I try to take his picture.

More OBX

Of course, we spent lots of time at the beach. The whole visit was somewhat tempered with the knowledge that my mom did not have a lot of time left. It made it more special, and harder at the same time.

T-Ball

Another t-ball season (Ethan's last) has come and gone. He had a great time and definitely improved over last year.

Happy Birthday, Ethan!

Ethan's last day of school was also his 7th birthday. We celebrated the whole weekend, starting with donuts Saturday morning.

Ethan wanted a snake cake for his birthday. I was happy to oblige him. This cake was actually really fun to make. One of his presents was a nerf gun, which he used to set up a "Top Shot"-inspired challenge. He loves that show. We don't do birthday parties for "odd" years, so we had some friends over to help us eat the cake. Ethan also had his second annual hip hop recital the day after his birthday. He did great, as usual! Ethan is sweet, smart, a great Lego builder/designer, very sensitive and just a great kid all around. We love him so much and are so lucky to have him in our family.

Last Day of School

First grade was great! Lunch out to celebrate a successful year.