Memorial Day, Part Three

Sunday is a day of quiet and relaxation.  And what better place to relax than at a winery!

My brother and Andy took us to a winery close to their home that  had only been open for a year or so.  There was a pond off the back that supplied Madison with at LEAST a minimum of an hour of entertainment.

It wasn't the birds, fish or maybe a sign of an otter...no, it was TADPOLES!  TONS of them!!!  Just a few weekends before while hiking, that is ALL she talked about and finally...she got to see them.

 

When I wasn't getting to relax anymore for fear of her falling into the the mucky water, it was time to find a winery where we could ALL relax!  On to winery #2 for the day.

Ah...there we go...Gregg and Andy...chillin'...

 

Madison chillin'...


Jeff chillin'...

And finally, Tiff chillin'... :-)

What a WONDERFUL afternoon!

Monday morning we were back on the road to Raleigh.

Boy, the weekends sure do go by quick!!!

Memorial Day, Part two

Now...transport yourself to a little house in France.  Madeline will be your guide to an eventful afternoon!

Happy Birthday Mackenzie!

 Aunt Vicky made capelets and hats for the girls!!! Awesome job!

Mackenzie sporting her capelet and hat and doing her first of many activities.

Madison turning that frown upside down!!!

Pin the tail on Genevieve

Blowing out the candles

 With the walk in the morning, the birthday party, and all the visiting...it took a toll on our little girl!  Out by 6pm and went to bed in her party dress!!!

Happy Birthday Mackenzie!!!

Memorial day, part one

Memorial Weekend was SUPER busy; therefore I'm going to have to put the weekend in three parts!   

Thursday the Raleigh Sanford's made their way to the Springfield Sanford's for Mackenzie's fifth birthday.

Mackenzie went to school Friday so it gave us a chance to get out  to letterboxing.  It was a bit rainy and a little chilly but we had a great time!

When we got back, it was time to help Vicky prepare and then to relax before all the activities on Saturday.

In the morning, the children were just a little under foot.  To relieve Vicky, Jeff and I took the children for a walk.

It's cicada season in Northern Va and the girls couldn't find enough of them.  It was funny watching them running to be the first to pick up the bugs, dead or alive.

Showing off her cicada

Mackenzie's was getting away from her!

You can't tell, but the bug made Parker's skin crawl

As we continued the walk, a little boy from the neighborhood came running out with his pet rabbit to share with the girls.

It took some time but we FINALLY made it to playground.

What goes UP (to the pool) must come down (back to the house).  The walk back was a little tiring!!!

  It was now time for the party to begin!

Between the Raindrops

With so much planned this past weekend, rain just didn't fit into our schedule.  Friday evening our plans were cancelled due to the rain.  The local park was showing a movie outside so it was movie night at home instead.

Strawberry season is at its peak here in North Carolina.  Every year there is a roadside vendor called Miss Madison's Strawberries and for the last few years I've let time go to quickly and run out of time each year to get her picture.  Not this year!

At swimming we got the news that Madison can move up to swimmers!  She is able to do the basic stroke and the backstroke as well!  The pool this year is going to be so much fun!

The rainstorm broke just long enough on Sunday for us to spend time with Emma and her family picking more strawberries and playing.  Play was cut short by the rain.

That afternoon there was a birthday party at a local arcade with putt-putt and go carts. Squirt had played putt-putt before and did really well.  But the best part of her afternoon was driving the go cart with mommy!  She couldn't stop smiling and giggling!

Thank goodness the weekend is over...I need to go back to work to get some rest and relaxation!!!

Run Like a Mother 2013

Instead of breakfast in bed, we were up early this morning and preparing for my second Mother's Day race and Madison's first!  She was very excited about running a mile!  Not only was she going, but her friends Allie and Eric were going to be running with her.

 

Pre-race picture opportunity with mommy!

 

She was right in front a the start of the race.  That's her, just a bit to the right of the middle!



And they're off!!!! 

Wait for me little one!!!!

A fifteen minute mile isn't bad at all for a five year old!!

Great job Madison!!!!  You made mommy VERY proud today!

The whole group together, from left to right...Lisa, Allie, Angie, Me, Emily, Madison,
 Eric, Sam, Nicholas, Missy and Ben.

What better way to cool off then with a Kona ice...

and then to have your face painted to look like a cat!!!

Mother's day was so much fun!  Thank you Jeff and Madison for making it such a beautiful day!!!!
Love you both very much.  Hugs and Kisses!!!

First strawberry pick of the year

We watched the snake leave the house and then it was time to have a little fun in the afternoon before heading for swimming!  Allie and Madison had been playing in the morning and wanted just a bit more time together.  Sam and Ben were asked at the last minute and what a GREAT time was had!!!

 

 

 

 

Dinner...the next day!

It wasn't until the next day did the snake finally leave the nest!

Pre Weekend Entry

While Madison was checking out the bird nest in her play house, I noticed a black snake only feet away.  Who would have known he was pulling up to the slide-in-window to get dinner!

Festival and Hiking

Madison didn't have time to get bored THIS weekend!  Saturday the weather was so very cold (around 55 degrees) and she must have been confused as to what season it was by the outfit she put on...A snowflake dress and candy cane leggings!!!  

There had been many times we've tried to get her face painted and she didn't want any part of it.  All it took was babysteps.  She talked about it all morning and couldn't wait to get her face done.  A little rainbow and a flower to brighten the cloudy day.

Saturday's outings ended with her swimming class.  I'm looking forward to the summer when she is able to get in the water as often as possible to practice those moves.

With the weather still not warming up and the threat of rain most of the day, we got out early for a quick hike and a search for letterboxes.  Madison had her own agenda.  In school this week they were learning about amphibians and wanted to find tadpoles.  Little did she know that there was a slim chance we were going to find them, BUT it did get her out and she LOVED the hikes today.  BTW...we didn't find those tadpoles!...We looked and looked and looked.

It's a shame that people choose to carve into the bark of trees...even in the middle of the woods they can't help but defacing them.  :-(  We named the tree the Alphabet Tree!

We go to a second park to find the letterboxes.  It was two for two today!  That doesn't happen very often. There are times we aren't able to find even one.  With no complaining and having a really good time on the trails, Madison was still able to find the energy to play on the playground for a bit.  There was a VERY cute video; however, I was not able to get it to load.  As soon as I'm able to get it figured out, I'll try to get it downloaded to share with everyone!  Have a great week.  We are praying for a bit more sunshine and warmth in NC considering it's MAY!!!!