Country Fun

Another weekend, another adventure.

This time we headed south to Birmingham to see our friends John and Ashley. On Saturday we spent some time at the local state park which had a stocked fishing pond. Raif had gotten the kids fishing poles awhile back and we were excited to try them out. Honestly, I thought that this exercise would last about 15 minutes. I frankly find fishing a tad boring and assumed the kids would cast a couple of lines, not catch anything and be done with it. How wrong I was. They were excited to reel the line back in to find the worm still there (Mommy, I didn't lose my worm!!) They were excited to reel the line back in to find the worm gone (Mommy, a fish must have eaten my worm!!). They were excited to watch the bobber go up and down (Mommy, look I got a nibble!!). They were excited like this for over an hour. Finally right about the time that little Sophie was bored with the whole thing Quinn (with a little help from Dad) caught her very own fish (thanks to the nice gentleman fishing next to us who showed us the best spot to catch them). And thanks to some quick thinking and a little slight of hand from Mr. John, Greyson managed to catch a very similar looking fish right after Quinn. Both kids were ecstatic over their mad fishing skills.


After fishing the kids went on to spend some more time communing with nature. Ashley and John have a bluebird house in their backyard with newly hatched babies. The bluebird Mom and Dad spent the afternoon going in and out of the house with food and my kids sat in the backyard and watched, giggling with delight every time one of them came back with a worm.


Sunday it was Dad's turn to play - the men (Raif, Greyson and John) went to the IRL (Indy Car) race at Barber speedway. Greyson was in heaven (as was his father). He flirted with everyone and managed to convince some woman to give him her checkered flag which he clung to all day (even on the drive home at 11 when we pulled into the house he was dead asleep clinging to that flag). The ladies preferred a more civilized day with a nice leisurely lunch and some shopping.

All in all a great weekend - thanks to John and Ashley for your hospitality.

Welcome Sprouts!!

For this first time in my garden I planted seeds - carrot and cucumber seeds to be exact. Over the weekend while I wasn't looking they sprouted up, as seeds tend to do I guess!

The kids are excited to watch them grow and I am excited that they are actually growing. Hopefully they will mature into something edible....

Easter Portraits

I know what you are thinking - it's a holiday - where are the adorable kids' pictures? Michele and Raif ALWAYS take portraits of the kids at EVERY holiday. Fear not, friends here they are!!!

Savoring Easter

I am a follower of SouleMama's blog and each Friday she posts what she considers her "Moment." A random picture from her week that she wants to remember and savor.

For some reason I was thinking about that this morning as the kids dashed around the yard with glee snatching Easter eggs from tree trunks and flower beds. The holidays like these - where children truly believe that there is a Santa Claus or that a bunny brings presents and chocolate eggs (or actually 5 bunnies if you, like me, ascribe to the Country Bunny and the golden shoes theory) - are fleeting. In a few years they will be too old to truly believe and though these moments will still excite them the true magic and wonder of the day will be gone. So I stopped for a moment, stood back and tried to savor the morning. To simply watch the wonder and awe of my children as they giggled and pranced and discovered and believed.


Here's hoping that you got to savor the magic of Easter.

Spring Art Hop

The last two Easters here have either been cold or rainy so when a perfect spring weekend presented itself on Easter we had to soak up every minute of it. We spent Saturday at Cheekwood Botanical Garden's Spring Art Hop admiring Mother Nature's spectacular color palette


Hunting Easter Eggs and meeting a very special friend


Doing tons of arts and crafts including making a giant spring caterpillar


Indulging in face painting, balloon art and just plain frivolity


And of course posing for the requisite group shot


I think we managed to have the perfect spring day....

Rites of Spring

Everyone knows the signs of spring - daffodils peeking out, tiny green buds bursting forth from every tree, clouds of white buds haloing Bradford Pear trees and of course the planting of the my garden.

After several long days and some tiring manual labor (largely donated by my husband) the garden is filled. We are trying a couple of new things this year - mounded rows and black weed blankets to keep the weeds at bay and the water from draining down the hill. From last year we brought back the tomatoes, basil, parsley, cilantro, peppers and rosemary and have added strawberries, carrots, cucumbers and broccoli. The garden was actually so full this year I had to put my herbs in potters along the side. Hopefully, I will get a bountiful crop this year. Stay tuned.

The March

Most children are lucky to be born with two sets of grandparents. My children are especially lucky because they have three. Along with Grandma and Grandpa and Nini and Dede, Greyson and Quinn have Lolli and Pops our friend Susanna's parents. The Knights have taken us into their family and them into ours and this past weekend was affirmation of that.

Lolli, prior to her retirement, spent the majority of her life working tirelessly to save babies through the March of Dimes. And even though she is 'retired' now she still fund raises and Marches for Babies every year. This past Saturday was the Gainesville FL walk and along side a memory marker for her own daughter Laura, who was taken far too young, Lolli erected this...


a memory marker for our Aydan. Words cannot describe how much this simple act meant to me, Raif and our parents.

Lolli, you are truly and extraordinary friend and honorary family member. Thank you from the bottom of all of our hearts. We love you.