That Plastic Orange Raft

So, I just heard that the renovated the play area at Southpoint Mall.  It made me just a big sad to hear.  Ever since before the boys could walk we would take them to that play area, preferably in the morning before it got covered with germs.  That play spot gave us new moms a brief respite and allowed us to sit for just a few minutes while they played peacefully, and before they decided to make a run for the exit.

Anyway, Evan's little boys playgroup spent a lot of time there.  On one of the very first playdates we ever had we took some picture of the boys in this little raft that the kids could climb in and out of.  Since then, we've made a tradition of heading back occasionally and taking pics of the boys in the raft and adding in their siblings as they arrived.

Well, as we were about to move my friend Sarah and I realized our two boys were the last from that group that still lived in Durham (at least for another week).  So, one Saturday we headed to the mall for one more picture.  Evan and Edward dutifully sat in the raft and we got a shot of the two remaining boys-remembering all of their great buddies that are now all over the country.  We even added their siblings Marie and Ben in for a shot.

We then had a great lunch and enjoyed hanging out one more time.  It's amazing how big the boys are.  It truly doesn't seem like it's been that long in our lives since they were just little babies crawling around that play area, and now they were two seven year old boys that could barely fit in the raft!  I hope that we are able to stay in touch with all of those buddies no matter how far apart we are!

Oh, and one more thing...The boys had their first taste of Dippin' Dots during that outing to the mall. Evan tried a sour blue flavor while Benny tried a strawberry one.  Evan liked it, but I have never seen Benny eat a dessert like that.  Usually he can take or leave sweets, but this one he polished off!  I think he even finished off Evan's when he was done!  Yum!

I wonder if they'll bring that old, orange raft back after the playground renovation.  For the sake of current and future new Durham moms, I hope they do.

(Evan and Edward with their little siblings Marie and Ben)

(the two big boys)

(Evan and Edward front and center with all of their little buddies surrounding them)

(Yum, Dippin' Dots!)

(These are sooo good, Mom!)

(crazy little boy #1)

(crazy little boy #2)

School's Out for Summer!

Finally, the day arrived.  It was Evan's last day of Kindergarten.  He kept telling me that he didn't want the last day of school to arrive because he was having too much fun.  That was so nice to hear.  However, the last day of school arrived whether he wanted it to or not.  There wasn't anything special going on at school, just lots of hugs and extra playing with his buddies.

They had lots of good recess time that morning and I went outside to watch them for a few minutes.  I remember the beginning of the year, really the first half of the year, when Evan would say that he didn't hang out with anyone on the playground.  This time, he was running around with several kids including his good friend Zach and his "girl friend" Ursula.  Apparently they were on the playground together every day discussing Minecraft, and Evan claimed that "she gets a bit kissy sometimes"!  Apparently, those two were so alike and I'm really glad he found a kindred spirit he could connect with.

What a great year Evan had.  I know that Kindergarten has put him in a great place for first grade next year!

(Evan on the first day of Kindergarten)

(Evan celebrates on the last day of school.)

Mrs. Joshua-Wilson and Evan on the first day.)

(Mrs. JW and Evan on the last day of school.)

(Evan with Mrs. Viola, his teaching assistant)

(Evan and his good buddy Ursula)

A Sweet Send Off

I already miss all of our good friends from Durham.  It's hard to leave such fantastic people.  What makes it even harder is if they throw you a fantastic going away party.  It was hard to realize we were going to have to say goodbye to all of these people, but it was so nice to have the opportunity to see everyone before we left.

My awesome friends and neighbors Nathalie and Jill took on the task of organizing the affair.  The cul-de-sac was all set up for a great barbeque.  The weather was beautiful.  Everyone came, brought delicious food, and it was so nice to see everyone.  The kids had a great time playing in the grass, cul-de-sac, and on the treehouse while all the adults chatted and ate as much food as they could!

It was one of those moments where we just sat back and wondered why we were really leaving all of this-great neighbors and great friends.  Some we had known for more than a decade, others we had just met recently, but we will definitely remember everyone and definitely see them all when we come back to visit!

Thanks for a great evening, everyone!

(The kiddos play in the front lawn.)

(It's a party!)

(having a great conversation)

(the three original founders of Phd Posters together again)

(Oh, we will miss our sweet neighbors and friends!)

A Few Final Playdates

Ben was officially out of school after his graduation, but Evan still had a few more weeks before his year was finally over, and before we shipped off on our new adventure to St. Louis.  So, of course, Ben and I had time for a few more trips out with our buddies Kara and Anna.  Since Ben and Anna's big brothers were both still in school it was the perfect time to go out and do a little exploring.

First, we headed over to check out the new location of one of our favorite stops, Monuts.  They had just moved to a new, bigger location, so of course, we had to check them out.  Last time we stopped by the big boys were with us and we had to try every donut they had on the menu.  This time, we weren't feeling quite so hungry, but we still had to sample a few.  The biggest adventure of that outing was when Kara accidentally filled her water glass with simple syrup instead of water, not quite the taste she was looking for.  I guess we definitely got our fill of sweet on that outing, HA!

Another morning while the boys were at school we headed back over one final time to the Museum of Life and Science.  They had been renovating their outdoor playground and finally had it finished, so we had to come see what we thought.  Although it was raining, Ben and Anna had some fun playing around on the new wooden play structures before we went inside to get out of the rain.  Oh yeah, and of course, we started that morning with a trip to a new French bakery I hadn't tried yet.  It always makes the day better to start it with a little sweet treat.

There was one more great Benny and Anna adventure before the school year was over.  This time we started off the morning at a local lavender farm that Kara had found.  Turns out, it was only about 10 minutes away from my house.  Their picking season is only about two weeks, and we made it out on their first or second day!  I absolutely love the way that lavender smells so this was perfect for me.  The farmer handed us some scissors and a basket and we went out into the field to cut our own lavender.  We had to carefully instruct Benny and Anna about how to cut at the bottom of the stem and they quickly figured it out.   Soon we had two big bundles of lavender to take home.  I, of course, found a few other lavender goodies to buy, and we finished off the outing with some games and a sample of their delicious lavender ice cream, yum!

You can bet we didn't tell their big brothers about any of these fabulous adventures!

(Ok, so this one is not the best picture, but it's the only one I had of those little cuties eating their big donuts!)

(Ben and Anna concentrate on picking their lavender.)

(a close up of one of the varieties)

(a view of the whole farm)

(the two buddies-I can't believe how big they've gotten!)

Feeling Grown Up

So after Ben graduated from preschool he was apparently really feeling like a big boy!  The weekend after that we went on our final bike ride to Rise as Durham residents, boo hoo!  We started off as usual at Herndon Park and took off on the two-ish mile ride to our favorite donut stop.

I was riding up with Evan and Ian was riding a little slower with Ben.  Apparently at the beginning of their ride Benny and Ian decided they could take the training wheels off.  This was a big deal because he had up to this point refused to take the training wheels off for long periods of time.  He had a nasty run in with a parked car on our street when he first got that bike and I think that made him really cautious for a while.  Anyway, Evan and I had stopped and I see Ben riding up proudly on two wheels with Ian following.  I was so proud.

He rode on two wheels all the way to Rise.  We stopped, had our delicious donuts (and biscuits), climbed the walls a little bit (yes, Evan was literally climbing the walls of the shopping center), then we hopped on the bikes again for our ride home.  Again, Ben rode the whole way back again on two wheels!  Once he figured it out there were no nerves and no going back.  I guess now that he's a Kindergartener, there's nothing he can't do!  Watch out world!

(Ben cruising with Daddy)

(Look Ma, no training wheels!)

(a much needed treat at the halfway point of our ride)

The Little One has Gotten so Big!

So, Evan wasn't the only one celebrating the end of his school year.  Not to be outdone, a few days later, Ben had his official preschool graduation from Resurrection United Methodist Preschool.  This one hit me harder than any before.  I'm not sure quite why, probably for lots of reasons: Benny is my youngest baby boy, we've had both kids attend RUMC for the past five years and we had to say goodbye, or that we would be saying goodbye to a lot more in a few weeks with our upcoming move.  I'm not sure what was going on, but this one definitely made me emotional.

Before I had kids, I was always a bit cynical about the whole cap and gown for preschool thing, but after watching two preschool graduations, I have to say that the kids proceeding down the aisle in their cap and gowns is one of the cutest things ever!  Of course, Benny looked super handsome and was smiling the whole way.  Then, they all performed some songs, and Ben did a great job singing and dancing along.

Finally, it came time for the presentation of the diplomas.  This was really sweet because their teachers Mr. Joe and Ms. Myra took the time to say some words about why each child was so special, and they were so soft hearted that they spent most of their speeches in tears.  Of course, they talked about Ben's positive attitude and how he puts a smile on everyone's face from the minute he walks in the door.  That's my boy!

After the proceeded back down the aisle and finished up with a little dance party, it was time for a celebratory lunch.  Ben had a great time sitting with his friends and just being silly one more time with his buddies.  The teachers even gave them a goody bag with a framed picture of the class and even little mustaches to wear-so cute!

Ian left and headed back to work as I walked out of RUMC with Benny one final time.  I had really held it together pretty well until that moment, but I did happen to lose it in the parking lot.  Oh well, after some hugs from some nearby supportive moms I was put back together and on my way.  I think a mom is definitely allowed to show some emotion when her sweet little baby boy is off to Kindergarten, don't you??

(Ben proceeds down the aisle.)

(Mr. Joe and the graduate)

(Ms. Myra and Benny)

(hugs with our big graduate)

(Ben with his friends Jackson, Emerson, and Cole)

(in disguise, but I think the name on the hat gives it away!)

(more silly buddies-Blaise, Ezra, Asher, and Cole)

(one more shot with his awesome teachers)

(Ben's first day of preschool in the 2's)

(his first day in the 4's)

(my big boy on the last day of preschool)

Not a Graduation, a Promotion!

Now, Evan has been pretty lucky the past few years.  He has actually had graduation celebrations for the past two years-in preschool and in transitional kindergarten.  This year, while the teacher didn't technically call it a graduation celebration, it felt a whole lot like one.  It was a way to celebrate all of the kiddos and their accomplishments, and everyone had a great time.

It was the last celebration of the year, and as a room parent, it was our last opportunity to help out Mrs. Joshua-Wilson.  She brought us in one day and told us her vision for the celebration.  Apparently, they had done something similar the previous year and it had worked out very well, so my and the other co-room parent, Jill, were feeling the pressure.  Mrs. Joshua-Wilson wanted a Hollywood themed party, and we were in charge of the decorations, food, and awards for the kiddos.  It was actually a lot of fun, and I think we did a great job with red carpet, gold stars, popcorn and sunglasses for all the kids, and even little individualized Academy Awards for each student.

We did well with the decorations, but I think the students and teachers clearly outshone us, as they should.  With the room crowded with other proud parents and families with balloons, cameras, etc, the class put on the cutest program.  First, they walked down the red carpet, then they sang the Creekside song and each had a little part to say.  Evan and his little group helped with the pledge of allegiance.  One of the best moments was watching Evan sing the Creekside song.  He's always been so hesitant to sing in any school performance, and watching him sing along with his class in front of the parents showed me just how much he's grown this year!  They each got their award individually presented to them.  Evan received the award for being a savvy scientist, no surprise.

All of the kids were so proud.  We hung around afterward to have some treats and take some pictures of our almost-first grader.  It was such a great year and Evan had such a neat little class.  That year did exactly what I had so hoped for.  It turned my little nervous somewhat hesitant boy into someone who really liked school and didn't want the year to end.  I truly hope he likes school as much in our new home!

(Evan receives his award.)

(the red carpet)

(my little kindergarten graduate)

(Evan and his proud daddy)

(my boy and I--look at those eyes!)

(Evan and his wonderful teachers-Mrs. Joshua-Wilson and Mrs. Viola)