ART GIRL

Sky has recently become a very prolific artist. Last week I decided to bring home all her school art on Friday rather than each day. That was a mistake as she had to go through each paper and explain what it was. That is better tackled day-by-day. However she loves to paint and color with marker and will do so for hours. (The paper companies should be filled with glee). We are thankful for washable markers.

Chalk Art

Sky and Parker spent time chalk drawing this morning on the driveway. Most of it was washed away by a rainstorm later in the afternoon. Sky is becoming quite the artist.

4 on the 4th!

Sky had a fantastic birthday weekend! (double click on the album to see the images larger)
On Saturday Sky had a party at a local amusement park, Jungle Rapids. They have a great indoor area for the 8 and under set with ball pits, tunnels, air bounce and slides. She and her friends ran around until they were hot and sweaty. Parker had a wonderful time too. He is too old for this area of the amusement park now unless he "escorts" Sky!
The kids enjoyed a snack of pizza and then cake. Her cake included a photo of Sky and a picture of Cinderella with the caption "Perfect Princess". (No, the captions "Almost Perfect Princess" or "Sometimes Cranky Princess" were not available). Sky was awed when everyone sang to her. After singing along with the beginning of Happy Birthday she relaxed and enjoyed being sung too. It turns out Sky is not a big cake fan. Although it was imperative she have a cake, of the several times we offered cake, she only ate a few bites. The rest of the family and friends found it quite good. Her 4 year old presents include: Polly Pocket doll, a Webkinz toy, a baby doll, clothes, Groovy Girls dolls and bed, a Snow White doll etc... Most important, a gift card at Target so she can go select something she didn't get, but really wants. (item still to be determined)
On Sunday, Nana and Grandpa came over to our house for a "family party". As you can see from the photos, Sky deemed full princess regalia appropriate for this occasion. She decided to keep this on along with headphones and sunglasses to help Clif mow the lawn later in the day. The princess on the lawn mower.

And the Rockets Red Glare....

We started off the day decorating Sky's bike for the neighborhood parade and cookout on Nana & Grandpa's street. Parker opted to decorate himself and used rollerblades!
I couldn't pick just a few photos, so flip through our album!
Our children enjoyed the sparklers quite a bit more than we expected. I thought Sky would be nervous, but that was not the case! We regretted having purchased only one box. In most of the pictures they appear to be practicing using wands like in Harry Potter.
Later in the evening we enjoyed a neighborhood fireworks show. Our neighbors spent quite a bit of money in South Carolina on the type of fireworks that are illegal in North Carolina, so we sat on the lawn and enjoyed the show!

A DECADE of PARKER

Who can believe Parker is 10?? Certainly not his parents! Double digits!! We had an exciting day. Twice in 10 years I've planned an outdoor party. Twice in 10 years rain has threatened to cancel. It has been dry and gorgeous for weeks, until Saturday afternoon when Parker' pool party was scheduled. After racking our brains, we developed an alternate plan of an indoor Wii (Nintendo game system) party. I think Parker liked this plan just as well, but fortunately the rain held off just long enough. Actually the lightning held off. We had the kids in the pool swimming in the rain. I'd hired a lifeguard for the occasion (I didn't feel competent to supervise a pack of 10 year old boys in the pool) -- she'd lifeguarded at Wrightsville Beach and knew just when to pull them out. So they got an hour of swimming -- then cake and presents! Parker's gifts from his friends included Lego Sets, pool toys and a game programming manual. At his family party the next day he received books, gift cards, Mario Party 8 (a Nintendo game), a USB flash key, and some "event" presents like a trip to Jungle Rapids and a movie. Amazing how the gifts change as you get older, but it was a great birthday.

Parker's 10 year old stats --
Height: 5'0"
Weight: 90 lbs
Reading Level:12.1
Interests: computers, video games, hockey, Harry Potter, Star Wars...
Currently Reading: Lord of the Rings Trilogy (just started Return of the King) & Foxtrot Anthology (comic)

China Girl 2

Sky wore her lovely chinese silk dress out to Carraba's (Italian) for Parker's Birthday Dinner.
Amazingly she managed to keep it very clean, probably because we held off on desert until she got home! Parker enjoyed having the staff sing Happy Birthday to him in Italian!

45th Anniversary

We had an exciting weekend. Uncle Ric, Aunt Angie and Cousins Cyrus, Aquila and Zeke joined us to celebrate
Carolyn & Roger's 45th Wedding Anniversary!
We spent most of the weekend in the pool, but did take a brief break to get some family photos made. As you can imagine getting 11 people to look good (5 of them under 10) was quite a challenge. But, I think we got some good pictures and I know we got some fantastic memories.

1st Bike

Well today we decided it was time to get Sky her first bike. So we went to .... Target. As you can see it was her favorite color -- Pink. After Clif assembled the bike and Sky helped pump up the tires, she had a training session in the driveway. Although she had some initial trepidation about riding once she got the feel for it, Sky was off to the races. This evening she rode the bike all the way around our circle (.8 miles).

The Little Mermaid

Sky's favorite part of the new pool at her Nana & Grandpa's house is the creek. She can play in the rocks and running water for hours. With her curly hair and her Tinkerbell swimsuit she is quite the "sprite" or fairy. Parker and his cousins prefer the pool. Although, as you can see Parker does enjoy the novelty of being on the other side of the waterfall. At the pool, Parker spends the majority of his time underwater, so communication requires being prepared to communicate with him concisely during the brief moments he surfaces for air.

Another Skyism

Clif was playing with Sky before school. He held up the Dora the Explorer doll and made her say "Hi, I am Dora the Explorer! Do you like to explore?" Sky replied, "I like to explore my options."

That's Incredible

We've accumulated a lot of plastic cups (mostly at Moe's although I can see a Macaroni Grill and a Red Robin cup in the mix too!). Clif decided to stack them all the other weekend. I count 33 and I think we've added to it since then, plus I'm sure a few were in the dishwasher!

Disney World

We had an AWESOME vacation in Disneyworld. The weather was great everyday. The kids had a great time. Parker's highlights included StarTours and TestTrack (The fastest ride in DisneyWorld!). We were able to watch the Epcot fireworks "Illuminations" every night. Sky managed quite a few rides including Spaceship Earth, Dumbo, Teacups and the classic "Its a Small World" (3 times). She also enjoyed a special "Princess Breakfast". Both the kids were real troopers, staying up late, managing the crowds... One of the best parts was that Clif was able to fly us there in the Cessna. The weather worked out perfectly both ways and we got to Orlando in about 4 hours (compared to a 10 - 12 hour drive). Following is a link to a web album with more pictures. Of course everyone wants to go again soon!

Disney

Very Impressive

Our not so small cat "Tonga" is dwarfed by the pile of laundry a family of four seems to be able to generate almost daily. It is truly incredible!

Also unbelievable is the size of the gala apple we got at Fresh Market (next to a macintosh for comparison)!

Sweet Dreams

While hauling her valentine's "loot" home from school, Sky told Clif she was going to have a good dream tonight.

Clif: What will your dream be about?
Sky: Food!
Clif: What kind of food?
Sky: Yummy foods like strawberries and cantaloupe. Maybe some vegetables too.

Somehow I don't think Parker's good dreams ever involve vegetables!

In this picture, I think Sky had just enjoyed some chocolate cake at our "Princess Ball". The cake was labeled "Yummy, Yummy, So, So!" - another Skyism!

Pink is the New Black & 1st in Flight

Contrary to my suggestion of wearing black pants with her hockey jersey, Sky chose to wear pink pants. She informed us "Pink goes with everything!"

We got up this morning and headed out to the airport. We took off around 9:45 a.m. for First in Flight, the Wright Brothers Memorial in Kitty Hawk, NC. We arrived 90 minutes later! Because of the coastal landscape this trip would have required 6+ hours of driving. The paved landing strip is right next to the memorial. You literally walk off the field then up the hill to the monument. The kids enjoyed exploring the memorial and the small attached museum. Astounding to think about the courage and perseverance of the Wright Brothers. Since it was a sunny, 70 degree January day, we also had a small picnic. I think Clif and I would say our favorite part was the flight. Gorgeous views of the Outer Banks. Sky was a great flyer and watched Blues Clues on the video iPod for part of the trip. What an amazing world!