Marching through March and Springing into April

Maggie-isms and a few Riley Remarks, to and from school

DAD:  Hey, look… that car looks just like Mommy’s!

MAGGIE:  But that’s not Mommy.  That lady was holding a smoker (cigarette)... or maybe she was scratching her cheek.  

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MAGGIE:  This truck is SOOOO old!

DAD:  Well, it’s not really THAT old.  Maybe we just need to clean it up a little and it would look nicer.  

MAGGIE:  Yeah, we can wash it with a washcloth, and then I can shave it with a shaver to get rid of any ice on it.  I’ll have to get my stool though, so I can reach it.  

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MAGGIE: Yesterday, we had a tornado drill.  It freaked me to death!  I was ‘bout to scatter!  

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MAGGIE: [singing, unprompted and out-of-the-blue]  “Baby, you’re a lightning storm!  Baby, you’re a liiiiightninggggg stooorrrrrmmmm!”

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RILEY: A masquerade is a real thing, you know.  It means you make a mask and wear it to an event.

DAD: Wow, Riley… that’s right.  How did you know that?

RILEY: Ummm… scientific.  [brief pause]  Remember, I’m a genius.  

(Later he told Mom that he was an electrical, robotic, basketball scientist genius!)

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RILEY: If Home Depot were an English word, it would be pronounced De(short e sound)-pot (rhymes with hot). But it's not, it's a French word, so the "t" is silent kind of like the "e" on the ends of some of our English words.

MOM: Where did you learn that??

RILEY: Dad taught me!!

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I am a list-maker by nature (and Chris is too) and now our sweet son has followed in our footsteps. Check out some of these amazing lists that he has created for his Minecraft world and videos that he wants to make at some point. Check out some of the titles (Journey to the End Armour Machine and Session 1, 2, & 3 for different Minecraft rooms) .

Here's what we've been up to these past 2 months:

Today we ended our Spring Break with a trip to Pelican's. I taught the kids how to play Checkers (and they lasted for about half a game). They love eating the gummies that are buried in the snow cones. Poor dad had to go back to work today. We wish he could have celebrated with us.

 For Easter, we got to go see one of my friends from Pleasant Knoll, Janeen, get baptized at her church in Fort Mill and then we met up with family to eat lunch at Cantina 1511. The kids enjoyed their Easter baskets and helped make the Resurrection Rolls with an empty melted marshmallow inside with me the night before.

 We had our annual Quiet Creek Egg Hunt this past Saturday and Riley, Maggie, and Parker (with about 15 other kiddos) enjoyed scavenging the park to find a few dozen eggs filled with candy and prizes.

 We tested out our Carowinds Season Passes this past Monday for Spring Break. The kids did a great job trying all kinds of different rides and going on their first roller coaster by themselves. They loved the Scrambler at the end and hardly noticed the lines.

 Palm Sunday at North Rock Hill was a sweet service. I love that these cuties are excited about going as well.

 Riley started baseball this spring and is playing with one of his buddies from school, John Howard (who's dad is one of the coaches). The boys are playing Coach Pitch and are really improving a good bit with each practice and game. Riley is quite the "slugger". He cracks us up though by gently laying down his bat after each hit.

 Chris and I kicked off Spring Break by heading to Columbia for an overnight date. We found a great Mediterranean restaurant to eat dinner at and then were up at the crack of dawn to run a 5K race together. It was one of my pre-planned dates that I gave Chris back in December. Chris helped me find a Couch to 5K program that I worked on for a few months training 3 times a week. I was averaging between a 12 and 13 minute mile, but after being passed by a 5 year old boy and his dad pushing a stroller after mile 1 in the race, I decided that I would try and hang with them. I finished a lot faster than my training (31:08) which is a little over a 10 min. mile. Chris rocked it out even more. He finished first in his age division and ran the race at about a 7:30 pace. Running is not really my thing, but it was fun to experience this together and I must admit, I really enjoyed the mimosas, beer, donuts, and fruit that were provided at the end.

We found a Groupon for a month of dance classes at New Attitude for Maggie to attend in March. She had a blast learning the recital routine and could have easily been ready to perform in May (if we had decided to keep on going, but the recital date conflicted with plans we already have for Riley's birthday). Anyway, she enjoyed it while it lasted and was a really quick learner!

I had a fabulous time on my girls' weekend to the beach (courtesy of Jess). We got to attend a tasting event with live music and check out some of the other "hot spots" in Edisto. In general, though, we got to relax and just enjoy each other's company. It was much-needed friend therapy. 

 Look at my Sleeping Beauty! Grandmama got her a Flipazoo that changes from a puppy to a kitten by a simple flip of the fabric. Chris likes torturing Maggie by calling it a "Flipazoid." Either way, I love that my princess insists on sleeping with it and the occasional crown! :)

 Our St. Patrick's Day afternoon playdate turned into a fun late night adventure with friends. I planned some green foods and a scavenger hunt as well as simple shamrock craft that focused on the Trinity for the kids and then later we ordered pizza and got to hang out with some of our favorite friends.

The kids got a second chance at building a snowman during our March 12th snowstorm! We had a great time playing with Gavin and Sutton's dog, Lula, who kept trying to dig up any snowballs we would make. Glad we got out to play in it by 10:30 AM (it had only snowed for a few hours), because it was completely melted and no trace of it at all by late afternoon. 

 We registered Maggie for Kindergarten in March! It's hard to believe our little bit will be ready for the "Big Leagues" in the fall. Rock Hill School District put on a special registration fair complete with photo ops, free Kona Ice snow cones and a place to complete all the paperwork.

 The boys (mainly Chris) worked really hard on their Pinewood Derby car for the annual race. This was Riley's first time ever competing and he placed 3rd overall! He was so excited and Chris was pleasantly surprised.

We had some crazy fun at a Mad Hatter-themed auction with our QCP peeps. Chris later put on a blue wig to complete the look and that really added to the flair!

Anecdotes and Awesome Things Kids Say

• Maggie to Chris: "Do you ever roll a bone down your leg? You know a doggie bone." (Chris heard it as donkey bone, which made it even more humorous! Not even sure why she is talking about rolling bones down her leg.)
• Maggie to Chris on the way home from school: "Nolan K. swallowed a quarter. It's in her stomach now. When she poops it'll pop right out of her."
• Riley to Maggie: "In college, you're still a kid."
• Riley says, "I have a girlfriend. It's Isabella." Not to be outdone, Maggie replies, "Well, I have two boyfriends (Quinn and Mason) and 2 girlfriends (Nolan and London)."
• Maggie to me at dinner: "Can I have another 'cass-role'?" She meant crescent roll. :)
• Riley after watching Minecraft videos on YouTube: "There's these video guys that I watch all the time and they are so inspiring!"

Love is in the Air

In honor of February, here are just a few things I LOVE about this month!

 1) I love that I was able to take off work yesterday to chaperone Riley's 1st grade field trip to see Seussical, the musical, a play performed by high school students at South Pointe. It was so good to see his friends and ride on the bus together. I had a blast holding him in the auditorium (I know my years are limited with this) and listening to him swap silly jokes with his classmates during lunch when we returned.

 2) We LOVED cheering on Dad for his 10 miler on February 18th. He was right on time with his expected finish time (and even set a personal record despite having to overcome steep hills on the last 2 miles). We celebrated with brunch at IHOP afterwards to help him balance out all the calories he burned! :)

 3) I LOVE our 2nd annual tradition of leaving each other love notes on our doors starting February 1st through the 14th. Riley and Maggie got in on the action with Chris and I and both composed some amazing notes.

 4) What's not to love about fondue?? Especially chocolate carmel fondue with marshmallows, brownie bites, Rice Krispie treats, angel food cake, strawberries and pineapple to soak it all up! Of course, we had a cheese and meat course too, but this is always our favorite! Riley said it was one of his best meals ever which of course, I LOVED to hear! It made all the prep work worth it!

 5) I love the simple joys of Dollar Tree glow sticks, whack-a-pack balloons, and silly sunglasses! The kids put on a stellar light show for us later that evening and it makes me smile remembering their excitement..."Watch this, Dad, it's like a helicopter!" "Check this out, I can do two at the same time!!" "Look at my ninja skills."

 6) I LOVE making special breakfasts for the kids that are shaped like different things. This wasn't super fancy and the hardest part was using the cookie cutter on the PopTarts, but it sure brings a smile to their faces. I love that my mom did small things like this for me as a kid and that I'm able to pass on little pieces of happiness and fond memories for my children as well.

 7) I LOVE that Maggie picked out a beautiful butterfly balloon for me and Riley found me some colorful carnations that will never fade or wilt and that Chris got me some chocolates and a sweet card.

 8) Maggie was NOT loving our photo session after church one afternoon, but she managed to make it through a few poses.

 This sibling hug and kiss picture is one of my faves!!

 9) We LOVE attending the themed Winthrop Basketball games. The most recent one we went to was Harry Potter day and the kids got free glasses, Birdie Botts Every Flavor Beans (aka Jelly Belly Beans which some tasted great and others were just plain gross), and Harry Potter scar tattoos. We saw some of our friends there as well and icecream from the concession stand made for a sweet treat as we cheered on the Eagles to victory!

 10) I LOVE date nights with my honey!! The prepaid Date Night Tickets have been a lot of fun so far. We had a great shopping date and Japanese steakhouse supper together in January and this month I bought Chris and I tickets to see Donna the Buffalo at Neighborhood Theater. This was one of our dates early on in our courtship and it was fun seeing this jam band again! We loved staying at the Drury Inn and getting free drinks and an evening meal before the show. I loved that Charlotte has Uber so that we could get safely to and from our event since we were having a few adult beverages. I fell in love with a beer at Growler's from NoDa Brewing Company that tasted just like a Samoan Girl Scout Cookie. And I loved that Chris and I got a bit of time to sleep in and browse through IKEA just the two of us before picking up the kiddos from Mom and Dad.