Touch a Truck

Touch a Truck was great this year -- even though the weather was great (not too hot!), it also wasn't as crowded as it usually is.  We barely had to wait at all for the bouncy houses, and didn't have to wait at all for the crane swing (which usually has a long line).  Oddly, the longest wait we did was for the RV -- apparently people just liked to hang out in there.  :)  And we skipped some of the things that did have long lines (like the helicopter, which they went on last year).

Splish Splash

 Matthew and James took full advantage of the post-thunderstorm puddles!

Quick Trip

I had a midweek conference in DC (at the aptly-named Waterview Conference Center).  And the best part was getting to have dinner with the always-wonderful Colleen (who even came out to the airport to meet me!)

Popsicle Time

Don't be fooled -- that's Mike's popsicle, not James's.  :)  Mattie is quite pleased that it's popsicle season again!

Happy Easter!

I hope you all had a wonderful Easter!

The boys were delighted with the Angry Birds eggs in their Easter baskets.

And we were delighted because we didn't expect any house showings on Easter, so we could relax a little and not have to worry that we'd have to have the house spotless and find somewhere to go on short notice.  :)

And Yet More Eggs

 Late Easter this year is a gift that keeps on giving -- yesterday was the preschool Easter egg hunt.  (In Mattie's class, they grew grass from seed from seed in the bottom of their milk carton Easter baskets.  This was a great idea in theory, but in practice, somehow Mattie managed to get mud all over his eggs and Easter treats!  Ah well, most of them were washable.)

In other news, the inspection for our house in Buffalo raised some questions, so we had it checked out by a structural engineer, who said that the problems weren't anything serious. So, it looks like we have a house!  (Closing is scheduled for June.)  Our house here just went on the market on Wednesday, so we're hoping things go well and that we won't have two houses for long.  Keep your fingers crossed for us!

Memento Mori

The other night Mattie jokingly said, "When we move to Buffalo, I hope you don't give me away!"  We assured him that we would never ever ever ever give him away, not even for all the guitars and ice cream in the world.  Then James came in and we said we would never give James away either, and I think Mike said something about us all being together.  Then James cheerfully added, "Until all four of us are dead!"

(Thanks for that contribution to a touching family moment, buddy!)

Cookout

 We will miss these good times with our neighborhood friends!

(The kids were largely left to their own devices while the adults chatted -- which was fine until they decided to build a slide down one of the rock walls using some lumber that Mike had left sitting around. Resourceful, but not the best idea!  Mattie also enjoyed playing a version of flashlight tag with some of the older kids after it got dark.)

Eggs Eggs Eggs

 Saturday was a beautiful day for an Easter egg hunt with the preschool friends.  Matthew and James still enjoy finding the eggs, even if they don't care about the candy.  (Mattie was excited that some of his eggs contained tattoos and sponge animals.)

Show and Tell

 Matthew took his stuffed beagle (Beagie) to show and tell yesterday.  Little did I know what an emotional experience that would be. This was our conversation in the car.

Matthew:  Beagie is sad because he wants to be at home with his dog biscuits.
Me:  Well, tell Beagie that preschool only lasts until 1 PM and he'll be home in the afternoon.

Matthew:  Beagie is scared about going to preschool because he doesn't know if he's allowed to be there.
Me:  Tell Beagie that he's allowed because it's a special day for show and tell.

Matthew:  Beagie is scared because he thinks he'll be all alone.
Me:  Tell Beagie that you'll be with him the whole time.

(There may have been another thing or two that Beagie needed to be reassured about as well.)

Fortunately, it all ended well:  I asked Mattie at dinner how Beagie liked show and tell, and he said, "Beagie thought it was wonderful!  He can't wait to go back!"

(James, by the way, took his Buffalo pencil for show and tell on Tuesday.  The pencil expressed no concerns about the experience.)

Mattie and James also had their first playdate yesterday without us around -- they went over to Brett and Brock's house and had a great time playing Legos and running around.

On the Hunt

 Grandma and Sue held down the fort while we were house-hunting up north.  (Thank you again, Grandma and Sue!)  The trip went well -- we are under contract with a house, so as long as the inspection doesn't reveal any big problems, we should be in good shape.  Now we just have to sell the current house!

The weather up there was chilly and rainy -- not too inspiring after 70s and sunny in NC!  But we hear the summers are gorgeous.  :)

Gardening with Grandma

 Grandma and Sue are sprucing the place up!

Easter Party

 The weather was not very cooperative, but Daniel's party and Easter egg hunt went on nonetheless!  James was especially excited to find out that some of the eggs had coins in them instead of candy (and Mattie decided that some kinds of chocolate were okay after all.)