carowinds with the gaubs

We took Auntie Janne and Hannah to Carowinds for the first time and now even Hannah is a season passholder just like us (ok, fine, it's the free Pre-K Pass, but still, she's a passholder nonetheless!).  The little girls had to sit out for the first ride of the day and stood around pouting since they were too short.

We had our usual Panda Express for lunch... and recreated scenes from "Lady and the Tramp"

So excited to see Snoopy!

The little girls finally got to go on a ride-- the swings!

Like our kids, Hannah loved Pig Pen's Mud Buggies!

And her first time on a roller coaster was a success!!

To celebrate Ben's birthday weekend, we ordered the World's Largest Funnel Cake-- and even with two extra people, we STILL couldn't finish it!

The little girls fell asleep for awhile and I pushed them around while everyone else went on the big rides.  Hannah wanted a picture with Uncle Jacob since their shirts coordinated!

The little girls convinced Dad/Uncle Jacob to buy them cotton candy since they couldn't go on many rides-- he's such a pushover!

And we wrapped up a fun day at Carowinds with a spin on the horsies!  Can't wait until we can take them again!

happy birthday ben: cupcakes and firepit

Hannah's favorite thing to do at our house is make cupcakes and it's always the first thing she asks about when she gets here!  We went to the store and picked out cake mix and frosting and came home and the little girls set to work.  I'm sure they'll be making them on their own in no time!

Cupcake decorating and tasting!

Jacob and the kids built a new firepit in the backyard so we were excited to try it out while Auntie Janne and Hannah were here!

We roasted hotdogs for dinner...

... and s'mores for dessert!

And spent the evening celebrating sweet Ben's ELEVENTH birthday!!

soccer and strawberries

Auntie Janne and Hannah came to see Lexie play soccer and while I didn't get a single picture of the game, I did get some of the spectators!

After soccer we went to Patterson Farms to pick strawberries- the girls loved going up and down the rows picking the biggest ones they could find.

Such a sweet strawberry lover!

So many strawberries!!

It was fun being able to share with the experience with Auntie Janne and Hannah.

- Patterson Farms -

After we picked a couple gallons of strawberries, the girls wanted to ride the cow train.  I was impressed at how extensive the train ride was-- they were gone for almost ten minutes!!

Post-strawberry pickin' ice cream.

The little girls loved the playground and did NOT want to leave!

lexie's 10th birthday!

We celebrated Lexie's 10th birthday with tacos and cupcakes (her faves!!) this year, as well as celebrating Grandma's birthday, too!

When the kids turn 10 they get to go to Arizona for two weeks for some one on one time with Grandma and Grandpa and this year, it's Lexie's turn!  It's also the year that they get a new iPod (instead of whatever random handmedown they'd been using)!

Happy birthday, Grandma!!  Ellie loves to "help" open everyone's presents.

Make a wish, sweet girl!!  The cupcakes were a big hit-- especially the pink and purple swirled frosting!

march randoms

Some of Ellie's favorites: lots of accessories, naps on the couch, making pizza, and shopping at Target (especially with a cake pop from Starbucks!).

March School Stuff: Ben and Lexie both celebrated Read Across America week with reading parties in their classes.

Nick gave a Tedx Talk on incorporating Minecraft into the curriculum at his school and tennis season started back up for Christopher.

While Grandma was here, we went to one of Christopher's away tennis matches and introduced her to City Barbeque for dinner!

We celebrated Pi Day with pizza for lunch at Ghostface Brewery and individual pies à la mode for dessert.

While Grandma was in town, we took a trip to Black Mountain to check it out and started our day at the Blue Ridge Biscuit Company for brunch.

We spent the rest of the day exploring the streets of Black Mountain with its cute little shops.  Ellie helped stock the shelves at the book store and was excited to find a little library outside.

Grandma's trip was timed perfectly to see Lexie's first soccer game-- and she made two goals!!

Since Christopher works at Chick-fil-A on Saturday mornings it has become a tradition to drop him off and grab breakfast before heading to the soccer fields.

SaveSaveSaveSave

nc zoo

We love meeting the Gaubs at the NC Zoo for a day of fun!!  This time Chris had to work and Ben had basketball so Jacob stayed home with to run them around and the rest of us met Auntie Janne, Hannah, and GRANDMA!!

The little girls loved watching the seals and sea lions.... I think they would have been content to spend the entire day there!

SO. MUCH. GIGGLING!!!

We left the seals and sea lions and made our way to the polar bear exhibit (one of my faves!!) and really, we could have just gone back and forth between the two and used up all of our time at the zoo!  

Look, a polar bear!!

We packed a lunch and of course, the littles fought over who got to sit next to Grandma.  After lunch, the kids played on the playground and then we continued to explore the zoo.

- Hannah (3) and Ellie (4) -

- the littlest Albaeck sweetheart -

One of Ellie's all-time favorite books is "Ellie the Elephant" and she says they're her favorite animal so we always make sure to get lots of pictures! 

The kids love taking pictures on all of the statues throughout the zoo!

fun with hannah

One of my favorite things about my sister and her fam living in NC is that we get to see them WAY more often!  Auntie Janne and Miss Hannah came out to our house for a weekend of fun-- which clearly includes lunch at Chick-fil-A!

We always go wander around Target when they're in town-- the girls have so much fun looking at clothes and accessories.

We celebrated Auntie Janne's birthday while they were here and the girls helped me make her birthday cupcakes.

They had fun pouring and mixing but their favorite part was definitely licking the beaters!! 

Happy birthday, Auntie Janne!!

Such a sweet and silly girl!

These two play hard and fight hard and I'm so glad that they're growing up close to each other.  Cousins really are your first best friends!

Hannah (3) and Ellie (4)-- these two always make me smile!