Warm February Weekend

We spent a short part of one of the unseasonably warm February weekend afternoons in the botanical garden at UNC.  Gwen probably had the best time... It was open and not crowded, so she had the freedom to tear around the place and did so happily.  We also took advantage of the nice weather to go out to a country ice cream shop in Hillsborough.  Our idea, it turns out, was not terribly unique, as we were joined by about half of the population in the Triangle.  We did at least have plenty of time to decide on the perfect sundae flavors and toppings and the kids were happy to wait in line with ice cream being the end reward.  I didn't bring my camera to the ice cream shop, and part of me is sad I didn't get any pictures of that part of the afternoon, and part of me is glad that everyone got to eat ice cream without a lens nearby.  While I certainly had the urge to document every moment of the family day, I think we all enjoyed the family time even if we have no photographic evidence!

The first couple of pics are from earlier this month, but they showed up when I uploaded the photos and I couldn't resist posting them! 

Searching and searching for a Venus fly trap that was still green despite the recent cold and icy weather.  She did actually find one!

Gwen is actually saying "ohh" as she leans precariously over the little pond, doing nothing to ease my fear of letting my children near water.

Some of the water features were frozen over, and you could see the fish swimming around in some of them.

In the childrens garden, the kids can write letters to the garden fairies and put them in the mailbox.  

Hall of Fame Weekend

We had several reasons to move back to the East Coast, but one of the major ones was proximity to family.  When I got the email that my sister Tasha was to be inducted into the hall of fame at her (and my) alma mater, it took me a few days to realize that I could actually go!  I have been so used to turning down things, from weddings to reunions because travel from Kansas and the kids made everything so complicated, it didn't even immediately occur to me that attending was a no-brainer. 
Stephanie was so excited the week before, proudly telling everyone that "Mommy's sister is going to be inducted to the hall of fame".  The event included watching basketball games from the President's box and a banquet complete with speeches and plaques.  We traveled to the event with Tonya, Dennis and Jared, leaving Grandma to care for Gwen.  It was a special treat to have some time just to hang out with Stephanie, and I was surprised how pleased I was to visit MWC (or, as it is known these days, UMW-let's just go neutral and call it "Mary Washington") again.  I didn't think I felt that attached to the place, but once there I seriously considered buying a "Mary Washington Mom" shirt, but decided maybe that was a bit premature.  So much on campus is new!  There was a new gym, an addition to the library where, as best as I could gather from the signage, information and technology meet, and Chandler Hall has been (Kristy, brace yourself) removed and  replaced by a large student center type building- it was brand new, and it wasn't entirely clear exactly what the building would house. 
But, back to the main stage!  Years and years of time, energy, sacrifice and practice made Tasha a fantastic softball pitcher, and we were there to celebrate her accomplishments.  She was the CAC (Capital Athletic Conference) player of the year her freshman and sophomore years, and the last CAC softball player of the year at Mary Washington.  She also gave the best speech (seriously- the right length and content, the right combination of serious and funny). 
Stephanie held up incredibly well and didn't fall asleep until about 30 minutes from home at nearly 11pm.  Other than knowing the time, the only sign of pure exhaustion was that she lost every round of Simon Says on the way home- not at all the Stephanie standard.  She was just so happy to be able to flit from aunt to aunt and be a part of a big day!

In case you are out of practice identifying my sisters, this is Tonya!

And this is Tasha!

Jared took a series of very nice photos of us!

Amy, Tasha's teammate (her catcher, actually) was able to come too!

We also took advantage of the trip to go to the Science Museum in Richmond with Mom- This was a very large light brite- I kind of want one for my house/