Art Walk

Last Sunday we went to the Art Walk at Clara's school. This event, held annually, simulates a gallery opening in the dance studio, with each child contributing one piece of their artwork and a biographical sketch. Then all around the rest of the building the childrens' bodies are hung. We were excited because last year Clara was too scared to allow herself to be traced, so she missed out on the "body project". This year we conquered that fear and here is her body!




Posing like her portrait.


"Land of the Dinos" - Clara's exhibition piece


Self portrait and biographical sketch :)


Clara beside her artwork


The serious artist.




Clara with her friend Sophie


Blythe joins in the mix.


The other big news of the weekend was that Clara learned how to pump on the swing. Here she is in all her self-propelling glory.

To the Dump!

I have been planning a trip to the dump since before Meghan was born... and we just managed to squeeze it in today. No more bag of old electronics in the corner of our bedroom, yay! The North Wake County Landfill is actually no longer in use as a landfill - apparently it's full. There is, however, an extensive recycling center as well as a place to dispose hazardous household waste. We loaded up a trunk full of old, broken down electronics, ready to be recycled, and made the trek out there. Clara was enthralled with everything from the "beautiful mountain" to the "crunching machine" that compacted the materials. But that wasn't the best part, as I missed the turn to take us out of the dump, I wound around the "beautiful green mountain" to discover a fantastic playground. Despite the fact that it was lunchtime, on this absolutely gorgeous day we had to stop for an impromptu play.

At the scenic dump, who knew?






The warmer temperatures increased the demand for water; of course once the water fountain was discovered, it was fun in its own right.


Clara has become a regular monkey and readily conquered these bars. The extra swing helped her success.


1, 2, Go! - Same old game, new suspension bridge.


Baby's first park swing, at the base of the landfill.




Meghan swinging - she loved it. (The black stuff on her face is from trying to lick the swing)


This video proves that however much I may sometimes doubt it, Jack is indeed maturing. I was a little worried when both kids were lured by the hills to run down, but rather than kamikaze style, Jack took it nice and steady. There was nary a fall! And don't forget the bonus storm drain to gaze into at the bottom!


What a great trip this turned out to be.

Photo Projects

While it may seem like I've been neglecting the blog, I've actually been hard at work on several photo projects. Here are the fruits of my labors from Shutterfly!

Canvas Print

View the entire collection of cards.

Canvas Print

Find unique birthday and Valentine's cards at Shutterfly.

View the entire collection of cards.

Canvas Print

View the entire collection of cards.

Our Rockin' Saturday Night

A little snapshot of the chaos before bedtime.


Who can really blame Meghan for being too distracted to eat?

Five Months Old for Meghan!

Today Meghan is five months old. It is hard to believe. We spent much of the day outside enjoying the gorgeous weather.

Clara had a birthday party this morning and was excited to wear one of her spring dresses and her fancy shoes.


Jack watched me fix Clara's braids this morning and asked for a pony tail. He's rockin' the top knot.




He had lots of fun swinging with Daddy with the patented "roller coaster drop simulator" shown here in this video.


Out of her party clothes, enjoying making a "salad" of mixed back yard greens.


They seem to enjoy the bumbo much more as they get older.






Once again we (aka Sydney) discovered a rabbit's nest in the back yard. The bunnies are teeny-tiny right now. It's all we can do to keep Sydney away from them. She's good for awhile, but then when we forget about her, she slinks in. She's literally on top of the nest but luckily doesn't seem to be doing them any harm other than probably sending the mother who's presumably nearby into cardiac arrest.




Earlier in the week Clara joins Meghan for a post-nap snuggle.


Since my girls are exactly 6 months apart clothes-wise, I was able to scrounge a few of Clara's end-of-summer 9 mo outfits from the attic for Meghan to wear in the unseasonably warm March we've been having. I'm so glad to see that the elephant hat that both Jack and Clara wore is able to protect another child from the sun!

Star Wars & Meghan

Clara has become very interested in Star Wars of late. She was leery at first; apparently it is a popular topic among the boys at preschool. However, as soon as she found out there was a princess, she was sold. In honor of this new found love and her turning all sticks into blasters, this post about Meghan is Star Wars themed.

I call this "these aren't the droids you're looking for". If it were up to Clara, Jedi would obviously don pink cloaks.


Meghan has indeed found her voice, and lately it appears as though she speaks fluent Wookie.


And finally Luke & Leia were twins, and apparently my girls are too - just separated by 4 1/2 years.

Crazy Weather

The weather in these parts has been anybody's guess as to whether it's summer or winter. Last Monday we woke up to snow on the ground, and by the end of the week, the kids were in shorts and tees. We've taken every opportunity to get out and enjoy it because I'm always worried that "real winter" is just around the corner (despite the daffodils blooming).

Snow!


Coloring in the warm morning sun.


Paused for a quick pic.


We've had a lot of rain mixed in with the beautiful days. The greenway has become pretty soggy in spots, much to the kids delight. What else can you do but put on your favorite boots from Uncle Jack & Dy and go to town in the puddles?






By the time we arrived at the hugie Mama rock, the kids were pants-less. It seems as though Naked season or summer has arrived early at the Carson house.




March arrived today bringing with it 80 degree weather. We didn't miss the chance to eat outside at Armadillo. The kids usurped our sunglasses.


Meghan enjoyed some time on the deck this afternoon. She certainly got her share of Vitamin D today!