Out of breath...

It feels like we have been full speed ahead for the past month! We were in Dallas for Taylor's wedding and a visit with Chris, Grammy and Papa, then we had BBQ Fest here in Memphis, and last weekend Charlotte and I headed to Baltimore while Tim and Gray went to Hartford to see NaNa.

BBQ Fest was so much fun...no suprise there though! My chicken was kind of a disaster (no thanks to Tim for dropping the thighs into the charcoal), but the seafood was yummy! Neal and Pat came in 10th place with their lamb in the exotic category. It was to die for...and our first Top 10 finish ever! Brooke came into town and I had fun telling everyone that she is a cage fighter (of course, she is still a lawyer by day). It was so much fun to have her here and we miss her already!

As for our trip to Baltimore, Charlotte took the town by storm. We were there for John's graduation, and I think I was a bit in shock that my little brother was actually graduating from law school. I kept thinking, "this just can't be possible...surely I am not really this old". But, yes, it did happen and Johnny did receive his hood and a real diploma! Huge congratulations to him!

This weekend we are headed to Monteagle with the Mathew's and company. I wish I could close my eyes and teleport us there right now. It should be a really nice and relaxing weekend, which is much needed after this last week of school and work. Of course, I still have 56 minutes until the students actually leave for the day. So far I have collected several dozen eggs and millions of water balloons. Last day of school antics are not nearly as fun when you are on this end...

Wish me luck!

Easter

Easter in Memphis was beautiful! Mimi and Grandpop were here, and the weather couldn't have been nicer. Charlotte won the Easter egg hunt by at least 50 eggs. She is a VERY serious competitor. We had a great brunch with special friends, and the kids had a ball trying to find the eggs with goldfish...or in Charlotte's case, the ones with chocolate. It made for a long, sugar-filled, nap-less afternoon! Happy April!

Charlotte and Gray decorating Easter eggs!

At the starting gate...

During the hunt...

Eating his winnings...

Getting into the chocolate.

Crawfish!

Charlotte had her first taste of crawfish last weekend...and loved them! Clearly, she gets her exquisite taste in food from her mother!

Could it be Spring?

Things in Memphis are FINALLY warming up! I don't know if it will last, but I sure hope so! Life is busy as usual, with January and February flying by. We finished the admissions process for Charlotte and we have decided that she will attend St. Marys Episcopal School in the fall! St. Mary's is very similar to RPCS, and I am super excited for her to start creating the same kind of the lifelong friendships that I am so lucky to have! She won't be in Roland Park blue, but it is close enough! This past weekend we went to Hot Springs with some great friends. Charlotte and Gray stayed in Memphis with Elza and Mike and couldn't have been happier. Charlotte told me that she was going to take care of Elza and Mike was going to take care of Gray...I'm not sure how that worked out, but everyone was in one piece when we got home! Here are a few more recent pictures!

The girls in Hot Springs

Elza, Gray and Charlotte

Catching Up...

I am going to do my very best to catch all of you up on the last couple of months. The holidays were a lot of fun, but very hectic! I will let the pictures tell most of the story...

Charlotte and Gray made Christmas so much fun this year. Santa Claus brought Charlotte a red tricycle and Gray got a brand new train set! Now that things have settled down we are back to the reality of school and work! Here's to another year!

To Dallas and Back...

We made a trip down to Dallas this weekend, and had a blast! Chris's house is absolutely adorable...Charlotte and Gray had a great time going through all of his things. Thankfully nothing was broken (I don't think) when we left on Sunday afternoon, and Helen followed behind us and left the place perfectly clean and good as new! If only she lived here in Memphis and could follow behind the kids on a regular basis...

Sadly, we didn't take very many pictures over the course of the weekend. Correction: I didn't take many pictures. Charlotte took a ton of herself but it is hard to see anything but her nose in most of them. Here is the best of the bunch (although I'm pretty sure this one was taken in Memphis):

While we were there we also got to spend lots of time with Fairy God Momma (FGM) Tif, and we got to have a fun girls night out with Olivia and Taylor (we missed you D!). Tim, Chris, Grammy and Papa watched the Sooners win and got to see Brad and Tiffany. Overall, the weekend was a great success!

Below are a few photos that I just cannot resist posting:

And I almost forgot...this video is one of the funniest things EVER! At least I happen to think so...

Chickens and Cows...

Halloween in our household was a great success, although I think I can safely say that we are glad it is over! Charlotte mastered the chicken dance and Gray was an excellent cow. Both kids had parties at Lindenwood on Friday, and they got to participate in the Halloween Parade. Charlotte was awarded "Best Legs"...I'm not sure if we should be proud of that or not;)

We hit several Halloween parties on Saturday evening and Charlotte ate her weight in chocolate and sugar. A great Ravens win on Sunday topped off a GREAT weekend!