This year, spring was very welcome, except for a few hiccups we had along the way. We started off the month checking out the kite festival in the park by our house. I rode both kids down to the park in the bike trailer, still feeling pretty good after a winter of consistent running. I had also been going to physical therapy regularly for about a month at that point, working on some core strength that was still weak thanks to the diastasis recti I had throughout two pregnancies and post partum. I was getting stronger, but still feeling lower back pain (more about that later). My family visited in March to celebrate my birthday, and we got to see some North Carolina Courage (professional) women's soccer in a few exhibition games against division 1 college squads. Since Rose has pretty much stopped napping, I took her to an afternoon game again Tennessee (go Vols!). Most of March was spent grant writing for me, and with an injury (more below), Colin stepped up to take the girls to things I didn't need to attend (like school friend's birthday parties). Easter was April 1st this year, so we obviously had some Easter Egg hunts in these two months, and a trip to South Carolina for Easter this year. Other exciting events included first haircuts for the girls, Rose getting really good at the Strider/balance bike, the spring projects display at the girls school, and trips to our favorite museum and parks.
Rose trying to fly a kite at the Bond Park Kite Festival March 3
I had decided not to play outdoor soccer this spring, wanting to keep my weekends free to hang out with the family. But, after going to some of the college/professional games, I was itching to get on the field. I felt stronger (except for that nagging back), and decided to join a few weeks into the season. Of course, all it took was the first game to put me back out of commission. It certainly didn't help that my first game back was after a week of travel to/from Asheville, later in the day after carrying Rose about half a mile on the walk (with a back that was already feeling pretty stiff), and playing a full 90 minute game down a player (10v11) in 40 degree rainy conditions. I played on a Sunday, sat at a computer working on a grant all day Monday (our March snow day), and woke up unable to move on Tuesday. I tried to do physical therapy for the rest of March and April, but finally decided to get a MRI. The results ... three bulging discs. I remained optimistic. Bulging discs are better than herniated discs and I left my "pelvic" physical therapy practice for a "spinal" physical therapist and that has made a huge difference. Did you know you can do exercises to "push" the bulge back in? I've been working with my new physical therapist to figure out the right angle for the exercises since May. It's the end of June now, and I am much better, but not healed. It's a long road to recovery and I'm not sure my back will ever be 100%.
Spring brought on Rose's soccer league. Her first game was mid-March and she had a wonderful season which wrapped up on May 12. It was noticeable that she was one of the more experienced kids on the field, and she was now 4 whereas some others were only 3. Zoe's been ready to play. We hope to sign her up in the fall even though she doesn't turn 3 until a few weeks into the season. The season was so fun because Rose had two of her classmates on her team - Lucas and Nathan. The two girls and their two friends would often sit together after the games enjoying their post-game snacks.
Rose and Zoe ready for Rose's first Spring 2019 game on March 17
Zoe with her gear on at Rose's soccer game
Our first Easter Egg Hunt of the year was at Bond Park. Even though the park is basically in our back yard, this is the first year we actually went. Rose had a soccer game in the morning and we managed to squeeze it in before Zoe's nap and before the rain started. It was a last-minute decision, so we weren't completely prepared for it. We had walked to the park and had to move quickly to get back home as it started sprinkling when we finished collecting the eggs.
Zoe collecting Easter Eggs
Zoe had also been dying to get her haircut for weeks. There is a kid's haircutting place next door to the wine shop where we pick up our weekly Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm share. She saw kids come of the salon with balloons one time and every week would ask to get her haircut. Since Rose has never gotten her hair cut, and Zoe's hair has gotten long fast, we scheduled it for one weekend in late March. Both girls got to watch Paw Patrol while they got their cuts. I wasn't overly impressed with the cuts, but we were in and out quickly since both girls were sufficiently distracted. And, they were both so excited to get their balloons!
Rose made sure we scheduled the haircut the night before
Zoe ready for her hair cut, Rose will be next
Two happy girls with new hair do's and balloons
Easter weekend we made the trip out to the Greenville, South Carolina area where my parents live. My back was still feeling bad (before I had the MRI, while I was still doing the pelvic PT which made symptoms worse, and while I was still pretty stressed with grant writing). I made the 4-hour trip laying on my bac, across the second row each way. We loaded up a few things in the passenger seat and on the floor of the second row, and put the girl's car seats in the third row. Darwin stayed home (which he prefers to the car rides), so that made it easier. With a back that wasn't hurting too bad (thanks to laying down), I was able to mostly enjoy the weekend with the family. We explored Greenville on a beautiful spring day, came upon an Easter Egg Hunt when we were going to a park between Greenville and my parent's house, and had a very nice Easter morning/day with my parents at their house. The weather was amazing all weekend.
Rose and Zoe enjoying the Greenville, SC downtown park
Picture with the Easter Bunny at the Egg Hunt we stumbled upon in Greer, SC
Rose and Zoe in their matching Easter dresses, ready to hunt for eggs at their Avos house
Sipping hot chocolate in the nice warm South Carolin sunshine
Cheers to a wonderful Easter weekend!
In April, Bond Park started their "First Friday Bands, Bites, and Boats" event, which includes a performance on a small stage by a musician, a food truck, and boat rentals. We decided to check the first one out. Both girls wanted to dress as princesses. We brought our own dinner to the park, went out on a boat ride, and the girls practiced riding their balance bikes before going home.
Heading out on our boat ride
Rose zooms too fast for the camera
Zoe's still not sure about the balance bike
I know I've posted about it before, but we love where our girls go to school. The Reggio Emilia inspired Spanish languge immersion school really excels as the projects they do with the kids. They have tons of outdoor time, get fed good meals and snacks, work on themed projects every month (or a little longer), offer semi-annual parent-teacher conferences, and have semi-annual festivals to display the class projects. Rose was excited to show off her "transportation" projects and Zoe loved showing us her music displays.
As the weather warmed up in April, Rose really excelled in soccer. While she wasn't always scoring in the correct goal, she was working hard on the field, getting involved in the play, not getting frustrated when others pushed/knocked her down, and just really wanting to be on the field. She's a very good listener, paying attention and implementing what she learns. We are so proud of her.
Rose lined up for soccer drills at practice before the game
And, I have a feeling Zoe won't be left behind. I don't know if I've posted before that Zoe has always been a little pigeon-toed. We brought it up with the pediatrician a few times when she was young. He told us most of the best athletes are a little pigeon-toed. Not sure if there's any evidence of that, but I will say Zoe does act really athletic. She's got great ball control already and can move pretty quick. I hope we'll find out how she does with team sports in the fall. This video doesn't do her skills justice, but it is the best at capturing the games this spring.
School friends enjoying the post-game snack
A family selfie in April 2018
Rose enjoying the carousel at Pullen Park
Some museums and things we do are regular events in our household so I don't share details about them every time. As I often post, we are huge fans of both the Durham Museum of Life and Sciences (and their train, bears, wolves, lemurs, farm animals, butterfly house, music and treehouse exhibits) and Pullen Park (and their train, carousel, and paddle boats). In the spring, summer, and fall there are often events going on in Bond Park as well, like the Bonds, Bites, and Boats First Friday evenings. The park also hosts concerts at the amphitheatre, Arts festivals, kits festivals, dog festivals, etc.
Stay tuned for more posts on our May and June adventures, which include lots of pool time. If you've followed me for awhile, you know we spend a lot of time at our neighborhood pool. This year we've already gone to the pool a whole summer's worth of times thanks to a certain 4 year old now being old enough for the swim team. You'll have to wait to hear more about that!
During the month of August, we continued with our weekend and weekday trips to the pool. There were a few weekends that were not unbearably hot and we spent a day at a park or museum. We also made it to a concert in the park that's adjacent to our neighborhood. The big event and travel for us in August was taking a long weekend to go see the eclipse of 2017 in Greenville, SC! Rose also started soccer in August. Rose turned 3.5 in August and Zoe approached her 2nd birthday. Both girls grew like weeds all summer and it's been fun to have them be more self-sufficient and be able to communicate.
Zoe's eating her favorite peanut butter crackers at the pool
Zoe smiles when she wants to.
She loves to see the camera herself.
Rose and Zoe are running in Bond Park.
One of the many concerts we have listened to at the ampitheatre in the park
Lunch time at Pullen Park in Raleigh,
after going on the carousel and train and before heading home.
The first of back-to-back birthday parties at an indoor playground.
To see the Eclipse in Greenville, we spent the weekend at my parent's place in the mountains of Western NC. On Saturday we made our way to a Renaissance Festival at a farm after going to a farmers' market. The girls enjoyed getting their face (Rose) and arm (Zoe) painted, seeing the costumes, and playing on the slides and in the creek. Rose also enjoyed feeding some goats. We spent the middle part of the day driving the Blue Ridge Parkway while the girls napped and ended our day with dinner and music in Asheville.
Rose's Hello Kitty face paint
Zoe getting her arm painted
On Sunday, we made our way to Charlotte (2 hours away) to get my brother at the airport. Instead of going straight back to the cabin after lunch, we decided to walk around a small museum, called Discovery Place Nature for a little bit. The exhibits were just right for the girls and it was nice to be in a small museum with the short amount of time we had before the girls would need a nap.
Spending a few hours at a museum in Charlotte where Zoe's a bug:
Monday was Eclipse day! I was really nervous about finding a place to go to see the eclipse, especially as we left Tryon for Greenville around mid-day. We had to pack everything (including Darwin) and it was a hot August Day. I was cranky with the heat and with the stress of packing what we needed to be accessible. Thankfully, we found a science/technology elementary school that was hosting a watching party through Facebook. We headed straight there and found some shade by 1p or so. In the hour or two before complete darkness, the girls enjoyed the splash pad, we ate some moon pies, we watched the moon change through our viewing glasses and through a shadow box, and we listened to some of the music from the DJ. I was most grateful for shade and bathrooms. Even just sitting in the shade I was sweating!
Rose was really into the Eclipse, which made it more exciting for us. She did a great job looking through her glasses - which were ridiculously hard to purchase before the event. I was grateful for a friend who got some in the week leading up to our trip. The elementary school staff were giving them out at the viewing party, but we would have waited in a long line in the heat to get them.
Rose and Zoe had learned about the eclipse at school, and Rose kept giving us updates on what she saw. Zoe was more interested in maintaining her schedule, which should have included lunch and a nap. She managed to stay engaged with all the excitement despite being a bit "hangry".
The full eclipse was pretty amazing. In the few minutes just before it turned to dusk, our surroundings looked "chalky" with a tinge of almost grey. The temperature was noticeably cooler for the few minutes of complete elipse and for some of the minutes before and after. During the total eclipse, the stars came out, we could see the ring around the moon, we could hear crickets, and it looked like dusk at 2:30pm. It was so cool and an experience I hope to never forget. As we left Greenville for Raleigh, we started making plans to visit upstate NY/Burlington for the 2024 eclipse!
Because we hadn't eaten a good lunch and we didn't really know where to go in Greenville, post-eclipse was a bit of a disaster. We waited too long to be seated at a restaurant and ultimately gave up after almost 45 minutes because the girls were getting too cranky. We knew it would take a long time to get home as well. We had enough snacks that held everyone over as we slowly made our way home, and the girls napped. The four-hour trip took about 6-7 hours with a stop for dinner near Charlotte. It was close to midnight before we arrived home. Thankfully, the girls slept for most of the ride after dinner.
Finding food and shade at an Elementary school Eclipse viewing party in Greenville, SC
Rose would check on the sun's progress often during the hour we watched
It was difficult to capture the eclipse in a camera. I didn't bother trying to get the ring.
A glimpse of the total eclipse from Greenville, SC on August 21, 2017
Because we traveled to see the Eclipse, Rose missed the first soccer game of her career. While soccer runs in our veins, an eclipse is a pretty rare and memorable event worth missing soccer to see. Rose made up for it by being an attentive participant in the practice and scoring two goals in her game that followed the practice session. That first game we attended was pretty chaotic. Kids were picking up the ball all the time and clearly didn't know what to do. We were proud of Rose's ability to pay attention and participate. There were a few games after that first one where the other team was aggressive and we struggled through those with Rose. I'll admit, it is challenging to tell your child not to take things from people or push or hit and then try to teach them to be aggressive in sports.
Rose's first soccer practice, held for 30 minutes before her first 30 minute game.
We missed the first week because of the Eclipse, so she had to wait for a shirt.
Rose scores a goal in her first soccer game
I finally captured some video footage of Zoe talking and singing. If she notices she's being recorded, she immediately runs to grab the camera. I'm surprised she let me take video of her singing. We did have a few outtakes before capturing this longer video. The teachers at Zoe's school say that her Spanish is very good. It's amazing to me that she can switch between English and Spanish so easily. I love getting to learn the songs she sings at school and I'm also glad that Rose is my translator. While I can speak and understand Spanish, understanding toddler Spanish without context is sometimes difficult. Rose often translates for us because she knows the songs, expressions, and/or words that Zoe has picked up at school.
Lots of singing at bedtime
Stay tuned for Miss Zoe's 2nd Birthday and more September updates!
The month of March was filled with travel. As the previous two posts indicate, I spent the week of my birthday at the Outer Banks (OBX). When I returned to work, I traveled each of the last two weeks of the month.
The first week, March 22-25, involved traveling for 2 days to Greenville, NC and a day trip to Greensboro, NC.
Greenville is about 85 miles east of Raleigh - about halfway to the beach. I had been to Greenville twice before this trip. The first time I went with Colin to visit our friend Leora, who was doing an occupational therapy internship rotation at the hospital there. Leora is our friend from the University of Vermont who currently lives in Massachusetts. Her internship brought her to Greenville from January through March. The second time I went to Greenville to visit a program I oversee in that county.
This trip brought me to Greenville for a conference of North Carolina Cooperative Extension staff. It was nice to meet other staff from the eastern part of the state and to interact with other NCSU Extension staff from Raleigh. My coworker and I left on Tuesday and attended the conference on Wednesday and Thursday. We had dinner at the City Bistro Cafe, which is the restaurant in the hotel where the conference was located and where we stayed. The best part of the dinner was this amazing chocolate cake we shared.
The conference was enjoyable and the meals provided were okay. On Wednesday night, I was able to celebrate Leora's last night in Greenville with her. She had a small get together at a Mexican restaurant called La Cabana. Leora loves margaritas and, at $2.50 each, you couldn't find a better deal. It was great to see her one last time before she went back to Massachusetts.
Unfortunately, there wasn't much time to explore Greenville because the conference was an all day event both days. The first time I was there, Leora took us to River Park North for some hiking through the woods with her dog. It was a pretty small park, but did provide a place to enjoy the outdoors. We also got to eat at Sup Dogs, an eatery that offers meat and vegetarian hot dogs. My impression of the city is that there isn't much that would draw me there in the future.
We got back from Greenville late on Thursday and I had to travel again on Friday. This time I headed 80 miles in the opposite direction, to Greensboro, NC. This was just a day trip to meet with a colleague from outside of Charlotte. The library where we worked for most of the morning was one of the nicest libraries I've seen in awhile (Hemphill Public Library). There was a small private room that was perfect for us to work undisturbed.
In the afternoon we took our meeting to Panera, where we got lunch and continued to work. I have come to really enjoy lunch and working at Panera. While they do not appear to offer sustainable meat, they do have some pretty good vegetarian options - like the black bean soup, the tomato and mozzarella sandwich, and the Mediterranean veggie sandwich. Their salads are also pretty good and you can get an apple with your meal. I do find the food to taste very salty every time I eat there though. When I go there to work and have already had a meal, I typically enjoy their chai latte or ginger-peach tea.
I don't know much about Greensboro and will have to save a post about the area for a time I actually get to spend some time exploring.
