West Coast Visits

While Phillip and Jammie got to see Maggie and Matt on the west coast, we got to see Laura from the west coast! Grant was playing golf with his folks that afternoon, so Laura came up with him to visit. The first time she came, Sawyer and I were napping. I was trying to catch dad's cold, so I think I slept for over 2 hours. Sawyer ended up sleeping almost 3 hours. Laura was able to spend some quality time by herself with Caroline letting mom go to the grocery store. Mom and I took Sawyer with us to run some errands that morning, but we didn't make it to the grocery store for our last stop. It was too close to lunch and naptime and we smelled a meltdown coming. So we quickly headed home saying we'd come to the store later.

Laura came back over to the house after we were all up from our naps and visited for a few more minutes before going to meet Grant. She was also schooled in Geography 101 by Professor Gribble. She and Sawyer looked at some of the books Sawyer checked out from the library and got a little more playing time in with Caroline. Sawyer and GG went back to the library to return a few things and get some more books. Caroline and I took Pattie outside to try and burn off from energy. I have to say that Pattie has been catching the frisbee in the air..she's about 2 for 5 right now! Caroline loves Pattie and loves to taking her toys to her.

After supper, we tried taking Pattie outside again until she decided to run and bark at the neighbor without listening to her command of "come". So, she was in "time out" inside while I took Sawyer up to the horse swing at Jane's house. Then it was on to baths and bedtime.

Outdoor Eating

Wednesday morning, not realizing that Sawyer and I were back from Raleigh,Uncle Kyle called to see if he could take mom and Caroline out to lunch. Mom said sure if Sawyer and I could come too! So, we loaded up the car with kids and headed to Town and Country for lunch. It wasn't that hot yet and they have a nice covered outdoor eating area. I took one look and decided this is where we would eat! It was the perfect place for us to make a mess (which we helped clean) and be busy before, during, and after our meal!

Sawyer loves to do the trick where you say, "What's that on your shirt?" When the person looks down he runs his hand up until he gets your nose. He thinks this is hilarious! Kyle was a good sport and played along and got Sawyer a few times too!
Kyle was heading back to the farm so we said our goodbyes and headed back for naps. The afternoon was spent playing outside, swinging, and a mini training session for Pattie. After supper, we took the kids up to the church where we ran around the playground and Sawyer rode his bike some. I think I'm going to lose some weight just chasing these kids around!

Professor Gribble

Sawyer just might follow in his daddy's footsteps. Mom and Uncle Kyle worked together (or maybe mom just asked Uncle Kyle) to make a map for Sawyer. It shows the US and Australia. When we got back home from Raleigh, mom and Sawyer sat down to learn some geography. Sawyer marked where his trip started and marked where his parents are going. When they take their trips into the rainforest, the Great Barrier Reef, and the Outback Sawyer will mark them on his map. Good idea GG! The picture is from Caroline's party when Kathryn sat in on Geography 101!

One Year Sweeter

Tuesday morning, Sawyer and I once again awoke before anyone else. We ate breakfast and were ready to play with the boys. Once Heather was awake and we were able to share coffee together one last morning, I started packing up our stuff. When everything was loaded, Sawyer and I said goodbye to our wonderful host, hostess, and mini hosts. We headed over to play with the girls for a bit before leaving town.

The Hoggs, Lewis', Sawyer and I took Pattie down to a field close to their house for some running time! We all walked there, enjoyed the sunshine, and threw the ball for Pattie. After the kids finished up the snack, we headed back to the house for some playtime and lunch. After lunch, I said a sad goodbye to the Hoggs who will be flying back to Michigan on Thursday. Sawyer wanted to give hugs to everyone there, even the girls; then we loaded up and headed to see Caroline. It was her 1st birthday!!!

Sawyer took his nap in the car, so he was ready to play once we got home. Caroline was awake from her nap as well, so we enjoyed some good playing time together. Kathryn came over for dinner and the mini birthday party. Other family had prior engagements and our "sunday lunch bunch" crew is at the beach. We had pizza, salad, and a pink lemonade cake from Dewey's Bakery. When I was a little girl, I loved getting pink lemonade squares. So, mom decided to get a whole cake for Caroline!

Caroline was just as interested in the bows and bags as she was the presents inside. I think Sawyer had more fun opening everything up for her! He was a good big brother and excited to see Caroline; even though he wanted to stay and play in Raleigh.

I remember the morning Caroline was born. I was lucky to be in the delivery room when she was born just as I was with Sawyer. I can't believe she celebrated her 1st birthday already!

Monday,Monday

Monday morning Sawyer and I woke up early again to a rainy morning...well Sawyer did at least! As we "tiptoed" downstairs, a very large, very territorial older cat was waiting on Pattie. I guess he had enough of this dog being in his house for two days and he decided it was time to show her who's boss. It went something like this: Pattie starts to bark, cat hisses and shows claws, Sawyer is a little nervous, Pattie finally gets outside to potty, Sawyer quickly makes it to a chair, cat is at back door on back legs hissing at Pattie who is outside barking, I get a pretend treat and try to get cat up the stairs, cat figures out my trick halfway up stairs and claws at me leaving 4 cuts, Sawyer screams out "Aunt Bethany I need a tissue!", I am trying not to scream from the cuts and try to whisper "go to the bathroom", Sawyer says "but it's coming out of my nose, I need a tissue quick", I say again "go to the bathroom" as I finally get cat into a door and shut door, quickly make it down stairs to find that Sawyer is good and Pattie is still barking, let her inside and look for coffee. Remember, that everyone else is still sleeping!

So, everyone gets up and Sawyer is able to play with the boys. When Heather gets back from taking the oldest to school, Sawyer and I head over to "the girls" house to play. We were all going to the pool, but the rain changed our plans for us. It was decided that we would build a fort which of course Sawyer thought was really cool! It took 4 adults, 2 couches, one oversized chair, 4 kitchen table chairs, rubber bands, clothespins, other clips, sheets, and blankets to create this masterpiece. During this fort making time I must add that the kitten at this house cut my pinky finger deep enough to have it throb all day..they all must know that I love dogs better!

So, since the fort took up the entire living room space and almost all the kitchen chairs, we had a picnic on the floor for lunch. Sawyer and I headed back to the Bryants for naptime and some play time with the boys again. Mid-afternoon, the two of us headed back over to the girls house for more playtime and dinner (again, what we do best!). While the ladies headed to the store for a few more items for dinner, William and Ben were now in charge. When we returned, there was another fort built. This time it only involved overturned furniture, a few couch cushions, and two blankets. This of course was Sawyer's favorite fort!

What We Do Best

After naps, it was time to eat! Which is what we always seem to do best together...especially with some cold beverages and a bag of ruffles! The Hoggs and Lewis (all the girls) came over to the Bryants house for a cookout. While Heather and I ran to the store, Mark and all four boys played soccer and other games outside. When we returned all the boys were sweating. So, they got their bathing suits on and played in the sprinkler. When everyone else arrived, two of the girls threw on their bathing suits or "fakini" according to Anna, and joined in! There was lots of soaking wet kids who then joined in some games on the swing set as well.

After dinner, the kids all enjoyed popsicles which was cute all in itself. What a great time catching up with everyone. Never fear, Pattie was in on the mix too. She tried her best at getting food unsuccessfully, but did successfully eat one of the boys frisbees!

As the evening was wrapping up, we got together for a girls picture. Lilianna wanted to join in on the mix, so she jumped in the swing with us. As you can see in the pictures, she's giving us her best gang signs and raising the roof!!!

Sunday Showdown

Now Sawyer and I are on quite a different schedule from the Bryant boys. He doesn't usually go to sleep until 9 -9:30ish and he wakes up around 6:45. The Bryant boys are usually in bed around 8:00, especially now that school has started back (year round) and they don't usually get up before 8:00. Sawyer and I shared a bed so the first morning I awake to "Aunt Bethany is it time to get up yet?" As I look at the clock I immediately say 15 more minutes. I got about 5 minutes more before we headed downstairs. A ready to go boy and a "really have to potty" puppy go bounding down the stairs! Sawyer has eaten breakfast and quitely played in their playroom before the boys get up!

We all decided to go to Weaver Street in Carrboro. They have a square there where people gather to hear music from 11-1 on Sundays. So, we loaded up the 4 boys and 3 adults and headed to meet the other van full of 3 kids and 4 adults! The kids enjoyed "climbing" the huge oak tree and some enjoyed dancing to the music. There are large hula hoops, like the ones I used to use when I was big into String Cheese, that the kids tried using to hula hoop! Mark grabbed a football at the last minute so the boys enjoyed throwing that around too. There was also a smaller tree that the boys enjoyed climbing as well. We enjoyed a picnic lunch under the shade while the kids ran around and played. Sawyer and I went inside and got some ice cream together. Before we all left for naptimes, we found someone to take our group picture! Amazing how we have grown!!!

Raleigh Arrivial

Phillip and Jammie left Friday night to begin their long trek to Australia. This was also the same day my dear friends, The Hoggs, were flying from MI back to Raleigh for a visit. Victoria and I shared our first year of teaching together. And so it began. The first half of the year it was Victoria, Ben, and myself. We grew to add Heather and Mark, then finally addingWilliam and Jessica to our circle of friends. When I went to visit this weekend, our group had grown to 14 people!!! (Sawyer was included in this number.)

I was already planning on going to Raleigh to visit with everyone. I thought it would be fun to take Sawyer with me and let him play with all the kids that would be there. There were 3 girls and 3 boys for him to meet. So, Saturday morning I packed the car then Pattie, Sawyer, and I headed to Cary/Apex area! We arrived in time to play with the boys for a bit before rest time. After everyone was up, we headed to downtown Raleigh for a free concert and kid zone they had. Sawyer was really interested in the big blow up slide and he got in the bounce house. The music was a little loud for him. When it seemed the kids had enough, we all headed to The Loop for dinner before calling it a night. We had a big day ahead of us!

No Pups

Well, there will be no pups for Pattie! Even though she has been a good puppy, I just don't want to have a large amount of puppies to take care of one day. I dropped her off at the vet Tuesday morning for her surgery. I have no doubt in my mind she will now hate going to the vet with a passion! It was strange coming home and not having a puppy follow me around from room to room.
I called them around lunch time to see when I could come get her. They were not sure yet because she was still waking up, however, they told me the doctor wanted to talk with me and would call me. Well, after waiting for an hour and a half, I called the vet! I couldn't handle the anticipation. First they said that I could come get her anytime and second that she would be coming home with some medicine. She is like an old woman now! She has her pain medication, a pill for a puppy rash on her belly, and eye drops for pink eye! I thought her eye looked infected Tuesday morning, so they said they would check it out for me. I had also seen some bumps on her belly Monday night, so good thing I was already taking her to the vet! Needless to say, I will be eating ramen noodles and drinking water for the rest of the month! :)
The pictures are from last night and are hard to see I know. I took them with my phone. The first one is of her lying on her bed sleeping with her head in the air! The second one is her sleeping on the bottom of the coffee table. She was snoring in this position until her head rolled off and woke her up! Never fear...playful Pattie is making a comeback!

Friends, Food, and Fireworks

To celebrate this 4th of July, I went to a cookout and was able to watch a fireworks display. Anna and Blair had a friend come up Friday night. So we all went to dinner, watched the drum circle (because everyone needs to see it once!), and grabbed some drinks downtown. We ran into another teacher at the drum circle who joined us as well.

Saturday morning I got up to join Maggie and Crystal for our walk. We set a new "schedule" to meet on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday mornings to go walking (almost jogging!). It's a great time to hang with good friends and get some exercise at the same time. I stopped by the store to get something for the cookout I had forgotten and saw the strawberries and blueberries. I had already told Ann and Brad that I would bring slaw and pasta salad that night. When I saw the fruit I decided to make a flag cake. I saw this a few years ago and have wanted to make one, but never went anywhere exciting for the 4th. So, this year was my chance! It turned out to be a hit, but how hard is it really to bake a cake and slap some cool whip and fruit on top?!

Pattie and I headed over to Anna's house to let Clemson and Pattie play for a bit before we all headed over to the cookout. Ann and Brad got a chocolate lab puppy last Sunday so it was her debut to the world that night! She is a cutie pie! I can't wait until she gets bigger and Pattie gets to meet her! Maggie, Justin, and their two boys were at the cookout as well. The food was fabulous! There is just something about food cooked on the grill!

When it got close to dark, we packed up our stuff and headed over to Crystal and Danny's house for fireworks. They were coming to the cookout but got wrapped up in yard work, so at least we got to see them for the show! They have a great view from their house of a couple of firework displays. Owen (Crystal's oldest son) and Miles (Maggie's oldest) were so excited to see each other! They were the dancing entertainment before the real show. Owen snuggled up with me and watched the fireworks. They were beautiful! There's something about fireworks too!

Playful Pattie

I have been trying to let Pattie be active these past few weeks by getting her out for a walk or jog almost every day and having time to play with her friend Clemson. (She goes for her girlie surgery on Tuesday so I want her to remember how nice I really am!) By last Friday I had enough of the no A/C business. Anna and her husband graciously invited Pattie and I to a sleepover Saturday night which turned into another one on Sunday. So, we gladly accepted the invitation. Pattie and Clemson ran and played all weekend long! I think Pattie slept almost all day Monday and wasn't too interested in being active Monday night either.

Since her recovery from the weekend play date, we have gone walking with Maggie and Crystal twice, and have gone on 2 jogs. I have thrown the ball in the backyard with her some and she seems pretty interested in that. Well, I saw a chuckit on sale...best $5.50 I've spent on her! I could throw the ball for her, but not nearly as far and fast as this can! She was so excited when we tried it out for the first time! Now in the video I am throwing it with my left hand which does go far, but not nearly as far when I get it in my right hand! She had a blast and now is resting in the sunshine. The second video shows off one of her tricks she can do...well three tricks really...sit, down, stay. She is cute and fun!