Easter 2017

As befits the occasion, we had absolutely stunning weather for our Easter weekend - and we took full advantage of it, from soccer games on Saturday morning, to a tennis match that afternoon for me, and then a fabulous evening on the "party porch" with the Francos. And that was just Saturday (with zero photos)!

Since Tim was singing at Sunday evening mass, we had a blessedly leisurely Easter morning. Eventually Laura did rally the troops to hunt for the eggs the Easter Bunny had hidden the night before:

Finally it was time to make ourselves presentable and head to church. I think we cleaned up pretty nicely (after two wardrobe changes for Danny...):

It was a day very easy for us all to feel blessed!

Spring Break (for Danny and Laura, At Least)

Gator hunting in the morning

The only real issue with Clare attending Marist while the other two are at Christ the King arises in the spring, when they have completely different spring breaks. Last year I simply took the younger kids out of school and headed to Florida. This year Clare was invited to spring break with Abby and her family, so then when it came time for the CKS break she simply stayed home with Tim and the three of us headed to Sarasota. I think we all wondered what it would be like to vacation without Clare and Tim, but I'm happy to say we managed to have a fabulous week (while still missing them, of course).

While the usual enticements of Florida - gator-hunting via scooter, heading to the pool, etc. - were certainly part of the joy, the presence of a brother-sister duo approximately the same ages made for many easily passed hours. The grandparents are friends of Donna's and Larry's, and the kids hit it off so well. The boys golfed while we gals dined out and enjoyed the water on the first night:

Laura looking extremely comfortable with a beverage on the beach...

This went so well that we invited them to join us at the aquarium the next day, which also led to lunch and then a fun afternoon at the pool (swimming is just so much more fun with friends!).

We did part ways the next day as Donna and Larry had rented a boat, which was a gorgeous excursion complete with a dolphin viewing (unphotographed due to Laura's dire fear that I would drop the phone in the water).

The stop at Casey Key beach was a major highlight for the kids (and wound up being our only beach visit the entire week, oddly enough):

The following day, Wednesday, was the designated day at the Magic Kingdom for me, Danny and Laura. It was very crowded, but we managed to thoroughly enjoy ourselves and worked in three rides on Thunder Mountain and Pirates of the Caribbean, among many others.

Thursday was our final day on break, as we had to head home the following day in order to get home for Danny's basketball tournament. Unfortunately it rained all morning, so our planned beach excursion was a bust, but it did clear off in time for Danny to golf again with Larry and his buddies. It was much cooler, so we gals opted to do a bit of shopping instead of swimming. We all finished with a delicious dinner at Stoneybrook, where Larry regaled Danny with the life and times of Teddy Roosevelt, and I'm not sure who enjoyed that more!

Once again I was reminded of how blessed we are to enjoy such beautiful places and special people!

Shining Stars

Friday, March 31 was a big day for both Danny and Clare. And thank heavens they didn't overlap, so I could witness both!

First up was Danny's 4th grade Poetry Performance, which is a true highlight of that grade and a favorite of all parents. I want you to know that it was entirely Danny's idea to wear a sport coat, too! Good choice, might I add. He, and all of his classmates, performed beautifully and clearly enjoyed every moment.

From here Clare and I raced to the car and hit the highway (thankfully not clogged despite the collapse of Highway 85 just the night before), heading the the Georgia State Geography Bee in Milledgeville. This was a repeat visit for Clare, who once again represented Marist and was once again one of only 10 girls out of the 100 finalists.

As usual, we were immensely proud of them both!