Glorious, Beautiful, Wonderful DECK!

The deck is done! I want to shout it from the rooftops!!! And it is so PERFECT! It is just the right size for all our stuff without feeling crowded, and with room for the kids to still run around. It's so nice to come out of the back door and just be on the deck, as opposed to having to climb down two steep steps. I could go on and on. I LOVE THIS DECK! We're already planning a cookout for a week from Sunday, hehe! And I may or may not have invited just about everyone I know from here in town. It's a lot of people. I am sort of hoping that some people can't come, because it's going to be crazy!

Anyway, without further ado... here it is!! And, if you want to see the entire progression from start to finish, my album is here! It really is an amazing deck. It's 32 feet long, and 16 feet out from the house at its widest part (12 feet out at the rest). Such a great, great addition to our yard!

Construction wrapped up at around 11am, and I instantly ran out and started "moving in." We ate lunch out there (ahhh... bliss!), and then spent hours out there later in the afternoon. Today happened to be the warmest day so far this year, and it's still getting warmer, even at night! The kids wore their new swimsuits, which were Easter gifts from Niko's godparents, and tossed around water balloons and played with spray bottles. I sat on THE DECK (!!) and read my book. Really, it was awesome. Everyone loves the deck! We ate dinner out there, too, and then Gus and I moved the bigger things up there (the grill, the wood rack for the fire pit, etc.). We are in business! We will definitely be grilling outside this weekend!

It also hit me that giving the upper deck a facelift wouldn't be too hard. That deck is structurally sound. The part that I don't trust is the staircase, which is supported separately. In my perfect world, we would yank off the staircase and turn that deck into a balcony. Then we'd replace the flooring and rails with the same material as the new deck, and then skirt it all with white PVC (like the new deck). The framework is still good! I bet we could do it ourselves in one weekend, for a few hundred bucks. I don't know if it will happen this year, but I am VERY excited about this prospect! It would also mean that we wouldn't have to look at the staircase out of our dining room window. AWESOME!

In case you can't tell, I am a little excited today. Best. Deck. EVER!! :)

Memorial Day

First, let me just say that I love our town. Have I mentioned that before? It's such a neat place. It's like the perfect little small town in rural America, with fresh air, lots of open space, nice people, and wholesome fun for everyone. That sounds so cheesy. And yet, it is totally true! I never felt this way living in California, but it is very easy to see why people live places like this, where we get slammed with snow in the winter. Because it's totally worth it!

Anyway... Today was Memorial Day. I haven't been feeling great, and have been a single parent all weekend, since Gus was in California for his friend Min's wedding (one of his oldest friends... he was Gus' Best Man at our wedding). Anyway, I had heard a rumor that there was some sort of a procession in town, starting at the town hall and ending at the cemetery about two blocks down from us. But nobody really said anything, and I had kind of decided that I would just stay home in my jammies. But then a friend posted a picture of her boys on Facebook, all dressed in their scouting uniforms and ready for the parade. So... with about twenty minutes to spare, I got all three of us dressed, dragged the wagon out of the basement, and walked the two longest blocks of my life (a loooong uphill followed by a loooooong downhill). But we made it right on time! We found a spot right outside the cemetery, waited for about three minutes, and then the parade came around the bend: There were a few different military groups, a pipe band, and all the scouts in town. And as they walked by, everyone on the sidelines fell into step behind them, and everyone marched into the cemetery. I had actually never been in there before-- it is huge! And there is a small pond at the very back, which was where everyone congregated. A clergyman read out a prayer for the souls of the deceased. Guns were fired in salute. Someone played taps on a trumpet. And then all the Daisy Scouts threw white carnations into the water. It was really moving and powerful! And it reinforced what I had been telling the kids all weekend, explaining what Memorial Day is actually about. I am really glad we decided to go.

Then, when we got back home, we did some work in the garden. I pulled weeds, took the netting off (since the peas were starting to cling to it), and made little teepees for my beans to climb. I really need better climbing stuff, especially for my peas, but I will figure that out some day this week. Anyway, look at my little garden! This little 4x8 box is currently growing carrots, garlic, leaf lettuce, romaine lettuce, broccoli, bell peppers, red onions, oregano, basil, parsley, chives, spinach, cherry tomatoes, regular tomatoes, peas, and green beans. This is in addition to my blueberry, raspberry, and blackberry bushes, my planter of strawberries, my planter of yellow onions, and so on... you get the point! And I haven't even planted my corn, watermelon, or sunflowers yet, hehe! I LOVE MY GARDEN!! Meanwhile... the deck guys showed up this morning, scaring me half to death since I figured they would have the day off! But they put in about six hours of work, and got every single deck board installed except for one-- the very last one, closest to that door, which needs to be cut to fit (it's just a little too wide). They should be done by the end of the week. They just need to get that one board in, replace the siding on the house (they took it off very carefully-- they just have to put it back on), install the rails, install the one step down, and then do something to cover up the wood that is visible from the side (I don't know what the plan is, but I know that there is one!). It is so awesome already, though! It's so nice to walk out that door and onto the deck! And the kids are crazy about it! In fact, they were so enamored with it, that they really wanted to eat dinner on it tonight. Yeah, I gave in and we got the worst possible junk food. But they were happy, and I was tired. It was just that kind of day!
In other news, Gus spent all day yesterday with my brother and his family, and got to meet little Riley. He texted me this picture. I am so jealous!! I am also happy that he is back in the state, and on his way home. I know two little kids who are going to wake up early tomorrow to make sure Daddy's home!

Winter, Redux

After a warm, muggy week, where the rain mostly contained itself to the evenings, everything went wonky yesterday. For one, it rained all day long. I seriously don't think it stopped. Just solid rain, all day. And, as if the rain wasn't enough, the temperatures plummeted! We went from 70 degrees on Friday to 40 degrees yesterday. There was a frost warning here last night, and some places not too far from here actually saw snow! Hello? It is LATE MAY. It will be JUNE in less than a week! And the kids and I were all huddled around the pellet stove getting warm. What's wrong with this picture?

In equally crazy news... we should be back up to 70 tomorrow, and jump into the mid-to-high 80s by the end of the week. Mother Nature has truly lost her mind!

Anyway... Yesterday was a soggy day, as I mentioned. But it was also the first day all week where I didn't have a construction crew at my house. Not that I need to be here when they're working, but sometimes it helps (like when they tripped the circuit breaker a few days ago... or when they wanted me to decide the exact placement of the staircase). So I try not to be gone for very long when they're here. Yesterday was Saturday, though, so I took the kids and ran errands. My big goal was to find something to put on our now-empty living room wall (more on that in a sec). I dragged the kids to the mall, but we left empty-handed. They didn't mind, though, because I let them go on a few of the cheesy little rides. Then, in the afternoon, the natives were getting restless. They were bouncing off the walls. We could have probably gone outside, but it was cold, and I didn't want to. It suddenly occurred to me that the bounce house would probably fit in our living room, now that the armoire was gone (hence the now-empty wall). And... it did! They bounced and bounced to their little hearts' content. I went in the front room and sat by the fire, just for a little peace and quiet. And once they were done, they were much calmer, and everyone was happier. It was pretty much my best idea ever, haha!

But back to this blank wall... When we moved in, the movers realized that our very nice armoire (part of our bedroom set) would not fit upstairs, no matter how they tried. And it's true. We have two staircases in this house. The older one has a VERY low ceiling, and is also very far from our bedroom (lots of turns to navigate). The other staircase is much more open, but would involve navigating this massive piece of furniture around two very tight corners. And it just wasn't happening. So the armoire got left downstairs. We couldn't even put it just anywhere, because it was too tall for the entire front of the house (which has lower ceilings, being built in 1830). The thing ended up in our living room, completely out of place, because there was just nowhere else for it to go.

After 18 months of trying to sell this thing, and many sales falling through because of its size, it finally went to a new home on Friday! Seriously, I couldn't even donate it, because it exceeded size and weight limits for most charities. It had gotten to the point where I thought I would never see it gone! Anyway, it's gone now, and the living room feels much bigger. Big enough for a bouncy house! I, myself, was practically jumping for joy! Woohoo!

And, completely off topic... I spent probably 40 minutes looking all over the house for Pink Bunny at bedtime tonight. Maya actually went to bed without her, and I kept looking. I finally found her. But seriously???? Maya does stuff like this ALL THE TIME! Do you see Pink Bunny? I searched this room probably ten times before I finally saw her! And Maya had no idea where she was, of course. Is there such a thing as a LoJack for loveys???

Preschool Graduation

Awww... our baby boy is really, officially done with preschool. I did get a little choked up during the processional, seeing our boy in his little graduation cap. But I quickly pulled myself together and enjoyed the nine-minute-long ceremony. Yup, nine minutes! Short and sweet! The owner welcomed everyone, the director/lead teacher read a poem, the kids sang two songs, and then the other teachers read names and passed out "diplomas." And then we moved into another room for cake, cookies, and juice. I think I was out of the house for about 45 minutes total, haha! Anyway, here are a few pictures from after the ceremony. I didn't take any pictures during the ceremony because I was busy recording the whole thing on video. (I don't want to post the video on here for privacy reasons, but just let me know if you would like the link to see it!).

First, the graduate and his #1 Fan (seriously):

And our boy with his three teachers:
Finally, cake!
Please note Maya's necklace. We spent a good amount of time searching for it this morning, because she wanted to "dress up" for Niko's graduation, since it was such a special day. Is she not the cutest??

Anyway, that was our big event of the morning. Deck construction continues. It's Memorial Day weekend, but it's going to be unseasonably cold and rainy and just generally unpleasant. I don't think we will be doing much! Hopefully we will get to enjoy our deck next weekend!

Lasts and Firsts!

Today was the last official day of preschool. So sad! Maya will be returning in September, but this chapter in Niko's life has drawn to a close. He has a little graduation ceremony tomorrow. I am honestly not sure if I will be able to hold it together, considering I got misty-eyed this morning (much to my own surprise!). Ugh!! At any rate, I took the obligatory last-day-of-school picture before we left this morning (compare it to the first day, back in September!): Anyway... I got Maya settled at school, and then Niko and I were off on his first-ever field trip! And I got to be a parent chaperone! :) The preschool basically chartered a school bus, so the driver came inside and told the incoming kindergarteners about the rules of riding on the bus. Because, unlike in California, everyone here still rides the bus to school! Then we drove around town for a while, and even drove by the elementary school (there's only one!). A lot of kids, Niko included, were so excited to point out their houses as we drove by. How's that for a small town? haha!

After we had driven around for a while, we drove to a local marketplace with an ice cream shop inside, and all the kids got scoops. The shop is actually named after the owner's son, who has serious food allergies, and so it's pretty much the only ice cream place in town where there is no cross contamination with the toppings and flavors and whatnot. AND-- his son is in Niko's class, which I never realized. Despite the rainy weather, it was still warm ("swampy," according to one local friend). Great ice cream weather! So the kiddos all sat outside the store and ate, and just generally had a good time. I had three little kids I was responsible for (one of whom was Niko), and they were hilarious. Really, I got a very good-natured, silly little group. It was a blast! Back at the preschool, the younger kids decorated a banner for the big kids, which greeted us upon our return. It was so sweet! Cue the tears. I kept it in check today, but am not sure how well I will do tomorrow. Don't worry-- I'll be videotaping most, if not all, of the short ceremony!

We got home, and the construction crew was hard at work! They had actually left for a while, because of a sudden downpour, but they got back just before we did. And while I said I would wait to share all the photos once the deck is done, this one just excites me. For the first time, it is looking like a deck! I can't wait to sit out there and read while the kids play! And it could quite possibly be done sometime next week. I can't wait!! Speaking of the downpour... the weather has been so weird this week! Very warm, humid, and thunderstorm-y. Two nights ago, we had a severe storm that sat on top of us for hours, keeping me from sleeping very well. Last night, we had an honest-to-God TORNADO warning here! They cancelled it after only a few minutes, thank goodness, but it was scary. And today, at around 4pm, the sky opened up and dumped torrential amounts of water for an hour straight. It was deafening, even from inside the house! Now, the forecast is saying the temps are going to plunge back down over the weekend, with high temps in the low fifties. What gives, Mother Nature? This is crazy!

Big Changes!

It's been five days since I last blogged, but it feels like only two. Oops! Time flies when you are insanely busy, I guess!

The biggest news, I suppose, is that we are getting a deck in the back yard! We have a small deck already, but it's on the second floor and isn't the most stable thing. At some point, we will probably tear it down and replace it with a small balcony. But this deck is going to be just outside our back door, and it is going to be AWESOME! We're having it built with super low-maintenance materials, so it should last us forever! Anyway, the construction crew arrived early this morning to break ground. They dug the holes for the footings, and the building inspector came out to make sure they were up to snuff. Tomorrow, they pour the concrete. And then they just build it until it's done! We should have a deck in about two weeks-- I can't WAIT!!! I am taking pictures every day, but I think I will post them all when the project is done. Well, except for this one. This is our official "before" picture: Let's see, what else has happened? On Saturday, we had another day where we were out of the house pretty much the entire day. Our morning began with a trip to the post office to get passports for the kids, in the event that we end up going to Greece this summer. I understand the reasoning for it, but both parents need to be present when applying for passports for kids under age 16. So that meant we had to hit the post office early. After that, we had to follow Gus to the motorcycle place, where he had planned to drop off his bike for a few things, but ended up just waiting (so we drove home). Then it was off to Niko's t-ball game. He played his friend Greg's team, which he was very excited about! Then, we went to a place I only just "discovered" this week. I was so out of the loop, apparently! I had no idea that our little town has a seasonal restaurant that is only open in the late spring/summer. And it is AWESOME! There's a huge menu, the food is cheap, and you just sit out on the huge deck (or the screened-in porch, or the dining room) and eat your food. It's in the boonies, just like the rest of the town, so it almost feels like you are having a cookout on your own deck. Except this deck belongs to the whole town, and everyone and their mother goes there. I had heard about it last year, but I thought it was just an ice cream stand. And while they do, in fact, have a separate ice cream menu, I was very, very wrong!

Anyway, I guess we're official now. And we will definitely be going back! After that, we went to see a man about a boat. Gus really, really wants a boat. I understand it, since we live in an area with a ridiculous number of ponds and lakes, and lots of people have boats. And Gus' coworker was selling his old fishing boat for cheap. But... yeah. It was a money pit. The kids liked it, but they were easy to please! We ended up deciding that a 14-foot canoe with a little trolling motor was a better (and cheaper, and newer, and easier...) option. Guess who came home with a canoe today? haha! Gus is already excited for the weekend after next, so we can take it out on its maiden voyage. (by the way, this is his Father's Day, birthday, anniversary, and Christmas gift all rolled into one-- I'm off the hook for the rest of the year, woohoo!). Pictures to come!

On Sunday, yesterday, we stayed close to home and enjoyed the nice weather. Maya and I pulled weeds in the garden. Well, they weren't technically weeds... Really, they were over a hundred baby tomato plants, springing up all over from the seeds of the tomatoes that fell off the vine last year. Oops!! But there were, literally, somewhere between one and two hundred of them. We cleared them all out, though, and our garden looks great! Everything is growing and thriving. It's going to be a great summer!

In the afternoon, we had Little League pictures. Our team's scheduled time was 4:00, and it started to rain at like 3:30. Doh!! Pictures did continue as planned, outdoors in the rain, but I had the foresight to snap a few of my own before the rain started. I didn't know if they were going to cancel pictures, and Niko was already dressed up! So... yeah. The "official" pictures should be interesting. At least it was fairly warm outside... but we all got soaked!

Anyway, that brings us back to today, and the first day of deck construction. In addition to the deck, this is also the last week of preschool! The kids have a Teddy Bear Picnic at school tomorrow, Niko has a field trip on Thursday, and then the little graduation ceremony is on Friday. I can't believe it!!

Kindergarten Orientation

Yup, today was the day: I took my big boy to kindergarten orientation! :( I really shouldn't feel sad. He is more than ready, and I know he is going to love it. But I sometimes look at him and I can still see this little newborn. Babies don't go to elementary school! It just blows my mind. The past five and a half years had moments where they felt like they were going so slowly, and yet they have flown by. I have a (soon-to-be) kindergartener! I don't get it!

Anyway, it went great. Between preschool and all the activities we've been involved in, Niko knew a bunch of other kiddos the minute we walked in the door. That was a relief! Our school district still does half-day kindergarten, with the option to pay for full-day if you want. And it's pricey, but still cheaper than childcare, which is why it's a reasonable option for families where both parents work. Anyway, they have two separate orientation programs, and today's was for the half-day kiddos. We weren't sure how many of Niko's friends would be in the half day program, but most of them were there! We do live in a community where it's the norm for one parent to stay at home, so I think most kids end up in the half day program. Still, it was reassuring to him to see a lot of familiar faces! It's sort of amazing how quickly everyone gets to know each other in such a small town, seriously!

At any rate... I sat and listened to the principal's presentation, while all the kids got taken off to the kindergarten classrooms to talk to current kindergarteners and do an art project. I didn't learn anything surprising. Except that elementary schools in California and Massachusetts are, at their core, the same. haha! Same basic policies and all that, only with different weather conditions. I will need to get Niko an oversized backpack to accommodate a change of shoes for when the weather gets bad, but that was pretty much the only thing I felt compelled to write down. And I got a classroom supply list already! I am kind of excited to go shopping!!

After the thing was over, and before we went to get Maya (who had been taken to dance class by Caryn), I made my boy pose in front of the school sign (which I have blurred out since this blog is public). This will be his school for the next three years! And then, in sixth grade, he will be back here for middle school (which is a separate school, but shares a driveway with the elementary school). He looks so tiny here! I can't believe we have finally gotten to this point! And, on a completely unrelated note, Gus took this picture of me and the kids on Mother's Day. I love it, as much as I love them. I love being a mom! And I have the best kids in the entire world!!

Happy Mother's Day!

We love our mommies (and grandmommies)!

Cutest Cow Ever!

So... My plan was to take Maya's dance pictures myself. Unless, of course, her studio pictures turned out great. And, wouldn't you know it, they are SO CUTE! I had to buy this one. And then the group picture cracked me up! Most of these little girls will be in kindergarten together in another year (most of them live in our town). And, provided people don't move away, most of these girls will be graduating high school together one day. What a weird thing to think about!!

Anyway, the colors are a little weird because of my scanner... but I seriously love them!!

And so it begins...

I was looking ahead on the calendar yesterday morning, and realized that Nikos' kindergarten orientation is already next week! I found out about it by looking at the school's website a while back, but had never gotten anything in the mail, so I called to confirm. Yup! Next Wednesday. And we should apparently be getting letters about it this week. As an aside-- that seems like really short notice for something so important! I am really glad I already knew about it, and that I have already made arrangements for Maya to go to dance class with Caryn that morning!

Anyway... no sooner had I confirmed the date, than Niko came home with a paper in his backpack announcing the final PTO meeting of the year at his soon-to-be elementary school. They invited the parents of incoming kindergarteners to come and check it out. And the meeting was tonight! Again, short notice, but I'm glad I was able to go!

So... I was the only "newbie" there, haha! Thankfully, there were a few familiar faces, so I wasn't too nervous. There were about ten people at the meeting, and the principal came in and sat down right next to me. I ended up introducing myself and the kids, and we talked for a bit. She swears she has seen me somewhere before, which makes me nervous (where? what was I doing?), but she was very nice. The assistant principal was there, too. I really felt like I was received very warmly, and I even ended up volunteering to be the school's Box Tops for Education Coordinator (something I have MANY years of experience with, haha!).

Meanwhile... The PTA had hired a few high school girls to babysit all our kids while we were in the meeting. It made me nervous to send my babies off with these strangers and a group of other kids... but Oh. My. Gosh. These girls were FANTASTIC. I should have gotten their phone numbers to come and babysit at our house! Seriously, the kids were having so much fun that they didn't want to go home. And both of them told me all the way to the car how much they LOVED elementary school and couldn't wait to go back! I love it!

I nearly forgot, too... On the way to the meeting, we basically had to walk all the way through the school. The schools here are designed very differently from California schools-- everything is indoors, for obvious reasons! We met up with my friend Jen, whose older kids both go to the school (and whose youngest is the same age as Maya-- they're in dance together). Anyway, as we walked down the hall, she showed us where the two half-day kindergarten classrooms are. Nikos will be in one of them next year! His eyes were HUGE as he peeked inside! Such a crazy moment!

Anyway... that was tonight. My first foray into the world of elementary school, from the parent perspective! And we are off to a great start!

But yeah... So it begins! We have orientation next week, during which time Niko will really get to check out the school while us parents get the spiel in the school multi-purpose room. And the following week is his last week of preschool... he has his first field trip, which is ONLY for kids going into kindergarten (causing Maya to shed many tears). They are going to learn all about riding on the school bus as they take a tour of the town, and then they will get another little tour of the elementary school (there's only one in town, so they will all go there!). After that, they will go and get ice cream at a local shop, and play at the town playground until it's time to go back to school. I'm actually going as a chaperone on the trip, too, which should be a ton of fun! And then, the day after that, my baby boy graduates from preschool. I really can't believe that this chapter of his life is already ending. I'm pretty sure I am going to cry!! ACK!!!!

Grandma and Grandpa's Visit

Once again, I am far, far behind on this blogging thing. Seriously! So much has happened... I'm gonna have to type quickly here!

So, my parents arrived on Tuesday morning. They had wanted to come out for Maya's birthday, and we weren't sure when they would make it, since they were on babysitting duty for Colton, and baby Riley was overdue. But, they made it! They arrived when the kids were in preschool, and we all went together to pick them up. The kids were overjoyed! We went out to lunch that day, and then barbecued some burgers that night. We even sat by the fire pit and toasted some marshmallows. Spring has finally arrived!

The next day was Wednesday-- and Maya's actual birthday! We surprised the birthday girl with four helium balloons (thank you, Dollar Tree!) and a rose just like the one she had chosen for me on my birthday. She had mentioned how much she loved it and wished someone would buy her one, so how could we resist? Later in the morning, she had dance class. Then we had a picnic lunch at the local state park, and then spent the afternoon hanging out at home until dinner. Mid-afternoon, a package arrived from Yiayia and Papou containing a present for the birthday girl: a bounce house! So we got that set up, and the kids jumped to their hearts' content. Later, we met up with Gus at Maya's favorite restaurant: Texas Roadhouse. Why is it her favorite? Because they give you peanuts, of course! Silly girl! On Thursday, the kids went to school again. As soon as they got home and ate some lunch, we headed out to the rail trail again. I was on a mission to find tadpoles (hoping to bring them home and let the kids watch them change into frogs), but had no luck. We did, however, catch and release a few little frogs. And I got my first mosquito bite of 2013. Such a special occasion, haha! On Friday, we all got to experience a "first" together: our first time visiting Rhode Island! It's actually really close to where we are, and pretty much a straight shot down one freeway. My parents bought us a family membership to Roger Williams Zoo in Providence, which we had heard lots of nice things about. And it's just over an hour away. It was surprisingly COLD down by the ocean, and we probably should have dressed a little more warmly... but the zoo was very cute, and it was situated in a gorgeous park. It reminded me a lot of Balboa Park in San Diego, though the zoo was nowhere near as big as the SD Zoo. Still, it was fun, and I can't wait to go back with friends! After we saw all the animals, we drove down to Iggy's in Warwick, which is a little restaurant that is very well-known for its lobster rolls and fried quahog clams. It was right on the water (Narragansett Bay), so that was cool. We can now say we have been to the smallest state in the U.S.! We walked along the bay for a bit, then drove home. We were all pretty tired after that. Saturday was a HUGE day! It was Race Day! I was signed up to run a 5K here in town, and Niko was signed up for a one-mile kids' race. The kids' race was first. He, along with his friends Evan and Natalie, were the three youngest kids in the entire race. And, while all three finished the race, Niko kicked butt! He ran the whole thing without stopping, and finished in 9:48. He beat a bunch of kids who were older than he was-- with much longer legs! He was absolutely beaming, too. I was so proud! He really gave it his all! And then he won a raffle prize, too. It was a pretty good day for our boy! My 5K didn't go too badly, either. I actually thought it would be a disaster. For various reasons, I hadn't run at ALL since the last 5K in March. And this course was very hilly. I started off strong, but quickly fell to the back of the pack. The VERY back! I was near exactly one other person that I could see-- everyone else was way ahead of me. The police officer directing traffic even asked me if I was the last one-- nice, right? haha! Anyway, I expected a horrible time... and was shocked that I got my best time yet (36:24, though I actually think it was more like 36:16). It was my best time so far-- and on a hilly course! I guess I was just racing with a bunch of really fast people. I did just fine! Go me! :)

After going home and showering/changing/eating lunch, it was time to head back out again... this time to the Little League Parade! Only about half of Niko's team was there, but it was awesome that both his coach and assistant coach remembered to ask about him running the race that morning. He was beaming again! That night, my mom made a roast chicken. I don't remember much else, except it was really good, and that I could barely move (truthfully, I still can't). ha!

The next morning, Sunday, was Greek Easter! The kids got their second round of Easter baskets, and hunted for eggs in the yard again. They love Easter-- and they are lucky enough that they get to celebrate it twice! We had a great time. And, as it was also Cinco de Mayo, we had a yummy Mexican feast for dinner, along with yummy margaritas. The kids bounced in the bounce house again, and we watched the cardinals around the edges of the yard. We Skyped with yiayia, papou, and theia. It was a good day! And that brings us to Monday, yesterday... their last day. We went out to breakfast at a diner here in town, using the gift certificate Niko had won at the race. Then we just hung out at home, enjoying the sunshine in the yard until it was time for my parents to drive back to the airport. The kids were sad, as they always are, but are already looking forward to the next visit.