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.
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