Smiles

Alex ~ 5 1/2

Mady ~ 2 1/2 months

Zachary ~ 4

Belt Test - Yellow Black

Alex is testing for his yellow black belt today!
In addition to performing the routine, there is a self defense element. Can Alex escape being grabbed from behind?

Yep, he took down Sifu and elbowed him in the ribs!

And board breaking. This level is a push kick.

Alex passed and will be getting his yellow black belt!

As we were walking into class, I noticed something cool on the back of Alex's shirt.

 After the belt ceremony, with Sifu Sam.

Silverfish

Zachary earned his Seahorse ribbon and moved up to Silverfish!

A Week in North Carolina

Ryan was excited for his first chance to hold his new cousin! He's a natural.

It wasn't long though before the band started to jam. Alex is conducting with a light saber. Why not?

Eventually we convinced the band to get dressed so we could visit the NC Museum of Natural Sciences. And Ryan, Zachary and Alex were eaten by a great white shark. Look at how big that thing is! I don't think I want to encounter one in the wild.

There was a wonderful butterfly garden to explore.

Based on this picture, I'd say the best time to get a group picture is at the end of a long day. Or maybe not.

The Mason's neighborhood has a fun pool.

The requests for Phil's cannon balls came fast and furious!

Stair-step cousins.

Mady didn't swim, but she looked fabulous!

After swimming, the boys relaxed in a pillow fort and Ryan taught Alex and Zachary all about Skylanders.

4 and 5 year olds are ready to start touring college campuses, right? We explored the campus of University of North Carolina. Of course we had stop by the Old Well for a sip of water and some good luck.

We learned about telling time with a sundial.

Aunt Leslie with a slew of handsome boys!

Having fun around the Bell Tower.

It was so hot and humid. Where does the energy come from?

Looking like the Big Man on Campus.

Grammy and Grandpa drove down to spend a few days with everyone. We took them to the Museum of Life and Science. Last time we were here, Ryan and Alex played the chimes. We definitely had to get all of the kids chiming together.

Riding the train. This train moves fast, which provides a much appreciated breeze!

Madelyn woke up for the ride.

They don't look too concerned about the roaming dinosaurs.

Excavating dinosaur skeletons is hard work.

I'm surprised to see all three boys paying attention to a sign. Especially since none of them could read.

Hunting the fierce inhabitants of the butterfly house.

Phil picked up a stow-a-way.

There are a lot of stairs outside of the butterfly house.

This sandbox is so awesome! Alex and Zachary played here for a very long time. Again, in the heat and humidity.

Meanwhile, Grammy, Madelyn and I were relaxing inside with comfy couches and air conditioning!

When they finally came inside, Alex, Zachary and Ryan spent a lot of time in this vet center.

Uncle Jeff set Zachary up with an electric guitar. Zachary was thrilled!

Grammy and Grandpa are staying at the Duke Golf Club. It is fancy, and they still invited us all to have lunch.

We had to take in a Durham Bulls game. Wool E. Bull helps explain the ground rules.

Lots of love for Grammy.

Taking batting practice in the kids' zone.

Madelyn and Aunt Leslie had some snuggle time.

A successful night for the home team.

It may be a new stadium, but the Bull made the cut. How could he not?

Cracker Barrel checkers break!

Our next adventure was to a Marbles Kids Museum. There was so much to see and do. The cousins didn't stay together much, everyone running their own way. Every now and then we caught them in one place. This was the entrance, they wanted to stay, but once we got into the museum, they had lots of fun.

 Pirate look-outs!

Real tools and small children. Kind of frightening but Alex and Zachary really enjoyed sawing, filing, and nailing pieces of wood together. And, we left with all of their fingers.

Big Lego bricks galore. This was their second or third fort. It took a while to figure out about staggering the blocks to make the walls stronger, you can see bits of staggering on these walls.

Surfer kids!

 
Even Mady wants to be a surfer!

Cousins back together to make snacks for Grammy and Grandpa.

 Enjoying lots of people watching.

After a long day at the museum, Alex and Zachary convinced Grandpa and Grammy to play games with them. No rest for the weary around these two!

Well, rest for this weary one.

Grammy and Grandpa had to head home today, so everyone gathered for an awesome picture.

Grandpa and his pretty girl.

The rest of the day was a relaxing day with fun in the pool and playing around the house.

For our last day, we went hiking in William B. Umstead State Park.

North Carolina has big dragon flies!

The boys checking out the lake, looking for little fish, bugs, or tadpoles.

The day of our flight home, there were predictions of thunderstorms. We made it to the airport with no troubles. But wouldn't you know, shortly before boarding a large storm rolled in and we were delayed for a while. Eventually we made it out.

Thank you Aunt Leslie, Uncle Jeff and Ryan for having us out to visit. We had a wonderful time!