Congratulations to Uncle JP!!!

I want to brag for a minute...CONGRATULATIONS to my little brother, JP.  He has accomplished more in his 33 years, than most people I know.  His accomplishments include an double undergrad degree in math and physics at UNC, a masters AND PhD from NC State in physics, and if all that wasn't nerdy enough, he rounded out the trifecta with a Juris Doctorate Law Degree, graduating with honors, from Duke Dook University...ALL with some sort of scholarship.  He's smart and cute, ladies.  And single.  Just sayin'!  He'll be taking the State of Virginia Bar Exam in July, and moving to DC in August to begin his CAREER (that's right, the REAL world, JP...lol), with one of the WORLD's leading IP law firms, Finnegan.  Good luck, little bro!


The kids ROCKED it on Saturday.  We drove up to Durham, NC on Saturday morning, for JP's graduation.  Neither of them had much of a nap. BUT, we WOKE Payton up at 9:45am to get ready to leave. It's been a long time since she slept in! The kids were SO well behaved. Side note:  Trips are VERY different when you are traveling with a little one who has just been potty-trained!  Glad we left a little early!  Here are some highlights of the graduation weekend...

Melted ice cream...Grumps gave her a bite.  She sneezed.  Everyone laughed.  He gave her another bite.  Wait for it........she spit it in the air (big surprise) and it went all over Grumps and Payton.  Everyone (except Grumps) laughed.  :)

HIGH FIVE, Uncle J.P.!!

JP receiving one of the very few honors awards handed out

JP walking in...

Payton was such a good girl & sat quietly looking for Uncle JP...she clapped and cheered for him!

J.P.'s Hooding

Post-graduation...at dinner/bed time for the kiddos.  They were like zombies, but well-behaved zombies :)

On the way home Sunday...20 minutes before we got home.  Go figure!

I want to wish all you wonderful mothers a very Happy Mother's Day!  And to my beautiful Mom, I now know how hard you worked to raise JP and me.  I also know how hard you work to help us raise both Payton and Griffin, day in, and day out.  THANK YOU for all you do.  We couldn't do this parenting thing without you!  My Mother's Day was great.  We started out in Apex, NC, having breakfast with my mom and dad at our hotel.  This was the closest hotel available, as both UNC and Duke were having graduations this past weekend.  We left shortly after breakfast.  The kids did great entertaining us in the car.  Payton sang, talked, and laughed.  Griffin laughed at Payton.  They both, inevitably, fell asleep about 20 minutes from home...go figure.  The afternoon was filled with naps...even for ME!  Brian cleaned the house, the kids and I were exhausted after a fun-filled weekend, so to bed we went.  At school last week, Payton made some cards, for me, with her fingerprints on them as caterpillars.  They were AWESOME!  The kids gave me lots of hugs and kisses, beautiful flowers, and some Sanuks.  They are "sandals."  Google them.  They are awesomely comfortable.  We finished the evening with some take-out and all ate together (which is rare).  Early bedtimes for all.  It was a great weekend!

PS...Griffin's top teeth are JUST about to poke through his gums.  We went from no teeth to (almost) 4 teeth within a month!  He seems to be handling any pain just fine, which is a relief! 

Here are some pictures from the past week....

Playing with stickers (yep, folks...she's finally over her sticker phobia!)

We think they are starting to look SO much alike..agree?

This is how we keep her quiet ;)  WAIT, that's impossible!

Helping Mommy with bath time

G trying to escape

I love this!  One day (soon) Griffin will tower Payton...they are getting so big!  (And I think it's definitely time to get P's haircut.  Her mullet is becoming pretty long, so time for her first trim!)

Again...you can see how much alike they look, especially in this picture!

Disc golf anyone?

They even sleep alike!

CAUGHT! Crawling out of Payton's Princess Castle!

Look how strong he is...holding up that wall!

All the grads came to the law school building to take family pictures...they paused to watch (and photograph) little G playing happily in the grass

Future Duke Law Schooler?  Nah, he's more of a Boston boy ;)  Harvard, here he comes!

Payton loves to pick out her clothes and bows each day, especially her bathing suits (since she can reach them)...this day she picked this one out.  It is special because her "boyfriend," Lawton, gave it to her for her birthday.  She's eating a Dora popscicle.  These are "slow melt" ones.  Parents, if you haven't tried them, they are AWESOME.  They hardly make a mess at all!

This child...she HAD to wear this hat to school.  She's hilarious!

 

And so the ear-piercing girl screaming begins....