Weekend Wrap Up

We have had an uneventful week and weekend settling back in after our vacation. The kids settled back into school without too much of a hitch and the laundry is back to its usual state of almost-caught-up-ness. 

I ran today for the first time in a month -- only 5 miles but I can already tell I'll feel it tomorrow! On my list this week is to sign up for April's RaceFest half marathon so I can get back in my groove and stop coming up with excuses not to run! 

I also managed to make Sunday dinner for the first time in months; boneless pork chops, sautéed Brussels sprouts and pistachio cake -- yum! 

Here is a pic of said pistachio cake:

Six Year Check Up

Amelia had her six year well visit yesterday afternoon. She came in at 45 3/4 inches tall and 42 lbs, which weight I am highly skeptical of seeing as she has never come in over 40 lbs when I have weighed her -- maybe it was all those Popsicles in Costa Rica? Assuming the weight is correct, this puts her at 59th percentile for height and 34th percentile for weight, with an over all BMI in the 18th percentile. The doctor was very pleased with her  resumed weight gain, as last year she did not gain an ounce in between check ups and this year she gained 5lbs (presumably.) Since she also grew 3 inches this year he said the excellent growth pointed to good eating and sleeping habits (ha if he only knew!)

Snow

(Sort of.) 

Our flight home was cancelled due to the 2 inches of snow/ice the Charlotte area received on Friday. We wound up having to stay an extra day and take an arduous 14 hour trip home via Dallas/Fort Worth on Sunday, not arriving home until 1am Monday morning. 

Because Charlotte apparently does not possess a single bag of rock salt, schools were closed again on Monday so we at least didn't have to worry about the kids missing an extra day of school. In fact, schools were closed AGAIN today, because of all that snow:

(What, don't you see it??? As one of my southern co-workers stated today: "Someone somewhere in the county could fart one snowflake out of their ass and CMS would be closed.")

The extra time off did allow Charlie to finish his book that was due for English today, but we didn't *quite* get through all the essay questions... 

Costa Rica Recap

In addition to beach and jungle, Mike

and Charlie did a fishing trip and a night walk, Amelia, Grandma and I did the Palo Verde river boat cruise, and we all had a delicious (if ridiculously pricey) dinner at the Four Seasons. 

Here are some pictures:

Tamarindo Beach

No, my bathing suit was not meant to withstand the waves of the Pacific Ocean!

An Expensive Trip to Monte Verde Cloud Forest

On Wednesday of last week we took an all day trip to Monte Verde cloud forest, which is basically a rain forest on top of a mountain. In addition to the hefty per person rate for such a lengthy and complicated trip, I dropped my iPhone over the side of one of Monte Verde's hanging bridges, hundreds of feet above the canopy and into completely impenetrable jungle. Yes, I was attempting to take an epic selfie of all 6 of us, using my selfie stick. Not the brightest idea, I admit! Since I was  without a phone for the remainder of the trip you now have to deal with a slew of catch up posts. 

Here is the non selfie version of the attempted picture, on one of the hanging bridges:

Costa Rica Day 2: Birds and a Booze Cruise

(Err snorkeling.)

Costa Rica Day 1

Warm weather but no Grandma and Grandpa! They missed their connecting flight in Miami and we're still waiting for them to arrive :-( 

Costa Rica Here We Come!

It's Snowing!!

(Ok I'd say 99.9% of it is in her imagination.)

That's the Smile...

... Of a girl who ditched her pull-ups! Way to go Amelia!!

FunkyTown Birthday

Amelia had her birthday today at FunkyTown Parties, a dance club for kids complete with disco lights and smoke machine. I think it's safe to say she had a super time!

Happy 6th Birthday, Amelia!

She's come a long way since her first birthday!

And A Birthday Breakfast, Too!

Birthday Lunch!

Mike joined Amelia for lunch and cookie cake this morning in honor of her birthday! 

Mid Week Update

Back to school for the kiddos and a crazy week for the rest of us!

I started out the week by getting a flat tire on my way to work, which required me to run with my bike the remaining mile in order to get to work on time. Mike was kind enough to take my bike in to get fixed on Monday night and lo and behold the EXACT same thing happened Tuesday on my way to work. I have now given up and am riding Charlie's bike to work until we can get my bike back in to figure out what exactly is wrong with the tire. Words cannot express how much I detest riding Charlie's bike -- small wheels = twice as much effort! I guess I just have to think of it as an extra workout. 

Meanwhile we are gearing up for Amelia's birthday party at FunkyTown Dance on Sunday, and beginning to look forward to our trip to Costa Rica coming up in a week and a half! 

High Tea

Heather and I went to tea at the Ballantyne Hotel this afternoon, an event that is so popular we had to book two months in advance! And no wonder, with all the delicious food: tea sandwhiches, scones, truffles, pastries, chocolate mousse, champagne cocktails -- YUM!!

New Haircut For The New Year!

Lost & Found

We welcomed the New Year by finding a little schnauzer sitting on our doorstep this morning. Fortunately he had tags so a quick call reunited him with his frantic owner, who had been driving around all night looking for him after he escaped out an open door during last night's fireworks. Apparently the little dude traveled several miles!

Chocolate Mousse Maniac