OBX again

The original plan was for me to drive home yesterday. Instead I drove to the Outer Banks to meet up with Andrew's brother's family.

So, we said goodbye to Nana (or Nanny as Lainey calls her): Then headed to the beach:

I threw up a lot Friday night (after feeling nauseous the entire drive) and slept a lot today (hopefully tomorrow I'll feel normal). I'm guessing I got sick from the nasty IHOP breakfast I had before we left. I think we have had more sickness issues this trip than any other with Alaina and I barfing up bad food and Lizzie's ongoing hive situation. I started counting her bug bites (fire ant, I think) yesterday as I applied ointment and got up to 25 before she insisted I stop. She still has welts all over her arms, legs, back, and chest (and occasionally her face).

.

Lessons learned: #1, No more meals at McDonalds and IHOP. #2, Check Nana's driveway for fire ants before I send the kids out to play there.

Pony Rides

Lizzie's first pony ride (2006): Lizzie's second pony ride (today):

We finally got out today . . .

and went to the Riverbanks Zoo and Botanical Gardens. It was fun, but exhausting (for the adults). The picture below was taken like two seconds before that loorikeet peed all over my protruding belly. Nasty.

Lizzie had fun, but got all sassy and pouty when we left without buying ice cream.

And of course the rash/inflamed ant bites returned this evening (after being virtually un-spotable this morning).

Rash?

Today while I was vacuuming out the van the girls played in the driveway and drew on the pictures with sidewalk chalk. I even caught them sitting side-by-side, eating apple slices. So cute. It was all lovely until I took the girls in for bath time and saw that Liz was covered in what appeared to be a nasty rash. It's hard to see in the picture, but it was red and itchy and everywhere. We eventually determined that she was most likely bitten by fire ants. Lots of fire ants. Poor thing.

The trip so far . . .

I drove to South Carolina yesterday to see my mom. It wasn't exactly a last minute trip. I had been considering it for weeks, but I finally made the decision Saturday night. The trip down yesterday went well until just before my mom's exit when Alaina threw up all over herself. Nasty Chicken McNugget chunks everywhere. Yuck. She did it again around midnight which precipitated another round of laundry, baths, and teeth brushing. Poor baby.

Today she's been fine, and I've felt a little bit better (I have had a nasty cold), so I have actually been able to work on some projects (meaning my mother is sewing for me while I iron).

First Egg Hunt of the Season

Today we attended our first egg hunt of the Easter season (at church). And Lizzie lost another tooth. She ran up to me and said, indicating alternating hands, "Look. Here's my eggs and here's my tooth."

Like my father before us, Andrew and I declared a "candy tax" on Lizzie's collection. In the end the tax was unnecessary, because she didn't want to eat any of her loot (though she did lick a Milky Way before rejecting it). It was Alaina's first egg hunt ever. She loved it. As she collected her eggs she chanted/sang "clean up, clean up." She also finally tried grapes and loved them.

There were art tables set up in the cultural hall and as usual Laina took the opportunity to color on herself. I think she looks like she's injecting something into her arm.

Final class

We're bummed that Lainey's "Blast Off for Babies" class ended yesterday, but . . . we sure had fun while it lasted!