Friends, rain, falafel, tornadoes and a pretty Easter bunny.

We spent the Friday and Saturday before Easter with friends in Greenville, SC. It rained a lot. Friday afternoon we landed at the Hammonds for an egg hunt and snacks. Thanks Ellie, or should I say, Thanks Easter Bunny! Ethan Hammond, Esther, Ellie (who happens to be Esther's godmother), Neal Hammond and Robert coloring Easter eggs.
Ellie and Esther.

Friday evening we drove to the Sellerys. A storm followed us. By 7:30 pm, the power was out and a tornado was wreaking havoc on their neighbors home, mere blocks away from where we were. Steve's red sauce tasted even better by candlelight late that night when the kids were asleep. Morning dawned with still no power so Rob and Steve ran out for a Chik-fil-A breakfast. Awesome.
We bid farewell to Steve, Lindsay, Slade and Ellie. Thanks for having us- I can't believe I didn't get any photos of your family. :(

Downtown Greenville was our next stop- The Reedy River, to be exact. Greenville, you were passable back when I was at Furman. You've come a long way baby!

Robert on the bridge

gardens.

The river, muddy from the storms of the night before.

Looking down from the bridge.

Robert, Esther (hidden) and Rob.

My big kid.

Gorgeous.

Before driving home to Atlanta we met up with Pete, Kristina and Annie Atsaves at the Pita House. They had been vacationing in Kiawah.

Annie, Esther, CC and Rob, Robert. On plate: pickled carrots, falafel and the best hummus in the southeast. I love you Pita House FOREVER.

I drove home while Robert looked on and everybody else slept. . .

spring break and beyond

One Friday back in March I came home to find this:

Lindsay Fritts, nanny extraordinnaire, "just made some extra cupcakes for y'all." On a different Friday we had lunch at Belly and walked around the highlands. I do so love her company. I wish I had known Lindsay back when I didn't have kids- we could socialize more. But I am glad my kids have her!

Esther, with Lindsay's shades.
Lindsay and Esther at the bridal shop.

Now for more spring break photos.

Carmen and Robert play memory. We LOVED having her next door for spring break!!
Esther and a painting of Maine.
What??!!
Random shots of the Burlingtons making brownies. Things got a little messy. :)

the burlington blurb gets craftier

This blog is suffering from an identity crisis. I want to fill it with kid/family info AND crafting ideas. Currently I am considering starting an exclusive craft blog. The blurb would stay filled with family happenings. Any opinions?

I recently made a bundle of thank you notes for a pregnant friend. I cut cardstock into 4x6 pieces, stamped them with merci. I then took magazine pages (w/o much text) and fashioned them into envelopes. I added white labels so that she could write easily on them. And oh, I stamped the envelopes for her. Rob's idea. merci beaucoup!

Monday-out of the blocks

After a whirlwind weekend (tornado included- about which I will blog soon), Monday arrived. The driving begins again. And today, in the rain. As we listened to the radio Esther looked out her window and noted, "Look mom, even the water is moving to the music."
Wherever I looked today I found blocked ways. I hardly made it home this morning with CC due to a huge limb suspended across Sylvan avenue between the power lines. I drove under it like I would drive under a bridge! My morning routine got blocked due to a power outage and about half an hour in the dark basement planning tornado survival strategies. I hit a mental caution block when all of the traffic lights were out on Ponce this afternoon. The portion of S. Candler drive where Hirsch academy sits was completely blocked due to 2 separate fallen trees. I had to leave the van in Winnona Park, get the girls out and walk to Hirsch to pick up Robert! When we got to the YMCA after a circuitous route, the stairs were blocked. No matter, I took the elevator but the door to the wellness center was blocked! Did I mention that Esther didn't have ballet class tonight but noone told us? Block.
Finding alternative routes (literal and figurative) requires multitudes of energy and flexibility. That requires deep breathing and now, some sleep. Let nothing stand in my way!

Elise and Esther rhapsodize about their favorite foods.

While sitting on my lap and leafing through Deceptively Delicious (Jessica Seinfeld's cookbook), Elise and Esther had me in stitches. I grabbed my camera and caught this:

Spring Break: Day 1

We usually leave the house at 8:30 to take the kids to school. Today we headed for the YMCA. We played b-ball in the gym there. Robert is developing a nice overhand shot, Esther is learning to dribble and CC practiced walking ALL OVER the gym. Once she was at the playcenter she wouldn't walk anymore. She does it when we are all around- but not around other people! Elusive CC.
Back at home we played outside despite the cold weather. While looking for branches to transform into an Easter egg tree we wandered over to Wilma's house. Three of her grandkids are spending spring break with her. Carmen joined us to make our tree. Sorry I cut off your head Carmen!

Robert loves throwing the football or frisbee with me lately. I love it too. CC is busy bopping all around the house now but still comes to cuddle with me when she gets tired. Esther takes special pride in planning her wardrobe complete with accessories. She is also our family alarm clock. If she is waking in the morning, it is 6am exactly.

My sexy baby daddy

'nuff said.