tonyaharrington.com/blog » Family

Soaking up summer

tonya — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 04:21:57 +0000

We took our party of 5 to the pool this afternoon for what was likely the last time this summer. The water is starting to get cool, but the crowd was still thick- probably doing the same thing we were. Trying to soak up the last seconds of a summer gone too fast.

Today was nearly perfect in its imperfectness. Homemade waffles and a neighborhood stroll with the boys in the morning. A midday nap with the baby. An afternoon at the pool. An evening with family.

Love-lys

tonya — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 18:07:32 +0000

I spent an amazing morning with my love-lys. Riding bikes. Swinging together on a wooden swing hanging from a 100-year old tree. Exploring. Grabbing homegrown veggies from the local farmer’s market.

Jack has a new bike. And it is truly awesome (he thinks so too). It is designed as a balance bike so that the pedals are easy to remove. He uses it to scoot around and practice balance before moving to riding without training wheels. Jack’s got the hang of it already- he wants the pedals put on. He longs to be a big boy. He is balanced.

And so am I.

A river runs through it

tonya — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 01:56:48 +0000

Today my kids experienced a little bit of my childhood.

Riding in the back of a pick-up truck {gasp}
Wading in the river
Observing deer
Watching fireworks {smuggled from South Carolina, of course}

All in the beautiful North Carolina foothills.

{A big thank you to Rex, Diane, & family for hosting family togetherness on the 4th}

Family time

tonya — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 21:33:31 +0000

We took a long awaited trip to Pinehurst to visit Grammy and Grand Wink a couple weekends ago. We were anxious to see their new (actually quite old, historic) home in downtown Southern Pines. Before heading to their house, we met Grammy at the best park ever: Camelot. Fortunately, my friend and former colleague, Kristy and her family were also able to meet us there. It was fun to catch up and see her beautiful little girls.

And, last weekend, we took a trip to Wilkesboro to have some baby Jocie time!

Summer fun

tonya — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 01:35:22 +0000

I would like to blame my lack of blogging on a busy summer- but truly it could better be attributed to just plain neglect. We are enjoying the laziness of summer- in particular, not having something on our agenda each day. The kids have both participated in summer camps and the three of us have spent a lot of time at the pool (while Chris is working hard). We’ve visited friends, enjoyed time with family, and spent lots of time just playing!

A few photos from the past few weeks:

Playing in the backyard

Emma Kate, Nickolas, and Jack at Tanglewood Park

Celebrating Gina’s engagement and visit to North Carolina- congratulations, Gina!

Uncle Patrick’s graduation- congratulations, Patrick!

Jack’s final days of 3-year old preschool- thanks to Miss Kim and Miss Julie for a wonderful year!

Happy Easter!

tonya — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 13:22:33 +0000

Here comes Peter Cottontail, hopping down the bunny trail…

We spent Saturday of Easter weekend in Pinehurst with Grammy, Annie, and Wink. Chris and I hid Easter eggs outside, and the kids enjoyed competing to see who could find the most jelly bean-filled eggs! It was a beautiful day and we thoroughly enjoyed our visit.

Easter morning, Emma Kate and Jack rushed downstairs to see if the Easter bunny had paid them a visit. They were delighted to find their baskets filled with candy and other goodies. We look forward to another beautiful Spring day together.

Spring break at the beach

tonya — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 13:14:42 +0000

The kids and I just returned from our second annual girls (plus Jack) weekend at the beach. Mom and I drove down with the kids and met Malinda and Jocie (and Josh for one night) at North Myrtle. The weather was horrible (windy and cold), but it was wonderful to get away and to spend time together. The hotel’s indoor lazy river was a big hit with Emma Kate and Jack (and gave us something to do despite the weather). We actually never stepped foot on the beach (too cold… brrr!), but we will make up for that in a few weeks when we head to Hilton Head! The highlight of my trip was bonding with Baby Jocie… who, for some reason, really seemed to take a liking to me. Of course, I ate this up and will be terribly disappointed if her stranger anxiety kicks in next visit and she wants nothing to do with me! Emma and Jack really enjoyed Jocie, and we were all amazed by her big girl accomplishments… she is crawling, pulling to standing, and quite a little busy body! The trip downer for me was somehow managing to run Mom’s van into the pole in the parking garage (matching the scratches and dents Malinda had previously added to the other side!). I feel blessed to be able to spend time with family, and I look forward to doing it again soon!

Matt, Monica, & Mia visit

tonya — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 12:41:10 +0000

A couple weekends ago we enjoyed an impromptu visit with Monica and family. They were in town for a wedding and stayed with us, giving us the opportunity for some babysitting time with Baby Mia. Emma Kate absolutely loved Mia’s smiles and kisses, and used the weekend to prove what a big girl helper she can be. We all enjoyed watching Mia contentedly play, and it was wonderful to catch up with Monica and Matt. I look forward to visiting them in Fuquay-Varina sometime soon!

So many updates, so little time…

tonya — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 17:50:32 +0000

I think I have officially won the title of “World’s Worst Blogger!” I am finding it increasingly more difficult to find the time to sit down and write about all that is going on in the Harrington world. So, please forgive this catch up post, and if you are still reading my blog, thank you (and keep those comments coming!).

A couple weekends ago, we finally had some baby Jocie time! As always, Emma Kate and I competed for baby time, and we all enjoyed the company and the beautiful day. Emma Kate was a big girl helper, and got to take a bath with Jocie! Baby Jocie is growing so quickly- we are excited that we get to see her again in another couple weeks!

Happy baby… Not so happy baby… (I love this picture)

Emma Kate’s class put on another performance in the black box theater a few weeks ago. Her first grade class just completed an artist unit, during which they studied Picasso, Matisse, Degas, and others. She thoroughly enjoyed learning about the various artists, and did a super job articulating her lines during the class performance.

Jack is still enjoying preschool as much as ever. His class has studied a variety of themes, including nutrition, dinosaurs, and Dr. Seuss. During DUMCP’s birthday celebration for Dr. Seuss, the kids participated in silly hat day:

Jack calls this his “veggie booger” hat!

Fun science

tonya — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 22:00:23 +0000

Wow, it’s been a LONG time since I have written a post here. All excuses aside, I have missed sharing a little part of our world with anyone willing to read this. From several weeks ago…

The kids and I went to Hickory with my mom to meet my dad and have some science center fun. We always enjoy going to the Catawba Science Center, and this visit was no exception. For anyone who has never been, I strongly encourage you to visit- especially now- the Science Center is featuring a “Swamp Things” exhibit. We’ll have to go back to meet the aligators and other swamp creatures.

And, last week I took Jack to the Energy Explorium in Cornelius (less than 10 minutes from our house). Because he is so fascinated with energy and electricity, I knew this would be a big hit. We met our friends, Miss Shannon and Gavin, there, and the boys enjoyed checking out the generator, turbine, manual treadmill, and the nature trail. We rounded out our trip with a stack full of library books (topic: electricity, of course!).