Full Steam Ahead

I've been working on a special project since January...Vacation Bible School! When I found out that my Covenant Group friend Laura was going to be the leader this year, I got the idea that it might be fun to work with her. Then when one of the faithful women leaders in our church passed away suddenly, I was inspired to do more. I'm pretty sure God nudged me into the co-chair role, and I'm so glad he did because it has been a wonderful experience.

So there have been meetings here and there for six months, registration has come and gone, and now we are in the nitty gritty details of getting ready for this event that is only a few weeks away! My kids are totally into it too- asking all kinds of questions, helping me gather supplies at church, giving opinions on what the official VBS shirt should look like- and I love it. I am totally invested into this project, and I love seeing them care about it too!

We are full steam ahead on all things "Roar!"

Anniversary Celebration

We just celebrated our 11-year anniversary on May 31! We went out for a date downtown- ran through a downpour, drank a tasty beer and relaxed, ate oysters and red beans and rice, and drank way too much wine. Such a fun night!

Then the next night, we got to go out for date night #2 at the Camps'cocktail party. A rare double treat!

I Can't Handle It

I can't decide which is my favorite look...the dragon or the tool belt? I literally cannot handle this boy's cuteness. He insisted on wearing his dragon costume to bed so of course I had to sneak in there and get a picture of him asleep in it. Sigh...adorable. Oh the things this boy is going to get away with because of his cuteness!

 

A Lightbulb Moment

Addie has struggled with learning how to swim. We started lessons with her early on, but she had a traumatic experience with an instructor pushing her underwater that scared her and set us back years. She was afraid to put her face underwater, and no matter how many times we tried helping her- she wasn't having it.

But as a five-year-old, she was clearly behind in not having this important skill. So we decided to try fresh this summer with lessons at Northbrook because she liked taking them there last year. So here she is for lesson #1. It went well, and she made attempts to put her face under the water.

Then the Moores invited us to go with them to their pool on Memorial Day. We were in the baby pool when out the blue, Addie just STARTS SWIMMING! Yes- she was just going across the length of the baby pool- but she had her face under the water the whole time! It was a total lightbulb moment for her. She started doing it again and again and realized it was fun! And more importantly- not scary. Then we started giving her little tips on how to move her arms and legs and how to come up for a breath. It was so exciting to watch her face light up and her confidence grow. The sad part was that Brian missed it because he had to work that afternoon on budget stuff, but luckily I caught it on video. He couldn't believe it and was so proud of her. 

That afternoon at the Raleigh Country Club, Addie overcame her fear of the water and started swimming for the first time. At that time, I didn't know how quickly she would catch on and that she would eventually join the swim team. More to come on that! But I did know that she overcame a major hurdle that Memorial Day and that our girl was on her way to becoming a real swimmer. Hooray!

Summer Officially Begins

Summer definitely came in hot this year. I mean HOT. We tried to beat the heat with a bike ride at Shelley Lake but were unsuccessful...

Decided this would be a good way to kick off the official start to summer....

And look what bloomed this year! I was so excited to see this hydrangea bush come to life...

and even get my first cut for the house.

If this Memorial Day weekend is any indication of what summer is going to look like around here, get the water ready. We are going to need it!

Two Birthday Girls

We had not one but two birthdays to celebrate! Emma was turning 8 and Mandy was turning 40 so we obviously needed a chocolate cake with 48 candles...done!

We were so excited to our May birthday girls with a taco party at our house. Rach was coming up with the kids, Andrea was coming with Evie, and we had secured the slip n' slide from the grandparents. Friends, tacos, and a water slide- what more do you need for a great birthday party?

The kids got into bubbles, sand, toys, water...you name it. They were very dirty and very happy...

The girls' two-piece bathing suits were a big hit, but Addie didn't understand why Clara and Maggie got to show their bellies and she didn't!

Loved watching Rach's kids on the water slide- the twins were fearless like their mama....

and cute Hank was very cautious like his Father! He preferred to crawl down the slip n' slide. :)

 Evie and Luke's favorite part of the night were the gigantic bubbles...

but my favorite part was the tacos and margaritas! We always eat Mexican when we're together, and this meal was so yummy despite the chaos.

It feels like a very special thing when we all get together!

Time for the birthday girls to blow out their candles...

 which was not an easy task! 👀

 

Best part of the night was after dinner- we let the kids run wild outside while we stayed in the air conditioning talking and laughing over margaritas. Maggie wins best hat prize!

We all didn't want the night to end...everyone went to bed way too late, but it was a fabulous birthday celebration and get together!

Addie's Final Day of Preschool

After four years of growing and learning, Addie's final day of preschool was finally upon us. And she was clearly excited about it!

 

 I was trying to have an emotional moment dropping her off for the last time in Ms. Poetszch's classroom, but she was not having any tears...clearly. :)

Since my daughter would not give me a smile, Stewart offered me one! Ms. Poetszch said the kids understood the enormity of the situation and dealt with it in different ways which was a wise thing to remind the Moms.

Addie had a great last day of preschool and came out to carpool happy as always. At this point, the tears were flowing freely for me. This would be the last time I picked her up from this school.

Addie's last year of preschool was her best one yet. She thrived in Ms. Poetszch's class. She loved and responded to the very clear cut expectations and routines that her teacher provided. She became good friends with her cute classmates. She enjoyed the work and information that was being shared with her. She would come home and tell me about what she had learned about recycling in science class, or God's message in chapel, or the song she learned in music. She never once complained about going to school all year long which is amazing! She did what she was asked to do and quickly became a leader in her class.

Ms. Poetszch told me that whenever the star student of the day was sick, she would pretend to ask Ms. Barnes which student they should have fill in and then they would just agree to let Addie do it because she was their best leader!

She gained independence this year- learning to stay for lunch bunch and soccer shots without problem. She gained confidence this year- barely giving me a goodbye before walking into her class and starting her day. She gained readiness for kindergarten in every way which is what this year of preschool is all about!

We celebrated her final day with a picnic at Banbury park. She showed off her new skills on the monkey bars...

 and enjoyed her lunch before scampering off to play.

Oh Addie, we love you and are so proud of what you accomplished in preschool. And now we are excited to see you shine in kindergarten!