Summer Break 2019: Week One!

We have fit in a lot during our first week of summer break for mommy and the boys!! This full time mama job is no joke and I find I am pretty tired at the end of the day.  Here is what we have been up to!  On Monday, we celebrated Mommy's birthday and being together as a family of four after a few days apart.  Tuesday, we ran a lot of errands and checked off a few fun things the boys enjoyed as well.  Zander had his swim lesson that morning and he is starting to really swim like a fish.  He still needs to work on treading water and the stamina of swimming from one side of the pool to the other but I think I can confidently say that we have a new swimmer in the house!  Then, we went to the dentist's office where both boys had great check ups for their semiannual visit.  After the dentist, we went grocery shopping and to visit both grandma and grandpa.  You can see I needed to get a frappucchino to make it through the grocery store with my crew! haha  During Maddox's nap, Zander and I scrubbed/cleaned the front porch.... one porch rung at a time!  It is a big task but I knocked it out with my little helper.  After M's nap, we went for a bike ride! I got a used bike and new helmet for my birthday from my parents and this might be my new favorite thing to do with my boys.  We went bike riding one other day this week. It is starting to get really hot here so the boys didn't last as long the second time.

On Wednesday and Thursday, we stayed at the pool after swim lessons to give both boys some extra practice in the water and enjoy some water fun with Emerson, Luke and Laurel!  During naps on these two days, I mowed one day and worked on scrubbing another portion of our siding (on the north side of the house.... the part that shows the most mold/mildew)!

 On Friday, we opted for some indoor activities after a bike ride and time at our neighborhood playground.  The boys and I put together a 100 piece puzzle which was a first for us!  They did such a great job sharing and taking turns putting the pieces where they fit.  I was so proud of them!  We met Aunt Kelly for lunch and continued to enjoy the indoor/cooler temperatures for the afternoon.  While waiting for daddy to come home, we did enjoy playing in our backyard!  Soccer and golf were the games of choice this day.

 Daddy was off work on Saturday so we enjoyed a family day!! We went out to breakfast, played at a local playground and attempted a nature hike!  (I wore flip flops so that didn't last as long as it usually does!  It was also really hot!)  We decided to take the fun indoors with one round of bowling.  I beat daddy so I had to include bragging rights here!

 We went for frozen yogurt/shaved ice as a celebration of  mommy's win! ;)

While the boys attempted a nap, I went outside to knock out cleaning another portion of the house.  The boys decided to join me and quickly realized it was hot and they wanted to swim at our neighbor's pool..... so they changed into their swimsuits while I finished cleaning the house.  We went swimming for about an hour before we took showers/baths and headed out to dinner! 
Today we went to church and out to lunch with Grammy and Grandpa.  These boys sure do love their grandparents!! They are already asking when they can spend the night again and when Grandpa will take them golfing! 

Josh's 40th Birthday Bash in the Bahamas!

We went to the Bahamas on a cruise ship to celebrate Josh's 40th birthday.  We spent 4 nights on the Carnival Sunshine and enjoyed two days at sea with a day in Nassau in the middle.  The boat left from Charleston on Thursday, making for a perfect getaway to celebrate Josh's milestone year!  As you can see, we had three couples... Linds, Boom, Sarah, Josh, Zack and myself.  We headed down on Thursday in our new ride (since we now have an extra row of seats)!  We quickly made it to the ship where we checked out the buffet (and the always open ice cream dispenser) along with checking into our rooms.  Then, we had fun heading to our muster station for our safety briefing.  As you can see, we enjoyed taking pictures in the car and after we finished the safety session.  Linds had to wear "sea bands" since she couldn't take the traditional sea-sick pill while being pregnant so she sported what I would like to call fashionable sweatbands for the duration of our vacation!

For our first day at sea, we fit in a workout, eating tons of yummy food, going down a water slide and time by the pool.  Zack, not being one for spending time in the sun, took about a five hour nap the first day! haha  I think he is truly exhausted from all the long hours he is putting in at work!  He fit in about a three-hour nap on our last day at sea, and while I type this blog post, he is napping again before he heads back to work tomorrow.  I'm hoping that this sleep will keep him going until his next couple days off!  We ate delicious dinners each night in the dining room and made sure to check out the evening shows.  They had an opening show, 70s themed show, 80s themed show and a love and marriage game which is always entertaining!  In the evenings, we also played scattergories, participated in a late night dance party (to 70s/80s music) and sang karaoke (well... Josh and I sang a duet to "We're Not Gonna Take It").  In Nassau, we went to Paradise Island and walked around.  We saw the Atlantis resort and Linds and Boom enjoyed a little time at the casino while the rest of us headed to a local public beach so Josh and Zack could swim in the Bahamian water!  It was a great day exploring.  We made it back for a late lunch.  We even got to FaceTime the kids while off the boat for a bit!  On the last day at sea, we had a similar schedule to our first sea day.  We also fit in another water slide and ropes course while we were on the lido deck.

 While we were away, Grammy and Grandpa had all three cousins!!! They are our heroes!  Grandpa took Zander to a couple of his swim lessons.  Grammy entertained the kids in the backyard with sprinklers and a mini pool.  Both grandparents took the kids to the science center for the day with lunch at Freddy's afterwards.  On Sunday, they took the kids to church and then Grandpa took the boys to a Dash baseball game while Grammy watched Emmy for her afternoon nap!  The kids were so excited to have uninterrupted time with Grammy and Grandpa!! It will be hard to compete with all the fun they had now that I am on full time mommy mode until August.... wish me luck! ;)

Happy Father's Day Weekend!

We had a fun day celebrating our favorite guy!  I made breakfast for the family that morning.  We went to church as a family and then got to eat a yummy lunch at Outwest!  For the afternoon, we took naps, relaxed, rode bikes and grabbed frozen yogurt before the work week started.  Daddy got to fit in a run and some yoga as well!  We are so thankful for Zack and all he does for our family.  He wakes up before 3:00 a.m. most mornings to head into work so he can be home for dinner with us.  He is currently working on a piece of artwork I requested that uses our boys hand prints and feet.  He finds ways to connect with our boys in only a way a daddy can connect with his sons!  They wrestle and tackle each other to make their mommy nervous but the squeals I hear from the boys show me that daddy is doing exactly what he should with my rowdy crew!  We are so lucky and blessed that he is ours!

We are also thankful for Grandpa stepping in when daddy is busy at work.  The boys love spending time with him.  Maddox was pretty ecstatic that Grandpa could take him to "donuts with dad" on Friday morning!  They are already counting down until he takes us to the beach this summer!

Zander lost his first tooth on Friday!! He somehow bumped it on a chair and out it came!  Grammy thought it was a piece of plastic on the floor rather than a tooth!  The adult tooth is already coming in behind it.  Zander was super excited to put his tooth under his pillow.  He actually put it there without the envelope I sent him upstairs with.  I had to stop him and explain that the tooth fairy needs the tooth in an envelope so she can trade it out for some money.  He excitedly ran into our room on Saturday morning, holding a dollar in his hand saying "the tooth fairy came!"

It is crazy how one of the first teeth to come in was one of the first to fall out!! I remember watching these teeth come in not so long ago! Where has the time gone?!

 On Friday night we celebrated Donald's 40th birthday and Angie's 50th birthday together as an office staff and with our spouses! We had a blast, and I think they are both ready to take on their milestone years ahead!

Anna missed out on the fun so we had to photo shop her in! haha

Even though it was Father's Day weekend, the ladies fit in our annual spa day to celebrate Mother's Day and a time for mother and daughters!  The dads got to take the kids to the science center while the moms enjoyed a workout, massage, lunch and lounging by the pool!  This is always one of my favorite days with some of my favorite people!  I don't know where I'd be without my mom and sister.... they are such good listeners and an excellent support system in this whole thing called motherhood! ;) 

School's Out for Summer!

Zander is officially on his way to 1st grade and his brother will be finishing preschool on Friday.  They will be spending some time with Grammy and Grandpa until I am done for the school year.  After that, we will have about six weeks together where I get to be a full time mommy!! The summer is always my favorite time of year..... a time where the schedule each day is what my boys and I make of it!! Until I officially start my summer break, here is what the boys have been up to!

Maddox has water day one day a week as part of the "summer program" at his preschool.  He loves wearing his bathing suit and flip flops to school on these mornings.

Zander had field day last week.  His favorite game was tug-o-war.  I got to run the sno-cone station so Grammy snapped a picture of me with my first-born.  Zander's teacher and Grammy also sent me some additional pictures so I could see all the fun Zander had throughout the day!

Zander had a school dance on Friday night.  He loved the cotton candy and as you can see, I might have some competition when it comes to being his favorite girl! ;)

On Saturday, we loaded up the car for a day trip back home.  We got to see Granny V, Paw Paw and Uncle Grant on our way into town.  After a visit with them, we headed to the lake for some fun with the Badens.  This is always one of my favorite days of the year!  I get to see my best friend, Liz, and we get to watch our kids play together!  The weather didn't cooperate as well as it usually does but we still managed to fit in a boat ride and the kids got to swim some in between the rain!  As you can see from some of the pictures below, we got rained on some during our boat ride which added to the excitement of the day!

We got to see Grannie, GranDan, and the Stanwoods before heading back home.  Grannie had made matching shirts for the cousins which they were able to model for pictures.

On Sunday, I brought out some of our board games. We played Candyland, Guess Who and Twister!  The boys had fun with each game for about five minutes before there was some complaining!  I am hopeful that their stamina will increase over the summer as I always loved playing board games with my sister and I feel the boys are just starting to get to the ages where this can be enjoyable as a family!

Zander had awards day on Monday.  He got perfect attendance for the year!  After all the typical sickness in his early years, I was celebrating this accomplishment with him!  This has been our healthiest year yet!! I pray this trend continues! ;) 

And just for comparison sake, check out our oldest on his first and last day of kindergarten..... first grade here we come! :) 

Countdown to Summer

We are officially in June which means we are officially counting down to summer break!! Zander has one more week of kindergarten and I have about two more weeks of work before we are off for the summer, and I get to spend my days with my boys!  Here is what we have been up to this past week....

Zander loves his teacher!! He is going to miss her when he goes to 1st grade.  She has been so perfect for him this year!! She understands his energetic boy personality and challenges him academically! He is reading like crazy and has such a great number sense!  Zander and Mrs. Noell wanted to take a selfie during one of our staff meetings after school! haha

We said goodbye to one of our four-legged family members this past week.  My parents' dog, Sox, has been dealing with heart issues for awhile, and my parents had to make the difficult decision to say goodbye to their beloved pet they have had for 11 years.  I will miss his aggressive face licks!

We had the Stanwoods come to stay for a brief visit Friday night on their way to a family vacation.  It was so great having the cousins together and getting hugs from my favorite nephew! I also love seeing him in all the clothes that have been passed down from the Houston boys!

 I took the boys to see Aladdin on Saturday afternoon.  We absolutely loved it!!! Having seen the original when I was a kid, it was so fun to hear and sing along to the songs I grew up knowing!  That morning we fit in some bike riding and baseball practice (fielding and hitting) with daddy so it just seemed to be a perfect Saturday!

 On Sunday, we went to the Greensboro Grasshoppers game with Zander's little league team.  The boys got to practice catching on the field before the game and we even got to walk the field with Z's team!  It was fun to watch a minor league team on a Sunday afternoon.  Zander had many questions.  I hope I can learn more about baseball (hint: Aunt Lindsey and Uncle Boomer) so I can keep up as he moves up in the various divisions!

Yesterday, we celebrated Zander's kindergarten year with an end of year celebration.  We got to have a picnic lunch with him afterwards!  Even daddy got to come!

 After work/school, we headed to Zander's last little league game of the year! He had three great hits and got a few players out when he was playing pitcher, center field, and second base.  His favorite position to play is pitcher or first base.  We shall see if these preferences stick! ;)

 We could not make it without our support team!! Linds and Emerson have come to many of Z's games.  Grammy and Grandpa helped us celebrate our kindergartner and picked up the boys and fed them so we would be ready to cheer on #21 on the baseball field!  Their support makes parenting so much easier and more fun! 

Finally, Uncle Jay taught me about a new picture option on my phone that turns pictures into comics! I'm loving playing with the new feature! haha