Last Day of School 2025!

This year flew by and we officially have a 4th and 7th grader!

We’ve loved having Emmy with us each morning! Next year we will add the littlest cousin, Eli, to our morning commute!

Staff friends (Mae and Kate) from class snapping pictures before school!

Awards Breakfast with Mrs. Servello, Maddox’s Third Grade Teacher 

Grammy came and got an award for all her volunteering this year…. She comes to help every Thursday!

So proud of our boy! He got many awards: Math Super Star (x2), Multiplication Master, Student Council, Honor Roll All Year and Friendliest Friend!

After a busy awards day, Maddox played a double header! He pitched the whole second game, getting the last two out to finish the game. He had some great hits as well to help his team take home first place for the regular season with a 17-8 score. Next week, it will be tournament time! Not pictured but Zander found out the same day that he made the Premier soccer team for his age group! It was a big day in the Houston Household!

Another big event this week… Zack had hernia repair surgery…. Poor guy had three hernias that needed some attention so he is currently home recovering for a few days with strict orders not to lift anything over 25 lbs for the next month. He has handled the surgery and recovery so far like a champ!

Counting Down to Summer

We are in the final days of the 2024-2025 school year and we are enjoying all the end of year festivities even if it feels like we are in “Maycember”. We had our 5th grade celebration today and all students (and staff) got Kona Ice! I snapped a quick picture with my favorite girl who happened to be outside when I was cleaning up after the 5th graders!

We finished out our AWANA year and Maddox knocked out two books this year (hence the two medals), putting him on track to get the Timothy Award in 5th grade! Only two more books to go! It was fun to celebrate with the cousins and all the scripture verses learned this year!

We attended Mia’s dance recital, an annual tradition for these friends.:)

Beau continues to love car rides when we are dropping off the boys at their various locations in the evenings! Maddox snapped this picture after we dropped Z off at youth group!

We got to see Dot for her 94th birthday!

Happy Mother’s Day 2025!

Mother’s Day weekend always brings me so much joy… a little slower pace, a little more gratitude from the kids about all mommy does and a little closer to summer break with the boys who made me a mama! This weekend did not disappoint! Maddox made me a homemade craft using a glue gun, an Airhead wrapper (yes it’s empty), shells, paint and feathers… enjoy the creation he made when he was unsupervised one afternoon after school! Haha 

Zander made me smile by going into our stationary stash to made me a Mother’s Day card when he realized I didn’t buy one for myself while we were signing the cards for all the grandmas in their lives. He asked, “do you have one more?” (Haha) 

I enjoyed a caffeinated beverage while solo grocery shopping this weekend! 

The boys worked in the yard, mowing and updating the vegetable boxes! I took a nap!;)

We went to the Carolina Core game on Saturday night… the boys got to help on the field as ball boys and participate in the high five tunnel before the game! Afterwards, they got signatures from players and took some shots on the goal! It was Star Wars night so each kid came home with a light saber!

I love how our church celebrates moms…. A special song from our children’s ministry, a photo op, a small gift and a Mother’s Day themed sermon. We were blessed to have both our moms in attendance and enjoyed lunch afterwards at The Loop!

The boys have been asking to see the new Minecraft movie so mommy opted for no nap on Sunday afternoon and took the boys to the movies while daddy meal-prepped for us to set us up for success for the week ahead!

We worked on a 1000 piece puzzle over the weekend and finished it on Monday evening due to cancelled baseball games and rainy weather!

A shoutout to my azaleas which weren’t in bloom for Mother’s Day but were enjoyed the week leading up to the holiday!

And while Maddox has no reason to need a relaxing bath (other than a skinned up knee that could use a good soak), may we all be as relaxed as he is during the school week!

Zander finished out his soccer season with a ranking of 3rd in his division! Mia came to cheer him on in his final game of the season and the team had an end of the year celebration at Dairio afterwards! Tryouts are next week to see about a placement for next year’s team!

School Stuff and Sports Stuff

Life lately has revolved around sports and school! It’s that crazy time of year where there is something every night! Maddox has baseball three nights a week and his teacher, Mrs. Servello, came to cheer him on! She got to see an in the park home run and two innings with him as the pitcher! His preferred positions right now are pitcher, catcher, short stop and first base!

We had two days of field day last week! It’s so fun to be at the same school as Maddox and Emerson so I can snap a picture when they come to the snow cone station I’m helping with! Thank you Grammy for taking additional pictures as you move around the stations with our kids!

We had the annual Awana Grand Prix! Maddox took home 2nd in speed and Zander took home 3rd in speed AND design! Go Gators! A big thanks to daddy for helping get their cars racing ready!

We celebrated Zander and Grammy’s birthdays with “cook in front of you” Japanese at Fire and Sticks! Cookie cake was the preferred dessert for the birthday celebration!

We finally dyed Easter eggs on the weekend after Easter! The cousins came over to our house for the afternoon for outside fun, dinner and dessert!

I got to cheer on one of my favorite seniors, Virginia, that I’ve known since Kindergarten! Time goes by fast! It was fun to learn a little more about the game of lacrosse.

We also had our senior walk…. I love when our seniors come back to visit at their elementary school!

The staff kids in 3rd grade…. Maddox is outnumbered before school in the mornings!

We are finishing out the soccer season! We love cheering on our favorite left winger!

I was able to chaperone Zander’s Celebration Station field trip with the band and orchestra from his middle school.

Speaking of orchestra, Zander had his spring concert! He was recognized with the Spirit Award as one of three awards given to 6th graders. His teacher said he was “the most optimistic in 6th grade, doesn’t let anything get him down and always has a smile on his face!” I’m so proud of our middle schooler!

Beau continues to live his best life as a Houston!

We tried to attend the Spring Folly, and just as Zander and his best bud, Jackson, were on their first ride, the bottom dropped out and they got soaked! It was a short Folly visit this year!

Earlier in the day, the weather cooperated for us to see the Kennedy kids in action on the ball field!