Summer Break 2025: Week 2

I cannot believe we are already at the end of the second week of summer! So much fun has been packed into the last seven days! Last weekend, my mom, my sister and I made our annual trip to the Grandover Spa, with an added treat and extended time of pampering by staying the night at their hotel! This meant 24 hours of kid-free, mother-daughter time! We had the best time: enjoying a 50 minute massage, catching up by the pool, eating a delicious lunch poolside, eating a tasty dinner at their hotel restaurant, drinking champagne that night while sitting in rocking chairs overlooking the golf course, sleeping in, getting in a workout and having the most amazing breakfast buffet! It was a great way to relax in between all the other responsibilities we have right now.

While I was away, Zack was able to celebrate Cousin Wade’s retirement from the police department and took the boys to church!

On Monday, we had a leisurely pool day! (I forgot to take a picture for documentation purposes)! Haha 

On Tuesday, we took Grandpa to Top Golf as an early Father’s Day present! The kids enjoyed participating in something Grandpa loves! We ate lunch at Freddy’s and then grabbed their “Good Grade Donuts” at Krispy Kreme! All A’s for this crew which meant 6 donuts for each of the school age kids who reluctantly shared with those of us that aren’t eligible for the good grade donuts! It was exciting to see their final averages being all A’s for the year, such an accomplishment! We are so proud of all the kids!

On Wednesday, Zander hung out with his friend, Hampton, while Maddox and I went to school to help with an interview.  That evening, after baseball practice, the boys and I had our annual camping trip in the backyard! A new addition this year was playing Uno using a lantern as it got dark!

On Thursday, I had two doctor’s appointments and Beau had his annual exam. We picked a two hour window in the middle of these commitments to have our annual lemonade stand, raising money for the Salem Pregnancy Care Center, an organization our church is partnering with this month! The boys raised $100! We are so thankful for family (thanks Grandpa for being the first customer) and friends that drove by to provide donations since our street doesn’t typically get a lot of customers!

Beau has kept us entertained this year! We found out at his exam that he needs to lose a few pounds and he is currently on hookworm medication with strict instructions to pick up his poop indefinitely! Fun times! Haha

We finished out the week bowling with one of Zander’s good friends, Sebastian! We went out to lunch and ice cream afterwards! Currently, Zander is mowing the lawn and Maddox is gearing up for his first All Star baseball game of the weekend! He has been practicing nightly in preparation for this tournament… Go K-Dogs!;)

Summer Break 2025: Week 1

We are officially on summer break after I worked four teacher workdays, bringing the boys with me each day. They entertained themselves by playing basketball and lacrosse, hanging out with other staff kids and completing tasks that staff members would give them to help us finish out the school year (a.k.a. a lot of cleaning up and organizing). We finished another puzzle in the evenings (as it was a rainy week). We were able to celebrate with Eli at his preschool graduation! Our annual lake day with the Badens was so much fun! It was somewhat colder than previous years but the kids played in the water for many hours. We missed Zack as he was still home recovering from his hernia surgery. We fit in two pool days during our first week of summer break, enjoying time with friends and cousins! Carmen found our names in Coke bottles near each other (meant to be!) The cousin crew (and Grammy) checked out Korner’s Folly with all its many rooms (built in the 1800s). This visit was a request by the kids! That afternoon, Aunt Lindsey entertained our kids at a local park (with a creek) while I attended the funeral of my friend, Amy Wilson. Jackson came to spend the night on Thursday, and since we had more rainy weather, the boys enjoyed an afternoon at the bowling alley! We got to see Aunt Kelly during her lunch break one day this week as well! While we fit in a lot of fun, we also checked off some things on the to do list as well: dentist appointments for both boys, inspection appointments for both cars, some needed maintenance for Zack’s vehicle and scrubbing/cleaning the front porch (a team effort this year).  I’m so excited for this time with my boys this summer! I am praying time slows down a bit though!