Annual Half Marathon

 It’s that time of year where the #sweatysisters take to the streets for our annual road race! We always prefer spring races and this year’s weather was probably my favorite so far! It was in the upper 50s and sunny! We started off the morning with a caffeine jolt and then hit the pavement! While our kids were at their various sporting events for the day with the dads, our parents came to cheer on their kids! They have been cheering us on our whole lives, no matter how big or small the occasion, and it was a welcome relief to see our 16 year old signs mom made in the distance as we approached mile 4 and mile 9! We have the best fans! I was able to knock out a 1:55:09 (8:47 pace) and take home first place in my age group and 11th female overall! Linds came in a few minutes after me and took home 3rd in her “younger” age group.;)  I love that we are still running together every Saturday and am equally thankful we’ve checked off our annual 13.1 miles!

Sports are in full effect, causing the Houstons to have an activity every night of the week! This week was “baseball” heavy with opening ceremonies for baseball, a Dash game with the Kennedys and the first baseball game of the season for Maddox! He played catcher two innings (an integral position with kid pitch) and is looking forward to pitching in the upcoming games! Zander had three evenings of soccer too with his weekly practices and a Friday night game! We are looking forward to a little rest this weekend!

Quick Catch Up Post

We celebrated Grammy and Grandpa’s 44th anniversary at Cracker Barrel!

Zander got to meet the President of Hillsdale College at an event in Charlotte! It was a fun father-son night for Zack and Zander!

We celebrated Zack’s birthday…. A dinner date at Print Works Bistro! I love date nights with my favorite guy!

Our school hosted Kindergarten Open House last Thursday… can’t wait to have my littlest love join me as a kindergartner next year!

I facilitated our Student Council field trip to meet our local mayor and see some of the departments within our local government! Seeing the Bear Cat as part of the SWAT team was probably Maddox’s favorite part (or maybe the drone navigations)!

Zander has to create his own derby car this year as a middle schooler …. He is taking this very seriously!;)

St. Patrick’s Day fun for the cousins 

Annual 7 mile bike ride/ run over Spring Break with my boys!

Maddox bought his own beagle that “breathes” so he has a dog that will stay in his room, unlike Beau … haha

Spring Break 2025: Washington, D.C.

We had a wonderful Spring Break with our boys as we planned a trip to visit our nation’s capital! With it being about 5 hours from our home, it was the perfect distance for a spring break road trip! On the first day, we met up with my cousin and her family! The second cousins hadn’t seen each other since Maddox was a one-year-old so it had been awhile! They enjoyed playing at a playground area attached to a winery while the adults had a beverage, playing at the Petersen home and enjoying a cookout dinner (hamburgers and hotdogs) complete with “smoreos”. The boys are already asking about when we will get to go back!

Day 1:  After a short metro ride from our hotel in Alexandria, we started to explore our nation’s capital by walking to the Capitol Building.  Then, we had secured tickets in advance to visit the Air and Space Museum which we headed to as our first Smithsonian museum for the day. After the Air and Space Museum, we checked out the National Archives (being able to see the Declaration of Independence, Constitution and Bill of Rights). We ended our day in D.C. at the Natural History Museum. After a busy day, we made it back to Alexandria and enjoyed dinner on the Potomac River at a restaurant named “Hummingbird”. It was delicious!

Day 2: The “anchoring event” of the day was taking a tour to the top of the Washington Monument. After we were able to take in breathtaking views from 500 ft in the air, we walked to the American History Museum. We enjoyed a food truck lunch of American themed food and then headed to the Holocaust Museum. Our boys enjoy reading historical fiction from the World War II era so we knew this would interest them. We got advance tickets to the permanent exhibition which went into a lot of depth about the events surrounding the Holocaust. It was a harsh reality to see what so many experienced during this time period but also made us appreciate and reflect on the blessings we currently have.  We had a low key evening back at the hotel after eating dinner at Delia’s which was in walking distance from where we were staying.

Day 3: We had a White House tour scheduled thanks to the help of our Senator Tillis! You have to request tours to visit the White House through your congress representatives. With a great deal of planning, this tour was one of my favorite parts of our trip! We had never visited the White House before and it was amazing to see some of the rooms that appear on our television screens when the First Family is hosting various functions. After participating on a self-guided tour of the grounds, we ate a delicious lunch at Old Ebbitt Grill (a suggestion from my cousin)! Then, we finished out our last afternoon walking to the memorials nearby (Lincoln, Vietnam War, Korean War and World War II). We had the best spring break trip to our nation’s capital. I know we made lasting memories the boys will remember for years to come!

My Boys

We’ve been busy finishing winter sports and welcoming our spring sports’ schedule! This is just a quick post to say how much I love my boys! We are having a blast at their current ages and I kind of want to keep them in this stage!;) Maddox and I went to Starbucks and started a new book while Z had soccer practice one night. He is also pretty excited to start baseball! He wore his All Star jersey from last year for evaluations! Zander is doing great in school, getting high grades, being recommended for a summer STEM camp (which may be too expensive for our current budget but a recommendation nonetheless), looks forward to youth activities each week at our church, is on the soccer field a lot and loves his one-on-one time with Grandpa each week as he is learning golf! Maddox has been doing great in school too, finished his 2nd book in AWANA (is on his way to a Timothy Award) and loves to take baths on evenings when he has a free night! Haha

Remote Learning Days

We had two remote learning days this past week due to a passing snow shower. It worked out perfectly since we found out Maddox tested positive for strep throat and would need some extra days of rest while we worked on school work from home. It brought back memories from our Covid days of working from home but I’m very thankful it was short-lived. The remote learning days and Maddox’s sickness caused me to miss my Uncle Scott’s funeral in Savannah. I enjoyed seeing pictures of my parents with the extended family as they celebrated my Uncle Scott.  Many of my treasured childhood memories with extended family include my uncle. From gathering at Thanksgiving or stopping by on our road trips between FL and NC, he taught me hospitality and the ability to welcome others into your home. He was an advocate for educators, a writer himself (my boys loved reading his book), and a lover of the outdoors. The way he loved my Aunt Barbara was special to watch and the compassion he always exuded for his family was top notch. I will miss him greatly and thought about all my family gathered together as they said goodbye. Uncle Scott always liked a reason to celebrate and I’m thankful they were able to celebrate him and a life well-lived.

Also, this week, we finished out the basketball season with Coach Zack and Coach Phil! I loved how Zack made the team celebration today extra special, picking up some of their favorite snacks and giving each boy customized superlatives to remind them of a fun basketball season! Zander was recognized as part of “Team of the Week” for soccer with his 7 goals scored at last week’s tournament! Beau enjoyed our extra days at home and we had to document our annual Valentines from Grammy on the boys’ doors. Finally, I got to chaperone a field trip with Maddox this past week! I love getting to spend time with my boy! He enjoyed helping be the “large intestine” for the digestive system demonstration! 

The boys wanted to try homemade snow cream for the first time… we didn’t have enough snow to make much but they got to try it! When M was feeling better, he enjoyed finding icicles and playing outside!

Sickness, Sleepovers and Soccer

We spent the weekend in the cold and the rain to cheer on our favorite soccer player! Grammy and I weathered the elements while daddy and Maddox were back home playing basketball. Also, this past week, Mommy and Maddox battled the dreaded stomach bug along with the Kennedy kids, Aunt Lindsey, Grammy and Grandpa! Somehow Uncle Boomer, Zack and Zander have held strong and we pray that continues! We pray for health for everyone going into the upcoming week. We celebrated good grades with Krispy Kreme donuts which were perfectly timed to be eaten on the Valentine holiday this past Friday! Zander got to connect with middle school friends one afternoon that were all dropped off at Sedge Garden (their former elementary school). Finally, before the sickness hit us, the boys were able to have a guy’s night with their best friends, Jackson and Austin. They had pizza for dinner, ice cream sundaes for dessert and went to bed around midnight to be ready for basketball and soccer games the next day!