Memorial Day Weekend

We've had the best time celebrating a long weekend together as a family.  We are so thankful for those that gave the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom so we could spend time together as a family unhindered.  Here is what we have been up to......I went to Core Values Dinner for our district on Thursday night.  We got to celebrate our school's teacher of the year, classified employee of the year, and our principal (who was a finalist for principal of the year). 

We had a ball game on Friday night... Emerson and I got to sport our sunglasses on a hot Friday evening.

The Houstons headed to the zoo on Saturday.... it was crowded and hot but we had a blast.  The kids got to do everything they wanted to do that day.... including playing in the kid zone water area!  Maddox's favorite animal to see was the rhinoceros and Zander wanted to check out the cacti in the desert.  We were all smiles throughout our fun day!

The boys were worn out on the way home.... and fit in about a 10 minute nap before we got to the house. ;)

I just love the relationship that our boys share with their daddy...... on the way to the grocery store, they were walking hand in hand.... safety first! ;)

 Also, check out this picture comparison from two years ago at the zoo and this past weekend!  Our boys are growing up way too fast!

 On Monday we fit in a family hike! The boys did great even with the "strenuous" terrain.  Zack only carried Maddox about 0.1 of a mile!  It was great getting to spend time outside together and listening to the boys sing "no more monkeys jumping on the bed" as we climbed up and down a mountain will be something I'll always remember!

Our pup got to fit in some extra time with our family this week.  He is a lazy pup!! Notice he doesn't want anyone messing with his tennis ball (even if he is being lazy)! ;)

Moving Through May!

I cannot believe we have one more month of work/school before I am off with my boys for a few weeks!! We are definitely counting down to summer where the days seem longer and we can be a little more lazy! :)  This past week we were at the ball field four days.  I had a PTA Talent Show and AG parent night on one of the other nights and Zander and I attended Mia's dance recital on Saturday evening.  We finished up with our Awana Awards Night last night.  This means that Monday was the only day we were home last week.  We are loving all the fun activities we have planned but also are excited for more evenings together at home with our family.  On the night we were home, I made a delicious, balanced dinner (see Maddox below) which worked as leftovers another night or two before ballgames.  This definitely felt like a "mom win".  Grannie came to visit for Zander's game on Saturday and she helped the boys put together a fairy garden..... you can see a picture of this below!  I've also included pictures from the dance recital.... Zander got Mia flowers.... their friendship is just the cutest!  We also celebrated our boys' accomplishments at the Awana Awards Night.  The boys are learning so much about God and starting to memorize scripture verses that I pray will stick with them in the future.  Awana has also been a fun experience for us as Zack works with Zander's group and I work with Maddox's age group!  It will be fall again before we know it and we will be back to Awana!  Until then, we might enjoy some leisurely Sunday afternoons as a family. ;) 

Happy Mother's Day 2019

I got to spend the weekend with my boys which is the perfect way to spend Mother's Day weekend!  On Friday, I went to Muffins with Mom at Maddox's school.  As you can see, he was really "cheesing" when his picture was taken.  He wrote an "All About My Mom" that just makes me smile and laugh.... apparently, I'm really good at making bananas! ;) 

 We ate breakfast with the Whites on Saturday morning.  The boys' shirts say "There is no buddy like a brother".  I am praying that they find this to be true as they get older.  At the current stage, they are fighting more than hugging so when I catch a rare moment where they will sit with their arms around each other, I have to snap a picture!  I love the moments they play together.  In all honesty though, we are spending time in opposite corners of the room or of our house on many occasions due to the arguing and fighting that the boys engage in.  Thank goodness they are cute! ;)

We went to church together on Mother's Day.  The boys wore matching outfits and cooperated for more pictures so I was excited to have some pictures with my boys.  We ate lunch at our house afterward.  Grammy, Grandpa and Great Grandma came over to join us!  The Kennedys stayed home this time since Emmy was running a fever.

 A few other things from our week..... we continue to enjoy cheering on our baseball player and Maddox loves hanging out with the big kids while brother plays ball.  He can keep up with them too as you see from the picture below. ;)

 We also have a new ride!  Zack is without a truck for the first time since 1999 as we realized we needed a larger family car for our family (especially for a couple upcoming road trips).  We are excited about the extra space the 2019 Subaru Ascent has (including a third row and captain chairs for our boys) and with the AWD, we know that Zack and I will be safe heading to work no matter the driving conditions (especially in the winter months!)  The car has everything we needed and wanted for our current stage of life and we continue to feel blessed to have been able to get it!

We also got to cheer on Dr. Kennedy (a.k.a Uncle Boomer) as he officially walked across the stage to receive his doctorate!  It is such a huge accomplishment and definitely something to be celebrated!!

Folly Fun!

One of my favorite days of the year is when we can go to our Spring Folly!! It was rather hot this year but we still had a blast!! We had a ballgame for Zander at noon so as soon as it was over, we headed downtown to eat yummy food, ride the rides, feed animals and walk around the various vendors.  We got to see the Williams family while we were there which made it even more fun to walk around with friends.  Grammy and Grandpa met us at the firetrucks and then they headed for some air conditioning after being at the ball field with us earlier.

 Also this past week, our kindergartner got another positive bow tie behavior award for his great behavior on their field trip the week before.  It's always nice when they represent you (or your school) well in public. ;)

 I got to spend some time with my favorite little girl this past week!  She went to two of Z's ballgames so we helped entertain her and Maddox with bubbles, cars and suckers! ;)

Zack and I got to see the Avengers Endgame movie.  It was so good!! We loved going to the "nice" theater and already having our recliner seats picked out and paid for.  Grammy and Grandpa had the boys spend the night last night which helped our Saturday morning start a little later than normal (as in 6:45 a.m. instead of 5:00- thanks Maddox and your new wake up schedule!). ;)  Ignore the mustache that is growing on Zack's face.....I'm hoping it disappears soon.  (Captain America did rock one in the movie!  Maybe that is the look he was going for?!)

 As I mentioned in my previous post, we have been spending a great deal of time at the baseball field.  We had practice Monday and games on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.  I love watching Zack help coach the team and watching the little cousins cheer on Zander!  We have one less day of baseball this upcoming week but a few other exciting things scheduled (like Boomer's doctoral graduation and dinner with friends).  So stay tuned....