Hanging at the Houston Home: Week 10 (Last Day of First Grade)

So.... Zander is officially done with first grade as we concluded our e-learning for the year today.  Mommy will continue to work at school and at home until the end of June but we are celebrating this milestone nonetheless!  The boys will continue to have some sort of a routine during the week for all of our sanity but it feels a little liberating to know that we won't be submitting assignments daily (selfishly this is one less thing on mommy's daily to do list as well).  Here is how we celebrated the last week of "school".......
We decorated our car and participated in a parade at Great Grandma's retirement community.  It was great seeing her and all of her friends outside while we drove through the parking lot.  The boys enjoyed being involved in the parade!

On Saturday, we went for a sweet treat (that doubled as lunch) and a nature walk at a local green-way.  We ate dinner at the Whites later that evening which the adults and children equally enjoyed seeing others not in their immediate family!

On Sunday, we went to our local Field of Honor where daddy discussed the five branches of the military and discussed how the boys' great grandpas had been in the Air Force and Army.  It was a great way to honor and remember our veterans since it was Memorial Day weekend.  Maddox also enjoyed rolling down the hill at the amphitheater nearby!

We also got out the splash pad again on Sunday to cool down on a warm afternoon!

Zander finished 1st grade officially today!!! I'm still in shock that I will now have a second grader.... how is that even possible?!  You can tell that his height (grew some inches) and his smile have changed (lost five teeth this year!) as he has also matured academically and socially this year!  He is doing a great job in school and has been taking on some extra chores around the house (such as cleaning toilets and vacuuming).  I know he is looking forward to summer break and hopeful that he can spend some time in our neighbor's pool and at the beach as the weather continues to get warmer!

We took the boys to play tennis on Monday (since it was a holiday).  Afterward, Zack felt the boys needed their own rackets rather than hand-me-downs so the boys were pretty excited to receive some mail this week (as seen in their reactions below)!  I think Zack and I will retire our rackets from when we were their age! 

They even found wrist bands and sweatbands to look the part while playing tennis in the driveway! ;)

Tonight I was able to celebrate with my office staff that our previous principal and AP (now current principal) were named as finalists for Principal and AP of the Year for our district... neither took home the title but they were the only two nominated as finalists from the same school!! We have something truly special at our school and I feel so blessed to work with the people I do every day!

Hanging at the Houston Home: Week 9

One of my mom's friends made the boys a mask for each of them to wear.  They are so excited to have a mask.  They even wanted to wear them in the car while we were going to grab lunch through a drive thru!  I keep wondering if they will be required to wear a mask when going back to school in the fall.... I feel the novelty will wear off and I can't imagine these young boys being able to keep these on all day while learning!  

Zander lost his fifth tooth!  Mommy pulled it out by tying string to it and giving a slight pull.... it came out really easily since it was hanging on by a thread!

 We loved having beautiful weather and daddy home all weekend!! It has been raining all week so we are so thankful we took advantage of being outdoors while we could!  We set up the splash pad on Friday and Saturday so the boys could squirt us with water guns to their heart's content.  We fit in some bike rides and went fishing at a local park on Sunday.  We didn't catch a fish but we were able to hook daddy and a nearby trashcan! 

 I got to celebrate with some of my friends from work.  We were outside at Anna's house celebrating that Angie was named our new principal.  This is such an incredible answer to many prayers!

 We continue to work on schoolwork daily while mommy also tries to tackle the to-do list.  Since it has rained every day this week, we have watched a movie in the evenings as well!  Both boys have been working hard on their writing.  Maddox is also working on letters, numbers and shapes.  Zander is working on reading books at a 2nd grade level, understanding fractions and elapsed time and practicing basic math facts!  There is never a dull moment and some moments involve the boys running laps around our downstairs and then jumping back into work at the dining room table!

Hanging at the Houston Home: Week 8 (Mother's Day)

Each week we are attempting to meet up with Sarah, Luke and Laurel to go bike riding and exploring the outdoors from a responsible distance.  We have successfully done this twice now and Linds and her kiddos were able to join the second time.  We have decided to schedule this each week as a time for the moms to catch up and the kids to get some energy out while also socializing from a far!

 I went into work last Friday to help hand out teacher appreciation gifts (through an organized drive thru out front).  I love the new bag each staff member received where all of their favorite goodies were placed inside!  We have the best PTA!

Grammy helped with the boys while mommy was at work.  The boys made me adorable Mother's Day cards while Grammy was with them!  These will be cherished forever (in print and now on this blog!)

On Saturday, we met up with the Stanwoods, Grannie and GranDan about halfway between where we live and Atlanta.  I needed to pass along some clothes that Maddox had outgrown and Henry now was ready to wear!  Since we haven't seen Henry since Christmas, it has been hard to get him the clothes he needs.  We loved having the opportunity/excuse to see our nephew as well!! It made for a fun outing!  Since we were actually dressed for the day (only my third time in jeans since 03/13), I had Zack snap a quick "Mother's Day photo" since it was Mother's Day weekend! ;)

We ate a picnic lunch, played for a bit and fed the ducks and geese with the goldfish I had packed for snacking! ;)

Mother's Day always has me reflecting on my ability to be a mother to two sweet, spunky, energetic, non-stop, full throttle boys!  I really loved this quote below that I saw earlier. This current situation with working a full-time job from home while also being responsible for teaching my boys their daily lessons and parenting them throughout the process has been the most challenging experience.  I know any parent who is in the same predicament where their spouse is still blessed to go to work (thankful for Zack's job, for sure!) understands the constant struggle of feeling outnumbered, overwhelmed and unable to multi-task to the degree that is expected at this moment in time.  I needed the reminder that even though this current situation is a struggle, each day I get back up with a renewed optimism to handle the day's tasks makes me a successful mother to these boys.

 Here are the boys who made me a mama on Mother's Day!

 We were in our church's slideshow for the Mother's Day children's program!

 We had Grammy, Grandpa and the Kennedys over for dinner on Mother's Day.  We ate lasagna, salad, and oreo dessert! Grammy got a picture with all four grandkids.... and they all seem to be looking at the camera....it's a Mother's Day miracle!  Linds and I opted for comfy clothes, hence why you won't see us in any of the pictures! haha

 I'm back at work a couple mornings a week (thanks to Grammy watching the boys)!  This week the boys have helped me get bags from local grocery stores to pack up student belongings and I've been at school helping teachers with getting their rooms ready for summer!  It is crazy to think this is how we are ending the school year.  Zander has about two more weeks of 1st grade and then the boys will be on summer break!! I have a few more weeks to work after that, and then it looks like mommy will have 5 weeks off with my boys until I'm back at work again, getting ready for the 2020-2021 school year.  We are so hopeful that during that time off, we can go to the beach! Maddox asks every night when we are going to the beach! Fortunately, we have everything booked for while I'm on summer break.  We are just waiting to ensure everything is open and we are able to get into the rental house! ;)

Hanging at the Houston Home: Week 7

Still at home.... the governor will be lifting the "stay at home" order after tomorrow and we will be entering Phase 1 of businesses, etc. reopening.  It will be a slow process and we have already been told that we will not be returning to school until August.  So the boys and I are counting down the weeks until we are officially on summer break, hoping we can still make our scheduled beach trip over the summer since the boys rarely leave the neighborhood at this point (other than for an occasional happy meal from McDonalds)!  Here is what we have been up to in between school work, mommy's job responsibilities and parenting two busy boys!

Zander saved up and bought a tablet.  He has been asking for one for years and I have always said he wasn't old enough.  He asked if he could save up and buy one..... and that is what he did! He used his saved allowance money, cashed in buttons from his button bank (for good behavior) and used his birthday money from family members to make this big purchase!  Due to the way shipping is delayed at this point, our big boy had to be extra patient to wait for its arrival!  It came about a week after his birthday and he has been doing a great job abiding by the daily limits we have set.  He will always give it over quickly which I said will be used to consider adding to the time limit in the future.  He is one happy seven year old!

These three pictures below are what happens when the four year old gets mommy's phone while she is working.  I came back to over 100 pictures on my phone.... the next three pictures were some of my favorites.... his discovery of flipping the screen to take a "selfie" and his detailed picture of the boys' shoes lined up under the baker's rack! haha

 Daddy got us a new hammock! Our previous one had been used for the last 12 years and was no longer functional.  We have gotten a lot of use out of this new one already.... definitely a good investment when we are stuck in our homes and the weather is so nice!

 The boys love exploring at our neighborhood schools and the fields they have.  We will play soccer, volleyball, basketball, hopscotch, "run" the track, ride bikes, etc. using these spaces that are not occupied by students right now!  Daddy also gave the boys a summer cut on Saturday!

 We had the Kennedys and Bakewells over for our weekly dinner.  This week Grammy brought stuff for s'mores and the cousins enjoyed the fire that Daddy/Uncle Zack built for them.  I am loving time with the ones I love the most!  Its definitely a highlight of our week!

Zack bought me two rose bushes after the boys were born.... one for each of my boys!  I love the flowers from these bushes!

 We got a splash pad for the backyard! The boys enjoyed the 80 degree weather on Sunday by cooling off and spraying each other with water guns! Mommy joined in on the fun on Monday afternoon after work and school..... they got me soaked!  The boys loved it!

The picture below is how I feel most days when I am in my meetings.  I have two to three meetings a day and it never fails that my boys like to "join" in.  Thank goodness I work with a staff that loves kids because there is never a dull moment at the Houston Household especially when mommy is trying to work!

 My cousin posted this collage of my Grandpa Woody who passed away in 1992.  His birthday was on May 5th!  I had been thinking about him a lot that day and loved seeing Casey's post that evening!

 When did Maddox get so big?!?!  I snapped this picture yesterday and I was overwhelmed with the feeling that I no longer have a baby in the house!! It is hard to notice how big he is getting in the day to day but when you step back and look at him.... I can't believe he is halfway to five years old.... a whole hand!!!

Zander's teacher gave him a "Flat Mrs. P" based on the book "Flat Stanley" to take with us on outings.  We took her to go "bird watching" yesterday! haha

Today, Linds and I busted out an 8 mile run pushing this cutie in the jogging stroller!  Basically, I knew I wouldn't be able to run this weekend and suggested that we try to run when we could arrange for childcare..... this is the first (and maybe the only) time we have been able to meet up during the week to run during this e-learning/ working from home experience.  I am so proud of us for fitting this in within a very busy daily schedule!!  I'm so blessed to get to run with my sister each week..... I look forward to getting a little exercise and a lot of talking/listening in!  I continue to feel so blessed that my family lives so close and I can see them as often as I do!