Happy Birthday Zander!

Zander,

Happy 8th Birthday!! I love being your mommy! You love baseball (especially hitting, playing first base, pitcher or catcher), math (your mental math skills are quite impressive), making things out of recyclables (such as amazon boxes) and cuddling before bed.  You are such a good reader and have really embraced the last year of school in the hybrid (remote/in-person) learning model.  I cannot believe you are less than two months away from finishing 2nd grade.  I think you are ready to move to the new building where our third through fifth grade classes are, but I'm not sure I am ready for you to be so grown up.  I love the current age you are and I'm trying to soak up every late night on the ball field and every bike ride and every conversation because it seems that the days, the weeks and years are flying by now!  For your 8th birthday, we celebrated with a few friends by painting the dinosaur and having a piñata....see the previous post for pictures!;))  On your actual birthday, mommy and daddy took time off from work since you were "working from home" for that day.  We scheduled an outdoor adventure at a local ropes course.  We quickly went through the two beginner courses and went on to tackle two of the intermediate courses.  We'll have to wait until mommy is a little more adventuresome to tackle any advanced courses.  It was fun spending time with the boy that made us parents (since you had to be 8 years old to do the course, brother stayed at his preschool for the day).   I loved watching your personality shine as you bravely entered each new obstacle while carefully and confidently maneuvering to the next platform.  We loved the ziplines and your favorite things were when you could use a glider or coast from one place to another using gravity to help! ;)  For dinner, you requested Fire and Sticks, a Japanese steakhouse.  While you only ate the chicken, your favorite part was getting the whole restaurant to sing to you and wearing a hat they gave you!  You also got your requested meals for breakfast (cinnamon rolls and sausage) and lunch (Freddy's after the ropes course).  I think it was a pretty awesome day! The weather was perfect for an outdoor adventure and we will remember the quality time we spent together for many years to come!  Enjoy being EIGHT!  Don't grow up too soon... you are at the best age right now! ;)   I love you!  Thank you for making me a mommy!

Love, 

Mommy (and Daddy)

cupcakes for your classmates on the day before your birthday

Last night as a 7 yr old

Breakfast request... cinnamon rolls and sausage

SkyWild Ropes Course

Dinner at Fire and Sticks

Celebrating #8

 Zander is turning 8 which means we had to celebrate this milestone! Last year, we were "sheltering at home" and he was able to have a couple friends drive by our house and wave hello.  This year, we felt we could have a few of his school friends join us for a small outdoor celebration!  We invited his six closest friends, who happen to have parents who work at the same school and are also in the 2nd grade this year.  Of course, my extroverted, friendly child wanted to invite everyone he knows to celebrate with him but he was accepting of a smaller gathering.;)  I asked him what he wanted to do and based on his request.... we opted for a piñata, presents and paint (do you like the alliteration?!).  We met at our school at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday to paint the school's dinosaur in honor of Z's 8th birthday.  Fortunately, daddy and Zander went over to the school on Friday evening to paint the dinosaur white, giving the students a blank canvas to work with!  We took turns smashing a piñata (stuffed with candy and Minecraft pencils/bands) and enjoyed yummy food (breakfast sandwiches, chips, drinks and cupcakes)!  The birthday boy enjoyed opening his presents and testing out some of them while the kids played outside for a bit after painting.  It was simple but just what Zander requested which I think he believes was pretty perfect! ;)  We can't wait to celebrate him some more this week as we approach his actual birthday!  Stay tuned..... ;)

Christian had a soccer game at the same time as our birthday gathering so he gave Z his present on Friday at school.  They enjoyed playing the game after school!  It was also pajama day.... hence Zander's pants ;)

Back at the Ball Field!

With both boys playing baseball again this spring, it seems like we are living at the ball field these days.  The boys have two games and a practice each week.... this past week none of their practices or games lined up which meant we were there six days straight.  We are enjoying an afternoon at home today after a busy week of work, school and baseball!  Fortunately, the games are on the same nights this upcoming week!  Maddox loves any position he can play and also hitting the ball each time up to bat when the coach pitches to him.  He seems to have a bounce in his step and most definitely a smile on his face as he comes out on the field ready for the action!  Zander loves playing short stop, pitcher (mainly for the fielding since it is machine pitch) and first base.  A new position he has added this year is catcher. He has been doing great behind the plate!

I had to document the Houston boys matching before church last Sunday!

Eli is starting to recognize his Aunt M and come to me without too much of a fuss! Love this little boy!

At practices, I find myself trying to find ways to entertain whichever brother is not on the field at the time.  Sometimes this involves taking silly pictures on mommy's phone! ;)

Spring Break: Part Two

After our mountain adventure, we returned home on Monday and daddy had to go to work the rest of the week.  That meant that I got some uninterrupted time with my boys.  On Tuesday, we went to the science center and out to lunch at Freddy's afterwards.  We fit in a couple doctor appointments (allergy shots and blood work) for mommy before and after this outing which meant we were having fun and mommy was being productive.  

On Wednesday, we made the trip back home to see family and friends.  The boys always love going to see Granny V, Paw Paw, Grannie and GranDan!  They are quite spoiled in the time we are able to spend with them.  While also back home, we saw Ashley Greene and her three boys.  I met Ashley as a fourth grader and then both our families moved to different locations within the same general mountain area (one county over).  We met back up in college and were college roommates our senior year!  It is crazy to me how life works and friendships formed all those years ago continue to go strong.  I am blessed with such an incredible friend group.... no matter the distance or time apart (due to a pandemic this past year).....we pick right back up where we left off.  Talking to her was so good for me and I already look forward to the next opportunity where we can get our boys together!  I also saw two of my best friends' moms when I pulled up at the park to meet Ashley.  It made my heart so happy to see people that helped shape my childhood and that have loved me as their own all these years.  I even snapped a picture with the next generation of kids that have come from that friend group!

On Thursday night, I was able to go out with my former co-workers/ close friends to celebrate Wanda and Anna's birthdays.  We opted for an outdoor park venue and stayed until after dark catching up!  Time with them is always time well spent.... I cherish our get-togethers!

On Friday, I took the boys to the lake that Linds and I have circled around too many times to count over the years. They made it the whole seven miles riding their bikes while I ran with them.  It was a fun adventure thanks to the beautiful weather we have had over spring break!

Today, we celebrated Grammy's birthday.  We truly would be lost without all of her help and guidance.  One day doesn't seem like enough time to celebrate someone who does so much for us and models unconditional love in so many ways.  Linds and I are looking forward to treating her to a night away, just us girls, in June so stay tuned for pictures. ;)  Since we had all the kids in tow today, Grammy requested a park birthday celebration complete with Jersey Mike's subs, chips and cupcakes!  We enjoyed watching the kids play with each other.  I loved seeing Eli in a shirt both my boys have worn.... I had to do the comparison collage to document it ;)  

Spring Break: Part One

 We were able to have a mountain getaway thanks to Grammy and Grandpa!  We enjoyed three nights in the Blowing Rock area to start Spring Break 2021!  As you will remember, spring break last year was a few weeks into our "sheltering at home" phase of the current pandemic.  This meant that the only places we traveled to last spring were the neighborhood school and track area along with an occasional hike on some surrounding trails.  It was so exciting to pack the car on Friday morning and know we could see some of God's beautiful creation!  We took Burke with us since he is starting to get really anxious when we go out of town.  He enjoyed getting to ride along with us and get some new sniffs in around the house we stayed at!  We stopped in downtown Blowing Rock to get lunch (at Mellow Mushroom) and walk around downtown until our house was available.  It was rather cold after some milder temperatures so we tried to keep the kids moving at the playground or walking path nearby.  Of course, the Houstons had to stop for Kilwins ice cream before heading to the house no matter how cold it was outside!

On Saturday, we had a leisurely morning with a yummy breakfast provided by Grammy.  Then, we went exploring at Moses Cone Memorial Park.  Our group made it for the 2 mile trail that went from the Manor down to a scenic lake.  We all enjoyed rest time or naps after the fresh mountain air!  We ate dinner at Woodlands BBQ (hence Maddox's picture with the "piggies" in the background)

On Saturday, we also attempted a swim in the hot tub!  The kids had never been in a hot tub before and while it was still pretty chilly outside, we enjoyed about 10 minutes of the warm water before opting for warmer temperatures and indoor entertainment!

Sunday morning, we celebrated Easter.  Zack read from Matthew 28 so the kids and adults could remember the real reason while this holiday is so significant to us.  Grammy even brought along a children's book that explains Easter and a connection to the Easter egg.  Of course, the kids were excited to see if the Easter bunny had found them away from their homes.  They enjoyed hunting eggs they found that were left around the house and went on a hunt to find their Easter baskets that were tucked in the loft area!  

Then, we headed to Tweetsie for the day.  The kids loved the train ride, carnival rides and petting zoo where they could feed various animals such as burrows, deer, emus, goats, sheep and llamas.  Both boys agreed that the day at Tweetsie was their favorite part of this mountain adventure weekend!

While all the festivities on Easter were incredibly fun, I continue to hope and pray I always point our children to the real reason we celebrate holidays such as Christmas and Easter.  Time with family and presents are always exciting but what's more exciting is the ultimate gift our Savior gave us by dying on the cross for our sins, providing mercy and grace we didn't deserve and a future we couldn't earn on our own!

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!  In his great mercy he has give us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead" - 1 Peter 1:3

It seems that time away with family is always so special and goes by so quickly.  We tried to take a few pictures this morning before we left to document the incredible view we had from our porch.  Since the temperatures were warmer today, we actually sat on the deck and enjoyed the fresh air before heading back down the mountain.

A couple other pictures from last week... Grannie shared Daddy's preschool graduation picture and we can definitely see the similarities between Maddox and Zack!  I also had to share a picture of Maddox from Zander's ball practice one night last week..... he just seems to be getting big way too fast!