Countdown to Summer!

We are on the official countdown to summer with a couple weeks left of school/work to wrap up the 2020-2021 year!  Maddox had his official last day of PreK on Friday.  I cannot believe when we start back to school in August, both boys will be going with me to elementary school.  Zack and I have reached the stage of raising "school-aged children"!

 

It is hard to notice each day how much Maddox is growing and maturing but when you put a comparison picture of the first and last day of PreK... you can tell this has been a big year for him!  He knows all of his letters, numbers and is reading books!  Kindergarten, here he comes!  He is soooo ready!!

This upcoming week we are finishing the spring season of baseball..... what will we do without heading to the ballfield every night?! The boys have learned a lot about the sport and have grown so much!

During Maddox's last two weeks of PreK, he has had themed days.... check out cowboy day!

One of the boys' baseball teammates had a birthday party at the skating rink! They loved seeing all of their friends and rolling around the rink!

I love that Memorial Day weekend is always the unofficial start to summer! We are enjoying time with family and friends this weekend!  We went to the science center, City BBQ and paddle boat rides on Saturday with the Whites.  The weather was perfect for our outdoor adventure!

Last night we went to the Dash game.  The boys loved seeing some of their teammates (since it was little league night) and after a rain delay, the home team was able to bring home a win!  I am loving this time with my boys after a very busy week at work!  We have 2.5 weeks until we are on summer break together.... and the countdown to summer is on!

Baseball and Ballet!

We continue to be at the ball field most nights of the week.  With only a week or two left of spring baseball, I am trying to soak up all the time I can cheering on #21 and #10!  Zander got the "hitting" belt last night for three solid hits when at bat and a couple RBIs to go with it!  He loves playing baseball and has gotten pretty good behind the plate as well when playing catcher. We were able to get a group picture of the team along with the coaches last night.  Maddox continues to do an awesome job on the field and up to bat as well.  He is super fast and really alert when trying to get the out.  His coach mentioned last night that a few people were fighting over him on draft night, commenting that he had a great name for baseball! haha  We also had our fan club out there this week.  We love having Grammy, Grandpa and all of the Kennedys at the games!  Aunt Kelly came to the games last night as well.  These boys are well loved!

These bookend cousins only have two more Wednesdays together after spending almost a year one day a week at Grammy's house..... I think they will always have a close bond after the time spent together during this "Covid" year!

Maddox is counting down the last days of PreK with themed dress up days and fun activities.  Next week he will have a bike day, a camp out day and a water day!  As you can guess, he dressed as Spiderman for Superhero Day this week!

While my boys are playing baseball, Emerson has been learning ballet and tap!  I got to see her showcase on Wednesday night.  She has learned a lot already!  Being an aunt is pretty great! ;)

Zander had field day this week.  We still aren't able to have parents on campus yet due to Covid restrictions, so I consider it an awesome perk of the job that I can snap pictures of my oldest with his friends at field day!  I even had co-workers sending me pictures of him when he was at their station.  I love the work family I have!  I also lucked out and got my favorite station.... I was able to make sno-cones for all of our PreK-5th grade students..... best day ever!

Leap into Kindergarten and PreK Graduation!

Maddox had a pretty busy week.... we had a "Leap Into Kindergarten" event at the elementary school where Zander and I learn and work every day and little brother is super excited that it is now officially his turn to come to elementary school!  We had 47 kindergartners stop by the event where we handed out school supplies, helped families register for kindergarten and the students were able to do fun stations along the way.  Maddox was a local celebrity since the staff has known him since he was in my belly!  Also, his best friend, Mollie, was able to join us and they loved going to each station together!  I think Maddox is ready for kindergarten and I am ready to have him join us every day for school... it looks like "Kindergarten Here I Come!"

We also had Maddox's drive thru graduation this week where he was able to get his "diploma" and celebrate finishing preschool with his classmates.  He still has about another month of school before he is officially off for summer and we are having an end of year celebration at a local park with his classmates and teacher, Mrs. Veigh, who is retiring.  This means you will have to wait for the "Last Day of PreK" pictures to join the blog! ;)  It does seem that time is flying by and I am still in shock that I will have two school age kids very soon!

In other news from our week.... Zander finished the fourth and final chapter book in the Way of the Warrior Kid series.  We have moved onto one of mommy's favorites, "The Mouse and the Motorcycle".  I love to read with my big boy.  Also, Maddox has been reading books of his own.... learning new words and spelling patterns every day!

My azaleas that I always say bloom just in time for Mother's Day have been looking good this May! I love coming home to our beautiful home with the new porch railings and spring flowers!

My office staff got me a sign for my reserved parking spot!  I love getting to park up front every day! It is such a nice treat when you have your hands full! ;)

Happy Mother's Day 2021

 I have truly enjoyed this Mother's Day weekend! Today, we had an outdoor church service and then the Bakewells and Kennedys came over to our house for Japanese take out for lunch.  I had a nap and some cuddle time with my boys on the hammock in our backyard.  The weather has been perfect this weekend for some outdoor fun! 

The boys loved giving me Mother's Day gifts that they had worked on at school.  I love how excited they were to give them to me on Friday!  Also, I had to laugh at the card that Zack got from all my boys (including Burke)!  The front of the card made me chuckle... glad I'm the best mom they have... apparently I have set the bar pretty high at the Houston Household! ;)  They came with some pretty flowers and a balloon which was a sweet gesture from my boys.

We've been enjoying a lot of baseball lately.  We were excited to have Grannie come for the weekend to see both boys play!  This weekend was the only weekend with a Friday/Saturday game combination making it the perfect opportunity for her to make a road trip.  Both boys love having their biggest fans in the crowd!

On Wednesday, Zander went over to Grammy's and got to see his friend, Lana.  They enjoyed a water gun fight since the temperatures were perfect for the water fun!  Lana's mom sent me this picture while I was working from home... it made me wish I could get out and enjoy it too!

I love being a baseball mom.... had to get a picture with my two favorite players! ;) They also had baseball pictures last weekend so I tried to grab a few pictures of my boys and their teammates in their uniforms.

Burke continues to live his best life.... watching from our front window and protecting our house from delivery drivers.  He also loves going for a car ride where he can stick his head out the window and get some fresh air! ;)  He is one of my boys too.... the one who made me a mama to begin with so I had to include him in this Mother's Day post! ;)

Catching Up Again!

 Today is National Principal's Day and while I don't consider myself in the administration at our school, our staff celebrated me alongside our Assistant Principal and Principal!  I got a gift card, a new umbrella (with our school and my name on it!), decorations, flowers, candy, a candle and the kindergarten team had all of their students put a thumb print on the poster that says "Thumbody Loves You!"  I am definitely feeling the love!!

We have had some home improvement projects taking place this week.... we had a company that Zack knows come and switch out our front porch (since some of the wood was starting to rot) and strip/paint our back deck!  They also pressure washed the house... a mammoth task that I don't ever look forward to!  They were even able to get a patch of green mildew that was above our garage!  I am loving the new look!  It feels great to check things off the home "to do" list!  I tried to include some before, during and after picture below!

Zander got a new golf bag for his birthday from Grammy and Grandpa.... he loved putting all of his golf items in the new bag... I think he is ready to hit the links when Grandpa is ready to take him!  He also enjoys spending time with his best friend before and after school... here they are on "Team" day and just relaxing after a long day of school!

We are at the baseball complex a lot these days between two different baseball schedules and multiples games and practices each week.  These boys love playing baseball.  Maddox got the game ball last week and got to bat last this week which meant he got to get THREE homeruns as he also brought everyone else on his team home!  He is meeting new friends and enjoying being on the ball field!

It is a good thing Maddox is sooooo cute!  That helps him avoid staying in trouble all the time!  One day after school as we were rushing to get dinner and back out the door, I noticed that he had drawn on his pants while at school!  Fortunately, he used washable markers!  This boy continues to keep me on my toes!

Burke loves spending time with his family!  He loves weekly walks when we are home and not on the ball field!  We love our cuddle pup a lot!

I got to see Eli before school one day this past week! I left my phone at home and Grammy came to the rescue!  While he looks happy to see me.... he was also upset I interrupted his breakfast schedule! ;)