Sonic Family Picnic

Preston signing his own waiver form

After church today we all headed to Charlotte Motor Speedway for an afternoon with Sonic Automotive.  They had a huge company wide (okay, Charlotte wide at least) picnic complete with tons of games, sporting events, catered lunch, face painting, sno cones, a photo booth, bouncy houses, a dunk tank, and on and on.  When we first got there they made us all sign waiver forms . . . even Preston.  How dumb is that?  I said to the lady, "he's FOUR" and she said it didn't matter he had to sign his own name! 

Each dealership was represented by a different color of T-shirt, Ford was navy blue.  They also were competing against each other for some pretty cool prizes.  The dealership with the most points at the end of the afternoon won a suite for an upcoming Nascar race. Second place won an entire movie theater rented out just for them.  Of course Dave's dealership won because they had about double the employees/family members than any other store there. :)    

The kids loved their laser shooter and bumble bee balloon animals

Photo op with the Lug Nut



One of their favorite bouncy houses

Savannah the tiger

 It was a super fun afternoon for everyone.  We enjoyed lots of traditional carnival games like the sack race, egg toss, and egg race.  There was so much to do and I think we all went home with full bellies and completely exhausted!



 

 

More Soccer Fun

Preston finally met his match with pink #9

Watch out, I'm going after the ball!

4 WEE school friends

Preston continues to talk about playing soccer all week and we usually have an ongoing countdown until the next practice/game.  Savannah, Dave and I love watching the "game" and continue to admire Preston's skills on the field.  He scores at least 2 or 3 goals every game and continues to be Mr. Aggressive.  This Saturday the opposing team actually had 2 of his WEE school friends on it, which made the morning even more fun.

Tidbits from the Second Grade

Savannah is very cautious in revealing a lot of information about things at school.  She will tell me a few things and gladly answer all of my questions about her day at school, but it's Dave who usually gets the most interesting information about the second grade.  So, at night as Dave and I lie in bed we compare notes . . . which usually gives us both quite a good laugh.  This is what we have gathered so far:

1) If you copy someone's work (as the girl next to Savannah did to her) you lose 7 tickets
2) If you lose more tickets that you have your punishment is to walk laps around the blacktop at recess
3) Second graders don't have recess on the playgrounds because they are so far away in the cottages
4) There is very little equipment/toys to play with on the blacktop at recess
5) Generally #4 isn't a huge problem because kids are being punished with #2
6) Savannah is a good problem solver.  She tried to strike a deal with the girl that keeps annoying her in line . . . "I'll let you play with the playground ball that my mom sent in if you'll stop touching me in line."  The girl agreed and Savannah has decided that if she breaks the deal, she's submitting the issue into the problem box at school.

to be continued . . .

Happy 40th Dave!!!

Happy Birthday Dear Daddy!

This weekend we celebrated Dave's 40th birthday!  On Saturday I arranged for a sitter and surprised him with a dinner out uptown.  Originally there were 10 of us attending, but as the week went on the number decreased to only 5, but we still had a great time with the Fulmers and Susan.  It was so nice to enjoy a dinner out sans kiddos. :)  Then Sunday night we also enjoyed a dinner out at Dave's restaurant of choice, Fuddruckers.  After dinner we came home to enjoy a Marble Slab ice cream cake and gifts.  I think the kids probably ended up having more fun that we did since they got to enjoy a long night with a sitter, dinner at Fuddruckers and ice cream cake too!

I am so thankful for the years that Dave and I have spent together.  He has taught me so much about being patient and continues to lead our family by always choosing the right way, even when it's not the easiest.  The kids adore him and I couldn't be more thankful for a man who steps right in after a long day at work to put on his daddy hat and give this mama a break!  Here's to many, many, many more wonderful years together.  I Love You!!!

Preston's First Real Soccer Game

Beginning the morning with a few drills

I love their little huddle . . Preston is #9, with the shorts that don't match. :)

Prayer before the game

Preston's first soccer goal!!

Watch out, here comes Preston determined to score another goal

We have talked a lot about starting soccer this Fall and up until Friday night, Preston was super excited about getting to play a real game with a real uniform.  He was also excited about playing on a team with a lot of his friends from church and WEE school.  Then this morning came and all of a sudden he started complaining about not wanting to go . . . but when he hit that field, it was all on!  Having two coaches that are really into it make a BIG difference too.  Coach Gus and Coach Zach are wonderful with the boys.

It was hilarious watching them play.  According to Coach Gus Preston has "great skills" which was evident with his two goals (and another third goal in the other team's side).  He really did do well and had a blast too.  It looks like we're in for some fun Saturdays this Fall!

Preston's First Day of 4s Preschool

We have all waited for this day practically all summer!  Today was the day that Preston finally got to go back to school!  Although it is a short week for him (dismissal at noon and missing Monday for the holiday) he was super excited to go back . . .but not so excited over the pictures we left early to take! :)

Mom, I AM smiling!

How about this??

Getting closer (and happier) to the classroom

He ran right in and started his work with Ms. Lisa!

It's going to be a fabulous year . . . thank you Lord for such amazing teachers and an incredible school too!

Labor Day Weekend

This weekend was certainly a welcome change from our normal routine!  On Saturday Dave had to work so the kids and I went to the pool after nap time to meet some of our friends and enjoy a fun afternoon splashing around.  We were surprised that another friend of Savannah and Jack's also showed up so the kids had a grand time playing.  We were going to stay until it closed, but unfortunately they heard thunder and closed the pool early. :(

Elizabeth with the kids in the Y pool

Sunday afternoon we decided to visit Carowinds one last time before the end of the season.  Boy was it hot!  The kids didn't seem to mind and we enjoyed a final few hours there before heading home to attempt to grill out . . .only the rain came a bit too early so we had to postpone our cheeseburgers for Monday.

On Monday after a nice long family run, we all decided to pitch in and do 30 minutes of yard work.  We barely made a dent in our overgrown yard, but hey, you have to start somewhere.  Then we packed lunches and headed to the pool one last time for the season with Daddy!  The kids had a ton of fun playing, sliding down the slides and showing off their swimming skills.

We went home and finally were able to grill our cheeseburgers for dinner.  After dinner Preston wanted to treat the family to ice cream at Bruster's.  He paid with his own money and was so proud to buy us all ice-cream.  It was so sad coming home though because he realized he gave the man $6 for our $4.30 order and they kept the extra dollar. :(  His face was priceless though as he proudly paid for the treats!  I love that boy . . . ever so generous.