Closet Clean Out Day

"Here's a page to some book?!"

UGH!  One of the most needed and dreaded days of the year . . cleaning out Preston's closet (or at least trying to find the floor in the closet). We spend a good portion of one afternoon this week trying to go through this insanely junky closet and dresser top.  We had to take several candy breaks and never really finished the project, but hey, at least now I can see the floor!

VBS Shepherds

This week these two kiddos are volunteering for Bible school at church.  Preston was assigned to be a shepherd for kindergarten and Savannah had third graders.  One of them wasn't so sure about helping, but by the end of the week, he was SO excited and glad that I signed him up!

 

This was the first time she drove away alone with her brother . . another big first that was hard for this mama!  BUT, it was nice not to have to drive them all week. :)

Also notable this week:  Preston was getting ready on Thursday and got some water on his shirt.  Instead of thinking that the 90-degree weather would dry if, he decided to use a hair dryer to speed up the drying.  I mean how embarrassing if you go to church with water on your shirt, right?!  Anyway, he ended up literally burning a hole through the shirt!  He tried to use his name tag to cover it, but thankfully the interns let him get a new shirt, but all they had left was adult large.  LOL

Also notable, Savannah calls me Thursday afternoon before leaving the church and says she has locked her keys in the trunk.  THE SAME day Preston burned a hole in his shirt.  Good times, good times!  At least she wasn't that far away and was able to wait for me to finish my order before driving to her rescue.  Lesson learned. :)

Preston's 13!!!

I cannot even believe this kid is officially a teenager!  A surprise yard card was waiting on the lawn when we got home on Sunday from disc golf and he was super excited.

He spent the day with unlimited screen time (which was VERY hard for me to watch).

We had Chick-fil-A for lunch (compliments of two mystery shops)

And of course, we carried on the tradition of going to Chuck E Cheese to celebrate!  It just wouldn't be the same without spending a half-hour running around the place like crazy people making the most of our unlimited play pass. :)

Preston chose Papa John's pizza for dinner (it was quite an unhealthy day) and then opened his gifts.  I think he liked the candy that Savannah bought him from Costco just a little bit. :)

We enjoyed a treat that they made Dave for Father's Day tonight as it wasn't quite finished yesterday and it was better to save it as an extra extra special treat for both boys.

We at least used the leftover cake (that wasn't eaten, given away, or yet frozen) to sing Happy Birthday to this crazy kid.  He keeps things interesting and is always looking for a new adventure.  His favorites are Fortnight (honestly playing on anything with a screen), soccer, and spending time outside with his neighborhood friends (usually with water balloons even in January).  He has become quite opinionated and only wears Under Armour so I guess that officially makes him a teenage boy. LOL  

Happy Father's Day & Anniversary!!

Anyone that knows Dave knows how laid back he is . . . never gets flustered or stressed and is always there with a calming voice.  Today we celebrated this amazing man in two ways.  Not only was it Father's Day, but also our 18th anniversary.  He wanted to go play disc golf at a park nearby and have Red Robin for dinner.  Check and check.  Although Red Robin was a bit of a DISASTER, we ended up getting all the meals for free so that made up for it.

I could never fully express how grateful I am for Dave.  He truly is my better half.  He loves unconditionally, always pitches in with the household chores, and helps me see the big picture when I'm often complaining or worrying. A man of character that is teaching our kids not only through words but through actions what it means to live with integrity and love well.  The kids adore him and nothing makes my heart happier than to see him spending time with them . . at the gym, jamming out in the car, making Saturday night's dinner, or just chatting about random movies/sports/music/trivia facts. 

Happy Father's Day/Anniversary to My One and Only!!

Savannah's First Solo Car Trip

This hit me like a ton of bricks and aged me at least 10 years today . . . Savannah left for the first time alone in a car.  It's absolutely terrifying, both worrying she will be okay and letting go too.  She's off to start her first shift as a library volunteer early this morning.

Preston's Spare Time Laser Tag Birthday Party

This kid has been begging for a birthday party since Covid hit . . . so this was finally the year we resumed parties.  He was thrilled that some of his buddies could join him for a laser tag and game party.  They ended up with a bunch of junk from the prize room, but who cares, they had a blast!

When I asked him what kind of cake he wanted he said "a big one with lots of leftovers" ;)  So for a party of 9 we got a Costco cake for 48.  We'll have cake running out our ears for months.

 What a fun night celebrating our soon-to-be teenager!

She's Back and Officially Licensed!

Savannah's camp rec team

These pictures came from camp this week!

We were so excited to have our 16-year-old Savannah back home!!  And wasted no time with a DMV appointment scheduled for this afternoon. :)

With the exchange of a few pieces of paper and proof that she was on our insurance policy, just like that she is officially a licensed driver in NC (although she can't drive after 9pm just yet) . . and it is absolutely terrifying for this mama!  Know what else is terrifying?!?  No driving test was required AND she was able to preregister to vote too.  It was also a bit hard to see her make her first independent choice as to what party she wanted to join.  I just stood in awe of this amazing girl who knows more and more every day not only WHO she is but WHOSE she is!

 

Preston's Mountain Adventure

These pictures came from the mountains . . . I think it's fair to say the boys had a swell time!

They went tubing one day and had a funny story about a tube popping.

 And if they hadn't had enough fun, when they got back to Charlotte, Kristin took them to the YMCA pool for a couple of hours.  This kid was worn out when he got home tonight!

Pre Camp Celebration & Send Off

Since Savannah will be at camp on her actual birthday this week, we did "leftover cake" and a few gifts before she left. 

And then she was off to camp on Monday!

And Preston was lucky enough to be invited to his buddy Ben's mountain house for the week too!

 So it's Monday and both kids are headed out of town for the week! :)

Savannah's Sweet Sixteen Party!!

After much planning and anticipation, Savannah's 16th party day is finally here!  She invited 8 girls to join us in a limo ride uptown for dinner and pictures.

Dinner was quite a hit (or miss with catching food thrown in her mouth).

And why not celebrate with a flaming torch on cheesecake AND Nothing Bundt cake!

After dinner we headed to a fun part of the city for some pictures together.

AP Seminar girls

Such fun!

One final picture before loading up to head back home.

It was a night full of laughter, blasting music in the limo, good food, and memories to last.  I hope the girls had as much fun as I did!