Bin Adventures

The kids' favorite thing to do on Fridays is to venture to Where Ya Bin?!  It's a massive store filled with Amazon returns, and honestly is too nasty for me to handle, but they love it.  They sometimes come home with nothing, but today they both got lucky and were able to get a brand new icemaker and some sort of charger thingy Preston plans to eBay.  They love the hunt of what they can find for $14 and I love that they love to go together!


 

The Chapel Hill Journey Begins . . . at Orientation

For this girl, it's adios Providence!

And Hello Chapel Hill!!!

We traveled to UNC today for two days of orientation.  Preston was pretty insistent on not attending so we dropped him off at Uncle Denny's house for his own fun adventure. :)

All in all it was an *interesting* couple of days filled with lots of sitting and listening.  It was nice to see more of the campus and to be able to see Savannah in her element, but it was a LOT of sitting and listening. LOL  Oh and we aren't big fans of the dining hall . . . 

 

Preston's adventures with Uncle Denny on the boat and shooting guns did not disappoint, so all around everyone had a fun couple of days and went home happy.

Preston is 15!!!

This year Preston celebrated his birthday at camp so when he got home we had a cake ready!  We were also excited to finally get rid of his little boy bed and upgrade him to a full size one.  His room is a complete disaster but we are slowly making progress with getting the old furniture out and the new pieces assembled.

This kid continues to amaze me.  He is so fit and focused on working out and being healthy . . . yet can eat like a horse some days.  He can run like the wind and loves a good competition.  It is RARE for him to complain (about something other than school work and chores anyway) and has a huge heart.  He always looks out for others and tries to make the best of the most unfortunate situations (like injuries).  He is thrilled about getting his permit in a few weeks but is a bit anxious about high school.  Never the less, we are excited to see what the year ahead holds as he sort of becomes an only child with Savannah away at school.  Happy 15th Dodo!!!

Camp Carmel is BACK!

These two have been so excited about student camp and were thrilled to head out this week for another fun adventure at Camp Carmel!  Preston was a bit bummed to be in a walking boot from his sprained ankle, but that didn't stop him from having a fabulous week . . . and apparently a bad ankle doesn't prevent one from doing backflips into the lake again and again?!

I got a call from Savnanah's group leader on Wednesday that she had forgotten her contacts and would be so appreciative if I could bring them. :)  So thankfully, camp isn't super far from Charlotte and I was able to drive the contacts to camp . . . as an added bonus I was able to get a tour and see where the fun happens.  The first bunkhouse I saw had Preston's pink swim trunks hanging to dry. LOL

This was Savannah's cabin and here are a few pictures that were posted from the fabulous week.

 

Unfortunately, Savannah also came home with this nasty-looking blue, swollen toe.  So to be extra cautious we took her straight to urgent care where they confirmed it was just sprained and not broken.  Whew!

Despite now both being under the care of Orthocarolina they had another fantastic week of summer and enjoyed time with friends and in the Word.

Celebrating Dave Today!!

In the chaos of graduation and June birthdays, we couldn't leave out celebrating the man that holds our house together! Dave continues to be a pillar of strength in the crazy days and is always patient, understanding, and willing to help.  He's also the voice of reason when I'm about to lose my mind. :)

We enjoyed celebrating together at a new adventure in Charlotte called Activate.  It was fabulous and super fun competing together as a family through the many rooms of adventures.  He chose our Sunday favorite, pizza, for dinner and we surprised him with a yummy cookie cake too.

We are all beyond grateful to have Dave.  He loves us each in a unique and special way.  Whether it's working out and watching sports with Preston, watching Hanna Montana with Savannah, or helping me with dishes and talking me off the ledge, he's our go-to man.  Celebrating this amazing daddy-o today!

Happy 18th Savannah!!!

I cannot believe Savannah is officially an adult today!  In so many ways she has already been an adult, but today it's on record that she is legally an adult.  It was such a joy to celebrate with her in person (since camp dates were moved this year) and do all of the things she wanted to do.  We started the morning with a fun trip to the Cakeable market uptown.

                                        

We all went to see Inside Out 2

We had dinner at Cheesecake Factory where she enjoyed her all time fav, mac and cheese burger.

And of course, cheesecake for dessert!

 Lastly, there were gifts.  It's hard to buy so much at once with graduation just behind us, but this girl is so frugal and careful in what she asks for that it is usually a joy to shower her with presents. :)

She is quite an amazing woman.  She isn't only beautiful and brilliant, but also a woman who fears the Lord and isn't afraid to stand up for her beliefs . . . yet does so in a delicate way.  She has a heart of gold and loves others so well, always pouring into the younger generation at church and also her friends at Cakeable.  Her gifts of leadership, editing, serving, and knowing how to slow down too, just all come naturally as she skips through life.  It's an honor, joy, privilege, and blessing to call her mine and I absolutely can't wait to see what God has planned for her in the years to come. 

Happy 18th Savannah!!!

VBS Week Volunteers

These two were so thrilled to pose for a picture before VBS started today.  Don't let their faces fool you, they had a blast serving at church this week!  Savannah had to step up as a lead teacher for second grade this week when someone called out and Preston proudly served as a shepherd for three year olds.

Here is another random church picture that the student pastor sent me of Preston this week.  I'm sure there was much laughter with these middle school boys.

The Official Grad Party

 

We were so excited to celebrate Savannah with our family and friends today!  So many took time out of their day to come and congratulate our graduate, which meant the world to us. :)

Check out the balloon arch Savannah made all by herself!

So as we officially wrap up high school graduation celebrations and events, we are excited to begin all things college!

Savannah's High School Graduation

Where in the world did time go?!?  Today is Savannah's long-awaited high school graduation.  Here are some pictures to recap our day of celebrating . . . we were so thankful Mr. & Mrs. Poats could join us for the graduation ceremony.

Savannah was recognized in the graduation program for:

* National Honor Society

* National German Honor Society

*AP Capstone Diploma

* AP Scholar with Distinction

* CMS Academic Scholar

* NC Academic Scholar

* NC Global Language Endorsement

* NC College/UNC Endorsement

Savannah chose Link & Pin for dinner after graduation

And then enjoyed opening her array of gifts once we got home.  For most kiddos they get a regular graduation card, but for this monumental occassion, Savannah got a Daddy-o original card to the tune of Determinate.

It was such a fabulous day celebrating this incredible girl!  She finished K-12 with only missing one day of school, graduated 8/460 in her class, and will start UNC Chapel Hill as a Junior.  The sky is the limit for her and we can't wait to see where the Lord leads! 

And as one final surprise, the book of teacher notes I've collected for her since kindergarten . . watching her read each note with such joy made me cry.  Such a sweet moment for her and a way to honor each of those amazing teachers who have poured into her for the past 13 years.

Preston's 8th Grade Promotion Ceremony

Today was Preston's 8th Grade Promotion Ceremony held at Providence High School.

As we waited for the eighth graders to walk in, slides were playing with the sports teams and accomplishments of their class.

It was a fun day celebrating our Preston!!

 And of course, the day wouldn't have been complete without a picture with his favorite teacher and coach, Mr. Runkel!  Now it's time for high school!!!

It's always nice to celebrate with icecream from Marble Slab!