Finding Ways to Keep Busy

Thursday we were so excited to have a play date with the Marions!  The girls quickly went to baking in the kitchen.

This week was supposed to be Preston and Savannah's camp invention week . .  but obviously, that didn't happen in person.  However, they mailed the box of goodies to us and the camp happened virtually!  Preston LOVED it and I think Savannah even enjoyed helping him with the robots.

The kids asked if they could make a slip n slide in the backyard.  Absolutely!  I love watching them play together.  Although summer looks WAY different than it ever has and the kids are always bored and spending lots of time on screens, I'm celebrating the times that they do have to make memories and enjoy playing together.

Happy 14th Savannah!!

This has been quite an interesting birthday with the quarantine . . . and lack of friends available to come over . . . and not sunny weather.  BUT, we have made the best of it! The kids begged to go to the dollar store to get some supplies for crafts so after lunch, I gave in and took them on their big adventure.  One main part of my mission was to get birthday balloons for the birthday girl, but unfortunately, they were out of helium. :(  I was not about to let that stop me so I found a very large pole with some tape on the end and began the process of trying to get some balloons off of the ceiling that had already been made.  Let's just say memories were made and by the end, the store clapped for me when I was able to retrieve the third balloon.  Never mind that two are pink (Savannah hates pink) but one even says Happy Birthday!

She has been waiting for weeks to get a macaroni burger from Cheesecake Factory.  Today was the day because the birthday girl gets to pick what's for dinner!  It was massive and very filling, but she agreed that it ended up not being that impressive after all.

Then we opened lots of gifts and Preston took a turn photo bombing.

She chose Local Scoop for her birthday cake.  We were surprised to discover that their cakes include no cake at all!

All in all, it was a fun day.  The kids were able to start their at-home version of Camp Invention and we had lots of Savannah chosen items.  I have to say she continues to amaze me.  It's hard to believe that she is already 14, but I truly am in awe of the woman she is becoming.  She is smart, kind, loyal, and a bit sassy too.  She may be my mini and share my love of food, but she has her dad's personality 100%.  She is laid back and easy-going, taking each day in stride.  She teaches me about grace and extends forgiveness when I mess up this parenting thing on a daily basis.  I'm so thankful to be her mom and can't wait to see what the Lord has planned for her in the years ahead.

End of School Year Festivities

Monday was the fourth-grade talent show (via zoom this year).  Preston practiced all week to try to learn to juggle but ended up going with a magic show.  He was a bit disappointed because the wifi was sketchy so I'm not sure the audience could fully appreciate his magical skills.  Never-the-less it was fun for him . . . and we are all glad the juggling practicing is over!

Tuesday was the last day of school!! Woo hoo!!  We would normally go to TCBY after school, but this year we opted for Ben & Jerry's with dad after dinner.

Wednesday Savannah's Sunday school group met with their fearless leader (Mrs. Poates) for some socially distanced ice-cream at the Local Scoop.  They hung out for a few hours before the monsoon came and I picked up the girls early.

Speaking of the monsoon . . . while the girls were catching up over ice cream two of their brothers (Preston and Ben) were happy to play in the rain at our house.  These boys have missed each other so much and loved playing outside and having popsicles.

Thursday we walked to JMR so Savannah could have her picture made with the graduate rock.  It was so humid and HOT, but we had a fun time walking there and back.

Friday was the first-ever neighborhood graduate parade. These eighth-graders were way too cool to go solo, but they were super excited about all riding together in the parade.  It was such a fun way to celebrate all of our 5th, 8th, and 12th graders.

So just like that, the school year is over and we are headed into summer. Hopefully, we can find something to do that is fun and keeps us all active and entertained through these next few long months!  Happy Summer!

Not Much New in June

So pretty much things are the same around here . . . I'm still doing a few Shipt shops daily and the kids are still staying at home. They decided this week they would attempt sugar cookies from scratch, so that was a proud moment when they came out and were delicious.  Dave was not thrilled to wash all the cookie cutters, but he didn't complain since the cookies were so yummy!

We got a sign to let our neighbors know we have a proud 8th-grade graduate!

And this kid is enjoying some new books (actually they both are) now that the library is back open.  Woo hoo! They only allow one person in at a time and you can only pick up books that are on hold, not browsing, but hey, we'll take it! 

We continue to spend our mornings on zoom calls and doing minimal school work but thankfully that all wraps up this week.  Preston turned in his last big project today and will learn about his summer reading assignment next week.  Afternoons are spent on screens a lot, but we still try to squeeze in a few walks too.  It's been quite hot lately so we haven't walked as much.  Our Disney trip has officially been canceled since they aren't opening until July so we are trying to figure out a fun summer vacation to get a break from being home!

It's Only May . . .

Yes, it's only May.  We've been home on quarantine since March 13 so it feels like July. Thankfully on most days, the kids can find something fun to do.  Preston and Patrick had tons of fun today with their homemade slip n slide.  Patrick had a baby slide and Preston found some plastic the contractor left in the garage so together then had a blast for a few hours. 

Savannah found our chalk stencils and some shade to create some sidewalk art.

We were able to watch the Crace kiddos one afternoon as well.  The big boys, of course, just wanted to sit in poor Shep's wade pool. LOL

FINALLY, the candy puzzle was finished.  It was quite the challenge, but these two persevered and we finished it today.

The highlight of the week was Preston's early birthday gift.  His old bike broke and the bike shop said it would be $90 to repair so we opted for a new bike instead.  However, little did we know there is a big bike shortage due to 1.more people riding and 2. bike factories shutting down from the virus.  Never the less, I managed to find the only one in Charlotte under $500 at Wal-Mart.  He is one happy kiddo! Dad is pretty excited too that it came assembled. :)

So we press on, trusting that this will all soon be a distant memory!

Mother's Day 2020

My highlight of the entire day was another original card by Dave!!

Today was a fantastic day!  I started bright and early with a triple Costco run for Shipt and was home and showered in time for church.  I LOVE my job!! The kids and Dave made the sweetest cards for me and got such thoughtful gifts (Savannah bought me Shipt stationery, Preston gave me a day without whining and a coupon for one shower floor cleaning, and Dave got my favorite white covered reeses).  We went for a long walk to the JMR track and spend the afternoon trying to paint our basketball lane  . . . so that wasn't the fun part, but at least we got it started.  We ran out of paint before we got the first part finished.  Unfortunately, no one in town sells the paint we need so we had to take up the stencil and order more paint from Amazon.

We had pizza for Mother's Day dinner (our new quarantine routine is Sunday night pizza) but we did get take out from Moe's on Saturday night.  With our coupon codes, we all ate and had leftovers for only $.49!!!  All in all, it was a fabulous day with wonderful weather and attitudes!!!

Adventures and Shenanigans

This kid . . .we have been doing lots of baking and apparently, he approves of our efforts!

This hamster . . why in the world does she insist on climbing on the top of her water bottle?  We've watched her try to get down and it's scary!  One time she landed upside down.  

And these girls, be still my heart!  I'm so thankful for this core group of friends.  They represent three different schools all in the same Sunday school group and have the closest bond.  They were so excited to get together face to face after weeks of zoom calls and tons of texts.  We met at the Promenade to pick up ice-cream and spent over 2.5 hours just chatting.  The teen girls chatted, Ben and Preston played football on the green, and the moms rejoiced in some adult conversation!

We are so thankful for online live church every Sunday.  This week there was some debate in our house about what kind of mug Pastor Alex was using. :)  We are making it.  Some days we are barely making it, but as the quarantine continues we are trying to make the best of it.