Happy 49th Dave!!!

We celebrated this amazing man today!  Dave was still busy with month end but we at least surprised him with some fun gifts and a Coldstone birthday cake after a lasagna dinner that the kids made on their own.  Savannah was so excited to drive herself to buy him a Clemson shirt and Preston bought him a phone holder with his own money too.  There simply aren't enough words to express how much Dave means to us all . . . he is always there to love, encourage, cheerlead, and patiently lead us through the chaos of life with teenagers.  Here's to an amazing last year in your 40s!!!

Labor Day Weekend (Back Up) Festivities

Savannah was so excited that Matthews Alive was back this year for Labor Day weekend.  It was hot, but we braved the heat and took a stroll through the festival.  Preston really wanted a funnel cake so as we were leaving I finally said yes . . . little did I know he would end up wearing most of it.  What a MESS!!!

Monday we had reservations to go tubing, checking off a summer bucket list item, but unfortunately the weather did not cooperate. :(  They texted early Monday and said all trips were canceled.  Sooo, that left us trying to find something fun to do in town.  We all decided to go bowling instead-but when we got there it was a 3.5-hour wait for a lane.  More sad faces.  We opted for the arcade and called it a day.

This is my absolute favorite arcade game and the stupid bags were all stuck so you could barely earn any points.  Preston took matters into his own hands and rescued a few of them for me. :)

Savannah chose a few rounds of skee ball and then was perfectly happy with some gummy bears from the prize counter.  She was still a bit bummed that we didn't get to eat at Macado's after our previously scheduled tubing trip so we let her choose the dinner joint.  She opted for Chili's and we all ended the weekend with a yummy Chili's dinner at home.  We desperately needed the rain, it was just quite unfortunate that it came on the one day we had planned to go out of town for tubing.  I guess there's always next year . . . 

11th & 7th Here They Come

The day has finally come . . . Savannah is thrilled to be able to drive to school this year!  Although it means she has to leave the house no later than 6:30am, she was all smiles heading to start her Junior year.

This kid, on the other hand, wasn't so thrilled with heading off to 7th grade or with my need for pictures. LOL  

They are both honestly ready to be back into a good routine. Yes, Preston will miss playing video games and watching youtube all day, but for the most part, I think they are both ready to be back.  Praying for their safety and that they have the most amazing years!!!

Turks & Caicos Family Vacation

Our long-awaited family vacation was finally here!  Thankfully all went according to schedule and we landed shortly after lunch in Turks & Caicos.  It was the first time the kids deboarded a plane onto the runway, which they thought was super cool.  For me, it was the first time they let us get off the plane from the rear, which was a bit helpful in getting a head start into customs.  Customs was a nightmare and took us over an hour (our agent decided to take a break before calling us and literally left the entire time to go get tea and chat).

It didn't take us long to get to the resort and get changed for the beach!  Since it was all-inclusive it was pretty easy to find food and we quickly made our way to the most amazing water ever.  I literally couldn't believe how clear the ocean was . . . no shells, no fish, nothing, just crystal clear water.

One of our many icecream sundaes after dinner

These two LOVED all of the swim-up bars and used them regularly. ;)

We enjoyed dinner outside watching the sunset most nights (at all different restaurants).  It was breathtaking, to say the least.  The food was also pretty delicious.

Preston no doubt cleaning his hands from some chocolate treat . . in the fountain!

The glass bottom boat was super cool

This night we enjoyed quite the experience with our Japanese dinner.

The highlight of the trip for these three was snorkeling.  They literally swam with the turtles and saw amazing colors in the ocean.

I think Preston would have been happy to spend his entire vacation at the water park.  Maybe Dave too :)  Savannah and I were more of book and beach girls!

 After snorkeling the boat guide let the kids all jump back into the ocean!

I wish I could explain the beauty of this place, but it's something you just have to experience.  We had so much fun and are beyond thankful for a chance to get away and enjoy family time together, unplugged from everything!

44 is Fine!

 

Today was absolutely grand!  We had planned to spend all day on the soccer field, but because Preston has been so sick we skipped all things soccer this weekend.  I slept in and Savannah and I went shopping for a bit.  I did a few shipt shops . . . and then the kids surprised me with my favorite dessert. YUM!!!  We went out to dinner and enjoyed a family game and TV together.  It was wonderful. :)  So thankful for all of the calls, cards, and texts to remind me what a village I have.  I'll share another of Dave's classic cards when I can get a picture uploaded.  

Counselor Girls

 

Savannah has loved working at the YMCA as a camp counselor this summer!  Today was her last day at splash camp (she has a few more sessions of cooking camp before the end of the summer) and she said it was a bit bitter-sweet.  She sent me this picture of some of her counselor friends.  It has been such a great experience and SO flexible too . . and also provides our family with huge savings on our monthly membership cost! :)

Sunday @ the Lake

 

Our girls that have been besties for almost forever were invited to the lake for the weekend with Mrs. Poats.  They were generous enough to invite the families up today and we all took advantage of the invite and played hooky from church. :)  We spent literally the entire day on the lake, arriving at 9:30am and leaving after dinner!

It was such a beautiful day and super fun to enjoy fellowship with my girlfriends that I haven't caught up with in forever.  The food (and way too many snacks) was awesome too.  Until next time . . .