Savannah's Blessing Retreat

This weekend Dave and I were able to escape to the mountains with just Savannah on Carmel's Girls Blessing Retreat.  Honestly, I was a bit nervous about how the weekend would go . . . and leaving Preston at a friend's house the entire weekend wasn't easy either, but oh how thankful we are for the experience!

After dinner on Friday we started with lots and lots of silly games. Oh, what fun!

Saturday was the best day!!  We started with four rotations, each with reminders to the girls about how special, unique, and loved they are.  After that we had lunch and headed on quite the hike!  I had heard it was "tough" but didn't realize it was physically hard and also a bit dangerous with steep changes in elevation AND narrow paths.  But the bonfire and treats at the end were awesome. :)

Girls picture at the top of the mountain!

Yummy s'mores!

After the long hike and fun at the bonfire, we headed back to the retreat center for some free time.  We played a long game of hearts with Savannah and just took in the beauty of the mountains.  Saturday night was probably the highlight of the trip when we had a chance to bless Savannah, both in words, actions, and with a special gift.  It will be a night that we all remember for a very long time!

Sunday we woke up and had a worship service before heading back down the mountain.  Oh, how thankful I am for this weekend.  It was just what the three of us needed, some quality time away together and a chance to be reminded just how blessed we all are!

Preston's PSE Art Gallery Walk

Today was the annual PSE art gallery walk!  Somehow we managed to squeeze it in between the time after Aunt Cherry left and before soccer started at 7pm.  He was very proud of his fish art!  I love that he goes to a school that values the arts and arithmetic. :)

National Junior Honor Society

 Savannah was officially inducted into the NJHS at Jay M Robinson tonight.  

The application process was quite long with a required (long) essay and several references.  Savannah preserved and was so proud to be selected for this honor.  It was a short and sweet ceremony followed by a feast of desserts!

Savannah with her friend Meghan

We are so very proud of Savannah and the way she is succeeding in middle school, both academically and socially!

A Little Reward

So our normal cleaning routine was interrupted this week . . and I knew the house needed cleaning.  SO, I made a deal with everyone at dinner on Friday.  On Saturday, we would set the timer for 1 hour and for a solid hour if we all pitched in and cleaned as best as we could then we could go out for ice-cream to celebrate. Of course that wasn't nearly enough time to thoroughly clean this house, but it'll do for now!  And we were all excited about dining at The Local Scoop after dinner. :)

Cooper River Race 2018

The weather couldn't have been more perfect for a race weekend in Charleston, SC!  We left Charlotte shortly after lunch and arrived in downtown Charleston just in time to check in and head to dinner.  Dave really wanted Hyman's so thankfully the wait was short and we were ready to enjoy some delish seafood and hushpuppies.

 After dinner we walked around downtown quite a bit and of course had to take a silly picture.

Dave got up bright and early to head to the race so the three of us enjoyed a leisurely morning at the hotel, complete with a nice breakfast (that I didn't have to prepare!).  We waited for Dave to pass and cheered him on around mile 5.

He almost set a PR!

 And of course there was lots of yummy post-race food!  Preston chowed down on this bratwurst!

Harris Teeter sponsored a photo booth.  These are some of my favorite pictures from the entire trip!!!

After heading back to the hotel for a shower (and to unload our race freebies) we headed back downtown for another stroll.  Savannah was insistent on finding the Savannah Bee store, but wasn't very impressed after finding it.

 Another silly picture at a regular stop for us in the market!

It was a wonderful, yet quick, trip to the low country.  We all had a great time and enjoyed ending Spring break with such a fun adventure!

Spring Break 2018

This year Spring break started early!  Here's a day by day highlight . .. 

Thursday ~ Aunt Cherry came to visit and we did house stuff

Friday ~ Dentist visits, play date with the Ezells

Saturday ~ Daddy's home, ping pong table finally put together

Sunday ~ Easter Sunday! Off to Great Grandmas

Monday ~ Carowinds, LOTS of workers at the house for repairs and new windows

not quite 54", but maybe tall enough for the windseeker??

after having to be remeasured, he made it on my favorite ride!!

 Tuesday ~ lunch at Cinebarre while watching Peter Rabbit

this kid knows how to make a mama smile :)

afternoon down time, reading

 Wednesday ~ DMV (ugh), putt putt adventure

Thursday ~ DMV (again), speech

Friday ~ headed to Charleston, SC . . .

So far it's been quite the fun-filled week.  We have had many adventures, completed 6 mystery shops, been on lots of long walks, and have had plenty of down time playing outside in the back yard too!

Stay tuned for pictures and an update from our last weekend of break.

Happy Easter!

The morning started bright and early with these two on a search for their Easter baskets . .  the crazy bunny hides them every year so this year was a bit tricky in a new house. :) We then headed to church and hit the road for Great Grandma's house.

It's always fun when the cousins get together and today was no exception.  They played hard, laughed a lot and had a blast spending time together.  We only snuck in one April Fools' Day joke with toothpaste oreos for the kids to try :)

Ready, set GO!

This year's Easter egg hunt was super exciting with candy and money filled eggs, including one grand prize $5 egg!  The kids had so much fun but it ended all too soon with having to travel back.  We were so thankful to be able to celebrate our Risen Savior with family.