Happy July 4th!!

After a very eventful Saturday, we played it low-key today.  Dave and I taught preschool at church this morning and then we headed home for lunch.  After a few Shipt shops for me, we decided to head to the pool for just an hour before they closed.  It was a nice break in the afternoon.  We enjoyed burgers on the grill for dinner, ice-cream out at Coldstone, and then watched fireworks from our driveway to wrap up the holiday!

 

Saturday Pre-Fourth Festivities

We were so excited to find a date that would work for us to meet up with the Page cousins again to spend some time at the Bullhole!  Yes, the "sand" is as orange as it looks. :)  I think Uncle Denny may have had the most fun, but they all seemed to have fun doing down the little river.

Then, we went home and cleaned up to head to the Knights baseball game with Savannah's work. They had a luxury suite that came with a complete dinner and AIR CONDITIONING!!!  Honestly, the afternoon was so cool we didn't even need the air, but it was nice to have somewhere to sit and eat dinner as we watched the game. 

Preston was overjoyed to have not only a mountain dew, but also a plate of rolls, ice-cream, and a cookie AFTER dinner.

The home team was losing by a landslide, so we opted to leave early as we were all pretty exhausted after a full morning at the Bullhole.  Of course, Dave needed to take a picture with this crazy statue as we were leaving.   
 

This is the Wednesday Cakeable crew.  Renee, the founder, is right behind Savannah and is the sweetest, most genuine woman.  She invited us to come tonight to enjoy the suite with her family and a couple of students too.  This job is a perfect fit for Savannah. . . she is learning so much and LOVING every minute teaching and baking in the kitchen.  We are beyond grateful for this opportunity and can't wait to see how God uses her in this role.

Pine Cove City Camp 2021

Preston had the pleasure of attending church camp on campus this week.  I will say that he was a bit bummed that they didn't offer a sleep-away camp option for his age, but at least he was able to get rowdy with kids his age all day for a solid week!

They did a variety of activities both inside and outside the church, including water games and jumpy houses.  They ate well (Chick fil A, Publix subs, pizza), played hard, and hopefully learned a lot!  So thankful he was able to spend the week with Ben, Hamilton, and Cole!

Friday Fun at the DMV and Soccer Field

Preston has been in soccer camp all week!  It's been a hot week for sure, but thankfully there was one day of misty rain that was overcast so that was a welcome break from the heat.

Friday while he was in camp, I took Savannah to the DMV to get her permit. It was a pretty quick process since we had an appointment, but we won't count the time driving 100+ miles all in one day toting kids back and forth across town and running errands too. 

BUT, she passed and was truly one happy teenager!

Of course, she wanted to drive to work Friday afternoon . . . I'm not so sure about this!

 But I agreed, and she did great!  It will definitely take some getting used to having a teenage driver!

Happy 12th Birthday Preston!

Today we are celebrating Preston's 12th birthday AND Father's Day!!  As tradition would have it, we made our annual trip to Chuck E Cheese.  Of course this year we were wearing masks and sanitized like never before!

This kid is always putting on a show.  Who knows what he was doing in this picture.

Preston chose to have Papa Johns for dinner and loved his Coldstone Icecream cake.  He was most thrilled that he got a phone for his birthday!

Preston continues to live life at full speed . . . he loves soccer and being outside in general.  A new passion he has is kicking footballs.  He received a few items for his birthday that will help him practice punting and kicking field goals.  So thankful for this little guy and the joy he brings to our home.  It's going to be a fun year as he enters middle school!!!

And as for Dave, I honestly don't know what I would do without him.  He is the BEST father ever and teaches me daily about being patient and letting the little stuff go.  He loves fiercely and is always there to listen and help in any way he can.  So grateful, honored, and blessed to raise these two fireballs we have with him by my side.  Happy Father's Day!!!

Party with the Cousins ~ Summer Bday Style

We wasted no time celebrating!!  The cousins arrived early Friday morning and were there to greet Savannah as she got off the bus from camp.  After a quick trip home to unload her bags, we loaded back up and headed to the outlets for some birthday shopping.  Preston was at camp all week, so I'm sure he was sad to miss out on the shopping . . . not!

We enjoyed some girl time shopping at Vera Bradley, Old Navy, & Bath and Body works too!

We purchased the lumber from Lowes and just getting it to the yard was the first project.  We left Uncle Denny to work and stopped in to check on his treehouse wall progress.

Then it was time to pick up Preston from camp . . only the cousins saw Crumbled Cookies and said they had never had one, so we made a side stop to get cookies for everyone! 

Saturday Uncle Mark and Sara arrived to join the party.  We enjoyed wings off the grill and cookie cake too.  It was such a joy to be able to celebrate all the summer birthdays (Savannah, Preston, Julia, & Taylor) in person this year!  AND In Charlotte!!!

The finished product, Preston's gift from the Pages, walls on the treehouse!!

 It was a full weekend, one that we all enjoyed to the fullest!

Carmel Camp 2021

 

It was quite difficult to put Savannah on a bus for a week-long sleep-away camp knowing we would miss her birthday, but I trust these girls (and some amazing staff) will celebrate our girl well :)

They did not disappoint with decorating her bunk!

And even called her up on stage to celebrate the big 15!!

From what I hear it was a fabulous week . . one filled with laughter, late nights, worship, good food, and lots of amazing memories. I'm beyond grateful that they were able to get away to experience camp this year.