July 2018

July was fairly quiet for the family but some big changes happened for me..

We started the month with our 4th of July traditions. Todd's dad spent time in the hospital right before the 4th so decided to just watch the fireworks in Mooresville from the shopping center across the street. The traffic was much easier to navigate afterwards so it was much quicker to get home.

July 4th was pretty traditional. Spent time at the pool, grilled out at home, and then watched fireworks in the neighborhood. It was pretty low key but perfect for us this year.

The kids' dentist hosted a fun afternoon at one of the trampoline parks nearby and both kids had a blast. 

We also went to a different trampoline park closer to home with some friends and went out for dinner.  

We finally went to visit the Pelican's snowballs shop near our house and the kids were so excited. It was a good reminder that simple treats are sometimes the best.

The biggest news of this month was my transition back to full-time work. The therapist I worked with left the program to go back to school so I made the leap and took over our program for him. Here was my Facebook post from that day. Its been a tough transition because trying to work full time and do mommy stuff is quite a challenge. But, the increase in income has been helpful in making some other things easier. 

So, the month was definitely an interesting one for us. It was quite a transition for us but exciting at the same time.

June 2018

June is always a bittersweet month because it means the kids have finished another year of school. Just when I think I'm ok with them being in that grade, they get ready to move up.

Their last day of uniforms for the school year.

Mason's Kindergarten graduation was on the last day of school and both kids were excited we let them skip the rest of the day and wear no uniform. I"ll admit I was a bit teary at this ceremony because not only was it our last Kindergarten graduation, it made me realize it was our last graduation until the big one in high school. Wahhhhh. However, Mason was all smiles for the day and excited to be finished with school for the summer.

Mason's Kindergarten class

Mason and his Kindergarten teacher. Mason and I will always have a special place for her.

Mason and his "special friend." I was so not ready for this relationship but they are so cute together.

Mason and his best buddy. These 2 were inseparable, despite the official "special friend" shown above. Kindergarten relationships are tricky things to understand.

To celebrate the last day of school, we made our first trip to the pool for the summer. Before then, the water had been way to cold for me to go but the day school ended, it was perfect weather.

Aubrey got a chance to go to one of the coolest parties ever after school ended. Her friend held her party at a go-kart track in Charlotte and the kids all had a blast. However, we realized my child does not like to drive fast and is super cautious. Let me remind her of that when she turns 16.

For Father's Day, we went to Todd's parents' place on the lake and put Todd's kayak to use. We let Aubrey test it out by herself and I see us needing to get another one in the future for the kids.

The rest of June was spent getting into our summer routine. The kids spent the summer week days with both sets of grandparents and everyone seemed to enjoy that routine.

May 2018

May is always a fun month. The end of school activities start take over and keep us busy, but in a good way.

The first end of year activity was Mason's Cub Scouts ceremony. He completed his Lion rank and was set to move on to Tigers. This ceremony involved Todd and myself and it was fun to watch Mason's excitement to move on and Todd's pride in his den.

Aubrey and the rest of the 3rd graders went on a field trip the Charlotte Knights game. Aubrey is not the biggest baseball fan but she enjoyed the chance to get out of the classroom and spend time with her friends.

Mason had an end-of-year writing show at school to show off his best writing work from Kindergarten. The teachers made it a cute little show and Mason was so proud of himself.

Aubrey and I spent some mommy-daughter time one Mother's Day and had mani-pedis done. They put Aubrey in an adult pedicure chair and she was way to short to reach but seemed to enjoy herself nonetheless.

Our other exciting event for May was Mrs. Rhonda's dance recital. For the first time ever, Aubrey and I both got to dance in this recital. I danced my last recital when Aubrey was 4 months old and was pretty sure it was the last one. But, Aubrey's competition dance coach decided to bring the adult class back and I jumped at the chance to dance again. It was a lot of fun to share the recital with Aubrey.

I graduated from high school with these amazing ladies and it was so fun to be dancing with them again over 20 years later. 

So May was a lot of fun and got us ready for the summer months ahead.

April 2018

April is always one of my favorite months. The weather starts to warm up and we can finally get out of the house. Winters are not that bad in NC, but I am so glad to send the kids outside when we can.

We got our new mattress in March and in April, we got everything together to make our new headboard. I originally wanted to make a headboard from an old door. However, people want way too much money for old doors, so we scrapped that idea and decided to build one. I scoured Pinterest for ideas and found a plan Todd and I liked. We picked out the supplies and I let Todd and his dad do their thing. 2 weekends later I had this amazing headboard that we both love.

Final result. Hopefully new nightstands and dressers will follow soon.

Another project we completed this month was getting some color in the playroom. This is the first room that people see when they walk in the house so it felt good to get the color up. The kids picked out this color and I was pretty excited to see it once it was up.

However, the joy of a new headboard and paint was quickly overshadowed by having to replace our washer and dryer. We bought the washer and dryer with the house so we were not thrilled with having to buy a new set so soon. And then, we had 3 different deliveries from Lowe's because the first dryer delivered  was bent. Then they sent us a loaner dryer but didn't tell anyone it was a loaner. Finally, after the 3rd delivery, we had a matching set and all was well again.

Aubrey and I at the laundromat because laundry for 4 people adds up quickly.

We finally got some family pictures in April. We have so many pictures of the kids but not enough of the family as a whole so I was glad to get these done. Pictures curtesy of my trusty camera and tripod/remote trigger. 

Easter fell in April this year and the weather was perfect. The kids were excited for their Easter baskets and for their annual egg hunt at their grandparents' house.

While the kids were on on Spring Break, Todd and I took a day off from work to hang out with them. We decided to go to Carolina Raptor Center near our house and it was a lot of fun. The kids didn't remember going a few years ago but this they remember. The enjoyed seeing all the birds and asked a lot of questions about them.

Mason's 3rd ball season started in April. We decided to let him play tball one more year so he is really ready for coach pitch next year. Todd coached again this year and it was a lot of fun to see the progress in both of them.

April is always such a fun month after months of cold weather. It was nice to be back outside. We also got a lot of projects done and that is always a good feeling. 

March 2018

Once the quiet of February ends, we pick back up with craziness in March.

Mason got some sort of virus in March so we had a day at home together. You know he's sick when he sleeps in his car seat.

Luckily, all was well in time for the Scout's pinewood derby car race. Mason, Todd, and Todd's dad worked for months on his car and he was so excited to finally race it. I think he shocked quite a few people by finishing 4th overall and 1st in the Lions den with his car.

His car was the red car, the furthest from the camera in this heat.

Aubrey's dance team started their competition season in March. The kids had some great dances this year and brought home some big trophies this season.

After months and months of negotiations between Todd and myself, I finally got the go ahead to order a new bed for our room. Our mattress was forever and a day old and it was past time for a new one. We finally made a decision on the mattress and ordered our amazing new king bed online. I was so excited that we finally had a bed big enough for all 4 humans and dogs to snuggle up in and watch movies.

All in all,  March went by pretty fast. That always seems to happen when dance season kicks in. Every weekend something is going on and we have no free time. But, I wouldn't have it any other way.

February 2018

As always, February was a welcome relief from the craziness of the past few months.

We decided to let the kids stay up for the Super Bowl this year and this is exactly what happened. They were much more interested in playing than watching. Oh, well.

Aubrey had her first competition dance show in February for the Destiny Lives on Foundation. We weren't allowed to take pictures so I have no photo proof of the event. However, I do have proof that I let Aubrey start working on her on dance make-up. It was stressful to let go of the make-up brushes so we just started with blush and lipstick for now. She was in heaven. I was a nervous wreck.

The kids school held their winter singing concert in February and both kids were so excited to perform. The Kindergarten and 1st graders performed Hats and the 2nd/3rd graders performed a musical about kindness and singing.

That's Mason wearing his Braves' uniform.

Aubrey auditioned for a lead singing role and was given one. She was so excited. Such a difference from the past years where she had no desire to sing in front of people.

The kids' school had spirit week at the end of February and Aubrey was so excited to share this event with Mason. As usual, the favorite day of the week was pajamas day. They loved being out of uniform for the entire week but pajama day was the best.

So, that was February. A quiet month that is always welcomed.