Back-to-Back Proms

Boomer and I have spent the last two Saturdays at our schools' proms. If our count is correct, that makes #12 and #13 - that's a lot of proms! The Forbush Prom was first, and it was at the Bermuda Run Country Club like last year. It is a beautiful venue, and this year's theme was "Enchanted Forest." Boomer and I went out to dinner beforehand to a restaurant we had never been to called Mozelle's. It is in downtown Winston, and it had a cool, quaint vibe. Although we tend to go back to our tried-and-true restaurants, I love going to new ones, too. Boomer ordered the shrimp-and-grits, and I got the fried chicken with mac & cheese. Luckily my dress had some give to it! Our reservation was at 5PM, and even though we enjoyed a slow dinner, we still had some time to kill before our prom shift at 8PM. It was a beautiful day, so we went to Wake's campus to walk around. There were so many college kids on campus, throwing Frisbees and footballs, and I'd like to think we would have fit in if we weren't so overdressed. 

After a quick stop at Krispy Kreme for a doughnut and some coffee, we arrived at Prom for a few hours of chaperoning. Boomer had some principal duties throughout the evening, but I managed to steal him away for a few pictures.

Not only did Aunt Megan let me borrow a dress for the prom (and for the ESHS Prom, too!), she (and Uncle Zack, not pictured in the photos) watched Emmy for the evening. Based on the pictures, it looked like they had lots of fun eating pizza, going for a walk, and running in circles around the house. This is the second time that Emmy has stayed the night at her cousins' house, and I think it was another success. Megan said that Emmy tried to keep up with her cousins, and as soon as they got their pjs on, she wanted hers on, too. She slept well through the night, and then Boomer picked her up first thing in the morning before we headed to church. Thank you, Aunt Megan and Uncle Zack, for watching our girl!

Earlier in the day, just for fun, I brought Emmy into the bathroom with me and let her sit on her potty. It too is from her cousins (they no longer need it and are so nice to share with us!) I am undecided about when to actually attempt potty training. Emmy is still little, but perhaps if we do more sitting like this, it will help when the time comes. Next step: remove pants! :)

This past Saturday, we went to prom for my school. We took a few years off from the double proms, but we are now back to two proms a year! East Surry's prom was in Dobson at The Barn at Heritage Farm. Before my shift at 7:30PM, we met up with our friends Jared and Ashley. They live in Pilot Mountain, very close to my school but not very close to Kernersville. When you throw in two administrators' busy schedules and three kiddos between the two families, we just don't get to see them as much as I wish we could. Since we were in their neck of the woods, it worked well to meet for dinner before heading over to prom. My assignment was to be at the door checking people in and doing ballots for Prom King and Queen. Boomer enjoyed being my date and having a stress-free evening as my plus-one! Grammy came over to watch Emmy this time; we are so thankful for family!

In between the two proms, we celebrated my and Zander's birthdays! #32 for me, and #5 for Zander. My birthday was on Monday, and a dreary Monday at that. But we made the best of it! After the workday, we met up with my mom, dad, Gma, and the Houstons for dinner at Fire & Sticks, a Japanese steakhouse in High Point. The kiddos were entertained by our chef and liked watching the fire and the smoke. Emmy ate a good portion of Boomer's, Grammy's, and my soup and zucchini, as well as a few bites of rice and chicken. She has always liked our local fast-food Japanese place, so I was not surprised that she was gobbling down the food! We celebrated with a few candles (not all 32!) and like my mom's birthday last week, all the cousins wanted to help blow them out. Emmy came a little too close to the fire, and you can see Daddy was on guard to protect her! 

 

Zander's birthday was on Saturday; it is hard to believe that he is 5! It seems like just yesterday that I was wondering if I would be sharing my birthday with my nephew, but then he came a few days later. To celebrate the big day, Megan planned such a fun party at Jump-in-Fun, an indoor bounce-park. The kids and adults all had fun jumping on the big inflatables and going down the slides. I thought that Emmy would be too small to really do anything, but she loved it! She especially loved flopping down on the mats and going down the slides with Mommy and Daddy.

Emmy must have had a little too much fun at her cousin's party, because she has been a little off today. Her energy has been low, and she has also had a cough and runny nose. These symptoms have us thinking that she is dealing with allergies, but between yesterday and today, she has also spit-up three times - that has concerned me! We stayed home from church this morning so that she could rest, and I am hoping that tomorrow she is back to herself. We have a full week ahead, so I want her to be healthy. It feels like I am saying that a lot - "it's a full week". There is a lot on the calendar between now and the end of the school year. Even though the days are filled with work, laundry, packing lunches, and errands, we do our best to fit in walks after school and books before bed. Here are a few other snapshots from our week! 



Countdown to Summer

It's back to our regular routine! After Spring Break, I was worried that the work week would drag on, but it has actually gone by quite quickly. The hardest part of the whole week was right when the alarm went off Monday morning. It was a whole two hours earlier than when we got up the week before, and it was hard rolling out of bed while it was still dark outside. Emmy has done a great job adjusting back to our routine. I was a little nervous about her reaction to going back to daycare after a full week with Mommy, but as far as we can tell, it has been smooth. Probably the funniest part of the week was getting back the proofs for Emmy's school pictures. Her school had Spring Picture Day on the Monday right after the break, and I think her face shows exactly how we all were feeling! :)

I think I will save my money and not purchase pictures this time! Her fall pictures were so cute and worth purchasing, but aside for a few laughs, I don't think I would put these up in our home...

This week, we kicked off the April birthday celebrations with Grammy's birthday on Tuesday. We all had dinner together at the Loop (minus Boomer who had an event at school - we missed him!). The grandchildren loved helping Grammy blow out the candle on her cupcake; we had to light it several times so that everyone got a turn. Emmy was quite mesmerized by Grammy's special cupcake, as you can see in the picture. There were mini cupcakes for everyone else, and even Emmy got one! She loved the icing and the cake. 

 The weekend ahead is supposed to be in the mid-70s! I hope that we can spend some time outside and enjoy the beautiful weather. Hopefully spring is here to stay! Now that we are back at school for the final quarter, it is tempting to start the countdown to summer. Having the time off with Emmy will be so nice, and I am looking forward to Boomer having a lighter schedule. But I don't want to wish away the next two months. We have a lot of fun things planned: a couple of proms, more April birthdays, a race with my sister, a spa day, and Memorial Weekend at the lake. While I am certainly excited for summer, there is a lot to be excited about right now. It is important to enjoy the moment and take time to smell the roses (or tulips!) :)

Spring Break 2018

We have had the best week! When I made the decision last year to leave Admissions and return to high school, a big positive was the 10-month calendar and the other breaks that come with the teacher schedule. I was longing to spend more time with Emmy and to find a better balance of being a working mom. The past week has given me just what I was looking for - more focused time to be a mom. It has also given me a good taste of what summer may be like! In addition to the extra time with Emmy, I've also enjoyed walks with friends, runs with my sister, and working out at the gym. Last weekend, I met up with my friend Michelle and her daughter Stella. The weather was beautiful for a late afternoon walk. Michelle, too, is a working mom, so a lot of our conversation centered around balancing work and motherhood. I am so thankful for the mom friends that God has put in my life!

On Monday, we met up with Caroline and Coley. The weather was beautiful for another walk, and Emmy doesn't mind being in her stroller as long as we keep moving. We did a loop around downtown Kernersville, topped off by a sweet treat of custard and doughnuts. Coley was also on Spring Break and traveling through Kernersville on her way to the coast; Caro, who works a real 12-month job, had taken the day off to have a long weekend. The three of us had just been together a few days before with the other Morganton girls, but it was so good seeing them again. After leaving the girls, we met up with Daddy to sign tax paperwork and then had dinner out at East Coast Wings.



On Tuesday, we had a spontaneous field trip with Grammy to the Dewberry Tulip Farm. The farm is in Kernersville and no more than 15 minutes from our house. My mom had gone just the day before with a friend, and she thought it would be a perfect activity for Emmy. We had fun exploring the farm, seeing the animals, and then cutting a few tulips to take home. Emmy was a little skittish around the animals. Even though they were behind fencing, she was not interested in reaching out to pet them. After walking around the farm, we then went to see the tulips. Since the tulips are in bloom for only a short amount of time, the farm was closing to the public on Wednesday. We hope to go back in July when they will re-open with sunflowers!

 

 

On Wednesday, we had our biggest adventure of the week - the Greensboro Science Center. Even Daddy took the day off to go with us! We went with Aunt Megan, Grammy, Zander, and Maddox. For Boomer and me, it was our first time, but Emmy has actually been to the Science Center before. Last summer, when my mom was watching her, all three cousins would pile in the backseat of Grammy's car and go on fun field trips. I remember getting the pictures last year and being so jealous!

 When we arrived to the Science Center, there was quite a long line. It seems a lot of other Spring Breakers had the same idea we did! Overall, the crowds weren't really too bad. Between the outdoor zoo, the indoor aquarium, and the other hands-on play areas, there are a lot of things to do once you get in. I decided to go ahead and buy the yearly membership so that Megan and I can take the kiddos several times over the summer. Emmy liked strolling through the zoo and walking around near the tanks of the aquarium. Like at the tulip farm, she wasn't too keen on petting the animals, but she would at least let Boomer hold her close to them.

Emmy didn't take her nap until close to 2:30PM on that day - two hours later than usual! But she was pleasant all the way home and hammed it up for Aunt Meg's camera.

We stayed closer to home on Thursday, first with a workout for Mommy at the YMCA, then Music & Movement at the library followed by a picnic lunch at the park with the cousins, Sarah, Luke, and Laurel. Emmy loved moving around at the library. She would pause to look around and listen to the music; then she would dart off across the room, giggling and smiling. It gave me a glimpse of what she may be like at daycare when she is around a lot of other kids her age. I loved watching her be so independent. After the library, we headed over to the park. The temps were in the upper 50s, but with a jacket and in the sun, it felt nice. At the park, Emmy loved going down the slide on her belly. Grammy and I tried to get her to go down on her bottom, but my little daredevil kept going down face first!

 Today, we visited Great Grandma (although I forgot to take any pictures!), and then this evening we went out to dinner and walked around the mall for a little bit. Boomer and I are not big shoppers, but it wasn't too crowded and it was fun strolling Emmy around while we window-shopped. We finished off the evening with some doughnuts. The Hot Light was on - we had to stop! :)

It's hard to believe that my 10-day break is now down to just 2 days. We originally had planned to go to Lazy 5 Ranch tomorrow, but now the weather is calling for rain. We will likely be staying indoors instead. Over the past few days, we have fit in a lot of fun adventures. We've strayed from our regular routine and shifted nap schedules and pushed back bedtime. It has felt nice to be able to have a more open schedule and no alarm clocks. We have had the best week and perhaps a low key weekend will be just what we need to get ready for the work week ahead. So long, Spring Break! Summer - we can't wait to see you soon! :)







Easter Weekend

Even though last year was Emmy's first Easter, it seems like the holiday this year saw us making more memories and more traditions. Since the weekend also kicks off Spring Break, the anticipation of a whole week off added to the excitement. When I picked up Emmy from daycare on Thursday, the weather was beautiful for spending some extra time outside with a walk around the neighborhood. There was a nice cool breeze and the sun was shining; it seemed like spring was finally making its debut. Hi, Spring!



On Friday morning, Meg and I planned to fit in a longer run (10 miles!) before dying Easter eggs at Grammy's and Grandpa's. We have signed up for a half-marathon in mid-May, so we are trying to keep to a regular weekly training schedule. Even though it was a holiday, we still needed to get in some miles. After the run, I checked in with Boomer so that he could bring Emmy over to my parents' house, and when we Facetimed, he had a sleeping Emmy on his chest! She was napping at 10AM! This is quite unusual - she hasn't napped at that time since she was an infant and napping twice a day. I was a bit worried, and even now, we're not really sure why she was so sleepy and lethargic. She had an Easter party at school the day before, so we are thinking maybe she didn't get a nap? Shortly after the Facetime call, Emmy rallied and came over to dye eggs with her cousins. She was quite serious the whole time; she didn't seem too interested, and despite our best efforts, we couldn't coax any smiles out of her. Hopefully next year she will find it more entertaining! 

As the oldest, Zander was such a big help, and he showed Emmy and Maddox how to put the eggs in the dye. Of course there were a few spills, cracked eggs, and dyed fingers, but otherwise it was a success. We are thankful for Grammy and Grandpa who let us make memories and messes with them!

 

After dying Easter eggs, I took Emmy back home to rest some more. She went down for a nap without a fuss. It seems like sleep was the best medicine, because she woke up Saturday back to her normal self.



On Saturday, we joined the cousins again for an Easter egg hunt at a local church. We hadn't practiced picking up eggs, but Emmy has always liked gathering and organizing things so I thought she would do just fine. And she did! Grammy or I would hold her basket while Daddy made sure there were conveniently placed eggs within reach. She collected a few eggs and then plopped down to inspect them. She also liked dumping the whole basket over her head!

 Today, we went to church and celebrated the real reason for Easter -- Jesus's resurrection! It was a beautiful Sunday, and Emmy wore the special dress that Grammy made for her. We had dinner together as a family at Grammy and Grandpa's, followed by a surprise visit from the Easter bunny. The cousins had one more egg hunt and then enjoyed running around outside in the nice spring weather. We are looking forward to the week ahead! Happy Easter and happy Spring Break! :)