Weekend of Best Friends

I was lucky to see so many of my friends over the last 48 hours. It was the weekend of best friends! Coley, Kelly, and Casey came to Winston on Friday, and we were finally reunited as the 7 GGs! We had not all been together since July at the beach. On Friday evening, we gathered at Carrie's house and celebrated her new home. She hosted the out-of-town girls, so it became the central spot for the weekend. Aside from sleeping in Kernersville, I didn't spend very much time here otherwise. On Saturday morning, I squeezed in a run with Meg, and then I headed back to Winston for a baby shower brunch for Emily. We had kept Emily in the dark about our plans for a shower, and she was surprised by the decorations and gifts. Baby Boy LeBaron is expected to be here in late May or early June. I left the Morganton girls around 11:15AM to head to Raleigh for a shower for Jen, who is also expecting a little boy this summer! It was so fun to see the Wake girls. We had last gotten together in February for a chilly outdoor lunch in Burlington. It was much more cozy inside for the shower. Yay for vaccines! After the shower, I headed back to Winston to meet up with the GGs for dinner at River Birch Lodge. We hung out at Carrie's after dinner, and then it was back to Kernersville to sleep. While I was "showering" all day, Boomer took the kids for a spontaneous visit to Star to see Granny and PawPaw. Emmy told me all about the new greenhouse PawPaw built and Granny's fairy garden. She also got to play with Aunt Carlin's Barbies. Boomer was Super Dad to haul the kids around and take care of all the meals and activities of the weekend. I made one last visit to Winston this morning, and I took Emmy and Eli along. (Boomer got a few hours of peace and quiet!) The girls couldn't get over how big both kids are, and Emmy and Eli loved all the attention. 

It's Sunday evening again, and the work week is just around the corner. With the longer days and the sunshine of spring, we are trying to fit all we can into the hours between 4PM and 8PM. That includes hanging out at the ballfield during Zander and Maddox's games...

...playing in the backyard...

...going for walks around the neighborhood...

...dance class once a week...

...and being silly during bathtime! Monday, here we come!

Birthday Weekend

My 35th birthday was on Friday, and I drug out the birthday celebrations all weekend long! My family and friends made it very special. If you recall, last year my birthday fell shortly after the coronavirus lockdown. Restaurants were closed, and we weren't even seeing our closest friends. Boomer was sweet to take the kids over to my parents' house and then pick up Cracker Barrel for us to eat at home. This year, with restaurants open and with the vaccine lowering the case count, it felt more like a birthday with eating out and blowing out candles again. Funny enough, my restaurant of choice was the same - Cracker Barrel. It just may be a new tradition! After the workday on Friday, we went there for dinner, and my parents joined us this time, instead of babysitting. Emmy was a big help when it came time to blow out the candle. 

On Saturday, it was a fun day from start to finish. In the morning, Megan and I got in our usual long run, with crisp but comfortable spring temperatures. Then Boomer and I met Ashley and Jared around noon for a relaxing afternoon of winery hopping. We purchased tickets for the Yadkin Winter Reds Tour, which included a wine and food pairing at four different wineries in Yadkin County. We started first at Sanders Ridge with a pulled pork slider and their Sweet Noble Muscadine wine. Then we headed to RagApple Lassie, for more pork barbeque with their Rockford Red. We spent the most time at our third stop, Cellar 4201. Ashley and Jared had brought cupcakes for my birthday, which we "paired" with the delicious sweet & sour meatballs with a Merlot. The fourth and final stop was at Flint Hill Vineyards for a raspberry chocolate cupcake with their Crimson Crush. I tend to prefer white wine (...well, let's be honest, I really like soda!) but it was so fun to sample the food and wine at all the different stops. We always have such a good time with the Joneses. 

After saying farewell to Ashley and Jared, Boomer and I headed back to Kernersville; our day was not over yet. Boomer made reservations at a newer, fancy restaurant in town called The Prescott. It's known for its creative dishes and farm-to-table ingredients. Every item on the menu looked delicious. We decided on the lobster dip for our appetizer. Boomer ordered the Caesar salad with crusty cauliflower and blackened salmon over fettucine; I had the chopped salad with bleu cheese and the seafood risotto. My mouth is watering just looking at the photos again! 

While Boomer and I were galivanting all across Yadkin and Forsyth County, Grammy held down the fort at home. She covered two meals and bedtime duties; she is such a rockstar! She also planned fun activities with the kids, including making "Happy Patrick's" cupcakes and taking a trip to the park. I chuckle when I see the look on Emmy's face as she is pushing Eli in the swing - she is giving it her all! Before bedtime, Grammy put pink rollers in Emmy's hair for church in the morning. Sadly, it didn't produce the bouncy curls that we remembered from Megan's and my childhood. I can't quite determine if the curlers came out on their own or if perhaps they were tampered with. Emmy still looked cute in our matching Mommy-and-me dress. After church, I had one last celebratory meal; we went to East Coast Wings, and it doubled for my birthday and for winning the Bakewell March Madness bracket challenge. While I loved the simple celebration in 2020 when I turned 34, this year's birthday blowout weekend will be hard to top!

Dancing Queen

We have officially entered the chapter of parenthood called: Sports. Emmy had her first dance class this evening, and now we have one evening a week where we go straight from school to dance, with dinner squeezed in before bedtime. I saw an advertisement on Facebook for a six-week session beginning in mid-April and going through May. The classes would focus on basic fundamentals in ballet, tap, and tumble for ages 3-5. It seemed like the perfect introduction for Emmy, who has been twirling, spinning, and somersaulting around the house for a few months now. She also loves watching the Disney princesses dance, and she will choose all the coloring pictures at school of dancers and ballerinas. 

Beforehand, we made trips to Walmart and Target for all of her necessary items: tights, leotards, and ballet shoes. After originally buying a leotard that was size 4/5, I had to go back for the bigger size 6. She is getting so tall! The size 6 has a little more room in it so that she is comfortable to move around. Emmy has since asked to go back to the "store with the red shopping carts," which she associates with all dance things.  

On the day of dance, I picked up Emmy from school, and we changed in the bathroom there. She was so excited to wear her tutu. I was hesitant to let her wear it at first, not knowing what the other girls would have on, but she fit right in with all the excited dancers and moms. I snapped several photos as we waited for class to start. Emmy was a little uncertain at first, but once it was time, she followed the line of other dancers inside the classroom. Parents stayed in a small waiting room during the 45-minute class. Unfortunately I wasn't able to watch. Emmy said that they got on a balance beam, that there were pink mats, a rainbow tunnel, and she seemed to like when they put on their tap shoes. There will be a "showcase" on the final evening of class where hopefully I will see all these things she's told me. She was especially happy about her sticker that she received at the end. Her teacher, Mrs. Lauren, said that she was a great listener. After class, we met Grammy, Grandpa, Eli, and Daddy for dinner, and everyone posed for more photos with the Dancing Queen. 

Does the tutu look familiar? It's the same one that Emmy wore for her 1st birthday!

We've discussed some other extra-curricular activities like soccer, tee-ball, and Upward basketball. Boomer and I both have so many great memories and lifelong friends from the sports and activities we participated in growing up. Hopefully both kids will find things that interest them. Last night, we were at the ballfield cheering on Maddox during his Little League game. The Houstons are at the ballfield multiple nights a week, and we aren't quite ready for that. We are testing the waters with dance, and we'll see what comes next! 

Vitamin D

We have enjoyed a lot of time outdoors this weekend! The temperature has been quite a change from the weather we had in the mountains over Easter. It seems like last weekend was the final blast of winter, and now we have fully entered in to spring. Boomer mowed for the first time of the season today, and then we had dinner outside on our back patio. We are loving the sunshine. Emmy often asks to wear her sunglasses if we are out and about, and Eli is very intrigued by walking and touching the grass. 

On Saturday, we celebrated Grammy with a birthday party at the park. We snagged a prime pavilion in between the bigger playground and a smaller one for Eli. There was also a grassy area where Maddox and Zander could kick around a soccer ball. The adults divided up to keep our eyes on all of the kiddos. I can hardly believe how brave both Emmy and Eli are now. I noticed Emmy actually pushing off and taking a bounce before going down the slide. She has even learned to pump her legs to swing on her own. Eli loves the swings too, and Megan snapped a photo of him wearing the same shirt as his cousins. We had subs for lunch, and then we put candles in the cupcakes so each grandchild took a turn making a wish. It was a simple celebration, but Grammy said it was perfect. We are planning a girls weekend later in June as a continuation of her birthday. No kids or hubbies allowed! :) Happy birthday, Grammy! Thank you for all you do for our family!

When we weren't outside this weekend, we watched Sleeping Beauty for our Friday Movie Night, and we continue to read all the books. Both of my kiddos are avid bookworms. Eli is learning a lot of new words. Even if he doesn't quite get the word right, he will mimic the sounds of the syllables. Emmy likes to help him, and she thinks it's so funny how he says "kitty cat" and "motorcycle." At church this morning, one of the nursery workers asked me how old he was, and I realized that I didn't immediately know the number of months. During his first year, I was so quick to say his age, but now time is passing quicker than I can keep track. He will be a year and a half next month, and I can hardly believe it. 

All Aboard!

Over the Easter weekend, we had a fun getaway to the mountains with Grandpa, Grammy, and the Houstons. Our travels have been pretty limited this past year, and my dad saw the long weekend as a great opportunity to enjoy some time away with family. He planned the trip and picked out the most perfect house with some amazing views of the Blue Ridge mountains. On Friday, we left Kernersville mid-morning and arrived in Blowing Rock around lunchtime. We had lunch at Mellow Mushroom, and then we bundled up as we explored the downtown and let the kids run out their energy at the park. The temperatures at the beginning of the weekend were in the low 30s! Luckily it warmed up into the 60s by the time we left on Monday, but that first day was pretty chilly. Eli enjoyed staying tucked in Daddy's jacket!

On Saturday, we woke up to a peaceful, colorful sunrise. (Okay, so "peaceful" is an exaggeration when you have 4 kids under 8. And I didn't exactly see the sunrise on this morning. Boomer, Eli, and I were in the basement, and since our room didn't have any windows, we slept until almost 8AM!) After rousing from our slumber, we joined the rest of the family upstairs for coffee and beautiful morning views. (Photo cred: Megan!) Our crew then set out for a hike, or "nature walk" as Emmy called it. We drove to the Moses Cone Memorial Park, where we parked at the Manor and then walked the 2-mile trail down to Bass Lake. Emmy tired out a little early, and Boomer was a trooper singing, dancing, and carrying her for the rest of the walk. It seems we need to build up her endurance for hikes! We returned home for some rest and hot tub time, which Emmy loved. It turns out she is more of a hot-tub-girl than a hiking-girl. She got a kick out of the bubbles and the jets. We ended the day with dinner at Woodlands Barbecue and then back to the house for some March Madness basketball. It was the perfect Saturday in the mountains!

March Madness side note: I ended up winning the Bakewell Bracket challenge! I present to you the winning bracket!

On Easter morning, the kids were so excited that the Easter Bunny found us all the way at "our mountain house." The night before, Mom, Megan, and I prepared their Easter baskets and scattered eggs all around the living room and in the loft. Mom and Meg have a lot more experience at playing the Easter Bunny, and we decided to hide the baskets up in the loft in case any curious eyes peeked out of their doors in the middle of the night. We think this year could be the last year for Zander believing. Megan said he "just wanted to know what the Easter Bunny looked like." To which her response was "Well...5 foot 4, brown hair..."  Mom and I got a good laugh out of that as we were stuffing their baskets :)  Eli didn't participate in the Easter egg hunt, but he liked moving the eggs and other objects all around the house. 

After our Easter festivities, we headed to Tweetsie Railroad. It was the first time that the Kennedys had been, and it was such a fun day. We arrived shortly after the park opened around 9AM. The kids rode a few of the rides on the lower level, and we took photos in the jail and on the stationary ponies. Our boarding time for the train was 10:10AM, so it was soon time to load up. All the kiddos were entertained by the cowboys and the scenery as we rode along the loop around Tweetsie. After our train ride, we took the chair lift to the top of Miner's Mountain for more rides, the petting zoo, and lunch. With full bellies, we went down the chair lift for more of the carnival rides and for a magic show in the saloon. Emmy's favorite thing of the whole day was the carousel...which we rode 4 times! Surprisingly Eli hung in there all day without a nap. He especially liked when he was out of his stroller and free to walk around. He was also pretty brave in petting the goats and other animals in Deer Park. Seeing how much fun the kids had makes me even more excited for our trip to Disney later this year! Rides PLUS princesses - Emmy will be in heaven!

On Monday, we returned home after enjoying a few more moments on the deck. We hope it isn't too long until we are back in the NC mountains. A big "thank you!" to Grandpa and Grammy for treating us to this special getaway!

Next up for the Kennedys: dance! Stay tuned for updates from Emmy's first dance class next week!