Maycember

I've been known in the past to drag out my birthday, but this year was perhaps a record. After over a month, we finally celebrated my birthday, along with Zander's birthday AND Mother's Day, with the Bakewell-Houston-Kennedy crew. We had not meant to have such a delayed celebration, but with all of our crazy schedules, it had not been possible to find an earlier date. As we have the last couple of years, we went to Fire & Sticks for Japanese hibachi. It was worth the wait, because it is always a delicious meal, not to mention the entertainment by the chef. We went after church on Sunday the 19th, and we found that we may prefer that time, with the cheaper lunch prices and smaller crowd. At the end of the meal, they brought out the white hats for the birthday song. You can see that I shared my hat during dessert. 

After the birthday lunch at Fire & Sticks, Emmy had not one, but TWO, other birthday parties. The first party was at Urban Air in Winston-Salem for her classmate Finn. Emmy was so brave to do the ropes course and the zip line. Then it was off to the second party for her baseball teammate Aaliyah. It was quite a full Sunday for the Kennedy girls. 

This past weekend over Memorial Day, we went to Star for a pool day. It was the first time that the kids had been swimming since September, so I was a little nervous to see if they would remember their skills from last year. Eli was hesitant at first, but with his swimmy on, he eventually progressed to jumping in off the side and kicking around by himself. Emmy was back to swimming like last year, at first doggy-paddling, but then putting her head underwater. I could tell she was cautious in staying in the shallow end. One new trick for her: handstands! Hopefully both kids will become even stronger swimmers over the next three months. 

Although my school year has ended, both kids still have a few more days. In Eli's class they filled out an "About Me" page, and we got a laugh out of some of Eli's answers. There is no doubt that he is the son of Boomer Kennedy! We did make one of his wishes come true recently - we went to the movies. We saw a cute semi-animated movie called If. In 1st Grade, Emmy's class recently took a field trip to the Nido Qubein Children's Museum in High Point. I enjoyed receiving pictures from another mom that went along on the field trip. The girls looked to be having lots of fun. Emmy continues to be a sponge for learning. She has started to learn multiplication in her 2nd Grade math group, and she can read fluidly from small chapter books. She has found a new interest in drawing, and she likes to watch YouTube video tutorials. She continues to enjoy going to Triad for after school, where this past week, she came out sporting stick on earrings. I have to admit, they looked super cute. It led to the conversation about getting her ears pierced. She hasn't been too insistent about it yet; I think she is content with the stick-on kind for now. Later that evening, she got to help coach Eli's t-ball game, and she took her role very seriously. She coached in the field and then at 1st and 3rd base during different innings. Grandpa captured a shot of Eli running home, with Emmy in the background sending him on. Last week, the Plumbers and the Fireballs met again for a second game, and it was another win for the Fireballs. We snapped a few photos of the cousins and their coaches. 

I knew my husband was pretty special, but on top of all of his other accolades, now he can add quoted 'expert' to his list. In a publication about public schools in North Carolina, there was a statement from one of Boomer's previous articles. It was pretty neat to see his name in print. Unfortunately no royalties (haha!) but I sure am proud of him! His dissertation on vouchers and school choice continues to be a hot topic in public education. I'll include here a few pictures that Darby sent me this week. She was going through old photos and found these gems! haha!

In the final days of the school year, it was a busy time at both of my high schools. It was a nice surprise to receive flowers and a handwritten thank-you card from one of my students. Both schools have had their graduations: Starmount on Friday, the 24th at the school and Forbush tonight at Wait Chapel as they usually do. Since Boomer and I had to be at both events, Grammy once again helped out with babysitting on both evenings. There was a little bit of spoiling, as you can see from the box of donuts. I recently heard the month of May referred to as "Maycember" - and it is so true; it's like December with all of its activities and busyness. I sure am thankful for the summertime ahead; it has arrived just in time!