School's Out!

Today was Emmy and Eli's last day of school! It has been such a blessing to watch the learning and growth in both of them this year. 

Emmy has thrived in 3rd Grade. She loved her teacher and would often come home telling me silly stories from the day. Ms. Servello's classroom was fun and welcoming, and Emmy looked forward to going to school every day. Emmy has a love for reading, and while we continue to read together at night, she reads her own chapter books independently. She is also very curious and will sometimes stump Boomer and me with her questions. This summer, Emmy is excited to continue her sports. She has already expressed areas that she wants to improve for softball: bunting, scooping, and hitting from faster pitching. Her work ethic and determination are qualities that continue to grow as she ages.

As for little brother Eli, he seamlessly made the transition to Kindergarten. He made friends with everyone in his class and would often be the ringleader for recess games. It's no surprise that PE was his favorite of all the specials. Eli's teacher Ms. Powell nurtured his natural strengths in reading and math. While he started Kindergarten with a good foundation from preschool, he is now able to read lengthy sentences and pronouce unfamiliar, multiple-syllable words. When the girls are reading together each evening, the boys read together too. They are currently reading a chapter book about famous Pittsburgh Pirate Roberto Clemente. It seems like we just took the 'First Day' pictures, but here we are taking them again on the last day, a couple inches taller, hair a little longer, and all smiles for summertime. 

In the final days of May, there were a lot of activities: end-of-year parties, awards, yearbook distribution, and themed spirit days. Both of the kids' end-of-year parties were scheduled for the same day, Thursday the 21st. Boomer was able to attend Emmy's party in the morning, and I was able to go to Eli's in the afternoon. Aunt Megan, even in spite of her busy testing schedule, popped into both parties and helped snap some photos. We are certainly proud of Emmy and Eli's recognitions, but I am always most proud of their kindness and character. 

We have a lot of ideas for the summer! And we plan to get started TOMORROW! Here is a look at our Summer 2026 To-Do List!

Memorial Day Weekend

Memorial Day Weekend is one of my favorite times of the year - it's just on the cusp of summer, with the school year in the rearview and sunny days ahead. Although the kiddos still have two final days of school and I have a few more work commitments, we are mostly on summer mode. As we do every Memorial Day Weekend, we spent some time at the lake with Boomer's family. Before that, on Saturday I made a trip home to Morganton to celebrate Coley's 40th birthday. I had a little extra time before the party, so I drove by my childhood home and my grandparents' home. I didn't need my GPS; my car remembered exactly where to go. Then I met Emily, Carrie, and Daniel at Root & Vine before heading over to Fonta Flora for Coley's party. Morganton has quite a lively downtown scene, and I loved trying out these new places for the first time. Coley is the baby of our group, so now we are all officially 40. We are excited to celebrate together again next month in St. Lucia! 

The regular season for softball and baseball have [mostly] wrapped up, and both kids' teams had successful seasons. Eli's team had a final record of 11-2-1. One of the highlights of Eli's season was his unassisted triple play (the rarest play in baseball!) With zero outs and runners on 2nd and 3rd, Eli caught a pop-up at 2nd Base and then tagged a runner and the base to make all three outs by himself. The crowd and even the players didn't quite realize what had happened, as Eli came jogging into the dugout, ready to bat again. It was a play that I think I will remember my whole life! Emmy's Walkertown team had their last two games postponed due to rainy weather, so we are still awaiting news if those games will be rescheduled. Currently, their record is 10-0-1, and just like Eli, Emmy's season had a lot of highlights too. One of my favorite things was the silly videos she and her friend Darby made, poking fun at the names of some of our opponents (i.e. the Bananas, the Pickles, and the Flying Squirrels). Emmy's travel season is ending soon too, with one last Friday Night Lights tournament this coming Friday, the 29th. With this last FNL, Emmy will have played in 10 tournaments from March to May, totalling over 30 games. Wow, that's a lot of softball! One of the other mom's brought her nice camera to the ballfield and captured some action shots of the players. She even made 'playing cards' for the girls. What a special memento of this spring!  

In addition to school and sports, Awana has also come to an end. The Awana Awards Ceremony was held this past Sunday, the 17th, and both kids received medals and certificates for completing their books. They have enjoyed Awana every Sunday evening and have learned lots of Scripture, which I pray will be imprinted on their hearts forever. 

Here are a few other snapshots from May!

Happy Mother's Day

Today we celebrated Mother's Day, and it has been a special day every year since 2016. It was that Mother's Day that Boomer and I told our moms (and dads) that they were going to be grandparents, and then six months later, Emmy arrived. It is hard to believe that it has been a whole decade of being a mom. This morning, we went to church, where the children sang a special Mother's Day song with a slideshow of pictures. Afterwards, we went out to lunch at the Loop with Grammy, Grandpa, and the Houstons. We had a laidback afternoon, in which I got a nap, while Boomer took the kids to the ballfield. In addition to my nap (which I consider a very nice gift!) I also received some special cards and crafts. I even got a Mother's Day card from my sweet nephews. Yesterday we were at the ballfield, as we have spent all of our Saturdays since March. Minus a small mishap when Boomer locked his keys in his car (thank goodness for AAA!) I have loved these Saturdays, watching the kids playing hard in the field, coming up to the plate, and having fun with their teammates. There are not too many games left in the spring season, and I know I will feel the void of activity and excitement in our schedule. We have loved this time in our kids' lives. As we prepare to enter the final two weeks of the school year, the calendar is pretty full of events and activities. There are ball games, Graduations, spirits days, end-of-grade testing and end-of-year parties. I am trying to savor these moments, in hopes that they don't pass by in a blur.