April, already?

March has been a bit of a blur! For a month with 31 days, it sure did fly by. February with its 28 days felt twice as long! We have been enjoying the day to day, the hustle and bustle, with mostly work but a lot of play, too. Last weekend, we had the perfect spring weekend. I even got a little bit of a sunburn! Now that Boomer is finished writing, it seems like such a luxury to have him on both days of the weekend. We love not having to share him with his dissertation! Much to Boomer's approval, we stayed in that Friday evening and watched a lot of basketball. There were some exciting games and some upsets, which always bust a couple of my brackets. Then on Saturday, we went on a field trip to the Greensboro Science Center. We hadn't been in several months, and it had me longing for Spring Break and summer when I know we will be back. Emmy is so interested in animals right now, and she has continued to talk about all the things we saw while we were there.  

On Sunday, my parents watched Emmy while Boomer and I went to Durham for the day. We met up with our friends, Jason and Tiffany, for a Wake baseball game. Jason is in his 2nd year of med school at UNC Chapel Hill, and Tiffany is a professor at Wake Forest in the Romance Languages Department. Wake Forest was playing against Duke at the Durham Bulls (Minor League) stadium, hence the reason for meeting in Durham. Before the game, we had brunch at a popular market/restaurant called Foster's Market. The game started at 1PM, and although it was exciting, it went a little long for our Sunday evening routine. We left after the 9th inning when it was tied 4-4. We listened to the end on the radio as we made our way home. It was a fun day, made even better that Wake pulled off the win!

We managed to have dinner together at home one night this week - an improvement from last week, I suppose! Aside from the one night, Boomer and I otherwise traded off our nights at home, me delivering dinner one night to my friend Katie that just had a baby girl, and Boomer having a couple of nights of sports and one night with a YoungLife golf meeting. Here are a few pictures from our week!

Hello, Spring!

The official First Day of Spring was this past week, and we are looking forward to lots of fun things in March and April! Last weekend, Boomer and I attended the first of our formal events of the season, the Forbush JROTC Military Ball. The Military Ball was at the Cody Creek Barn in Dobson like last year, and it was once again such a beautiful venue and a wonderful evening. It is always so impressive to see the cadets in their uniforms. As for my wardrobe, I had to shop in my sister's closet the night before so that I would have something to wear. I may have to do the same for Prom, too! The FHS Prom is coming up in April and then the ESHS Prom is in early May.

Earlier that day on Saturday, we went to a restaurant on our Our State list. We have a monthly subscription to the Our State magazine, and each month I flip through for any restaurants that are close by. This Saturday we checked out The Dog House in High Point. An old-fashioned, cash-only restaurant with a lunch counter and a few booths, they had delicious hot dogs and hamburgers. I got a hot dog, and Boomer got both! Emmy was content with her grilled cheese and some french fries (plus her usual assortment of banana, peanuts, and raisins.)

Eating out seems to be one of our favorite hobbies! I'm not sure we ate a single meal at home this week (eekk!) On Tuesday night, Emmy and I met Caroline for dinner. We love meeting Aunt Caro on a night that Boomer may have to work late. One of Emmy's teachers braided her hair at school, and she looked so cute. I guess Mommy may have to watch some YouTube videos to figure out how to do that!

On Wednesday night, we met up with the Bakewell gang to celebrate Zack's birthday. He chose Fire & Sticks, a favorite for our crew. The adults love the food, and the kiddos love the entertainment. All three cousins were well behaved, and it was a fun evening. Emmy somehow coaxed not one but TWO cupcakes from Grammy, and the evidence was all over her face!

We have plans this weekend to watch lots of March Madness basketball (I've filled out FIVE brackets!) and then to go to a Wake baseball game on Sunday. We are all soaring into Spring like...

Spring is on the way

The spring sports season is in full swing! A typical week for Boomer now includes several late nights with either baseball, softball, soccer, tennis, or golf - and sometimes a combination of all of the above! I too have had a few late nights with gate duty and our 8th Grade Open House; we are so thankful for Grammy and Grandpa's help on these late evenings! This week, on the night that I had Open House, Emmy enjoyed playing outside, taking selfies with Grammy and Grandpa, cruisin' in the play car, and blowing bubbles. She even tried some chicken nuggets for dinner at Aunt M's house!

My coworkers, Chelsea and Katie, at Open House

Winter sports came to a sad end last weekend when the Forbush Lady Falcons lost in the 2A Western Regional Final (the Final Four) to a team from Burnsville - Mountain Heritage High School. My school, East Surry High School, was also playing in the regional finals for 1A (and is playing for the State Championship on Saturday!) It just so happened that our two schools' games were scheduled back-to-back at the regional site, Lenoir-Rhyne University. After grabbing breakfast at the Biscuit Factory in High Point with my parents, Boomer and I passed off Emmy and headed to Hickory. The first game between the Western 3A boys was packed, so we found a spot to hang out until they let us in for the East Surry game. I didn't take many photos from our day, only one silly selfie when we were waiting for the games to start. We watched the games with our friends Jared and Ashley and then went out to dinner that evening at a restaurant in Statesville. Jared is the principal at my school, so he and Boomer have a lot in common as high school administrators. And Ashley and I have a lot in common as moms and principals' wives. We always enjoy double dates with the Joneses! 

Photo from the 4th Round game against Salisbury - The Forbush principal is so stoic! :)

As full as the weeks are right now, there is so much joy during this time of year. I am enjoying the longer days of sunlight and the warmer temperatures. I love Emmy's excitement to be outside and to go for walks around the neighborhood. Even though there is a schedule to follow and commitments to keep, it's nice to enjoy a few moments in the sun rocking on the front porch. 

The Cutest Thing

The beginning of March has looked a lot like February: rain, rain, RAIN. I am hopeful that we will soon see sunshine and some spring weather. This past week, Emmy's daycare celebrated Dr. Seuss' birthday. I loved getting pictures from Miss Jewell of Emmy dressed up as Thing 1; they just made my day. Sending Emmy to daycare is still tough sometimes, but I am so thankful for the teachers and environment that she is in. She loves talking about her friends (Abigail, Timmy, Sam, Marcos, and Aiden), and there are never any tears during drop-off anymore. We think that our early routine has actually worked to our advantage, because Emmy seems to love waltzing into the empty room and having Miss Jewell all to herself before the other children arrive. Obviously we would all like a little more sleep in the morning, but I'm glad that our early mornings make for a smooth drop-off for Daddy. Isn't Emmy the cutest Thing ever?!

This past week, Emmy and I were able to pop in to one of Zander's swim lessons. During the month of February, he had lessons at the YMCA every Tuesday and Thursday, and we got to see him at the very end showing off all of his new skills. He is definitely becoming more confident in the water. Emmy loved playing with one of the pool noodles and watching her cousin jump in off the side. Luckily she kept a safe distance from the water and I didn't have to jump in! 

Our weekend was full of fun celebrations with family and friends. [After Meg and I knocked out a 10-mile run] Boomer, Emmy, and I went to a birthday party for Katie and Carson's son Grant on Saturday. Emmy loved playing with all of his toys, including his ball pit. She especially loved when Aunt CeCe got inside with her. 

On Saturday evening, we celebrated Boomer finishing his dissertation with my side of the family. The Bakewells love any reason to celebrate! We had planned to celebrate closer to his actual defense date, but sports and other things interfered. With all of our crazy schedules, I'm glad we could find a time for us all to get together. Boomer still had to leave from dinner to go to Forbush (for the 3rd Round of the Girls 2A basketball tournament), but we had a nice meal at Olive Garden beforehand. All the kiddos were well behaved, and Uncle Zack did a great job entertaining them as we waited for our table.  

Uncle Zack is so fun!

The weekend ended with more celebrations on Sunday. After church and visits with Gma and Gpa, we went to Asheboro to celebrate the Kennedy March birthdays: Trivett (9 on the 5th), Kessley (4 on the 9th), Goosie (30ish on the 18th), and Ellison (2 on the 27th). On the way there, Emmy made mittens out of her socks! I thought we were out of the "taking off the shoes" stage - but silly me, I guess I was wrong! 

The weather was damp and chilly, but it didn't keep the kids from playing outside. Emmy loved her cousins' swing-set, trampoline, and especially Ellison's Frozen Jeep. Watch out for when these two hit the road in 14 years!