Final Days of Summer

I've been pleasantly surprised by how smooth the transition back to school has been for all of the Kennedys. Most days, Emmy will ask "What are we doing a-day?" I think she became a bit accustomed to our summertime adventures. Luckily she is mostly satisfied when the answer is "school", but then I also try to add in anything we might be doing in the evening: a neighborhood walk, a visit to the library, or out to dinner. Now that we are back in the habit of weekday alarms and carefully choreographed evenings, the weekends are precious once again as we get extra time to spend together as a family. Two weekends ago, we went to Asheboro to celebrate our niece Whitlee's 1st birthday. Ellison and Emerson continue to bond, being the cousins closest in age and only three months apart. The girls loved screaming and running in the driveway as the boys attempted to play a game of basketball. We will be together again with the Kennedys this coming weekend for Labor Day and to celebrate Paw Paw's birthday. Yay for more cake! :)

This past Saturday was rainy allll day. After sleeping in, we went out into the yucky weather with Emmy wearing her purple rain boots for the first time. She was a little upset when they did in fact get wet, but luckily her tears didn't last too long. Our big adventure of the day was going out to brunch at a place called Dame's Chicken and Waffles in Greensboro. I've wanted to try this restaurant for a while, and it did not disappoint! I got the Quilted Buttercup, a chicken cutlet in between two sweet potato waffles with a maple-pecan shmear (their name for the buttery spread that comes with their waffles), and Boomer got the Buff Brahmas, two wings and a cutlet with a blueberry waffle and the vanilla-almond shmear. I had a side of potato salad, Boomer got the mac-n-cheese, and Emmy sampled a little bit of everything! She particularly like pouring her own syrup, much to Mommy and Daddy's chagrin. Everyone was a little sticky at the end of the meal! I love the picture of Emmy's profile as she concentrates on stabbing another bite of waffle. 

The fall sports season kicked off last week, and Boomer had several late evenings either at the volleyball court or football field. No doubt we will soon be replacing his dress shoes once again! When Boomer is working late, Emmy and I have some girl time but generally follow the same routine of dinner, bath, books, and bedtime, just as when Daddy is home. Emmy has been doing really well in her new class at school and has been rewarded most days with a lollipop when I pick her up. The stricter side of me wishes the lollipop could wait until after dinner, but usually Emmy has the paper ripped off and the sucker in her mouth before we even make it to the parking lot. Here is the lollipop collage (and a bathtime photo!) that I sent to Boomer this past week!

Emmy is still spending some time with her previous teachers, Ms. Jewell and Ms. Melissa. Often the teachers will shift among the different classes depending on the time of day. At pick-up one day, Ms. Jewell gave me this old paper from Emmy's last class. I got a little sentimental seeing the pictures of a younger Emmy -- and pictures of the now-MIA Bobby and baby. It is still a mystery where these two are, somewhere in Star we think!

I also get sentimental seeing something like this in the mail. I've held onto this silly postcard for several days because I am still just so excited to see the address line to "Dr. Robert Daniel Kennedy!" 

With football on the tv again and the evenings getting darker, we are closing out the final days of summer. I'm always a little sad at the end of a season, but we have a very full and fun fall ahead!

Our Summer To-Do List

With the students back at school, the summer has mostly come to an end. Let's see how we did on our 2019 Summer To-Do List! There are two items still left unchecked - #6 and #11. I'm really in no hurry to convert Emmy's crib to a toddler bed. We are all enjoying a full night of sleep right now, and I'm not sure I want to give that up right before having a new baby. Summer technically lasts until September 21st, so I suppose there is still time to check off the last two items!

1. Cruise to the Bahamas

2. Lunch @ Deli on Main

3. San Francisco Giants Game

4. Oakland A's Game

5. Set Up Nursery

6. Morehead Planetarium
7. Ocean Isle Beach

8. Practice Learning Letters

 ...and shapes and colors, too!

9. Pilot Mountain Hike & Lunch at Snappy's

10. Zoo

11. Convert to toddler bed
12. Greensboro Science Center

13. Lunch with Daddy @ Work

14. Swim at the lake and YMCA pool

It is fun looking back at all of these pictures and the wonderful memories we made. Summer 2019 sure was good to us! It was a special summer as our family of 3 prepares to add another member in the next couple of months!

Back to School

The 2019-2020 school year is officially underway! While my friends in Forsyth and Yadkin County have a few more days of summer, we just wrapped up our first three days in Surry County. After teacher workdays on Monday and Tuesday, our students returned on Wednesday, and overall it has been a smooth week. I've decided that every school year should start with a short week. In the past, we have started on Monday, and by the time we make it to Friday, students and teachers alike are struggling to shake off the cobwebs of summer. It's nice to have the weekend to regroup before conquering a full five days next week. The days have been long as I've stayed later at work and then put in extra hours at home after Emmy goes to bed. I think all of the back-to-school madness will settle down soon, and hopefully the days won't seem so consumed with work. Boomer's school system is a week behind mine, so the Yadkin County teachers started their workdays this week and then students return next Tuesday. It is always a busy time for him when the teachers return. He has had late nights as he has been preparing for various meetings and professional development. Also, because he was chosen as Yadkin County Principal of the Year, he had to prepare a special speech for their Convocation. He turned down my offer to let him practice for me...but hopefully he gave some inspiring words to kick off the school year!

Emmy, too, returned to school this week. We were spoiled last week when Grammy watched her for a few days, but Monday morning found us right back to our routine of 6AM wake-ups and daycare drop-offs. Boomer and I wake up between 5:30AM and 5:45AM and get ourselves mostly ready before waking Emmy up. Then after getting Emmy dressed and downstairs, I stay behind a few minutes to tidy up while Boomer and Emmy head out the door around 6:30AM. Surprisingly, we've all three adjusted back to our school-year routine pretty well. Boomer said that 4 out of 5 drop-offs this week were tear-free, and in the afternoons, she was happily playing with the other kids when I picked her up. At daycare, Emmy moved up to the next class, the "Older 2s" with Ms. Kristina. I met Ms. Kristina last Friday when we dropped off some of Emmy's things, but I have otherwise still been seeing Ms. Jewell and Ms. Melissa at pick-up. The daycare staff sometimes rotate around to cover the rooms at different times of the day, so it has actually been comforting to pick Emmy up and see the same faces from last year. I think it has helped Emmy make the transition, too, to have her old teachers during the later part of the day. One big change in this new room is that we do not receive the daily report sheets. Unless I ask, I don't know if Emmy napped or if she ate well that day. I'm finding that I can mostly answer both of these questions based on her evening mood and her appetite at dinner. She was a little grumpy on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings (i.e. no nap!), but we ended on a high note, with Thursday and Friday being much better. I had a mommy-fail earlier in the week when I forgot to send her blanket for the first two days. It broke my heart thinking of her laying on her mat during nap time without anything to cuddle with! I was sure to send it on Wednesday and apologized to Emmy - who was actually unfazed. 

Here are a few pictures from Emmy's first day on Monday, cuddling her babies and eating a snack on the way out the door, and then from Mommy's first day on Wednesday.  

In the short hours between school and bedtime, we fit in a couple of walks, a dinner park date with the Williamses and Houstons one evening, and dinner at Grammy and Grandpa's on another evening. I had a late night Monday for the Surry Community College New Student Orientation, and then Boomer had a late night on Thursday for his school's Open House. For this reason, it was nice to be together this evening. We celebrated the end of the week with Mexican at Don Juan's - even splurging for a cheese dip. Happy Friday!

The In-Between

This week, I have been straddling the end of the summer and the start of the school year. I had my first two teacher workdays on Wednesday and Thursday, with Thursday being an extra long day with Open House that evening. Both Wednesday and Thursday were very busy, but I felt good at the end of each day, tired from the work but energized with how well both days went. When the school year ended in June, I hadn't formally told all of my staff that I was pregnant, so a few of my coworkers were surprised by my very noticeable baby bump. I was happy to see everyone again, and I am excited to be entering my third year at East Surry. I don't feel quite so brand new and while I am a little nervous about the transition before and after my maternity leave, I am otherwise hopeful that it will be the best year yet.  

Before and after the workdays, we have filled the rest of the week with as much summer fun as we could. On Monday, we fit in one more trip to the Science Center with Aunt Megan, Grammy, and the cousins. With no nap that afternoon, Emmy fell asleep in the stroller during our post-dinner walk. You'll notice all of the friends that she typically brings along with us!

On Tuesday, Emmy and I went to the YMCA pool. We even ventured down to the bigger pool, where Emmy played on the steps but also let me take her out into the deeper water. I forgot her puddle-jumper (Mommy-fail!), but we attempted some swimming, in which Mommy kept a tight grip of course. That evening, we celebrated my grandpa's 90th birthday. What a big birthday! We gathered at Kerner Ridge where he is staying and used one of the meeting rooms to have dinner together. The three great-grandkids loved helping him blow out his candles. 

On Wednesday while I had my first day back at work, Emmy spent the day with Grammy and Grandpa. She had a fun morning playing with the dollhouse and then going to the library. Emmy picked out another Fancy Nancy book and also played in the kitchen in the kids' area. In the afternoon, Grammy and Emmy made cupcakes with special Peppa Pig wrappers and sprinkles. Grammy and I both noticed that Emmy was feeling warm, and that evening, she spiked a 102.4 fever! We are still unsure what brought about the fever, but it lasted for about 48 hours and was enough of a concern that my mom took her in to the doctor on Thursday. Luckily Emmy had not been to the doctor since her well check-up when she turned 2. The doctor visit didn't exactly reveal anything, but it was worth the co-pay to have the doctor look her over. Besides the mysterious fever, she is otherwise a healthy 29-pound, 3-foot tall little girl. 

On Friday, Boomer and I had one last summer day off together. Thursday evening, we weren't quite sure what we would do with the day. The initial plan was to go to the zoo, but with Emmy's fever earlier in the week and the threat of rain, we thought we may need to come up with an alternative. That morning though, Emmy woke up fever-free, and the forecast was showing mild temperatures, with the chance of rain only later in the afternoon. So we set off for the zoo! We first made a quick stop by the daycare to drop off a few items for next week. Emmy will return to daycare on Monday, and she will be in Ms. Kristina's class with the 'Older 2s.' Since we were eager to get to the zoo, we were in-and-out in under 10 minutes, so I didn't have any time to get sad. I am praying that next week goes well as Emmy returns to school. Hopefully it will be an easy transition for both Emmy and Mommy! After leaving the daycare, we arrived to the zoo around 9:30AM. We covered Africa first, had lunch at the Junction in the center of the zoo, and then we walked through North America back to the parking lot. I'm not sure who had more fun, Boomer or Emmy! I joke that it is like having two kids sometimes! I love his excitement for our family adventures. He has always liked going to the zoo, and this is the third year in a row that we have been able to go. It was a pretty perfect day. Besides a tantrum early on at the Aviary and a major tumble that resulted in two skinned knees, I am so glad that we made the spontaneous decision to go to the zoo after all.   

Today, Boomer and I went to the Wyndham Golf Tournament at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro. Boomer has been to the tournament several years now, and this was my second year going. We went along with my dad and the Houston crew, walking together some and then also splitting off to follow different golfers. Boomer was most excited to follow fellow-Deac Webb Simpson, who is in red in the background of our second photo. Webb had a great round today and could have a real chance of winning tomorrow. After two full days of being outside and walking a lot, it will be nice to watch the final round from the comfort of our air-conditioned living room!