Remembering our Grandpas

Emmy is officially halfway through her kindergarten year. She has been excelling in her school work, and she loves her teacher and classmates. Aunt Megan sent me this picture of a paper clip craft Emmy made one day before school. She loves drawing, creating, and learning.  

Last Friday night, Emmy had her first school dance. Little brother and Mommy tagged along, too! The Snow Ball Dance was from 6PM - 7:30PM. Unfortunately Boomer was not able to join us; he went to the big rivalry basketball game between Forbush and Starmount. With the 6PM start of the dance, we did a quick wardrobe change for Emmy and an oh-so-fancy dinner at Burger King before returning to her school. Emmy had lots of fun dancing with her friends and with her cousins. It sure is special having them at the same school together. 

We've had more back-to-back Saturdays of basketball. Last Saturday, Granny, Paw Paw, Aunt Megan, Zander, and Maddox came to the game. Emmy always has a strong cheering section, and she always looks over to see if we are watching. With each game, she is showing improvement, and she is more involved with the action on the court. She had several rebounds, good passes, and shot attempts. The one basket she made last week was unfortunately for the other team...oops! We are still working on the fundamentals. 

This Saturday, Emmy had two baskets, this time for the right team! After she played, we stuck around to watch Maddox's game. He really hustles and made several of the points for his team. It sure was fun when he and Emmy were on the same team last year. But it is evident that this next level is faster-paced and much more aggressive. Emmy has recently asked about cheerleading, so we will see what the future holds for our little baller. 

Boomer had an overnight conference this past week and was in Durham for two nights. We were glad when he returned back home for our usual Friday night movie night. 

Yesterday, we got the sad news that my Grandpa Bill passed away. He was hospitalized before Christmas, and after surgery, he moved to an assisted living facility in the beginning of January. Although we knew he would likely not return home, it still came as a surprise on Friday when my dad called at work to tell me Grandpa had passed. My parents were down in Florida just a few days ago, and I am glad that they were with him in his final days. There will be a memorial service this coming Friday, but with Boomer already going to Virginia that same day for his grandfather's service on Saturday, we've made the decision for me to stay here in Kernersville with the kids. I will always remember Grandpa Bill for his love of NASCAR and especially Dale Earnhardt. He also loved Duke basketball (not really sure why!) Even in his 80s, he and Grandma would still make the trip up to North Carolina to see us and their great-grandchildren. He got to meet all four of them which is very special. He was a giant of a man, and he could always fit multiple children on his lap at a time. The week ahead will be a hard one as we remember Grandpa Bill and Boomer's grandfather Randy/Tall Man. We are blessed to celebrate their lives and to look forward to seeing them again in heaven. 

Go Little Pumas!

Basketball season is underway for the Little Pumas! Emmy is playing on a team with eleven other players that are ages 5 and 6. Daddy is the coach again this year, with a couple other dads that help at practices and games. Boomer is thankful for the help, since he otherwise would have his hands full! Practices are every Thursday, and while Daddy and Emmy are at practice, Eli and I run errands or start on the bedtime routine. The Little Pumas have had two games already, and we have noticed that Emmy's confidence is much higher than last year. Her strengths are still passing the ball in to play or dribbling it down the court, and in Saturday's game, she had a few rebounds and even a basket! Wow! Of course I missed filming it...because Eli had locked my phone [sigh] There are six more Saturdays of games so hopefully I will catch a basket before the end of the season. Go Little Pumas!

I have to brag on my wonderful husband. In addition to coaching his daughter's basketball team, he also is teaching a class at Wake Forest this semester. He had his first class last week, and I can tell he is excited to be back on the campus of his alma mater. It is a lot of work though, and he has spent many hours making his syllabus, creating PowerPoints, outlining his class on Canvas, and coming up with assignments and discussions. 

Our friend Josh sent us this picture from the South Stokes yearbook. We think it was from 2012, Boomer's first year as an assistant principal. We all got a laugh out of his phone clipped to his waist! Even looking like a total dork, I'm still so proud of him! 

This weekend was a three-day weekend for the MLK Holiday. With our day off today, we went to the High Point Children's Museum. It was our second visit there, and the kids had so much fun exploring all the rooms and exhibits. Despite chilly temperatures, we spent the most time outside in the sand pit uncovering dinosaur bones. Emmy says that she now wants to be an archeologist when she grows up. 

Besides our weekend adventures, it has been back to the grind of work and school. I've been loving my Christmas gifts: my new calendar from Boomer and my iced coffee koozie. At Emmy's school this week, she was on their Facebook page (thanks to Aunt Megan!) when they had snow cones for "Reading is SNOW much fun!" day. 

Ending this post on a sad note, we got word on Sunday that Boomer's grandfather passed away. Known by "Randy" or "Tall Man," the story goes that he thought he was too young to be called Grandpa and wanted to be called by his first name instead. We last saw him in June when we made the trip up to  Woodstock at the beginning of the summer. We sat with him at the table in the barn, and it was a good visit. Since we stayed in North Carolina this Thanksgiving, I'm glad we have these last memories with him. We found out on Tuesday, the 10th that he had had a fall at home because of lightheadedness and difficulty breathing. They discovered he had COVID, and then while he was in the hospital, he had a heart attack. The last few days were back and forth with good spells and bad spells. He passed away this Sunday. One of the cousins shared this collage of photos of him. He was a proud, strong southern man that loved his family. He was especially proud of his grandchildren and their education. He thought college and hard work were very important. We will miss you, Tall Man. 

Happy 2023!

Happy 2023! We rang in the New Year with our usual crew of the Houstons, Williamses, and Whites. We had a fun evening of food, football, Catch Phrase, and a toast to the new year around 8PM. The kids were thoroughly spoiled by distracted parents that said 'yes' to all the treats.

In the days between Christmas and New Years, I was still recovering from the stomach bug, but I managed to hang in there for some fun adventures. Boomer had a few days off from work, and on two different days, we went to the Science Center, where Emmy practiced using her new camera from Santa. 

On December 27th, we went on our annual post-Christmas outing for Starbucks and the Tanglewood Festival of Lights. It seemed like the first year that both kids were attentive and observant of the different light displays. Even so, it didn't take too long until all four of us were crammed in the front seat together. 

Boomer and I had a date night to Roar, an entertainment venue in Winston-Salem, followed by dinner at The Spring House. We have enjoyed several date nights in December, and I am always reminded how much fun we have together. 

Other adventures this past week included a trip to SciWorks with our friends Stephanie and Lyla...

...lunch out with Daddy...

...ice skating with Emmy's friends, Allie and Natalie...

...and a trip to the Kernersville Auto Museum. We went on one of the rainy days of the break, and it was a perfect indoor activity with Grammy, Grandpa, and the Houstons. When I planned this adventure, I mainly had my oldest and youngest boys in mind, Grandpa and Eli. These two love cars! All four of the kiddos were great about following the no-touch rule. One of the owners was at the Museum, and he allowed us to sit in his BMW "bubble car" which had only three wheels and opened from the front - very cool! 

Today I accomplished all my last to-do list items before heading back to work tomorrow. We've sure had a wonderful break! I'm already looking forward to Spring Break in April....or maybe a snow day or two before then! :)