Endings

Baseball season has come to an end for the Kennedy kids, and as luck would have it, both kids had their last games on the same night, at the same time. I did my best to split my time between the fields, as did the grandparents. Bret and Cathy made the trip to watch the games, and Grammy and Grandpa were there too; they've been loyal fans all season. While Boomer and Emmy were at her game, the five of us started out at Eli's game. The league made it really special for the players, with the game being on one of the bigger fields, and they even announced the players' names and had a special medal ceremony at the end. After Eli received his medal, we made our way to Emmy's game, where they were in the 3rd inning, about halfway through. Sadly the Plumbers were already down by 10 runs, which made catching up impossible. Emmy batted well and had several good stops in the field. Win or lose, I was very proud of both of my little ballplayers. It has been such a fun two months, and I have to admit, I am going to miss it. We may even consider signing up for fall ball - eek!

Shortly after this photo, all three ended up on the ground! 

Today was the last day of preschool for Eli, and he had the special honor of being a junior marshal in the Pre-K Graduation. He was selected by his teacher, and at first we weren't sure what it entailed. When Eli found out he would have to wear the Tiny Titan costume, he wasn't as excited as I had hoped. But luckily when I arrived for the ceremony, he was dressed up and even smiled in pictures. I'm glad that Eli still has another year of preschool...I'm not quite ready for him to head off to kindergarten. I know the next year with undoubtedly pass quickly, but I am going to do my best to soak up every moment. 

Eli and I will have a week together before Emmy has her last day on June 7th. She isn't too excited that she still has to go to school, but I assured her that we wouldn't have too much fun without her. As I do every year, I made our Summer To-Do List. Who knows, we might just get started on it this weekend!

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! 

Happy Mother's Day

Right on the heels of Graduation was Mother's Day! Could we fit anything else into the month of May?! On Friday, I took Eli to preschool for Muffins for Mom. Usually Boomer does drop-off in the mornings, so we switched up our routine so that I could have breakfast with my little guy. I received several special homemade gifts in the afternoon that the kids had made at school. On Saturday, the kids and I headed up to the neighborhood park to play while Daddy mowed the grass. When we came back home, Boomer had gotten creative with the lawn mower and made a baseball diamond in our backyard! It wasn't quite the diamond I had in mind for Mother's Day (haha!) but the kids were thrilled. It was fun to watch the three of them play while I relaxed on the patio.   

On Mother's Day Sunday, we planned to go the lake to see Granny and the rest of the Kennedy crew. Before that, Emmy and I went to the early service at church. For a couple of weeks, the children had been practicing a special song for mothers, and Emmy wanted to be sure I heard it. The song and slideshow were so sweet, and I'm glad we made the effort to go. Even though it was brief, we got to see Grammy and take a few pictures with her too.  

After the children performed the song, Emmy and I swung by the house to pick up the boys, and then we hit the road to Lake Tillery. Paw Paw grilled hotdogs and chicken for lunch. There were boat rides, fishing off the dock, and a little bit of swimming, for the brave ones that didn't mind the cold. There were also haircuts for the boys. With their hair buzzed, my two boys look even more like twins. We left the lake around 5:30PM and stopped for pizza at Zeno's in Troy. We got a delicious, cheesy pizza, to which Eli said "That pizza is sweating!" Kids say the funniest things. The weekend was a glimpse of summer, and I can't wait!

Baseball has continued on. We knew that it was going to happen eventually when Emmy's team the Plumbers would face-off with Maddox's team, the Fireballs. It was a pretty decisive 14-6 victory for the Fireballs, with Maddox getting a homerun at his first at-bat. I was so proud of the cousins; both played very well and got hits each time they stepped up to the plate. Assistant Coach / Uncle Zack snapped some great photos from the dugout, and they really show off Emmy's hitting and fielding. Eli, Megan, and I stayed neutral and cheered for both teams. Eli especially liked watching the Game Changer app on Aunt Megan's phone which showed each play and pitch. We have about three more weeks of baseball. The play-offs coincide with the week of Memorial Day. I'm not sure how far the Plumbers will go, but I think Maddox's team has a pretty good chance of winning it all. We have enjoyed this first season of baseball for the Kennedy kids. 

 

In the spare moments in the evenings, we still try to fit in walks around the neighborhood...

...or trips to the library. I love the quiet car ride home after a book haul. 

Here are a few other photos from the first half of May.