A Speedway Christmas

We had the first of our Christmas activities this past Saturday. As has been our tradition for the last few years, Megan and I planned a day of Christmas fun for the cousin crew and for Grammy and Grandpa. Instead of exchanging gifts, we decided we prefer this type of 'experience' rather than presents. Our past activities have included: Disney on Ice (2021), Polar Express at the NC Transportation Museum (2022), and Winter Wonderlights at the Greensboro Science Center (2023). For this year, we went to the Charlotte Motor Speedway for their drive-thru Christmas light show. Beforehand, we had dinner at a delicious barbeque place called Jim 'n Nicks. We got in line at the speedway around 5:30PM, and we had no wait at all. We made our way around the track, through the pit row, and even on parts of the pedestrian concourse. It was a neat experience. Halfway through, there was a Christmas village set up in the infield of the track, with sweet treats, more light displays, and Santa Claus himself. Emmy and Eli weren't shy this year in telling Santa what they wanted: a race track for Eli and an Easy Bake Oven for Emmy. If we weren't in the Christmas spirit already, we certainly were after Saturday. 

Boomer claims that I decorate for Christmas earlier and earlier each year. He's probably not wrong... because this year I decorated about two weeks ago on November 9th. On that Saturday, I seized a small pocket of free time in between birthday parties and basketball evaluations. I had the best little assistant to help me; Emmy was eager to string the lights and hang the ornaments. We have been enjoying the Christmas lights each evening. 

Here are a few other photos from the last two weeks. Now that both kiddos are a year older, we measured their heights. What a visual reminder of how big they are getting! Aunt Megan, Emmy, and Maddox all matched on the Spread Kindness Spirit Day at their school. When we went to the Science Center last Saturday, they had decorations up for their Winter Wonderlights, and the kids posed in front of the oversized polar bear. Last Sunday wrapped up the last night of Awana until the new year. It was pajama night, and afterwards we went out for ice cream. The kids love squeezing into the tiny picnic table at Zack's Treats. On the night of Eli's birthday, both kids were not wanting to get ready for bed, and it was a fight on who would go shower first. Somehow it turned into them taking a bath TOGETHER. Boomer and I told them that now that they were 8 and 5, they were probably too old to be bathing together, but for one more time, we let them do it. Another bonding experience was a few nights later when Emmy and Eli rushed to finish his Tom the Turkey. After picking Eli up from school and seeing the other turkeys already displayed, I remembered that his Tom the Turkey was due the next day, and we had not disguised him yet. At 8PM, we were frantically gluing Fruit Loops to turn Tom into a bowl of cereal. I have to say, for a last minute effort, I think it turned out pretty good. Even though the Christmas spirit is in the air, we certainly will not overlook Thanksgiving; we are eagerly looking forward to the delicious food and the time with family. Boomer especially is excited about Thanksgiving - it is his favorite holiday. He was all festive at work this week when he was serving Thanksgiving lunch at one of the local elementary schools. 

Our November Birthdays

November is a fun month in the Kennedy household! There are lots of treats and surprises as we celebrate both of our November babies. Since 2020, it has become a tradition to take our annual trip to the zoo, and this year we went on the Veteran's Day holiday, which was Monday the 11th. It was our group of 10: the Kennedy 4, the Houston 4, and Grammy & Grandpa. Unfortunately Boomer's parents were not able to join us. Bret was recovering from being sick, and Cathy is in between her treatments for breast cancer. We are hoping they are both healthy by the Thanksgiving holiday so that we can enjoy some family time together with Granny and Paw Paw. When we arrived at the zoo at 9AM, we parked at North America, boarded the tram to the Junction, and made our way along the Africa loop. We have found this route to be the most efficient path through the zoo. We were able to see so many animals: the lemurs, zebras, gorillas, and chimpanzees. Emmy's favorite animal continues to be elephants, and Eli still loves the giraffes. After completing the Africa loop, we had lunch at the Junction Plaza, and we sang for our two birthdays. Refreshed and ready to go again, we made the trek through North America, where we saw the reptiles in the Desert, the otters and fish at the Streamside, and the polar bear and puffins at the Rocky Coast. We saw it all! Over 10,000 steps later, we were quite tired when we returned to Kernersville that evening. It was a day well-spent and one that we have come to look forward to each year.   

Even with the combined birthday trip to the zoo, Emmy and Eli were both amply spoiled individually. Emmy's birthday fell on a Sunday this year, and it started with a visit from the Tooth Fairy. Our girl can't make things easy on Mommy by celebrating just one thing! Her tooth fell out the night before, and both kids were excited about the potential scavenger hunt the next morning. The Tooth Fairy did not disappoint, and Emmy's prize was $3. Then we dashed off to church and had lunch at the birthday girl's restaurant-of-choice, McDonalds. We took up a large section of the dining area with the Houstons, Kennedys, Williamses, and Bakewells. Emmy received new blank hardcover books from the Houstons, a cute Christmas dress from Grammy and Grandpa, along with a few other items of clothes, and from Mommy and Daddy, she got a personalized belt bag and a Stanley. Later that afternoon, we went to her friend Ellie's house for Ellie's birthday party. Emmy and Ellie share the same birthday, and it was a fun Taylor-Swift themed party, with face painting, homemade glitter slime, and jewelry making. Ellie was so sweet to have her party guests sing to Emmy after they sang to her. When Emmy returned to school after the Veteran's Day holiday, she had special visitors at lunch: Grammy and Grandpa! They brought Chick-Fil-A for the birthday girl and cupcakes for the class. 

 

Eli's birthday fell on a Monday this year. On Saturday the 16th, we went out to dinner for fancy Japanese. We celebrated all three of the fall birthdays: Maddox (10/26), Emmy (11/10), and Eli (11/18). Eli posed for a picture, but he wasn't all about the singing. He kept his distance and stayed closed to me for that part. He otherwise enjoyed the fire and entertainment during dinner. He received a Star Belly dinosaur from the Houstons and a new bat bag and clothes from Grammy and Grandpa. On Eli's birthday, Grammy came to have lunch with him at his preschool. I had not told him ahead of time so he was very excited when she surprised him with Chick-Fil-A, just like Sissy got on her birthday. We always do our best to keep things fair, but of course sibling jealousy is never stronger than when one has a birthday. Later Monday evening after the school day, we had pizza for dinner and a cozy evening at home. We gave Eli his gifts from Mommy and Daddy: new baseball cleats and a Nerf football. 

There is some sadness that both kids are getting older. I have truly loved each year with them. Each new age brings its own adventures and memories. Emmy is thriving in 2nd Grade. She idolizes her teacher and strives to do her very best. She is pulled out for extra enrichment in Reading and Math twice a week, and she enjoys the challenge of working on advanced skills. She continues to love reading. Each night, we will read a chapter together, and she will follow along on the page. She surprised us all this year with her tenacity on the basketball court and her scrappiness on the softball field. Our little lefty has found her spot at 1st Base and doesn't shy away from going after the ball. She has continued with gymnastics on Thursdays, and soon she will start her fourth season of basketball. Boomer and she have developed a special bond through sports, and Emmy has proven to be very coachable and eager to improve. Although she and Eli fight, in the moments we aren't watching, Emmy will be very nurturing toward her brother. She is a protective and caring older sister. Happy 8th birthday, Emmy!

This year marks the last year of having a child in preschool. Eli will begin kindergarten next August, and these precious preschool years have come and gone so quickly. His swagger, his expressions, and his conversations -  Eli is resembling a big boy more and more each day. I still catch glimpses of my baby, when he gives me a tight hug each morning or when he gets down on his belly to push his cars around on the floor. I am trying to savor these special fleeting moments. He finally got his chance at playing organized sports this year. He played Little League in the spring and again in the fall. He was a leader on his team with his focus and effort. He will be starting basketball this winter, and I am curious to see how his skills translate to the court. It seems like he has been dribbling and shooting for years already. At school, Eli has learned all his letters and is starting to learn blending sounds. He will entertain us in the evenings by spilling all the gossip from the Frogs Class. His teacher says that he is a kind classmate. I expect he will be ready for kindergarten...even if Mommy isn't. Happy 5th birthday, Eli!