Best Buddies

After being away on my girls' weekend, it was a little strange adjusting back to mom mode on Sunday evening. However, by Monday morning, everything felt normal again, as we went about getting dressed and out the door to meet our friends Katie, Grant, Elle, Emily, and Sawyer for a donut picnic. Thank you to Katie for the donuts and to Emily for snapping a photo of me and my crew!

On Tuesday, Emmy had a dentist appointment in the morning while Eli napped at home with Grammy. It was only Emmy's second visit to the dentist and her first actual cleaning. The visit back in January was more of a consultation, but for this appointment, the dentist cleaned her teeth and applied fluoride. Emmy wasn't too sure about laying back in the chair, but after the dentist suggested that she lay in my lap, she was such a good patient. She opened and closed her mouth on command and sat very still until the dentist was all done. Emmy chose strawberry fluoride this time and a bouncy ball for her prize, but she has already decided that she will have bubble gum and a squishy unicorn next time. Even though going to the dentist isn't that exciting, I did enjoy the solo time with Emmy. As a treat, we picked up a Happy Meal from McDonald's on the way home. Emmy was so proud of herself - she held onto her goodie bag and her Happy Meal toy for the rest of the day!

 The weather has been hot all week, and Wednesday was a perfect pool day. Grammy went along with us, and it was especially helpful to have the extra set of hands. Emmy had fun showing Grammy all the cool features of the splash park. She also jumped several times off of the side in the bigger pool. We were assigned our favorite spot #8 in the shade, and we had lunch poolside before heading back home. No mishaps for this pool trip - yay! Grammy has been so helpful not only at the pool, but with other little projects at home. Each time she comes over, she manages to clean or fix something. I'm glad that we could have a fun outing together that didn't involve any chores! 

The temperatures stayed warm on Thursday, but a rain shower came through mid-morning during our walk with our friends Megan and Kathryn. As you can see, Emmy wasn't too bothered by the rain as we waited it out under a nearby store. On Thursday evening, we went to Gypsy Road Brewing Company and had dinner from the "Sliders" food truck. Boomer got the chicken street tacos with hot chips, and I got the gouda pimento cheese sandwich with french fries. We went halfsies so that we each could try the other's food. Emmy had dinner packed from home, but she loved posing in the wagon at the brewery. 

We took advantage of Boomer's day off today to accomplish another of our Summer To-Do List items: the Rockford General Store. It is located in Dobson, about 45 minutes from our house, and there is a lot of history in the area. Fun fact: years ago, Boomer and I went to this same spot for a Civil War reenactment. One of Boomer's students participated in the reenactment, which was just behind the General Store in an open field and amphitheater. On this particular visit, Emmy had so much fun picking out sweet treats from all the glass containers. We also got delicious burgers from the grill, splurging the extra $0.99 for the pimento cheese on top. 

I captured several cute photos of Emmy and Eli this week. Emmy can be somewhat unpredictable when it comes to pictures; sometimes she will refuse to smile, while other times, she will request to have her picture taken. I managed to get several smiles while capturing some sweet bonding between brother and sister. Hopefully they will be best buddies like this forever!  

Girls' Getaway

We continued our summer adventures this week with more walks, meet-ups with friends, and time at the pool. After the phone incident in the YMCA parking lot, I haven't taken it out for as many pictures lately. However, I did manage to actually be in a picture this week - the elusive photo of Mommy, with Eli's first time facing out in the carrier!

On Thursday, I set off for the annual Garland Girls beach trip. We counted it up, and this year makes our 10th time going to the beach together. We always stay at Caroline's grandparents' house in North Myrtle Beach, and it is just the best girls' getaway. I carpooled with Emily and Kelly, and we met the other girls in NMB mid-afternoon on Thursday. Like we usually do on the first night, we ordered pizza and started our first puzzle. Friday and Saturday were spent at the beach, arriving around 11AM and leaving a little after 4PM. We had beautiful (but hot!) weather both days, and despite reapplying sunscreen, we all managed to get sunburns on some part of our bodies. We were very cautious during our time in NMB due to the coronavirus, and when we did venture out for dinner on Saturday night, we wore our matching masks from Caroline. Since eating at a restaurant is still very unusual for all of us, we chose to eat on the outdoor patio. We ate at Clark's Seafood & Chophouse, overlooking a beautiful marina. Back at the house, we didn't turn on the TV even once. We mostly chatted, ate junk food, mixed up fun cocktails, and completed not one, but TWO puzzles. A special shoutout to Coley for her selfie skills for documenting our trip! 

While Mommy was away having girl time, Emmy and Eli got some extra time with Daddy and both sets of grandparents. On Thursday, since Boomer still had to work, my mom came over to watch the kiddos. They did some crafts together, and then in the evening, Emmy got to go to her cousins' baseball games. Both boys played very well, and Maddox even won the "game belt." Emmy brought along her gold pom pom to cheer them on!

On Friday, Boomer was off work, and he and the kids had a day at home. He managed to fit in mowing the grass - Super Dad! - and had a movie night complete with popcorn. Then on Saturday, they went to the lake to see Granny and Paw Paw. Boomer tells me that Emmy spent very little time in her baby pool and was mostly in the lake, splashing around and playing on the large floating mat. It was a full day of sun and swimming. Boomer planned ahead and changed the kids into their pjs for the ride back home. He's really got this whole solo-Dad-thing down! 

I arrived back home today around 4PM. It seemed like both kids grew at least 5 inches while I was gone! I am so thankful to Boomer for all his work this weekend so that I could have time with my girlfriends. It was my first time spending the night away since Eli was born, and really the first time I have been away from the kids since COVID hit in March. By Boomer's request, I wrote down a daily schedule including when Eli would eat and how much. And even though I was kidfree for three days, I still was thinking of them often...especially Eli, every 4 hours! :)

Pool Daze

Governor Cooper was suppose to release more information this week in regards to the reopening of schools in the fall. Unfortunately, due to the rising number of COVID-19 cases, he has postponed his announcement for a few more weeks. Although our first student day in Surry County was suppose to be August 5th, we already know that we will now be starting with all other public schools on August 17th. We don't know too much else at this time. For all educators, there is a lot of uncertainty surrounding August, but I am trying not to let this worry detract from the time I have this summer with my family. We are still making memories and enjoying each day. This week included a Sunday picnic on the Quad at Wake Forest...

 ...followed by donuts (again!) at our summer hangout spot, Dough Joe's. I've started to lose count of how many times we have been there!

No donuts for Eli, but he continues to be a good eater of baby food and rice cereal. He is always so happy when we put him in the Bumbo for meal time, and he doesn't mind wearing his big sister's old bib.

Different day, same pose, another bib passed down from Emmy!

During our visit to Great Gma's this week, there was a light sprinkle of rain. Emmy loved holding the umbrella and dancing around. You can't quite see Great Gma because of the glare, but she is just on the other side of the glass. We talk to her on the phone while we are separated by the window. 

We received some sad news this week. Boomer's grandmother, Granny Kennedy, passed away on Tuesday evening. She had been battling Alzheimer's for a couple of years, and the last few months were particularly tough as she continued to decline. The immediate family was able to be together on Thursday for a viewing and then on Friday for a memorial service. With the restrictions still in place for large gatherings, the service was small and intimate. The seven grandsons carried the casket, and Boomer said the closing prayer. We will miss Granny. 

Emerson and Granny - Thanksgiving 2016

While Boomer was away in Virginia, we tried to send pictures to brighten his day. Since this week also marked the official start of his new job, Boomer has had a lot of competing obligations. He has handled everything with amazing composure. In his absence, we stayed busy with park play dates, neighborhood walks (Emmy found a penny!), reading (when she should have been napping!), and special treats for good behavior.   

Emmy took a spill in the YMCA parking lot, and by her request, Daddy even got a picture of that. She was so tough to get back up, but she definitely left a little bit of skin on the asphalt. Through tears, she said "I need to tell Daddy" - which has been a common phrase this summer - and "Why did I knock myself down?" I was hoping this summer wouldn't include as many skinned knees as in the past, but I may be wrong about that :(

Boomer arrived home on Friday evening, and we celebrated the July 4th holiday with back-to-back pool days: Saturday at the YMCA and then Sunday at his parents' house in Star. Emmy loved showing off some of her new skills. She is getting more confident in the water and likes jumping off the side and swimming with her puddle jumper. In Star, I brought along the float for Eli, and after the initial surprise of being in the water wore off, he seemed to like it. This week, we hit a record high of THREE pool days - whew, this momma is tired! :)