Thursday, July 15, 2021

Cruise Director

The summer is passing by so quickly! The 4th of July is always bittersweet, since it marks the halfway point. We have been staying busy with lots of fun summer adventures. Each day Emmy will ask "Where are we going today?" so I often feel like a cruise director as I list off the day's agenda. Here are some pictures from July: 

Morning playtime in Eli's crib

Pool Day with Daddy

Pool Day with Grammy


Brothers at the Dash game
Petting a tortoise at the Science Center
Play time with the Saddlers at the park

Picnic with the Moores and Alfaros


SciWorks with Lyla


Box seats at the High Point Rockers - thank you, Kelly Willis!

Last weekend, I was able to go to the beach for a few days with the girls. Unfortunately it started out with this...
I picked up a large bolt in my tire before even leaving Kernersville! Thank goodness for the quick thinking of my Dad, we were able to drop my car off at his tire place, and I still managed to get on the road before 8AM on Friday. On my way east, I stopped outside of Raleigh in Holly Springs to meet Jen's new baby Jackson Robert, born on June 13th, and Amy's new baby Anna Gray, born on June 1st. We didn't take any pictures together, but it was so great to see my Wake girls. I drove the remaining way down to North Myrtle Beach where I met up with the Morganton girls. We had two full days at the beach on Saturday and Sunday. When we weren't on the beach, we hung out at the house, putting together puzzles and drinking fun drinks. We went out to dinner on Friday night at Flying Fish in NMB and to Oyster Rock in Calabash on Saturday night. If our count is correct, this year was our 14th year of our annual beach trip!  



While I was away with the girls, Boomer was Super Daddy. He picked up my car from the tire place, did laundry, ran the dishwasher, all while keeping our two kiddos alive! On Saturday, they went to Star to spend the day with Granny and PawPaw at their pool. Emmy is getting more confident with jumping off the side. She still wears her puddle jumper, but she seems to love going to the pool and being in the water. She has warmed up a bit since the beginning of the summer when it took some coaxing for her to go in. On Sunday morning, Boomer, Emmy, and Eli went out to breakfast at Waffle House back in Kernersville, and Boomer let Emmy hand over the money to the waitress. Emmy liked telling me later that she "paid" :) Boomer said that from time to time, she would say that she missed me. It won't be long until we are all at the beach together - Bakewell Beach Week kicks off this Saturday!


Sunday, July 4, 2021

4th of July

We have had a lot of fun this week with friends and family. Last Saturday, Emmy was invited to a party at her classmate Norah's house. Norah has a birthday in late December, but she and her parents wanted to celebrate with a summer party instead, complete with a bouncy-house water slide and a Dip-n-Dots truck! Most of Emmy's classmates are still going to school this summer, and we always wave to the building as we drive by. Emmy was excited to see her friends again and especially excited about all the sweet treats.

On Monday, we had a pool day with the Williamses and Houstons, and then on Tuesday, we went to the Science Center with the same crew. Grammy and Grandpa joined too. The kids loved seeing the new animals of Revolution Ridge and exploring the new tree-house play area. We had up-close views of the pigmy hippos and the tiger. We always have a fun time at the Science Center. 
We talk about how Emmy can "ghost" you in a heartbeat, meaning she will not respond to your questions or even look you in the eye. Aunt Megan captured this photo on the way home from the Science Center when all of a sudden, Emmy decided she no longer wanted to talk. See Exhibit A of ghosting: 
Despite the incident above, my sister and Emmy have a very sweet relationship. This week, Aunt Megan painted Emmy's fingernails "rainbow" and she was so excited. Unfortunately when you are a playful 4-year-old, nail polish doesn't stay on that long...but they looked very good for a split second. 
One funny moment from this past week, Emmy had one of her dolls under her shirt, and I asked her what she was doing. She said: "Baby is drinking milk from my skin like when Eli drank milk from your skin." She doesn't quite know the names for all the female anatomy, and I just giggled as she explained the process of breastfeeding in her own terms. It has been several months since I stopped breastfeeding, so it is funny that I caught her imitating me now. She was even sitting in my chair where I would often sit. 
We just returned home after spending the weekend at the lake. With the 4th of July falling on a Sunday, Boomer had a long weekend with both Friday and Monday off, so we left mid-morning on Friday. On our way there, we stopped for lunch at a local restaurant called Lefler's Place. The half rack of ribs was a huge hit with both of my boys. Ribs are one of Boomer's favorites, and it just so happened to be the Friday special. After filling our bellies, we drove the last few miles to the lake and spent the afternoon outside playing in the yard and on the dock. On Saturday, Goosie, Darby, and their crew arrived around lunchtime. Emmy loved jumping on the large floating lily pad with her cousins, while Eli entertained himself by splashing around in the baby pool. The 4th of July parade was in the afternoon, so we took a break from the water to see the fire trucks and golf carts. Later that evening, we went out on the water to see the fireworks. It was Emmy's first time seeing the fireworks at the lake since we have usually stayed back at the house for bedtime. After watching the fireworks, she feel asleep during the short boat ride back to the house. All of the kids were pretty tired, as were the adults, so it was lights out right away. Today we played outside again for almost the whole day. Lake days are like that: we all head outside right after breakfast, and we are either on the deck, the dock, or the boat until sundown. We are back in Kernersville now and looking forward to the day off with Daddy tomorrow. Hopefully the day starts with everyone sleeping in!

Friday, June 25, 2021

Summer Days

I am enjoying the rhythm to our summer days. Since returning from vacation, Emmy, Eli, and I are the Three Musketeers throughout the week, and then Daddy joins us on Fridays for fun adventures on the weekend. The kids have been sleeping in until almost 8AM, which has been a nice way to start the day. Without any pressing plans, we take our time getting moving. One morning I came in to find Emmy feeding her baby doll "Sister." It was so cute; I had to take picture. She generally occupies herself as she waits patiently for me to come into her. She knows she can leave her room to go the bathroom, and otherwise she plays with her baby dolls and other stuffed animals. 

While I prep breakfast and pack our lunch, the kids will play in the sun room. I was so impressed this week when Emmy made a pattern with the Play Doh. She has loved finding patterns in everyday things. She also surprised me by knowing "half" and "quarters." She has learned so much this year at Preschool. Hopefully I can continue over the summer to nurture her interest in learning.
Our outings usually are mid-morning through lunchtime. Sometimes the outings are appointments...
...or pooltime at the YMCA!
We've also had some playdates with friends. This week we met up with the Saddlers. Emmy and Levi are only 5 days apart in age, and Eli and Cooper are only 3 months apart. Michelle and I stayed busy following them around the playground while fitting in some mom talk. 
In the afternoons, I am enforcing a nap/rest time from around 1:30PM to 3:30PM. Even though Emmy rarely takes naps these days, a nap is still necessary for Eli. Also, the time is essential for me to complete my grad school work. As soon as I get both kids settled in their rooms, I open my laptop to get to work. The assignments have been manageable right now. I am a little nervous about keeping up once the school year starts again, but hopefully I will find pockets of time to get the work done. I am almost finished with my first summer class....just in time to start a second one on Monday, yikes! I keep a close eye on the video monitor while I'm working, and once I hear sounds from Eli, I wrap up things, until the evening when I usually work again. One afternoon this week, I almost had a heart attack when I found Emmy in her room with my rings! She had gone in to our bedroom and had been playing with them - ah! I emphasized how Mommy's rings were not toys. 
Today, Boomer had the day off, and we made plans with my parents to go to the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte. Boomer and my dad are both NASCAR fans, and so my mom and I have watched several races on tv and in person over the years. We arrived when the Hall opened at 10AM. We were so impressed by all the cars and memorabilia on display. There were a lot of interactive exhibits which made it especially fun. There was a pit-stop challenge where you raced to change a tire and fill up the gas tank; there was also a station where you practiced announcing a race. The favorite activity of the day was the racing simulator where you got into a car and raced against other people for top position and overall fastest lap time. We headed back home around 3PM, and both kids took cat naps during the last 30 minutes of our drive. We ended the evening with our usual Friday Movie Night. This week's choice: Moana. It has been a fun day!   
One last thing to include: Boomer received this photo from his Dad. It's Boomer's namesake, his great grandfather Robert Daniel Kennedy. He was Boomer's dad's dad's dad. Hopefully you followed that! I had never seen a photo of the first Robert Daniel Kennedy, so it was very neat to see the man that Boomer is named after.