May 2018

May was an absolutely CRAZY month!  The end of school is always busy, but add on to that two boys playing soccer (totaling six hours of soccer each week), Nora Kate finishing out ballet and having a ballet program, the oldest three finishing out choir and having a choir program, Dawson finishing out choir, Dawson's birthday, house hunting in Alabama,  Pop's 1st birthday in heaven celebration, Lolly's birthday, the end of school and preschool, oh, and cleaning the house a million times for showings...all while John was in Alabama for work Sunday afternoon through late Friday night.  It was CRAZY busy.  There were days where it felt like we couldn't keep up.  I obviously tried not to let the kids in on this feeling, and I honestly think they enjoyed the busyness of it all because it meant fun for them.

We had been telling the kids how much flatter it was in Alabama and how they're used to seeing the mountains all the time, and how it looks different.  John text them this picture one day from his drive to work and then they understood! Haha

This girl LOVES to ride her bike.  She has ridden countless miles this month alone! Several times when we have had showings and had to get out of the house when I ask her what we should do she has responded to load up her bike and go to the greenbelt and ride.  She rides for miles.  I'm so impressed by this, especially for a girl that doesn't love to get sweaty!

This was one day during a showing, we just went over to the wetlands area to walk and look at butterflies.  Clayton and Nora Kate both hammed it up dancing on the little stage there.

This was what John got to ride in on one of his first few days at his new job.  He text this picture for the kids and they thought it was SO COOL...I did too!

The weekend of May 4-6, the kids and I loaded up the van and drove down to Alabama to stay with John for the weekend (the rest of the weekends he drove up to TN).  This was (I think) my first roadtrip by myself with all four kids.  They did great going down (coming back we got in horrible traffic from a couple of different wrecks adding almost two hours to our drive, and they did well with that all things considered too).  This was when we were loaded up ready to go to Alabama.

The Saturday morning that we were in Alabama, I got up early and went for a run outside.  Look! I ran by mine and John's first apartment! So cool.  (ignore the sweat, this was near the end of my run)

This was as we were leaving our hotel to go house hunting-I grabbed a coffee from the hotel, and Nora Kate wanted her water in a coffee cup just like me. Love this cutie!

After doing a little house hunting John took us to the showroom.  The kids LOVED this, and I enjoyed getting to see everything as well.

I think I'll take one of these!

Then we took the kids to the Space and Rocket Center!

They loved the space and rocket center!  The big three kids even got to see an IMAX 3d movie while we were there.

Huntsville has a TopGolf, so, of course, this was a requested part of our weekend. Somehow I didn't get any pictures at Top Golf except this one of our silly girl!

Then we took the kids to Bridge Street for shopping.

Then on Sunday morning, we had breakfast with John and sadly packed up to head back to Tennessee.  Here are our, "we are sad to be leaving Daddy in Alabama" faces.

We drove straight back from Alabama to Arlene and Wayne's for a celebration of Pop's first birthday in Heaven.  He loved fishing from their dock with my boys, and so what better way to celebrate that on the dock, with the boys fishing, and with family and a balloon release.

To wrap up scouts for the year they had a fishing event one Monday evening.  Thankfully our great friends and Carson's dad offered to take Dawson since John was in Alabama.  Unfortunately they didn't catch much, but I Carson and Dawson had a great time together!

This year school started back in August SO early, so school got out equally as early!  I'm proud of Nora Kate and her first year of school.  She did great in preschool this year.

Can you read that? It says that when she grows up she wants to be a mermaid or stay a kid forever.

This!  I love this picture in cap and gown her teachers took of her and sent home. So sweet!

More bike riding time.

Carter is reading harder and harder books every day.

On the last day of her preschool Nora Kate kept yelling, "SCHOOL'S OUT! GET YOUR POOLS OUT" It was hilarious, so we did just that!

This was Mother's Day.  I'm so very thankful for these 4 sweet, loving children that I have been blessed with.  Thankful for them on Mother's Day!

YAY! Nana and Grandad's pool is open for swimming!

This girl LOVES to bake!

Carter's soccer team had an end of season party.  The had pizza, cupcakes, and got to play together!  Here's Carter with his coach, Coach Jimmy.

John and I decided that if/when our Tennessee house sells, we would like to build.  John was starting to look at lots while he was in Alabama and we were in Tennessee still.  He text me this picture from the front yard of the lot we were looking at building on (and the lot we picked).  Look at that rainbow!

This was Dawson's last day of second grade!  How?!

I'm so proud of how hard he has worked this year!

This boy is no longer a kindergarten student.  Proud of Carter for a great first year of school!

This is a little out of order, but Carter's wonderful teacher did a little awards program for them one day.

Carter and his school/soccer buddy!  Sweet friends.

This was field day the second to last week of school! Dawson always enjoys field day!

This is unreal...look how high he is!

This year kindergarten did a program one evening.  I absolutely loved watching these kids sing and demonstrate a few things they learned this year.

Carter with Mrs. Johnson his kindergarten teacher and Mrs. Simpson his kindergarten teacher's aid.  They were wonderful teachers for him this year! Couldn't have asked for better!!

Carter and I after his kindergarten program.  He was proud of the good job he did.

Carter with his school principal, Mrs. Schito, after the kindergarten program.

As we were walking out of his kindergarten program, I pointed out to Carter that his new school in Alabama wouldn't have a mountain view because it's so flat...we decided it best to snap a quick pic of him and that mountain view from school.

These are just a few more from her last day of school.

This month Lolly came to watch Dawson and Carter play in their soccer games one Saturday.  They always are excited to have a cheering section.

This was during Nora Kate's end of year ballet program.

This is Nora Kate and her sweet, sweet friend, Finley.  They have LOVED doing ballet together this year and have become such good friends.

This year school started back so super early, so school got out really early too!  Their last day was Friday, May 18th.

Lolly drove the boys to school and home from school again this year.  They loved riding with her.

This was at the 2nd grade math awards.  Here's Dawson getting his math award from the principal, Mrs. Schito.

Math award!

This is out of order but this was Carter getting his kindergarten award.  HE

He received the Math Magician award.  Mrs. Johnson told him it was because he is so good at math that his brain works almost like magic it's so fast and smart.  Carter was beyond thrilled that his award included this giant calculator and multiplication flash cards!

We celebrated Lolly's birthday this month!

We had pizza, cake, and visited.

This is not the best picture, but somehow it's the only picture I got with me in it on Mom's birthday.

Happy birthday, Lolly!

This summer I told Dawson he needed to learn to do a few more things in the kitchen.  He's great in the kitchen and WANTS to learn and do more.  First task, browning this ground beef.  Doin' good!

"It's summer break, now we get to make and eat frozen yogurt bites!"

As I mentioned May 18th was the last day of school.  Back in the fall we had booked a beach vacation to leave on Saturday, May 19th.  I had been hoping and praying that we would get an offer on our house before the beach so we could just relax while we were there.  No joke, on May 18th, the last day of school and the last day before we left for the beach-that afternoon-we got an offer!  I'm so thankful!