Girl Scout Camp

Leah and quite a few girls from her Girl Scout troop had the most awesome weekend away with their moms. We all spent two nights at Camp Tecumseh, which is also the same camp that I went to with my mom waaaaaay back when I was in Girl Scouts! The entire experience was awesome and we definitely hope to go back again in the future.

all the girls

Girl Scout pals and classmates too

Having fun at one of the many park areas throughout the camp

Leah worked SO hard to finally make it to the top!

Canoeing was so fun...except for the crazy wind that made it nearly impossible!

Watch out!

so thankful for this special weekend together

Games and crafts were a favorite cabin activity.

silly girls

We love Camp Tecumseh

She was DEFINITELY exhausted after our weekend. This was how she spent most of the ride home!

Busy Spring

It seems like as soon as April hits, we jump straight into a season of complete chaos in our house. It's as if the final stretch of the school year becomes so hectic that the only way to survive is to focus on the light at the end of the tunnel - Summer Break!!! The kids have all been so busy with school, sports, and other activities. We are definitely going to enjoy the slow-down when summer comes!

I had the pleasure of chaperoning our 4th and 5th grade kids from church on their overnight trip to CIY Superstart. It was a jam-packing 24 hours of fun and we definitely came home EXHAUSTED!

Leah finished up another season of cheer. Her team did a great job and we were so proud of her hard work!

The kids finished up their first year in a new mid-week kids ministry called Olympians. They enjoyed being with some of their favorite friends and worked hard each week on the lessons. Leah went above and beyond and earned a special award at their awards night!

Caleb wrapped up his first year in band with a concert that showed great improvement since last December's concert. We have really enjoyed getting to see him grow in this and have fun!

Leah is finishing up her final year as a Brownie and has really enjoyed becoming a part of this new troop. They have had a lot of fun events and outings...including marching in our town's Loyalty Day Parade.

Leah went out on a limb and signed up for a running club sponsored by her gym teacher. She, and many other third graders, spent three mornings a week coming to school an hour early to train for a one mile race. After many weeks of hard work and dedication, it was wonderful to see all of the kids running in the one mile race. There was definitely evidence of the fact that they trained hard and we were so proud of Leah for keeping up with it and running an 8 minute mile!!!

Baseball and softball season has started and we pretty much live at the fields. It can definitely be exhausting, but we love seeing all three kids staying active and enjoying sports!

Mother's Day Fun

This year, Mother's Day came with the reminder that all of my years of school sponsored Mother's Day activities are likely over. In first grade, the kids get to invite moms and/or grandmas in for an afternoon of fun at various stations. Grandma Leslie and I had a great time getting to do crafts, play games, read books, and take pictures with Joel. It's crazy to think that this is my 12th Mother's Day. Where has the time gone?!?

Welcome Chief

Not long after we had to put Chesney down, I got a call from Aunt Nancy. She asked if we would ever consider getting a Golden Retriever (which has been her breed of choice for decades). Though we've loved all of her goldens, we were pretty sure that our budget and hearts were leaning more towards rescuing another shelter dog. We also were a bit unsure of getting a young puppy since they require a lot more time and attention than we can usually give!

But, as only Aunt Nancy can do, within a month she had us sold on the idea of letting her find a good breeder, getting us the puppy, and spending the first several weeks training it. We were still a bit nervous about having a puppy, but decided it would be worth it. So, in the middle of March, Aunt Nancy and Uncle Dave headed down to Bourbon Valley Farm and picked up our Chief. Chief spent many weeks learning so much from Aunt Nancy and his best buddies, Lucas and Bentley. Over the long Easter weekend, we ventured down to the lake to meet our new little love. And love him we did! He is the cutest and sweetest little guy. We are all smitten and he has been the perfect addition to our family. I don't think we all realized how much we've missed having a dog, and we are so lucky that our newest dog is just so perfect!

We also lucked out with absolutely gorgeous weather for our trip to the lake. We aren't used to being there in April, but it was wonderful to be able to be outside and near the water (even though it was FREEZING).

Chief did great on the long car ride home and pretty much slept the entire time. He has done a good job of getting used to his new surroundings, but definitely misses his family at the lake! 

Spring Break 2019

This year, we had one of the most memorable and enjoyable spring breaks yet! It started out with a nightmare of a drive and ended with seven days of gorgeous weather, lots of laughter, and plenty of relaxation.

We left for Florida at about 2am on Saturday morning. Within a half hour of starting our drive, we got our first-ever flat tire....what are the chances that it would happen then?!? It was nearly impossible to find any sort of help at that time of the day, so Tyler changed the tire and we rode on the spare for WAY longer than we should've and at a MUCH slower speed than we would've preferred. We did our best to problem solve what to do so that we could get a new tire and be on our way. The best solution was to find a small, local tire place in the middle of Effingham, IL that opened at 7am. The men there were saints and we were on our way by 8am. The only silver lining of the whole fiasco, was that cousin Meredith was joining us this year for the trip and had been under the impression that we were leaving on Sunday and not Saturday. Because we were delayed by quite a few hours, she ended up being able to meet us on Saturday morning around 9:30 instead of what she had thought would be Sunday morning at 6:00. We were so thankful that our disaster made it possible for her to still be able to come! Once we had our new tire and our additional passenger, we were on our way to the Sunshine State. Little did we know, however, that we would hit horrendous traffic throughout Alabama and our normal 14 hour trip took almost 20 when all was said and done. It was brutal and we definitely think God rewarded us for all of that mess by giving us the most wonderful week once we were finally there!

Our mornings were slow and easy. The kids loved getting to snuggle up with Meredith and watch TV. Once that was done and breakfast was eaten, they were often out in the courtyard having fun with all of the other kids staying at the complex. Endless games of baseball and kickball were played throughout the week and, as always, it's so fun to see so many different kids hanging out and having a blast. While the kids played, we could hang out sipping coffee and laughing until our bellies hurt as Meredith shared all sorts of fun stories about life as a kindergarten teacher or Tyler and Meredith reminisced about their childhood. 

As the sun rose and the temps warmed, we would make our way to the beach or pool where we spent hours upon hours relaxing (or, in some cases, sleeping)! The kids had quite a few familiar buddies there from previous years and it was so fun to watch them all play like they've been best friends for years.

Our evenings were spent around the dinner table sharing more stories and enjoying endless laughter. The group of beach buddies would bounce between some of the units and spent time having movie nights, playing games, enjoying night swims, and making lots of memories.

It might be hard to ever top this trip to Florida. Despite the horrible start, we had an absolutely amazing week together!  We can't wait to do it all again next year!