Cheers to the Weekend...Hello July! Edition

I wasn't able to get this post in last week; so, I thought I'd kick off the week with a Monday Funday...err Terrific Tuesday post :) Here's a fun lil' update on what we've been up to the last week or two. Before that, though, can y'all believe it's JULY?! What? How in the world did that happen? Anywho, here's what we're saying CHEERS to as we anticipate the holiday tomorrow (Go 'Merica!)...

Father's Day. This year, we celebrated Father's Day at the beach since it fell during the Luton Fam Beach trip! Our daddy awoke to a table full of his favorite treats, and of course, we had to give him the framed D-A-D photo we've given him every year since Banks was a a baby. But this year, we got to add a <3 to the end of it since we have a new member of our crew :) We had fun on the beach all day and then he got in a good 27 holes of golf with his dad and brothers the next day. It was a great Father's Day for our favorite fella!

14-Year Anniversary dinner. Last week, my hub and I celebrated 14 years of marriage. We went out to dinner to celebrate and when we arrived to the AWESOME restaurant (local friends - The Porter's House in Charlotte. Could not recommend it any higher!!!), they had a private room waiting for us, greeted us with a champagne toast, and ended the meal with a dessert on the house. The food was SO good, and it was so nice to reminisce and celebrate our 14 years married. :) 

Swim Team. Well, our first season of swim team ended last week...with our Greenwavers as undefeated champions! The last meet was our toughest of the season, and yet Banks swam his best times - both individually and on relays, and Rals did so great, too! I got to be the "Team Mom" for the shrimp (i.e., 5- and 6-year-old) girls for the meet, and we had SO much fun! The following morning was the swim team awards banquet/donut party, and I was so excited to see my Bankster win Rookie of the Year. This kid is a competitor and worked so hard this season to learn new strokes and beat the competition to help his team earn points and win. We are already SO EXCITED to do it all again next summer. Go Greenwave!!! 

LifeGroup Love. Last weekend, we headed out of town with our LifeGroup of almost five years (so crazy!). The four of us couples, and our 11 kids, had such an awesome weekend together - swimming, boating, wake boarding and surfing, tubing, running rampant on a water obstacle course, watching fireworks, enjoying a poolside/lakeside lunch, laughing, talking, laughing some more...it was so good for the soul. We have been so blessed by these friendships and it was a wonderful weekend together. <3

Friends who are Family. The day after we got back from out of town, we were spoiled by getting to have an evening at another beautiful lake with our dear friends. This family was one of the first to know when we decided to adopt because they walked alongside us throughout the decision-making process and have supported us every day since. It was so special to have our beautiful daughters from China together, especially because at this time a year ago, they were giving us last minute tips and advice before we headed to China to get our Bella and bring her home. We had a great time having our families together again last night, playing on the boat, swimming, and tubing before enjoying some yummy friend chicken and fixins'. We love these friends and loved our time together!

All-Star Baseball. Two weekends ago, we headed to Clover, South Carolina, to cheer on Banks and his teammates in the district All-Star baseball tournament. They finished as runners up and earned themselves a spot in the state championship bracket! That means the team is practicing hard almost every day this week before we head to Florence, South Carolina, this weekend to get our baseball on. Let's do this, ballers! 

Cheer camp. Last week was the first of two camps Raleigh is signed up for this summer - cheer camp! She and her BFF had the best time and did so great in the showcase at the end of the week! Rals has already told me she definitely wants to do it again next year, with plans to participate in cheerleading this Fall. Way to go, Rals! 

And that's a wrap! Well, one other exciting tidbit: our family had a great meeting with our social worker for Bella's 12-month post-placement visit this morning. <3 It's been almost 12 months, y'all!!!

We are ready for some 4th of July fun tomorrow and are excited to celebrate our country's freedom. <3 I hope you have some fun plans, too! Be back soon. Happy 4th, everyone!