Friday, May 17, 2019

Cheers to the Weekend, May Catch Up Edition

Oh, hello again, blog. 

We are knee-deep in what I like to call "May Madness," and the last two weeks were chock-full! There was a birthday dinner for a special friend, several business dinners for my hub, Lu Crew birthday celebrations, the start of swim team, ongoing baseball, football, teeball, dance, and OH YEAH, Teacher Appreciation Week, school performances, therapies, doctor appointments, a preschool graduation, a weekend away for my hub followed by a weekend away for me, Mother's Day, a gal pal gathering with women of all ages and stages, and well, you get the gist. You could say we are more than happy to welcome in the weekend today. Whew! But honestly, even though things have been crazy chaotic #MayMadness, I have loved it because so much of it has been spent celebrating people I love. <3 A look at what we're saying CHEERS to this mid-May weekend: 

Bella's birthday. Our sweet girl turned the big 0-4 last week, and we had such a wonderful time celebrating her! 



She awoke to our traditional birthday door decorations and got to check out her birthday loot from us before being swept away to breakfast for her Daddy date. :) 




She was then off to one of her most favorite places, school (!), for celebrating with her teachers and friends. She came home to more gifts waiting for her from family and friends, and we spent the next hour playing with them before heading to pick up Harrison from school. Next up? A trip to one of Bella's other favorite places: the pool! This sweet girl loves the pool! We spent an hour there before coming home for a quick nap. 







More playtime ensued, followed by taking Raleigh to dance, before it was time for dinner out in our sweet town and her special birthday treat: cupcakes! This was my first attempt at gluten-free, dairy-free, refined-sugar-free baking, and I have to say, y'all: these cupcakes were so good! The icing takes some getting used to, as it has a bit of a bitter aftertaste, but she didn't mind and scarfed them right down. Because she is not allowed to even have natural sweeteners in her diet right now (read: honey/maple syrup), we were definitely bending the rules, albeit with her doctor's permission. :) And every girl needs cake on her birthday!





It was such a special day celebrating our wee warrior, and we cannot WAIT to see what the next year brings our beautiful Bella. Happy 4th Birthday, Bellaboo. You are so, so loved.



Clay's birthday. The following day was Clay's birthday! As he's done the last three years, he and some good buddies headed to Charleston the weekend before for a celebratory deep sea fishing trip, and they had a blast! 



Although his actual birthday was one filled with sports for the kiddos, I was able to whisk him away to a birthday brunch, just the two of us, to celebrate. <3 We ended the day by him (assistant) coaching Banks and his teammates in the first round of the kid-pitch playoffs and then celebrating with his favorite: strawberry cheesecake. It was a great day for our great guy. We love you, Clay, and are so thankful for the happiness, love, and support you bring our family. Next stop: 40!!!

Swim Team. This marks our second season of swim team, and practice started last week! This year, both Banks and Raleigh moved up to the next age divisions, and our whole team moved up to the top swim division in Charlotte (aka we'll be swimming against some really, really good swimmers); so, I'll be interested to see how they do. So far, so good, and we can't wait for the first meet!



Strawberry picking. I know I mention it all the time, but I just adore our sweet town and our sweet neighborhood. Right across the road from our 'hood are the town's pick-your-own strawberry fields, and we have been anxiously awaiting opening day this year! So much so that I surprised Banks and Raleigh and got them out of school early that day so that we could head straight there and pick pound upon pound of beautiful strawberries. Spring in the South, we sure do love you! 




Baseball playoffs. Well, our first season of kid-pitch baseball is officially over. Our Riverdogs won Round 1 of the playoffs but lost in the semis a few nights later. Regardless, it was a great season for our Banks, and we are so proud of him (and were thrilled to have his great grandma, great aunt and uncle, and two grandparents join us for one of the playoff games). <3








Weekend away. Last weekend, I headed out of town for the first girls trip I had taken in OVER TWO YEARS with three friends I love. Sheesh. To say I was in *need* is an understatement and was a great reminder that I cannot let years pass before allowing myself to get in some good girl time. Our husbands have worked out together almost every weekday at 5:00 am for three years now, and we decided we wanted to get in some girl time, too - although the only "working out" we did consisted of a leisurely bike ride around Charleston and hours upon hours of shopping (we walked almost 5 miles that day!). I am so thankful for the women in my life and a husband that recognized my need to have my first girls-only break in a long, long time. <3  








Mother's Day. I returned home on Mother's Day and couldn't get to my hub and kids fast enough! Isn't it funny that girl time is so good for the soul but being reunited with your family is just as good? Anyway, we spent a lovely, leisurely afternoon together and I went to bed with a happy, rested, rejuvenated heart. I am so thankful to be their momma, and to have two of the very best in the world as my own momma and momma "in law."



Preschool graduation. My three kids each spent three years at our beloved preschool here in our hometown. And since Bella will continue to participate in a specialized, developmental preschool program to fit her needs, this marked our last year there. It was bittersweet to watch our Harrison graduate earlier this week, knowing that chapter of our lives there was closing. But. We are SO proud of him and know he will do big things in kindergarten next year! We teared up as he marched into the room as "Pomp and Circumstance" played, cheered as he shook hands and received his diploma, and celebrated at lunch with sweet friends afterwards. Thanks for the fun, preschool. Kindergarten, here we come!







3rd grade field trip. The next day, I headed to Columbia, South Carolina, to join Banks and his third grade buddies on their last field trip of the year, to the State House and the State Museum. And because it was in Columbia, where my parents live, my own momma was able to join us for the field trip fun! It was a special (albeit exhausting - whew!) day with three generations and I loved it (and loved my cartime girl time with a dear friend, too. Love you, Kim!). 







Whelp. I think that's about enough for today - ha! We have a few things on the agenda this weekend: Banks was nominated to try out for kid-pitch baseball all-stars, which will be happening tonight. We will wrap up Harrison's teeball season with his last game tomorrow and will close out the weekend by cheering on our sweet Raleigh in her dance recital on Sunday. <3 There may be some pool time, there may be a date night, and I may be excited for it all! ;) Have a great mid-May weekend, friends! 

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