Turning 6, Quarantine Style

Well, it was certainly not the 6-year-old celebration we had imagined for our little birthday buddy, but you know what? He LOVED it! And here's why: no matter the uncertainty the world holds, what was certain for Harrison over the weekend is that he is loved, he is celebrated, and he is six! Here's how we celebrated our 6-year-old, quarantine style: 

We had planned to do a backyard family campout ON Harrison's actual birthday, which was Saturday. BUT. After watching the forecast all week, we realized that Friday's camping forecast was pristine while Saturday evening promised strong storms. So, we had a little birthday eve campout, right in our own backyard (and by "we," I mean my hub and our Big 3. Bels and I each slept in the comfort of our own beds - we aren't big fans of camping (or at least I'm not - ha!)). Before that, though, we enjoyed pizza, a toasty fire, and a couple movies under the stars. 

The next morning, Harrison officially turned six! He came running inside and was greeted by his presents, including some of his most coveted requests: a new blue scooter, new Nikes, and a critter carrier to hold the mannnnnny frogs and lizards and creatures he loves to catch these days. 

Although we had to modify the traditional Daddy Date to breakfast, we weren't going to let the coronavirus spoil their fun: my hub went and picked up the birthday boy's request, Waffle House, and brought it home so they could still carry out the tradition, only this year in the comfort of our kitchen. 

We spent the rest of the day playing, playing, and playing some more, outside with his new gifts. Then, it was time for lunch and a fun little surprise I've been counting down to use. Admittedly, this surprise came courtesy of one of those pesky Instagram ads (they are listening! they are watching! ha!) - they know me so well. I ordered the "Surprise Cake" Popping Stand after seeing it over and over on IG and thinking how much my kiddos would love this thing (because great news: it's reusable!). Essentially I baked Harrison's birthday cake of choice ("A white cake with blue icing and blue sprinkles") and then hid an extra gift in the stand's secret gift pod, which the cake was then placed over. After singing "Happy Birthday," my hub pulled the tab on the stand and POP!!!! Up came the surprise pod, right out of the middle of the cake, housing a new pair of blue athletic tights (he's been asking for them for months!) and some bubble gum. He absolutely LOVED it! 

Then, it was time for the next surprise, that had us all grinning from ear-to-ear for hours: a birthday parade, that included two of his aunts, uncles, and cousins; his Bammy, Digby, and G. Gram; and nearly all of his sweet friends. He was just so overwhelmed with excitement. It was the sweetest thing. <3

He then got to leave the house (gasp!) and spend some of his birthday money. He ended up buying two light sabors, one for him and one for his big brother, so they could battle each other, sweet boy. Next up, it was time for a full family bike ride around the neighborhood. We all loved it!

The day ended with his dinner request: pancakes with sprinkles. :) 

We truly had such a great day celebrating our birthday boy, and I know he felt special, loved, and so happy to see so many of his favorite people. Here's to you, Harrison Robert. May this be your best year yet! <3

Six.

Dear Harrison, 

When I started writing this post, I absentmindedly entitled it, "Five," instead of, "Six," because it's just so hard for me to comprehend that a whole year has passed since you turned One-Whole-Hand. 

Six. 

Wow. 

It's been exactly six years since I was last pregnant. Six years since I first saw your beautiful face and those gigantic hands (the first thing your Daddy and I noticed about you!). Six years since your big brother got to proudly announce to the waiting room full of grandparents and aunts and uncles and cousins and your big sister, "It's a boy!" (because while your Dad and I knew and were overjoyed to be welcoming a second son, no one else did). <3 Six years since you took your first breath and stole a giant piece of my heart along with it. 

Today, you are SIX, Harrison Robert, our adorably hilarious, mischievous, keep-us-on-our-toes little Dennis-The-Menace. And here is what I want to remember about you right now, at this very moment, as you enter into the next year of your life: 

Your favorite thing is to make others laugh. You love to re-create every other video we see on America's Funniest Home Videos. 

You are the most affectionate of all our kiddos, very commonly stopping what you are doing to give your momma a kiss on the cheek or a squeeze, just because. Just three days ago, we were out walking and you would randomly tell me, over and over, "Love you, Mom," for no reason whatsoever. 

You are sneakily athletic. Although smaller in stature than your big brother and sister, you easily mastered a two-wheeler, can hit a kid-pitch baseball, no problem, handle a tennis racket with unexpected athleticism, and are a natural talent when whipping around on your scooter.  

You continue to have such pretty handwriting! 

You are the earliest of our early risers by far (something we are working to get to the bottom of!) and while you fall asleep within seconds of your head hitting the pillow, you are up and at 'em and ready to seize the day each and every morning. 

You just love your kindergarten buddies. This year, you landed amongst the sweetest group of boys, having mostly been around girls your age until kindergarten, and it is just your most favorite thing ever to see, play with, and talk about your boys. 

You loooooooove you some sports clothing. Forget all the cute lil' hand-me-downs I have from when Banks was your age. Most days, you can be found in atheletic tights with shorts on top and some sort of athletic tee. It's your daily outfit of choice. 

You say the sweetest prayers each night, often praying "for the homeless people to find homes." It melts my heart every time. 

There are few things you love more than playing outside: whether it be playing sports, riding your bike, or searching for lizards, you thrive in being active (although you also love a video game when your screen-strict momma will allow it ;) ). 

A couple weeks ago, I asked you what you wanted to be when you grow up and you said, "A grown man," so, we are on the right track, I think. ;) 

It will be one of the greatest honors and blessings of my life to watch you grow into the man who God designed you to be: one who seeks to bring joy and affection to others; one who loves his family and adores his friends; one who is always ready for adventure, even if that means breaking the rules. 

Harrison Robert, you are, and will always be, my precious little light, shining so brightly for others. Happy, Happy 6th Birthday, sweet boy. I simply adore you. 

With all my heart, 

Your Momma 

Spring Break 2020: Corona-cation Edition

Things may be a bit *unusual* right now, but I still wanted to document our 2020 Spring Break fun, for memory's sake. We aren't a Spring Break travelin' family, aside from the traditional quick trip we take to Aiken, South Carolina, where my hub and the big kids go fishing with Pop for a couple days. Otherwise, we've always stayed in town, finding little adventures all around our little town (putt-putt; movie theater; Top Golf; etc.). This year, though, we had to forego the fishing-with-Pop tradition thanks to the stay-at-home order. BUT we weren't going to let that pesky coronavirus steal our fun; so, we made plans for a fun little corona-cation of our own. ;) 

For me, it was helpful to have a couple planned activities each day to complete together as a family and then have the rest of the day for open play. So, I came up with the "Jar o' Fun." Each day, one of the kiddos would close their eyes and choose a slip of paper from the jar, which outlined the theme for the day's surprise activities. They LOVED seeing what the day would entail, depending on the theme. That being said, here's what our Spring Break days looked like for 2020:

On the first day of Spring Break, Banks pulled "STEAM Day." Our sweet related arts teachers had sent a list of fun, creative STEAM-related activities as options for the kiddos to complete over Spring Break. We chose three from that list, which included (1) making a pond out of outdoor materials, (2) creating weapons out of things found in nature, and my favorite (3) treasure hunting. Each kiddo hid a toy in our yard and then had to draw a map of where it was for the other kids to use to find it. They loved it! 

The second day of Spring Break, Raleigh pulled "Art Day." This ended up being one of their favorite days: I painted their faces, we colored their hair, and they painted butterfly stepping stones to put in our yard. 

Harrison pulled "Game Day" on the third day of Spring Break. This entailed lots of outdoor gaming fun, including driveway tennis, frisbee, hangman, and a family tournament using a giant badminton set (snagged from Walmart a couple weeks ago).  

On the fourth day of Spring Break, "Kindness Day" was drawn from the jar by Bella. We painted rocks and then hid them around the neighborhood. We also chalked positive messages on the sidewalk in front of our house to encourage our neighbors during their daily walks/runs/bike rides. 

Banks pulled "Nature Day" on Day Five. We made flower crowns using a kit Raleigh had received for Christmas but we hadn't yet used. We then ventured to the nature trail at the end of our street, and walked all around the woods, hunting for different treasures and collecting them in little bags. Once home, we created nature bracelets using what we had found. 

The sixth day of Spring Break, Raleigh pulled "Water Day." We were so thankful for the gorgeous, sunny 80+ degree weather we had throughout our Spring Break week and were able to bust out all kinds of water play fun this day: We washed our bikes, scooters, and golf cart first before heading to our backyard to play in the sprinklers, splash around in water tables, and coast down the slip 'n slide. 

 

On the seventh day of Spring Break, "Easter Day" was pulled by Harrison from the "Jar o' Fun." This meant (1) dyeing our Easter eggs, (2) decorating Easter egg cookies thanks to some cute cookie kits I found at Walmart, and (3) going on a virtual Easter Egg hunt around our neighborhood. We had to count alllllll the paper eggs our many neighbors had decorated and taped to their windows. We went down every single street in our neighborhood, counting hundreds of eggs, and ended up being one of five families to win the counting contest, being awarded a fun surprise!

Bella pulled "Show Day" on the eighth day of Spring Break. The kids had to work together to create their own talent show. They each had to come up with an act as well as create tickets, poster advertisements, and seating arrangements. They even found a way to have Banks' chromebook announce the acts before each took the stage and played music as they put on their showcase: Raleigh and Bella performed a dance/gymnastics number; Harrison showed off his football skills; and Banks battled it out against his brother in a soccer showdown. 

The nineth day was "Baking Day." We hand-painted Easter cookies for the kiddos of my LifeGroup girls and left them on their porches for them to find. We also baked some yummy bunny cupcakes, perfect since this day also happened to be Easter. :) 

On the last official day of Spring Break, we ventured about 25 minutes away, to the quaintest little farm, still open for "Pick Your Own" strawberries (not an option at the fields directly across from our neighborhood this year). We made a (socially-distanced approved ;) ) appointment and arrived to pick over 8 pounds of beautiful strawberries. It was a good day. :) 

And THAT is how our Spring Break played out this year. Aside from the aforementioned activities, we spent most waking hours outside, just playing, together. It was a really good week with my Lu Crew, a Spring Break none of us will soon forget. <3

And now, we are two days back into e-learning and gearing up for the week ahead. Be safe and well out there, friends. Back soon...