Memorial Day Weekend

We are having a wonderful kick off to summer! Friday ofcourse was Awards Day. The kids and I enjoyed a trip to Chickfila then a restful afternoon at home. That night we did our usual movie night. 
Saturday since Austin was off we wanted to make it a special day for the kids. We decided to take them out to City Park. We bought memberships during the spring so we needed to go back and use those. We also thought they would enjoy going back and going on the rides. We did Storyland first. They both had fun at first but quickly got bored. I don't know if this is b/c they are both getting too old for it or b/c we did just go a couple of months ago? Once the rides opened up we headed there. 
Austin rode the roller coaster. We couldn't talk Colby into riding it again and Lindsay was still too short. They then wanted to do the carousel. Finally Lindsay rode the carousel the entire time without crying to get off! They then rode about 5 or more little kid rides. We were so thankful for the membership! It saved us a TON of money! We were going to end the day with a train ride but it had broken down and we weren't willing to wait for 30 minutes. We went to lunch at Panera Bread. (A Family Favorite) The afternoon we all rested and then enjoyed a night around the house. Did I mention we were also dog sitting all weekend? The kids loved having the dog to play with in the backyard and Colby even got to walk him a couple times. 
Sunday we were happy to have Austin off. We went to 1st service. I taught. At first I really thought I would only have like 4 kids but we had 8. It was a good morning. I felt like the kids were all really well behaved. Lindsay always seems to enjoy her little friends Luke and Mia. We went to a quick lunch at Subway afterwards. Oh and Colby's good friend Makyrin got baptized that morning! That was exciting! We had a short afternoon b/c we all had made plans for that afternoon evening. Austin made plans to golf with a friend and I made plans to go to the movies. We rarely get out with friends especially alone like that so I thought it was nice for us to do that. He never gets to play golf much less have one on one time with another guy! I enjoyed the movie and hang out time with Stephanie. The kids also enjoyed the time with grandparents. It was a fun afternoon for us all. Ofcourse with getting in late like that I feel behind but that's ok it was worth it! 
Monday (Memorial Day)...we slept in. Its always nice to have those days where none of us have to be anywhere early! We enjoyed a low key morning before heading out to my parent's to go swim. The kids and Austin got in the pool. Normally I would swim but with the threat of rain and the fact I went ahead and showered that morning I decided to skip out. We had fun visiting with everyone. We got home after 3 and just relaxed and worked around the house the rest of the day. We were invited to another BBQ that evening but we decided to skip since we had all been so busy. 
It was a lovely start to summer with our busy weekend! The week ahead will be filled with VBS preparations! I cannot believe that time is here again! 

Last Week of School

We are in the homestretch of school and looking forward to summer and the adventures that await! 
This week has been filled with fun days and special days for the kids at school.
Monday Colby came home with all of his books and school supplies. Meaning the rest of the week we are free of homework and tests! They are basically there to have fun! It does seem pointless but I am trying to be grateful for a few last days of quiet before summer begins! 
Tuesday Austin was off but it was a busy day. I brought Colby to school and Lindsay to my parent's house. I needed one more day to really work on VBS stuff with April before the kids got out of school. My parents also met Colby for lunch. That afternoon we let the kids swim and ate dinner outside. It was sort of a pre-summer kick off! 
Wednesday is Colby's last full day of school! I don't know who is more excited about this! It was also water day for Lindsay. I know she is super excited about this! I cannot wait to hear about both of their days! 
Thursday has been quite an eventful day! Having 2 kids in 2 different schools mean very often special days coincide! So today was Lindsay's last day...well technically her last day would be tomorrow but again special days coincide. Colby has awards at 8:30 then dismissal so getting her to and from preschool would really just be too much stress! Today Colby had Field Day. So I dropped both kids off at school then went back up to Colby's school to help with Field Day. By the time I got there they were already out on the playground getting things set up. They first played a water version of Duck, Duck, goose. Colby refused to play this game b/c yes he's an old man and didn't want to get his hair wet! He played on the playground instead. Afterwards they split the classes up and I helped the 2nd and 3rd on the playground play some parachute games. When the first graders had their turn they weren't cooperative at all. I felt bad b/c Colby was really excited about the parachute and he really didn't even get to play. The next game was a relay race and his partner backed out so once again he was left not getting to play. At this point I was feeling a little down and bad for him. He ended up being fine and playing with some other kids on the playground. We were outside for about 2 hours then they took them inside to take a potty/water break. Then it was lunch time. I think I enjoyed sitting with him and his friends most at lunch. I checked Nijel and Colby out early b/c I had to go get Lindsay from her last day. Nijel spent the afternoon with us. i think the kids all had a great time and should be worn out from the day's activities! 
Friday was Awards Day for Colby. Lindsay technically had school but with his Awards I really didn't feel like all the back and forth. So she ended yesterday! I really didn't expect him to get any awards and I prepared him for this fact. He was able to get Honor Roll twice this year and for that I was very proud. I always explain to him that we go to be happy for his classmates and friends. I do know its hard to sit there though and not receive anything. We were pleasantly surprised when he got an Accelerated Math Award. That means he improved by 2 grade levels during the year! I was so proud of him. We know he has to work hard due to his late b-day. So the fact that he received this was a big deal! His principal also made mention of him and a few others who had made decisions to follow Christ during the school year. What an awesome testament! I almost lost it during that part. Anyway we are so proud of him and his growth mentally and spiritually this year! He has grown up a lot and continues to be a wonderful student and well liked I think by all. 
I wanted to treat the kids after with a special lunch so we went to Chickfila. The rest of the day will be pretty low key as we move into sweet summertime. We will do our regular Friday night movie and just enjoy some downtime as we enter our first summer weekend!! 

Tennis, Swim, and Relaxation!

Well here we just finished another weekend. It was a typical low key weekend for us. When Austin works the kids and I try to rest and relax as much as possible. He was really late Friday night so he missed our movie night experience. We watched Brave. Its always nice just having the low key time with them. They also think the staying up "late" is fun even though they are usually in bed by 8 or so ;)
Saturday Colby started tennis lessons. This is our summer thing. Since he has no interest in baseball at the moment its a way for him to learn a sport and get some physical activity. I was so impressed at how well he did. He's come a long way from that 4 year old little boy! The coach wanted to get Lindsay to play too but she refused. I would love for her to learn a little this summer as well. 
After tennis we did our usual thing of going swimming. Again something we all enjoy. I love getting my kids outside and doing something active as much as possible. Colby stayed that afternoon with my parents. I felt like he needed a turn since Lindsay gets to go over there every Tuesday. It was nice having a quiet afternoon with her. I let her skip nap and just watch shows during naptime. 
Once he came home we ate dinner and just had a nice family night.
Sunday was church. I was back to teaching and honestly I was happy. I had sure missed my class and my kids! We had a small class with only about 8. I think Lindsay enjoyed it though. Her friend Genevieve was there so I was glad they got to play together. That afternoon once again was pretty lazy. The kids watched movies and played inside. We did play outside a little before dinner! 
I just love quiet weekends! This upcoming week will be busy with it being everyone's last week of school! i am so excited about summer but cannot believe how quickly this year is going! 

Cool ZOO

So we've been debating for awhile to let Colby have a fun day before school got out. He hasn't missed much school this year. Maybe only 2 days total and he's left early 2-3 times. So I figured he deserved it. Austin wanted to take them to the Cool Zoo. We always try to go atleast once a year and the kids have a blast! Austin was off Thursday so we figured it would be a great day to go! Its so much different when you go when school is still in! This year we also figured we would do it right. We would pack a picnic and stay longer then we usually do. This was also the first year both kids were fairly independent as well. 
Colby was super excited. I mean this is like his 7th time to go. I wasn't sure Lindsay remembered a whole lot from last year. She was very hesitant at first but then decided after Austin took her down the slide that she loved it. Soon after that she was running around and doing it all by herself. Colby made friends with some boys his age and was having a blast. Also Lindsay's friend Claire was there with her mom. So that gave me someone to talk to. I always love going and just relaxing. I love that Austin will get in with them and give me that time. Plus someone has to watch the stuff right?! ;)
The kids had a blast though! It was so fun watching them! They played for about 2 hours then we ate our picnic lunch. Afterwards we got everyone dressed and headed to Jaguar Jungle. We read about Rain Forests a month or so ago so Colby was anxious to see some of the animals we read about. He loved seeing the jaguars. We came home and the kids watched a movie then relaxed. We did some homework ate dinner and played outside! It was a lovely day! 
Again I am so thankful we chose to do this with colby. My goal as a parent will never be perfect attendance. I want my children to be good students and have good attendance and be on time but I think there is always room for fun days. We will make this a practice always =) Life is just too short to be in a classroom everyday! 

Mother's Day weekend

This was mother's day weekend. All in all I have had a very nice Mother's Day. Sadly Austin had to work all weekend but I was able to soak up and enjoy time with my babies! 
Friday was a pretty low key day. Honestly I think that was my Mother's Day gift to myself was coming home while the kids were at school and having the house to myself! Honestly that rarely happens. I am usually out running while Lindsay is in school and rarely just come home to a quiet house so I must admit that was lovely! That night we did our usual play outside, eat dinner, then have Movie night! We watched Beauty and the Beast. I was as excited as the kids. Its been awhile since I've watched it start to finish! 
Saturday since it was just the kids and I we decided to make it another pool day. That's really our fall back during the summer months. But first I took them to the donut shop to get donuts. We rarely get donuts but even more rare do we actually get out and eat there. Well it was crazy but we did manage to find a bench outside to enjoy our donuts. It was a sweet time. I look forward to maybe doing a breakfast out like that once a week this summer. We will probably rotate between there, McDonalds, and Chickfila. Afterwards we made our way to my parents house to swim. They had a blast and swam for 2 hours. I love the exercise they get and just the time to be outside. We came home and relaxed the rest of the day! That night we were able to even take a family walk. We are trying to make that part of our routine now with longer days. 
Sunday (Mother's Day) we went to church. They did Family pictures today so that was neat. I hated Austin wasn't there but we did get a picture with my parents. I was able to get someone to take my place that morning to teach. I have been teaching full time since February so I felt like I needed the break plus I always end up working on Mother's Day and this year darnit I wanted off! I also don't really get to sit in church with my parents anymore so it was nice to be with them that morning. Church was very emotional. A friend who recently lost her baby at birth was there and she was having a hard time. It really struck a chord with me. The preacher also really preached a wonderful sermon for all women. After church we went to my parent's house. Elizabeth and her sister were doing lunch for everyone. As always family gatherings are fun but also exhausting. I think the kids had a great time. We were all tired by the time we got home though. We came home mid-afternoon and didn't do much. That afternoon we just soaked up the sun outside. 
It wasn't a fancy or exciting weekend but it was special. Oh and I forgot Austin was so sweet and got me roses that morning! I thought that was so sweet of him! I loved it! 
My kiddos are just growing up so fast!! 

FARM TRIP & PARK

I always love my special time with Lindsay. Y'all I love preschool years! Especially preschool field trips! This is Lindsay's second field trip this year. They went to Sugar Roots Farm on Monday. Its literally a brand new upcoming farm in Lower Coast Algiers. I was so excited to find out about it too! This lady started a farm b/c she felt like children here in the city don't know much about farm life or where their food comes from. 
So she has many different farm animals. We started with the chickens, baby chicks, goats, lamb, llama, pigs, cow. The last animal were the horses and donkey! We did get to go back and see the pigs and chickens again! I think Lindsay had a lot of fun. She was timid about touching the animals. The only animal she even tried to touch was the donkey. I think she just enjoyed running around with her little friends though! I was so impressed with this farm and cannot wait to bring Colby back! 

Thursday is always a fun day for she and I. I love that! We met her friend at the park on Thursday. Actually first Lindsay and I had coffee and muffins at PJ's. Another thing I love! We had a good time at the park. We are enjoying getting to know her little friend Claire and her mom Tayna. It was fun visiting and just letting the girls play! I so fondly remember these days with Colby. I feel like she and I don't get quite as many park trips as he and I did but we try to soak them up when we do!! 

Other then that this week has been pretty routine with school. All of our other Spring activities have ended which has been nice to get a "Breather". We had our last lifegroup meeting Tuesday night. I will miss going this summer but the break will also be nice. We are also enjoying having more nights at home as a family. We have been able to play outside more and take walks which has been wonderful! So excited about the sweet summertime!! 

Teacher Appreciation Week

So this past week was Teacher Appreciation Week. Colby's principal sends ideas home of how to "appreciate" the teachers each day. Its always fun just doing little things for them each day! 

Monday was Coffee/Tea day. That was pretty easy! We got Colby's teacher a PJ's gift card and we actually got a cup of coffee for Lindsay's teacher =)

Tuesday was a day to spoil the teachers. We chose a movie theater gift card. I figured this summer she could go alone or with her kids or on a date night! 

Wednesday was chocolate day! I got the idea to fill mason jars with M&Ms and we wrote "Thanks for making my year sweet and colorful" I thought they turned out super cute! 

Thursday was Teacher Supply day. We got his teacher some markers, pens, and notecards. I figured teachers or moms can always use that type stuff! 

Friday was Flower Day! Austin took the kids out to the backyard that morning to handpick some flowers. We put them in little vases for both the teachers. I think the kids had fun doing it and I am sure the teachers really love the hand picked flowers! 

We are so thankful for both of our kids teachers. We have so far been so blessed with teachers! This year Colby had a unique year. He started with one teacher and mid-year they switched to another. I have liked them both. There has been a learning curve b/c neither have actually been first grade teachers before but he's learned a lot and has stayed on target. He loves school and loved both of them and that's really my hope! 

Lindsay loves loves her teacher Mrs. Abby. I am so happy she loves school after last year of her crying every single day! I don't think it was a teacher issue last year that was just her personality. We are so thankful we could just show them a tiny bit of appreciation! I know how hard teachers work and I hope this week blessed them even a little! 

Birthday and Baptism!!

This past weekend was wonderful! Friday was Austin's birthday! He and I were able to go out for breakfast while the kids were at school to celebrate! We rarely get to go out alone so this was quite a treat! Then I had to sub at Lindsay's school. I felt bad I couldn't spend more time with the birthday boy but I had promised them this a month before I even knew he would be off work. He had to do yardwork anyway! I had a good time hanging out with Lindsay at her school. As always its fun to see them in their school element. She was a little clingy at recess but she finally got up with her friends and played while I visited with the other moms who were helping! 
That afternoon we just took it easy. We did supper in that night and played outside and watched a movie. We ended up watching Charlotte's Web. I think we were all thankful just for a night in! 
Saturday was a beautiful day! Austin's parents were coming in town to see Colby get baptized but also to see Austin for his birthday. They arrived later in the morning though so we went to my parents house to go swim. It was our first official swim of the season. And yes the pool was still quite chilly! It was 76 degrees! We had a good time though and Colby especially had a blast! I love to see them do something active like that! Austin's parents got there while we were in the pool. We ate lunch together and visited for a bit. Lindsay and I went home after lunch so she could nap and I wanted to rest and work on some things at home. The boys went with Austin's parents to the Farmer's Market and to check out the campground for Colby's birthday. 
That evening we went out to eat for Austin's birthday. We went to our favorite Des Familes. We love it! Its great food, a nice but casual atmosphere and the kids love seeing alligators and humming birds and other wildlife. They were so well behaved at dinner and ate a ton too! Afterwards we ended the evening with cake outside! I think all in all austin had a pretty good birthday! 
Sunday was another busy day! It was Colby's baptism day! We all went to church and since he was getting baptized I didn't teach. Lindsay went to her class but we made sure she was in service to see the baptism. I think we were all feeling a little nervous. I really wasn't sure how he would re-act. But we were also so excited for him and i think he really was too! He asked for Pastor Michael to baptize him but he wanted Austin and Mr. Ryan in there as well. It was such a sweet moment! Really a beautiful moment as a parent. After the first service we took him to eat Mexican. It was only the 4 of us but honestly I kinda enjoyed it just being our little family and being able to share in that moment with him. That afternoon I had to head off for my VBS meeting. I felt like the meeting went really well I just wish we had had a larger turn out. I am still excited about how God is going to work this summer! 
It was a super busy weekend...one where I don't feel like I really re-cooped before a busy week but it was one filled with many blessings! 

Spring FEVER!

We are back to the busy life. This week has been no exception. Austin was off Monday which was nice. It always helps us ease into the week. So Monday was an exciting day. I brought the kids to school. I went grocery shopping like always. We knew the weather might get a little bad. Well by the time I entered the store it was looking bad and starting to sprinkle. I called Austin to come meet me. It was a good thing he did b/c by the time we got out the bottom had fallen out. We got home and Austin decided with so much bad weather coming he would just go pick Lindsay up early. There were tornado warnings and our phones were going off like crazy! I am so glad he got there to be with her. He ended up getting stuck there for like an hour! They had the kids hunkered down in the bathroom and hallway! It got really bad here. I think over 100 mph winds! I was hunkered down in the bathroom as well. I was just praying for everyone to stay safe! I talked with Colby's principal and they were prepared and had a plan. They also ended up in the hallway for an hour! It was quite a morning. That afternoon was much less exciting. Just homework and staying in! 
Tuesday I had a VBS meeting. I am now in full swing of VBS stuff. Lindsay stayed with my parents during that. That evening we had Lifegroup. It was quite a small gathering this week. Our group has had just so much going on! It was nice though to visit with Zach and Stephanie. 
Wednesday both kids had school. I ran an errand then came home to enjoy a slower paced morning. That afternoon was busy! I picked up Nijel and Colby from school. Nijel came home with us so that he could go with Colby to church that night. Even though it was tiring and hard I loved the joy on both their faces. They played here for about 45 min before we left to go eat at church. They had a great time at church! It was so neat to see that! That evening I had 3 girls in our class. It was quiet but also nice! I love the little friendships Lindsay now has with her church friends! 
Thursday Lindsay and I went over to my parents house to bake Austin's cake. I love this time with my mom. I know I could buy or just make the cake here. I mean yes part of it is b/c I know if my mom helps it will be awesome but part of it is just that legacy of having my mom, me and Lindsay all in the kitchen together. Each year I never know how many more times we will get to do this so I am thankful for each moment! That night Colby had his cubscouts Pinewood Derby Race. It was a hard week with being out 3 nights in a row but OH so worth it to see Colby and his best buddies having so much fun! None of them won any races but they had such a great time! I am so thankful we made the decision to put him in Cubscouts. It is over for the summer and we will miss it! Although we will still be working on our electives and hanging out with our friends. 
So that was our week! It was a busy one and I think we are all so ready for some downtime but the end is in sight and I know we can do it!!