busy but fun week

Our school brought back the Watch DOGS (dads of great students) program this year after a covid hiatus.  Emmy was excited for Jason to come in one last time before she's done with elementary school.

She bought him ice cream at lunch. 

Bryce went with his buddies to watch a UVA/VCU baseball game on Tuesday. 

We went to a Flying Squirrels game with friends on Friday night.  Bryce got cotton candy which was a similar experience at 14 as it was at 4, ha!

Emmy brought a friend to help pass the time, ha!

Saturday night we went bowling with a baseball family and the kids scored big in the arcade.  

Saturday was a rainy day and we came out of the bowling alley to a pretty rainbow. 

The ladies in my life group threw a baby shower for one of our friends after church today.  

The youth group did a service project picking up trash at our school this evening.  They worked hard and were rewarded with sweet frog afterward.  

We did so many other fun things this week/weekend that I didn't get pictures of too.  It was a good week!

busy kiddos

Bryce had an early morning orthodontist check up on Monday and they surprised him and told him he was ready to get his braces off!

Look at those pretty teeth.  

He got them off just shy of the two year mark.  Not too bad!

Bryce hurt his shoulder during middle school baseball tryouts, so he's been taking it easy this season.  He was still having some pain three weeks later, so I took him to ortho on call to get it checked out.  His growth plate is inflamed, and he can't throw for 4-6 weeks. It's been a tough year of sports for Bryce.

Emmy was part of her school's 5th grade chorus and they participated in All County Chorus at the Arts and Science Festival this weekend.  

There were about 120 kids.  They came together on Friday for a full day of rehearsal and then performed together on Saturday. 

After the performance we walked around and found her artwork on display.

She made her favorite meal in clay (BBQ sandwich and mac and cheese).  She also had an owl painting on display. 

Emmy and I went out for ice cream to celebrate. 

Jason was rafting down the James River so we went to a local park to watch him go by.  We were a bit early and Emmy didn't have the patience to wait after two hours so we missed him but it was a nice day on the river. 

The kids stay busy but don't have many overlapping activities, so it makes it hard for Jason and I to get away for a date, but we made it happen Sunday after church. 

43 school days to go!

Easter fun

Dyeing eggs is a must.  I swore I was never going to dye eggs again after we discovered the Egg-Mazing, but it bit the dust and we went old school.  

Jason even joined in the fun.

This kit had iridescent paper to make the eggs shiny.  It was pretty cool. 

We went to Nana's on Saturday night and had an egg hunt and a delicious dinner. 

I made a fun and festive breakfast. 

Easter baskets are always a big hit. 

I think the teenage Easter basket is my favorite. 

I had fun making adult ones too!

Resurrection Sunday and an obligatory picture in front of the cross. 

Friends since high school.

And all their kids. 

We had lunch and an egg hunt at Kelly's to wrap up the day.

Happy Easter!

spring break

We enjoyed getting away to somewhere warm so much for spring break last year that we did it again this year!

We drove to Norfolk on Suday and flew to Ft. Lauderdale.

It didn't take the kids long to get in the pool.

Nothing soothes the soul quite like the beach.

Jason, Bryce, Chase and MeMa went on a shark dive experience on the first day and the rest of us hung back at the beach. 

MeMa rode in the boat and watched, but the boys got in the water with the sharks.  No cages, just a rope to hold onto and a snorkel.  CRAZY people!

Made for the beach!

Cutie patootie!

We cleaned up after a fun day and went out to dinner.

Day 2 was all about the sun and sand.  We used a ton of sunscreen, but we all got a brighter shade of red each day.  Our winter selves weren't ready for the Florida sun!

There's never a dull moment with this one.  He would have eaten it if it were big enough. 

Tuesday night we went to a Miami Marlins game and checked another stadium off our list.  This was number 17.

Ice cream in a helmet is a must.

An outfielder threw him a ball!  He's gotten a ball from almost every major league game we've been to. 

We spent our last day soaking up more sun!

This was exactly what we needed to help us make it to summer break. 

We enjoyed this trip away together, but it truly wasn't the same without Jason's dad.  PaPa was happiest at the beach with his family and we definitely missed his presence.