Caleb's 13 Yr Interview & Birthday

 

~CALEB AT AGE 13~

Going into grade: 8th

Shoe size: Mens 8

Height: 5 ft 6

Birthday This Year: Friend spent the weekend with us/GoKarts

Gifts: Toolset and entertainment center for room 

~FAVORITES~

Food: Hamburgers

Drink: Mountain Dew

Snack: Mango Applesauce 

Dessert: Icecream 

Restaurant:Shell's BBQ

Color: Red

Animal: Jaguar

Holiday: Christmas 

Season:Winter

School Subject: English

Movie: Back to the Future 

TV Show: Umbrella Academy

Book: Gamer Army 

Game:Call of Duty 

Thing to wear: Hoodies and athletic pants

Thing to do: Play video games

Thing to do outside: Ride bikes

Best friend: Damien

What are you scared of? Bugs

What do you want to be when you grow up? An Engineer

What do you want for Christmas this year? An Iwatch 

~MY LETTER TO CALEB~

Dear Son,

I can't believe the time is here that you are now officially a teenager. Seems like just yesterday they were handing you to me in the hospital after that long day of walking the halls and laboring. I know you don't like the nickname very much, but we LOVE you Bobo! Out of all our kids, you are the most like me. You are introverted, quiet, mostly like to keep to yourself. You have a few friends you are close to, but being out in a big crowd isn't really your thing. You are a typical teenage boy and love playing your video games, watching netflix and youtube, and talking to friends. You have shown a lot of maturity lately in helping out when needed. You have started mowing the lawn, helping your dad fix things around the house, and you usually do whatever I ask without complaining. I love your passion for animals, you always are helping love on and take care of our pets at home and you enjoy other animals you see out and about. I love laughing with you over silly cat and dog videos you find online. All your teachers say you are the sweetest boy, always willing to lend a hand to help, and never causing them any trouble. You argue with your sisters a lot and get annoyed by them, but I know it must be hard being sandwiched in between two girls. I think this is why you have become closer to your dad lately. You have always been his twin, but FINALLY this past year people have started telling me they think you favor me now! It doesn't really matter who you look like or what you choose to do, your dad and I just always want you to remember we love you and want you to be happy. Happy 13th birthday, we look forward to continuing to watch you grow.  Love, Mom. 

For Caleb's birthday we got him his very own adult tool set. Arnold is dead set on him getting into working with him and building things. He loves doing bonding things with him :P We got Caleb an entertainment center for him to put in his room and hold his tv and video game stuff. It had to be put together... so of course Arnold used that as an opportunity to break out the new tool set and put it together with Caleb. Caleb had fun I think until starting with the little pieces and realizing it was taking awhile! 

There is not a lot open right now during CORONA, so I went searching online to find something fun to do for Caleb's birthday. We found a place in Mooresville that had Go karts, an arcade, mini golf, and all kinds of stuff. We decided to let Caleb's friend who lives out of town spend the weekend with us, and we all went to that place together on his Birthday on Saturday. Rachel was scared to death to do the go karts at first, but we all encouraged her and she did it. She looked so cute in her pink helmet :P 

The kids got to pick a few more activities in our package, so they chose to do the bumper cars, which they all loved, and played laser tag. And they got tokens to play in the arcade. We were afraid we would do our activities quickly and they would be bored and ready to go home, but it was just the right amount. They had fun, after they were tired and hot and ready to go. 

That night we met up with my parents at Applebee's and had Caleb's birthday dinner. My mom and dad gave him money for his bday, as did his other grandparents, which he of COURSE spent on more video game stuff. 

I ordered Caleb this cake from Walmart. It was delicious! I got to pick the colors.. Arnold said it reminded him of old school Nickelodeon :P I was going to add something on top like silly cats in party hats, but Brooke reminded me Caleb was turning 13 and probably didn't want silly stuff like that :P

Life Lately: Summertime Fun!

I had fun surprising Arnold for Father's Day this year. I had put a little money from my paycheck back and picked out a charcoal grill for him.. he had been talking about wanting one for awhile. I also picked out a few new outfits for church for him and some IPA beer. I really didn't know at all what I was looking at, so I just read reviews online to help me pick a grill. Luckily the day I went into Target they had ONE left on the shelf! It was actually pretty heavy and I probably looked very silly loading it into my cart.. but oh well. I then spent forever on the beer aisle picking something out because I know NOTHING about beer! But Arnold ended up liking it all, and I was so happy I was able to keep the surprise ;) 

Father's Day weekend we took the kids to the Lake Lure beach for the day. Lake Lure is in the NC mountains, and it is actually where I grew up vacationing every year with my parents. They had a condo up there and we went a few times a year. There is also a "beach" area there that is open for the public. The view is breathtaking, and the prices are actually very reasonable! Thanks to COVID, they were limiting the amount of people on the beach when we went, so we got there early and had to wait in a really long line to get in.. but it was worth it!! We took a cooler and had a picnic lunch.. then the kids got in the lake for awhile and went down the water slides. We stayed until we saw storm clouds, and we ended up getting back to the car JUST before the storm broke loose! We headed to a nearby place for icecream, then headed back home. It was such a fun family day, and we plan to go back soon. 

Our sweet Sheldon Petey turned 7!! We love him bunches and he has brought all of us such joy! Arnold agreed to let me get him back when Rachel started school, because I said I would be sad and lonely and needed a buddy ;) He sure was just what I needed!!! :)

My brother and Sister-in-law came into town the last weekend of June and stayed with my mom and dad. While they were there Mom and I were able to throw Christina a baby shower.. although it wasn't really a shower so much as a very very small gathering with our family.. once again, thanks to COVID! But I wasn't going to let my SIL go without some sort of celebrating for baby Roman! They were also able to go out with us for my birthday.. which made me SO HAPPY because they usually aren't in town at that time!! 

Ever since Christina told me she was pregnant I was on pinterest looking for shower ideas ;) I saw a bear theme and I thought it was adorable, so decided to roll with that. I ordered gold bear picks to go in the cupcakes, we had snacks and gummy bears of course, and we made homemade bear suckers. Brooke also helped me make this fruit shaped bear idea I saw. It turned out pretty cute! 

We also made this bear out of a cheese ball! My sweet mom went back out to the store to get a cheese ball just for this, when she saw how into this theme I was, haha! Everyone knows I am a little crazy but I get intense with planning when I have an idea in mind!! At first it looked a little creepy and not like a bear at all, but Alex helped us smoosh the eyes in further :D 

I turned 35 on July 1st! Brooke always says I am totally "extra" and that may be true.. but I love birthdays and I love celebrating. We went downtown and she took some pictures of me. 

Mom made her famous homemade lasagna for me, just like every year! And this year Alex was actually in town to have some! Usually I take pics and send them to him to pick on him! Mom and I have a pic like this every year, for the past 10-15 years I think! It has become a family tradition. Dad laughs at me every year, but he knows I have to have my picture! 

We went out to dinner at Dos amigos, one of my favorite restaurants, and had dinner. It was me, Arnie, the kids, mom and dad, Alex and Christina and a few of my friends. Sadly a few people didn't get to come due to vacations or sickness. But we still had fun! They told the waiter it was my birthday and they ended coming up behind me, put a sombrero on my head, and smashed whipped cream in my face!! Everyone got quite the kick out of it. Usually I get very embarrassed by things like that, but at least we were in the back party room at the time!! 

My sweet friend Ana from work gave me a panera gift card for my birthday. I had taken the day of my birthday off, so I went there for lunch with Arnold. I got a grilled cheese. 

Then I made Arnold go shopping with me. Bath and Body works had been closed FOREVER and finally opened back up, so I HAD to go get more soaps and wallflowers! 

On the 4th of July we went to Mom and Dad's house and had ribs. well everyone there did except ME because I DONT eat meat on the bone!!!!! But we had a good time. And then our crazy neighbors kept putting off fireworks late into the evening. 

Arnold and I are going through the process with our bank to try to refinance our house, and also to get a loan to help with some home improvements, and to pay off some debt. It was a WAY harder process than we had imagined. They did credit checks on both of us, made us fill out a HUGE stack of paperwork, turn in pay stubs, and then have a house appraisal done. Which we had to pay for by the way, and it was NOT cheap!!!! We didn't know what we were getting ourselves into, but we went crazy for 2 weeks trying to make the house look nice, and to fix up things, before the guy came out to look. Poor Arnold was so stressed and stayed up so late most nights, to get things done. The house actually does look pretty nice! We had the appraisal done Wednesday and we are now waiting to hear back from the bank!!! Wish us lots of luck and send prayers! This would be amazing for us and our future. 

Here is Arnold picking out paint at Lowe's. Actually this is totally staged, as you can tell ;) He's used to me taking pics for my blogs! We just ended up with a darker version of the blue we already had in our living room, but it looks pretty good! We were able to cover up a lot of dents, and scratches, and other things that didn't look good! 

Here is the living room after the fresh paint! Arnold did a great job! And Caleb even helped him do the trimwork! As you can see, I have my summertime pillows out ;) And that butterfly on the wall came from Hobby Lobby. It was actually an "outdoor" piece of art but I really loved it, so it works! I hope to eventually do a gallery wall in this room, and down our hallway. If anything, this whole process got me obsessed with fixing things up, and decorating. So I have a million ideas pinned on Pinterest for our next projects to accomplish. Poor Arnold!! ;) 

35 Things for 35 Years

I wanted to make a list of 35 things I'm thankful for this year. I put more details into numbers 1-20, but I knew it would take me all day to write that detailed for all of them, so the rest are just quick things I added ;)





1. My family. My family has always been there for me, and I am so grateful. I've always known it doesn't take DNA to make a family, but I really found that out this past year. I was a little disappointed in my biological mother not wanting to meet me, but then I remembered what great things and people I already have in my life. Even if she never comes around, I have more than enough love in my life.

2. My extra time with the kids. I know this whole corona and quarantine thing has been scary and stressful and frustrating. But I got to be home with the kids for several weeks during all of that, and I loved getting to spend more time with them. Especially since they're so much older now and don't always like to be around me ;)

3. My marriage. My husband is one of my greatest blessings. So many things have been against us from the beginning. We got married so quickly, and so young, and had kids so close together, and a lot of people probably honestly thought we wouldn't make it. Here we are almost 15 years later, and we are closer than ever. I don't take Arnold or our marriage for granted, because I know things change so quickly, and so many other couples are struggling.

4. My job. I really love being able to work with babies and little kids, which is so much fun and rewarding to me. Yes it is a stressful job. Yes I am exhausted when I get home every night. No we don't get enough pay or appreciation for what we do. But having bonds with these kids and being an early influence in their lives is so special. And all the friends I've made along the way has been an extra bonus :)

5. My new sister-in-law and nephew. I really love the woman my brother married. She is kind, fun, generous, and so good to my brother. She fits right in with our family and she accepts me for the crazy & silly person I am, and she indulges that craziness. Just like on my birthday where she made sure to take pictures for me and respected what things were so important to me :) She is also giving me my very first NEPHEW this summer, and I absolutely cannot wait to spoil that little boy!! :)

6. Our health- During all this mess, no one in our family got sick. I did get strep, but nothing serious. My parents were fine, my inlaws were fine, and my hubby and kids were fine. I am so thankful we didn't get corona, or anything else serious for that matter.

7. My friends. My friends are the best, and have been so supportive of me this year. I've gone through a lot of emotional stuff with the adoption search, and they've listened to me worry, vent, and cry. They've given me advice and reassurance. I don't care if I only have a few TRUE friends if they are the amazing, loyal friends I've got :)

8. Our upcoming vacation. We are booked and counting down for our vacation to Charleston this September!! The main point of the trip is to go visit my new nephew after he's born, but it was the perfect opportunity to have a family vacation too! We will go to the beach, eat some good seafood, visit the aquarium, and of course soak up allll the baby cuddles! I can't wait! Only 64 more days.

9. Bath & Body works. I know this is a silly one. But I am SO happy they are open again! It had been so long that I was running out of my favorite soaps and wallflowers for the house! Glade and febreeze stuff just doesn't cut it when I'm used to my Japanese Cherry Blossom and Coconut Lime scents!!

10. The mountains. I have always been a mountain girl. I grew up going to Lake Lure at least 2 times a year, every year. Now our kids go! we took them recently to the Lake Lure beach and we had a great time. Even though it started storming that afternoon.

11. My grandpa- I have one living grandparent left. He is my mom's dad, and he turned 87 this past March. I'm so glad my kids have gotten to grow up knowing a great grandparent.

12. Shorter hair. I feel So much better since having all my hair cut off! I was starting to die at work spending 2 hours outside every day with the kids! I was so hot.

13. Book of the month club. This is the latest thing I've joined. What's not great about a club that sends you a new, HARDBACK book every month, for only $15? Plus lets you add on books for $10 each if you want to?? Those prices are even cheaper than amazon! I look forward to that blue box showing up at my door every month ;)

14. Crafty friends. I am thankful I have crafty friends that have made me and the kids cute masks to wear during this corona mess! I even had a birthday mask made to wear this past week when I was out ;) Brooke calls me "extra" but I thought it was fun ;)

15. Surprises. I was able to surprise Arnold with some fun gifts this year at father's day, that he had no idea he was getting ;) He works so hard for us and is the best, and I really wanted to do something special for him.

16. Our church. We have met so many great people at our church. Arnold really enjoys playing with the praise band. I enjoy watching the babies and toddlers on sunday mornings. And even when our church had to close for awhile, we were able to watch the services online at home!

17. My parents' generosity. My parents have been AMAZING and I can't thank them enough. They have watched the kids so I could go back to work. They take care of the kids, feed them, take them swimming and on other outings, and have let them do jobs for them to earn money. I wouldn't be able to work without their help, and I am so grateful.

18. Learning new things. Even though my biological family search didn't go quite as planned, I am still happy for the news I found. I met a biological brother and LOTS of cousins. I found out some of my mother's past, and finally saw pictures of her--- still can't get over how much we look alike. It helps having answers of why things happened the way they did. I feel relief and closure on that chapter of my life.

19. This blog. I love to write, and have since I was a kid. Writing is therapeutic for me, and helps me get out all my thoughts, worries, and dreams. I have never been great at putting things into spoken word or giving speeches, but I am able to express myself through writing. I also enjoy reading other people's blogs, getting ideas, and getting to know about them.

20. My birthday. I had a wonderful birthday this past week. My brother was able to come into town and visit, which was extra special because I usually never get to see him at this time of year. My family and friends were so thoughtful with the sweetest gifts and giftcards. And of course Mom made my traditional lasagna! I just had the best time celebrating :)



21. Netflix
22. Paying down some debt
23. Memories & Traditions
24. Home updates
25. Warm weather
26. Our sweet pets
27. Amazon 2-day shipping
28. No cavities ever, so far for Caleb
29. My brother's recent visit
30. My country
31. Afternoon naps on weekends
32. Keeping up with people on facebook
33. My new dentist
34. Walmart grocery pickup
35. My kids' teachers

Rachel's 11-Yr Birthday Interview & Letter!

***Rachel at Age 11***

Shoe size- 4/5

Going into Grade: 6th

Party theme this year: Beach/Luau
Gifts this year: Skateboard, art supplies

Favorite Color: dark blue

Favorite Game: Roblox

Favorite Animal: crocodile

Favorite Food: spaghetti 

Favorite Drink: coke

Favorite Snack- Gushers

Favorite Dessert- icecream

Favorite Season: summer

Favorite Holiday: Christmas

Favorite Restaurant: chick fil a

Favorite Tv Show- Stranger Things

Favorite Movie: Clueless

Favorite Book- Don't really like to read (MAKES MAMA SAD!!)

Favorite Flower: roses

Favorite Thing to do: Draw and make Tik Tok videos 

Favorite Thing to do outside: ride bike

Favorite part of school: science

Favorite Thing to Wear: tshirt and jeans or comfy pants

Best Friend: Emily 

What are you afraid of? getting run over ????

What do you want to be when you grow up? Artist 

What do you want for Christmas this year? Robucks for the game

On Rachel's actual birthday on thursday, I took off from work. I took her and Brooke to the salon to get our nails done. Rachel had been wanting acrylic nails forever and I said when she turned 11 we'd try them. The girl doing her nails didn't really ask or know to make them short, so they ended up longer than we expected but its ok. 

Rachel got her's dark blue, Brooke got her's lavender purple, and I got mine patriotic colors! While I was there I also got my eyebrows waxed, its been waaaaaay too long! 

That evening we took her and 2 of her good friends to the mall with us to hang out. They just wanted to walk around and be together, although there wasn't much to do. I feel bad because she had really wanted to go to Skateland but it isn't open right now. 

We then went to dinner at her favorite place, Applebee's! She wanted a beach/luau themed cake, so I ordered one from Publix. They have the most delicious cakes!! 

Rachel and her best friend, emily. Emily came home with us that night, and the girls had a sleepover. Rachel was so happy.. they played and watched tv and practiced learning how to use her pennyboard. Rachel's room is right next to mine, so I heard them up talking and giggling all night long :P

We always have to take a pic with our birthday girl! Can't believe she is 11! 

I have NO clue what made her so obsessed with skateboards this year, but she has been begging for one for the longest time. What she got is actually called a pennyboard, it's a little smaller than standard. Arnold was worried for awhile about her hurting herself on one, but he has come around.. and we plan on having her wear protective gear. And of course she wanted one that was BLUE.. her favorite color! It's pretty neat, the wheels even light up when she rolls! 

We also got her a few other little things like art supplies and this FUNKO POP from her FAVORITE show, Stranger Things. She absolutely loves the silly guy on there who loves cherry slushees, so when I saw him on amazon, I knew I had to get it ;) 

Both sets of her grandparents and her friend gave her money for her birthday. She was thrilled. She loves to go shopping and pick stuff out. Mostly just for the thrill of it. My dad says she is a typical woman ;) We went to Target and she picked out a pretty, peach colored new comforter for her bed.. and i was so happy! She actually picked something useful this time ;) 

Shortly after she was born, we planed a tree in our backyard. Well, actually it was my Mother-in-laws idea, so she gets the credit. So now that is Rachel's tree! I have been taking a pic of her in front of it every year to show how much they've both grown! Time really flies! 

My Letter to Rachel:

Dear Rachel,

I still remember how excited I was to find out we were expecting you. Your dad probably would have been happy having just 2 kids, but I knew I needed another one!! We now can't imagine live without a Rachel in it! You have always been a mama's girl.. from being a sweet baby wanting to snuggle with me, to clinging to me on the first day of school, to always running outside to greet me when I get home from work. I know we have a special bond :) You have always been so intelligent and talented. You have done well in school, won a lot of awards, and have an awesome vocabulary. I love that you are so outdoorsy, you can stay outside all day long if I let you, and you love getting dirty. You have always been extremely silly and entertaining, we call you the family comedian. You can break out in dance randomly, you make the funniest expressions, and you don't really care what anyone thinks-- you just like to have fun!! I love how confident you are, and i wish I could be more like that. As you head to middle school in the Fall, I am sad that you are growing up and things will be changing, but I am excited for a new chapter in  your life and we know you will work hard and make us proud. I love you sweet Rachel Louise!!!!! 

End of School & Rachel's Graduation!

Well we made it to the end of another school year!!! We are so proud of the kids and all they accomplished, even if their year did get cut short. We were especially sad for Brooke, because she had been working SO hard on her grades lately, and had just joined the track team, and never even got to do any of that. 

We have watched our 2 older kids get to have an elementary school graduation ceremony.. and unfortunately this year we were stuck in the corona virus fiasco, so Rachel didn't get the ceremony we had all been looking forward to. But her teachers were awesome and made sure they still had special things to remember this occasion. The teachers made cute shirts for the kids, and they planned a virtual graduation. Arnold, the kids and I sat on the couch and gathered around the ipad while we participated with Rachel's class. The principal came on and spoke, they showed their names and pictures from the yearbook, then announced awards. It wasn't how we had expected it, but it was SO sweet and it still made me want to cry!! ;) 

Rachels turn to be announced on screen 

We usually get the kids a little something for a graduation gift. I got Rachel some art supplies and a stuffed Eleven doll from Stranger Things (two of her favorite things at the moment!) and of course I had to throw in the owl balloon when I saw it! ;) 

I LOVE how the teachers made it extra special for each student and wrote something personal about them, and what they loved about them. Rachel's teacher really nailed in with her's. We have always said Rachel was our funny, unique, crazy kid. She doesn't really care what people think, does her own thing, and really enjoys life. I love that about her. I also love how the picture they used was of the day she was wearing her tacky Christmas sweater and sporting her VSCO girl bun! :D Like I said-- my sweet girl marches to the beat of her own drummer-- and I hope she never changes!!!! 

I look for any opportunity for a picture (as you all know!) so I made the girls go by their schools and take one last picture! I cannot believe after all those years spent at their Elementary school... volunteering, eating lunch with them, book fairs and science nights, award ceremonies and field days.. we will never be going back again :( This has really been hard on me, because while Rachel has been in elementary school, I felt like I still had one "kid" left. But now that she is moving on to middle school in the fall, things feel totally different. It's like she KNOWS too, because lately she's shown just a little more sass, attitude, and moodiness. I remember Brooke going through that stage and it was hard then. But it's ESPECIALLY hard with the baby of the family!! 

I also can't believe Brooke is done with middle school! I still remember dropping her off for the first day and she was so nervous about her new beginnings. She grew up SO much in these past 3 years. Became so independent. Made friends and even her first boyfriend. She learned to play trumpet and be involved with a group. She really worked hard at improving her grades, and her teachers and I all noticed. I hope she carries these work ethics with her to highschool in the fall. 

Brooke and Caleb's school had an end-of-year parade... we drove through in our car with the windows down. The kids go to say goodbye to all their teachers, and pickup their report cards and awards. Brooke loved it, she is our social butterfly. Caleb kinda hung back and just watched (he's SO much like me!!) Brooke was especially emotional because she got to say goodbye to all her previous teachers, and her band director, and principal. 

Even though they didn't do a complete semester at school before the coronavirus hit, I am still SO proud of Brooke for making the honor roll! Caleb almost made it but his score dropped some in math (he gets that from me too!!!) but we are still very proud of his hard work. His teachers all wrote such sweet messages on his report card on how much they enjoyed having him in class. Caleb is the kid who never gets in trouble, is nice to everyone, and helpful to the teachers :)

I love walking by the fridge these days and seeing all the kids' awards! Rachel's graduation certificate is up there, and her certificates for being in the Robotics Club and Battle of the Books this year (sadly, they did not get to compete though!!!) and some perfect attendance and honor roll awards.. oh and that random thing with the little pics on it is my class at work ;) ;) 

I had to post this picture of Rachel on her very first day of school (Kindergarten!) vs. her at the very end of elementary school :( I can't believe how much she has grown! When she was 5 she let me put her in adorable dresses, big bows and frilly little socks. Now she has her own opinions and styles, which i've had to get used to because I'm some what of a control freak (just ask Arnold!!) haha. 

Caleb doesn't like me taking picture of him these days, but I had to post this cute picture of him the day of his preschool graduation. Our kids were 2, 4, and 5 in this picture. WOW those were the crazy days! I don't know how we survived!! ;) 

We let Rachel pick where to eat the night of her graduation and she picked her favorite, Applebees. It was one of the first times back in a real restaurant since this coronavirus stuff, and it was a lot of fun :)

Quarantine Highlights!

 We celebrated Mother's Day, which was much different this year. We went to have lunch at Mom and Dad's house. Dad ordered out a meal from the country club. We also went to visit Arnold's parents that afternoon. And that evening we got Dos Amigos for pickup. 

 I've gotten my mom so many gifts over the years that I was running out of ideas. Arnold suggested some flowers or a plant, so we went to Lowe's that morning and I walked through the plant nursery. I am horrible with plants, and kill everything I've ever gotten really quickly. I don't know anything about plants, much to my brothers dismay, who's a landscaper :D I picked out a pretty planter I liked, then picked out some flowers to put in there. Arnold helped me move the flowers over to the planter in the parking lot, and potting soil went everywhere, haha. I guess we overerestimated how much soil the planter could hold. I was laughing and taking pictures while arnold was on the ground trying to do all this, and he was mad at me :D

 Arnold ordered me a mothers day cake from Publix. Their cakes are delicious! I made fun of him for days, because he had no idea what to order and kept messing things up. The cake ended up looking like Christmas theme, but at least he tried! He and the kids also got me some great gifts including a new bracelet, new purse, and some new books. My mom and Dad shipped me a tower of fancy, delicious chocolates.. which the kids broke into and started eating immediately. 

 So thankful to be their mom!! :)

 While on quarantine at home, I joined a facebook blessings facebook group, which has become popular right now. You post amazon wish lists and you choose random people or friends to send gifts or little surprises to, to make someone's day. It was a way to brighten everyones spirits during this hard time. I sent a few friends some things, and a few strangers, too. I love doing random acts of kindness type things, so this was great for me. I also got some sweet things in the mail, including this cute pineapple yard sign from my friend :) 

 My best friend Jessica celebrated her 32nd birthday!! I was so sad we weren't able to go out and celebrate like we usually do, but its on the schedule for whenever it's safe again!! We have been friends for over 18 years, and she's been with me through all my ups and downs. She saw me learn to drive a car, get my heart broken, go off to college, have babies, and all sorts of adventures. I cannot thank her enough for always being there... to listen, support me, and to have fun with. :)

 Rachel and I discovered an art called diamond painting! I picked up a kit at hobby lobby and we tried it out. This is not the actual picture of what we did. Our's were smaller. Rachel did a butterfly and I did a flower. Basically you use this little "pen" to pick up tiny beads ("diamonds") and place them on the right spaces according to the color chart. Then it makes a pretty 3D picture that can be framed, or in our case they were big stickers that could be put on something. It's a lot of fun. 

 We have recently found out my brother and sister-in-law's baby is a BOY!!!! He is going to be named Roman Alexander (Alexander is my brothers name.)  My very first nephew, and I am so excited!!! Unfortunately they found out that he has a condition where his intestines are growing outside his body. They say a surgery right after birth can hopefully correct the situation and he will live a pretty normal life. Christina will have to be induced a few weeks early, so he will be an August baby (just like 2 of my kids!!!) We have all been praying hard for him, we know God will take care of this situation!!!! Meanwhile, I've been buying gifts, and of course I've already started his library ;) They plan to come into town the last weekend of June, where we hope to have a drive through/drop in baby shower for Christina! I hate she isn't getting a big, normal baby shower, especially for her first baby, but at least we can do something to celebrate. Please keep them in your prayers!!!! :)

 I have definitely been doing some amazon shopping during all of this, and I MIGHT have bought some unnecessary things along the way ;) Oh well, it was fun, and it made me happy to be getting lots of mail sent to the house. My friend had gotten me two of the Golden Girls funko pops and I knew I needed to get the other 2 to complete my collection :) 

 Our favorite icecream place Udderly Delicious has opened up, and we have made a few trips!! Nothing like oreo icecream in a waffle cone to make you have a good day!!! 

 My dad ordered some washable face masks online, and gave our family some to use. I haven't really used them much out, unless I had to. It gives me such a yucky feeling to have something over my face. Rachel seemed to get a kick out of them, though ;) 

 We had planned on going out to the movies this month to see the new SCOOBY DOO movie, but with everything closing down, we decided to rent it at home. Yes it was $15 to rent, and I usually wouldn't spend that much, but it was worth it to me to have a fun family evening at home. The kids, Arnold and I all sat together in the living room, ate snacks, and turned down the lights. The movie was really cute :) 

On Memorial Day weekend, we went to Mom and Dad's house for dinner, to have low country boil. ONE OF MY FAVORITE meals!!!! Our family has always nicknamed certain meals weird things (dont ask me why!) and we always called this meal CRAP IN A POT!! To this day that's what my dad will call it when he talks about it, and now even our kids know :D Haha. Anyway, dinner was great, we spent time out on their deck talking until it started storming. Then afterwards we all ate watermelon and watched golf (it was what dad had on tv :D 

After 2 1/2 months I am now back at work!!!!!! The kids are staying at my mom and dad's house, and will continue to all summer. I was so happy to get back and see my friends, and my babies.. who have GROWN so much. I actually started back in a new classroom, the young toddlers. I have a few babies that were mine in the last class and recently moved up. It has been quite an adjustment dealing with the toddler room, since I am used to being an infant teacher all these years. But nothing beats those smiles they give you when they see you, or how it feels when they jump in your lap and snuggle you. I also get to go outside on the playground, or to the gym now, since they are older. I have been walking laps in the gym this past week when it rained, and got a lot of exercise :)