We celebrated Tom’s birthday tonight with dinner out and, of course, chocolate cake! After dinner, I snapped this picture of our three wild boys who make life so colorful…
Last Half Day of School…
A fun mom in our neighborhood coordinates the best thing to celebrate the end of the school year…the Bruster’s ice cream truck parking in one of our cul-de-sacs! The timing of it ends up to where the boys have dessert before lunch…but oh well. Afterwards, we loaded up and went to a friend’s house for what ended up being the biggest pool party we’ve ever been to…the boys and I all agreed that altogether it was the best kick off to summer that we’ve ever had.
Boggle Master…
Xander is such a trooper…he has had a rough two months with his allergies. On the days when he’s been home sick from school, we’ve been playing a lot of Boggle. I wasn’t sure how it was going to go at first because he’s SUPER competitive and will rage quit sometimes if he’s not winning. But he has kept at it and has gotten to where he wins several games in a row. I’m amazed at his ability to know and see words in that context. Due to his amazing attitude through his allergy struggles towards the end of the school year, his 3rd grade teachers gave him the “Good Attitude” award. Because he’s become quite the aficionado of Boggle, I’ve deemed him the “Boggle Master”. Go, Xander!!!
Lunch with MeMe…
Jonas and I were so excited to get to have lunch with MeMe after his kickball tournament today!!! We ate at Edley’s Barbecue in Nashville…it’s one of MeMe’s favorite spots, but we had never been. It was so good…especially the banana pudding…and even better to get to share it with MeMe.
4th Grade Kickball Tournament…
Jonas had his end of the year celebration today…a 4th grade kickball tournament at Nolensville Park. His class won the first game AND the second game!!! There’s definitely a lot of competitive boy energy in his class…bless his teacher’s heart. HaHa! I loved being able to be there to watch him in action with his classmates. Here he is in the dugout and celebrating afterwards with a popsicle.
3rd Grade Spelling Bee…
Xander placed fourth in the 3rd Grade Spelling Bee today!!!
He was SUPER close to making it to third place and even beyond…but when the student in fourth place missed a word, he ended up coming back to have a spell off with Xander for third place. On the next round, they both got their words right. During the round after that, they both got their words wrong. In what ended up being the final round between them, the student in fourth place spelled his word correctly, and then Xander misspelled his. So, Xander ended up being bumped from third place to fourth place…he immediately started crying. Because of his major allergy/asthma cough kicking up with his crying, I had to sit with him in the hallway until he calmed down enough to go back in and accept his participation award. Poor buddy…he took it so hard…but he really did so incredibly well. The word he missed was “doffing”…which I have never heard of…he spelled it “dauphing” which I thought was a pretty creative spelling.
ANYWAY, due to his amazing innate spelling ability, his teachers gave him the “Super Speller” classroom award at the end of the school year. Go, Xander!!!
4th Grade Field Trip to the Hermitage…
I enjoyed joining Jonas on his field trip to The Hermitage today. It was fun checking out all of the old-timey things and guessing/finding out what they were used for (nosegays, suitor’s candle, etc.) and touring Andrew Jackson’s beautiful home and gardens. The garden was my absolute favorite!!!
3rd Grade Kickball Tournament…
Due to the rain, Xander’s 3rd grade kickball tournament was moved from outdoors (Nolensville Park) to indoors (NES gym). It was a little bit of a bummer at first, but it ended up being a super fun day for everyone. I loved just getting to hang out with my little buddy and watching him in action. His class won the tournament which was really exciting. AND the teachers turned each of their classrooms into a fun destination for the kids to rotate to and from…a snack room, a movie room, a technology room, an art room, a dance room, and a building room. We even had a picnic in the hallway! Here’s a picture of me and my sweet Xander watching a kickball game together in the gym…
Field Day…
I loved being able to hang out with my boys on Field Day. In the morning, I volunteered at the first aid station. Roman came by every now and then to say hi and get a hug which was super sweet. In the afternoon, I was signed up to volunteer at the bounce house but they ended up not needing me, so I just hung out with Jonas and Xander. Jonas was having a blast with his friends. Xander was having a rough day with a new allergy medicine we were trying him out on which ended up making him super sad…to the point where he was not having fun and starting to cry on a day he would usually be ALL about. So, I snuggled with him on the field where we watched all of the goings on for a little bit…and then, I just took him home to have some special time with mommy. Sweet boy.
Pastries with Parents…
The boys and I had an “adventurous” time at Pastries with Parents this morning. You’d never know by the picture. Jonas basically skipped the line…he ran up to say hello to one of his friends and then proceeded to help himself…much to mine and his brothers’ annoyance (they were shouting, “No fair!!!”). I didn’t want to get out of line and lose our spot because Roman is quite possibly the most impatient person I’ve ever met (bless his heart). Plus, I was trying to keep Roman from going into full fledged meltdown mode…I don’t know if it was anxiety about all of the people, the excitement of getting pastries for breakfast, the boredom of waiting in line, or him looking up and not seeing me for one second while I stepped out of line super quickly to save us a table. Either way…geesh. I ended up picking him up and holding him and swaying with him until he calmed down. After we got settled at our table, Roman accidentally spilled his orange juice and then Xander’s water. So, we had to go home for a change of clothes for two kids. Ack!!! I’m trying to remember this…
“When little people are overwhelmed by big emotions, it’s our job to share our calm, not to join their chaos.” – L.R. Knost
Petra’s 10th Birthday…
We celebrated Petra’s 10th birthday (Cinco de Mayo) with her BFFs, my sister Jeanne and her dog Riley. Jeanne takes care of Petra whenever we go out of town, and Petra loves her SO much that every time she comes over…not only does Petra do crazy dog and run laps around the house she also tries to get in Jeanne’s car when she leaves. HaHa! Happy 10th birthday to best dog ever…we love you, Petra!!!
Rock ‘N Roll Half Marathon…
I ran the Rock ‘N Roll Half Marathon today!!! I ran the whole time, beat my personal best, peed my pants (let’s be honest, ladies), and was really hurting afterwards…but, by the grace of God, I did it!!! It was a bit of a long road for me, as I had injured my hip back in the fall while finishing up training for a 12K and trying to train for a 15K. I completed the 12K but ended up having to drop out of the 15K and do a month and a half of physical therapy to get back to where I could run again relatively pain free. I worked with Ryan McConnell at Benchmark Physical Therapy in Cool Springs, and he was AMAZING…so knowledgeable and very concerned with and intent on getting me back on track. I absolutely could not have done it without the help of Ryan and his wonderful team.
If you’ve never been able to witness or run a half marathon/marathon…it is one of the most beautiful experiences. You can feel all of the different reasons people run, and it really just encourages your heart and gives you such an appreciation and gratefulness for humanity.
There were so many funny signs that kept me laughing along the way:
“Relax, you run better than the government.”
“Remember…you paid to do this.”
“This seems like a lot of work for a banana.”
“If you collapse, I’ll pause your Garmin.”
“Smile if you peed a little.”
While running through some of Nashville’s neighborhoods, I saw little kids passing out orange segments, couples celebrating anniversaries and offering free shots to runners (and runners taking them!!!), and a little boy wailing on the drums to “Beat It”.
Around mile 8, Mahalia Jackson’s “Didn’t It Rain” started playing through my headphones, and I raised my hands and praised the Lord, smiling. When I hit mile 10, I passed a father holding out his wheelchair-bound son’s hand for high fives from the runners…I cut across the street to high five him and then just started bawling and almost hyperventilating, my heart welling up with sadness and gratefulness for this precious child’s life experience.
What a life we live. I’m grateful to be able to run through it…
Easter…
We spent Easter with Pops, Maw, Hilda, Jennifer, and Kerry this year. We had a delicious potluck lunch, watched the boys hunt for Easter eggs, and sat on the front porch…enjoying the spring weather and each other’s company.
Nolensville Community Kids Marathon…
Roman ran a triumphant mile with Tom in the Nolensville Community Kids Marathon today!!! Kids from NES, SES, and MCES run 25.2 miles spread out over a month or more on their own or with the run club at their schools and then come together to run the last mile. It’s such a great event…so exciting for the kids and for our little, quickly growing town. Go, Roman!!!
Daddy/Me Camping Trip…
Tom took Jonas on a Daddy/Me trip…hiking, backpacking, and camping. A good friend and his son from our neighborhood joined them as well, while they explored Stone Door in Monteagle, TN for a few days and a night. This picture makes my heart so happy…
Xander and the Ukulele…
Xander’s 3rd grade musical program was tonight…he looked SO good singing and playing the ukulele. I love my little buddy and was so proud of him.
3rd Level Yellow Belt…
Roman tested tonight and received his 3rd level yellow belt!!! Here he is with his precious teacher, Mrs. Mast, who is so patient, creative, and fun. AND yes…that’s him doing the splits. Go, Roman!!!
Bookworm Award…
Xander was the one 3rd through 5th grade student who was awarded the NES Library Bookworm Award for the month of April!!! The librarian said he does such a great job in the library and knows how to search for books on the computer AND find them all on his own. I’m so proud of my little guy. Go, Xander!!!
Tennessee Aquarium…
We took the boys to the Tennessee Aquarium over Spring Break. We loved swimming in the pool at the hotel, playing on the climbing wall at the playground, sliding down a huge hill on cardboard boxes over and over again, eating dinner at the Mellow Mushroom, walking with our delicious ice cream cones down to the river at sunset, spending the day checking out all of the interesting creatures at the aquarium, and watching one of the best IMAX/3D marine animal films.
Click on the “Tennessee Aquarium 2019” page to the right for more pictures.
Mall Adventure…
I took the boys on an adventure to the Opry Mills mall this week during Spring Break. It was the first time I’d braved the mall with them since they were little. Surprisingly, they did great! We checked out the Lego store, took our picture together in one of those photo booths, met Maw for lunch in the food court, walked around, and stopped in to the Disney and the Build a Bear stores. They all spent some of their allowance money on a little something for themselves…Jonas picked out a little Pooh bear to add to his collection and Xander and Roman chose to build bears (named Fluff and Cuddles). They did so well that I think I might bring them back to the mall again this summer to check out Dave and Buster’s.
