And Emma Makes 5

February 2016

noreply@blogger.com (carolinagirl) — Thu, 03 Mar 2016 21:43:00 +0000

We started February with a soccer tournament for Emma. The girls looked very rusty as they had only practiced once since the season began.

That weekend also happened to be Super Bowl 50, and our home state team, the Carolina Panthers, played the Denver Broncos. Brendan is a Panthers fan, but the rest of us are not. We did go to a neighbor's house for a Super Bowl party and Emma wanted to paint her face. I gave in and painted it for her!

We celebrated Mardi Gras with a few decorations and a homemade Kings Cake that is super easy (made from store bought cinnamon rolls).

You can find the recipe HERE.

We did have one more winter storm...we were supposed to get about 6 inches of snow, but after an inch, all we got was sleet and freezing rain. It was a mess.

Yes, that is a bowl to collect snow for snow cream. You have to take every opportunity you are given in the south.

We didn't really do a lot for Valentine's Day. JC had a stomach bug earlier in the weekend, and he still wasn't feeling all that great.

These are the Valentines that I made for Emma to pass out at school. I think they turned out really cute. I had them printed in wallet size.

On February 19th, Emma's school had the annual Sweetheart's Dance that I have already blogged about. Emma had so much fun, and she looked beautiful.

The same night, our church hosted the annual Dodgeball Tournament benefitting our local food pantry. Brendan entered a team in the high school division. You may remember that his team won the Middle School division last year.

This year they were supposed to be "The Dodge Fathers" but they were asked to change their team name at the last minute. Brendan chose Snoop Dodgy Dodge.

They lost their first game, but then they battled back to play in the championship game. They just couldn't hold out for the win, however.

On Saturday the 20th, we celebrated my niece's birthday. She also had a rollerskating party. Emma was so excited. Emma and Jackson got to go celebrate, but Brendan had his last day of baseball tryouts at school so he didn't get to go.

Brendan had five days of tryouts for the JV baseball team. The roster was finally posted around 1:30pm on Sunday the 21st. BRENDAN MADE THE TEAM! This may not be such a big deal at some schools, but they had about 60 kids try out. They kept B which is huge because they have 2 returning sophomore catchers who are REALLY GOOD!!!

We celebrated with balloons and cake!

Another fantastic month in the books!

Sweetheart Dance 2016

noreply@blogger.com (carolinagirl) — Thu, 25 Feb 2016 17:17:00 +0000

Last Friday night, Emma's school held their annual Sweetheart Dance which is the Daddy Daughter Dance. Emma was so excited to get all dressed up. First we painted her fingernails and then we hot rolled her hair.

This year the school did not send forms out to preorder the corsages so I gathered some Lenten Rose from our front yard and made a boutonniere for JC and a corsage for Emma.

The weather was beautiful for February in NC so we went to the backyard for photographs before Emma and her dad met some others for dinner.

Sarah and Mike also came over for photos. The girls always have fun taking pictures together.

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And JC texted me this photo from the dance...

Emma had so much fun running around with her friends that night. She looked beautiful!

Emma's 8th Birthday

noreply@blogger.com (carolinagirl) — Mon, 22 Feb 2016 18:04:00 +0000

Emma turned 8 years old on January 24th. It was a Sunday so we actually got to have her party on her birthday again this year.

Emma really wanted to have a rollerskating party so that's what we did! :)

I would say the day was a HUGE success!

January 2016

noreply@blogger.com (carolinagirl) — Mon, 01 Feb 2016 15:08:00 +0000

With Jackson and Emma both having birthdays in January, we always have a very busy month.

The second week of January, Jackson finally got his braces. I took him to get his teeth cleaned at JC's office first.

I took Emma out to do a birthday photo shoot at our soccer fields. It was a beautiful January day.

The kids were out of school both Monday and Tuesday of MLK weekend. On Monday, Jackson got to go skiing with some friends. It was 8 degrees that day.

On the way, Jackson asked the dad who took them to pull over so he could get a photo of the sunrise.

Since there was also no school on Tuesday, JC and Brendan drove up for the night session to take a snowboarding lesson. They had to take a few breaks to go in and warm up by the fire.

I came home from work on MLK day to Emma making homemade play doh. She loves to make things!

We had a couple of days where it snowed about a half an inch.

The dogs love to stay warm by our fireplace. They cannot get close enough.

We decided to trade our nice sofa for a sectional in the great room. That room is kind of small, and I was very worried about it overpowering the room, but I like it. We needed some more seating for all 5 of us.

We also were supposed to have a ton of snow Emma's birthday weekend from winter storm Jonas. We ended up not getting as much as was predicted because it turned to sleet and freezing rain for the majority of the storm.

It didn't stop the kids from playing in it though.

We didn't get a lot of snow, but I was still able to make a little snow cream.

The storm hit the Friday of Emma's birthday weekend. We were supposed to pick up her birthday cake that day from Costco. JC made it out on Saturday and was able to get the cake for Emma's skating party on Sunday.

I will do a separate post for Emma's birthday party. She had a rollerskating party and had so much fun.

After her party, we went to a neighbor's to watch the Panthers vs. Cardinals playoff game.

Emma got a mini polaroid camera for her birthday, and she took that with her. She got some cute photos.

January also started Jackson's spring season of soccer. Emma did not get to start because of the fields being soaked from the snow. Jack's team did actually play in a tournament the last weekend of January. He played in 2 out of the 3 games they had. Jack started Confirmation at church on the 31st and missed the last game of the tourney.

The last Saturday of January, we went back to Sugar Ski Resort (since Jack only had Friday and Sunday games), and this time we were able to meet up with JC's cousin, Hunter.

Emma and Hunter hit it off beautifully. He was so great to ski with her so that JC could keep checking on the boys.

Emma did take a spill at the top of the mountain after someone cut her off, and she scraped her chin and busted her bottom lip pretty good. Hunter was such a good sport and amazing skier that he carried her on his back and carried her skis in his hands the entire way down the slope.

Emma was quite worn out from the day's events.

She even came in to sit with me for a while and fell asleep in my arms. When she woke up she told her dad she was "fresh as a daisy" and went back out for a couple more runs! :)

At one point Brendan took a break as well so JC and Jackson got to ski and snowboard together for a few runs.

On the way home from Sugar, we stopped and had an early dinner in Boone at Makoto's again (same place as Jackson's birthday). The kids love that place.

The sunset was truly spectacular coming down the mountain. This is not a great iPhone photo, but it was pretty.

And just because, here is a photo of Brendan and Franklin. Our dachshunds are beyond spoiled.

The last day of the month was beautiful - sunny and 67. We actually built a fire and enjoyed some time on the back porch. Nothing better than to end your weekend like that!

And Jackson and Rosey...Jackson had a busy day between soccer, chores and Confirmation. He was out like a light on the sofa.

Emma's 8th Birthday Photo Shoot

noreply@blogger.com (carolinagirl) — Thu, 28 Jan 2016 15:06:00 +0000

The week before Emma's birthday, we had a beautiful Saturday afternoon so I decided to take Emma out for some photos. We missed doing this for her 7th birthday so I was excited to get some new shots of our spunky girl.

First we started on the soccer field with a few fun shots.

To get out to our fields, you have to drive under the I-40 bridges which also cross over the Yadkin River. I've been wanting to do a shoot here for a long time so we ventured beyond the guard rails and got some amazing shots.

We also took one more in her room with those balloons.

Can't believe how grown up our girl is!

Jackson's 13th Birthday

noreply@blogger.com (carolinagirl) — Tue, 19 Jan 2016 15:55:00 +0000

It's hard to believe that Jackson is a teenager now. It seems like yesterday, he was just 3 or 4!

The week of Jackson's birthday, he let me take a few photos of him at our house. Both boys never like to have their picture taken so I was extremely happy just to get these.

This year, Jackson really wanted to go skiing for his birthday especially since his birthday was on a Saturday. We found a really nice condo near Sugar Mountain ski resort that we rented for the weekend. We went up after school on Friday and stopped in Boone to have dinner at the Japanese steakhouse that's been there for years.

We were seated at a window by the courtyard. They still had the Christmas tree decorated, and it looked beautiful!

Our chef was really funny. He kept trying to get Emma to catch these "rice balls" in her mouth. I don't think she ever got one.

On Saturday we went skiing. I thought I would try it this time. That was a mistake. I am not cut out for skiing at all.

Everyone else was able to pick up right where they left off.

That night, Jackson blew out his candles and opened his birthday presents!

I think Jackson had a great time!

This was the view from our condo Sunday morning right before we left.

The Russell Athletic Bowl

noreply@blogger.com (carolinagirl) — Thu, 14 Jan 2016 18:23:00 +0000

On December 29th, we left the island to drive to Orlando to watch Carolina play Baylor in the Russell Athletic Bowl. We met two other families there, and we all had a fantastic time tailgating.

We had a nice lunch and the kids played football.

Then the paint came out!!!

First it was blue spray paint in the hair.

Then the real mixing began!

Since it was 84 degrees that day, the boys had no problem taking off their shirts and painting their bodies.

I got elected to paint the letters. It is way harder than it looks!

On the front they spelled out "Quise" for the quarterback, Marquise Williams.

On the back, they spelled out ESPN with the NC logo.

They got quite a bit of attention!

Some of us even made it on ESPN since our seats were directly behind a field goal!!!

Even though UNC did not win, we still had a great little side trip to Orlando with friends!

North Captiva Island ~ Week between Christmas and New Years

noreply@blogger.com (carolinagirl) — Thu, 14 Jan 2016 17:42:00 +0000

The day after Christmas, we woke up in Jacksonville, Florida and continued our journey southwest to North Captiva Island. NCI is much like Bald Head Island in North Carolina. There is no bridge over and no cars...only golf carts. There is no grocery store and only a couple of restaurants. It is a beautiful paradise. This was our first experience staying on an island like this.

We met our water taxi on Pine Island at this dock.

The captain's name is Andrew, and he was super nice. Emma even got to drive the boat.

When we got there, the management lady for the house we rented, met us so that we could get our luggage and supplies to the house from the dock. Unfortunately, the golf cart battery died so the boys had to get out and push!

We quickly unloaded and headed to the beach to see the sunset. The sunsets on the gulf coast of Florida are so spectacular!!!

Our first full day on the island was absolutely beautiful. We got very lucky with the weather. It did not rain any day that we were there, and the highs were in the low 80s...perfection!

On one end of the island, is a state park so there is a lot of natural area right on the beach. Great for finding sea shells!

Even though we could walk to the beach, we did decide to take the golf cart so that we could take the cooler, beach chairs and all of our stuff with us. I just love the little golf cart parking area.

Our golf cart is the red one. It was kind of pitiful.

Our second night, we went to eat at a little restaurant on the water named Barnacle Phils. The shrimp was delicious!!!

Monday was more of the same...beach...sunset...relaxation! A few nights we also managed to play board games.

On Tuesday, we actually left the island to drive to Orlando to watch Carolina play in the Russell Athletic Bowl. I will post more on that later.

On the way back to the island, we stopped in adorable Matlacha, FL to get some shrimp to make Frogmore Stew.

The area where the ferry docks is super cute. There are a couple of small restaurants and the North Captiva Island Club.

Jackson spent many hours skim boarding.

As I said earlier, the sunsets are so beautiful. We went out every night that we were there. Some nights there were too many clouds, but on the clear nights, it was such a show. A lot of people did the same thing...lots out to watch.

This year they had the 3rd annual North Captiva 5k Fun Run on New Year's Eve to benefit the fire station on the island. We decided to sign up even though we did not pack running shoes for Emma.

Here's my girl running barefoot. She did have her slides for when we went on some not so sandy paths.

We all got a T-shirt, and we all got a medal!!!

After the race, Emma was beat! She was so funny...she said that if she had had shoes and headphones with an iPod, she probably would have won the whole thing.

After we got cleaned up, we spent the day on the beach and then had a nice dinner out!

Unfortunately we were all so tired we did not make it to see the ball drop and to welcome in 2016!!!

New Year's Day was our last full day on the island. Emma and I built a sand snowman.

The kids found a coconut on the beach so JC cracked it open for them at lunch...

They did not think the coconut milk tasted too good.

All three brought their snorkel gear, but the water just a little too murky to see anything.

I think I could live for a while on this little island.

New Year's Day we had dinner at the last restaurant on the island. It was tiny, but the food was very good.

After dinner, we went back and started packing to leave the following day. My heart was sad.

Just before we boarded the water taxi to the mainland, we finally got to see a manatee! It was amazing and so much bigger than I was expecting.

We got back to the mainland around 10am and started home. We drove the entire way. It took 13 hours since traffic was just so bad!!! It was worth it for the amazing week that we had. I cannot wait to go back!

Christmas 2015

noreply@blogger.com (carolinagirl) — Thu, 14 Jan 2016 13:54:00 +0000

As usual Christmas day was a whirlwind of fun! The kids were up by 6am, which is actually sleeping in for Jackson since he has to get up so early for middle school.

I didn't have my big camera out and ready so I snapped some photos with my iPhone. They are not great but better than none I guess.

Emma really wanted Santa to bring a 2015 Barbie Dream House. She was super excited when it came!!!

Around 10am, MiMi, Katie, Carson and Andrew came over for an early lunch.

We then loaded up the Yukon and started our trip south for the week. We drove to Jacksonville, FL and spent Christmas night there. The morning after, we continued driving south to Pine Island to catch a water taxi to take us to North Captiva Island for the week.

2015 Christmas Card

noreply@blogger.com (carolinagirl) — Wed, 13 Jan 2016 15:44:00 +0000

Christmas Eve

noreply@blogger.com (carolinagirl) — Wed, 13 Jan 2016 15:42:00 +0000

Christmas Eve morning we spent finishing up last minute packing for our trip to Florida, and then we went over to JC's parents' house to have a large Christmas celebration.

We then attended the 6pm Candlelight Christmas Eve service at church. Jackson and Brendan ushered again this year.

When we got home, we ate some leftovers for dinner and then made our annual reindeer food.

The boys were less than thrilled to have me take their picture while doing so...

Emma managed to actually spread the reindeer food on the lawn while the boys threw theirs at Emma.

JC then did the annual reading of T'was the Night Before Christmas and Santa Mouse.

Emma put out Santa's magic key on the front porch...

And then it was time for the kids to open their one gift Christmas Eve night.

Don't they look thrilled?

This year they got a UNC shirt, and we told them that we were going to go to the Russell Athletic Bowl in Orlando to see Carolina play Baylor.

Emma and I put out milk, cookies and cheese for Santa and Santa Mouse although I didn't get a photo of that!

Finally it was time for the kids to go to bed so that Santa could come.

And to all a good night...

The Nutcracker Ballet

noreply@blogger.com (carolinagirl) — Wed, 13 Jan 2016 15:22:00 +0000

Every year we go to NC School of the Arts production of the Nutcracker Ballet. It is an amazing performance and something that we look forward to every year. As I've stated before, I love this tradition with Emma because it is part of her Russian heritage.

Here is Emma before.

This year we went with just one other mother and daughter unlike years prior. We decided to have lunch downtown before the show.

The girls watching the orchestra warm up before the ballet:

We had a wonderful time!

The Elves

noreply@blogger.com (carolinagirl) — Wed, 13 Jan 2016 15:11:00 +0000

Our elves returned on December 1st this year. Emma was quite surprised to see them. I think she may have even forgotten about them since last year.

We have two elves. Our first was given to the boys back in 2007 or 2008 by their great aunt. They named him Fritz Fritz. They came up with that name all on their own. Our girl elf arrived a couple of years ago to keep Fritz Fritz company and to share in his mischief around our house. Emma named her Sprinkles.

This year, the elves made it back to the North Pole to report to Santa all but one night. They must have been really tired that day. :)

So here are a few of our elves' shenanigans...

Our elves have the best time!!!

December 2015

noreply@blogger.com (carolinagirl) — Wed, 13 Jan 2016 00:30:00 +0000

We started December off by decorating the house for Christmas. This is always a major undertaking in our house. I actually start with the kids' artificial trees in November and finish everything else once we get the live tree for the great room.

Our tree ended up being a little too tall and too wide for our space. We had to cut quite a bit off the top, and our angel would not fit. Emma made us a beautiful yellow star out of her construction paper, and that worked just fine.

Emma and Jackson decorated a gingerbread house one Sunday. We don't ever eat our gingerbread houses since we use them as decorations.

Emma started Futsal at the YWCA.

Even though our great room is small, we still cram our Christmas tree in every year because we all love to enjoy it every night.

Emma's entire second grade put on a winter musical called Santa's Holiday Playlist. Emma had the speaking part from her class, and she totally rocked it. We were so proud of her!

Since A Charlie Brown Christmas turned 50 this year, we definitely had to have a Charlie Brown Christmas tree! :)

JC and I hosted the annual BFF Christmas get together. There's never a dull moment!

Our December was unusually warm thanks to El Nino! We had temps in the 70s for several days. I enjoyed some time out on our porch in flip flops. :)

The Sunday before Christmas, we went to church and then made treats for the neighbors!

And we had our little elf help us deliver...

And here's a little throwback to Brendan's first Christmas (2001):

And Jackson's (2003):

And Emma's first Christmas home (2009)...

November 2015

noreply@blogger.com (carolinagirl) — Mon, 11 Jan 2016 18:18:00 +0000

Even though the middle school soccer season was over, the head coach allowed our boys to stay after one afternoon for me to be able to do photos of them.

Emma played in her last game of the fall season and did great!

JC and B went to a baseball showcase camp in Norfolk, VA the first weekend. B had a lot of fun!

Jackson had a couple of games and weekend tournaments in November. His team won one of those.

Emma and I got an early start on Christmas decorating.

We hosted both of our families the Sunday before Thanksgiving for lunch.

The day before Thanksgiving, we all flew to Dallas for the weekend.

We had Thanksgiving Day lunch at our condo and friends came over and ate with us before we all went to the Dallas Cowboys vs. Carolina Panthers game.

The weather was horrible. It rained the entire time we were there.

House Divided:

The Friday after Thanksgiving, we toured the Texas Rangers baseball stadium.

After our tour of the Rangers Stadium, we drove into downtown Dallas. It was freezing and pouring down rain so we really did not get to get out and walk around. We drove by the old Book Depository and took the route where JFK was shot.

We then took the kids over to Pioneer Plaza to see the cattle drive statues.

We then drove to Frisco, TX for lunch and to visit the FC Dallas soccer stadium. We had lunch at the cutest Tex Mex restaurant across the street.

Toyota Stadium was very impressive.

We really had an amazing November.

October 2015

noreply@blogger.com (carolinagirl) — Tue, 05 Jan 2016 20:23:00 +0000

October arrived with rain...for 10 days straight. It was so depressing.

We celebrated Emma's coming home from Russia

Of course we decorated for Halloween:

Jackson continued to play on his middle school team and his club team. Here the boys are wearing Ronald McDonald House socks to show their support.

Jackson's middle school team ended up being conference champs and then played in the county wide championship game.

They ended up winning the championship in penalty kicks. So many students stayed after and rushed onto the field. It was a really neat experience for Jackson.

On October 24, 2015 Jonathan's first cousin, Jordan, passed away from injuries sustained in a car accident. He was only 28 years old and such a sweet soul. We were on our way to the airport to fly to Puerto Rico when we first learned of the accident.

Jordan was a musician and song writer. This was written just days before he passed away.

We spent 4 nights in Puerto Rico celebrating with friends for their 20th wedding anniversary. It rained every day, but we tried to make the most of it. We were heartbroken the entire time though.

The guys all wore tuxedo T-shirts on the plane. They got quite a lot of attention. It was really funny.

The resort was very nice. They have just teamed up with Margarittaville.

Our resort backs up to a rainforest so we spent some time there our second day.

Our last full day we drove into Old San Juan. It is absolutely beautiful. I love the old blue cobblestone streets.

We also toured the oldest and largest fort in PR.

We then went through the Old San Juan Cathedral. It was beautiful.

We lit a candle for Jordan.

We then had lunch at the home of the pina colada.

I had the chicken Mofungo...

Never a dull moment with this crowd. :)

The Friday before Halloween, the youth academy soccer had a Halloween dress up tournament for fun. Emma's team was FIRE. Emma won first place for girls in her age group for her costume. Mimi painted the shirt for her, and I made the tutu.

For Halloween, Emma dressed up as an Eskimo girl. I surprised her and got a matching costume!

We had our 2nd annual potluck dinner/trick or treating down the street...

Halloween is always a fun time!

September 2015

noreply@blogger.com (carolinagirl) — Thu, 17 Dec 2015 18:04:00 +0000

This is the first time in a long time that we did not go to Oak Island for Labor Day weekend. Jackson's team was in a soccer tournament so we stayed home. They won the tournament which was very nice.

The boys got to Scuba dive at a quarry on Labor Day:

We got to go to the pool after I spent the morning painting our bedroom.

We helped celebrate Katie's birthday with a nice lunch made by my mom. Emma and Carson had fun with these stick on mustaches.

Emma played in her first soccer game. I love my new bracelet with her # on it.

We had a bit of a cold front come through so we enjoyed our first fire of the fall season on the back porch.

Brendan's baseball team played in a showcase tournament in South Charlotte / Rock Hill, SC area.

We celebrated my mother in law's birthday with a lunch at our house.

I spent a lot of time redoing our master bedroom. I had this old dresser that I painted.

I finished painting our bedroom. It was a yellowish cream color when we moved in, and I never really liked it. I just didn't know what I wanted to do in there. I chose the color Constellation by Benjamin Moore and love it.

We also got a new rug and new bed.

I also painted our end tables. I wish I had taken more "before" photos.

The dresser with the gold accents:

This photo that I found on Pinterest was my inspiration for my dresser wall.

And my wall:

I also ordered a lot of new pillows from Etsy for our bed.

We still have not finished the entire room. I still have a few pictures to hang. I've ordered a floor mirror, and I really would love for Jackson to paint a huge acrylic for over our bed.

August 2015

noreply@blogger.com (carolinagirl) — Thu, 17 Dec 2015 16:27:00 +0000

August was another busy month spent trying to soak up as much of our summer break as possible.

I was able to get the soccer doofs out to our fields to take the annual soccer photo. This is the third one of the boys.

The first one was a cell phone photo taken in a dorm room when we dropped them off for soccer camp at UNC summer 2013.

The first week of August, Emma started her first soccer camp. We picked all of her new soccer gear and she is ready.

She is number 84. She did not get to choose her #, but she likes it.

The second weekend, we went to the beach for 3 nights. The rain started on the way down, and it pretty much rained off and on the whole time. We tried to make the most out of it though. Brendan stayed home to play baseball so Jackson took a friend.

The first morning there was beautiful, but it started raining at lunch and didn't stop.

We did go out to dinner in Morehead City one night. It was delicious!

We were home in time to hit the beach for about an hour since it actually cleared up for a while.

On a random Thursday night, JC arranged for us to go to Chapel Hill for the night. We had an amazing time on Franklin Street just walking around and having dinner.

This is the church we were married in ~ 1998.

Jackson's soccer team won their first tournament of the new soccer year!

One of my friends made the cutest door hangers for our sports players.

Jackson and Brendan took SCUBA lessons and got certified!!!

Then it was time for back to school. Brendan started his freshman year of high school this year. Where has the time gone? Jackson is in the 7th grade, and Emma is in the 2nd grade.

Emma's soccer team got to practice on the football field at WFU! Pretty cool experience.

Brendan went to his first high school football game as a student. It was Hawaiian night!

All in all August was a great month. It's always hard going back to school and trying to adjust to homework and sports practices.

July 2015

noreply@blogger.com (carolinagirl) — Tue, 15 Dec 2015 15:07:00 +0000

July is one of my favorite months of the year. There is no school; it is warm; it stays light outside until about 9pm; and we always have a trip or two planned.

This year we celebrated July 4th at the pool. That night we had some friends over for a cookout and then went to see some fireworks set off at the pond in our neighborhood.

The second week of July we took the kids and two of their friends to Williamsburg. We first went to Water Country USA. It was fun but very crowded.

The second day of our trip we went to Busch Gardens. We had so much fun. It wasn't nearly as crowded as the water park, and we were able to ride many rides several times.

Emma had as much fun as the boys!!!

Our last full day in Williamsburg, we toured Historic Yorktown. The kids weren't too into it. It also started pouring down rain when we were there.

After Yorktown, we went over to William and Mary's baseball and soccer fields.

Then we stopped in a cute store for fudge. I made the kids let me take their photo by the VW bus.

They look happy, don't they?

JC and I took two cars on this trip because on the day of check out, JC drove Brendan and his friend to UVA for baseball camp.

Jackson had the opportunity to play in a 3 v. 3 soccer tournament, and his team won their division.

Brendan's travel team got to play at Appalachian State University.

Jackson got to go zip lining with friends.

We spent the last weekend in Emerson, GA playing at the PerfectGame complex. It was an amazing experience for the boys.

June 2015

noreply@blogger.com (carolinagirl) — Thu, 17 Sep 2015 16:28:00 +0000

At the beginning of June, Emma participated in a Fun Run at her school. It was the big finale for the running club that she was in this spring.

Because of snow make-up days, the last day of school was not until June 12th. We let all three skip the last 2 days though because we already had other plans.

Emma's last day of first grade:

Brendan and Jackson (last day of 8th & 6th grades):

Instead of going to school the next to last day, we all headed to Winthrop University where Brendan played in a showcase tournament for rising Freshmen.

In this photo, Brendan is behind the plate. He was on the blue team.

Here are some of the Canes that participated.

We spent the night in Charlotte that night and got up the next morning to fly to Las Vegas for a family vacation.

We stayed at the Signature in a connecting 2 room suite. It was very nice and away from the mainstream.

There are moving sidewalks which connect The Signature with MGM Grand though.

Our first night we enjoyed some pool time and then had dinner at Maggiano's. It was delicious.

The next day we spent at the pool and then headed to the Forum shops to have dinner at The Cheesecake Factory and to shop at the Nike store.

Emma was in heaven in the Nike store since the Women's World Cup was going on...Emma talked her dad into a new US Women's replica jersey and a new pair of cleats for her upcoming soccer season.

After dinner we went the Bellagio to walk through the Conservatory. I never come to LV and not walk through the Conservatory. It is one of my favorite things to do there.

This summer they were doing an Under the Sea theme. It wasn't my favorite, but it was still very beautiful, and I was happy to share that with the kids.

After the Conservatory, we went to see "O" at the Bellagio. Everyone LOVED it. JC and I had seen it years before, but we went to the 10pm PST show, and we fell asleep in the middle of it.

The next day we had to get up pretty early because we took a private tour of the Hoover Dam. As many times as JC and I have been out to LV, we have never been to the Hoover Dam. It was also amazing.

Emma decided to wear her new US Women's jersey.

We went with a company that does tours in Hummers. It was really funny seeing that big thing drive up and us all get in.

Our guide was so awesome though, and spouted information the entire time.

We started inside the dam hundreds of feet down...that was kind of frightening. Think Vegas Vacation...

Then we got to walk around to take photos. It was about 110 degrees that day so we didn't spend too much time outside.

A new bridge was built a couple of years ago to route traffic around the dam for national security reasons. It is also a spectacular sight to see.

In the middle of the river is the state line. It is marked by this plaque. Pretty cool to be standing on a bridge with your feet in two different states.

Our last day we spent more time at the pool during the day! It was hot, but so relaxing.

That night the championship game for the Stanley Cup was on so we ate at a sports bar at MGM Grand, and then we went to see David Copperfield. That is an amazing show. I am so glad that we got to see him since he actually levitated JC about 35 years ago!!!

Las Vegas was so much fun...not always the best place to have your kids, but we made the most of it.

The next to last week in June, Jackson and all his friends went to the overnight soccer camp at Wake Forest. Just like last year, they had a blast!!! Soccer all day and all night!

Jackson bought a shirt with his money. Although we are not really Wake fans, he likes it.

The last weekend in June, Brendan played in a tournament at Lenoir Rhyne University. That Friday night, JC and Jackson joined several other dads and sons for a camp out and then rafting down the Nolichucky River. They had a blast, but the weather was bad. It rained all Friday night and most of the day rafting.

We had a busy June...June is one of my favorite months. I love the time in between Memorial Day and July 4th...my favorite time of the year!!!

May 2015

noreply@blogger.com (carolinagirl) — Tue, 09 Jun 2015 13:17:00 +0000

May is a crazy busy month for us. JC and I celebrated our 17th anniversary on May 2nd. It's hard to believe we have been married that long. Time is flying by...we look so young here:

Brendan turned 14 on May 6th, and he let me snap one photo of him since the church needed one for the Confirmation service.

On Brendan's birthday, his middle school team played for the county-wide championship. They were undefeated all season and were Conference champs going into the championship game. We played a team from Kernersville, and B's team won!!! We are so proud of them!

It was a fantastic way to spend Brendan's birthday.

We also celebrated JC's 43rd birthday on May 9th, and Mother's Day was on May 10th. Not only was it Mother's Day, but it was also JC's dad's 70th birthday, and Brendan's Confirmation at church. We had lunch at our house after church.

Our family after the service:

Emma set the "kids' table"...

JC and his dad...

B opening a Confirmation gift...

This is a photo of all the Confirmands taken at the rehearsal the Saturday night before...

And B with his mentor...

The weekend of Mother's Day, I got to have lunch with Emma at school. This is Emma posing under the portrait she drew of me...

This is a precious paper that Emma brought home from school. It's an assignment they did for Mother's Day:

Also Emma had her last recreation league soccer game on JC's birthday. She was happy to receive a trophy!

And this is a special box of treasures that Emma put together for me for Mother's Day:

We also celebrated with Brendan at the middle school's annual sports awards banquet. The only sport that Brendan played that is recognized by the school system is volleyball (baseball is through the school, but it is not supported by the school system). Brendan was given a special coach's award. It was great hearing him getting recognition.

Twice in the month of May, JC drove Brendan to Pittsboro for some very intensive training with a former UNC and Atlanta Braves catcher. He learned a ton, and we are grateful that he had this opportunity.

Both Emma and Jackson had tryouts for the upcoming soccer year the week before Memorial Day.

Emma made Jr. Academy for the first time...it starts at U8. Jackson made the WHITE team this year which is the top team for his age group in our league at Twins. The night we found out, he had gone to a West Forsyth women's playoff game. We made a poster and hung it outside for him and then we all changed into all white and waited for him in the driveway to arrive home. He was beyond excited!

Brendan's travel team also played in a few tournaments in May...all in the age group older than their team. The first tournament was the Tennessee Super NIT. The boys played great but fell short in the championship game. Runner up is not so bad though.

The second tourney they played was also 14U. They won the whole thing out of 15 teams...they beat a team from Georgia in the championship game.

They also played the last weekend in May, and the tournament was held at Charlotte Independence High School. Once again, they won the championship game beating out a great 14U team.

We also went to the beach for Memorial Day weekend. I will post pictures from that trip soon.

April 2015

noreply@blogger.com (carolinagirl) — Thu, 14 May 2015 14:30:00 +0000

We celebrated Easter Sunday the day after we got back from our spring break trip.

Also in April, JC and Ben ran the Carolinas Spartan Sprint.

Brendan played in his first game at West Forsyth High School. Meadowlark played Clemmons Middle the Monday after spring break.

Emma's soccer season was in full swing.

And Jackson's team played the majority of their conference games for the spring season in April as well.

These were taken at West Forsyth the second time B played there.

I celebrated my 41st birthday with GiGi's cupcakes and a dinner out with JC and the kids.

We also celebrated Earth Day...

And Brendan went to Lake Junaluska for his Confirmation Retreat.

It rained 3 of the weekends in April so we spent a lot of time indoors.

But...the kids also played in the rain:

Mostly we just spent the month playing sports! Haha!

JC did buy a new bird feeder. We have so many nice birds to look at now. The squirrels have almost figured out how to get the seed though.

Spring Break 2015

noreply@blogger.com (carolinagirl) — Thu, 30 Apr 2015 17:09:00 +0000

We went back to Pompano Beach for spring break this year with our good friends. We had so much fun!

The boys packed their ENOs and found the perfect spot to put them up each day.

We also took the kids to the cart races in Pompano Beach. They lasted all of 3 races, but they had fun picking horses.

While there, Ben turned 16! For his birthday, he wanted to become certified in SCUBA.

This also inspired the other kids to want to try snorkeling. Since Ben had a GoPro, he was able to get some great photos while they were out.

The sweet frozen treats from the tiki bar are always a huge hit!!!

We spent many days by the pool. The weather was fantastic!

And the girls enjoyed lunch on the balcony every day...

For Ben's birthday dinner, we went to an awesome restaurant right on the water. I took the big camera along and was so glad that I did.

One afternoon, the girls finally wore the dads down enough to go Banana Boating. They loved it.

We really did have a fantastic time. I can't wait to go back!

March 2015

noreply@blogger.com (carolinagirl) — Thu, 30 Apr 2015 14:14:00 +0000

March started out cold and rainy for us.

Emma participated in the annual Jump Rope for Heart at school.

Emma and JC went to the Daddy ~ Daughter Dance at school the first Friday of the month. They looked so nice dressed up. I think Emma had a wonderful time.

Brendan started his middle school baseball games this month. He is having a lot of fun on the team this year.

JC and I discovered a newish restaurant downtown that we love for our Friday lunches.

Brendan's travel ball team had their first tournament of the spring season, and they played up an age group. The Canes won, and B was given the plaque as the MVP of the tourney. He caught 14 or 15 foul tip 3rd strikes. It was amazing.

We also had a little celebration for St. Patrick's Day...

The third weekend in March, Jackson's soccer team had a tournament in Rock Hill, SC.

They won their age division. I was so proud of this team.

At the end of March, we took the kids to south Florida for spring break. We had the best week...it was so much fun!

Hard Rock Dominican Republic

noreply@blogger.com (carolinagirl) — Wed, 29 Apr 2015 11:29:00 +0000

Over Valentine's Day Weekend, JC and I flew to Punta Cana and stayed at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino.

The whole experience was just amazing! The property is huge with multiple pools and restaurants. We loved it.

We were upgraded to a junior suite as soon as we arrived. I wish we had taken the kids...it was so amazing.

I hope we get to go back sometime. It was such a wonderful trip especially in the heart of winter.