Back to School!

It's that time of year again- back to school!

 Kindergarten Round Up was the morning of August 1st. The school bus picked up all the Kindergartners to get them used to riding the bus. 

 The kids got to see their classrooms, drop off their supplies, and get a little treat. 

 We are pumped to have Mrs. Hubbard and Mrs. Currie!

 Later that day, the kids had a dentist appointment. James had a wiggly front tooth and Dr. Aunt Missa pulled it! The tooth is in his little necklace. 

 The other grade levels had Open House that evening. Adelyn's 3rd grade teacher is Mrs. Hannah and her room is very pretty! 

 The Kona Ice Truck was at the school, so of course we had to buy one!

 Two days later, we were ready for the big day! They've had these signs since James started in the 2s. 

 He wants to work at Thomas Lumber when he grows up

 Adelyn wants to be a teacher

James's backpack looks so big on him!

 They're ready!

Seth and I both drove them to school. I loved seeing the sign as we pulled in!

 It was fun seeing friends as we walked in 

 There he goes! I had no idea I'd get so emotional, but I was definitely "that mom" with tears running down my face. 

 They made it home and had smiles on their sweet faces! It's going to be a great school year!

Wrapping up summer

Once we returned from the beach, we quickly realized we had less than a month to enjoy summer fully (now that swim team was over) before school starts! Summers are SHORT around here! :) 

 Sweet Mae was saved during Revival so we watched her get baptized

 We've had a great garden experience this year! We planted cucumbers, tomatoes, green beans (first time), corn (first time), and green peppers (first time.... and I'm STILL waiting for them!). Brenda canned 7 quarts and we've enjoyed a gracious plenty of green beans (and I have frozen some). I have also frozen roasted tomato soup and roasted spaghetti sauce. I can't wait to enjoy our garden more this winter! 

 We were pretty pumped about the corn! 

 Adelyn's friend Ava spent the night and they made cake pops!

 Fun with friends in the driveway!

 Pool time with friends

 We went to Get Air and had a blast!

 Adelyn completed and documented 10 hours of exercise for PE last year and got a free pass to Get Air. This girl was able to get to the top of the wall. My kids love to watch American Ninja Warrior!

 A little friendly jousting

 Water gun fight!

We went to Lanier Islands Waterpark with the Duffs. It's about a 45 minute drive, but we went via boat and it was only 20 minutes

 They do a foam party - bubbles and a blower and it was super fun!

 James wouldn't do this slide, but Adelyn did both sides (the right side is really steep!)

 The kids called this the "superman" slide because you went down on a mat on your tummy

 James and Donovan 

 There was a big water playground behind us. David, Karen, and I enjoyed some adult time while the kids were occupied. The lunch here was great! 

 The Abernathy kids came over for a sleepover and we made slime

 So fun and easy!

 Tatem's face is hilarious!

 Elijah and James playing pirates

Cousin pool time. Notice Bella, the dog, on the raft!

The kids also went my parents' house in SC for 3 nights and had a blast playing putt putt, going to the movies, and getting in some quality grandparent time without us. Seth and I had 3 date nights (Avalon, Ponce City Market, and seeing The Big Sick) and I did a major closet clean-out. Good stuff!

We had some lazy days and some crazy days! It was a terrific summer!

Folly Beach- Part 2

The rest of the week was just as fun as the beginning! 

On Tuesday morning, Adelyn took surf lessons! 

Her instructor, Mindy, was so sweet! 

Adelyn got up immediately!

The lesson was an hour and a half and she rocked it. I think we have sealed the deal for Adelyn attending College of Charleston in 2027. YES!

My friend from college, Heather, came by that day to hang out on the beach. It's always great to catch up with her! 

My parents did their date night in Charleston Tuesday night, so we made tacos. 

The kids loved night swimming! My other friend Heather and her son Zephyr came over that night and we let the kids swim until 9:30. So fun!

On Wednesday, we took a break from the beach and had a girls day in downtown Charleston. We went shopping and had lunch at Fast and French

Lunch turned out now to be so FAST and Adelyn did not like her soup. Other than that, it was a great day! 

That night, we ate at Bowen's Island. It's always a family favorite! My handsome boys bought matching hats at McKelvin's earlier that day and then happened to kind of match. 

SO good! Mom and I split the low country boil and everyone else got fried seafood

Of course, we had to get ice cream afterwards!

The Tides, the hotel next door, shows movies on the beach on Wednesday nights. I didn't think the kids would want to see Frozen for the 3,754th time but they watched the whole thing with joy. 

My mom and I walked almost every morning and love to see the funky Folly homes. 

On Thursday evening, we went on a boat ride. My dad recently retired, but Billy (he owns a carpet store nearby) takes us out on his boat. His wife Corey is just as nice and it's always a great sight seeing boat ride!

Billy and my dad

Nana and James 

James sporting some serious boat hair

When we got back, we made a mad dash to get dressed, take the kids to eat at Sushi by Lisa, and then head downtown to meet my friend Cory. 

We had drinks at The Watch. I love this rooftop venue, as it offers panoramic views of downtown. After this we went to Rappahannock Oyster, a new restaurant in an old cigar factory. I loved catching up with Cory!

Friday was our last day, so it was a FULL day on the beach. James lost his head. Luckily we found it buried in the sand. 

Adelyn loves to be buried!

We walked along the beach to Bert's to get chili dogs for lunch

GAG! These hot dogs are under $2 and the kids LOVE them. James had one several times throughout the week and was introduced to chili dogs. 

I love my family!

The kids LOVE playing with Uncle Joe! I didn't get any pictures of Kate and her two daughters, but they came by Friday afternoon. We enjoyed some beach and pool time. I am so thankful that I got to see my Charleston girls on this trip! 

Friday night, we grilled out hamburgers. My dad packs his little grill from home 

Since we had to leave the next day, Adelyn organized her shell collection. When we got home, she made shell necklaces for her girlfriends. 

We ate breakfast at Lost Dog Cafe Saturday morning and then parted ways. Clearly, it was an amazing week as James was in TEARS when we were leaving. 

We stopped downtown one last time to let the kids run around The Battery. 

They had fun exploring the cannons!

Thanks, Mom and Dad for a great week! We made so many precious memories with family and friends.