Firsts on the First

It seems like the last few weeks have been full of firsts. Last week we had two in one week, which is a lot on a mama's heart.

We started out with Avery's first real ride on the school bus. She rode many times on the Y's small bus but always in her car seat. I had a meeting after school on Monday, and instead of going to after school care, she decided to hop on the bus. We do not have door to door service where we live, but considering that we are about 35 minutes from school, we are thrilled that we have several pick-up/drop-off locations. Ned met Avery and took her back to the office with him. I thought I would be more nervous than I was, but Avery's excitement was contagious. Now, I did get a little panicky when Ned started texting and asking if I was sure they were coming, but soon after that the bus pulled up and he said he could see a hair bow coming down the aisle. It also eases my mind that Avery's driver has been at school since I was there and my mom was teaching there. Avery, of course, wants to ride the bus a lot now.

Avery and Sam had their first football game experience Friday night. Again, this wasn't exactly Avery's first since she went to a Homecoming as a baby, but it was her first to have concession treats and run, jump, and scream with her friends. Football games are such a family atmosphere with lots of kids running around and playing, but I needed Avery in my line of sight. Luckily a new friend {providing a photobomb over Avery's shoulder} hung close to her family also and was a great playmate. There were lots of impromptu cheers and jumping off bleachers, which I'm sure thrilled the fans around us. I love to see Avery and her friends throwing their arms around each other for pictures after just 8 days together.

Sam enjoyed his first football game as well and stayed closer and more still than I imagined. He did start to fade some since the game started after his bedtime, but he hung in until halftime.  He really wanted to clamp up to the press box but ended up being happy to be held.

I'm sure we'll have several more first before the first of October, which I'm sure will be here before we know it.

Avery Goes to Kindergarten! {And So Does Mommy}

Our Avery had her first day of Kindergarten today!  And what a great day it was!

I will preface her first day tales by saying that I left my previous teaching position and am now a Kindergarten teacher at Avery's school.  This is not new news but deserved a mention since my blogging has been so slack this summer.  Long, long story short: I met to show my interest in a position at the school in the spring, a position became available mid-June just a few days after I had signed my contract with my previous school system, I interviewed for the job and was offered it, and then I waited over 2 weeks for the school board to meet and ultimately decide to grant my request for a release from my contract.  So, my summer has been absolutely crazy between waiting, waiting, and then moving my classroom.  But a crazy summer is so worth this change.

Because of all that, I was able to drive Avery to school today.  We arrived early so that I could take a few breaths and get some pictures.

She was so, so excited and has been for weeks.  She hung out in my room until Ned arrived to walk her to her room {across the hall} and get that first day experience.  We had a few tears as she prepared to leave me, but Ned said as she crossed the hall she puffed her little chest out and was fine.  I peeked in a few minutes later and he gave me the thumbs up.

 She was smiling each time I saw her today.  We had recess together and she didn't even acknowledge my presence until it was time to go.  She sat right behind me at lunch, but I never knew she was there, other than me fighting the urge to clean her face.  She was still full of excitement this afternoon, and she told Ned tonight that she couldn't wait for Kindergarten tomorrow.  It's music class day!

Not only am I thrilled to be back at the school I attended for 14 years, but it is such a privilege to be there with Avery.  I walked her across the lawn this morning to take a picture at the school sign where I took my class picture with my 16 senior classmates many years ago.  Kindergarten is a hard milestone for a mama's heart, even when you are right across the hall, but we are both off to a great start.

Avery Celebrates Five

Avery had a wonderful time celebrating her fifth birthday.  It was so fun we celebrated twice!

On her birthday, we started with her traditional Bojangles breakfast.  She had been talking about that breakfast for weeks.  Our elf Toes came for the party and had decorated and left some princess plates, napkins, and hats.

 

We planned do do something fun since Ned gets off at noon on Wednesdays, and we had a few ideas of things we could do.  When only 1/3 of Avery's birthday present came {the water bottle, not the backpack or lunchbox} we decided we would go to Avery's favorite mall for her first trip to Build-a-Bear.  We started off with a train ride which made train-loving Sam so happy.  Then we got busy stuffing expensive animals.

My hat goes off to whoever came up with this store, because while you can do it cheaply, they really make it seem like a lot more fun to cover your $12 bear in $50 worth of accessories.  Avery chose one of the Palace Pets and got a few of the accessories to dress her up.  Sam got a Ninja Turtle.  Thankfully, he was pretty decorative alone, so we passed on his $10 weapon.  It really is a fun experience.

 

We did a little more shopping before we stopped for Avery's dinner of choice: Chick-Fil-A.  Pretzels made the perfect, special treat, and then we were on our way home.

 

We celebrated Avery's birthday the following Sunday with a Frozen in Summer party.  It was a fun and easy theme and Avery had a great time with all of her friends.  We had a full house even with 5 kids and their families missing.  We opened presents, ate, played, and had a cleaned up house by 5:30.

It's so hard to believe that we celebrated 5 years with our big girl.  It's even harder to believe that's she's already talking about turning 6!

Outer Banks 2014

Several weeks ago, we spent the week at our most favorite place {aside from home}--the Outer Banks of North Carolina.  We traveled down that Sunday morning and made our traditional lunch stop at Sonic.  After getting settled in, the kids rested.  We then went to the grocery store, had dinner, and headed out to the beach.  High tide left tide pools that we enjoyed that night and several other times.

 

 

We kicked off our Monday morning with yummy Duck Donuts then hit the beach.  Avery loves the beach, and her most favorite things are running up and down the sand by the water and jumping in the surf.  Sam enjoyed playing in the sand and loved buckets of water to scoop and pour.  Sometimes he liked playing at the water's edge, and sometimes he didn't.  He become a beach runner this year also.

 

One bucket of water had a fish!

 

That night, we got take-out then headed back to the beach to play in the tide pools.

 

 

We were back out on the beach Tuesday morning, running, splashing, and snacking.  That night we had a delicious dinner at one of our favorites, Black Pelican.  We had some fun on the deck after dinner.

 

We were back on the beach Wednesday morning as well.  With no morning naps to work around, we could be on the beach by 9 a.m. or so, beating the crowds and the heat.  When Sam grew tired of playing in sand, he "drove" and fixed the wheels on Ned's fishing cart.  A bungee cord also made a great Captain Hook hook.

 

 

 

We knew it would be hot that afternoon, so after naps we went north to the village of Duck and did some shopping.  Avery fell in love with Lilly Pulitzer and chose a romper after I unsuccessfully tried to convince her to get a dress that matched my shorts.  That just meant Mama needed a pair of shorts also. We came back and had dinner at Capt'n Franks then went back on the beach.

 

The radar looked like rain was coming Thursday, so Ned and Avery went to the beach for a quick run and splash {after some fresh donuts} then we went to the aquarium.  We enjoyed the inside and then took a stroll down the visiting dinosaur path and saw some big, realistic dinos.  Sam would jump and laugh each time they made a noise.

 

 

My parents arrived that afternoon and stopped by before checking into their hotel.  We had big storms before dinner with lots of lightning and thunder.  Luckily they stopped and Yaya and Poppa were able to meet us at The Lone Cedar for dinner.  That's my favorite meal at the beach, but it seemed to take a long time this year.  Luckily Sam did very well each time we ate out.

Friday morning was cloudy, so we had a lazy morning and then went swimming at my parents' hotel.  They enjoyed watching the kids swim, and we enjoyed the indoor pool.  That afternoon we made a quick trip to the outlet mall but walked away empty handed.  We had dinner at Capt'n Franks with my parents.  The kids played on the play set while we waited for Yaya and Poppa.  That play set caused two crying spells for Sam.  Once when we had to go eat and again when we got in the car.  He perked right up when he realized we were going for ice cream.  Ned fished on the pier that night, and I enjoyed the awesome views from our deck.

 

Saturday morning I delivered donuts to my parents and of course picked some up for us.  We spent the morning on the beach and then went back after naps.  Avery fell in love with the boogie board while Sam covered himself with sand.  My parents came for pizza that night and we ate under the cottage and watched the kids play.  Ned and I enjoyed some time on the deck after everyone went to bed.

 

 

 

 

We got up Sunday morning and got take-out for breakfast.  After last year's sleeping fiasco, Avery got a treat each morning for sleeping well.  We were out of treats and beach experiences to reward with, so her treat was pancakes.  After breakfast we packed and loaded up, reserved the house for next year, and headed home.  We got back home a little after 12, just in time for lunch and naps.  We had a fantastic vacation together this year.  Each time I'm sad about the kids getting older, I think about how much easier traveling is getting.  Easier…not easy!  We hope to get back in the fall for some sand, big water, and food.