St. Simon's and Jekyll Island

I'm 40. It was a bigger deal than I thought it was going to be. Birthdays have never really been a big deal to me, I have always actually looked forward to growing a year older. Having said that, the day before I turned 40, I felt the same way...until the next day. I'm over it now, but it was a bit of an odd day coming to that conclusion. Thankfully, the feeling has diminished and now I feel like 40 is a rite of passage. Bring it on! We celebrated my birthday with dinner and cheesecake :-) The boys had a fantastic time playing cornhole and running around the amphitheater while Ben and I sat at a patio table and hung out. The following weekend, Mimi was an angel and came into town to watch Ethan and Caden while Ben and I drove her convertible down to St. Simon's Island. It was an AMAZING long weekend away! We stopped in Savannah for dinner on Friday night, drove down River Street, then parked and walked down the historic stairs and along the water. Fiddler's Crab House was a great place to hang out on their upstairs patio and watch the action along the river.

Then we drove on to St. Simon's and checked in at the hotel. The next morning, we headed over to the lighthouse. The history museum and lighthouse were so interesting and walking the 129 steps to the top was so enjoyable!

The view of the ocean from the top of the lighthouse

After walking around the village in St. Simon's, we spent the rest of the day at Jekyll exploring the historic downtown of the Jekyll Island Club and the previous homes of the Rockefeller's, Macy's, and Morgan's, then we returned to the hotel to dress for dinner at Southern Tide, one of the restaurants at the Sea Island Beach Club. After dinner, we walked along the beach beyond the Beach Club and picked up shells to take back home to the boys. While we were walking we found...

a Loggerhead turtle's nest.

The next morning we returned to Jekyll and checked out the beach. Jekyll Island is in between St. Simon's Island (seen in the background) and...

Cumberland Island on it's opposite side.

Then we drove over to Driftwood Beach. What a cool area!

Then we rented bikes and rode along the awesome bike trails that extend around the perimeter of the entire island! It was one of the highlights of the trip for me!

Along the way, I stopped to take a picture of the suspension bridge that takes you from the mainland into Jekyll.

After returning our bikes we stopped for ice cream and visited a couple of the shops in Jekyll's Beach Village one last time. Then we went back to the hotel to dress for dinner at Mullet Bay, a restaurant that Ben had been to years before. After checking out of the hotel the next morning and stopping be the Village one last time, we drove back through Savannah to walk through a Confederate cemetery to look for one of Ben's ancestors. What a great part of history that we got to experience over the course of the weekend! It was a fantastic little getaway!

Wrapping up May

 May ended with big boy Kindergarten registration for Caden. The highlight for him was riding the big, yellow school bus. He can't wait to ride the bus next year!

And Mommy and Daddy went to a last minute concert before Jesse and Casey moved to Alaska.

Then it was FINALLY summertime! Summer started out with lots of pooltime...

And visits to the library for summer activities. On one of our visits back from the library from a Lego building program with Sife and James David, we had to stop because the General Lee had made an appearance!

Then one day I kept hearing a honking sound outside. I kept looking and could not figure it out so I finally stepped out on the deck. When I looked at Lori's house next door, I noticed a goose on her roof who kept honking. Then I heard another honking sound...

 When I looked across the street, our other neighbor had another goose on his roof! So funny to hear 2 geese having a conversation with one another!

 Next up, June starts with VBS and more playdates!

Memorial Day Parade

Dacula puts on an amazing Memorial Day parade each year and every year since we have moved home, friends have asked us to attend. This year, the boys and I got up bright and early and decided to check it out with Karen, Sife, and their Grandma. 

We arrived, parked, and carried our chairs, snacks, and blankets as close to the street as we could get. I'm telling you, people line up EARLY for this parade! We were there more than an hour before the parade started and the street up and down both sides was already packed! We got settled and the boys got to have their special DD breakfast while we waited.

 We kept seeing a princess with Mario and Luigi walking down the street and they finally walked up to us. It was Miss Holly! The boys' swim teacher. She was so sweet and said she noticed us from across the street and had to come visit us :-)

 After that, Sife arrived, the parade started, and the boys had a friend to play with.

 Caden loved seeing the military represented.

 And they were enamored by all of the military vehicles

 and horses.

EVEN the Stormtroopers and R2D2 showed up!

 Caden got a high 5!

 Then it was time for the antique vehicles and tractors...

 And the parade wound down with the Wells Fargo horses and carriage. 

So cool to see!

 They were followed up by the cast of Medieval Times in complete wardrobe.

What a terrific parade! 

We can't wait til next year!

Ethan's and Caden's End of Year Parties

Caden's Party

His end of year party was on his last day of school. We put together sand pails for them full of summer treats and Karen was sweet enough to personalize them for me!

Then we had a lunch of pizza, pretzels, and fruit...

 followed by some fun activities...they may have gotten a little wet squirting "targets" ;-)

I also set up a ton of other activities for the kiddos, including hula hoops, bowling, dance party, bean bag toss, sidewalk chalk, and a scavenger hunt in the sand to find some jumping frogs

 Ethan's Party

The next week, I structured Ethan's party the exact same way...except it was supposed to rain throughout the entire party. So, after some brainstorming we had a back up plan in the classroom. Thankfully, we did not have to use it, though!

His class started off with a summer cupcake, some pretzels, and watermelon, then...

 Mrs. Jones presented each kiddo with an award,

Ethan was the Science Star!

 After awards, we headed outside to find jumping frogs in the flower garden, then headed over to the games. We were able to grab a quick class picture before the kiddos scattered to all of their stations! It started to thunder right at the end of the party, perfect timing!

 A couple of days later was his last day of school. I CAN NOT say enough about what a wonderful year we had and it was all thanks to this lady! 

We LOVE Mrs. Jones!

Prayers that next year goes smoothly!

Caden's Kindergarten Graduation

So, we finally said goodbye to Shadowbrook. An era of our life has come to an end. It's a bittersweet feeling. I'm excited that Caden is starting at Ivy Creek, but we've been a part of Shadowbrook since we left Texas when Caden was 6 months old. They asked me several times to return as a teacher but I don't think that is the right decision at this time. I hope to be able to help Caden build positive relationships at school like I have been able to do with Ethan. Then, I WILL return to work....a very happy day for Ben ;-)

Caden's graduation started with a slide show. It's sweet seeing them in shirts that a few other moms and I helped to make.

Then there was a Community Day where I represented the dentist :-) I have been as much a part of the school as the boys have been. Truly, this school holds a special place in my heart.

 Graduation was great and Caden looked adorable in his cap and gown.

 His sweet class

 They each came up in groups to share a bible verse. His group's verse was about friendship.

 Then he received his diploma

 Oh.My.Word...so adorable!

 Definitely had to have a picture with Ms. Jana and Ms. Marsha!

 Then the brothers...

 and a family picture

 There was a sweet reception afterward with gifts for him to remember Shadowbrook

Such a wonderful night!