Summertime

We're two weeks into our summer break and have packed our days full of fun.  We celebrated Father's Day weekend by going to the Par 3 golf course last Saturday morning.  Our little golfers were adorable and the weather was perfect!

Love this one!

Daddy the Caddy.

The following two photos perfectly capture our children:

Sweet Leah holding the flag for Luke as he putts.

Luke taunting Leah with the flag, pretending to poke her with it.

Love the blue skies, adore their golf attire, and cherish our special family time together!

On Saturday evening, we camped out on our screened porch.  "Glamping" (AKA "glamorous camping") is totally our style.  No tents, no bugs, and potties a few steps away.  The kids watched the Minions movie and Winnie guarded the sleeping bags.    

Everyone was excited for our overnight adventure, and 4 out of the 5 of us made it through the night on the porch (Daddy decided to call it quits around 2 a.m., as he doesn't quite fit on the air mattress).

We gave Daddy his Father's Daddy presents on Sunday morning and made him breakfast before church.  We spent a great afternoon at the pool and went out to dinner to celebrate our special guy.   Here is my favorite Father's Day picture this year:

Last week, the kids and I saw Finding Dory in 3D.  We went on Opening Day, and I wasn't sure if the theater would be packed, but shows ran every 20 minutes and we felt like VIPs when we received First Showing Commemorative Tickets.  We all loved the movie, and it was a special treat to go to the cinema:

We also went bowling.  How we love the annual summer Kids Bowl Free program!  It's such a perfect indoor activity on a hot or rainy day!  

This week was Science Camp week.  Leah and I attended Wee Love Science camp which was held at a friend's house and taught by a mom who is a science teacher.  The preschoolers did fun experiments, went on a nature walk/scavenger hunt, made an ocean in a bottle, and concocted slime.  

There were test tubes and beakers for all the little scientists! 

Creating a scientific reaction by combining milk, food coloring, and dish soap.

Making slime!

Soda/Mento rocket! 

Leaf rubbings. 

Meanwhile, Luke returned to Lego Camp again this summer at the Greensboro Science Center.  This is his favorite camp each year, and this summer, it was even more special as his two best buddies joined him.  The theme this week was Mars Mission, and the Brick Engineers built autonomous robots using Lego NXT bricks. They learned programming basics as they programmed their robots to tackle obstacles on a challenge mat which simulated the surface of Mars.  I drove the boys to camp each day and was astounded listening to their conversations about programming and robotics.  Such an awesome camp for these Lego/computer lovers! 

Luke's Robot.

Luke, Aiden, and Maxim:  The Three Musketeers.

We explored the Science Center on Friday afternoon after the conclusion of Lego Camp.  Here is what a selfie of three 8 year-olds looks like, as they pose in front of the penguin exhibit, while Leah looks on:

The Sci-Quarium is always our favorite part of the Science Center, and we had a great afternoon there:

It's been an action-packed first two weeks of summer, with lots more fun ahead!  

School's Out for Summer!

Above is the happy face of our new third grader!  Friday was Luke's last day of second grade, and we celebrated with an afternoon at the pool and evening pool/pizza party with our friends.  The last week of school was full of fun and games for Luke's class, including a Luau-Themed End of Year party at the Town Park on Thursday.  Luke is now halfway through elementary school, which seems like another big milestone for our family.  Here's our big boy on his last day:  

And my annual comparison picture, which takes my breath away.  Every. Single. Year.

Second grade was a great year for Luke.  He had two very special buddies in his class (Aiden and Maxim) and we adored Luke's teacher, who gave him many enrichment opportunities.  Luke thrived in his weekly advanced math group, Book Club, and Chess Club this year.  The Chess Club held an End of Year party to celebrate their inaugural year, and the 60+ students who attended on a weekly basis posed with their principals (the White Queen and Black King).  This club was such a wonderful niche for Luke this spring, and Mark enjoyed the opportunity to volunteer (since the Chess Club meets at 7:00 a.m. before school/work starts):   

Since the boys in our family play chess frequently, Leah has been watching and learning as well this year.  Families attended the End of the Year party along with the students, and during the festivities, one of the students asked Leah if she wanted to play chess.  I think he was looking for an easy win, and was NOT amused when Leah had him in checkmate in 4 moves.  The photographer at the party took this picture right after Leah's winning moment, and we can't stop giggling at both players' facial expressions:

I see Chess Club in Leah's future next fall!

Leah and I spent the last few days of Luke's school year doing some special activities.  As always, Krispy Kreme was a perfect Mommy/Daughter morning outing: 

We also met Daddy for one last lunch date with his girls, and chose a special location:  Deacon Tower at WFU's football stadium!

We didn't waste any time kicking off our summer vacation after the last day of school, and visited Grandpa in Myrtle Beach this weekend.  The waves, sun, and surf were just what the doctor ordered, and we are so excited that Grandpa is now a full-time resident of MB!  

While we were in Mrytle Beach this weekend, we also explored Brookgreen Gardens for the first time.  Brookgreen is a huge property that lies on four former rice plantations and consists of a zoo, wildlife preserve, trails, and sculpture gardens.  We focused on the Lowcountry Zoo at Brookgreen during this trip, since it is currently featuring a traveling Lego exhibit called "Nature Connects".  There are 12 giant Lego sculptures displayed throughout the zoo this summer, and this is right up our alley!  Here were some of our favorite Nature Connects sculptures: 

Leah poses below a huge Lego Garden Spider!

Lego Bee/Flower Sculpture. 

Love this Lego Turtle!

The Lego Hummingbird appeared to be suspended in air and was amazing.

Leah in the Lego Ant Hill.

Lego Dragonfly.

Mommy's favorite:  Lego Butterfly and Flowers.

We also participated in "Mother Nature's Cafe" at Brookgreen, where we walked through the zoo with a zookeeper as he fed the animals and provided educational information about their behavior.  We weren't sure how the kids would do on the hour-long tour in the heat (it almost 100 degrees by the afternoon), but the stars aligned, and L&L absolutely loved it!  We had front row seats to observe the feeding sessions, and our very favorite was the aviary, where we were literally among all of the birds as they were fed.     

We cooled off with lots of beach and pool time that afternoon, and had such a fun weekend in Myrtle Beach.  What a perfect way to start summer break!  

Kindergarten Bound!

Leah completed her last day of preschool today with lots of pomp and circumstance.  There were several events to mark the close of the school year, including a class party at the park on Tuesday, the End of Year music program this morning, and a school-wide picnic this afternoon.  

Leah is 100% ready for kindergarten!  She can't wait to join Luke at Oak Ridge Elementary in the fall, and already points out her future hallway there and talks about riding the bus next year.  I am so thankful that my baby girl is ready, that we already know and love the school, and that she is excited.  It's what she was born to do, to spread her wings and fly, but it's a bittersweet milestone for Mommy.  There is an entirely different set of emotions involved between sending my first child and my last child to kindergarten, and most of my sadness this time lies in the fact that I won't have Leah with me as much anymore.  I love being with her, and it's going to be a change for me not to have my Peanut by my side.  It's the end of an era of parenting for me, as I transition from a mother of young children to the mom of elementary-aged kiddos.  So, there was has been a bit of blubbering on my part this week (including an "ugly cry" as I pulled out of the parking lot after dropping her off for the last morning of preschool).  I blamed my watery eyes on a cold that I have, but I'm pretty sure that the sight of Mark walking into Leah's preschool program with a bouquet of flowers for his special girl may have triggered some of the waterworks.  Thankfully, Daddy was all smiles and high fives this morning, which helped provide some balance to my less stable emotions:

  Our baby has grown up this year.  Here's a comparison of her first day of 4 year-old preschool vs. this morning:     

Here's another set of pictures that I adore:

Leah's first day of preschool ever!  (Fall 2014)

Leah's Last Day of Preschool Ever!  (June 1, 2016)

That's Leah, in a nutshell.  Happy, radiating joy, and full of sunshine.  She has such a kind and loving heart, is wise beyond her years, and is perceptive and bright.  During her music program, Leah's clear, strong voice could be heard above all the others, and she was incredibly expressive with her motions (I'm trying to upload videos to share...).  However, my favorite pictures of the day are the below images of Leah in prayer.  She is such a sweet, innocent child of God, and has absolutely embraced and treasured her lovely preschool class this year. 

I am so proud of my strong, sweet girl, and I know that kindergarten will be a wonderful, new beginning for her.  She's a joy to know and love, and it has been a gift from God to spend each day with my precious baby.

So, as we close one chapter and begin a new one, I am overwhelmingly full of gratitude and thanksgiving for the blessing of Leah.

  Kindergarten, here she comes!!