See You Later, Summer

Today marks the unofficial end of Summer across the board. School is in session and pumpkin spice is back on the shelves. The air is cooler (I use the term "cooler" loosely here in North Carolina) and the light-filled evenings are getting shorter. This summer brought us many changes as we moved to an apartment and then found a house. Our sweet gift celebrated her first birthday and continued to show us a love without limits. 

It's been a good season for us, but we're ready for what's to come. . . 

Fourth of July Fun

Our family has always loved cookouts. I mean who wouldn't love an excuse to drink, eat grilled yumminess, and play fun yard games?! We congregated at my parent's house for this shindig and managed to capture a few (okay, okay, A LOT) of pictures of our fun!

Our first family photo in a while since Daisy has been hanging out with my parents. 

4/5 of the Wardlets with their compadres and Amelia Grace! Oh, and Trout too;-) 

Gigi and Pop Pop with the littlest princess. 

Gigi's impressive creation! 

Pop Pop's impressive creation!

We had a great time hanging out and catching up while also celebrating this great nation. An incredibly large thanks to all the servicemen and women who made this relaxing weekend possible!

Baby's First Swim

When we started house hunting four years ago I knew I wanted to live in a neighborhood with a pool. I grew up at the pool. From early morning swim practices to lazy afternoons floating around-the pool was the place to be. One of the things we will miss most about leaving is the stellar pool and the friendships that have grown there. We knew we had to introduce baby girl to it all before we set off!

All smiles with Daddy

Ooooo it's so cold

Wheeeeee!

Who is that flat-haired baby? We don't know her ;-)

It was a great first introduction and she only tried to drink the pool water a handful of times. We were able to go back the next day and she seemed to love it just as much. Hooray for having a water baby!

Happy Summer!

Happy Summer, folks! I've come to the conclusion that even if you no longer have a "summer break", there is a shift in mentality when school ends and weekends at the pool begin. Mother Nature sure took the cue and brought summer heat with vengeance to North Carolina with this week hitting the 90's! Don't fret for me or Princess Daisy, though, as we can typically be found lolling about under the fans;-) I am so blessed to have a husband who works hard enough for me to be able to relax in the summer. And relaxing is definitely what's going on around here! 

We kicked Summer off with a quick trip to Ocean Isle Beach to visit with some of David's family. It was gloriously relaxing and a great farewell to the beach, at least for a while. At this point the doctor said no more far travels:-( But at least we snuck one final trip in! 

The past two days have found me busy tidying up the house from its 10-month hiatus from being clean (thanks, school responsibilities and exhaustion!) and lolling about. I've managed to read one chick-lit book I picked up from the local used bookstore (ehhh) and am making my way through Smart Money, Smart Kids by Dave Ramsey and his daughter. I'm reading this at David's prompting (I am sooooooo not a money person!), but am actually enjoying the lessons in it. Hopefully by reading it now we can help prepare Amelia Grace to be successful in the future. You did realize both her parents were uber Type-A and always trying to be steps ahead??

Speaking of Amelia Grace she is just hanging out and cooking. We are 31 weeks now and enjoying it as much as we can. When I say "enjoy" I am most certainly leaving out the sciatica pain, indigestion, and insomnia. I know every bit of it will be worth it come August, but right now I am super thankful for the time off to rest! 

Speaking of rest, I do believe it's time for my afternoon nap. . .;-)

So Long, Students

We have officially reached the last day of school of my fourth year teaching. Wow. It's still hard for me to believe that I've been teaching four years and that my latest group of babies is heading off to the high school. My first group will be seniors next year-eek! When did I get so old??

Each year has taught me something new. . .

Year 1-ALL kids need love. No matter where they come from or who greets them at home, they need your love and support at school.

Year 2-Every student, and every class will teach you something new, you need only be open to continuing to learn. And no teacher should ever stop learning!

Year 3-They are still children. As adult as these kids want to be (or have to be at home), they are still children and sometimes the routine and structure of school is what they need to be reminded.

Year 4-Don't take it personal. Sometimes kids say things and they don't understand what it may mean to the recipient.

Looking forward to seeing what next year will bring!

5 on Friday [03.28]

Happy Friday!

 *one*

 I am so excited for a cozy date night in tonight. After last weekend's whirlwind trip plus all that we have going on Saturday and Sunday, a night tucked in watching Redbox movies and noshing on pizza is just what we need!

*two*

 We are halfway to meeting our baby girl!! We had a 20-week appointment at the high-risk OB and he said everything looks great. They even snapped a few pictures of her for us:-) We will go back in two weeks and then again two weeks after that just to make sure she is still rocking along.

*three*

Have any of y'all seen The Outsiders movie? I'm watching it with my kiddos this week since we just finished reading the book, and I had forgotten how much I loved it! What a great story and interpretation. Not to mention you get to see a whole slew of actors before they made it to the big times. 

*four*

 It's almost April. Holy canoli! How did that happen?? I'm definitely not complaining because it means we are one month closer to summer and our baby girl, but still. Time is flying this year!

*five* 

Has anyone seen the trailer for The Giver?? I loved the book the first time I read it as a kid, and feel even more in love every time I've taught it. The trailer doesn't look much like the book, but I'm still excited!

Super Belated Concert Post!

The Country Megaticket was one of the best purchases we have ever made. This summer we have been able to see a good many impressive acts while also expanding our musical selection. Win, win! This past weekend had us rocking out to Dierks Bentley and Miranda Lambert with some of our sweet friends, Scott and Tiffany.

So glad our fellas decided to become friends back in the day!

 Cheesin with my main squeeze.

Only the cool kids are the captains of the cornhole boards.

Hooray for good friends and good times!

It was an awesome night of incredible music, though I'm pretty sure the fellas weren't feeling all our Miranda Lambert's girl power. Te he he. It was good for them to expand their horizons;-)

Friday Letters [09.13]

Happy Friday one and all!

Dear Blogger, I don't know what your deal is but can you nip it in the bud? It's a smidge frustrating when I schedule a post that yo just decide not to publish. Or when I publish a post the you don't show. Ain't nobody got time for that.

Dear Jason Aldean, Thank you for a rockin' show last night. It was a fabulous way to end our summer concert series. And the fact that you surprised us with Kelly Clarkson?? Major bonus points there, sir.

Dear Triplets, Y'all are FINALLY 21-WAHOOOOOO! All the Wardlets have officially reached this milestone. Drink up and enjoy your day!

Trouble from the get-go. Can you figure out who's who?

Dear David, Six.freaking.years. Holy canoli. Being married three seemed like a big deal, but the fact that we're been together six is mind blowing. Here's to many, many more!

Our first picture together many moons ago

Dear Farmer's Almanac, So I heard you're spreading this rumor about a "very cold winter". I'm going to have to ask you stop right where you are. No body likes a liar.

Backstreet's Back!

This has been the summer of concerts around here, but there has been one unlike any other-Backstreet Boys! That's right, ladies, BSB is back in action and better than ever! The singing and choreography took us back in time quite a few years and the memories they brought with them were priceless. Backstreet is definitely back!

So excited for the show! 

Everybodyyyyyyyy, yeaaaaaa!

Please take note of the one male at the entire concert behind us. I guess he decided he was going to pick up all the chicks by taking off his shirt. Uh, not so much. Instead we just wanted to feed him cookies because he was so skinny!!

Photobombs galore!

It was a top-notch night that none of us will ever forget. Hooray for the chance to relive our tween dreams:-)

Friday's Letters [08.16]

Happy Friday one and all!

Dear summer, We sure had some awesome times this go around, but alas, they must end. 

Dear dentist, Though I only see you twice a year, you still have this ability to illicit total fear and anxiety in me. Congratulations.

Dear back pain, What the heck? Not exactly sure where you came from, but you can return there now. Ain't nobody got time for you.

Dear Mother Nature, Do you need to talk? I feel like with these mood swings you must have a lot going on. I mean one day we're sitting at 95 with 100% humidity and ick, then a week later it's barely breaking 70. These mood swings are really difficult on my closet, but I'll take these cool dips as long as you want to send them!

Friday's Letters [08.09]

Happy Friday one and all!

Dear Bird and Ashley, CONGRATS!! We are so excited to celebrate your engagement and for Ashley to officially be a part of the fam!

Dear football season, Welcome! We are more than ready to dedicate our entire weekends to your presence. 

 

For my hubby. . .

Dear allergies, You have got to GO! The itchy eyes, unceasing sneezing, and all around discomfort is really cramping my style.

Dear Daisy, It sure has been nice lolling about and doing nothing with you this summer. Same time and place June 2014?

Friday Letters [08.02]

Happy Friday, folks!!

Dear Kenny Chesney, Not too shabby of a show there kid. Not as stellar as Keith Urban, but not too bad.

Let's just pretend I'm not a sweaty hot mess. . .

Dear Mother Nature, I've decided not to battle with you any longer about this monsoon weather. You just do your thing. BUT since you're being so vicious these days, how about throwing us an easy winter? I'll let you ponder that one.

Dear school friends, I missed y'all! It was so good seeing everyone this week. I can't wait to see all the awesome things we accomplish this year!

Dear NC legislature, You want to spend more money on inmates than you do on students? Fine, but I hope you enjoy the karma train because it is going to slam right smack into you when you least expect it.

Dear Momma, Happy (belated) Birthday! I hope it was everything you could have imagined and more. We can't wait to celebrate with you in a week!

Photo courtesy of Amaris Hames.

You're Gonna Fly With Me

Last week was a bit hectic with returning from Colorado and turning around to go to Virginia, we really weren't sure if we were going to go to the next concert on the Country Megaticket. We both really like Keith Urban, but were pretty tired. Plus, David had to work early the next morning. In the end we decided not to be eighty year olds and headed to the show in time to see the tailend of Dustin Lynch and all of Little Big Town. We then enjoyed some glorious people-watching for a bit before Keith Urban took the stage. And when I say "glorious", I mean hard-core, extreme, drunk stumbling and sliding rednecks. Some things can't be erased. Shudder.

The sun finally set and Keith took the stage. There we were boppin along when we saw a guy walk up to the group behind us and give them something. We curiously watched him walk away before he caught our eye and came up to us. Here goes the conversation:

Guy: "You wanna go in The Pit?"

Us (not nothing if "The Pit" is a cool place to be or a lion's den): "Sure"

Guy: "Merry Christmas"

 Us: "Thanks?"

Uh, okay. Come to find out "The Pit" is the area surrounding the stage below. SAY WHAT?!? Did we just hit the jackpot? Yep! We scurried down there and rocked out for the next two hours to one of the greatest shows I have ever seen (and that means a lot since this former teeny-bopper saw BSB, N'SYNC, and Brittney back in the day). It was amazing being that close and witnessing an amazing performer. Take a look at some of the evidence:

Well, hello there sir.

Come on out, Little Big Town

Dustin Lynch joining Keith on stage.

 Evidence we were actually there.

Confettttttttti!

Nothing like a Cookout tray at midnight. Totally regretted that life choice the next morning.

Crash My Party

Last summer we debated back and forth, back and forth, back and forth about whether or not we should get the Country Megaticket. In the end we regretted not getting it, so when it came time to purchase them this summer we were all over it like white on rice. We missed the Tim McGraw concert and Mother Nature had other plans for the Brad Paisley concert, but there was no way we were letting anyone ruin this one for us! 

Florida Georgia Line welcomed us with a little "Shine On" and "Cruise" before Thompson Square took the stage with "If I Didn't Have You", but the real star was Luke Bryan. He put on an incredible show rockin' it out with some of his hits and a "Baby Got Back"/Maroon 5 medley. It was stinkin' awesome. Here is some of the proof. . .

For any of you contemplating this gem-DO IT! It is super yummy and I hope to stock up before it leaves us for the winter.

My hero! The hubby trying to get a rock out of my boot.

MUCH better weather than the last time we were there.

 Hooray for awesome neighbors!!

A few things we learned:

1-get there early, traffic is mean.

2-be prepared to cut off your arm to pay for chicken tenders and fries

3-country concerts are amazing for people watching

See ya in a few weeks, Keith Urban!

The Fourth in Florida

This past week we were fortunate enough to venture down to Florida for a few days to visit with some of David's extended family. We normally see them at Christmas, so it was a treat to see everyone to celebrate a different holiday-July 4th!

Here are a few pictures from our trip. . .

 We hit the beach as soon as we arrived.

A yummy seafood supper the first night.

A gorgeous good morning for day two.

My pitiful attempt at a fruit and marshmallow flag!

My goofy love waiting for the fireworks.

Beer in a mason jar #welcometothesouth

It was not easy saying goodbye to this view. . .

While there aren't any other trips on the horizon, I would love to sneak away to the beach for a few more days before school starts!