Spring Break in Mexico

We went to Rocky Point for Spring Break with some friends of ours & had the best time! It started out a little cloudy & cold, but the last day we were there was absolutely perfect. The sun came out & it was warm - the perfect beach day. We happened to stay at the same resort that Tyler & I honeymooned at almost 16 years ago. A lot has changed in the past 16 years, but I forgot how much I love Mexico! I've been dreaming of eating mangoes with lime on the beach every day since we got home. The kids were in heaven having some of their favorite friends there with them & after playing on the beach or in the pool all day we ventured out for tacos & the best churros we've ever had. I'm hoping to make this our new Spring Break tradition!

The Brown Shirt

Ruby had her first-grade play/musical & was one of the three bears. She made her great acting debut with the line, "Goodness gracious, what shall we do?" We spent many family dinners giving her suggestions on different ways to say her line with different accents & inflections, which ended up in a lot of laughing & her turning down every one of our suggestions. Probably a solid choice on her part. She was nervous but she did great! Our family waved & smiled & gave her thumbs up throughout the performance & she kept her game face on the whole time - such a professional;) 

She was supposed to wear a brown shirt for the play. No problem, I would just pick one up from Hobby Lobby super last minute. Like, the night before the play (that was in the morning) last minute. I sent Tyler right before Hobby Lobby closed & he called to tell me there were no brown shirts. Hmm, no problem, just run by Target - no dice. Try Walmart? Tyler called me & said there were no brown shirts anywhere. I told him to come home & I would go find a brown shirt. I was confident I could find one & he just wasn't looking hard enough for it. I ran into a different Target before they closed & searched high & low with no luck. Then I headed to Walmart (my only option now that it was past 10 pm) & searched everywhere. I spent an hour in that store, panicked, thinking how Ruby would always remember the time that she was the only "brown bear" who wasn't brown. Why hadn't I just Amazon Primed it?!? After searching every section of the store & considering sewing one for a hot minute (I don't sew or own a sewing machine), inspiration/desperation struck. I found a white shirt & brown dye & headed home. Did you know that dyeing a shirt requires stirring a big pot on the stove for about 45 min. at just the right temperature? And then you have to wash it so the dye doesn't bleed all over you. I don't even know what time it was when I finished, but I woke up early the next morning to move the shirt to the dryer, & it was still brown! Then I sent Ruby off to school in a still warm brown shirt that will never be worn again & was thrown away after I washed it again & it bled all over a bunch of clothes & ruined them. Mission accomplished.  

Running Club

I signed Ruby up for the school's Running Club this year & she was so mad at me. Ruby's not a fan of trying new things & doesn't love participating in multiple activities. But mother knows best (I hope), & that girl is super athletic & a great runner, so I couldn't resist. I thought it would be so good for her, & sure enough she did really great at it. Her races were against girls from several other schools' grades K-3rd & they ran a mile. Ruby gets this look of determination when she's competing & has set her mind to something & to her surprise, she ended up getting a medal. For the final meet that was way bigger she ended up getting 4th place! We were all super proud of her & it was a great confidence builder for her. Once the season was over she said, "I loved Running Club mom, but please don't sign me up next year." And I said, "We'll see." So yeah, I'm 100% signing her up again next year. 

A 5th place finish at one of the meets & the best brother ever!

Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve was perfect this year. We had a relaxing day & picnicked & explored out at Coons Bluff. The weather was as good as it gets & the kids were brave & did some climbing & then gathered as many rocks & shells as they could find down by the river. We were lucky enough to come across some wild horses that we sat & watched for a while. Then we drove home & the kids did a little art project where they painted their shells. I cooked, we watched Christmas movies, opened the Christmas pj's their elf left them, & then finished the night driving around looking at Christmas lights where we ran into Santa & one of his elves. This was my favorite Christmas Eve to date. The anticipation & excitement of Christmas Eve is the best!

Young Singers

The kids have been in the most amazing choir for the past several years & finished up their final semester at the end of the year. I've loved getting to watch them learn beautiful songs & learn more about music. I can hardly handle watching them perform on stage in front of hundreds of people singing their hearts out. And while they were more than ready for a break once it was over, I hope they'll both decide they want to do it again in the future. 

Halloween

Another successful Halloween has come & gone. Ruby went as an Egyptian Princess this year & Noah went as a ninja. They both loved their costumes & quickly dismissed all of my "coordinating costume" ideas leading up to Halloween. A girl's gotta try. But they both were darling, & I was reminded once again just how much fun holidays are with kids. We're in a sweet spot right now where Ruby & Noah are super excited for Halloween but still want to spend it with Tyler & I & get tired after a few blocks of trick-or-treating. We continued our tradition of trick-or-treating with some of our favorite friends & the kids all had a blast together. It was a great night.