Last Day of School Sleepover with Friends

Today was the last day of school before summer 2023. Connor didn't even go to school and he spent most of the day hanging out with friends and driving around town. Paige had Sadie, Sara, and Ella ride the bus home with her and Saylor's mom dropped her off shortly after school. They've been having an awesome time swimming, eating watermelon and pizza, doing choreography and dances, playing football, basketball, and volleyball outside. Andrea even got in on the fun playing basketball with the girls.

 

Andrea, Connor, and Paige 1v1v1 Basketball

Connor enjoys his basketball hoop and he'll take short basketball breaks throughout the day when he's doing homework, or working out, or just playing video games. You can often hear the basketball bouncing out in the driveway at all hours. Yesterday I heard some extra commotion and walked in on a 1v1v1 game between Andrea and the kids. They played to 15 and while Andrea pulled close near the end, Connor won. It was pretty hilarious watching them all together and Millie Mae wanted to jump in too.

 

Graydon's 11th Birthday Party and Swim Meet

Saturday, May 20th 2023, we went to Graydon's swim meet and then to his house to celebrate his 11th birthday party. He had a football and video game themed party this year and his parents rented a game truck for a few hours of fun. The kids enjoyed playing Gang Beasts, FIFA, Madden, and Fortnite inside the truck and Andrea and Paige enjoyed Tennis on one of the Nintendo's outside of the truck. 

Happy birthday to Graydon! So happy we could celebrate with him this year!

Millie Mae Teddy Bear

 

Millie's fur has gotten pretty long lately and she actually is getting groomed tomorrow. She's been extra soft, fluffy, and cuddly lately. I wish we could keep her fur a little longer, but it definitely starts getting matted at this length and she's a very active dog which makes the tangles even worse.

Tennis Banquet 2023 - Connor's Sophomore Year on Varsity

 

On May 18th, 2023, we went to our neighborhood's golf club to celebrate the conclusion of the high school tennis teams' season. Connor sat with the varsity boys and Andrea and I sat at a nearby table and enjoyed the dinner, speeches, and award presentations. Connor was given the "Most Improved" award on his team and his coach had some nice things to say about him. His teammates also gave Connor the "Wrong Uniform" award as he typically had to borrow shirts from the other boys for many of the games. We hadn't been sure if he was going to be on the JV or Varsity team this year and didn't want to be presumptuous so we never had the correct uniform for him.

Mother's Day 2023

 

Sunday was Mother's Day and we celebrated with lunch at Texas Roadhouse with the Gobles and with some gifts for Andrea. 

Beach Day with the Gobles and Graydon Sleepover

This Saturday afternoon we went to eat at the Golf Club and then met the Gobles and Paige's friend Saylor at the beach. The weather's getting a bit warmer finally and while the water was still a little too cool for me, the kids enjoyed it. We threw the football, the kids played in the waves, and Griffin played in the sand. Unfortunately the kid pool at the club is shut down for mechanical issues, but Paige, Graydon, and Saylor were able to swim in the adult pool for a little while.

In the evening, we took Graydon back to the house, played "Sleeping Queens" and "Apples to Apples". He's a pretty chill guest, and the kids had fun hanging out with their cousin.

Andrea and Millie Mae in the new Rocking Chairs

We've been doing a lot of redecorating lately. Andrea got on a kick recently after starting with the kids' rooms and we've been getting some new furniture and doing some work downstairs and outside as well. We've had the same outdoor furniture now for 12 years and although it was still in decent condition, we decided to replace with some more Florida-friendly stuff. Everything deteriorates, rusts, and corrodes outside. Hopefully our new stuff will be a bit more sturdy.

Griffin Stays the Night

Last weekend on the 5th, Griffin stayed overnight with us. We had fun with him at the house and in the morning on Saturday I took him out on the golf cart around the neighborhood. We drove past a turtle, and I stopped to point it out. I was pretty surprised that he just walked up and picked it up with no hesitation. He was cute about checking it out and we released it off the road in the woods nearby. Millie Mae enjoyed going to the park with us as well. When we got home we played kitchen and he made me some yucky cookies.

Griffin's Special Olympics Activity

On May 5th, 2023, Andrea went to Griffin's school to watch him participate in his school's Special Olympics Activity. She said that it was awesome how the other students showed up with posters to cheer everyone on and Griffin enjoyed the activities. We love that we're close enough to be a part of their lives!