High School Spring Formal

Our oldest had her first high school semi-formal dance. Since the new high school only has grades 9-10, they steered clear of calling it a "prom".  So instead, it was a spring formal.














She went to the dance with the captain of their cross country team.  They both share a love for running and seemed to get along well.

They first had dinner at a friend's house, which was a beautiful plan.  Most of the other students that wanted to go out somewhere faced a 1 hr wait.

After the dance, several of her closest friends stopped by our neighborhood clubhouse for an after-party.  We had about 12 kids, so a nice group.  The most difficult part as a parent was having to stay up that late to chaperone.  The party finally closed around 12:30am.

We forgot to get a group picture while everyone was there, but here's the last 9 to leave....

Greenville Goodwill Mud Run

This weekend our oldest had her first (and second) mud run race!  A two day event, the mud run is a 3.5 mile obstacle course designed in Marine Corps boot camp tradition.  The race is run by teams of four and features over 30 obstacles, including climbing walls, cargo nets, low crawls, rope bridges, swings, stream runs and a giant mud pit!  Fortunately for her, she got to do it on both days!

On Saturday, she went in place of Daddy (he just had surgery). Although the youngest on the team, she definitely wasn't the slowest. The guys helped her over the walls while she set the fast pace for them to follow. Their finishing time: 45 minutes!

On Sunday, she did the run with three of her soccer friends. This second time was a bit harder for her because there were no guys to lift her up and over the obstacles.  Instead, she was the one lifting everyone else. They struggled on a few barriers, but with great teamwork, they eventually overcame it.  Their finishing time: 1 hour 7 minutes!

Team Name: Girlilla Muchachas

Caribbean Cruise!

For the kid's spring break this year, we decided to go on a cruise to mexico. Leaving Mom behind to work and clean the house, the four of us jumped aboard the plane and flew to Houston. There we picked up our grandma (aka TC) and boarded the Carnival Triumph!

The food was delicious, having a 24-hour ice-cream bar (that we visited 5-6 times each day), a chocoholic buffet, and tons and tons of fruit for the oldest one to raid! 

Our first stop was Progresso, Mexico. There was a lot of little shops trying to sell you their products right at first, but once you walk a few blocks and get past the annoying merchants, you can see the true countryside. 

The weather was perfect, but when in Progresso, we soon figured out that our year-old SPF 50 sunscreen was expired, and therefore we got sunburns all over. To help combat this sun-burnt pain, the boys decided to get a supposedly "professional" massage. Using his Spanish, Dad did a good job of negotiating the price down (or rather up) from $15 for a 45 minute massage to $20 for a 10 minute massage (for 2).

Our second stop was Cozumel, Mexico. After much effort to convince Dad not to rent mopeds (there was a "highly likely event of crashing" warning on them), we grabbed a taxi and went down to Paradise Beach. This all-inclusive beach resort included snorkeling, kayaking, paddle boarding, beach volleyball, a swimming pool, and water trampolines and slides! We had a great time, but it wore us out quickly. Within 2 minutes of laying out, we were fast asleep!

While we were gone exploring Mexico, our little one was given the job of "babysitting" TC. This was our way of giving her responsibility of staying on the ship, and she took her role very seriously! After every meal, she reminded TC to take her pills, and when it was nap time, she made sure they both laid down and slept.

It was a GREAT trip, and we are already looking at doing it again, but now it's time to get back into the routine of work and school... only for a few more weeks until it's summer break!

Happy Easter!

The kids colored eggs yesterday and set them out before they went to bed along with lettuce & carrots. The little one is starting to "wise up" to the tradition and decided her basket was the biggest one so it could hold more stuff.

On Easter Sunday, after we got back from church and changed clothes, the kids were ready for their filled egg hunt.  The older ones really enjoy this because some of the eggs have dollar bills and coins in them!









We hid 25 eggs, and the order of hunting went from the youngest to the oldest.  The little one got to go first with a 5 minute head start.  When time was up, the middle jumped up and started grabbing up eggs he had spotted while waiting, then just 20 seconds later, the older one finally got to join in the fun.

Daddy is only allowed to participate to help find the remaining one or two eggs.  Then, we all sat on the lawn enjoying the mini-raisin boxes, skittles, and tootsie rolls.



Have a blessed Easter everyone!

Home Alone Mom

What can a mom do when the family is away
Shall I work, shall I clean, shall I nap, or play?
Well, I........





Watered the garden, and watered the shrubs
Watered the flowers and planted some herbs
Mowed the front yard and mowed the back
Swept the driveway and emptied the trash.





Treated the ant piles, spread weed and feed
Then carefully watered my son's apple tree
Went to church then stopped by the store
Did volunteer work, but wait, there's more!



I organized the closet and organized the drawer
Painted the ceiling and the baseboards
Vacuumed the house and made the beds
Unclogged the toilet (a surprise the kids left).





I folded the clothes then washed the sheets
Went to Mass again for the 4th time this week
Worked 40 hours and baked some bread
Greeted new neighbors, played tennis with a friend.




Cleaned up the kitchen, my one little dish
Reviewed our taxes, fed my son's fish
Ran some errands and shopped at the mall
Bought Easter gifts, but still that's not all!


I met with our realtor and termite inspector
Talked with our roofer and insurance adjuster
Kissed all the dolls on my 5 yr old's bed
Then took care of Sunshine, our neighbor's pet.



They'll be home tomorrow, where did the time go?
Should I watch an episode of my favorite show?
Or I could workout with a walk, no a jog
Then check on e-mails and update my blog.


Now time to reflect, oh wow, what a week!
I've accomplished a lot but it's time for me.
A hair appointment first, then a spa pedicure
And finally relax with red wine or a beer.

Family Movie Night

One of our favorite family traditions is Family Movie Night!  I look forward to it all week long because it's the one night we all wind down together.  It's not so much the movie itself, or the popcorn, but snuggling together on the couch.  This is my family time every Friday, with sounds of giggles and laughter as the music.

Family Visit from Colorado

This weekend we welcomed family from Colorado!  They had a daughter & son close to our children's ages, so it was a lot of fun.  We enjoyed showing them around our area with the beautiful weather here in the south.












Although their 10 yr old had never played airsoft before, my son had him suited up in camouflage, a helmet, and a pellet gun within the hour.  By that evening, the boys were indoor nerf shooting, pillow fighting, and wrestling just like brothers!  The older girls were troopers and just ignored the boys.









The little one showed off her talents on the piano and I think even found a new BFF.

On Sunday, we took them to downtown Greenville and our beautiful Reedy River bridge.  

 

After a short walk down to the river's edge, the kids enjoyed playing on the rocks and chasing the pigeons.       

It was a wonderful visit, and we hope to see them again soon.  

We're going to plan for the Summer of 2013 at their place in Colorado!  

Discovery Place - Charlotte, NC

I had the privilege of being a chaperone on my son's school field trip.  We went to a wonderful science museum in Charlotte, NC called Discovery Place.












I was in charge of 5 boys, although the average adult-student ratio was 1-3.  Not sure how I got so lucky.  













They were actually fun to be around, but they kept me on my toes.  As I finally reigned in the wanderers, another one would get away.  












After 4 trips to the gift shop (because they all couldn't decide what they wanted the first 3 times), we finally loaded the bus for home.  I then counted my 5 heads and fell fast asleep on the 2 hr ride back.