Gearing up for warm weather...Spring Break 2018, Here We Come!

Has there ever been a time that we were more desperately looking for some sunshine, warm weather, and extra snuggles from Papa and Grandma??? We are so ready to blow this snowy pop stand and take it easy poolside.

Of course, before taking off there is always the list and excitement of things to do. Chores, for this mama, is high on the list. I love coming home to a clean home! On that note everyone grab some sort of supply and get to it. These 2 cuties grabbed the brooms and hit the porch and side walk. :)

My favorite girl was in need of a trim. First time I think ever, someone cut her hair that was not Auntie Megs! With a new babe in town, we hit the corner salon for a needed trim.

One last swim class before our trip, check. 

Ellie has accomplished her backstroke the length of the pool. This girl is so graceful even when she swims. (Opposite of my swimming abilities!)

A birthday dinner. I am blessed!

And off we go! We left our car with Uncle Maynard and he dropped us off at the airport.

A quick bite...

And off I go with my middle and my little! We ended up booking two separate flights on the way down. This was not my first choice but it saved us on the price of tix. 

This gal pal is always such a big helper.

Drew was so excited to see the city life below the plane.

And all that excitement tuckered him right out. This plane was one of the most turbulent I have been on and I was shocked that none of us got sick. I was ready with the bag out. Poor Drew had woke up that morning with a high fever so we knew were pressing our luck already but we did it. We landed and everyone was safe and still wearing clean clothes.

The next morning, Happy Easter!, and the Easter Bunny got the memo we were at Papa and Gma's!

Celebrating His Resurrection at Mom and Dad's church. 

And then the Easter Bunny landed again with an Easter egg hunt in the courtyard! This has become an annual tradition. G.G., and all the neighbors and friends come out to cheer the kids on. :) I love that our children bring joy to so many! 

 And off to the pool...

Luke came and laid with me for a bit. I love this little boy so much and can't believe how BIG he is now! His feet were farther off the chair than mine! #manchild

These two ladies loving life together.

And my favorite. My very own stud muffin soaking it all in.

Haha!! Drewman and these goggles!

That night, the NCAA championship game. We didn't last long as Michigan fell to Villanova. 

Next day, all day at the pool! Making up pool games with Ben. In this game, they were competing which pair could catch the most "fish" in the net. This game literally was played for hours. 

Dad caught a Gecko!

Checking him out...

Day 3, Off to the pool!

These two.

Life is all good but it's not always smiles and sunshine. This little kiddo's fever never broke and by Saturday night it was still high so we took him in. At first they told me we needed to admit him into the ER but I have been down this road before with his breathing and asked that they do a few more oxygen tests first. Thank goodness for the prior knowledge, because they agreed we could just take him home. But steroids, breathing treatments, and Augmentin for this kiddo. He perked up within the next 24 hours, thank God!! The Augmentin caused him to have diarreah for 3 days and so on went the swim diapers and anytime he had to go potty in the pool, we made a fast dash for it. It all ended well. Thank goodness for our access to doctors, medicine, and extra love from Gpa and Gma.

Next day, a trip down the road to Ft. Myer's Beach just in time for the sunset!

Luke was a little frustrated with himself after our trip to FL over Christmas. We had no idea about this until we got home and he talked about how he didn't get in the ocean because of his fear of sharks. He had never been scared about this before and so I didn't think anything about it. He had been reading a ton on nonfiction  books about sharks and we were so close to the dolphin at Sanibel that the two together spooked him. So he made a pact with us that he wanted to overcome his fear this time and Get. In. The. Water! And he did it! He went right in at sunset without a flinch and it made him feel so much better. :)

These are the kind of nights I wish I could freeze and keep coming back to whenever I want. 

On the last day, Mom and Dad surprised me with my birthday gift to go see Mama Mia at a dinner theater!!!

We had so much fun!!! We all were up dancing and singing at the end even after having an all you can eat delicious dessert bar!

Early 4 am risers to make our flight. Breakfast of champions before boarding but this time we all flew home together. Just the way I like it!

Our seating started like this...

And ended like this. We loved having the all 3 kiddos together and they loved it too. The flight attendants and surrounding people were so complimentary of them and how they sat with each other. It just melts this Mama's heart. Also, this might be the seating arrangement from now on!

Home, sweet home. 

We came hone with 4 days left of break and that feel so good! Luke didn't last long with our fun, flashlight night read. :)

Next day, off to see Harlow of course!

We missed you while we were gone, baby girl!

Living it up, celebrating Uncle Chad's and Ryan's birthday!!!

Happy birthday, Uncle Chad!! We love you!

These two love coloring and crafting together at Elle's work table! :)

Last day of break, a trip to go see Great-Grandma Budd!

Back to school and work and in a weird way we all really love our routine. I guess we are lucky in that way!

Ellie at the school's ice cream social showing off her writing portfolio. This kiddo worked so hard this year and has grown leaps and bounds as a reader and writer. We are so proud of you, Ellie!!

Luke's clay sunflower was picked to be showcased at the Rochester Hills Art Show! Here we are at the board office looking at the display!

Luke with his art teacher, Mrs. Eeshaki...Teachers are just the best.

And here is his artwork...Great job, Luke! Congratulations! 

Our Math Pentathlete!

This day. This kid.

 Luke joined a new club at the start of the school year called Math Pentathlon. He met with his two coaches and cohort (2nd and 3rd graders) group every Tuesday from 5:45-6:45 at his Elementary school. At this club, he met new buddies and had a blast practicing different math/strategy/problem-solving Math Pentathlon games. At the end of the school year, he had the chance to compete at a tri-state tournament to play these math activities against other students his age from Michigan, Ohio, and Indiana.

So here we are at the end of the year tourney. Ben volunteered to be one of the table coaches so both of them got to Bloomfield Hills High School at 7 am! The other littles and I showed up after lunch. 

Below is what the 2 gyms looked like in the high school. Wall to wall people! Play Where's Waldo and try to spot Luke at his table competing in his match. :) 

Let the gaming continue...

The two cutest cheerleaders at a math competition there ever was...

We happened to be sitting with Luke's pediatrician Dr. Antone and his wife Rachel. His two sons were competing as well representing a different school district. It was fun chatting with them! When his son Charlie came up from his last table we were all asking how he did. He was telling us he had won 2 out of the 5 games that day. I texted our families and told them, " Sorry, Dr. Our kid is smarter than your kid." Totally kidding but it was a good laugh! :)

At the very end, all of the competitors joined together for the ending ceremony. Over 600 students competed.

(It was a VERY long day, and I got there at noon!)

(Side note: Drew is obsessed with his Lucky Guy hat from Gpa and Gma C. and wears it everywhere he goes. We have found him wearing it in bed while he was sleeping.)

Drum roll, please...And Luke was a GOLD medalist! He earned a perfect score in all of his matches!!! My mommy's heart was exploding with pride. Clearly, he gets it from me. :)  

Pictured below, Luke is with all of the other perfect score competitors from the day! He is the 3rd one in from the left.

To add all of the emotions and pride all into one and on TOP of it all, Ayrton was also a perfect score medalist! These 2 best buddies from 8 mos old and on and they both earned top honors, both representing Rochester School District but from different neighborhood schools! I told Meghan, Ayrton's mom, she must have had quite the mathematically advanced homecare to raise these two whiz kids!

And there they are in all of their glory. :) Now they are playing football together this season on the same team! Once they move on from elementary, they will attend the same middle and high school together.

Thank you Coaches Josh and Sara for a fun season! Ellie and Adeesh, we are proud of you!

My heart. I am blessed and grateful!

Luke, we are so proud of you sweet boy. You worked hard to compete here today but you were also kind and courteous to all of your opponents. You were polite and respectful to your table coaches. You had fun and laughed during the games and you never took yourself too seriously.  Congratulations, Luke! We love you!!

Cousin Love

This blogpost is the first time that our kiddos got to meet their sweet cousin Harlow! 😍 Due to the hospital having a ban on young children visiting because of the flu, our three had to wait until she got home to meet her. They were so excited to meet her and kept asking for "their turn" to hold her. We all adore her!