Lake Day

Each summer we look forward to spending a day on the lake with the Houston Family! Living so far away, we don't get to see each other nearly as often as we would like, so getting together each summer is so special. We loaded up and headed east on Saturday morning.

We had perfect weather for a day on the lake! Lydia wasn't too sure about the boat, but we lured her on with the promise of chips. We had a great time riding, eating, and playing in the water. While the little kids took naps that afternoon, Megan and I enjoyed some time down at the beach while the big boys played with Grandaddy. That evening we grilled out for dinner.

 

 

 

Before we headed home that evening, we went for one more boat ride with Grandma and Grandaddy!

It was a great day together and the perfect way to say good-bye to summer!

Meet the Teacher

While its always sad to see summer go, we are getting so excited about Back to School!!! Its a big year for our family, as Jacob is starting Kindergarten and Lydia is starting Pre-School. Both kids had "Meet the Teacher" open houses the Friday before the first day. They were so excited to see their new classrooms and meet their new teachers!

I decided I should take some pictures of Jacob just in case there wasn't time (or cooperation) on the first morning of school! He looks so grown up!

Lydia is starting her first year at Son-Shine Preschool. She is going to be in Mrs. Laura and Mrs. Julie's Two Year Old Class. She seems to have mixed emotions about going to school and has been adamant that she will not be doing any crafts! She's pretty familiar with the building and teachers since she's been there so much in the past two years, however, she did seem a little unsure now that its her turn to attend.

Jacob is starting Kindergarten at Fletcher Elementary! He's in Mrs. Tillery and Ms. Greene's class and was so excited to check out his classroom. After introducing himself to his teacher, he spent time trying out his new seat, looking at the centers, and finding his cubby. He didn't want to leave and says he can't wait to start on Monday morning!

Jacob ran into some old friends from his preschool class! I think it was comforting to everyone to see some smiling, familiar faces!

Lydia made some new friends!

I'm excited to be starting a new adventure, too! I'm a Volunteer Coordinator on the Fletcher PTO and I'm really looking forward to being involved in Jacob's new school! We have a lot of adjustments ahead, but I think we're ready!

Final Weeks of Summer 2018

We really enjoyed our summer garden this year. We grew seven varieties of tomatoes, green peppers, jalapeno peppers, zucchinis, and lots of flowers and herbs. The kids loved helping me water, weed, and pick the garden throughout the summer. 

 

I had fun experimenting with all kinds of tomato recipes. Of course I had to make my traditional tomato pie, but I tried out some new dishes, too. There's nothing quite like fresh tomatoes!

Unfortunately "tobacco bugs" (as my dad calls them) ate and destroyed our zucchini plants. I was so sad. We did get some yummy zucchinis, but not nearly as many as we were hoping for.

We loved spending time with lots of friends during our final weeks of summer. Krista, Benjamin, and Jackson were able to stop by for lunch and some play time on their way to Kentucky. It was so great to see them!

We also met up with Matthew and his family for some ice cream in Hendersonville. The kids had a blast playing chase and hide n seek on the courthouse lawn.

When we weren't hanging out with friends, we were spending time at Lake Julian Park, the Nature Center, home, or Pizza Hut! The kids each earned a free personal pan pizza for completing their Summer Reading Programs at the library.

The end of summer meant Jacob had to start preparing for Kindergarten! He and I had a special morning together getting breakfast (at Jacob's choice location - Ingles!) and shopping for school supplies. I always loved back to school shopping and I think its safe to say that Jacob did, too!

We decided to have one last Family Fun night together before school started. We went to dinner at Mona Lisa's and then walked across the street to play putt-putt. Afterwards we cooled off with some ice cream downtown!

Summer 2018 was good to us! We made so many special memories together and are grateful for time spent with friends and family!