The Good With The Bad

What a day it's been and it's only 4pm!  Oh my...Ra had his first day of SAT testing at school which means half days, no homework but sitting all morning long.  After I picked them up from school we visited the chiropractor (want him to be able to focus for his testing) and got some groceries for our spring break trip then headed home for lunch.  After the kids got a bite to eat, we decided (yes, I bribed) them to go for a long bike ride by offering Rita's as our destination.  It was beautiful outside and I wanted them to get some exercise so it was a win-win.

We were having a fabulous time until the ride home.  Sis was sugared up and ready to go on our return trip.  They were both riding on the sidewalk and she was going full speed and not looking where she was going.  I yelled "Watch Out!" just in time so she swerved and only clipped the speed limit sign instead of hitting it head on.  She got thrown from her bike and landed on her hip and elbow.  She was SCREAMING at the top of her lungs so loudly that people came out to the porches to see if we needed an ambulance or help.  It sounded worse than it was because that's how she is when she is hurt and scared.  We were still over 2 miles from home so I knew there was no way I was going to get her to ride or walk.  Most of my friends who I would call for help were at work or picking up their kids from school.  Thankfully Andy was in the office and not in a meeting.  He was her hero and came to get her and take her home.  Ra and I continued to ride home.  When I got there she had calmed down some...until I went to clean her wounds.  The one on her hip bothered her the most but was able to get everything fairly clean and bandaged with "magic cream."  

She's being spoiled with How to Train Your Dragon 2 on the sofa with her pillow, blanket and momma at her beck and call!  Hoping she heals quickly because she's got gymnastics tomorrow.  She's trying out a new gym because her gym is moving locations over spring break and it will be a 30 minute drive instead of a 15 minute drive.  Please pray that she does well tonight and tomorrow.  Her guardian angel sure does keep busy with this one!  Praising God that things ended the way they did because it could have been so much worse.  At least she's learned to always look where you are going!  

Are You Ready For Some Football?

Ra has been loving Upwards Flag Football this spring.  He's super into football.  He's always begging to throw with me or Andy.  He plays at school with the other boys during recess and he's thinking he wants to try out for the middle school team next year.

Sunday was his first game.  His team had a double header because his division only has 3 teams so each week, one of them will play twice.  He did a great job!  He was so enthusiastic, encouraging to everyone and played very well.  He caught touchdowns, scored extra points, rushed on defense, and high fived his friends whether they were successful or not.  I was so proud of how he handled himself. 

 A little pass interference?  He was upset but kept it to himself.

His buddy Connor scoring a touchdown!

2 extra points!

He's upset he's missing this weekend's game but is looking forward to the upcoming games.  I can't wait to see how he develops and grows as a player.  We love Upward sports.  It's such a great way for Ra to start playing organized sports.

Supercross comes to Daytona!

I remember going to SX at Daytona when I was a kid.  We drove to Florida with our camper in tow.  My dad's parents were with us.  We watched the race before heading to Cape Canaveral and Disney World.

Andy decided to take Ra for some father/son bonding.  They had a blast!  Thankfully Daytona is only and hour and a half away.

Andy kept sending me pics of their Trey Canard sightings.  They kept their bikes in the car pits and had to get from their trailers to the pits.  They also spotted Ryan Dungey but didn't get to snap any pics of him.  He's Ra's all time favorite but Canard is a close second.  We are huge Canard fans not only because he's a great rider, but because he loves Jesus and isn't afraid to tell the world.  I call him the Tim Tebow of the dirt bike world. Kids like mine need role models like him.  He posts his daily bible study on his social media and he always thanks God before his sponsors in his win speeches.

They had reserved seats and tix to stand on the track for a motorcross like experience.  They loved being close to the action.

Canard got tangled up with some other riders in the final, but had a great comeback.  Ra was happy that #5 pulled out the win!

Next year my cousin and her family are considering coming down for the race.  The boys can go and the girls can hang out here at our house.  I hope it happens!  Sis and my cousin's daughter are so much alike and really enjoy the time they do get to spend together.  The boys came home happy and tired.  Ra really liked going and spending the day with his dad.

New Wheels!

We do a good bit of bike riding now that we live at the beach. It's a great way to get around and we can do it year round.  Sissy's 16" bike was finally just too small.  The poor kid was exhausted after short rides because she had to pedal too much.  We were hoping she could just go right onto Ra's 20" but no luck.  I tried and tried to find a used bike for her but that didn't go well.  I had arranged to buy one via Craigslist for $20 in great shape, but in typical Craigslist fashion, they sold it privately out from under us...Ugh.  I found a great deal on this new bike.  I had to remove the training wheels and streamers and attach her new basket before she felt it wasn't "babyish" and now she loves it!

Showing off her non-babyish new bike!

Mom!  Watch me ride!  It's so much easier!

Look at my basket!  The flowers light up!

We rode to the Beaches Green Market for milk and some fruit.  She made it the whole way without any whining or fussing!  What a difference 2 inches on her wheels makes!

She loves her new bike.  We rode bikes all weekend!

Grandparents Day

Every year my kids have missed out on having their grandparents attend Grandparents Day at their school.  In Utah, Uncle Kevin and Aunt Cara were kind enough to stand in for them.  Kev & Cara are the true example of family to our kids.  They care about our kids as if they were blood.  We are so thankful for their presence in our lives but nothing is the same as your actual grandparents on Grandparents Day.

This year the stars aligned and my parents were able to attend!  Andy's parents don't travel like mine do so it was extra special that Nan and Pap could be there.

The entire school - preschool through Upper School participated in the program.  They called it Carousel of Memories.  It was a theatrical musical presentation hosted and performed by the student body.  They took the grandparents through 4 generations - 40's, 50's 60's and 70's.  During each era, they got to see how music, dance and styles of each era had changed.  They also showed some of the technological marvels of the "good old days" that made life more convenient, comfortable and fun - which paved the way for new and exciting innovations in the future.

I found this pic on the school website.  My dad is a blur in the middle, but there he is enjoying a cup of coffee at the reception before the program started.  

My dad really enjoyed the musical peformances, especially the Jazz Band.  It took him back to his Jazz Band days.  He was rather impressed with the director too.  Providence does the arts and sports right (our boys hoops team is back to back state champs among many other sport team accolades at the school) on top of their prep school curriculum.

Each grade level dressed up from an era and sang popular songs from that decade.  Ra dressed up in suspenders and a white button down shirt.  The fedora I ordered for him didn't arrive in time - something about a snow storm delaying delivery. ;)  He was disappointed because that would have made his 40's attire complete.  The 5th grade sang "Swinging On A Star" by Bing Crosby.  Sissy's grade dressed in tie die shirts for the 60's and sang their own version of "My Girl" by the Temptations but changed the words to "My God."

The teachers asked for photos of the kids' grandparents when they were young so they could do some comparisons of grandparents to students in terms of resemblance.  Here are the pics of my mom and dad - back when the world was black and white!  Lol!

Mom was such a cute little girl!

Sis thought this was me!  Ha!

My Nanny and Pappy Hershock with my dad and Aunt Beth.  Lori - I think this pic of your mom reminds me of H!

A rare moment when my dad's smile was captured!  Lol!  What a cute kid!

I'm glad they had such a good time.  Both kids had projects they worked on to celebrate their grandparents.  Sis made a poster of pictures of her grandparents and Ra had worked on a family tree and wrote a paper including his family history and background info.  They also worked on projects at school in art class, music class and with their classroom teachers.

After the program, my parents went to see Sissy's classroom and then went to Ra's classroom.  They got to meet the kids' teachers, administrators, football coach and athletic director, etc.  It was nice for them to see inside the building and meet those who are helping mold our children.  They've taken the kids to school and picked them up before, but never went inside to see what it's like.  My kids were THRILLED to actually have their grandparents there.  Hoping they can attend again in the future, but glad they got to do it while both kids are still in Lower School.

When it was all said and done, Andy and I met them at our favorite lunch spot - Angies!  It was great to catch up with all of us together before they had to drive back.  Sis was a mess as usual when they left.  I thought she was just being overly dramatic until I realized that it was real.  Poor kid.  It rips her heart out when they say goodbye.  She's the emotional child.  She wears her heart on her sleeve.  Ra is more logical and rational.  He knows it has to happen and he'll see them again.  They see the world through such different lenses.  As much as it kills me to see her so upset, I'm grateful she has people in her lives who she loves so much and love her in return.

Thanks mom and dad for always being there for my kids!  I'm so thankful they have you in their lives and know they can depend on you.  The two of you have been the constant in their lives.  Andy and I are eternally grateful for your presence, interest and love you show them.  If our kids bless us with grandkids, you've done a great job showing us how to enjoy them!

The Good Life

Today was an example of a wonderful day. Got Ra and his science project to school safely - no tragedies to the project in the car or on the way into the gym to get set up. Whew!  I'm so glad his cardboard box arcade project is finished! Of course we forgot to snap a pic of it!  It was a clever vertical maze that he created.

After I got back I cleaned and did some laundry then went for a run. The weather was too glorious not to take advantage of it with some outdoor exercise. 

Then I met Andy to finalize our living trust and wills. Nothing like figuring out what you want to have happen to you when you die!  Afterwards, Andy took me on a lunch date. We hit up our favorite sub shop and both went out on a limb and got today's special instead of our usual favorites. 

Today's special was called The Duke. It was smoked turkey and pork along w BBQ Fritos. Not bad, but we both like our usual a little better. 

After lunch I decided to hit the beach. It's supposed to rain tomorrow and temps are going to drop to the 50's. Yuck!  Just in time for my parents to arrive. Bummer!  

Getting my daily requirement of vitamin D at my favorite place. 77 and sun with a light breeze to keep me from sweating. 

I'm hoping that tomorrow's celebration of Grandparents Day at school makes it beautiful because the weather certainly isn't going to help. We are so excited that my parents can attend. This is their last chance for Ra to honor his Grandparents publically at school. Can you believe it's his last year of elementary school?  He's had 5 other Grandparents Day without any grandparents around. Thankfully Uncle Kev & Aunt Cara substituted for Ra a few times in Utah.

We've got a crazy busy schedule from tonight through Sunday so I'm enjoying this moment without any distractions. 

Gonna crack open my book!  Stay warm my northern friends!

Happy Birthday Dr Seuss!

Sis and the rest of 1st grade went to Sweet Pete's to celebrate Dr Seuss. SP's is like a real life Wonka factory. 

The kids got the scoop on the history of the new building. The lighting fixtures in there are incredible as are all the decorations and art. 

BFFs!

Playing a game of Memory on the front porch. 

Reading the Bartholomew and the Oobleck story. 

Making their own version of Oobleck. I got the recipe. Can't wait to try it with the kids at home!

Oobleck experiments 

Here's Pete (aka Willy Wonka) showing the kids how to make taffy. 

Everyone got their own piece of taffy to cut and wrap in small pieces to take home. 

One of these days I'm gonna try out their new cafe. The menu looks so yummy. We love that Sweet Pete's offers gluten free treats and that he avoids artificial colors and flavors in their own treats.  

This Just Happened

Oh my goodness!  I'm so proud of my little gymnast. I signed her up for a tumbling clinic at the gym yesterday and this is what happened!

In less than 10 minutes she went from struggling to put the two skills together to being able to do it on the floor instead of the tumble track!  The best part is Ms. Cayln was the coach who got her to do it.  She's one of the tougher coaches at the gym who Sis is intimidated by at practice.  I've been telling her how much Cayln knows her tumbling and can break down skills and get gymnasts to do things they hadn't done before.  I've been trying to get Sis to agree to a private lesson with her, but she's not yet interested.  At least at the tumbling clinic she got to work on some advanced skills with some of her teammates while not having to do all the conditioning stuff.  

She struggled with her front handspring yesterday but I was so proud of her for going back to her coach to try again even after the clinic was over.  She's starting to show signs of maturity and a desire to improve her skills in a way I haven't seen before this month.  I think this is her passion, at least for now.  Not sure how long it will last, but she's all in!  I haven't heard "I want to quit" or "I don't like gymnastics" like I did before her meets.  All that anxiety seems to have passed.  She is also forming better relationships with the coaches who she's struggled to connect with because of their tough demeanor.  

She's starting to see the benefits of all her hard work - and it's hanging on her wall as a reminder every day!

Go Gators

Our trip to Gainesville - take 2!  

We finally made it to a gymnastics meet at UF!  It was their Link To Pink meet in support of breast cancer. What a special meet since UF gymnast Rachel Spicer's mom is currently battling breast cancer. We left early from Jax so we'd have time to get dinner first. 

Here she is coloring gators and doing a UF word search!  We ate at The Swamp Restaurant across from campus. Closest you'll find me to the actual Swamp!

Got ourselves so great seats!

Never would I have dreamed I'd have a kid wearing a Gators shirt and shaking a blue & orange pom pom!  The things you do for your kids when you become a parent!

Look how happy she is!!!  She hung out in the aisle for a better view of her favorite gymnast, freshman phenom Alex McMurtry!  

Yes, she even got to meet Alberta!  

Kytra Hunter warming up on beam. 

The gator girls having fun at floor. 

She ditched me for beam & floor for a better view. She watched the entire meet intensely. She didn't want to miss a thing!

We can't leave until after the awards Mom!  

Afterwards she got Kytra Hunter's and Bridget Sloan's autographs. She was bummed she didn't get to meet Alex, but we'll have plenty of time to do that over the next 3 years!

Yes, not only did I buy her a shirt, but also an Albert the alligator. This morning there was a showdown at breakfast. I told her last night at bedtime that it was a good thing she didn't bring Albert to bed with her because he and her Nittany lion probably would have gotten jealous and started a fight!  She asked me who I thought would win...I told her in my heart I'd pick the lion. She quickly said she agreed!  ❤️

Special Date Night

Andy likes to take Sissy on dates from time to time. It's so important for her to understand how treasured she is and to learn the expectation for how a future boyfriend/husband should treat her. It also helps build her self esteem and confidence to know how special she is in her Daddy's eyes. 

They headed out to Mezza for some "pink fish" aka salmon for dinner. It's a favorite for them. 

She and I had fun picking out her clothes, shoes, doing her hair & make up and I even taught her how to apply perfume in the right spots. I hope she always lets me be a part of her date night preparations. 

Can't wait to hear all about her fun evening!

Handsome Date

Lucky me!!!  While Andy was at a work dinner and Sis was at practice, Ra and I got a pizza from Al's and headed home to finish watching the movie Left Behind. It's a special time for us to bond and for him to know how special he still is to me even though he's growing up and so independent. 

He loved the movie. He's really interested in the book of Revelations and this movie sparked lots of good conversation. His understanding of the Bible never ceases to amaze me.