We finally took our first trip to SeaWorld this year in early May. This was probably the first time that Charlotte really got into the shows.
She happily sat on Jonathan’s lap during the dolphin show.
And watched every moment of it.
It’s our favorite show there.
After that, we headed over to go through the new Turtle Trek. I think Rosemary will go again, not sure if Ben would though.
Our next stop was the Shamu show.
Charlotte spotted some birds in the bushes.
A quick pic with Grandma
Shamu!
The Thursday before Mother’s Day, Ben’s class hosted a special breakfast for moms and grandmas. Janice came up to join us for the celebration. I was a bit under the weather that day so I was thankful for her help that morning!
Ben made me a special hat.
The best pic we got of Ben and Grandma.
Ben and his favorite school buddy, Cameron
A glimpse of Ben’s classroom
The kids getting ready to sing
Doing his hand motions with the song
He did a great job!
Charlotte enjoying some time with Grandma too.
Ben’s “About My Mom” sheet. He cracks me up!
Back in the fall of 2007, I began attending MOPS when Rosemary was just over a year and a half old. I managed to work out my schedule with the church so that I could go to MOPS then come in late two Mondays a month. And every year since then I have had the pleasure of being a part of this very special group of women.
This past year since I was no longer working at the church, I also was a part of the MOPS Steering Team as a discussion group leader and a quarter of the craft team. I knew from the beginning that this would likely be my last year if we continued to homeschool since I wouldn’t be able to give up Monday mornings on a regular basis after kindergarten.
A portion of my discussion group, the Trouble Tamers, at our last meeting of the year. I dearly love this group!
While it was bittersweet to see this chapter of our lives come to an end, I am so thankful for the friendships that I have made through MOPS and excited about what comes next.
Rosemary didn’t bridge this year, but she did help with setting up the reception for the girls in her troop and others in Azalea Trails. I have loved watching Rosemary grow and make friends through her experience with Daisies.
Lisa, Rosemary, and Jordin
The last Saturday of April, we met up with Rosemary’s Daisy troop and drove to North Fork for a special event celebrating Girl Scouting’s 100th Anniversary.
It was a pretty warm day, but these girls were troopers!
Waiting for things to kick off.
We were told we all had to wear hats or something covering our heads. I don’t even own a hat (just a visor) so I had to borrow one of the leader’s hats. We got there and found out it was more strongly suggested than required.
We made a family day of it. Charlotte and Ben were really pretty amazing with how well they handled the heat and the activities of the day.
The kids got to swim during their troop’s swim time. I think this was one of the highlights of their day.
Waiting while Rosemary finished up her stomp rocket.
3-2-1….
Blast off!
It was a full day! We stopped in Starke on the way home for dinner at Arby’s then made it home. I think everyone but Jonathan slept on the drive back.
We headed out to Ben’s Art Show at the end of April. He was so proud to show us his art and so excited to get to eat ice cream with his school buddies!
The kids with their friends Asher and Evan.
Ben was SO excited about his blue dinosaur egg.
Showing off some of his classroom.
Ben the astronaut. There was a theme with Ben’s artwork – he always used as much blue as possible.
With Miss Debbie and Miss Judy. While there we even ran into Miss Debbie’s son Sean who we had met many years ago through Campus House. But that’s just how Gainesville is. Everyone seems connected to everyone else.
Charlotte with her friend, Lydia.
The kids enjoyed their ice cream then made their way to the playground.
They played on this tire swing (or the vomit comet as they call it) with Caitlyn and Cameron for a long time.
We all had a great time. The next morning Ben asked again to go to his art show. We have been so blessed through the kids’ preschool and the friendships that they’ve made and that we’ve made with the parents.
Jonathan is such a great dad. He really knows what the kids will enjoy and one night he suggested doing hot dogs outside over the fire pit for dinner. The temperature was expected to drop into the 40’s that night (which is strange for late April) and we had some firewood left from the winter so we did it! I cooked the mac ‘n cheese and green beans inside, but the rest of the meal Jonathan and the kids did over the fire.
Rosemary and Jonathan cooked the hot dogs. We are a Nathan’s Hot Dogs family and we stock up whenever they’re BOGO at Publix. They’re the best as far as we’re concerned. Ben kept a very safe distance from the fire.
We just kept Charlotte at the table in her booster. She still seemed to enjoy eating outside even if she didn’t get to cook her own food.
Our chefs again.
Getting everyone’s plates ready. Sheep oversaw the process.
Getting ready to eat.
Enjoying his meal in his blue camp chair.
And what outside meal is complete without roasted marshmallows and s’mores? Somehow, every time we make s’mores we buy more stuff but still have the makings in the pantry from the last time we made them so we had plenty!
The kids thoroughly enjoyed this special night. I’m so thankful for Jonathan’s love of the outdoors. It really isn’t my thing but our kids absolutely love it and he makes sure that they get to enjoy it.
In April, Ben and I went on a date to Chick-fil-a for their Mother Son Date Knight. It was a special event that the restaurant put together and we had to have reservations and put in our dinner orders ahead of time. Ben and I got dressed up (he requested to wear his vest from Easter) then headed out in the rain to Chick-fil-a.
A quick pic in the garage before making a quick dash to buckle into the car.
When we arrived, we had to wait a bit before being led to our assigned table. On our way to our seats, Ben picked out a flower for me and a knight’s tunic for himself. We were seated right in front of Ben’s friend, Grey, from school and Ben thought that was great. Our tables were covered with table cloths and we had a server bring us our food on plastic plates. We didn’t even have to get our own ketchup!
The Chick-fil-a cow did a quick tour through the area and knighted each of the boys.
(The next few pics were the ones that Chick-fil-a took during our time there).
Ben and Grey playing with their moms’ flowers.
Talking with his friend.
And the boys got to dress up in armor. Doesn’t Ben look fierce?
After our meal, we played in the play area with Ben’s friends Landon and Noah who were there with their moms for the next seating. We had a lovely evening out together. Ben’s a great date!
Last week, like a number of other families, we read a lot about the Titanic disaster. It started with me simply telling the kids the story. Then we picked up several books from the library and watched some online documentaries. Both Rosemary and Ben were fascinated, both with the sinking and with its discovery in 1985.
Well, today I was on the phone with my brother talking about the Titanic and during that time, Rosemary drew these pictures without looking at anything or any prompting. She did these completely on her own based on what she learned last week.
She numbered them. On the first two pages, the first picture is actually the bottom picture.
Picture 1 – The Titanic hitting the iceberg (note how a large portion of the iceberg is under the surface). We learned that instead of one long gash, there were actually six holes. She drew the six holes. She also drew the lookout in the crow’s nest.
Picture 2 – The first of the lifeboats are lowered.
Picture 3: More lifeboats are lowered.
Picture 4: She drew the ship in two pieces just before it slipped under the surface. In several things that we read and watched, survivors mentioned hearing and seeing the ship break into two pieces and seeing the propeller rising above the water.
Picture 5: (This one is a bit morbid, but we did talk about how many lost their lives). The next morning after “the cries had died away.” She showed those who jumped from the ship into the sea. One is floating on a door. I asked her if any of these people were still alive. She shook her head.
Picture 6: The Carpathia (notice the one funnel) arriving to rescue those in the lifeboats. (Interestingly, Ben likes to pretend that the Carpathia made it in time and rescued everyone on the Titanic).
