The Biltmore Estate and the Festival of Flowers

In May, just before Julia headed to camp, we were able to spend the day at the Biltmore Estate and catch the end of their "Festival of Flowers." It was a fun family day. I love seeing my boys with their cousins, and anytime I get to spend time with my sis is fabulous (and Michael is pretty fun too).

Courtney bought the "professional" picture from the Biltmore. And there is just so much to love in this pic--Riley tucking her arm in her dress...Carver's psycho crazed smile...

Two months apart and fast friends.

Seriously, they are so cute together.

Jules! (and Riley too)

The boys adore their "little cousins." And, I think the feeling is mutual, though not evidenced by this picture...

Biltmore gardens-- Carver took the flower pics :)

Carson's 4th Birthday--May 25, 2016

In May, Carson, my sweet precious baby, turned 4. And it was a hard one for me. A four-year-old might be young...but they aren't really a "baby" anymore. And as incredible as it is to watch him grown into this amazing young boy, I still mourn the loss of the baby years.

Carson requested a robot-themed birthday party this year, so I spent a couple of months planning those festivities. In order for our whole family to join in, his big party was a few days after his birthday. But, I always like to make sure that the real birthday is also special.

Birthday balloons is a tradition in our family, and now that the boys are older they have come to expect it. Even without the element of surprise, they adore this tradition. This year, Carver desperately wanted to help with the balloons for Carson. He mentioned it many times a day leading up to the night before his birthday. We wait until the birthday boy is asleep before blowing up balloons and transferring them to the bedroom. Right now, because we are mid-renovation and the boys are sharing a room that will eventually be a guest room, both boys get to wake up to a balloon-filled room-- double the fun :) I promised Carver that he could help us and he was dead asleep when I woke him up-- it took some effort but he rallied enough to get up and he was SO excited to help. It was absolutely precious.

Then, when they woke up in the morning, Carson was thrilled with his balloons-- and loved when we told him that his big brother helped.

Carson expressing his gratitude :)

This year, the "little cousins" were at our house, which made the day that much sweeter.

Birthday breakfast!

Days before his birthday, Carson began begging for a Chuck E. Cheese party (like Carver's back in December). My response-- NO! I JUST SPENT THE LAST TWO MONTHS PLANNING AN AWESOME ROBOT PARTY! DARN UNGRATEFUL CHILD! Just kidding. Sort of. Though we didn't let him have his party there, we did head to Chuck E. Cheese for the night as a fun birthday outing with the cousins.

Then we were back at the house for cake and a few presents. All in all, a very good day.

Look at that sweet face!

Carson Miles

Carson has now completed two full years of school and in just a few short weeks he will start Pre-K. He will go to school Monday-Friday and I am already mourning the loss of time with him at home. I love watching the boys grow and learn new things and conquer new milestones--but there is a sadness to these things too. For six years I have had one or both of them home with me during the week, now they will both be in school. I don't feel relieved or excited for the extra alone time (which is odd because I definitely value alone time), instead I feel disappointed that this first phase of their home life with me is coming to an end. It has me thinking crazy thoughts about homeschooling and such :)

Carson did very well in school for his 3-year old year. His teachers had so many kind and encouraging things to say about him-- his behavior, his personality, and his "academic" accomplishments. Carson gets along with everyone and had several favorite friends. He is extremely verbal and has a huge vocabulary. This year he began taking much more of an interest in coloring and drawing and creative activities. He has an enormous imagination and loves to make up extravagant stories and scenarios with his toys.

Once he spent the entire day as Leonardo, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle. In costume, carrying weapons, ridding the house of "bad guys" and referring to Daniel as Sensei.

I think Carson will continue to do very well in school, he is smart and very friendly and social. He says such funny things and he really likes people so well. I see big things in his future, and for now, we don't have any major concerns.

I'm sad about the school year starting and bringing with it these big changes...but I can't wait to see what the future holds for this precious boy.

May Phone Dump

May started out with me frantically trying to plan and execute gifts for Teacher Appreciation Week. I like to do small daily gifts for each teacher. So, it gets a little complicated and sometimes expensive. I enjoy things like this but it does make me stressed, for sure. These are a few of the gifts.

Mason jar glass with drink mixes inside.

Lemon theme: Lemon hand soap, lemonade, and lemon candy sticks.

Small plant.

 The boys have always loved Winston. But, since Lea's death a year ago I think they have started to love him just a bit more.

A rare date night. Daniel wouldn't take a picture, so this is documentation. Sometimes we do go on dates. And sometimes I do get dressed for the occasion. Sometimes.

Carver reading all on his own.

 Mother's Day celebration with Carson's class. His face in these pictures...hilarious.

He loves the loft in his classroom!

 Carver had two injuries at school in about the span of a week. Fell down the stairs once, then fell off a piece of playground equipment and cut his chin. No stitches needed, but he now has his first scar.

Soccer every single Thursday and Saturday in May. 

Family movie outing-- Zootopia!

Mother's Day gift from Carver :)
"Mom is really good at exercise"-- Ha.

I asked my sweet friend Amanda to make Carson a birthday shirt. She did a SPECTACULAR job, refused to let me pay her, AND made one for Carver too. She is so incredibly talented and generous.

My new favorite hot sauce. I could eat it on everything.

Carver has a love of photography (using my phone, so not legitimate photography maybe), and he occasionally takes an oddly good picture. This is one of my favorites.

Angry Bird Happy Meal toys meant A LOT of time spent at McDonalds in May...

Visiting Daddy at work. And wearing pants because May is cool in the mountains.

Planned Carson's 4th birthday party! More to come in a separate post :)

The boys worked together to make a behavior chart like the one used in Carver's class at school.

He was a fire ant! I can't remember why...

The boys have a bit of a difficult relationship. They do genuinely love each other (I think), but most time is spent arguing, fighting, and annoying each other. It is extremely frustrating. This was a rare moment of kindness from Carver to Carson.

More soccer....

We visited went to a cook-out at Emily's house and the boys had the best time!

This haircut. One of my best every parenting decisions. I just love it.