Nashville

In between some of my last posts Brian and I snuck away for a quick trip to Nashville for his sister Nicole's wedding.  Originally we had planned to bring the kids, but as we kicked the planning into high gear we realized it was going to be pretty tough to get them there with such a quick turn around, plus the end of the school, plus baseball playoffs, so even though we missed them it was actually super nice to get away just the two of us!

In between wedding activities we were able to spend some time in downtown Nashville and see the sights and just enjoy each other's company all day.

Heading down broadway.  I have to say, I'm a fan! What a fun and lively city.  The humidity and heat I can do without though.

We scored some awesome seats right next to misters and a fan on the top of Acme, a bar that looked out over the river and Titan's stadium, so we planted ourselves there for several hours.  

Brian ordered us a couple drinks and made them doubles just so he wouldn't have to go back to the bar as many times.  Well a double at home is just that, like two shots - nothing crazy.  Well apparently in Nashville is a whole glass.  

Yeah, see my cup?  Full of tequila, straight.  When Brian brought it over I told him there was no way I was finishing that.  Fortunately Gerri met us for a few hours and I was able to share with her! It was pretty hilarious!

Date day with my guy! So happy!!!!

After that and some BBQ for dinner we headed to an Alan Jackson concert.  It was AMAZING!  First of all Alan Jackson is for sure the music of my childhood.  I knew every word.  To every song.  And the outdoor atmosphere was super fun!  

All in all a great day and a great trip.  I have zero wedding pictures because I'm terrible about carrying my phone around at weddings.  But just know it was beautiful and the bride was stunning! So very happy for Nicole and Jake!

Counting down to summer...

Now that summer is finally here it seems like the last few months flew by, but those last 3 or 4 weeks of school seems to last forever while we were in it.  

Scott has been LOVING the "who were" book series.  If you haven't discovered them yet I highly recommend them.  All sorts of historical figures, events, places etc. written in a way that kids can really start to understand them.  We have been reading at least two a week these last few months and Scott really wanted to keep track of all he had been learning, he kept getting confused as to who came first or which invention led to which new discovery so we came up with the idea of creating a timeline and adding facts and details as we read.  Hello visual learner. 

Scott really enjoys history, science, math, anything with facts.  He likes to know what happened, how it happened, how things work - he likes right and wrong answers.  These books have been perfect for him.  His last writing unit in school was poetry.  He hated it.  Haha, this is much more his speed for now. Truly if you haven't tried these books go now and check some out!

Memorial weekend we had lots of bbqs and swimming with friends.  Of which I took almost no pictures.  But I did manage to snap this one of Scott and Riley, just hanging out chatting - basically like teenagers! 

Another day, another round of pitching the kids into the pool from 6 feet in the air!

Owen heading in to his last official day of Team class.  So many emotions for this mama!

Owen and Kenz on their last day!

Typical day in team, squeezing your own OJ for snack.

Baseball playoffs you guys.  Who knew?!  The excitement, the stress, the exhaustion.  Our little giants finished the season 6th and then went into the playoffs and ended up 3rd!  We had at least 2 or 3 games go to extra innings.  I was proud of these boys after every single game!

Just a little "bear, hunter, princess" to kick off a swim session.

We also got to attend cousin Tyler's high school graduation party.  When I met Tyler he was younger than my kids are now.  It blows my mind a little!  The boys had fun swimming and having a few golf lessons...

The next morning the boys ran their first ever race.  And these lucky dudes also got to run into their former and future kindergarten teacher (not by accident, she drove me to the race and then the boys met up after my 5k).  Ms. Tori is so awesome and we are so excited to be back in her class next year with Owen!

The boys did great, but we did learn a lesson about pacing.  They both started out in a dead sprint for the first quarter mile and got really burned out quick.  Next time we are gonna take it slower and see how we do. 

But they were not gonna give up because they couldn't wait to get their medals.  HAHA, amazing how much kids love medals and trophies.  They are pretty excited about their new hardware.

I don't consider myself a runner most of the time.  But something about races is pretty fun and inspiring.  It was an honor to run with these two ladies that morning for a 5k.  Both former teachers of the boys, my kids and our family have sure lucked out in the teacher department!  Ms. Tori and Ms. Dana are two of my favorites in the world!

After all that running we hit the farmers market for eggs and my favorite coffee drink and gluten free donuts from Joi cafe and then it was time to head home for not stop swimming and marco polo. 

Nothing better than them!

With only a few days of school left for Scott I could almost taste summer at this point!!!!

Closing out the school year...

Way back in may....

We celebrated Mother's day with an awesome hike that started out to be an hour-ish but ended up being around 3.  

Team class celebrated the last class party of the year with a family theme celebration.  One of our amazing moms built this tree and we hung family pictures from it.  It was truly beautiful and incredible.  And it filled my heart to walk in to see pictures hanging of all my people!

Owen's been working hard on his garden.

And baseball continued with playoffs.  Split loyalties with this one:

Owen playing around at Bridges open house:

I got to go with Scott on the last field trip of the year which was a tour of the city of LA.

First grade shenanigans at its finest.

Where do they learn this stuff....honestly?!

The field trip was super interesting.  We started by taking the metro to the subway.  We got off at Olivera street and walked around the area while our tour guide showed us things like the oldest house in los angeles and fed us fresh churros.  

Later we headed to Little Tokyo for mochi. 

We toured the arts district and ended at another museum.  It was a super long day but such a blast. 

And luckily I was able to send this guy on his field trip to the farm for strawberry picking with a friend the same day.

Clearly he didn't miss me! 

Happenings

We are currently finishing up the school year.  And as with every year it feels like a whirlwind.  Its really amazing how much we try to squeeze into the last few months and weeks of school.

Owen just trying to keep his zen amidst the crazy.

And we all know that Owen loves food.  Lately that has taken the form of him helping out in the kitchen.  Its so fun to have a passionate little helper.   And he really enjoys it...especially the tasting.

Scott participated in his annual fun run at school.  Somehow this is always on the hottest day of spring.

We love longer days and scooter rides with our friends

This guy and I have been master score keeper (subs) lately.  

Owen does especially well when enough snacks are provided.  And yes, chicken legs are just a snack for him.

Love this view.

I got to escape on a Wednesday for some Ojai fun with Mimi.  We could have stayed in this charming bookstore all day! I think the boys and I might just do that one day this summer.

Getting centered before his game...

Last game of the season for Owen plus his first ever trophy.  He couldn't have been more excited!

See what I mean:

And that was a wrap for Owen's season. Proud of my tiny dude!