Friday Favorites: Last Week of School Edition!

This week has been a whirlwind! The 1st half of May didn't seem quite as crazy as last May, but this 2nd half? Let's just say my sanity is hanging by a thread. It has been a doozy. Mostly fun filled but also so busy my head is spinning... and so overwhelming because my to do list is a mile long... and so exhausting because there aren't enough hours in the day... and so emotional because my baby just finished 1st grade! And we're leaving behind the best teacher ever!! And we're getting closer to high school graduation!! And it's just all going sooo fast!! Waaaahhhh!!! Mama's emotions are all over the place. Clearly. But we are sooo thankful for the wonderful school year our biggest enjoyed and are so excited for our summer break. Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened is on repeat around here. =)

But now for our faves from our last week of school...

*Garrison got in the car on Monday afternoon with a huge sheet of paper that was all rolled up and he unveiled it for us as soon as we got home. It was a huge drawing of us at the beach complete with ocean animals and seashells!  

*I absolutely loved the entire beach scene but I must say I'm especially partial to our fam on the beach in our matching Georgia swim suits. =)

*Austin and I squeezed in a little linking cube math and number writing practice this week. 

*Game Night! This one has been popular all week. =)

*Outside time has been a favorite this week too. Thank goodness for no homework, mostly free nights, and a preview of summer!!

*Austin and I were able to go to Garrison's 1st grade picnic/cookout on Wednesday and I'm so glad we could go!! BIG thanks to my parents who kept both Layton and A so Austin and I could celebrate with our almost 2nd grader! It was so much fun for the kids and I can't say enough about the 1st grade team of teachers who organized it. It was the perfect way for all of the classes to celebrate the end of the year together and I'm pretty sure every single student LOVED it. We had a great time with our biggest boy and friends!

*Garrison Cade picking up his summer bucket and awards packet after the picnic. 

*So thankful for the fun celebration I enjoyed with my big boys! 

*Last day of 1st grade on yesterday! *Tears*

*Garrison on the 1st day of school. They grow so fast!!

*I don't think I can dwell on this picture for very long or the tears will flow again. Garrison LOVED his teacher and had a wonderful 1st grade year. We continue to thank the Lord for her and her passion, dedication, and heart for teaching. Leaving her in 1st grade is sooo hard to do!!

*My work-out buddies! Hahaha. They wanted to do exercises with me and this is their versions of a plank. And Layton is wearing my flip flops because that's his obsession right now. They attempted everything I did, complete with whispered counting. Hahahaha!

*Mama isn't the only one exhausted by this week. #Blessit #Pleaseletusgotobedearlytonight

*Welcoming summer this morning is so bittersweet! It's been an emotional week but our hearts are full and oh so grateful. 

We are planning to enjoy our 1st day of summer with lots of beach prep! For the first time ever we're heading to the beach for the long weekend! We're going to really miss our usual Memorial Day weekend of relaxing and decompressing from the craziness of the end of the year with lazy days at home, but we know fun memories will be made on this extra trip to the beach! 

Have a happy Friday and a wonderful long weekend as we remember the sacrifices of so many for our freedom!!

That's a Wrap

We just wrapped up our 4th season of baseball. Our 4th Spring spent at ball fields which quickly become our home away from home, and this year, our 1st season of daddy coaching both big boys and the HUGE commitment that comes with coaching 2 teams and keeping up with 2 boys who are playing and practicing and having games all at once.

The Spring is busy. The season is crazy. Our nights have been full and almost always late. 

It can be stressful and hard and almost impossible trying to figure out how to feed everybody and get to practices and games on time while still maintaining some sense of normal family life and a predictable routine and bedtime. 

Oh bedtime, how you suffered.  

But the fun we had and the joy we experienced thanks to this season and the late nights, it was priceless.

My big boys absolutely loved playing and had the best time win, lose, or tie. They enjoyed it all.

We had some tough games but we also had some really, really GREAT games. Austin's team won 2 super close games this season and Garrison's team won their very last game of the season by defeating the only unbeaten team in our league!! 

They were exciting games to watch and just so much fun. Come game time, all the craziness of the season was worth it. 

Baseball is a team sport but there is a lot of individual play to the game as well. The pressure is on!

 My mama nerves got me almost every time my boys came up to bat or the ball was hit to them. I'm talking stomach in knots and heart beating faster and maybe even some holding of my breath. Especially during the close games!

But they did great! They had so much fun playing that either they weren't all that nervous or it didn't get to them so much. Garrison was one of only 2 players on his team who didn't strike out the entire season! 

And Austin was the youngest on his team but one of the very best players! 

The commitment was big.

And the nights were late.

But man was it a fun season and the best time.

Watching my boys play and my husband coach was something special. So exciting. So full of playing hard. So full of coaching with encouragement, enthusiasm, and motivation.   

This season wore us out and stretched us more than any other sports season of the past. I love this blog post by Joanna Gaines. It really is a discipline to recognize and reflect on the blessings disguised as really hard work. 

Oh the impact and fun and joy contained in this season and the prayers of these coaches. That's a wrap. But the memories from this season will last for years and years. 

And this little man? Well he cheered on his big brothers and ate his weight in popcorn and kept his mama and grandparents on their toes all season long. He had almost as much fun as his baseball playing brothers. And soon enough I'll be watching him play and my heart just may burst from the fun, excitement, and joy of it all.


We know lots of families whose children only play one sport year round or the same sport every Spring and Fall, but I think this season really confirmed for us that we're definitely a 2 sport playing family. We love baseball in the Spring and soccer in the Fall. At least for now. Our boys are just too young and having too much fun with both sports to choose one over the other. We may be in the minority but we're okay with that. It's been bittersweet wrapping up baseball and saying goodbye for a whole year but we're welcoming the break (didn't even put our boys' names on the All Star ballots!) and looking forward to returning to soccer in the Fall.

Soo thankful for the memories and the fun of the season. Baseball life. There's nothing like it.  

Last Day & Weekend Fun

This weekend was fun and BUSY! We enjoyed it lots and are worn out this morning but ready and motivated to tackle this last week of school!!

We kicked things off on Friday with Austin's last day of preschool. He had a great year and we are so thankful for his teacher and school! The opportunity for Austin to be away from me and the house and Layton and Baby A for a while each week was such a good thing for him. He really loved his teacher and classmates and thrived socially. I think our little man was possibly most popular this year. =)

And here's my middle on his first day... He's grown sooo much! Every first day of school I make a point to take in and soak up their faces and just how little they are because on the last day they will seem so much bigger and older. It never fails that I'm still shocked at the difference though. *Tear*

Friday afternoon Piper stayed with us and her boys were thrilled! =)

Garrison had a choir rehearsal on Friday night so our littles enjoyed a movie night together. Layton only watched off and on but I did capture this sweetness at one point during the movie. 

Saturday morning we were up bright and early ready to see Austin's end of year program/graduation. I think he was smitten over having us there all for him and only him. =)

It was the cutest program and Austin Selph took his performance so serious. We laughed so hard at him and his serious and determined stage presence and singing. It was priceless. 

Oh this boy. He brings us so much laughter, joy, and fun. 

Austin with his teacher and best bud from school. 

So thankful for such a great year!

Immediately following Austin's program we rushed home to change and get ready for our first pool party of the summer! It was cold but the boys still enjoyed themselves and had fun celebrated their cousin's 5th birthday. 

Terrell and I on the other hand couldn't relax for a second thanks to this little man. Gracious.

On the way home everyone was tired and in a mood and there was lots of backseat drama, complaining, and loudness going on... so Terrell rolled down the window and stuck his head out to get a break from it all. Hahaha!! I laughed so hard. He definitely knows how to keep things light around here!

After naps by Layton, mama, and daddy on Saturday afternoon and Swiss Family Robinson by the big boys, we decided to go grab some fast food and head to a park we'd never been to before for supper. We had the BEST evening. The weather was perfect, the boys loved being at a new park, and fun was had by all. It was definitely another wish I could freeze time moment. I loved every single second with my guys.

After making up obstacle courses and running around and playing lots, the big boys walked over to the walking track/field to throw the baseball with daddy while I kept up with Layton. It was a GREAT night.

Sunday morning was wild. And not even because of these 3. Ha! I had 8 teachers out on Sunday morning. 8!!!! Half I knew about in advance and the other half were last minute things that came up Sunday morning. Can you say State of Emergency?! Thankfully we managed to have every preschooler and baby taken care of. Phew. It was craziness. But these 3. They were my big helpers just like every other Sunday morning. #madaboutplaidandboysinwhite

Sunday afternoon was short and busy and then we were back at church for the boys' choir programs. Our church has the best children's and youth choir ministries EVER. Seriously. I can't say enough about our Minister of Music and all the various choir leaders and teachers. They do a wonderful job every single year and I'm so thankful our church has such a strong music ministry for children. 

Austin's choir was up first and I smiled the whole time his little choir sang. I didn't have the best view of him but still managed to watch him the whole time. Such a sweet little program! Nothing like hearing little voices sing about Jesus! 

After Austin's choir finished, the older kids did the musical It's Cool in the Furnace about King Nebuchadnezzar and Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and the prophet Daniel narrated. The kids did a great job! It was funny and entertaining and told the story from Daniel on a kid friendly level. I think Garrison was a little worn out and tired by the end but I loved watching him. They all worked so hard and it paid off! 

Both boys received medals for attendance that they were super proud of. =) It was a fun night for us watching our big boys and we've had a great year of choir!!

Phew! I think that covers everything. =) This weekend was FULL but we enjoyed all of the celebrations and good times lots! Happy last week of school!!!