Tennis

My date night of choice is tennis with Andrew.  We love playing a set or two.  I have only won a single set against him ever, but my eternal optimism keeps me thinking that one of these nights I'll win again.  I may have gained the competitive advantage I needed this summer.  Nicolle invited me to play in a women's doubles league once a week.  It worked out perfectly because we have a third teammate, Jennifer, who will pick up the slack when the kids and I take off on our annual road trip. 

We've had two matches so far.  We got our tails kicked the first time:  6-0, 6-1.  But the ladies we played were GOOD.  Really good.  We heard they moved down to our beginner's division from the intermediate.  We're telling ourselves that rumor is true. 

I played with Jennifer this week and it was a super close match.  We lost the first set in a tie-breaker.  We started a second set.  It was my turn to serve.  The score was tied at deuce.  And we just kept going from advantage back to deuce.  Over and over and over again.  It was nearly as long as the record-setting Wimbledon match this week.  At least it felt like 10 hours.  I bet I served a hundred times.  And we won!  Woo hoo!  We were leading 1-0.  And our time was up.  We had to make room for the next set of ladies to play their matches.

Andrew and the kids watched our first match and he snapped some photos.

I've got a pretty mean first serve.

Too bad it's only in bounds about half the time.

I didn't realize I always held my left hand in a funky position.

Playing the net is new for me.

It's fun.

I need some practice.

  I had a couple of shots where 

I looked like a wounded gazelle.

Hilarious.

Here's to hoping we can win our next one!

Hotel Indigo

For part of our anniversary celebration, our dear friend, Mary, volunteered to watch the kids...overnight.  She is a saint.  And the kids LOVE her.  We got a hotel up in Durham to stay after we went to the temple.

It.

was.

awesome.

AND affordable.  (Our room with a king bed was $79.  If I would have booked sooner, I could have gotten it for $64!  Weeknight rates are more.)

I HIGHLY recommend it.  It's called Hotel Indigo.  

 

 It is gorgeous.  Very modern.  100% smoke free.  

Take a peek at our room.

I loved all the bright colors.

And big, bold artwork.

I even loved the bathroom.

But the huge tulip wall was a bit over the top for me.

My new favorite hotel.  I'm already trying to scheme up reasons why we need to go again.  Maybe I'll schedule the latest appointment possible with Dr. Buckley and convince Andrew that we need to stay the night instead of driving home.  

I also told Andrew that I'm ready to redecorate.  He's not so sure.  Even though I promised leave out the tulip wall.

Thirteen

  Thirteen years later.

He still makes me laugh.

I'm happier than I thought I could be.

I'm amazed to learn that love can continue to grow.

I'm still looking forward to smiling through eternity together.

Happy Anniversary!

School's out!

After Memorial Day weekend, I was so itchy for school to get out.  But we had another week and a half to go!  The kids finally finished on Thursday.  I was so excited.  My kids were not.  Brandon asked if he could go to summer school.  Whitney was so sad to say goodbye to her classmates and teachers.  Are they crazy???  I mean, I'm thrilled that they each had a fabulous year at school, but come on.

It's summer!!!! 

I'm ready to play. 

They both had great teachers this year.

Mrs. Fossett and Whit

Brandon with Ms. Richardson

And they had some really fun end-of-year celebrations

involving rubber chickens

and water balloons!

Brandon displayed this amazing talent

to turn his body concave to prevent balloon poppage.

To ease their mourning, I put together a little

end-of-year celebration of my own.

Put up posters.  Inside.

And out.

Shoved little treats and prizes into balloons.

And hid them around the house.

Then waited for the bus.

Does that look like the face of a boy 

who wants to go to summer school?

I think not.

They had fun popping their balloons..

Caroline somehow slept through the whole thing.

It was a fun start to what I hope will be a great summer.  Friday was our first day of being home all together.  I forgot how much refereeing I have to do between B and W.  Hopefully we'll get into our groove of being around each other all day and can have some fun.  I'm SO ready.

Swimming, Cycling, Celebrating

*SWIMMING*

The water park opened last weekend and we were at the turnstiles anxiously waiting our turn in the water.  We went Saturday and it was fabulous--warm and sunny and the park was empty.  There were no lines for the rides.  We stayed most of the day and LOVED every minute of it.  We went back on Monday.  Very different experience--HUGE lines of people and cloudy.  We actually got caught in a torrential storm on our way out.  On the plus side, Andrew got a raincheck so he can come with the rest of us season pass holders another day this summer for free.  Woo hoo!

We love Wet n Wild!

Caroline is old enough to have some fun.

She walks around the kiddie pool like she owns the place.

Her favorite is this whale slide.

I lost count of how many times she went down it.

I think it was at least 27.

Scooter run.

Yippee!

Believe it or not, when Caroline finished

this ride, she asked for more.

*CYCLING*

Whit is learning how to ride without training wheels.  Such a fun stage!  Andrew and I both remember that sense of freedom and independence that comes with riding a bike all by yourself with the wind whipping in your face.  Love it.  We've tried taking off the training wheels a couple times in the past, but Whit wasn't quite ready.  This time, she is just taking off.  So fun!

Here she comes.

And there she goes.

As usual, Caroline thinks she needs to keep up with big sis.  We busted out Whit's old bike and, sure enough, C took off.

She can't get enough.

Every day she asks to ride her "kitty bike."

It is too cute to see her cruising.

If only she would learn to watch where she's going.

*CELEBRATING*

I had a really fun birthday last week.  I'm still in the phase when I like birthdays.  It helps to have friends who are 10+ years older than me.  And they still seem young.  So why should I worry about another year?  Andrew and the kids did a great job of making it a special day, too.

Make a wish!

The kids got me a Snuggie.

They thought it was HILL-AIR-EE-US.

With the hat, I look like a teacher at Hogwarts.

Andrew took me out to dinner at one of my 

favorite restaurants--Southern Roots in Jamestown.

Yum.

Then we went for a moonlight walk around the lake.

And we saw fireflies for the first time this year.

On my birthday!

They were spectacular.  Like a little fireworks show.

 Now I'm ready for summer break.  School seems to be dragging on--four days left.  The kids seem to be OK with it, I'm the impatient one.

Out of the Mouths of Babes--May

5/2--The big kids were a little slow cleaning up Monopoly when we were done playing.  Caroline managed to get her hands on some of the money and does what any two year old would do....ate it!  Brandon said, "I guess she put her money where her mouth is."  

Cold Stone ice cream is MUCH tastier than monopoly money

5/4--A poem Whitney wrote today.  Notice the first letters of each line spell her name.
Wen the wind blows it is so
Hard to blow.
It can blow off my hat.
The wind is strong.
Nise on me
Everyone hates the wind
You like me

C-U-T-E

5/7--Whit saw a sign on the wall at school that read: What would you attempt to do if you knew you couldn't fail?  Here is her response:  "I would be in the Olympics on TV.  I'd do ice skating.  Not free skating, but dancing.  But I wouldn't wear an immodest outfit.  That would be cold."  

She knows what free skating is?

5/11--Whit was putting the silverware away and asked, "I wonder if there are such things as teaforks and tableforks."

5/21--Our dinner conversation came around to the subject of Justin Bieber, teeny bopper heart throb.  Whitney told us that she wants to meet him.  Just to clarify, she said, "I mean M-E-E-T him, not M-E-A-T him."  Thanks for clearing that up, sweetie.

Six going on thirteen