Saturday, May 22, 2021

End of School Wrap Up

Lots of fun events as school came to a close this year...

Lily had her first school dance.  The Spring Saltere was held at the school; it was a beautiful evening.

How gorgeous is she?!
It was fun to have Avery and Sarah come over to get ready; life is better with friends around.

Meeting up with more friends at the dance.
So many great young women in this group: Emma, Avery, Sarah, Lily, Lauren, Selah, Kate, Mary Preston, Lucy, and Hannah.  We are so thankful for the friends made at Stonehaven!
When I came to back at the end of the evening, all the kids were dancing, laughing, and having a great time with one another.  It was a gorgeous evening, and it seemed like a lot of fun for them.

Mia's class took a field trip to Medieval Times since the Renaissance Festival wasn't happening this year.  Mia absolutely loved it.  I have always wanted to go here!


Lily and some of her classmates learned the classic "Who's On First" sketch in logic and presented it online for Grandparent's Day.  They updated it a little bit to be a little more reflective of the current times (and Braves); always funny.
Our family has been to two Braves games recently.  The four of us went one evening to see them battle the Cubs.  It was a gorgeous evening, and they were capping attendance at 50% so we had lots of room.  We went back a couple of weeks later with some of friends who serve on the mission field in Mongolia.  They were on sabbatical and visiting Atlanta, so we were thrilled they came to stay one evening, and we all got to go to a game against the Blue Jays together.  However, it was surprisingly, ridiculously cold that evening.  We were all in jeans, long-sleeves, coats, hats, and even had a blanket but we were so cold!  Most of us left after the 6th to get on home and warm up; Ryan, Mia, and the other dad managed to stay until the end.  I'll still take the fun with this family though.  We love them and pray for them often; it was great to spend some time with them.
Lucky Lily!  Ryan substitute taught at the upper school one day, and he checked Lily out to go get lunch at Tasty China.  I wish I could have been there!
Timme invited Lily and some other friends (Hannah, Trip, Liam, and Ethan) to play in a volleyball tournament at his church on Saturday.  They made a great team, played well, and had lots of fun.
Mia has fallen in love with acting.  She almost could have done Willy Wonka by herself because she was working so hard.  At school they wrote poems about something they loved, and this is what she wrote.  Love this poem and love this girl.
Sixth Grade participated in their "crossing over" ceremony this spring because they are transitioning from the lower grammar school to the upper logic school.  The whole class and their parents came together one evening to celebrate.  Each child was called up by Ms. Keesee and Mrs. Martin who spoke words of wisdom and encouragement to each child.  From there, each student crossed the bridge were they were greeted by some of the upper school teachers.  Mia has absolutely adored these two teachers this year; they are so very special, and we are appreciative of how they loved on and encouraged Mia so well throughout the year.  They will be missed!
After being welcomed by Mrs. Jackson, Mr. Proffitt, and Mr. Blackmon, each student walked around to where parents were waiting, and they found their sign welcoming them to their new upper school.  We appreciated Lily making Mia's sign for her.
All the kids with their signs.
After a few pictures it was time for some yummy dinner on the grounds along with a charge to the class by their teachers as they take this next step.  We are so thankful for this school!
We celebrated the last day of school yesterday.  I didn't take many pictures at all, but simply enjoyed the closing ceremonies and time with friends.  At the upper school ceremony, Lily was honored for making the Q4 All A honor roll, the All Year A/B honor roll, and for being on the winning Geography Bee team.  At the lower school ceremony, Mia was honored for making the Q4 All A honor roll, the All Year All A honor roll, and the showing Excellence in Physical Education.  They have both worked so hard this year; we are so proud of them!
We celebrated the end of school with lunch at Fogo de Chao.  Delicious and a fun experience all in one.  After that we came home where the girls were surprised with a "summer basket."  This tradition started several years ago where we buy some little items to make summertime a little more fun.  There's lots of books, art supplies, games, and such included.  It's a fun way to kick off the downtime.  We ordered from Goldbelly again too to have dessert.  This time we picked a lemon/strawberry cake by Duff Goldman.  There's always a competition between Buddy and Duff.  We tried Buddy's cake back in March for my birthday; it only seemed right to try a Duff cake.  The winner according to the Hooks family....Duff!
It's hard to believe school is out.  Both girls are in the upper school now, and Lily is in high school...wow!  Where does the time go?  I'm not sure about that, but I know we are looking forward to a great summer!

Friday, May 7, 2021

Willy Wonka

Wow, both my girls are good actors!  It was so fun to watch them (and lots of friends) perform in their school's production of Willy Wonka.  They have rehearsed for month, and it paid off over three performances.  They both did so well; Ryan and I were so proud of them!

Lily played the role of Phineous Trout who is one of the TV reports; she interviewed Violet, Mike, and their parents.  Mia played the role of Candyman which is also something of a narrator.
It was fun to have both girls out dancing in the beginning.

"The Candyman can..."


Interviewing a couple of the spoiled brats!

Lily also got to play a squirrel who is quite judgmental of Veruca.



This cast did a great job!

Sunday, April 18, 2021

April Fun

 More creative fun! I loved this painting Mia made of outer space.  Super cool!
Ryan's back in his happy place: Braves on tv and Decker in his lap!
We enjoyed a beautiful Easter Sunday.  It was gorgeous weather, and we celebrated our risen Savior at a wonderful church service.  We are so thankful to be a part of First Baptist Smyrna!

The girls always enjoy getting Easter baskets in the morning.  Mia's included: shower steamers, Fablehaven book set, The Child t-shirt, The Child gummy snacks, Harry Potter magnetic bookmarks, nail polish, and an apple gift card.  Lily's included: bath bombs, three books, hair curlers, Stranger Things t-shirt, beautiful candle, Mike & Ike's candy, and an apple gift card.
Decker was ready for a ride!  He reminded us so much of Max from The Grinch here who we absolutely love.
Our friend, Crystal Pullen, had recently taken a few Upper School girls out after school one day.  She was excited to take Mia, Arabella DeWalt, and Sadie Pennington to Just Kiln Time.  They loved it! We are so thankful for how Crystal pours so much of her time into these girls.

I left this note on Dad's desk on April 15th.  He has helped so much (again) this tax season.  It's truly the smallest way I can say thank you.  He's the best!
David and Jan surprised me with a getaway to the Four Seasons in downtown Atlanta for a few days the weekend after April 15th.  Even though the tax deadline was extended to May 17th this year, I decided to still close the office for two days to give us all some time off to rest; it was a great mental break and would help us finish out the season strong.  I knew I couldn't go to Beach Club since they were still doing hurricane repairs, so when they offered to send me here for a few days, I knew it would be a perfect getaway!  I had a wonderful corner room with fresh fruit on arrival.  The bed gave me many hours of much-needed and fantastic sleep; the lounge chair was my perch for a few days as I read, watched Netflix, and just relaxed.
I got to have a spa treatment one day; there was a little mix-up with the original treatment, but the hotel switched it around so I came back later on in the weekend.  On top of that, they invited me back for a complimentary follow up spa treatment for a few weeks later.  How wonderful!

I enjoyed delicious room service each day.  I slept in and ordered breakfast which acted more like brunch; then I wasn't hungry until dinner rolled around.  Here are a few pictures of the fabulous food:

I can't go to a hotel and not try the club sandwich; really, this is the food I judge all room service by, and there's was wonderful.  The sweet potato fries and creme brulee dessert were great additions too.
Eggs benedict is always a favorite of mine, and their's was yummy.  The bacon was perfect, and I held on to the chocolate croissant as a mid-afternoon snack.
Shrimp and grits to be an extra special southern breakfast (and yes, I ordered bacon on the side because it was perfect).
This meal was the best one of all.  Cacio e Pepe pasta with a keylime cheesecake and berries for dessert.  I typically want to try different items off a menu (they had so many great options), but this one was so good on Friday night that I couldn't resist ordering it on Saturday night too.  Both nights were absolutely wonderful.
I so appreciate David and Jan gifting this to me.  It was a wonderful getaway that helps me feel both mentally and physically restored.  Thank you!