Marriage Prom

Scott and I were able to attend the marriage prom again this year. We always love an opportunity to get dressed up and have a night out without the kids. This year we're proud to say that we are WINNERS. We competed in the Newly Wed game with couples who'd been married 1 year, 5 years and more than 20 years. Apparently 10 years is the perfect amount of time to know your spouse well, but not have SO many memories and changes that you can't narrow your answers down!!! We had an amazing night and even in real prom style, we went to Waffle House afterwards and stayed out until the wee hours of the morning!! The wife.

Lego's are great and Harbin is 8

This year was kind of cool because Harbin's birthday fell on a 4 day holiday weekend for the Gwinnett County Schools. Even though we home school, Scott, as well as many of Harbin's friends have to follow the school calendar, so it's always a plus when it works to our advantage. Harbin wanted a Lego birthday this year and because of sketchy weather predictions, we rented out mom's neighborhood clubhouse to host the event. A few days before the party, we went to the Lego store and bought a box of 650 various Lego pieces so we could have some Lego creating/building competitions at the party. Thanks to Pinterest I had some great ideas for a cake and for Lego themed plates. The party was a huge success with many friends from co-op and church attending. We let the older boys (you know the ones who are teenagers and playing with Lego's isn't cool unless you just HAVE to because you're helping a younger kid) take over each of the four groups. Harbin played a round in each group because, of course, each of his friends wanted to play with him. The game was simple- I called out an object, like "cheeseburger" and the kids had to build it with the cup of random Legos they were given. It was so cute to see what the kids could come up with. Their creativity is amazing! And, in keeping with the party, the last thing they had to build was a birthday cake. Harbin has really become quite the kid this year. He is majorly into fitness like his dad and can show up about anyone with his push ups and sit ups. He competed in his first 5K this past year and spent much of cross country season running with Scott and the high schoolers. He's about to start Lacrosse this spring and I know that he will commit to it all-in like he does with everything. He still enjoys reading and I keep trying to find new ways to challenge him. He's reading 3rd grade books from our homeschool curriculum and they are still too easy for him. He finishes his school assignments in no time flat and is a whiz at math. I guess maybe next year, I'll start giving him SAT prep work- haha!! We've seen a little division between him and his sisters this year. I know he's a boy and it's a house full of girls and I can't expect him to get along with them all the time, but this year I think we're just seeing a difference in age. He enjoys playing with them, but he also enjoys time with dad and the "big boys" at the field. We're really proud of how much Harbin is dedicated to anything he does. Whether it's school, sports, yardwork, or physical fitness, he always gives it 100% and that's the most we can ask of him. He is growing into a fine young man and we are excited to see what the next few years bring! Happy Birthday, Harbin! Love Mom and Dad

Daddy Daughter Dates

Each year Chick-Fil-A hosts a Daddy daughter date night and our church hosts one as well. This year, we let the girls go on their individual dates and Daddy took Lydia to Chick-Fil-A and Catherine to the church dinner/dance. Both girls had fun getting to pick out a "new-to-them" dress and a flower clip for their hair. We spent each evening doing hair and getting ready for their special night with Daddy. Who would have known that Lydia's hair does NOT curl. She wanted it curly just like Catherine's a few years ago on her first Daddy Daughter Date. But, to my surprise, it wouldn't curl. I tried EVERYTHING. Finally, we decided on a very classy bun which worked perfectly and looked beautiful. We followed the same idea for Catherine this year, mostly because I think we didn't have time to curl her hair. Both of the girls had a great time with Daddy. Scott said Lydia was mostly silent through their whole meal. Then they got pink ice cream and she said, "This looks like chicken blood." Well, if you know Lydia and her sense of humor, this is funny. Hopefully, one day, when she's dating boys, they'll get her humor too :) The mom.

Catherine is SIX

Oh I can't believe it but my little Princess is SIX! I know that it seems like every year I am astounded at her turning a year older (yes, I know this is a natural progression of life), but I really do feel like 6 is SO BIG!! I just feel like she is totally out of the toddler/preschool years now and she just looks like a young girl. This year she wanted to have some friends at a Barbie party, so we opted for celebrating after our Homeschool Co-op on her actual birthday. I stayed up late making the Barbie cake and putting together small party favors and then we met up with mostly friends from co-op and a few from church to celebrate at the park. I was thankful that the weather turned out ok. It wasn't raining but it was a bit chilly, although the kids never noticed as they ran around and played. Harbin even entertained the crowd with his magic show at the end. Catherine is growing just to be the most beautiful young lady. She has grown out of most of the tantrum phase and although we get some "sass" still, she is very much a wonderful mommy's helper. She is nurturing and caring and always willing to help when I ask her. Always she will be a daddy's girl, but more recently I feel like we've bonded. She's definitely into the girly stuff from painted toes to make up to doing hair. She loves fashion but when it comes down to it, she loves just being comfy. Her skills as an artist have been developing and her new pictures are very detailed and impressive. She loves to write and her handwriting is beautiful. She's recently mastered bubble letters and all kinds of fancy writing which she loves to show off. Happy Birthday, Catherine- STOP GROWING UP! The mom.