Alex Turns 10!

When asked what he wanted for his 10th birthday, Alex asked for a bike, a big kid bike, with hand brakes and gears.  Easy enough!  He had fun opening gifts from his sister and out of town relatives.  On his actual birthday he invited Matthew and Collier to dinner at his favorite restaurant, Glory Days, for shark attacks and chicken tenders.  

In lieu of a large going away party/open house, he invited all of his friends to play laser tag.  The kids his age love those places!  It was a ton of boys and a little hectic but we had lots of help and for that we were super thankful!  The plan was to bake a cake and put Terraria characters in the top of it for decoration but in light of the A/C situation at the house, we had ice cream cake instead.  

Alex has grown into such a polite, intelligent, inquisitive, athletic, funny, handsome, caring young man.  He continues to play nicely with Abby but they are starting to do their own things and that's great too.  He loves his screen time on electronics but also enjoys riding his bike, swimming, tennis, soccer and fiddling with the Rubik's Cube.  He still plays Legos and enjoys reading, especially at bedtime and in the car.  Alex had a tremendously successful 4th grade year with exceptional teachers, we hope for the same in Texas.  Quite a few of his good friends are moving away from Virginia this summer which has helped him get used to the idea of attending a new school in a new state (again).  He has several good friends still in VA though and I'm sure will miss them all.  They are good buddies and had a fun three years together!

May Catch Up

In May we played more soccer and Abby's team was even surprised by a visit from her teacher, Mrs. Chase!  With 6 students on the team, Mrs. Chase was happy to come out and cheer on the kids.  Her visit was similar to a celebrity sighting.  Abby went to Celia's birthday party at a local ranch where the girls learned how to care for horses and even got to go for a horseback ride!  This was Abby's first time on a horse and she really enjoyed it.  

The scout year wrapped up, which was bittersweet as Brad turned over the den leader assignment.  Den 10 is in good hands with Matt at the helm, and launching rockets, camping, and a visit from the Navy Ceremonial Guard (so cool!) rounded out the year.  The Webelos leaders even held an afternoon event where they knocked out several requirements at stations teaching the boys how to use yard tools, change bike tires, and automotive maintenance.  Alex has learned so much in his four years of scouting (and made some great friends) and looks forward to picking right up with the new Webelos den in Texas! 

Mother's Day brunch at Ted's Bulletin was a delicious way to spend the morning, followed by a walk through the Meadowlark Botanical Gardens.  The gardens are a spectacular hidden gem in Vienna, VA that I would highly recommend!  It was really warm that afternoon and I remember we were all wishing that the pool were open that day.  

Kindergarten Author's Day showcased all of the writing assignments from the year.  Abby had a huge envelope of things she had written and after a sweet little class presentation, she was able to show us all of her papers one by one.  It was cute to see how her writing had progressed since September.  Mrs. McDaniel was the second teacher in her Kindergarten classroom, who Abby absolutely adored.  I think at recess most days, Abby preferred  chatting up Mrs. McDaniel over playing on the playground.  

Nicci and Andrew visited Virginia over Memorial Day weekend.  We enjoyed the gorgeous weather while lunching in Clifton one day, swimming, picnicking, and of course attending the Dave Matthew's Band show with friends.  That was a hilarious bunch and we had a blast.  So glad Nicci and Andrew could join us!

Grandpa came to visit at the end of May, just in time for Alex's 10th birthday!  The kids played soccer with Grandpa then we cooled off sweat to death in the house since the air conditioning was broken.  Actually, the A/C was out for a week and it was in the 90s all week.  There are pluses and minuses to living in a rental house...it wasn't our expense but the owner's took their time getting estimates for new units.  We learned, however, that the community where we were so fortunate to live for the past three years, owns an incredible number of fans and portable A/C units!  Within hours we had a house full of devices to plug in and offers to stay elsewhere.  The kids opted to camp out in the basement where it was nice and cool!

April Catch Up

April brought beautiful weather!  We were so happy to get outside and enjoy the sunshine!  Jackie and Scott joined us for Easter which included playing a little baby daycare and video games.  Soccer kicked back up where Alex enjoyed volunteering for goalie as often as they would let him.  He played on the same team for several seasons in a row, under the same coach, with the same kiddos, and it was great to watch them grow each season.  Abby's team was coached by our good friend Amy, same as in the fall, and she was able to play with the same group of sweet classmates again.  

Grandma Kathy and Gigi came to visit and we took in a boat ride and plenty of time in the city at Jackie and Scott's.  They brought nice warm temperatures with them so we were able to return to the kids' favorite park in D.C.  The kids were able to have a sleepover in the city and watch a movie in their outdoor theater.  

Abby and Brad attended the Girl Scout Daddy/Daughter dance.  He took her to dinner at PF Changs ahead of the dance and she was thrilled to wear her cowboy boots (formerly Alex's).  This was our first try with the rollers and they turned out super curly.  She loved it!

Scooter had a lovely April, full of naps on the couch while the kids ate breakfast.