Boston Day 1-2

Our Spring Break this year lined up with Kayla's break since Easter actually fell on the first weekend of the break. We decided to take advantage of the opportunity and take the girls to Boston.  We've all wanted to visit this city

Old North Church

One if by land, two if by sea.

Site of the Boston Massacre.

I love the architecture of early America.

We had to hit a local bakery.

View from our hotel room.

The next morning we headed out to visit the USS Constitution, also known as Old Ironsides. It is the world's oldest commissioned warship that is still afloat and it could still float today if it was taken out of dock.

The weather was pretty miserable for most of our trip.  A nor'easter came through and it was cold, rainy, and icy most of our trip.  We didn't let that stop us.

We did, however, make reservations on the rainiest night at Boda Borg. This was such a fun experience that we all loved.  We didn't escape out of many rooms, but we had fun trying to figure the puzzles out.  Unfortunately Macy twisted her ankle a bit in one of the rooms.  She's such a trooper and pressed through the rest of our week with what we later realized could have been another hairline fracture.

Enjoying the leftovers from the bakery.

Busy March

 We've had a busy month full of fun activities. Brooke competed in her last Battle of the Books competition.  Her team was "Lion, and Tigers, and Books, Oh My!"

We went to Family Weekend at Truett. There was a concert by Sanctus Real and Riley Gaines was the keynote speaker.

Naps were taken, as usual.

The dog was bothered. She tolerates a lot.

Macy was inducted into the National Honor Society.

We baked together, even if one of us doesn't love being in the kitchen.

Brooke completed her Rube-Goldberg project. It was quite the effort since it involved the dog starting the ball down the ramp, but she finally got it to work.

We also celebrated Easter. Spring is on it's way, and Easter is always a reminder of the new life we have because of Jesus' sacrifice. Beyond grateful.

February Happenings

 It's been another slow month around here.  We've played some games and even got Marc to join us.

The Beta Club made some gift boxes for teachers, and I loved the noes that came with mine.

Brooke and Macy had a room clean-out challenge to see who could get rid of the most stuff. In the process, little gems like this old Cubbies vest were found.

I was super impressed by how much they found to trash or donate in their rooms.

On the rare warm day we try to get outside for a bit.

But the dog is still always looking for ways to stay warm.

We did a fun escape room and some cooking together this month. Always time well spent with my people.

Capital City Clogging Classic

 

We enjoyed experiencing a new organization for competitions.  ACHF competes a little differently. There are no division levels, so you are competing against teams in your same age bracket regardless of how long the team has been competing.  This made for some stiff competition.  Also, the Junior and Senior team were in most divisions together, so they were competing against each other.  That's something that doesn't often happen. The Seniors also put a new routine on stage for the first time: Running Set Precision.  This one wears them out as it is over 4 minutes of constant "running" through their routine.

Seniors

Running Set Precision - 1st

Traditional Line - 1st, Team of the Day

Line Formations - 2nd

Traditional Line Formations - 2nd

Line - 3rd

Hoedown - 1st, Grand Champion

Juniors

Hoedown - 1st

Precision - 1st

Brooke and Neko took 2nd place on their duo!

One of the highlights was taking Grand Champion for Hoedown.  They beat the college team, Bailey Mountain Cloggers.  That was a huge win, especially for their instructors who were on that team in college. 

It was a fun weekend, and we enjoyed competing against some new teams.  Marc was recruited to join Running Set for another team because several of them hate the routine - it wears you out! We look forward to our next competition in a couple of months.

Family Time

January is always a slow month as we get back into the swing of school, activities, and staying warm indoors.

Despite the look on her face, Brooke is enjoying having her sister home. 

So is Macy.

I'm not sure who is enjoying the Blackstone more - Brooke or Marc.

Riley is doing everything she can to stay warm, even if that comes with static hair.

I love a slow month with my family, and I'm grateful daily for the blessing of them.

Happy 14th Birthday, Brooke!

 

Our baby is 14! She always has big plans for her special day, and today it included bacon on the Blackstone with crepes.

She also wanted her sisters to play Minecraft with her.

Brooke is a lover of shoes,

cozy things,

Buc-ee's and everything pink!

Brooke,

You have a zest for life and for fun. Your up for any adventure big or small. You love organizing, baking, and creating things. You've grown in so many ways this year, and I'm proud of the young lady you are becoming.  You love big, feel big emotions, and are always ready to catch us up on what's happened throughout the day. As you finish out your last year of middle school, my prayer is that you seek the Lord, watch out for those that need a friend, and show God's love through you. Happy Birthday BB!

Love, 

Mama