A Slow Start to Summer

 June started off slower, but it was a nice change of pace.  Brooke decided she wanted to make macaroons.  She's been thinking about them for a while now, but we finally set aside the time to try them out.  I knew they would be challenging to make, and thankfully Brooke went in with her expectations low and just ready to have fun with it.  They turned out better than she thought, but the technique needs some more work.

 

The girls were able to clog at a senior center again.  We've missed these performances.

 The pool heater is working great, and the girls have enjoyed swimming.  Kayla is more sensitive to cold water, so it's been great for her to start enjoying the pool sooner in the season.

The dog still doesn't like to swim.

 We're looking forward to more relaxing pool days as the summer continues.

 

Miscellaneous May

 One frog.

  

Two frogs.

Gorgeous sunsets.

A house full of old friends that are like family.

 

And an early 20th anniversary night away.

 

Happy 14th Birthday, Macy!

    It has been a busy weekend of fun for this girl. Her sisters know her well - all things green, llama, or Star Wars.

Macy is quite a "go with the flow" kind of child.  She wouldn't even pick out what kind of birthday cake she wanted.  You can never go wrong with a cookie cake from The Great American Cookie Factory.

We ended the day with the Powertaps Power Showcase.  She loves clogging, so if she had to have something scheduled on her birthday, clogging would be it. 

Macy, 

You are such a joy! Your humor and wit keep us on our toes.  You make us laugh on a regular basis.  You are generally laid back and rarely complain. Reading is by far your favorite thing to do, and you've decided giving up sleep is worth finishing a good book.  You are a hard worker and put forth great effort into your schoolwork.  You are a smart, beautiful young lady, and being your mama is one of the greatest joys of my life. 

Love forever and always, 

Mama

 

Dollywood

 Macy wanted to go to Dollywood for her birthday and bring along Mia. We headed up to Chattanooga after the 8th grade dance, and then spent the next day at Dollywood. Everyone had a blast, the weather was great, and the lines weren't too long.

 

 

The rode Daredevil Falls so many times in a row that I lost track counting.

It was a perfect day to celebrate our almost 14 year old!

 

8th Grade Graduation

 Covid restrictions made it so that we didn't have a formal 8th grade graduation for Macy, but they were still able to have the dance.  

 

Dance Recitals and Clogging Competition

 We were able to have dance recitals in person again this year.  Both girls did amazing, and Macy has decided that she wants to do tap and jazz again next year.

It was time for another clogging competition. This time we went to Maggie Valley, North Carolina for Shindig in the Valley.

The junior team competed in 3 routines and placed 1st in all three of them.  The Starz team competed in two routines and received a 2nd and 3rd place.

Marc found us an escape room that evening.  Our family loves escape rooms, but this one was a little more interesting.  This room was a paper trail room, meaning once you found one clue that would lead you to another one. It was created by an older gentleman, and when we asked for our first clue, he came into the room, sat in a chair, and watched us finish the room out.  We did manage to escape, and we gave this man something to do this evening.  Definitely an adventure to remember.

Things That Catch Me Off Guard

 Snakes

Marc's screen saver for his work laptop

Strawberries!

We decided to take the girls strawberry picking.  We drove over an hour away to a patch with a crazy long line.  We waited for a good while before the employee let us know that she couldn't guarantee there would be any berries left by the time we got to the field.  We decided to leave and try another strawberry patch about 45 minutes further away.  There were no lines there, and they had the most amazing strawberries. 

I thought we'd have more to put away in the freezer, but we gobbled most of them up within a couple of days.  They were truly the best strawberries any of us had ever had.