Hello

Oh, hello end-of-the-school year. Where in the world did you come from?!

As the kiddos and I wrap up the year and welcome summer, here are a few randoms and happenings in our chaotic neck of the woods…

*Youguys. Last weekend my trio and I trekked out of town and had the best time. The main reason for the trip was this little girl:

Bella celebrated her third birthday – which was also her FIRST birthday here in our arms. My older sister, as per usual, threw an amazing, Pinterest-worthy party and it was just a day full of celebrating the fact that we’ve got this girl exactly where she’s supposed to be. <3

 *So, another reason for the visit was because – as I’ve mentioned before – I have the worst TMD (misaligned jaw). It’s basically all due to clenching my teeth, which is a result of stress (LIFE-1, Jessie-0)… anywho, my amazing littlest sister is an orthodontist in SC and referred me to an awesome jaw specialist… which led to an appointment where all kinds of testing was done, medicines were prescribed, and I was sedated so that I could receive 12 injections into my jaw and coordinating muscles. Hopefully I’m finally on the road to getting rid of this TMD mess!

*Oh, and I lucked out with picking this particular weekend to go visit my family, because my older sister just so happened to have a 90’s themed party to attend Saturday night… and I got to tag along! We borrowed cheerleading uniforms from our former high school and wore our letter jackets to rock our 90’s look – and we won best costume!!

*And the last reason for our trip – Mother’s Day! This year, I knew I needed to spend Mother's Day weekend surrounded by some of the most amazing mamas on the planet. And I had such a great day and was honestly spoiled by my family and my kiddos (thank you to those who played a part in this!).

*While I'm talking about trips, I guess I should mention NASHVILLE! Y'all... my high school girlfriends surprised me with a trip for my birthday last month, and it.was.amazing. Like, one of the absolute best weekends I've ever had in 35 years of living. And also? I LOVE NASHVILLE!!

Oh, and I got a tattoo. Which I'm obsessed with. I've had it planned for quite awhile, but kept it a secret. 

A semicolon -- the punctuation an author uses when they could've stopped, but chose to keep writing... <3

*Speaking of writing - there's a girl who I've basically had a big ol' blog crush on for YEARS. We were fast internet friends and had so much in common in so many seasons of our lives. Like, it was scary how much we felt destined to be friends. But geography was not in our favor. Until it was, and she happened to be in good ol' Carrollton.

I could've talked to her for hours days. And I am crossing all of my fingers and toes that sooner than later we can laugh and cry together again!

*So, my trio and I saw a baby armadillo during our neighborhood walk the other day. What in the...

*And speaking of my neighborhood - can we talk about how lucky I am to have neighbors who are like family, neighbors who will drop what they are doing to fix a pipe, play with the kids so I can go for a run, take some of my laundry home, drop off yummy treats?! It truly does take a village, and I'm so grateful for mine!

*I recently decided that I love having fresh flowers in the house. I've never had them in the past, but have now realized how much fresh flowers can brighten a room (and my mood!).

*Cameron Kate and Everette wrapped up their spring soccer seasons, and the angels sang Hallelujah. I’m all kinds of pumped when it’s time for the first practice, but by the end – I AM SO SICK OF PUTTING SHIN GUARDS AND TALL SOCKS ON MY THREENAGER. Not to mention the fact that with their schedules, we had soccer on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. SOS.

Cameron continues to love soccer, and learned a lot this season. 

Everette spent the beginning of the season smiling, the middle of the season not listening and throwing tantrums on the sidelines, and at the very end I succeeded in bribing him to play (and he even scored his first goal!). 

Cameron wants to keep playing soccer, and E’s decided he’d like to try teeball in the fall, so we’ll see how that goes!

*As for summer sports/camps, we’re going to lay low this summer with a week of Vacation Bible School for all and a week of horseback-riding camp for CK. Other than that we are gladly taking a break from our scheduled, organized life. 

*And we are welcoming summer with open arms because TODAY WAS THE LAST DAY OF SCHOOL!! I've got a couple teacher work days next week, but today was the last day for the kids. Honestly, today was bittersweet for me, and I was an emotional wreck. Getting a job at my school was such a God wink. I was lost and broken, literally withering away both physically and emotionally. And then, I found myself -- at this elementary school, surrounded by the most incredible administrators, teachers, staff, and students. CES has been my anchor and my safe haven for the past ten months, and I am so honored to be a part of the Trojan family...

*I do have to admit that I'm excited to take a break from packing school lunches. Amiright?!

*As we wrapped up the school year, we've had all kinds of graduations/celebrations and performances. Brooks wrapped up his first year at "school" with donuts and field day...

...and Everette graduated from his class with a celebration and the "Best Smile" award.

Today was both of the boys' last day at their current school, as they will be attending a new preschool in the fall. We are so grateful for the teachers who have loved on them this year! It was a tough transition since they have both been home with me since birth, but we all made it!!

*As for my girl, today we bid kindergarten adieu. Look at how much she's grown up!

Over the past couple weeks, we've celebrated with a sing-along and a goodbye brunch and lots of squeezing her bestest friends and amazing teachers. 

I am blown away by Cameron Kate and how well she's done this year. Life as she knew it was completely flipped upside down, and I was so worried about how it would affect her in school. But, God put her with the absolute perfect teachers, surrounded by the most amazing friends, and she had such a wonderful first year in elementary school. 

And - she got the "Master Writer" award. We all know that made my mama heart proud! :)

*With that, it's time to say hello to summer, hello to new adventures, hello to new beginnings. Hello to finding my way, hello to saying yes, hello to making memories. And rather than focusing on the goodbyes, I am going to try with all of my might to keep focusing on the hello's, on the tomorrows, and on the rising sun that each new day brings... <3