a north carolina retreat...

we all (my little family of 4 and blanchette family- mom, dad, sean) traveled to north carolina for a little retreat with some great friends that are like family to us. the cattels are the greatest group of people in the whole world. they are all super fun, the best host when you spend an entire week with them, and you just feel good when you are surrounded by them. this visit to north carolina we spent our time here...

the house

the view

the private beach

at their BEAUTIFUL lakehouse about an hour or so from their house in raliegh.

it was the perfect spot to relax for a week, while laughing and catching up with dear friends.

the kids and i traveled with my mom and brother, then a few days later my dad and mark joined the fun. (dad and mark had to work a few extra days in the office.) the kids loved being with uncle sean- they always do. and they really loved rolling their new suitcases through the airport like grown-ups. thank you nana for those!! :)

once we arrived in north carolina we immediately loaded up the cars and headed to the lakehouse. jack and i got to ride with my "baby bff," kristen and her baby jack. (yes, we both have jacks.) her jack cried most of the trip because my jack was scaring him. :( baby jack was not used to having a big boy in the backseat with him. ha! :) and my jack was potty training and so i think we pulled the car over at least 3 times for jack. it was eventful and hilarious. between all that we did manage to have some great conversation too. i sure love her!!

we quickly settled into the house and then it was a week filled with...

smiles...

a ton of playing in the lake...

o and j playing on the beach. they did this for hours each day.

mommy and jack tubing. he loved it and so did i!

sean and aunt cheryl, just looking happy!

several bocce ball games...

spending time with best friends

uncle gary and dad- best buds!!

playing with baby jack (olivia's favorite)...

cute "baby jack"

some boat rides...

early morning fishing trips...

my dad

uncle gary with his catch of the day

roasting marshmallows...

and eating some really great food, thanks to chef sean and his amazing culinary skills. (sorry no pictures, but trust me it was some good eatin'.)

it was a really great week. i loved that it was so comfortable (the people and the space), everything moved at a slower pace, and i was constantly surrounded by love. to me it was a perfect vacation.

mickey mouse birthday bash...

was this past saturday to celebrate jack's 3rd birthday with friends and family. like last year, we had our birthday bash with one of his besties, mckenzie. it was a great day at the spraypark and there where lots of friends to play and celebrate with. jack had a blast and hope everyone who was able to come had fun too!! here is the birthday party in pictures...

the birthday girl and boy!

our little family!

cupcakes! (there was other food too, but these are the most important!!)

mickey buckets for everyone to play with in the water.

the birthday boy having so much fun running through the water.

a little bit of chaos!

friends big and small!! :)

birthday wishes!

some super cute towels to dry off! thanks moonbeam for the shirts and towels. :)

party favors! (choice of: mickey beach balls, sunglasses, or bubbles)

and then it was back to b and pop's house to open gifts with just the family. my favorite wrapping job was done by olivia...

she worked so hard decorating this bag with jack doing all of his favorite things- playing sports and driving a car. so cute and thoughtful!

the CARS at northpark...

were super exciting!! BUT we only got this close...

because the rest of dallas was just as excited as jack was to have an up close encounter with these famous guys- lightening mcqueen, mater, and the new star: finn.

it was my mom's FABULOUS idea and i just knew it was going to be so much fun, but with the heat and the forever long line, the kids looked like this after waiting only about 15 minutes...

so we opted to sneak one more peek from behind the rope, waved good-bye, and in jack's words said, "see you in the movies!" and left.

it wasn't exactly what mom and i had imagined, but it wasn't a complete disaster either. oh well!

memorial weekend...

was relaxing, reflective (for me), and wonderful. we spent lots of time at the lake with my family (the blanchettes- the whole clan) eating, cooking, laughing, swimming, and just loving being together.

***many thanks to cecily for the the pictures of my kiddos. i love them. :)***

and i was convicted time and time again throughout the weekend of the incredible gratitude i have for the brave and courageous men and women who serve in our military.

i tried to explain to these two precious children how we are to be grateful for those that have served in the past, like their great grandfathers in world war 2 and their gramps in vietnam. i hope they respect and remember those that have died in combat protecting our country and our freedom. i told olivia how we don't even know them but their indescribable sacrifice needs to be remembered and honored. and i hope they learned that we are to be grateful for those that are serving and protecting us right now.

happy memorial day!!

jack's REAL birthday day...

was so much fun!! we celebrated our big 3 year old boy with just our little family on saturday, his real birthday. jack picked the agenda, but we all had a fun day.

our birthday boy. 3 years old!

the day started at krispy kreme donuts. jack LOVES sweets, so donuts for breakfast are a favorite for him. he also loves machines, so watching the donuts being made on the krispy kreme assembly line machine makes this extra special. we had a fun morning at the donut shop.

jack with a glaze mustache and daddy being silly wearing the hat.

j and o looking cute in their hats.

while we were there we planned our next stop. since jack received a toys r us gift card from uncle mark, (thanks uncle mark!) we decided that we should stop by toys r us and pick out a new toy. after about 45 minutes of walking the aisles and pondering what to choose, jack and mark ended up with a new train set. i say jack and mark because i think mark might be just as excited about the purchase.

then it was time to head to the mall. a few weeks ago jack and i were at the mall running some errands and as a reward i let him go into the disney store for a few minutes. while we were playing in the store he discovered their "build a car" section of the store. he wanted to build one that day, but i suggested that we come back on his birthday. well he did not stop asking about building his own car, so today was the BIG day. he had lots of fun picking out which car body he wanted-- lightening mcqueen, of course.

then he chose the tires and rims and put those together.

finally it was time for the power tools. he was so excited to screw the chassis into place. (i did not even know this word until saturday. it is basically the "insides" of the car.) he got the whole thing together and was so proud until he realized that it had no power. we were trying to save a few dollars and not do the remote control version. jack was not pleased with this decision. we were suckered into changing it out for the remote control version, so we got to build the car all over again. that was fun for jack!!

then it was time to try to it out. it was fun and fast. he was a very happy boy!!

and of course we had to get at least one family picture...

while we were in the disney store jack got another surprise. our helper gave him a happy birthday button and then asked us to go into the center of the store. they put jack's name up on the screen and everyone in the store wished him a happy birthday. it was so fun!! i love that disney is all about the little details. jack was a little overwhelmed and nervous with all the attention, but i know he felt special. :)

it was lunch time after our disney store adventure so we went up to the food court and had a little lunch before heading home for a good afternoon nap.

it was a great day celebrating our jack-jack. he gets funnier everyday and always keeps us laughing. i can't believe he is 3!!! happy birthday sweet boy!! we love you! mommy, daddy, and olivia

olivia's last days at ccdc...

were so sweet!! it has been the perfect preschool for her. i feel like god answered my prayers when olivia was given a spot in the baby room 5 years ago. ms. stacy and ms. sharon cared for her in the sweetest ways. they encouraged her to crawl and even walk that year. then she moved up to the toddler 1 class. ms. pam and ms. melissa always had a fun story to share about how olivia talked all day and made them smile. her first year of "real" preschool brought ms. anderson and ms. lacy into our lives. they made learning so much fun! you never really knew what crazy hat they would be wearing or what the room was going to be transformed into for the week. they also loved olivia for exactly who she was. her 3 year old preschool year we were once again blessed. ms. cavenaugh and ms. goreshi gave olivia the perfect environment for her to gain a passion for learning and school. they also taught her so much about jesus through the songs they sang, and stories they shared, and their example. and that brings me to this year's teachers- ms. clark and ms. bosch. these ladies are so special and that is exactly how they make olivia feel, like she is the most important student in the class. her days this year have begun and ended with GIANT hugs and smiles from each of them. ms. clark has challenged olivia in all the right ways and encouraged her to be the child god created her to be. ms. bosch has connected with olivia and her love for learning. i know she has spent so much time nurturing her. this little school has the most encouraging and loving staff. each of olivia's teachers have been such a blessing and helped shape her love of learning and the little girl that she has become.

on tuesday of last week we (the parents and families) were invited to a celebration. olivia and all the 4 year olds sang several of their favorite songs they have learned through their years at ccdc. olivia LOVES being on the stage and singing, even though she gets nervous. :)

then after the singing and dancing, each child was called up to get their award and a cross necklace for completing preschool. they don't really call it graduation, but i guess that is what it was.

waiting nervously for her name to be called.

she walked so fast that we didn't get a picture of the award or necklace exchange. :)

the fun then moved out to the courtyard where we had a big family picnic with all of her friends from her class, their families, and of course ms. clark and ms. bosch.

o and ms. clark

o and ms. bosch

it was a special day. the last two days (wednesday and thursday) were filled with lots of fun and soaking in all the friendship, laughter, and love that olivia has experienced over the last several years.

i was really fine on the last day. no tears or anything. i credit this to several different things. first, jack is going to be there again in the fall so i don't really feel like i am closing this chapter completely, yet!! i am a super slow processor. it will probably hit me in about a month the reality that olivia is going to school 5 days a week and we are moving from one "stage" of life to another. and finally, she is so excited and ready for kindergarten!! i know she is going to LOVE it!!

so another milestone is met, this one like so many of the others, with joy in my heart and gratitude that i have been given the priviledge to be called mommy by this special little girl and get to experience all that her life is right along side of her.

cousin love...

"To us, family means putting your arms around each other and being there. "

~Barbara Bush