Fun Times with the Martin Family

On Thursday, my In-laws arrived in town to spend some time with us. We all were looking forward to their visit and had some fun activities planned. While Derrick spent some time catching up with his parents and brother on Thursday afternoon, we all met up on Friday morning for a day at the lake. My boy was showing off his shark face:

We rented a Platoon boat for the entire day and explored Percy Priest Lake. This boat was very spacious for the 8 of us and included a grill, a water slide and even a small restroom. Captain D and his co-captain were ready to take us out on the lake:

Everyone was ready to hook a fish. For Amelia and Elliot, this was their first time fishing and they did great with their little fishing rods. Uncle Lee taught them how to fish and he even caught the first fish.

Elliot wanted to catch a fish all day and never gave up. His perseverance paid off as he caught one and reeled it in all by himself when we were driving back up to the marina. He was so proud, he couldn't stop talking about his first catch for the next 48 hours. 

 And then we spotted the perfect spot to test the water, which was a balmy 81F (27C). 

But the water slide was the best part. Even though it was quite high, the kids were not afraid. I enjoyed it too and so did Derrick:

The children either swam back to the ladder themselves or I carried them back on my back or with the tube. 

For lunch, we enjoyed freshly cooked burgers and then we fished and swam some more. Even Grandpa and Grandma got in on the action.

8 hours on the water and we all were tired but happy. The day was just perfect and we loved spending time with our family. After a relatively short night as Elliot woke up with a fever and a stomachache, we got the house ready to host our visitors at our new home. While it did rain a bit, we still were able to sit out on the deck. Amelia loved playing games with her uncle and aunt and we adults were happy to just chat. And uncle Lee was able to even squeeze some smiles out of our sick, little boy. 

Grandma and her grandson:

The grill master prepared some delicious meats and seafood and we had the best chocolate fudge cake:

With fresh radishes from our yard:

Derrick and his Dad:

And then we celebrated all the recent and upcoming birthdays in the Martin family: Happy birthday to Derrick, Mom, Bahar and Pops.

We truly enjoyed having the Martin's visit us in Nashville and can't wait to see you all again soon. Now, it is time to pack and get ready for our family vacation to Columbus, OH this upcoming week. 

Last Week of School Activities

May is always a hectic and full month as there are lots of school activities, teacher appreciation week, last minute year-end gifts as well as outdoor events and the most important week, our distributor conference, at my company. Thus, extra time and sleep has been hard to come by lately. But since the school year officially ended yesterday, we are now on a more relaxed summer routine/ schedule. Before we dive in to summer though, I want to recap all the activities that happened at preschool and elementary school over these past few days. 

A week ago, Elliot's preschool had some special animal friends visit them.  A small local zoo brought in a kangaroo, a sloth and lynx kitten. The children learned about the animals and their habitats and they had the chance to have their picture taken with one as well.

Elliot chose to hold the kangaroo:

On Friday, it was officially Elliot's last day in Pre-K 3. He has grown and learned so much over the year, not only his ABC's and his numbers but also about God's rules and how to be a good neighbor and friend. Now, he is ready for Pre-K 4 in the Fall. 

That day, the children were surprised with a Water Party. 

 My boy and his water gun in the front of the picture:

 A last lunch with all his friends before summer camp starts:

Elliot and his substitute teacher, Ms. Jaclyn, who jumped right in and took over the class halfway thru the school year and rocked it:

And his favorite teacher and a friend of ours, Ms. Mely:

Amelia's last school week started off with board games and story time on Monday and a visit from the Fire Department on Tuesday. 

The firetruck hosed down the children on this hot day. Love the smile on Amelia's face and how she then toweled off her friend, Rachel.

And then, just like that, it was Amelia's last day in first grade.

She has not grown only in size and loosing three teeth along the way but she also is an avid reader,  story writer, social butterfly and loves all kinds of classes and assignments. And for her love of books (just like mommy) she was recognized as one of the grade's Top Ten Readers. We love you, spunky little girl, and are very proud of finishing your first year in school so strong (her report card was amazing). 

I stopped by during her last day of school to watch her class dance and do some side walk art before they enjoyed a last picnic lunch together. 

 Just dance:

Little Artists:

And a last silly picture:

Thank you to Ms. Romer for teaching not only math, reading and writing to these precious children but also for loving on them over the last year. 

Amelia wrote her teacher a little poem and drew a last picture for her:

After a quick nap and rest, Amelia and her brother were invited to the last day of school celebration at a friend's house to ring in summer break with a splash. Obviously, the inflatable water slide was a hit:

And today, we finished the first day of summer break off with Popsicle at the Park, which was sponsored by our local Parks and Recreational department. 

By the way, our two raised vegetable garden beds are in full bloom and we are currently harvesting strawberries and radishes. But not much longer and we will pick fresh carrots, broccoli and peas.