Instagrammin’ in May

In May we spent a great weekend down in Greenville for a soccer tournament with Jack’s soccer team.  Olive joined us—and just spent one night in a local kennel—and we got to all enjoy some time exploring the beautiful Falls Park on the Reedy in downtown Greenville.  We also just happened to be in the area at the same time as Jonathan’s Aunt Claire and Uncle Al (who live up in Pennsylvania).  They joined us to watch one of Jack’s games and then took us out to lunch…and I’m kicking myself because I don’t have any photos from our time with them.  Aunt Claire had brought both kids very thoughtful gifts, too.  All in all, it was a great weekend.  Jack’s team never lost a game, but just missed playing in the final by one goal. 

Ella and Jack also both went on a retreat at a beach house with EYC near the end of the month—these are the pictures I grab off of the EYC Facebook page when I’m checking to see my kids’ smiles while they’re away. 

And, in other news, Ella’s still playing a lot of tennis (with friend Julia) and Olive continues to be cute. 

Instagrammin’ in April

April kicked off with a pretty quiet Spring Break—Ella and I went on a little girls’ trip while Jack hung out with friends—but was ripe with activity the rest of the month.

ella and i headed down to charleston to watch the volvo car open for two days.  it’s a wta tournament with top players, but jack wasn’t interested in going. | ella with genie bouchard practicing behind her  | ella with madison keys practicing behind her and lindsey davenport behind madison | getting autograph from madison keys | we went to vco with my friend yvette and her daughter gabby.  gabby made ella an autograph book and both girls got signatures from just about every player we saw.  i love this tournament because the players are so accessible, especially on the practice courts (here getting autograph from grand slam doubles winner andrea hlavackova). | the girls with us open finalist madison keys | the girls with gold medalist and grand slam doubles winner bethanie-mattek sands | julia goerges in the big stadium | the girls with lauren davis | watching indian wells winner naomi osaka in the smaller stadium | caroline garcia on the practice court | we watched bethanie-mattek sands in her first competitive doubles match back after her dramatic leg injury the previous year at wimbledon.  they won and it was very emotional. | watching two-time wimbledon champion petra kvitova play in the big stadium | the girls with ashleigh barty (love her!) | our crew—this is one of my favorite events and i can’t wait to go back next year (unfortunately for ella, it doesn’t fall during spring break in 2019) | the plan was just for jack to hang out at home while jonathan worked when ella and i were out of town, but he was lucky enough to be invited on a day trip to the riverbanks zoo in columbia. | koen’s mom invited jack along and i think it made his spring break. | ropes course | friends | still getting pictures on the elephant statue | spring break family activity—we made it out of the escape room with about 8 minutes to spare! | it’s confirmation weekend! | ella’s statement of faith artwork | and presentation | mrs. shaw was ella’s thoughtful and caring confirmation mentor. | with friend kylie shaw | 8th grade eyc crew | she’s been confirmed!  with bishop sam | the sje confirmation class | all dressed up for confirmation sunday | another 8th grader rite of passage—8th graders’ trip to washington, dc | ella ran the mile for the track team again this year. | she placed at several meets and helped her girls team win conference champs this season! | piano recital—ella | and jack.  they both did great.

Instagrammin’ in March

March was a busy month, especially for Ella.

ella was on the planning committee for the fill the bowl event this year.  the teens participated in a 30-hour famine, slept in a cardboard box village on the church lawn, did service projects in the community, and raised over $50k for the lunch project.  #goella | for character day, jack dressed up as dwight schrute, coordinated with his social studies teacher who is also an office fan (i think he looks more like jim dressed as dwight). | happy 14th birthday to ella!  she’s growing up!  she even registered for high school the previous week…sniff, sniff… | an edited photo and a composite piece of artwork ella completed in her media arts class this semester

Instagrammin’ in February

Fed Cup!  The United States women’s team (the defending champs of 2017 Fed Cup) played its 2018 first round tie versus the Netherlands in Asheville this February, so Ella and I got tickets to go.  When we purchased the tickets in the fall we did not know which WTA players would be representing the USA, but during the Australian Open they announced the team—Venus Williams, Serena Williams, Coco Vandeweghe, and Lauren Davis.  Serena Williams gave birth to her daughter Olympia in September, so Fed Cup was her official return to tennis—and we were there to see it!  We also got to see adorable Olympia and Serena’s charming husband.  And it was lovely to see Venus supporting Serena.  I admire the close and supportive relationship they have maintained throughout their competitive careers.  Venus and Serena haven’t done Fed Cup in years and I totally think Venus did it because Serena wanted a lower pressure place to get her feet wet back in tennis. The whole experience felt pretty epic for us.  We drove up just for the day, enjoying brunch in downtown Asheville before spending the afternoon watching Venus Williams and Coco Vandeweghe play the first two singles matches of the tie. 

My only other picture from February is of Ella’s beautiful smile to mark the end of her orthodontia work.  Her name was on the “Braces Off Today” board but it’s a little anticlimactic when you just stop wearing your Invisalign.  Still, pretty teeth and the end of an era (that started in 2nd grade) is something to smile about.

Instagrammin’ in January

January was a pretty quiet month.  I like it like that.

we finished our puzzle from the crossons—it was a tough one! | snow day! | olive loves the snow! | jack subbed for a team two age groups up in a tournament and did awesome. | the size difference was jarring, though (see last photo).

Instagrammin’ in December

We were out and about in December, but no major trip this year.

ugly christmas sweater gingerbread cookies | ugly christmas sweater brewery hopping with friends | keep pounding! | watching the panthers take on the vikings | a family that cheers together… | go panthers! | big win for the cardiac cats | les miserables | taking my girl to one of my favorite shows | supporting another charlotte team | go hornets! | christmas eve traditions | church and then dinner at p.f. chang’s with the miners | and driving to look at the house decked out christmas lights | family trip to the movies for star wars the last jedi | back at noda brewing | jonathan’s new ugly christmas sweater came a day late for our brewery hopping night. | hot pistol is my fave, while jonathan still prefers ipa’s and stouts. | ski weekend for jonathan, jack, and ella | they tried out the black diamonds at appalachian ski mountain. | happy new year! | celebrating with our favorite families again this year—the browns, shaws, hulls, and broadways

Biltmore

My parents visited my sister’s family in Atlanta the weekend before Thanksgiving and then were headed to our house to celebrate the holiday.  We made a plan to meet in Asheville for Tuesday night (my parents and I shopped in Black Mountain—I bought a painting I’d noticed when we were there at the end of October—and had dinner at the Sierra Nevada Brewery) and then spend Wednesday exploring the Biltmore.  Jonathan drove the kids up on Wednesday to meet us at the Biltmore near Asheville.  Ella and Jack had never explored the Biltmore, the largest privately-owned house in the United States, so we got them an audio guide (my mom and I got them as well) to help them understand the significance of the house and its history.  The Biltmore was beautifully decked out for Christmas—it was a nice way to kick off the holiday season for us.  We spent Thanksgiving at home with my parents.  It was so nice to have them visit again—they were here in September to watch the kids while Jonathan and I were in Aruba, but I didn’t really get to spend time with them.