Spring Break

 We finally made it to Spring Break! This school year has bene nothing but constant changes - so we really deserve this break! For me, it marks the start of my maternity leave. ALL students will be returning to school after Spring Break - I am still trying to be very cautious bc of COVID so I will not be returning bc of the risk of exposure. I am starting my leave about a week early from the due date - so I am excited!!!

Since Kinsley could arrive any day now, we opted for more of a "staycation" approach to Spring Break. It's been awhile since we were able to visit indoor places, so we put our masks on and we went to the Science Museum in Raleigh. This is one of Blake's favorite places and Joyner hadn't been since he was a kid. We loved seeing the dinosaurs and walking across the street bridge. It was a blast to see all of the cool things - even though some of the exhibits were still closed because of COVID. 

We also enjoyed our Spring Break days fishing. The boys had some good catches over at the pond. That fun never gets old. :) 

After Spring Break Blake will be finishing off 3rd grade like normal with the rest of his classmates. We are almost done with this crazy and insane school year. Hanging in there! 

It's Baseball Season

 My favorite time of year is back in full swing (haha..get it?!) - It's baseball season!!!! Blake is so excited to be playing with the Yankees again! He has several coaches and friends that he gets to reunite with. This season is pretty much back to normal on the field, so we are amped up and ready to go.

This is another season in kid pitch. Blake loves being pitcher so we are going to hope that he gets another shot at it this season. He was really timid at the plate last season, so we are hoping Coach Brian gets him back swinging and hitting the ball. Blake is focused and excited and ready to start. So - our loves back at the fields begin again. :) 

I am personally eager about getting all the practices and games that I can in before Kinsley comes along. She will end up being Blake's biggest little fan by the end of this season. That is crazy to think about! 

Baby Shower for Kinsley!

 Everything is virtual now.... including our baby shower! Being pregnant during a pandemic means you have to take extra caution. So we had a virtual baby shower for Kinsley with some of my family and friends. It was actually pretty cool - we had all the gifts shipped to my moms house and we went over there. Then we got on Google Meet so that we could video chat with all of our friends and family in a giant group. We got to virtually "hang out" together while Joyner and I opened the baby gifts. My mom and sister did such a good job with all the little decorations and snacks for us while we were at her house - all the little things to still make it feel special. 

We also had a little friend get together at HOPS - outdoors so that it was still safe - with Joyner's friends. I was able to meet many of his friends that I hadn't yet. Lots of them had little girls 1-2 years ago, so we were lucky to inherit many hand-me-downs and such. 

Even though things are still far from normal, it is SO nice to be able to celebrate the upcoming arrival of Baby Kinsley with our family and friends. She is beyond loved by all of these amazing people and we are grateful! The countdown to her arrival has officially begun! 

Happy 35th!

 Happy 35th birthday to me! These days I recognize being 35 with also being called a "geriatric pregnancy" - but hey, here I am, 35 and 8/9 months pregnant. 

For my birthday Joyner wanted to take me back to the zoo to see the giraffes. Thanks to COVID you have to schedule appointment times to go to the zoo now. We drove to the zoo only to realize there was a little but of a misunderstanding about our appointment time and we weren't able to get in. So... my bday was a bust. 

We tried to turn it around with some bday cake and some presents. I guess this is just another example of a COVID birthday anyway. :) 

Dino Safari

 COVID has ruined our ability to go to events for the past year... but every now and then there is a super cool drive thru even - DINO SAFARI! This was an awesome event that came in to share information and huge moving animatronics on dinosaurs.  We had a blast driving thru and enjoying the safari - while staying COVID safe. 

Great Wolf Lodge

 Originally we were supposed to go to Great Wolf Lodge for Blake's birthday, BUT Joyner ended up getting COVID around Blake's birthday so we had to postpone our trip. Thankfully we were able to reschedule it for a few weeks and still enjoy a trip before Baby Kinsley gets here. 

We LOVE Great Wolf Lodge and this was Joyner's first time going, so Blake and I were so excited to show him all of the fun! 

Of course there is all the water park fun - Blake loves the wading pool and the water slides. Thankfully Joyner was with him and could do the water slides with him since I was 7 months pregnant. Haha. In fact, Joyner convinced Blake (ahem tricked Blake) to go on the biggest water slide! They had a blast trying all the fun water stuff. 

By the end of the trip Blake got Joyner hooked on MagiQuest. They had us walking ALL OVER that place with the magic wand conquering wizards and dragons. Haha. Thankfully we completed the challenge and the level for this vacation. I am pretty sure Joyner will be getting his own wand next time so that he can do his own challenges. :) And of course we ate a ton of junk food, played at the arcade, went bowling, did the virtual 3D rides, and more! 

This was an extra special vacation because it was our last one as a family of 3. Next time we will have little Kinsley with us! 

SnowTubing with GG

 Blake is one lucky kid! He got to go to the mountains for the weekend with his GG and Heather. They even took him snow tubing at Hawksnest! He had a blast and I think he wore everyone out. HAHA! That was probably his last snow fun for this year, so I am glad he got to enjoy it! This mama is ready to conquer the slopes with him next year!