Sugar Mill Pancake House and De Leon Springs

Nicki being the ultimate planner that she is had our entire vacation planned out to the tiniest detail. I love that about her and it meant I could completely sit back, relax, enjoy my vacation because I knew she had it all worked out. After getting in the from the airport, we ate at one of their favorite Mexican food restaurants, Chuy's, and then we headed to Jeremiah's to get some of the best Italian ice I'd ever had. It was so good! We visited a little bit once we got to their house and then it was time for bed. Nicki had a full day planned for us the next day. 

Our first stop of the day was the Sugar Mill Pancake House and De Leon Springs. What a fun experience for all of us! We were able to cook our pancakes right at our table and we could add whatever toppings we wanted (for a small fee). Other than me being on high alert that one of the boys would burn their hand off because of the hot griddle being right in front of us, it was such a cool experience and the pancakes were so good! 

After stuffing our faces with pancakes, it was time to head to the spring. It is a natural spring and pumps 19 million gallons of water daily and the temperature is always a cool 72 degrees. I got all that information right from the website :)

The area around the spring was beautiful but the boys wasted no time jumping in the chilly water. What was so cool about the spring was how clear it was! It was totally deceiving because the water was so much deeper than it looked. 

Freezing but happy

The boys played football, tag, and so much more. They had such a blast! Anytime these three get to spend time together and play it always make me sad that we don't live closer. I know they would have been best buds for sure. 

Nicki and I eventually ended up in the water and man was it chilly! We swam for a little bit and then enjoyed watching the the boys play from dry ground where it was much warmer. Our first full day in Florida was off to a great start! 

Florida Vacation Getaway

The day after Josh's birthday, Eli and I hopped on a plane and headed to Florida to visit some of our favorite people, the Glenns! Nicki and I had planned this trip since February and both of us were very excited to see each other and for our boys to be able to play together. Ever since they moved 7 years ago (Nicki, correct me if I'm wrong) we've been able to see each other just about every year or so. This was our second time to visit them in Florida and they've been to our house a few times as well. We stay in constant contact with each other so when we see each other we always just pick up where we left off the last time we spoke. We've been friends for so long now and I'm thankful that now our boys are becoming great friends as well. We couldn't wait to spend a week with them in beautiful, sunny Florida! 

Since we were going to be near Grammy and Pop's house, we had Pop drive us to the airport. We were able to spend some car time with him and we didn't have to worry about parking. Pop walked us to the security checkpoint and then prayed for us before he left. 

This was Eli's second time to fly so he was very excited about being on an airplane again. I'm a nervous flyer, so I like to be at my gate WAAAAAY in advance. We got there about an hour before we needed to, but I would rather be there waiting than rushing. I've been that person who is literally running to catch her plane before and that was my worst nightmare. Waiting is much better :) While we waited for our plane to arrive, Eli played on the iPad, we ate some frozen yogurt, and I people-watched. Before we knew it, it was time to board the plane. 

This kid was just a little excited about flying. 

We got to our seats, settled in, and sent a picture to Josh before takeoff. Mo had to be included, too :)

The flight was a 2 hour direct flight so it didn't take long until we landed in Florida. Eli gave the flight a thumbs up. We were ready to have fun with Dan, Nicki, Jonah, and Micah. Let the Florida vacation begin! 

Memorial Day Weekend with Grandpa E

This year for Memorial Day weekend Grandpa E came in town to visit us. Eli and I had been out of school for a week at this point so we were already in full summer mode. The first thing we did with Grandpa E was go out to dinner with him at a local restaurant. Eli loves spending time with Grandpa E when he comes in town and always has lots of fun when he's here. 

Grandpa E loves fishing (so do we), so we made sure to take him fishing at our local community pond one day while he was here. He lives in the big city so he doesn't get to do things like this very often and we all had a great time. 

The fish weren't very big, but we enjoyed catching them no matter their size!

Eli caught the most this day out of all of us. He was a machine!

After a morning of fishing, we were all starving so we washed up at home and then headed to the Malt Shop. They have the best milkshakes in town (and the crunchiest ice) and we couldn't wait to have a cool treat. It was a great end to a fun weekend with Grandpa E!

Wrapping Up the 2015-2016 School Year

I've always felt like May is like the warmer version of December because of how busy it gets, especially with teaching school and having to wrap everything up for the year. Not to mention the last minute field trips, end of semester tests, parties, performances, buying teacher gifts, making vacation plans, etc. By the time the end of May rolled around, I was DONE, my students were DONE, and Eli was DONE. It was time for summer break! 

I'm proud to say that Eli met or doubled his Accelerated Reader goal each nine weeks in 1st grade and was reading above his grade level. Josh and I were very proud of all the progress he made in 1st grade. We also found out that Eli was chosen by his classmates for the Good Citizenship award. His class voted on the person they thought had the qualities of someone who was a good citizen and it made my heart so happy that they thought of him. To me this is a greater honor than his academic achievements. I love knowing that more than anything Eli treated his classmates with kindness. He's a pretty great kid and I love his gentle heart. 

Last A.R. Test in 1st grade. WOO HOO!

The last week of school we have early dismissal days for our students, but the teachers have to stay until normal dismissal time. If you're a teacher's kid, this means you get leftover popcorn and a movie in the classroom while your mom finishes working.  Eli and Cooper didn't seem to mind having to stay at school a couple of extra hours.

On Eli's last day of 1st grade we took pictures. As you can see from the comparison photo below, he lost some hair and gained some teeth in 1st grade. (If you're wondering about the hair, Josh convinced Eli to get a summer haircut. I cut it and regretted it immediately. He's still cute as can be, but I love his beautiful hair. No more "summer" haircuts for this kid!)

I ended my second year in 4th grade with my best friend and teaching partner. This year we both felt much more at ease and like we (kind of) knew what we were doing. We were also so happy that our friend Torri was able to join us this year too! We had a great year at school, but we were all looking forward to a long summer break!