Case's 14th Birthday

Happy #14 to our first born! To celebrate, we brought a few friends home from school on Friday to hang out until bedtime. I have been picking up nerf bullets for days since. I think a good time was had by all.  

Luke, Carter, Case, Peyton and Winston

Case,

Happy 14th birthday, buddy! Year 13 brought a lot of changes ... you grew a foot (maybe literally) and are now officially taller than your mom and you sound like an adult (sometimes we think a stranger is in our house) among the most noticeable. You've also honed in on what you are most interested in and are pouring more of your time and energy into those things (band, soccer, piano, tennis and church) and among our favorite things to do is to watch you participate in those things. It brings us much joy to see you do what you love to do. It's also been fun to watch you grow into your role as a big brother (again). Maisy loves her "bubba" and it's so fun to see the two of you play together. We are so proud of you and grateful that God gifted you to us 14 years ago. We pray that as you continue to grow and mature, that you will seek God's direction in all that you do. We love you! 

Mom and Dad

40th Birthday and 18th Anniversary

Whew! I cannot believe that we pulled off the trip to California for my 40th birthday, but somehow we did! James had planned this trip months ago and hadn't even told me exactly where we were going. Then roughly a week before we were supposed to take off, Maisy and I tested positive for Covid. I suppose looking back at it, that detail just makes it a bit more memorable. I was feeling good by the time we headed west and we enjoyed ourselves thoroughly. So glad we didn't cancel! 

Flew to L.A. and spent one night in Long Beach 

The next morning we took a ferry over to Catalina Island 

It was beautiful. Kind of reminded us of one of the islands we visited in Greece.
But with golf carts as the primary mode of transportation instead of donkeys. 

Our little bed and breakfast was super cute and very nice. 

James had made arrangements for a couples massage

Fancy dinner out to celebrate the BIG 40!!

Golf cart ride around the island

A stop at the botanic gardens for a quick hike 

Then we biked ten miles from the airport back to Avalon.
It was quite the adventure with amazing views!
It was nice to get away from all the people.

Pics from home while we were away. So grateful for all these people! 

This trip would not have been possible without our village (who wasn't afraid of our Covid germs)

And then a few days after our return, was my actual birthday and my coworkers made it extra special! 

May is always a very celebratory month. In addition to my 40th birthday, we also celebrated our 18th wedding anniversary. We enjoyed a fun night out in the 901 to celebrate.