Dinner Club in Saluda {and Mock Engagement session}

The Fosters just bought an AMAZING home in Saluda, NC and Tracy invited the dinner club to spend our annual weekend away there.  What a treat!  Great home, amazing views, phenomenal food, fun shopping, adventurous hiking, and incredible friendship.


Tracy's sister is engaged so while we were out hiking one day we did some practicing and planning for Tracy's upcoming engagement shoot with her and her fiance.  Everyone wanted to model different poses in different locations.  haha









Then they just started teasing me....  haha


Saluda is beautiful!









Until next year!

Fall Soccer

Griffin played soccer in the fall in a little two-day-a-week soccer clinic.  They did skill-building drills most of the time and then towards the end of the "season" they started going little scrimmages.  It was adorable!  He loved it and is excited to play again in the spring.







Noah played on a team with Ian (friend from TK), Jack (friend since birth :), and Davin (friend from the neighborhood).  He MUCH more enjoyed the social aspects of the team than playing itself, but he does want to play again in the spring.  He loves collecting the team jerseys.  :)




Their coach was so nice.  Have to mention that the coach supplied the first snack, since parents hadn't signed up yet.  He handed out rice crispie treats and cans of soda.  What?!

See Noah  in the back (#4) watching the cool play and encouraging his teammates.  He much preferred that role, I think.  :)

Being silly with our neighbors.  Noah and Davin are the same age & Griffin and Elloree are the same age.


Miles and Reid played on a team together at the Y.  Miles LOVED it -- both his time with Reid and learning skills.  He is really excited for spring soccer, too.
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Evan (blonde hair behind Miles) is our neighbor.  It was fun for them to play in a game together.

Noah and Griffin cheering Miles.

Miles: Character Trait - Honesty

Throughout the year's assemblies, each grade is in charge of a 'character trait performance'.  This year the 3rd grade's character trait was HONESTY.  Each class did their own performance about honesty and then the entire grade sang the school song.

I missed the first night of my dinner club weekend away to make this 15 minute assembly.  It was worth it.  Just thinking back on the morning makes me cry tears of joy.  It was one of those motherhood-moments that filled me up until heart was spilling over.


During this assembly, I saw a Miles who was comfortable in his own skin, not shy and nervous in front of the crowd.  I saw a Miles who was proud and excited to speak his lines loudly, not hesitant and quick to rush through this part.  I saw a Miles who was silly and cut-up during the songs (just enough to show his cute personality...not enough to be disrespectful).  I saw a Miles who scanned the crowd for his BFF and beamed when he found him.  I saw a Miles having so.much.fun!  I was so proud of Miles and the boy he's become: confident and brave, silly and fun.



Miles' 3rd grade class (miles in the bottom/center with his Panther jersey on).  Miles adores his teacher, Ms Hartmann.  Miles is in between two of his favorite classmates, Blake and Ian.


Did I mention that Miles loves Ms Hartmann?  Such a great teacher for him to have this year.  I am so thankful for her.

More Yoga

(griffin's outfit kills me, by the way)

One, Two Buckle My Shoe

In November, Noah's kindergarten class was challenged to learn a number of things to earn feathers for their Indian headdress.  Noah memorized his address and our phone numbers and he learned to tie shoes.  Ignore the fact that my very dirty sneakers on the kitchen table -- instead celebrate this HUGE accomplishment.  We promptly bought Noah his first pair of "tie" running shoes.  Huge!

Independence Park

Ready?

Go!

Yikes! Man Down!

Poor Noah. Not how he wanted the race end.



So serious!

Here comes a tiny smile...

There we go!


This smile will look so different when his big teeth come in. It has been YEARS since Noah has had front teeth...


On a side note, still trying to get Noah into gymnastics.  Feel like he'd be so great at it.  He is insanely flexible and seems to love to tumble, etc..  Documenting it here so if he never pursues it, he can read this post and know that we kept asking him to try it.  :)

Noah

Snapped this picture to remember that for several weeks, Noah had a habit of coming home from school and continuing to wear his backpack for an hour or so.  It make me smile.