We survived NTI/ school

It is so hard to believe this last school year happened. Like we did half of the year on zoom. In google classroom. With a pod of her classmates. Teachers all over the world somehow managed to still teach, despite a global pandemic. Sometimes i think “did that all just happen?!” 

So we alternated Monday Wednesday Friday with Ainsleys pod. Parker took turns doing school with me, my mom, and Joy. 

Ainsley had the best teachers for this year, and i will forever be grateful to them. 

Parker got lost in the shuffle a lot of days but we tried to teach him a few things. 

The kids got to dress up for Halloween, turn their cameras off and give 3 clues about their costumes. I mean these teachers deserve all the things. 

And then the day came they got to start back in person. Masked , with plastic partitions in between each desk. 

And Parker got to go back to preschool. And the socialization was so good for all of us. 

Ainsley got to have field day and my heart could have burst at the normalcy of the day. 

Her last day of school was bittersweet. She didn’t get nearly as much time as she should have with her teachers and classmates. She didn’t get to absorb as much Spanish as she should have. Read as much as she should have. But she did learn lots of other things this year. She can maneuver google classroom, voice to text, submit images, and navigate a keyboard. She recognizes the importance of a virus and minimizing the spread. 

Parker also finished up his last year of preschool. His teachers this year were amazing, and he made some really good friends in his class. 

He performed like a rock star and took it very seriously. No tears this time, and came off that stage giving me the biggest hug. 

School this past year was a roller coaster. We did the best we could with the situation we had. I am so grateful we chose to have a small pod of girls, i think that kept sanity for us moms and a bit of normalcy for the girls. I’m so proud of their ability to roll with it and adapt. 

We survived, and you better believe i threw a party for the second grade SIP moms this past Sunday! 

Nantahala

We decided we needed to get away, somewhere, for spring break this year. Philip wasn't able to get a full week off which limited our options, but we found an amazing cabin in NC thanks to Kim and Philip's hard work:)  

The drive there wasn't bad until we hit the "tail of the dragon" where Parker and I both got quite motion sick. But we made it, finally, and the kids immediately wanted to get in the hot tub. 

We were there less than 3 hours when Parker jumped in the hot tub, hitting his chin on one of the steps and busting it open. We always travel with a suture kit so we were ready, but he was not having it. After 1.5 hours of Kim and I holding him down, stitches getting put in and pulled out, Philip threw in the towel (literally) and we glued it. It was traumatizing for all of us. But luckily that was the only mishap of the trip! 

The cabin was beautiful and in the most gorgeous setting. There was a fire on the deck and a fire pit by the dock.  There was a stream on the side of the house that the kids loved exploring.We went fishing and kayaking off the dock. The water was freezing so no one got in, but the kids liked going out in the canoe and Parker enjoyed "casting and reeling", not actual fishing lol. 

The weather was so nice (except the last day) so we spent most of our time outside. Even the last day when it was cold and rainy we still enjoyed just bing at the cabin and we introduced the kids to the movie E.T. Parker told us he needed an E.T with his magic finger to fix all his boo-boos. 

We visited the Nanthala Outdoor Center which was so cool. Lots to explore and see. The kids climbed in the water and we watched white water rafters come in and out. The loved throwing things in the river and watching them float down. 

We had a fire pit at the cabin and Kim got all the kids these cute "fishing rod" marshmallow roasters. 

We did "gem mining" and the kids (and adults) loved sifting through the sand and dirt to find gems and rocks to bring home. The nice man who owned it went through every gem at the end, telling us what they were and which ones were special. 

We ate lunch, in a real restaurant! , on the Nantahala and got to watch more rafters coming through. 

We pulled over at a random creek and the kids played in it for hours. 

It was a beautiful day and they had so much fun. 

Parker went exploring in the stream by our house and managed to get a bit muddy. 

We hiked up the hill from our house and merged onto a portion of the Appalachian Trail. 

We stopped at the Tapoco Lodge on the way home and had a delicious lunch. Which might not have been too wise considering it was pre- dragon tail. But it was yummy and I drove it very slow. 

We had a great trip and it was so nice to just get away and relax. Our cell service was spotty, which was also lovely, especially concerning Philips work. After being cooped up with Covid for a year, it felt so nice to be somewhat normal and do normal things. 

Ainsley is EIGHT

It's crazy how much has changed since Ainsley turned 7. Last year she got to have a big birthday party, take doughnuts to school to share with her class, see all of her family and celebrate BIG, like we always do! This year, she only had 4 friends (that she sees regularly) over for a pajama / squishy party. We did separate celebrations with family and even did FaceTime with some. Her class sang Happy Birthday to her on her zoom. So while things were not what they usually are, we hope she felt loved and special nonetheless. 





Ainsley is growing into a sweet hearted, joyful, thoughtful, creative, caring girl. She is our little gymnast who is learning new ways to flip and roll every day. She speaks Spanish better than anyone in our family. She is starting to enjoy reading more, and has finished her first chapter book. She is so creative and loves thinking up ideas and making them happen. She loves her stuffed animals fiercely and loves playing AG dolls and Barbies. Her favorite color is light blue. She likes to dance. She loves all kinds of pretend play. She is our true first born, following all of the rules and letting us know when Parker doesn't. She excels at delayed gratification, saving things for later and letting the excitement of something fill her up without giving in to it. 


While we have spent more time together this year than most years past, it has been so sweet watching her personality develop and see her start to have passion for creating. She is learning to overcome her shyness and "be brave Ainsley" as she tells herself. She doesn’t mind playing alone and will let us know when she just wants to play by herself (which Parker does NOT understand). 

We are so lucky to have her as our daughter and can't wait to see what the Lord does with her eighth year!