First Haircut

The mullet had to go.

As much as I wanted Mattie's hair to grow out and look beautiful and feminine - it was doing quite the opposite.  One chunk of hair in the middle of her head was growing long while the rest of her hair was at a standstill.  She was well on her way to being Miss Jo Dirt for Halloween, but buying a wig wouldn't be necessary - she had that part covered.

If you haven't seen the mullet in person, this picture somewhat gives an idea of what we were working with - I think I may have been avoiding taking pictures of Mattie from behind because the mullet was getting so bad.

Her first haircut was a huge success!  Not only did Mattie sit patiently while the lady cut her hair, but the cut actually looks really cute.  She gave Mattie a little bob in the back that will hopefully begin to grow at a more equal rate.

This was a before picture with her ponytail still on top of her head.

Almost done...

Blowing it dry

Mattie loves the new 'do and so do we!  And I can't leave out Evan...he also got his hair cut and was awesome the whole time - as usual.

Summer is Here

I went into summer mode over Memorial Day weekend - parades, backyard cookouts, bike rides to the pool,constant sunscreen application, ice cream outings and later bedtimes.

 
This was a great thing except that I still had one more week left of school that I needed to be concentrating on...and I can't lie, it was tough.  Almost to the point of torture.  My students were so DONE - they too had summertime on the brain and certainly didn't want to be stuck in a classroom.  Well, we finally made it - and as exciting as it is to have summer here, it is always sad to see your students go.  Especially this year, being a brand new school and facing so many challenges and obstacles.  It will be a year I will never forget.

This year will also be unforgettable because I received an award that means more to me than any other award I've ever received.  I was honored as Teacher of the Year!  There is nothing sweeter than being recognized for doing something you love.  From the bottom of my heart - I thank all my peers for their support, especially Krista, my teammate - who has worked equally as hard to make our kindergarten classes the BOMB!  I am so excited for next year as we move into our brand new school with space to move around.  Great things are gonna happen!

The first official weekend of summer we spent at the pool with all the other neighborhood families.  Mattie would simply drown if you'd let her - she demands that you put her down in the pool even though she has no flotation device attached to her.  She is such a daredevil - it scares me.  She jumps off the side of the pool with no care in the world, trusting that someone will be there to catch her - luckily we are.  Evan, on the other hand, is way more cautious and reserved.  That seems to have come with age because he used to be more like Mattie a couple of years ago.  He's still sportin' the water wings, but I'm hoping we can get him swimming on his own by summer's end.

I'm gonna try to really enjoy the next few weeks.  I start my Master's at the end of June, so that will start taking up some of my time, as well as my magazine writing.  When school starts back mid July, Lord help me.  I'm not really sure how I will find the time for everything - but I will manage.

Yes, We're Alive

As dedicated as I used to be to blogging, I am more than disappointed with my performance over the last few months.  But between teaching, writing and playing mommy/wifey, there's just not much extra time.  I've decided rather than ignoring my blog altogether, I'm gonna try to do quick updates - at least until summer rolls around and I am out of school (2 more weeks!!!)  And I can start taking advantage today since I am at home with a nasty virus - the toilet has been a good friend to me today.  TMI?

• Buying a Home - when we first moved to Murrells Inlet we were so lucky to find a rental house that had everything we needed for our growing family - a huge backyard, 4 bedrooms, a lot of living space and a safe neighborhood.  While the style of the home is not necessarily my cup of tea, we listed all the pros and cons of purchasing this house versus buying another home.  Ultimately, this home won out.  To make it more of what I want however, we need to customize it a bit so it doesn't look so builderish.  Maybe some crown molding, different paint scheme, new kitchen countertops, etc.  We close next month!

• Ocean Isle - we took a trip to Ocean Isle, NC to meet up with a few of our fabulous friends a couple of weekends ago.  Thanks to a silent auction that our friend, Jessica, won we had an oceanfront cottage that housed all of us crazies so that we could properly celebrate Cinco de Mayo.  Ankles were injured and fun was had - no surprise there.

• Easter/April Happenings -  we had a wonderful Easter.  It was low key, just like we like it, spent outside and at home.  I've thrown in a few other random pics from April too.

•  Mother's Day - I enjoyed a wonderful Mother's Day tea with Evan at his school.  The other mothers must've of thought I was a bit nutty because I laughed and cried the entire time the kids were singing to us and gesturing loving things.  It gets me every time.  From what Evan reported, I only weigh 6 lbs and he wouldn't "trade me for a yo yo."  I am so loved.  In addition, we all went out to eat (my mom joined us) to Nance's and ate a hideous amount of fried seafood.  I won't do that again for a long time.  I have not one picture from this day!  Isn't that terrible?
•  Random Notes - Evan and Mattie constantly fight over the Ipad.  It has gotten out of control.  As soon as I pick them up from school Mattie says, "I pa! I pa!  And I am one of those mothers who said I would never let my children become addicted to video games...is the Ipad the same thing?  Robert makes a point now to leave his at work.