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Monday, December 31, 2018

Mockingbird Elementary Carnival 2018

This fall, I had the privilege of helping out with Ava's school carnival. Each year, proceeds from the carnival are used to support the school's more than 600 students, including the 45 deaf or hearing-impaired students who attend from all over Dallas. Funds raised by the event directly support improvements and equipment in computer technology, music, and fine arts as well as needed classroom and library supplies.

Ashley and Julia served as the Carnival Co-Chairs, and they were total rockstars! They put in an insane amount of volunteer hours, and put together an absolutely wonderful event. Gilly and I were in charge of corporate and family sponsorships, which was quite a task as well.


There were so many community businesses and volunteers who gave their money, time, and sweat (and maybe some blood and tears) to make it happen.

I am especially grateful for all the Mockingbird families and sports teams who donated money and made my job easy.


I'm also proud of how the "Flip-A-Chick" booth turned out.


Josh's firm sponsored the Pitching Challenge.


Despite the rain, the turnout was great and the kids had a blast! 










 The parents had fun too :).


Carnival was a TON of work, but totally worth it. Not only was it a fun community event, but we also raised so much money for our wonderful little school. 



Sunday, December 30, 2018

An Interview with Ava | Six

With Ava turning seven in February, I got this six-year-old interview done with little time to spare. But I still call that a win!

I really love these little interviews and how much they show about our children during a certain period of time. Ava seems so grown-up in this one, which is oh so bittersweet. 

1. How old are you?

Six

2. What is your favorite color?

Purple (That's my girl!)

3. What is your favorite food?

Chicken nuggets

4. What is your least favorite food?

Macaroni (Ok...maybe she's not my girl. Who doesn't love mac and cheese?!)

5. What is your favorite treat?

Sour gummy worms

6. Who is your best friend?

Paige and Sofia

7. What is your favorite TV show?

Raven's Home

8. What is your favorite movie?

Despicable Me 3 (She just watched it that morning.)

9. What is your favorite book?

All of them (Ava is an amazing reader, and we are so proud of her.)

10. What is your favorite thing to do with Mom?

Getting my nails painted

11. What is your favorite thing to do with Dad?

Help with the tree (Can you tell it's Christmas time?)

12. What is your favorite thing to do with Rylan?

Play

13. What is your favorite song?

Hello by Adele (She always says it like this, as if that is the whole title of the song.) and Girl on Fire

14. What are you really good at?

Sports

15. What is your favorite holiday?

Christmas

16. What is your favorite place to visit?

Grandmas'

17. What is your favorite sport? 

Basketball (Shout-out to Coach Shep.)

18. What is your favorite thing to do at school?

Do subjects

19. If you could have one wish, what would you wish for?

To fly

20. What do you want to be when you grow up?

A vet and a baker

Here is the video of the interview.



And her sweet room, which is currently decorated for Christmas.




Saturday, December 22, 2018

Port Aransas Vacation 2018

At the end of July, we headed down to Port Aransas with three other families for a fun-filled beach adventure.

We split up the drive a bit by staying in Austin for the night, but it was still quite the trek. I had to capture this pitstop for Rylan in the middle of nowhere.



We also made a stop for some off-the-beaten-path BBQ.



We were only there for four nights, but we packed in as much fun as possible.

The group spent lots of time at the beach, which was luckily a very short boardwalk stroll away from our house.

















#BeachNap










We also loved having the pool at the house.



And speaking of the house, it couldn't have been better for our group (other than all those stairs!). All the adults and little ones had their own rooms/bathrooms, and the big kids shared the bunk room. Also, the main living area/kitchen was HUGE, and the pool + proximity to the beach couldn't be beat.



We had so much fun hanging out at the beach house.

















The boys snuck away one (long) morning for a fishing trip.





But they were kind enough to bring some much-needed adult beverages back to the mamas.



And then took the kids into town for a bit for some shopping.


Our last night was my absolute favorite. The boys built a fire down at the beach, and I was able to share one of my favorite childhood memories with the group...ghost crab hunting!








The crab release is the best part...


The kids had an absolute blast on our vacation, and as evidenced by these pictures, the parents did too :).







I can't wait for our next adventure with this fun crew!



After packing up all our (very sandy) stuff, it was time to hit the road, with a stop at the original Whataburger!