Evan's Last Days as a Webelo

Evan has enjoyed his years in Cub Scouts and all the interesting and fun events he has been able to experience.  He loved camping, hiking, playing with his buddies, building things, and going to fun and educational places.  On the day we moved from North Carolina, Evan got to participate in one last big Cub Scout event.  He always loves the Pinewood Derby so I was thankful he would get to participate again.  Last year, we made his car, and we made one for Brody to race.  This year, I had hoped we would have time to make him another car, but with packing and preparing to move, it just never happened.  We decided he could just race Brody's car this year which had actually performed well last year.  Evan's den leader also wanted to present him with his Webelo badge before he left since they had all accomplished the tasks required of them.  The rest of the troop would get their badges in a couple of weeks anyway.  So before we hit the road for Georgia, we had a little more fun although it did make for a later start on our journey.

One of the last events Evan participated in was the fun and chaotic annual "snowball" fight.  The kids all donate new socks to be given to a local charity for the homeless, and before the socks are given, the boys get to roll them up as snowballs and throw them at one another.  It is a blast!  And no, it is not possible to photograph this event with non-blurry pictures. 

All of my boys wanted to participate.  Little Mattox was just fascinated. 

Mattox did get into the action a little. 

Kids and socks flying everywhere. 

Then, the boys celebrated the oldest Cub Scouts, the Arrow of Light, and congratulated them on moving up to Boy Scouts.  They made a tunnel for the older boys to run through. 

Let the car races begin!  Evan was using the blue car with the red stripe in lane 2.  He took the lead in this race from the start. 

He didn't get a trophy this year, but he did get first place in this race and no more than second or third place in his other races.  There were just some cars with faster times than his.  I was just surprised Eddie caught pictures of this race where he won first place. 

There were some cool cars for the kids to judge this year. 

Brody was just there for the pizza.  Ha!

Evan was presented with his Webelo badge.  Little brother has some pretty serious big brother hero envy. 

Kindergarten Fun

Brody was lucky that his last week at his old school was so fun.  They celebrated their 100th day of school and got to go on a fun field trip to Marbles, the children's museum in downtown Raleigh.  I was thankful to get to share in some of this fun with him.  Daddy and I also went to eat lunch with him at school on his last day, and he got to pick some friends to eat with us in his classroom.  He picked all girls.  Haha!  I am feeling very nostalgic already looking back at these pictures from our last days in North Carolina.  Sigh.  I am just sad because my heart will always be in North Carolina where I grew up, fell in love, and started this little family of ours.  All of our children were born there (except Evan since he was technically born in Virginia).  It will always be home, but I know in a few years, I will have a ton of memories here in Georgia to make this feel more like home too.  I just want my kids to remember the good times we shared in their beloved first home.

I made him a cute monster shirt with 100 googly eyes for his 100th day shirt.  Thanks, Pinterest!  I am having too much fun making cute kindergarten projects for him.  I don't remember getting to do these things for Evan.  I don't think his old school was as active, and unfortunately, I don't think their new school is either. 

I just love his faces. He was trying to make mean monster faces, but he just ended up looking cute. 

His teacher posted these shots on their class share site.  The kids made 100th day hats to wear.  Apparently, Brody preferred wearing his upside down.  He was hard at work making shapes with yummy pretzel sticks and marshmallows.  

On my walk to meet Brody's class at the museum in downtown Raleigh, I couldn't helping taking a few last shots of downtown Raleigh.  Raleigh does have some old history in it, and this old church has been designated a National Historic Landmark. 

One last view of the old Capitol building. 

Ready for a fun day at Marbles.  I do wish we had visited this little museum together as a family before we moved away.  It was always in my plans but just never happened.  Brody's class had been doing a whole unit on money and buying wants and needs so this section of the museum dedicated to money and how you earn it was perfect.  Raleigh isn't a big banking center like Charlotte, but it does have the headquarters of a large local bank that sponsors this exhibit.  

Brody loved visiting the "bank" and driving the armored truck and using the teller deposit tube to send his "deposits" which were just balls.  He loved watching them go up the chute. 

He went to work at the lemonade stand making lemonade. 

He loved jumping on the big piles of coins and making them light up. 

Working in the pizza parlor making pizza was definitely a favorite for him.  He loves to cook so this was a perfect spot. 

But he also cares for animals and loved taking care of them at the pet spa.  He gave his puppy a bath and cleaned her up and put her to bed. 

Yay for money!  I could see his face on some currency in the future.  

A special "magic" show about money and how it really isn't made by magic. 

Building with giant legos. 

Playing with real tools (yes, real saws) and making some art.  I am glad I took a picture of his creation since it didn't make it home safely.  He colored a dog like Cocoa and dressed her up with a collar and blanket to keep her warm. 

My little ladybug (those can be boys too) put on a performance on stage for me.  Then, my little firefighter hero put out some fires. 

He worked on the farm and couldn't decide whether he wanted to be a vet or a pediatrician as he lovingly cared for a newborn baby and a big dog. 

He planted and harvested his garden. 

He also fed the baby animals but cooking in the kitchen was still his favorite option. 

He did enjoy driving a city bus though. 

These piano stairs were awesome.  I got on with him and tried to play some music.  It was so fun as they lit up and played the keys as you stepped on them. 

The boys posed for a picture on their last day at school.  Yes, I am sad to leave that school behind.  We noticed that Brody's class had made it onto the wall for getting the bronze award for earning golden hawks which are their good behavior awards.  Brody was on the front row in the class picture. 

Goodbye, old school!  *Sniff*

Our Last NC Snow

What???  Yes, that title does have me feeling a little like crying since we now live in an area that will basically never see snow or freezing temperatures.  Sigh.  And the bugs...don't even get me started on the bugs.  One day, I am convinced, they will eat me alive.  Pretty much, I will be spending a lot of time indoors and only venturing out when the wind blows all the pesky bugs and gnats away.  For now, I am just glad my kids got to see a little snow before our big move.  It may not have been a very impressive snow, but I'll take it.  I was actually afraid it would be all gone by the time we got home from our trip to Savannah.  And yes, I am writing this in March two months later, and it seems like a lifetime ago.  Time has really been flying by.  So when we were driving home late at night, I made Eddie stop about 40 minutes from home where there was a decent ground cover of snow so the boys could see it.  I just didn't know whether there would even be any at our house.  Thankfully, there was still a little snow at the house, and the boys even got a couple of snow days out of school.

We were just so excited to see some white stuff.  Evan and Brody insisted on trying to make snow angels.  Mattox was just wondering what this stuff was. 

Oh I love this baby.  He is just at my most favorite age and is the cutest thing.  I have pictures of all of the boys wearing this little winter coat.  We have gotten a lot of use out of it.  It might be able to go one more round.  

My handsome boys enjoying the snow. 

Mommy and her little men.  I had just gotten a new coat for Christmas and was happy to actually get to wear it.  I may not have many opportunities now.  Sigh. 

The epic snow of 2017.  Haha!  Well, it was pretty special to us.  We stopped right outside Campbell University to see the snow that night. 

Our Christmas lights did look pretty fabulous in the snow. 

I had to get a picture of Grayson in his first snow.  

And one more with my boys in the daylight at our old house. 

Goodbye, Holly Springs, North Carolina, and snow!  *Sniff*

Celebrating Daddy in Savannah

Although our trip to Savannah wasn't purely for pleasure, we did need to have a little fun for Daddy's birthday.  We arrived late on Friday night to wake up early and begin our house hunting adventures.  Luckily, we found our new house in time to get back to our hotel and get ready for dinner.  The boys and I had hoped to get to see the beach on this trip, but it was still getting dark too early.  We did visit the most happening place on Tybee Island in early January for dinner.  Everything else appeared pretty dead, but this place had a good crowd.  I know it will be even more fun to visit later in the year when it is lighter and warmer.  On Sunday, we wanted to get on the road before too late, but we couldn't leave without a quick trip downtown.  I can't wait to explore more of this historical town.

These boys wanted to show Daddy their love by wearing their special Daddy shirts.  They do love him!  These shirts didn't come in the big boys' sizes.  

A fun night at The Crab Shack.  This is actually an open air style restaurant, but they had it covered with lots of heaters going so it was nice and toasty inside.  The boys loved all the decorations. 

Inside, the boys colored and enjoyed the festive atmosphere.  Mommy enjoyed her plate of low country boil, and Evan even developed an appreciation for boiled shrimp...as long as Mommy peels them for him. 

There will be lots of old historical houses like this one to explore. I was in old house, live oak heaven. 

The beautiful Cathedral of St. John the Baptist.  I just loved the way the sun shone on the front doors. 

I love ornate Gothic architecture. 

A beautiful little park outside the cathedral with lots of Spanish moss draped live oaks. 

It was a little chilly, but I took a little walk through Colonial Park Cemetery. 

Lots of war heroes and important historical figures buried here. 

The Habersham family were an important part of Savannah history. 

I love the tree lined streets. 

The part of the cemetery dedicated to all the people who died in a Yellow Fever epidemic was sad.  I thought it was neat that the important Revolutionary War hero, Nathanael Greene, was buried along side a British officer. 

The Old Savannah Cotton Exchange is an iconic structure in downtown along the riverfront. 

The gold dome of the city town hall is a shining symbol of the city.  It was originally copper, but it was gold leafed in 1987 at a cost of $240,000.  Luckily, a wealthy patron donated the money.  I love the original old streets on the riverfront.  

A picture with Daddy.  We felt it was too cold to drag Grayson out for a picture. 

And a picture with Mommy.  Evan took a rare picture of Daddy and Mommy together. 

The boys and I made the treacherous walk down these old stairs to the riverfront.  

My little riverboat captains. 

We want to take a ride on the Georgia Queen. 

This finally new bridge for Hwy. 17 is almost identical to the one in Charleston. 

Savannah does have the original River Street Sweets although you can find them in some other coastal cities.  The boys couldn't resist the sweet treats so we did buy some yummy pralines and truffles.  I am not a Salt Water Taffy fan, but it is fun to watch it being made in the summer months. There is just something "beachy" about salt water taffy. 

Mattox and Daddy and Grayson did join us down on the river so we could eat lunch before we had to leave.  Brody was trying to pull some gold debloons from this table in the pirate themed restaurant.