June 2017/Audrey's 8th Birthday Recap

I know I've been trying to get away from doing the monthly recaps, but I can justify this one because I think it'll be pretty short and easy.  

(Sidenote:  If you missed it, I already covered a lot of the activity of last month in these in-depth posts:  Triathlon #3 - June 3, 2017 in Greenville, Trip to Boston, and Triathlon #4 - June 17, 2017 in Callaway Gardens.)

So between all of that, what else did we possibly have time for?!  

Well the biggest thing of course was that Audrey turned 8!  That morning before David left for work we gave her her birthday present from us:  a new desk and chair for her bedroom, complete with stationary supplies.  She adored it and immediately began organizing her rubber bands and new pink accessories, just as I knew she would.   

She got to plan out the day from start to finish, so after I tore her away from her new desk, we began at Kids Up (where I think she and Luke quickly realized they are now too old for Kids Up. Sad.)  Afterward we stopped by Jilly's Cupcakery to pick out her birthday cupcake and then came home for lunch and rest.  That afternoon we went back out to Queen of Hearts (a big antique store that she loves to roam around in) and the mall, where David met us for some shopping and dinner.  She chose a dress from Gymboree and hairbands and stick-on earrings from Claire's.  Per her request, we searched fruitlessly for a tankini bathing suit that looked appropriate and finally gave up and rode the merry-go-round.  She chose Tin Lizzy's restaurant for dinner, but obviously refused to let us tell them it was her special day, so there was no embarrassing singing.  David drove the kids home in the van while I went by the Dollar Tree to grab the last few favors for her birthday party.  I walked in the door around 7:25 and by 7:29 (the time of her birth), we were singing to her and enjoying our cupcakes. It was a simple but really fun day that was full of both "she's getting so old" moments (choosing shopping at the mall as your birthday activity?!) but also a feeling of "she's still firmly planted in kid world, thank the Lord" (you want to ride the merry-go-round? Of course!)

We celebrated with family and friends at her "Cartwheels and Cupcakes"-themed birthday party that Saturday held at her gymnastics gym.  She had about 14 friends (mostly friends plus their little brothers!) and they spent an hour on the floor doing an obstacle course, bar work, and rope swinging. Afterward we went into the party room where they got to decorate their own cupcakes and pose for pictures with photo booth props.  Audrey decided to open her presents there and it was a flurry of wrapping paper and ribbon.  Before we knew it, it was time to pack up and head home.  The only consolation was that my mom came back and stayed the night with us so she could start her "shift" for mine and David's trip to Boston the next morning.  We had pizza and then watched Little Big Shots before turning in.  

Other highlights of the month included a week of gymnastics camp for the kids, a few playdates, some trips to the pool, a splash pad gathering with our small group buddies, visits to the library, a couple of dentist appointments, a trip to the dollar movies to see Trolls, Father's day celebration meals, and a girls' night in for our small group.  Our church also broke ground on their new campus, which means our days of meeting in a nearby high school are numbered.  We're excited, but since we're not the ones getting up at 4:30am every Sunday to get there for set-up, it's not quite as big of a deal to us!

So I guess we did find time to squeeze in a few other things in June after all!  It was a really good month with a bunch of summertime adventures, but I do hope we get a little more taste of the lazy side of the season next month.  Pictures will be up on Facebook soon, so check them out there.