Everyday Moments

Life...unedited. 

These random phone photos are dark, blurry, and untouched,

but they capture everyday moments from the last week.

On Monday, Tal and the girls had the day off from work/school due to President's Day. While I was at work, Tal took Savannah and Hadley to a new park.

On Tuesday, we ate dinner at the Ale House and then got frozen yogurt for dessert.

While the girls and I were snowed in, we made stromboli for lunch. The girls helped me spread the pizza sauce and sprinkle the sausage, pepperoni, and cheese. Yummy!

On Friday night, our family ate dinner at Popeye's before we went to NC State's Women's Gymnastics meet. Savannah was excited to eat corn on the cob for the first time since she got her braces removed.

Due to President's Day and the winter weather, Hadley only went to preschool 2.5 days this week. Below are a couple highlights from her days at preschool.

Hadley created a volcano by blowing paint through a straw:

Snow Day!

On Thursday, we had our first snowfall in 400+ days! We only got about 2.5 inches of snow, but it was still a big deal for us in NC. We had a half-day early release on Thursday, no school on Friday, and no makeup day (due to banked instructional hours). The girls and I have enjoyed having a long, lazy weekend!

Hadley played in the snow for about 10 minutes. Savannah wasn't interested in going outside. She said it was too cold. Haha! 

The water in the rain barrel was frozen. Hadley wanted to show me the hole she made, so the water could flow.

NC State Gymnastics

Last night our family enjoyed going to the women's gymnastics meet at NC State. NC State competed against Centenary and William and Mary in four events: vault, balance beam, floor exercise, and uneven bars. Each event lasted about 25 minutes, and there was 6-minute break between each event. NC State won the meet!

It was a fun, family-friendly evening! Our family sat on the front row behind the commentators, so we got a up-close view of the gymnasts. Also, since it was Capes and Crowns Night, we all received capes, and kids were dressed as princesses and superheroes. We enjoyed cheering for NC State during one of their last home gymnastics meets of the 2020 season!

Hadley got her face painted like a wolf:

Meeting Mr. Wuf

Capes and Crowns Night

Awards Ceremony

Go Wolfpack!

Downstairs Hallway Gallery Wall

If you know me, you know how much I love gallery walls. I recently updated the gallery walls in our downstairs hallway, on our staircase, and in our upstairs hallway.  They all were 4-5 years old and included photos of Hadley as a baby. It was time for some recent family photos.

Over the last few weeks, I've framed and hung approximately 65 family photos around our house. I've hung family photos, travel photos, baby photos, and wedding photos.

In our downstairs hallways, I created two gallery walls: one on the left side and one on the right side. To get started, I made templates out of craft paper, hung them with painter's tape, and then rearranged them until I had a balanced display. I used a level and Command velcro strips to hang the photos. I left a finger's width between most photos.

As I've mentioned before, I prefer oversized frames and photos. For that reason, almost all of the photos are size 8x10. The collage photos are size 12x12. I put the photos in white gallery frames from Ikea and Michaels that I've collected over the last 10 years.

Our family loves our picture hallway because it's a reflection of our love and a reminder of our favorite memories.

Downstairs Hallway Gallery Wall

Right Side

  

Left Side 

 

Staircase Gallery Wall

Five years ago, I created this gallery wall on our staircase.  

Before

2015

A couple weeks ago, I took down the photos and replaced them with some recent family photos. I used the same layout and artwork. The artwork is size 16x20. The photos are size 8x10. I used a level and Command velcro strips to hang the nine pictures. I always hang the bottom photos first. I love having some updated family photos in our staircase!

Now

2020

Savannah's Birthday Week

Savannah turned 11 on Feb 12! Our family enjoyed celebrating our birthday girl all week long!

On Monday, I ate lunch with Savannah in the cafeteria and helped her pass out birthday cookies to her classmates.

On Tuesday, after Savannah got her braces removed, I took her out to lunch at Moe's (Savannah's choice) for her birthday.

On Wednesday, Grandma Barbara brought Savannah Bojangles for lunch and ate with her in the cafeteria for her birthday. 

After lunch on Wednesday, Grandma Barbara checked-out Savannah from school early and took her shopping at Target. Savannah used her birthday money from Grandma Barbara to buy a Lego set, as well as doll clothes and accessories.

On Wednesday (Savannah's birthday), our family ate dinner at Chick-fil-a (Savannah's choice).

After dinner at Chickfila, we sang Happy Birthday to Savannah. She blew out her candles, and then we enjoyed eating chocolate brownie ice cream cake from Dairy Queen (Savannah's choice).

On Friday, Uncle Benny, Aunt EJ, and Harper celebrated Savannah's birthday with us. We ate dinner at Freddy's.

Cousins Hadley (5), Savannah (11), and Harper (6)

On Saturday afternoon, all 8 of us went shopping at the mall, where Harper and Hadley rode a bus.

On Saturday, our Tal and I took Savannah, Hadley, and Harper to the NC State Women's Gymnastics meet.

The cousins met NC State's mascots Mr. and Mrs. Wuf.