Seasons

Everyone experiences seasons in their lives. There are the highs and the lows and the in-betweens. I have been told by many, and read in many places not to rush the seasons and to enjoy them for what they are. In hopes of not sounding super negative lately, I think I've enjoyed the most I could have ever enjoyed this season. I'm ready to move on. Move on and start a new season. So that I am.

I am excited that our family is finding a new routine from what we are used to and all this recent change may just become our new normal because I think we're getting pretty good at it. We are doing well at adapting and making do with our situations. My husband and I took a leap of faith (some may call irresponsibility, we're calling it a leap of faith) and he quit his job. He has an interview in the morning and we are very hopeful that this will allow us the opportunity to spend more family time together and have our Saturdays together again as well.

The girls are also staying home full time now and are out of preschool until the fall when Riley will start Kindergarten and Raigan may or may not go back. We haven't decided. Until then we'll enjoy late morning breakfasts at our kitchen table every day of the week. 

In the middle of this crazy season in our lives we have been in cheer mode. Riley began on an All Star Cheerleading squad in the fall and they had their first competition last weekend.  It wasn't so much a competition as it was an exhibition for her squad since they weren't judged or awarded. I was a little apprehensive about this whole thing when we began because I didn't want her to commit to something that was too competitive and time consuming since she is so little still. I felt a little nudge for one reason or another to just go ahead and do it, and we joined the squad. She keeps up with her 5, 6, and 7 year old teammates like a natural. They only practice one day a week and it's fun for her.

Just from the fall till now her skills have improved so much, not just cheerleading but listening skills too. She is so dedicated to being a part of her team, listens to her coach, even tells me that she tries and works really hard. Pretty impressive for a 4 year old. Sometimes I do feel like I'm talking about or posting pictures of a little girl that is way older than her age. I'm really proud of this little girl.

They did a really good job last weekend and it was nice for them to have a trial run without the pressures of competing yet.

That was last Saturday which was followed by a horrible illness that I was the only one in our family to get, thank goodness. It was pretty bad horrible and lasted for days and there was even one point where I was so disoriented in my dehydrated weakened state that I text my husband and told him to pull the plug. Luckily there was no plug to pull and I survived it to write this blog post. I was really worried that I was going to be so sick still and miss the cheerleading competition this weekend that everyone has been so excited about all season. After two doctors visits and enough fluids to resuscitate a large animal I recovered enough and our family ventured a little mini vacation to Louisville, Ky.

I remember going on soccer tournaments when I was little and staying in a hotel with the whole team and those times are some of my favorite childhood memories. I think staying in a hotel room is so fun under any circumstance, but especially so when there are little cheerleader friends just down the hall. A hotel room is a true place to relax for me too because there's nothing to have to clean or any laundry to do. Our little family just moves right in and makes ourselves at home. I love that our girls get to make these memories too even though I think Riley has stayed in more hotel rooms than I did my entire childhood.

 The girls stayed up super late and we had to wake up super early at 5am to curl my girls hair. Some of the other girls had hair pieces that just went right onto their ponytail and although I feel like I would officially be one of those crazy cheermoms that deserves their own reality show- think Toddler and Tiaras- it sounds way easier. We used an old fashioned curling iron and enough hair spray to maintain the curls through a hurricane. Here's my girls all natural hair curled up with a huge cheerleading bow.

I think the girls knew that they were competing this weekend because they brought it (I'm officially a cheermom after saying that). They did the best performance that they have ever done.

That's my Riley in the center back row. 

There's Riley at front and top of the pyramid!

And here she is tumbling upside down.

They won 1st place in their division.

Raigan wasn't really impressed with Riley's win though because she somehow slept through the majority of the competition. I was pretty impressed because the cheer music was very loud and overpowering, but I guess waking up at 5am for cheerleading isn't for her.

Waiting on awards.

After the cheerleading competition festivities we made our way across the state for my nephews 1st birthday. He was so stinkin cute and devoured his little smash cake. It is truly hard to believe that he is somehow a year old already and that time keeps going by so fast.

Here is his awesome guitar birthday cake and he even had Kanya West show up to perform:

It was such a fun weekend packed full of cheerleading, birthdays, family, and memory making. I'm glad that this is how we are starting off this new season. Things are only moving in the up direction and I'm starting to finally allow things to happen the way they are supposed to instead of thinking the only way is the way I think it should go.

The Root Beer Stand

Last week, or well I guess it was this week, being that it's still Saturday and all, a bunch of us went to a place in Cincinnati that I have only heard tales of. I have been wanting to see if it could be true for the longest time, really a place that makes homemade root beer?

It was true and it was wonderful.

It truly is a stand, very small and cozy inside with a counter and only about 20 of these stools around it. There is seating outside on picnic tables, but we choose to go with the nostalgia of it all and sit inside. Apparently, the Root Beer Stand is the place to be and they take the stand part of their name very seriously, as we had to stand and wait for a place to sit for awhile. haha

The wait was well worth it though for the creamy goodness that was their homemade root beer. It tasted almost like drinking a cream soda flooded with vanilla.

They sell footlongs and burgers, popcorn, and few other menu items. They also make homemade lemonade and orange soda, and you can of course get a root beer float.

These are my nephews and niece, unfortunatly Riley missed out on the Root Beer Stand because she was hanging out with her other cousin for the day, but she has reminded me that she missed out on it more than once, so we'll of course have to go back, twist my arm...

Raigan's faces as of late have been cracking me up, she gives me these when she doesn't want me to photograph her, I'm assuming, because she doesn't tell me. There are times when this 1 1/2 year old will say, "No picture!" So I just click away the cuteness unless she tells me otherwise.

If you live in the Cincinnati or Northern Kentucky area, this place is a must try, especially if you have little ones. Classic stands like this are hard to come by, and home made root beer is too.

It's located in Sharonville right off I-275.

Here is their website for more details: http://www.therootbeerstand.com

Day Trip To Savannah

I'm always very excited to go to Savannah, the city just exudes the south and southern hospitality. 

Riley was excited about it too! See?

 

We walked along River Street, which conveniently had fireworks the night before we were there and the night after. I suppose it was not meant to be. 

We rode Dotty the street car which was a fun experience! The driver was the nicest man ever and it played a prerecorded message about Savannah, the history, and things to do while there.

We browsed all the unique little stores. 

Bought junk food here and had dinner at Huey's. My husband even bought us roses made out of palm leaves from the people along River Street. It was a beautiful evening. 

We'll be back Savannah, if not only for your cornbread!