Memorial Day Weekend

The Alvarez family headed back to Topsail for the Memorial Day weekend for our third year in a row.  This year we were fortunate to have Grams, Michael, and Rach join us, too.  

We arrived to the house mid-afternoon with plenty of time to unpack and get settled before enjoying our only meal out at a local seafood restaurant.  Our house was walking distance to the center of town so we after dinner we enjoyed a casual stroll back home.   

driving to the beach

our house had its own foosball table

evening stroll 

building castles after dinner

Everyone was up bright and early Saturday morning.  And I do mean bright and early because as soon as the sun came up, our room was flooded with so much light that it was impossible to sleep past 6am.  Walker joined me for a nice and early five mile run and we returned to join the rest of the crew for breakfast and fun on the beach.

my trainer

beach dudes

ahhhhhhhhh....my happy place

showing off her shell masterpiece

Uncle Michael makes the best mermaid tails

me and my mini in our matching suits

can i just freeze this moment???

Sunday was another early morning.  Oscar and I went out for a run without my trainers.  I always forget how much easier it is to run without pushing 100+ pounds.  The rest of the day was spent all on the beach.

showing her surfer girl moves

cupcakes after lunch.....sure, why not???

love these cuties

please mom, no more pics!

working on her tan

isn't this how everyone showers at the beach??

We had to return home on Monday but not before spending half of the day back on the beach.  Walker absolutely loved the beach this year!  It was impossible to keep him out of the water.  His favorite thing was to jump over the waves.

Michael, Walker and Savannah

Such a fun weekend!  Every year it gets better, and thanks to the addition of Grams this year was the best yet.  We've already reserved the house again for next Memorial Day and just maybe we can convince Grandad to come, too.  

Last Day of School

Walker finished up his first school year on Tuesday, May 19th.  Of course he had new clue what the fuss was about and to do this day every time we drive past Resurrection UMC he says "Wawa's sool".   Overall he had a fantastic year in the PMO class!  I never received a single negative comment about his behavior.  He played well with his friends and established a little bit of independence.  And by the end of the year some of his take-home artwork included a little more than a single line across the paper.

sweet boy on his last day

first day of school/last day of school

Savannah had her final school day at Westminster on Wednesday, May 20th.  I can't believe my little girl is finished with her preschool days!!  It was a challenging year where she learned so much; ranging from the foundation of reading and mathematics to learning how to control her temper when things don't go her way.  We all absolutely loved her teachers, Mrs. Morris and Mrs. Neil, and we're so thankful for all their patience and guidance in dealing with our sassy Savannah.

such a big girl

the preschool graduate

with Mrs Morris and Mrs Neil

first day/last day

first day at Westminster/last day at Westminster

Now who's ready for 2-year Preschool and Kindergarten??!!  Not this mama.....not just yet!!!

Strawberry Picking

We finally made it out strawberry picking this year!  Michael came to visit on the weekend following his birthday while Oscar was out of town racing and we decided that if we didn't go that weekend then we would miss our chance.  So that Saturday we loaded up and drove fifteen minutes into Durham to discover a new farm.  With this crew it doesn't take long to fill up two flats with berries.  

Later that day we celebrated Michael's 26th birthday with the most delicious ice cream cake I have ever had.  Shout out to Freddy's for making a cake that four people (2 adults, 1 child and 1 toddler) devoured in 24 hours!!