New Driver!

Big milestone for Carson—he finally got his driver’s permit! 🚗

With his packed school schedule, finding time to study for the test was no small feat. But he buckled down, passed, and now he’s officially behind the wheel!

Brad happened to be out of town when Carson got his permit, so I got the honor (and nerves!) of taking him from parking lot practice to actual road driving. I tried my best to play it cool, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t gripping the door handle a little tighter than usual.

He’s a natural, though—and already becoming a confident, careful driver. Fingers crossed he’ll be ready to help with some of the long haul to Utah this summer. One step closer to independence!

 

Work trips

Brad’s Busy Travel Season ✈️🌍

Brad is going to be gone a lot these next couple of months! It feels like every other year his work travel really ramps up—and this is definitely that year.

In May, he spent 10 days in Canada for an audit, and then turned right around and headed to Kansas City for a week of continuing education. In true Brad fashion, he made the most of his time away—hiking up to an ice cave during his weekend in Canada (so cool!) and reconnecting with all his Industrial Hygiene buddies in KC. They went out to dinner, ran the 5K together, and spent their days in class. He even stopped by the WWI Memorial during some free time.

Canada 🇨🇦 

the ice cave

Kanas City:

Next up: Malaysia for three weeks in June! It’s a busy season for Brad, and while we’ll definitely miss him back home, we’re proud of how hard he works and the incredible experiences he’s having along the way.

Last day of School!

And just like that… 4th, 7th, and 10th grade are officially in the books! 📚✏️ It’s always crazy how sometimes the school year feels like its dragging and yet all of a sudden the year flies by! We’re so proud of how much each of the boys has grown this year—in and out of the classroom.

We're so ready to trade in the backpacks for beach towels, alarm clocks for late mornings, and homework for sunshine and fun! 🏖️🕶️🍉

Here’s to summer adventures, lazy days, and making memories together. Let’s go, summer 2025!

Can't believe next year will be our last year in elementary school.  Like forever. Makes me sad to think about it.

As per tradition, Logan and I went to AJ's last day of school pool party! and no sunburns for Logan this year!  We learned our lesson from last year.

 

End of School year crazy

That wild rush to the finish line of the school year hit us full force, as usual! The calendar was jam-packed with performances, presentations, celebrations, and picnics—but we made it through (mostly) in one piece!

Logan had another school family picnic to celebrate Earth Day. It landed on a work day for me, so Brad stepped in and enjoyed the sunshine, lunch, and chaos on my behalf. Always grateful for the tag team!

Carson looked so handsome all dressed up for a big presentation at school—so much so that I made him take a picture with me (he was thrilled, of course 😉). 

His end-of-year orchestra concert had a fun disco theme! He played ABBA’s “Gimme, Gimme, Gimme” and The Beatles “Get Back”—such a fun way to wrap up the year with some groovy tunes.

Tanner also had his end-of-year orchestra concert, and just like last year, he had a special little moment on stage during one of the songs. I always love seeing his confidence grow each time he gets up there!

With Brad out of town on a business trip, Logan became my date to the Houston Broadway production of The Wiz! It was the perfect mother-son night out. He absolutely loved it—and I loved seeing his face light up throughout the show.

Logan also had his end-of-year celebration at school where we got to see everything he’s accomplished this year. His growth has been amazing. 

his wonderful teacher Ms. Barton!

On his year-end slide show, it says:

📚 Favorite Book: Dog Man

🎬 Favorite Movie: Godzilla
🏃‍♂️ Favorite Special: PE
⭐️ Goal for 5th Grade: Be on Safety Patrol or a House Leader
💚 Favorite Part of 4th Grade: Field Day
🎧 Summer Plans: “Listen to music” (a kid after my own heart!)

I was definitely sad that Brad had to miss so many of these moments while away on his work trip. He always seems to travel during the last week of school.

It’s been a whirlwind!  They don't call it Maycember for nothing! But these are the memories I’ll hold onto. We're getting more and more excited for summer! ☀️

Visitors!

Family Pit Stop in Katy!

We were so excited to have Brent and Kae stop by for a quick visit! They were in Dallas visiting Ryan’s family and made a detour through Katy on their way to New Orleans. It’s been five years since their last visit here, so even though it was just for a day, we soaked up every bit of time we could get with them.

We kicked things off with a delicious Italian dinner out—so nice to sit and catch up over good food.

The next day, Brad took off work and played tour guide, taking them out to Brazos Bend State Park to do a little gator spotting. Unfortunately, it was my last day of preschool for the year so I couldn’t sneak away, but Brad really enjoyed the one-on-one time with his parents. They saw lots of alligators and one of them swam right under them—so close! And covered in moss like something straight out of a nature documentary.

They wrapped up the visit with dinner at Torchy’s Tacos before heading out early the next morning for the final leg of their road trip to NOLA.

Short and sweet, but so special to have them here!

 

Field Trip

Logan’s class took a field trip to the Katy ISD Outdoor Learning Center, and I was lucky enough to be able to volunteer and join in on the fun! I’m so glad I could take the day off work to be there with him—it was such a great experience.

Logan’s favorite part (aside from having me there) was getting to see all the animals—and yes, he even pet the snake! We ended the trip with a picnic lunch on the floor of the building since there was a chance of rain and they didn’t want to risk using the outdoor tables.

The kids rotated through different stations, spending about 15 minutes at each one. I ended up being the teacher at one of the stations, talking to the kids about owl pellets and food cycles. I showed them a display of an owl pellet and explained how scientists can study what owls eat by looking at the bones and fur left behind. I wish they could’ve dissected a real one—it would’ve been so much cooler! Still, the kids were really engaged and asked great questions. We also talked about animal food chains and what eats what in the wild.

 

I was really impressed with the Outdoor Learning Center itself—our school district has done an amazing job with it. It’s such a great resource for hands-on learning, and I love that our kids get these kinds of experiences.

Logan was so sweet and appreciative that I came, which made the whole day even more special. Definitely one of those parenting moments I’ll always remember. 🐍🦉🍂