Kids

Throwback Thursday: July 2010

Posted on July 16, 2026July 15, 2026 by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Thursday!

Well, July is certainly moving right along…and these Throwback Thursday posts always make me realize how quickly time is flying by! ugh.

I’ve been recapping 2010 (January, February, March, April, May , June) and July is up next!

Is there anything cuter than babies looking festive for the 4th of July?!

We went to KC around this time, and the kids were decked out in their red, white and blue.

Here they are at my Gma’s house (their great-grandma) wearing their cute bibs. No drooling on the furniture. haha!

Quality time in the pack-n-play. I really think we only packed one for this trip…

Even when they grew out of the swaddles, they still liked to have their legs wrapped up.

Hayden and Travis reading the newspaper at Major’s house. As you can see, we did bring the bouncer/Exersaucer, and Hadley passed the time that way.

Time with all the KC family…GG, Major, Gma, and my aunt.

I love these black and white photos. Play time on the blanket…and toys at Gma’s house.

On the drive home from KC, we stayed the night at a hotel which was a first. Near the restaurant was a Chili’s or Applebees, and I think this was the kids’ first time sitting in restaurant high chairs!

Looking so big sitting up in the hotel bed. Little did they know that we still had over five hours left in our drive home. The drive from Lexington to KC is around nine hours, and when the kids were little, it would sometimes take 12! So, this pit-stop was a good call on our way home.

Back home hanging out in Hayden’s crib.

Post bath time – looking cozy!

Awe!

At the end of July, Trav and I went to Folly Beach/Charleston, SC to celebrate our five year wedding anniversary. The kids stayed home with family, but of course, we missed them.

I’m sure we did more in July including back yard pool time and walks around the neighborhood, but I clearly took less pictures in July!

Kids, Throwback Thursday

Throwback Thursday: June 2010

Posted on June 25, 2026June 20, 2026 by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Thursday!

Another month, and another look back on 2010.

(January, February, March, April, May)

I really loved the summer of 2010. It was my couple of months to be a “stay at home mom,” the kids were able to interact with each other, and they were on a great sleeping schedule!

Lots of tummy time…

More fun with the Exersaucer…and hat wearing.

Hayden loved lounging on the Boppy and snuggling his frog.

Hadley had lots of Boppy time too…and thankfully, around this time, she was coming out of the acid reflux and colic days.

Both kids could sit up unassisted at this point which meant they started to interact with each other more.

That summer, we had lots of play dates with friends. These kiddos are all still in each others’ lives.

Hadley was still a very serious baby, and Hayden was very easygoing.

The “peace, love, twins” onsies were hand me downs from other twins, and I love this picture so much:

Squishy cute!

The inflatable pool on our screened in porch was a fun way to beat the heat in the summer.

Who doesn’t love a hooded towel?

Trav had his first Father’s Day with the kids!

Since the kids could sit up independently, they would just look at each other…

…and I remember all the effort this pic took…two dogs and two kids, but they were all my faves!

Such a sweet month to look back on!

Friday Favorites, Kids

Friday Favorites {#304}

Posted on June 19, 2026June 18, 2026 by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Friday!

I can’t believe I’ve already had two full weeks of summer. I felt like the school year would never end, and of course, now I don’t want the summer to go by too quickly. Surprisingly, so far, most days have moved at just the right pace with some downtime, productivity and other odds and ends.

As always, I’m linking up with Andrea for this week’s Friday Favorites.

I have quite a few favorites this week…

One thing about teenage boys is they both drive you crazy but also make you so proud. Hayden took it upon himself to reach out to a local basketball league (that he played with for years!) to see if he could help coach one of the summer league teams.

I have to be honest and say that at first I felt anxiety when he told us he was doing this…only because he had to communicate with parents, not be too intense as a coach (ha!), and keep up with the commitment.

One stop at Dick’s Sporting Goods for a whistle, a coaching dry erase board and some cones, and he was on his way.

Of course, I shouldn’t have worried. He’s stayed on top of this responsibility.

Coach White is coaching a fifth grade team, and they are 1-1 after their first weekend of playing. I hope to catch one of his games, but a friend sent me this pic as Hayden was coaching against her son’s team.

Speaking of Hayden, the baseball team had their banquet this week, and Hayden won the “Most Improved Player” for the JV team. What makes this honor even better is that it was voted on by his teammates. We all really enjoyed this re-entry into baseball life more than we thought we would.

I shared in Monday’s post that I’m obsessing over these new candles. I shared the lemon ones, but I also got a box of these pretty blue flowers too.

The lemon box with a Sweet Lemon candle is what’s on my coffee table right now.

I gave my mom one of those watercolor books for Christmas (I purchased it at local store, but I believe it’s this one that I also found online) as she’s pretty creative. She’s been painting quite a bit, and she knows my love of hydrangeas, so she sent me one of her creations. Last week, I was at Target, and found the perfect frame for it.

Speaking of flowers, it’s peony season at Trader Joe’s. Yay!

We had beautiful weather this week which meant I had three pool days!

Hadley’s been out and about and even played pickleball with a friend.

On Monday, we went to my brother’s house for cookie cake and to celebrate his birthday.

My friend texted me a couple of items in the “Aldi Finds” aisle that she thought I’d love, so I went there on Wednesday. While there, I spotted my favorite flavor of Chobani creamer, and it was even a bit cheaper than at Target. I grabbed a couple of them!

Now, on to the fave finds.

Uh…how cute are these icon glass candles? There were quite a few, but I picked up strawberry and gummy bear ones. I’ve been burning the strawberry one, and it’s heavenly!

Then, I also picked up one of these red/white/blue Popsicle icon glasses. There were quite a few options, but I showed restraint and just got this one.

Somehow, it made my morning coffee even better!

It’s not fall, but look at the lovely heart leaf I found by the pool. What a pleasant surprise.

Yesterday was such a rainy day that I let myself be lazy for most of the morning. I’d added Ticket to Paradise to my Netflix list and figured yesterday morning was the perfect time to watch it. This movie might just be a new favorite of mine. I love Julia Roberts and George Clooney, and this movie didn’t disappoint!

Favorite Mom Meme:

Happy summer! (LOL!)

Weekly Recap:

I had a few posts this week if you’re interested:

Weekly REport

Trader Joe’s Haul

Thursday Thoughts

I hope you have the best weekend!

Friday Favorites, Kids, School

Friday Favorites {#302}: Last Day of School

Posted on June 5, 2026June 4, 2026 by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Friday!

TGIF! Well, this morning my alarm clock is going off one more time as a faculty meeting stands between me and summer break. Yesterday, I cleaned out my room and prepped it for summer, then my school’s graduation was in the afternoon. It was a nice ceremony as always, and it’s hard to believe I will have two graduates in two more years!

As always, I’m linking up with Andrea for this week’s Friday Favorites.

This post will be short and sweet because your girl is tired, and the only favorite I need at the moment is that…

I wrangled the kids for the last day of school photos in the afternoon…

Truth be told, their summer started a bit earlier than mine thanks to some early finals and exemptions…Hayden did have two finals on Wednesday, but Hadley’s last final was Monday.

Anyway, the last day of school photo tradition had to continue no matter what…

First day of sophomore year…

I joked that we were “marked safe” from sophomore year because truly it felt like a marathon there at the end and we were surviving more than thriving. But, we made it to the finish line.

I was so bitter about being in school in June that I refused to put my June date on the board…Monday-Wednesday this week were known as June 32nd, 33rd, and 34th. haha

Being in school in June should never be an option. I know we had a crazy January/February with two weeks off due to the weather. My frustration is that we left five NTI days on the table that we could have used. I knew once the end of the year got pushed to June, attendance would be spotty…for students and for teachers. We had so many teachers that were out the last three days because they were doing AP grading, there were kids out because families had planned vacations and so on. By Wednesday, I had maybe ten students in every class. We give final exams the last few days, but students can take them early and some teachers give them early. Anyway, I hope we have a better plan for next year.

I know many areas of the country have school into June, but I believe they go back later. I will be back to school on August 5th, and I just know that will be here before I know it.

Favorite Mom Meme:

Ugh!

Bonus Fave: Flashback Friday:

This sweet memory from 2012 popped up on Facebook, and I love it so much. These kids are all still friends, and the other set of boy/girl twins just graduated high school last week! Hadley is still really good friends with the other little girl; I’m friends with both of their moms. We don’t all see each other like we used to when we taught in the same building, but I love that we’ve watched the kids grow up together.

Share Our Lives:

Monday is the second Monday of the month, so I’m co-hosting the Share Our Lives link up with some of my favorite bloggers.

This month’s topic is…emojis used most often. This will be a fun post to read…I love to use an emoji!

Weekly Recap:

Here are my posts from the week:

Monthly Moments: May 2026

Hello, June

Prime Purchases

Summer Reading 2026

I hope you have the best summer weekend. I’m looking forward to not setting an alarm, enjoying the sunshine, and getting my life together after the end of the school year busyness.

Kids, Throwback Thursday

Throwback Thursday: May 2010

Posted on May 21, 2026May 20, 2026 by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Thursday!

Well, May sure is moving right along…it’s hard to believe that this weekend is Memorial Day weekend!

What’s also hard to believe is how quickly the years fly by.

I’ve enjoyed taking a look back to 2010 (January, February, March, and April), and today, I’m sharing some snippets of May 2010.

By May 2010, the kids were six months old. I truly remember enjoying this time. They were good sleepers, good nappers, and Hadley’s colic had improved so much. She was a happier baby. They also started sitting up more and were able to have a bit more fun.

Propped up in the bed…what cuties!

They both had little frogs that a friend of mine had given them. Their names were Finn and Fern.

Hadley was very serious during her playtime with Fern.

We celebrated my first Mother’s Day! (Shew! I thought I was tired then. haha!)

Trav’s brother got married, and we traveled a few hours away for the wedding. Hayden wore his onsie with a tie on it, and Hadley dressed up for the occasion too…matching headband and all!

Family photo…

A big milestone was that we started cereal right around Memorial Day weekend. I remember thinking that we had a good routine down, and I didn’t want to really add anything new until school wrapped up. So, we started cereal at the end of the month.

Anyway, cereal and solids were hit or miss for a while.

The kids also had a new fun activity at six months…bouncing around in the jumper.

Oh what fun!

We just had one jumper, so they learned to take turns at an early age 😉

Oh what I wouldn’t give to hold those six month olds one more time!

Friday Favorites, Kids

Friday Favorites {#299}

Posted on May 8, 2026May 8, 2026 by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Friday!

How was your week? Ours was good, but it sure felt long! Also, where are the springlike temps? We’ve been lucky to hit 60 degrees this week!

As always, I’m linking up with Andrea for this week’s Friday Favorites.

Here are some favorites from the week…

Teacher Appreciation Week is a fave for sure. Every day this week, we’ve received some kind of treat at school…from bagels to coffee to cookies and more.

On Wednesday, I hit the jackpot! So many of my students gave me gifts and notes.

I truly felt the love. And, I don’t need gifts, but of course, that’s so thoughtful of students to think of me and purchase a few things. I really appreciated the notes too. One of the notes was written with the help of Gemini (AI) which actually did make me LOL.

Spring time me thanked fall me because I pulled out this lavender vanilla Antique Candle Co candle to burn. I’d purchased it on sale last fall. I love the spring time scent.

Derby was extra exciting! Golden Tempo, trained by a female trainer, won which was a first for the Derby. It was a thrilling race with Golden Tempo coming from waayyy behind to win!

The Major was in town last weekend. He was able to see Hayden pitch at his game, and he also saw two of my nephew’s games. Of course, we had to take the traditional porch pic…

On Sunday, Hadley baked a cake to celebrate the Major’s birthday a bit early. He doesn’t like the jinx birthdays before they happen (I’m the same way!), so we didn’t sing happy birthday. haha

Her Advanced Foods class is really paying off for all of us.

I went to one of my nephew’s games, and I couldn’t resist a couple of scoops of my favorite ice cream…mint chocolate chip!

Hayden was the starting pitcher in his game the other night! So far this season, he’s been a relief pitcher, so this was a first.

He pitched three innings, and the score was 3-3 at the end of the third. His team ended up winning, so that made the outing extra special.

I shared my May book trackers on Instagram last weekend. As always, I save them in a highlight. Feel free to use them to share what you’re reading. Tag me, and I’ll repost. I always love seeing what others are reading. I need to get my reading act together!

Favorite Mom Meme:

Truly, I would be less crazy if my kids would just do what they need to do when they need to do it!

Bonus Fave: Flashback Friday:

How about this gem from 2010! My first Mother’s Day. Woah…what a memory!

Weekly Recap:

This week I had a couple of posts:

Prime Purchases

Currently

Share Our Lives:

It’s hard to believe, but Monday is the second Monday of the month. I’ll be co-hosting the Share Our Lives link up, and this month’s topic is…go to lunches on the go.

Mother’s Day:

I share this every year, but I truly do mean it…

I hope you have a lovely spring weekend! We have baseball and volleyball on tap! I wouldn’t have it any other way. These years are flying by!

Kids, Throwback Thursday

Throwback Thursday: April 2010

Posted on April 23, 2026April 22, 2026 by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Thursday!

I’ve had a lot of fun taking a look back at 2010. The kids were itty bitty, but it’s been amazing to see their month to month milestones.

I’ve shared January, February, and March of 2010, and today we’re taking a look at April of that year.

Well, April means Easter, and the kids were all decked out for their first one. Look how excited they are about their Easter baskets! (haha!)

That Easter morning, we snapped a few pics…big smiles!

…and we even got a family of four pic!

I went back to work when the kids were 16 weeks old (or maybe 18 weeks?) which was right after Easter.

I remember loving dressing them in the spring months once it got warmer. Also, Walmart was a “go to” for clothes, and there were so many cute and affordable options.

They spent lots of time with their friend. My friend had her daughter a few days after I had the kids, and they’ve been friends ever since! Hayden was dressed to impress with his tie onsie!

He found Hadley’s hand…too cute!

Bath time was definitely a daily evening activity. We had one little tub, so one at a time, they had fun in the bubbles.

Big kids in the ExerSaucer! It was so nice when they could stand up and entertain themselves for a while.

And…the Bumbo was another milestone. Sitting up and staring at me…Hadley was a very serious baby.

Hayden looking over his first racing form. haha!

I know we spent lots of time outside as the kids were getting older and the weather was warmer. Looking back, having them in late fall into winter was hard. I mean, it was easy to stay home and away from the germs with the cold weather, but kind of like how I still feel when the warmer spring temps arrive…it’s literally a breath of fresh air!

I hope you’re able to spend some time outside today. I’ve really embraced the sunshine and going on walks lately.

Friday Favorites, Kids, Travel

Friday Favorites {#297}

Posted on April 17, 2026April 16, 2026 by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Friday!

Long time, no talk! Life has been “life-ing” around here, but I’m happy to link up with Andrea for this week’s Friday Favorites.

Here are a few recent favorites…

Last week, Hadley and I spent a few days in Isle of Palms/Charleston, SC. I plan to do a proper recap, but here are a few favorite pics…

Beautiful sunrise…

Pretty walks on the beach…

Dinners as the sun sets…

Happy Hadley!

Shopping on King Street with friends…

Hayden’s baseball photos came in, and I had quite a few favorites including this one…

Last Friday, the weather was beautiful, and I went to my brother’s house to watch the Artemis landing…we sat on the back patio which was nice.

Hadley and friends headed to Keeneland on Sunday. They looked so lovely, and their sunglasses game is strong!

…and Trav was in charge! Hadley had fun with her dad!

Favorite Mom Meme:

Honestly, this now applies to their car too. lol

Short and sweet, but I wanted to write a Friday post since it had been a minute.

I hope you have a great weekend!

Friday Favorites, Kids

Friday Favorites {#296}

Posted on April 3, 2026April 3, 2026 by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Friday!

When I say “TGIF,” I mean it with all capital letters for sure! Only a few hours stand between me and spring break!

I was so happy to turn my 5:50 alarm off today knowing I don’t have to set it again for ten days.

As always, I’m linking up with Andrea for this week’s Friday Favorites.

Here are some favorites from the week…

First of all, I feel grateful to have another year with a clear mammogram. This is your reminder to get your yearly check up.

I have two friends on my daily prayer list, one of whom discovered she had breast cancer recently at her yearly mammogram. Thankfully, it’s in the early stages and the prognosis is good. I couldn’t help but think of her as I waited for my name to be called for my screening.

Baseball is in full swing (get it?! 🤣) …and I’m still adjusting to this baseball life. Hayden seems to be having a good time, and we’ve enjoyed watching the games because we know so many of his teammates.

One of his teammate’s grandma takes awesome pics and uploads them to Group Me. It’s always fun to see what she gets!

His smile says it all…

He even pitched a couple of innings last week. He did well overall…especially for not pitching in over four years!!

I’ve had some extra Hayden time this week. He needed a haircut, so I drove him, and afterwards, we went to Orange Leaf.

This was a delicious treat on a Tuesday evening!

Hadley had a track meet Tuesday night. I love this pic of her! So many of the track pics included props, and this 95 mph one was fun!

She ran the 100m race at the start of the meet…around 6:30, and then ran the 200m almost three hours later! Gotta love track meet life! The weather was perfect, and she ran two PR’s…the races were fun to watch.

How cool was the Artemis 2 launch? I was actually pulling up to one of Hayden’s game right at liftoff, so I tuned in on my phone. I’m glad I took a few moments to watch it.

Hadley’s Adv. foods class had another sweet treat…She brought me a Nutella and strawberry crepe. They made the batter, made the crepes, and then filled them. This was another fun treat.

If you want a glimpse into what it’s like to teach freshmen…

I had all students make a name tag at the start of the year, so I could learn their names. I had them write their name and one favorite. This is mine, which I’ve left up on all year:

….and this is what I saw when I walked into my classroom on Tuesday! LOL

I guess imitation is the sincerest form of flattery!

(Finally) putting out Easter decor was a favorite. I love a colorful bunny!

It’s a new month, so of course I made some new book trackers. Now, I need to find the time to share them on Instagram. I should be able to do that later today or tomorrow, and when I do, I will save them to a highlight. As always, feel free to use and tag me…I always love seeing what others are reading.

Favorite Mom Meme:

Why is this so true?! LOL

Weekly Recap:

I had a few posts this week:

March Books

MonthLY Moments: March

Hello, April!

I hope you have a lovely weekend and a wonderful Easter.

With next week being spring break, I’m sure I will have some posts, but I will see where the week takes me!

Kids, Throwback Thursday

Throwback Thursday: March 2010

Posted on March 19, 2026April 22, 2026 by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Thursday!

I hope your week is treating you well! I’ve enjoyed taking a look back at the year 2010 when the kids were babies! While they were babies, it’s amazing to me how much they changed month to month while looking back at these pictures.

I shared Throwbacks to January and February, and now it’s time to take a look at March 2010.

This month was still all about the Boppies….and apparently immunizations based on the little Band Aids on Hayden’s little legs.

We were still in the throes of Hadley and her acid reflux and Colic…but she liked being on her belly, so tummy time was a way to pass the time.

We played lots of dress up in March, apparently! I know the blue outfits were in preparation for Easter…and the sweaters kept them warm in the cooler temps of March.

Around this time, Hadley was struggling with turning her head from side to side. Her little neck muscles were so tense that we’d have to massage them, rotate her neck to get the muscles loose, and even make sure when we laid her down to alternate which side she was facing. It all worked out, but I can tell that was something we were working on in the bottom left picture.

I distinctly remember taking this pic of Hayden. He was such a happy baby. I’d put him in this romper as an alternate choice for Easter if the weather was warm. What a sweetie!

Louisville cousins came to stay for the night!

Then, we made the trek to KC for the kids’ first visit to see my KC family. The usual nine hour drive took close to twelve since we had to stop for feedings along the way. Trav and I drove the kids there, and I stayed for about a week. Trav flew back to Lex, and then my brother drove back to Kentucky with the kids and me. He was moving to Lex at the time, so that plan synced up nicely.

Here they are in their KC baseball shirts.