Posted in Blog challenge

ABC’s of Spring

Hello and happy Monday!

Well, spring is officially “springing” and in the past year, I’ve shared the ABC’s of summer, fall, and winter. So, of course, I have to wrap up this series with one more post…the ABC’s of spring!

A-April: While March is the beginning of spring, April always feels more like spring to me.

B-basketball and baseball: March Madness and opening day for baseball are big spring time events.

C-chirping: birds! In the spring, we have chirping birds outside our window as alarm clocks. If only they knew which day was Saturday!

D- dances: There are so many dances in the spring. My kids have their last cotillion dance soon, and then in May, they have an 8th grade dance for their school.

Of course, the high school students have prom.

E- Easter: Easter is a great way to kick off spring. It’s one of my favorite holidays.

F-flowers and ferns:

In March and April, I start buying flowers at Trader Joe’s. Mother’s Day weekend is when we plant flowers in the porch planters and hang ferns on the front porch.

G- graduation: The countdown is on for 8th grade graduation for my kids.

I feel like they just graduated from 5th grade…

…and of course high school students have their graduation too.

H- hats (Oaks/Derby)

In April and May, Oaks and Derby fashion include hats and fascinators.

I- ice cream: Well, we eat ice cream year round, but in the spring, the kids will bike to get ice cream, and it’s a treat we turn to more often.

J- Jokes (for April Fool’s Day): I’m always thankful when we are on spring break and not at school for April Fool’s Day. We have enough jokes year round. haha

K- Keeneland: The spring meet at Keeneland is one of my favorite times of the year. We love to get out there a time or two each meet.

L-leaves on the trees: The green leaves start to grow and the trees fill out.

M-Mother’s Day: I always love Mother’s Day as we usually go to church and out to lunch. Then, we spruce up the yard and plant flowers.

N- nest: Every year we get a nest in one of the ferns on the front porch. I always have to check it before watering, and I’m always sad on the day I check the nest, and it’s empty.

O- Oaks: We love going to Oaks on the first Friday in May. What a special tradition in the Bluegrass State.

P- patio dinners: We just ate outside last weekend, and it was perfect. I like when we are able to grill out because it’s an easy dinner, and it’s nice to just relax for a bit.

Q-quiet: …mornings on the front porch and evenings on the patio.

R-rain and rainbows:

April showers bring May flowers!

…Even better when we spot a rainbow after the rain.

S- St. Patrick’s Day and spring break:

We all look forward to St. Patrick’s Day and our traditional meal.

We usually do a “low key” spring break trip for a few days not too far from home. This year, we took a bigger trip to DC.

T-track season: Track season is a family affair. Travis helps with the training, the kids run, and I cheer from the sidelines. I love that both kids do this sport together…but do different events.

U-umbrella: for when it rains…

V-Vernal Equinox – The first day of spring in March.

W- warmer weather: While springtime weather can be hit or miss, we know there are more warm days than not and summer will be here before we know it.

X- eXtra daylight hours: Amen!

Y-yard work: Last year was Hayden’s first year mowing our lawn. So far this year, he and Travis have taken turns.

ZZZZ: …needing more sleep because of all of the sports and end of the year activities.

Ok, some of these I had to make work, but this was a fun way to wrap up this series. I’m ready for consistent springlike temps and then summer!

What’s your favorite part about spring?

Posted in Holidays

The ABC’s of Winter

Hello and happy first day of winter!

So far this year, I’ve shared the ABC’s of summer and autumn, so of course I had to continue this series with…

I know I’m in the minority, but winter is one of my favorite seasons. I love when it gets dark early, I get a couple of months of the twinkle of Christmas tree lights, the start of the new year, my birthday, and even the chance of a snow day!

Here’s my ABC list for winter:

A- activities:

Hayden starts playing basketball and Hadley will continue with volleyball this winter.

B- boots:

I love my fuzzy boots, and we always have to make sure the kids have a pair of snow boots that fit!

C- Christmas (and cookies):

‘Tis the season for all things Christmas and cookie baking.

D- December:

December is a busy month, but it’s always filled with lots of fun. From Christmas parties, to traditions, to baking cookies, and more, it’s a great way to wrap up a year!

E- Eve: Christmas and NYE

Christmas Eve is one of my favorite days. If we are home, we go to the candlelight service at church. If we are in KC, we are with family. For NYE the past couple of years, we’ve been with friends which is a fun way to ring in a new year.

F-football, fireplace, and flannel pjs:

We’ve been spoiled with the Chiefs in the Super Bowl the past couple of years, and college football bowl games are fun to watch as we cheer for the CATS and the tigers.

Fireplace:

I love when it’s fireplace season!

Flannel pjs:

I don’t do flannel sheets, but I love flannel pjs in the winter.

G- gloves:

Of course, we need gloves for playing out in the snow.

H- hot chocolate:

Hadley loves hot chocolate; a couple of years ago, her friend hosted a hot chocolate bar!

I- ice skating/ice:

Ice skating is a fun winter activity. Hadley and her friends went yesterday.

Of course, ice is no fun to drive in and it can wreak havoc, but it’s pretty to look at on the trees.

J-January birthday:

January is one of my favorite months…maybe because it’s my birthday month?

K- Kids playing outside:

We are fortunate to live in a neighborhood with so many great kids who are all friends. On a snow day, they will definitely be out and about together.

L-lights:

Christmas tree lights….nothing better!

…and other festive lights!

M- (Christmas) music:

Hadley loves the “Holly channel” on XM radio.

N-New Year’s Eve and day:

Happy New Year!

O-ornaments:

One of my favorite traditions is putting ornaments on the tree.

P-Peppermint: ice cream and Bundt cake:

I still haven’t had a Chick-fil-A peppermint milkshake this season, but I did pick up some peppermint ice cream at the store this week.

I always make Shay’s peppermint mocha Bundt cake for Christmas Eve dessert.

Q- quiet:

I love the quiet that comes with a pretty snow…and a snow day! I also feel like January is a quiet month after the two busy months of November and December.

R- resolution:

While I don’t necessarily make a resolution for the new year, it’s a good time for a fresh start and getting back on track.

S- snowman pancakes:

A snow day tradition!

T- three day weekends: MLK and Presidents’ Day

Even after having a couple weeks off at Christmas, I still look forward to the three day weekends that come in January and February.

U- unwrapping gifts:

While I don’t love wrapping gifts, I do enjoy watching others open theirs. Giving is so much more fun than receiving.

V- Valentine’s Day:

While we don’t do a ton for Valentine’s Day, Travis and I exchange cards and go out to dinner at some point. We always give the kids a few things and send family members Valentine’s Day cards.

W- winter weather watch/warning:

I truly love watching our local weather guy when there’s the possibility for winter weather. Chris Bailey is a snow day hype guy for sure! In KC, I remember watching meteorologist Gary Lezak be so excited for snow!

X- eXtra days off, snow days:

Sorry for being redundant…but I love snow and snow days. The kids and Homer do too!

Y- yummy treats: hot chocolate, Christmas cookies

Calories don’t count in the winter and during Christmas. haha

Z- ZZZ (sleep): no alarm and sleeping in on break.

I’m on day two of break, and while I’m not sleeping in super late, it’s nice to wake up on my own and ease into the day.

This was a fun post, but admittedly a few letters were hard for me to immediately come up with an idea. Oh well!

Happy winter!