Hello, from my kitchen table on this gorgeous Monday morning!
It is a mild, March day here today and it makes me deliriously happy because the other evening we drove home from Scouts with our windows down!!
So, ya'll, Spring is in the air!!

I know this delights the majority of us- Spring- but I will be the oddball who declares a love of winter as well. *sigh* snow, I will look expectantly for you next winter... until then- SPRING!

In the last week family McFive has done a lot of fun dates and events and -hello!- we want to document all the things, right?

So, hello Blue and Gold Ceremony with Scouts.
This is an annual "graduation" of the Cub Scouts-turned-Boy Scouts. It celebrates all the Cubs but the focus is on honoring those moving up and ahead. I was brand new to Scouts when I attended last year and I was SO emotional. It is such a moving event. ...and the bridge...ah man...the bridge...

During this time, I was able to give a small speech about my Lions Den and because Big Strong Man had to return to work *argh* I was also able to give a[n incredibly] small speech to his Wolf Den. This, naturally, fed into my desire to express words (give me all the attention!!!) and was such an honor to witness and contribute to.

This is us... This is how we do'

Hello book launch week for my girl, Rachel Hollis! On Tuesday, March 12th, I posted my review on AMAZON for Girl, Stop Apologizing and, ya'll I loved this book!! I am an advocate for
get 'er done and Rachel is a powerhouse for this! My friend Jennylynn gave me the hook-up to join Rachel's launch team and it thrills me that she was my first.

Next up: John Crist, glory hallelujah

*And here is to many more - fingers crossed: Bob Goff, Don Miller, Annie F. Downs
-you my peeps!

Hello Hershey Bears! Ya'll Demetri, my middle son, and I had a BLAST at the game! We went on a mommy-son date and didn't stop dancing, cheering, and smiling the entire time! He got his rainbow gelato and Bear horn and I didn't want the night to end!

Having one-on-one time with our sons is so important. Not only does it cut back on expense (because it would have been so much more expensive to have gone as a family), but more importantly, when we get them on their own, the are able to feel fully seen and immersed in the moment. It was all about him.

At the game, which we lost to the Toronto Marlies -boo- we watched in wide-eyed confliction as O'Brien threw his helmet at the other team and was kicked out of the game, and I decided that hockey is a game for good looking dudes, just sayin'.

The week prior, B.S.M. took Zeplin, our oldest, to the movies to see How to Train Your Dragon. They ate popcorn with Reese's Pieces dumped inside, drank something full of sugar, saw the movie, and made those memories for the two of them alone.

This is called winning.

And then yesterday.
I spent Saturday feeling nauseous and Sunday morning was better but not good. This made me anxious about the evening because...sound the alarms...B.S.M. and I had a date night planned!!!

Our MOPS group does this heavenly exchange where half of our moms go on a date one night with their significant others while the other half watch their kiddos, then we switch. Yesterday was our night to go out and with headaches and upset stomachs, we weren't certain we would be going anywhere.
But we did, graciously, and we had a blast!

On our date it was important to me that we not sit. No going out to eat, no movie. Most assuredly no staying home. We needed to get out. To move our bodies. To make a memory. And we did.
We went ice skating.

Now, picture this: we were the ONLY TWO people ice skating and the rink is surrounded by the coolest people you can imagine, wearing their preppy The North Face and Roxy snow suits and carrying their snowboards around. They, of course, were sitting, lunging around the fire pits, looking like they owned the place.

And then there was us:
Neither of us had skated in DECADES.
The ice was melting, making large portions a slushy mess, and the surface was bumpy.
It was ridiculous... it was crazy... we had so much fun!

Although we initially resisted, the teenage boys who were leaving as we arrived, suggested that we utilize the blue trainers- which are the walkers of the ice skating rink. We laughed like lunatics as we grabbed them, leaning our body weight against them at a leaning-over position, and skating like children on wobbly legs.

After awhile, he dared me to skate without one and I did, so he did, and we mostly had a blast with and without the trainers, just skating around and flailing our arms trying to keep from falling.
Neither one of us fell.
Bravo to us.

Thatcher's birthday is coming quick and this morning his big brothers asked if we would come to their school this week so that all the classes can sing to him. It thrills me that my sons enjoy seeing us at their school.

Two weeks ago, Thatcher and I went from room to room and gave our spiel about collecting Box Tops and hoping to encourage the student body to be proactive and get involved.

Initially, it was suggested that I speak during a presentation for the school -like, an assembly *bless*- but that changed so that the school would not be interrupted as a whole, and instead we got to make 10 separate speeches to each of the classes.
The girl inside of me who just wrote about wanting to speak more and to speak publicly was absolutely jamming on the inside!!

I mention this because, score! I got to speak -preach it!- but also because Thatcher was given SO MUCH love at the school. We know a good handful of students from different activities and so every class was met with a "hey Dutch" (-yeah, that's a real name and a great one, too!) and a "hello Eli!" The students wanted to give Thatcher high fives and invite him to join them. There is so much love- apparently enough that my sons think the school will throw him a parade...maybe? Nah, probably not.

On a random note, I wonder if any of you are as fascinated as I when I find mistakes in books? Like, I find SO MANY and ALL THE TIME. ...someone should pay me to remedy this...just sayin'.

Here are a few I found in the book my mommy group is working through: