Every year I send the girls on a week overnight camp, this year we took the girls to the oldest all girls camp on the East Coast, in Virgina! Camp Carysbrook is run by some wonderful people. The girls were all in different cabins and they could chose from different activities each day. There was archery, drama, swimming in the lake, games, art, crafts, nature center, etc.
Abby tolerated the camp, she was partnered with a girl that would say nasty things as soon as the counselor wasn’t around. Cameron did a wonderful job with a cabin that were super close friends so she made good friends with another cabin. She really works hard to be a good sport and just find friends where they want her! I love that about her. Shae had a blast, I could totally see her RUNNING a camp one day! Reagan had some homesick moments, got hit by a cabin mate who then was sent home, but other than that had a really nice time.
Virgina is a beautiful place and I was excited to introduce the girls to the beauty of a state where I used to live.
Other than checking the camp’s facebook page every hour to see pictures of my girls I spent the week getting a lot of college course work done, watching movies/tv shows I have always wanted to see, sleeping in on some days, and lots of dates with Ty! With not worrying when to come back in time! I kept the girls’ stuffed animals company.
I also met my sister in law for a fun day in Beaumont SC and spent time with my friend Grace. She passed away while I was out of town and it was a bittersweet passing.
For Father’s Day we took Ty to a baseball game, he loves baseball and has always wanted to travel the country attending baseball games in different states. We couldn’t do that just yet but we did give him a taste of it! After a homemade delicious breakfast:
Dance recital time! One of my favorite mom times of the year, to see what they have been working on all year. Newley pregnant Aunt Maggie and Meg came to cheer them on.
Shae: up front and center and so much energy! she did a wonderful job leading many dances here classes were in and having a blast.
Reagan: so fun to see her dancing with Shae. Lots of cuteness!
Cameron: last year where most of her dances were with Abby, loved watching her smile and do so well on stage.
Abby: long legs! best memory ever!
The girls also finished up private ballet lessons with Ms Jessica. She was such a wonderful teacher and the girls all loved working with her each Friday morning.
Their dance studio threw a little pool party at the end of the season! The little girls went. The older girls didn’t…the staff & directors and their new studio were so loving and kind. However the majority of the parents and older girls…I don’t think I have ever met a more cliquey group. It was a hard year in that way!
After showing up to the concert on the wrong night we made our way to see the Jojo Siwa concert the next night! Reagan loved Jojo Siwa and Shae is the best sport of a sister you could ask for.
Notice in these videos the different reactions…
Reagan: awe, excitement, passion, snapping at me to not interrupt songs, totally into it
Shae: trying to act excited for Reagan, confusion, horror, tiredness
I sent Abby & Cameron to California over Memorial Day to spend time with their Brown grandparents. They had so much fun with their grandparents and loved spending the week with them. Spending time in their house just together was their favorite part. They also had fun going to the Jelly Belly Factory, the temple, and got to do fun things with their cousin Zack. I didn’t mean to send them on a weekend that their other cousins were so busy with graduation and friends. But it ended up being okay because they really did love all the attention and time with their grandparents. They came home asking why I couldn’t be as organized and clean and calm as them! Ha!
Sending them alone on an airplane didn’t make me too nervous. However when I went to pick them up I had thrown out my back and it was hard for me to even get to the main entrance. Thankfully someone had walked them down for me. I am so glad they have each other, there is a lot of fighting but they really can be there for each other a lot as well.
While the big girls were gone I taught the littles to ride bikes! Tying shoelaces and riding bikes is something I am SO SLOW with those to things and hate doing. But hey! They both learned and I checked that off of my mom list forever.
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Cameron got her braces on! It was such an easier experience with Cameron in braces versus her sister Abby. Cameron was such a trooper when they hurt, wore her bands so well, and actually got them off a full year early due to how well she did. This was on the day she got them on!
The girls did their spring piano recital and did wonderfully!
I went to Spoleto which is an arts festival that is held in Charleston each year. Took the girls to a ballet where Reagan threw a massive fit on our way in. Pictures are GLORIOUSLY ACCURATE:
The other events I ditched the kids. My second guest was even worse, I took him to a photography/interview/photographic event talking about a certain culture and their experience in immigrating. It was too artsy for Tyler and I ripped his head off for not appreciating it. So we both stomped around Charleston angry at each other for a couple hours. THEN I invited my friend Meg to see my first ever opera. It was a topless opera, who knew? We both tried not to laugh the entire time. The best event was a play where a woman talked about her life and being in a Scottish punk rock band. She was funny, her music was great and I was glad my friend Kim was with me. Such an array of experiences for me and my first Spoleto event.
Reagan was in a LOCAL COMMERCIAL! She practiced so much her little wrap line and killed it. It was adorable. It was for her voice teacher who partnered up with a drama shop to teach a certain workshop. “BEING A BOOK WOOOORRRRRM”
I tried to get to know people, haha TRIED. I am grateful for those who wanted to get to know me and that were kind to my girls. But there were a lot who were not, it was so hard. I put together Girls Night Outs and tried new dessert places, went on haunted tours, had people over, etc. This night I threw a surprise party for another sweet new lady that had moved in.
Cameron kissed a jellyfish and we did many more beach walks.
Abby and Cameron worked really hard on a fundraiser for girls camp. Then they moved the camp so the girls couldn’t go, haha. BUT Abby did have a bidding war go on over her passion fruit gummies and earned over 200 bucks just on those!
Cameron made us laugh all the time…
Reagan had a sweet church friend that had moms who shopped at the same stores, it would be so cute when they would show up with matching outfits or purses not on purpose.
Church got hard, lonely, and frustrating with how leadership was ignoring people really hurting. Long stories, hard times. Sometimes I just grabbed a book of poetry and read that during all of church to find peace.
Magnolia’s bloomed! Honeysuckle was also ready to grab from vines and slurp on as a sweet treat.
Our family’s favorite spot, Betty’s Eatery decided to close so we went to enjoy their shakes one last time.
Reagan’s selfies left on my phone kept me smiling.
The pool opened back up! Woo hoo!!
Grabbed the best next door neighbors ever to have fun at the beach.
Had over the girls’ church friends ALL THE TIME because they were just the cutest group. This night they did a cookie contest but at least once a month they were over.
Attended my friend’s business annual parties to celebrate all her hard work of opening up a pediatric dentist office. The girls loved having Dr. Kunz as their dentist and I was so glad she was my friend.
Shae & Reagan did an online book club with their Grandma on Charlotte’s Web that was a blast.
I spent a day at the beach with my girls after I got back on medication after a bad break down on my birthday. I hate the memories of that 2019 birthday.
Cameron & Shae created some really cute art from the art class they did online together.
Reagan continued on with dance with her special Ms. Danielle.
I spent my last year with a “car buddy” this was the last school year where she didn’t go into some tutoring activities because of her age. During those hours we would just hang out and lots of time grab a little ice cream cone!
We celebrated the last day of school with SNOW CONES!
Dance competition season with Creative Edge Dance Center was full of nerves, fun, wonderful directors, and hardworking daughters. I was so proud of them each time they got on stage.
Shae & Reagan performed together on their mini team but also did a duet together. It was the sweetest song, choreography, costumes, everything! And at their very first competition they won “Judge’s Choice” for emotion and how they preformed together with some much closeness and love.
Here are some of their performances of their duet:
Abby danced with the teen team and did a solo named Tightrope. I always watched the older girls dance when I had little kids in dance and thought about how amazing they were. Now I had someone that age and I just always look at her with amazement.
Videos of her solo:
Cameron also did a solo and I just loved the song, lyrics, and costume. Was very fitting to dance to while moving to a brand new place. I was so proud of how brave she was each time she went on stage.
Here are some videos of her solo:
Competitions were fun; the littles loved hanging out backstage with their friends, we always stayed in hotels and tried to find fun things to do, and Kasie & Jeanette were so supportive.
The directors of the studio and their staff worked so hard during the year to have the girls really feel welcome. Here are some snapshots of the girls in their instagram stories.
Shae & Reagan’s Team Pieces:
Abby & Cameron’s Team Pieces:
Cameron’s Group Piece:
the bloody balloons, one time they didn’t get tied together during the dance!
Dance competitions took us to different spots around the state and Myrtle Beach was a hit!
The boardwalk is just fun, not full of any sort of southern charm too it. Which was fine with us, we had missed silly museums, shopping, and COMMERCIALISM! Myrtle Beach gave us a good hit of that.
We spent a couple nights riding rides, going shopping, walking around the boardwalk, and in Ripley’s Believe it Or Not museums.
Ty was out of town so Chip even got to come with us, it was a fun little get away!
Boy did a try to get to know, gather, and make friendships with people in our new home. It was hard. I think I learned a few important lessons about it being okay that you are not everyone’s cup of tea AND that I need to be more aware of how willingly I give my energy out.
With that said I did throw an Easter Egg Hunt that I know meant a lot to Shae and Reagan. We were still pretty lonely without a community or group of friends. I say that with knowing that there were a couple of families that loved us SO WELL. But to put the honesty factor out there, our time living in Mount Pleasant was hard.
Shae & Reagan helped me set up lawn chairs with stuffed bunnies, hide all the eggs, and set up for breakfast. They had such day so in the end I was glad I put the energy into it.
At our house for Easter we made Easter baskets for the sweet sister missionaries.
Put on some old jammies that really didn’t fit anymore!
Rex & Linda are so great and making sure they see their grandkids every year if they live far away. They came for Shae’s baptism for a short trip and we did a couple of things. One night we went to downtown Charleston and took them through the old railroad market.
The other thing we did was to take them to Middleton Plantation, there is some sort of family tree connection. I don’t like touring plantations very much but this one did have a very beautiful piece of property it was on. Plus they had a lot of fun with their grandparents.
love of local in Utah
