songbird | Grey House Harbor

Sep 6 2017

a new chapter

Posted by hayley

It’s officially a tradition… pictures in the trees on the first morning of the school year.
(Um… can we talk about how Bug’s feet are now just one size smaller than Songbird’s?!)

Having completed her first-phase braces this summer, Songbird is headed to 3rd grade with a big straight smile! This year will be a new experience for her as she transitions to a “switch class” format: half the day with one teacher for reading/writing and the other half with a different one for math, science, and social studies. Even more unique is that her set of team teachers are a married couple!

When I asked Songbird what her favorite part of summer was she replied, “Back to school shopping and going back to school.” LOL. I’m glad she has such a deep love of learning! And her pick for new school shoes couldn’t be more “her” (watermelon high-top Converse).

Bye bye, preschool… Bug is now a Kindergartner! In Virginia Beach, it’s still only 1/2 day but he is pumped to spend the mornings at the same school as Songbird. Not entirely sure how he’ll manage 4 hours without a snack break – this kid is always hungry!

One thing I know without a doubt is that he’ll bring his special brand of comedy along for the ride.

Handsome was able to be here for the exciting walk to the bus stop. For 3 years, Bug has watched Songbird get on that big yellow bus; now his time has come!

His smile was ear to ear as he climbed aboard – not a single tear in sight. Upon returning home, he confirmed that magical ride with no seat belts and a ton of other kids was just what Kindergarten dreams are made of.

Save

Tags: bug, our life, school, songbird

6 comments

Jan 19 2017

treasure rocks

Posted by hayley

It all started with a rock that Songbird found on a playground. A rock painted like a bluebird, actually. It had been hidden as part of a new activity to cultivate joy in our Va Beach community called 757Rocks. The premise is simple – painted rocks are hidden all around town for anyone to find and bring a smile to their day. Each rock has “#757rocks” painted on the back which (when searched) will invite the finder to paint and hide new rocks of their own to join in the fun.

Well, the bluebird rock had a major prize attached! The gal who hid the rock was Christy Keane, a local professional photographer. Songbird won us a photo shoot at a location of our choice. Major score! We chose the hiking trails and sand dunes of the Back Bay nature preserve where we often get out and walk as a family.

As moms it is so important for us to get into pictures with our kids (I wrote in depth about embracing the camera in this post from 2014). Most of my attempts are goofy-faced iPhone selfies—which of course have their own merit. But what a treat to find myself on the other side of a professional lens!

I wanted genuine pictures of who we are right now (what we wear, our hairstyles, etc), so I told Handsome and the kids to dress however made them comfortable, without regard for matching or fussing with details. The resulting images couldn’t be more “us” : super casual with a hint of fun.

For a mom who is always behind the camera, these photos with my little ones are such a rare gift that I will treasure forever!

Now we’re painting and hiding our own 757rocks to keep the joy going. If you’re in the Virginia Beach area, do yourself a favor and be sure to check out Christy Keane Photography the next time you too want something other than selfies with your family. You won’t regret it.

Save

Tags: bug, family, joy, our life, songbird

3 comments

Dec 22 2016

straighten up and smile right

Posted by hayley

She lost her first tooth just before her fifth birthday. In the 3 years since then, Songbird’s racked up a total of 9 visits from the tooth fairy. At first, the big chompers (and crooked grin) that replaced her tiny toddler teeth were adorable.

But recently we learned that the one wayward adult tooth would need to be guided forward or otherwise she’d risk damaging it with her bite. Both Handsome and I have a history of major orthodontia work (no miracle-straight teeth in this family), so not exactly surprising.

Still, at just barely 8 years old, she seems so small to be rocking a brace face.

Yet here we are: the first day of Christmas break, getting her first set of braces. “The first kid in 2nd grade, too!” she told me proudly.

Of course she went with the aquamarine bands – it’s been her favorite color for at least 2 years now.

Tonight Handsome treated her to a milkshake/mac-n-cheese dinner, I re-taught her how to brush her teeth, and we had only a couple tears from initial aching.

The crooked smile will always hold a special place in my memory, but I’m so grateful we have the ability to get Songbird on the fast track to her best smile yet.

Save

Tags: braces, parenting, songbird

0 comments

Oct 18 2016

painting pachyderms {songbird’s birthday party}

Posted by hayley

This past weekend we celebrated Songbird’s 8th birthday!

She decided on a party themed around her favorite animal: elephants. So we planned a painting party where I would lead her friends in creating a pachyderm piece of art to take home. My studio was set up with mini tabletop easels and 12″ x 12″ canvases, on which I had pre-drawn the basic design.

In lieu of “goody bags,” her guests got to take home their paintings, easels, painter’s palette and brush set.

To protect everyone’s party attire, I sewed each girl an art smock — made from those big TJ Maxx reusable shopping bags: waterproof and adorable. Win!

We kept the rest of the decor fairly simple. A few Martha Stewart accordion lanterns that were gathering dust in the back of my closet made their way out into the sunshine — strung up among the kitchen pendants. The balloon elephant was courtesy of a carnival entertainer from the elementary school fair the night before. And did you know that Coldstone will pop whatever trinket you want atop a custom ice cream cake? Mint chocolate chip ice cream and chocolate cake with chocolate ganache frosting, YUM.

Once everyone was suited up in their aprons, we got to painting. I showed them each step on my own canvas as they followed along. We used acrylic craft paint and talked about proper brush size/shape for different strokes. The colored brushes really helped with this… “For the teal background, we’re going to use our purple brush.”

Half way through the artists took a break for gifts and cake.

In all the years that Handsome has traveled for work, this was the first of our kids’ birthdays he wasn’t able to attend. But he made sure to join in via Skype for awhile.

Some girls finished sections quickly and others really took their time. It was cute to watch them walk around complimenting and encouraging each others’ progress.

The party lasted about 2.5 hrs, which was long enough to get most of the paintings dry with the help of a hair dryer. In the end, everyone’s project turned out fantastic. They were excited to show them off to their parents and siblings.

Handsome and I are so proud of the young lady that Songbird is growing into. Lover of all the animals, singer of made up songs, reader of real chapter books, fluent in emoji, puppy snuggler, friend hugger, expert swimmer and adventure seeker. Lawfully old enough to ride without a car seat and half way to a drivers license. We love her to pieces. Happy 8th Birthday, sweet girl!