Friday Five: Very.

1. I'm VERY relieved that we've found a (close to) perfect babysitter to use when we need a sitter and my parents can't watch our kids. We've had some youth girls from church babysit before, but it's impossible for me to choose just one because I'm paranoid of hurting anybody's feelings. So Amanda (a former student of ours) babysat for us last night while Matt and I went to a banquet, and she had Landon asleep and Avery in bed by 8:00. Y'all, that's a big deal. I can barely get them down by then when I have to do it by myself, and I have to do it a lot. Not that we need sitters that often, but the bad news is that she's only in town for the summer. Anyway, Avery loved her, Landon slept, and I would consider that a huge win.

2. We were at a banquet last night because my husband is a VERY amazing teacher! Each year the top 5% of the graduating class (25 students this year) chooses the teacher that had the greatest impact in their lives. The valedictorian of this year's class chose Matt to receive the Star Teacher Award, and I'm so proud of him.

Sorry about the picture, Matt. This was the only one I got. :)

3. I was getting VERY tired of eating/feeding cereal for breakfast, so this morning we went a little crazy, and I made...oatmeal. It was SO good though! And sadly, I don't think I've ever made homemade oatmeal, so I was glad that it turned out perfectly. We used this recipe from 100 Days of Real Food, but I tripled the recipe and used sugar instead of honey (we were out). The raisins were perfect in it! If you like oatmeal, you'll love this (super simple) recipe.

4. One of my VERY favorite things is watching my kids playing together. When my siblings and I were kids, my mom would always tell us (usually when we were fighting) that we would be good friends when we were older. I thought she was crazy. But as is the case with so many things, it turns out she was right. My siblings (and their significant others) are some of my very favorite people. So when I see Avery and Landon giggling together, it makes me smile. I hope they always love each other and have each others' backs.

5. This girl is VERY ready to be a flower girl in Nick and Brittany's wedding!  We're going to the rehearsal dinner tonight, and then tomorrow's the big day! Avery's been practicing, but I'm honestly nervous about how she's gonna do with lots of people watching her. Oh, and I don't know how she's gonna stand through the whole ceremony. You can bet I will be praying VERY hard that she doesn't disrupt the wedding too much. But yay for Brittany joining the family! We love her.

Enjoy your holiday weekend!