Celebrating Emmy's Birthday Late

Emmy and Abby’s birthdays fall at a tricky time of year. The holidays have just wrapped up, the weather is completely unpredictable, and it seems like someone is always sick. Between all of that and everyday life, we got busy and kept pushing Emmy’s party back… and then suddenly it was April and clearly time to just get it done.

Luckily, Emmy is quite the party planner. She came to me fully prepared with a list of who she wanted to invite, what activities they’d do, and exactly what food and snacks should be served. Honestly, she makes it pretty easy on us. Her request this year was a roller skating party at the Beatrice Roll A Rena, a fun, budget-friendly spot that feels like it’s been happily frozen in time.

The Rolla Rena provided the decorations, cupcakes, and drinks, and we simply opened a tab so the kids could grab whatever treats they wanted. It was a pretty low-risk decision since the prices there seem to be stuck in the 90s… much like the building itself. It was the perfect low-stress party setup.

Emmy had a small group of friends skating with her, and it was about a 50/50 split between girls who confidently zipped around the rink and those who stayed close to the wall to avoid falling. Either way, everyone had fun, and there was plenty of laughing along the way.

After skating, the girls all came back to our house, where they spent about an hour taking pictures, playing music, and batting balloons around the living room until parents arrived for pickup. Simple, sweet, and exactly what Emmy wanted.

The party may have been a little late, but better late than never and in the end, it was a great way to celebrate her. 

 

Emmy's turn at Heritage School

This year, Emmy took her turn attending Heritage School—a beloved Norris tradition for all 4th graders. The field trip takes the kids to Homestead National Historical Park in Beatrice, where they spend the day stepping back in time. Everyone has to dress in clothing from the era, which could have been a challenge for Emmy… but Grandma came to the rescue. She made Emmy the softest prairie dress imaginable, ensuring comfort and historical accuracy. A win for everyone.

The day starts with a tour of the Homestead museum, where the kids learn about old farm equipment, the toys children played with long ago, and the types of food families ate. They even get to walk through an actual prairie house—a tiny space where a family of ten once lived. Thankfully, the weather cooperated, and we enjoyed walking the trails and exploring the tallgrass prairie.

In the afternoon, the group heads to the one-room prairie schoolhouse. The same teacher has been running this program since the boys went, and she hasn’t changed a bit—mildly intense but fantastic at what she does. She keeps the kids sitting up straight, shuts down any whispering, and makes the boys handle the schoolhouse chores. The students spend the afternoon living a day in the life of a pioneer child: writing on chalkboards, holding spelling bees, and reciting memorized passages.

One of my favorite parts of the whole experience is seeing what the kids pack for lunch. They’re supposed to bring food that would have been available at the time, carried in a small pail. Emmy brought cheese and summer sausage wrapped in butcher paper, an apple, a tin cup for water, and a cookie—because surely cookies existed back then. And of course, there were always a few kids who showed up with fruit roll-ups or a Lunchable, which never fails to make me laugh.

 

Robb's Snowboarding Trip

Robb squeezed in one last snowboarding trip with Mark before the season officially wrapped up. It was pretty late in the year — honestly, it may have been the very last weekend the slopes were open — but since Robb had a pass, he was determined to get every bit of use out of it.

The two kept things simple, staying at a cheap hotel and focusing on what they came for: snowboarding. And by snowboarding, I mean from open to close every single day. No lounging around, no late starts, and definitely no relaxing.

Thankfully, Mark can keep up with Robb and his “no rest, no relaxation” style of vacation. The two of them logged full days on the mountain, squeezing in as many runs as possible before the lifts shut down.

They had a great time and made the most of the last bit of winter, but Robb came home more tired than when he left — which, if you know him at all, feels about right. Sometimes the best trips aren’t the relaxing ones, but the ones where you come home exhausted, sore, and already talking about the next adventure.

 

Masters Gear

Caleb is obsessed with all things golf, so when we found out that a member of Robb’s team had moved to Georgia—and that her husband worked in IT for the Masters Tournament—we knew we had to call in a favor. He had an all-access pass to the tournament, which meant he could pick up the one thing Caleb would love to have: official Masters merchandise. According to Caleb, the only way to get Masters gear is to actually be there, so this made it extra special. Thanks to Riley and her husband, Caleb ended up with new Masters swag and was absolutely over the moon about it.

 

Mean Girls With Brook

We felt terrible when we realized our non-refundable Florida trip was booked for the same weekend as our niece Brook’s graduation from Norfolk High. I felt awful. Breaking the news to Brook was so hard, and while she was understandably sad, she was incredibly gracious and understanding about it.

To help make it up to her and as part of her graduation gift, Brook came to Lincoln for the day. We made a full girls’ day out of it: nails first, followed by some shopping, and then getting ready for Mean Girls: The Musical at the Lied Center. Abby, Emmy, and I all love the movie Mean Girls, and it wasn’t until then that Brook casually mentioned she had never seen it before! That made the experience even more fun.

We laughed a lot, had the best time together, and made some really special memories. Even though I still feel sad that we’ll miss her graduation, I’m so grateful we were able to spend a meaningful day with Brook celebrating her in our own way. 

 

Spirit Volleyball

Emmy played spirit volleyball this year, and a couple of her friends joined her on the team. It was made up of girls from her school, and one of the moms stepped in to coach. Volleyball sure has changed since we were this age—now they start teaching overhand serving right away. It still feels a little strange to watch, especially since most of them can’t quite pull it off yet, but they’re giving it their best.

Emmy loves going to practice, but during the games she sometimes gets bored or distracted since there isn’t much volleying back and forth at this level. Even so, she’s absolutely adorable out there, and it’s been so fun to cheer her on and watch her learn something new.

 

Junior Prom

Bryce and Caleb can clean up pretty well when they try! Both boys got ready at our house before heading to Wilderness Ridge, where they had dinner reservations. Wilderness Ridge was a great spot for pictures—the setting was beautiful, and they even had a private room where all the kids met before dinner to take photos.

Steph, being the talented florist she is, made all the flowers for the night. She created a corsage and a small bouquet for Bree (which I learned is called a tussie mussie), and she also made boutonnieres for the boys. It’s definitely nice having a florist aunt—she makes sure everything looks amazing and unique! Bree’s corsage was beautiful and so different from everyone else’s. Steph made it on a slap wrap bracelet, although Bryce quickly discovered that you can’t actually “slap” it on without breaking it. Thankfully, we were able to refasten it before too much damage was done!

The boys have had the same core group of friends through most of high school, so it was really fun to see all those kids dressed up and enjoying the night together.

Since the boys are juniors this year, it was the junior parents’ responsibility to plan Post Prom. As I learned, that’s not an event with a ton of volunteers! I think there were only about four of us moms doing most of the prep work, and honestly, one mom probably handled 75% of it herself. I went up early in the day to meet the game company that was setting up the casino tables and make sure everything was in place. We came back around 11:00 p.m. to run Post Prom, which went until about 3:00 a.m. Thankfully, everything ran smoothly—it’s always a little nerve-wracking when you’ve put in so much time and effort, and you just hope the kids have fun and stay until the end.

Robb and several other parents dealt blackjack at the tables, and Robb had a great time doing it. It ended up being a really fun and successful night!

 

Golf Student Manager

While Caleb would love to be on the golf team, he knows that with the current roster, earning a spot just isn’t in the cards right now. Instead of letting that discourage him, Caleb decided to be part of the team in his own way.

This is his second year serving as the Student Manager for the golf team, and it’s been a role he truly enjoys. He loves traveling with the team, helping analyze the course, and talking through which clubs might be best for different shots. He keeps track of scores, offers encouragement, and is always ready to help wherever he’s needed.

One of the best parts for him is simply being around the team, especially getting to spend time with his friend Tom. It’s been really special to see how much he’s embraced the role and how valued he’s become.

Caleb has a way of making himself so helpful that people genuinely need him, and this has been no exception. Even if he’s not on the team roster, he’s very much part of the team. Since it is Caleb I have no real pictures just a quick snapshot a mom sent me from a tournament.