During our Dollywood trip, we had a break day from the parks and decided to spend time enjoying the cabin. My dad had noticed signs for a place called Forbidden Caverns not far from where our cabin was. He thought it would be neat to take Melody there. So we drove about 15 minutes from our cabin to get there.
We did not really want to do gymnastics this summer since we already had a busy summer planned. But it is impossible to get into our gymnastics in the fall without being part of the summer classes (even then it is REALLY hard). So we did 5 weeks of gymnastics. Melody was excited to finally get to be in a class with Lydia again. But it did add to our summer, and we likely won’t repeat it next year. But she had fun!
Back in June, we got to take part in the American Girl Hotel Experience at TownePlace Suites in Franklin, TN. It was in celebration of both Melody’s and our niece’s birthday, Caroline. Their birthdays are one year apart but two dates apart (May 25 vs May 27). So this was their birthday present from our mother in law. We also celebrated at the American Girl store, but I will speak to that later. Today I want to share all about our hotel experience.
Back in April, mom and I went on a cruise to the Bahamas. We had not been on a cruise together since before I was pregnant with Melody. So it was fun getting to experience it again. The cruise began on a Monday out of Port Canaveral. We had a suite which I plan to talk all about in the future. But by having a suite, we were able to board early as well as go to our room early. You can read all about us getting on the boat here.
I went back and forth on what favors I was going to do for Melody’s 6th birthday party which was Doc McStuffins themed. I wanted to do Hershey kisses since they are Melody’s favorites. The thought was “Kisses for your Boo Boos”. But I found some Doc McStuffin stickers, and I decided to expand the idea.
In late May/early June, we went to Dollywood for the first time on a family vacation with my parents. Our first day was on a Tuesday, the day after Memorial Day. We were hoping the crowds would be lighter this week vs. a week later in the summer.
So we have tried two different swim lessons with Melody, and neither worked with her. She still relied on her puddle jumper and floats. And she was petrified to put her face under water. First we tried lessons at the Y in 2018. Then we tried private lessons at my parents’ home in 2019. In 2020 we opted to skip lessons due to COVID. Then in 2021, lessons were impossible to get into around here. The best lessons we could find only had availability in the fall when Melody would be in school. But this year we were finally able to get into ISR lessons. I didn’t want to attempt the Y again. And my friend, Emily, had her son do the same type of lessons in the spring, and I was amazed that he was actually swimming just a few weeks after starting. So I knew this would be the best route for my highly fearful child. Lessons were still hard to find, but Emily was able to find a teacher with openings, so we did it!
Mom and I went on a cruise back in April. I wanted to share a little bit about our experience getting on the boat. I don’t have many pictures since it was a fairly quick process, but I did take a few.
Melody’s 6th birthday was a Doc McStuffins themed party. Banners are always a focal point. I could not find any that were either reasonable priced or I loved. So I ended up making my own.
We went to the Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge/Sevierville area for our family vacation with my parents this year. Brad has never been to the area, and I haven’t been in over 15-20 years. We thought it was also be a fun change of pace. We did throw in some Dollywood, but we tried to not make the entire trip about the theme park. Instead of staying in a hotel, we opted to find a cabin. I didn’t know much about the area when it comes to looking for a cabin. I have friends on Facebook who have visited often, so I used one of the websites they recommend, Fireside Chalets. We had somewhat specific requests. We wanted a 2 bedroom, 3 bathroom cabin. My brother was considering going, but wasn’t 100% committed. So we wanted the extra bathroom in case, and he was willing to sleep in the loft area if he decided to go.
It is hard to believe summer is over halfway over! We spent June staying super busy.
We spent Father’s Day this year working in our garage. We did start the day with presents followed by church. Then we worked in the garage after lunch! Melody loves a good reason to buy a balloon and a card and celebrate someone!
Like last summer, I made a bucket list for this summer. Last summer was much more special since it was Melody’s last before starting “real” school. This year we have such a short summer, and we want to accomplish so much while enjoying all the little moments as a family. Melody’s teacher emphasized just playing this summer. Read, but play. And that we are trying to do.
We spent the 4th of July at my parents house this year. We got there after lunch and spent most of the day swimming in the pool. After some pool time, we had dinner. Then once he got a bit dark, we decided to shoot fireworks! My brother goes all out on fireworks. We had a lot of fun! Melody really looks forward to the fireworks every year.
We attended the Huntsville Comic and Pop Culture Expo back in April. It was fun, but we did not spend as much time there as we have in previous years. We opted to go just one day instead of the weekend. We used our Halloween costumes and dressed as character from Butterbean’s Cafe. Melody loved getting to take pictures with different cosplayers as well!
Honestly, I do not know how we got here so fast. I mean check out this post of her first day! The last month of school flew by. We had book fairs, lunches, kite day, field day, and kindergarten celebration (I may be missing a few things too!). Luckily I was able to be there for all of it and see her experience so much that last month. She truly grew up so much this year. Not just physically, but she has learned so much and gained so much confidence along the way. Below are pictures from her graduation celebration and her very last day of school. I will miss her teacher so much, but I can’t wait to see what her future holds! Bring on 1st grade!
We decide to let Melody try soccer this last spring. What sold us was that the only time commitment was one hour on Saturday mornings for 8 weeks (1 week we knew we would miss due to Melody’s dance recital). It was fun, and Melody does want to do it this fall, but I also don’t know if it is for us. I think Melody had more fun cheering than running for sure. She did get better as the season continued, and nearly made a goal a few times. I just don’t know if we are ready to commit to a game plus practice (or even multiple practices) a week along with our current extracurriculars. But we will see!
Not long after Melody’s Rainbow Ranger birthday party last year, she already knew she wanted a Doc McStuffins birthday party when she turned 6. I waited until earlier this year before really planning though. We all know kids can change their minds so easily. But she was still wanting that Doc McStuffins party, so that is what she got.
Melody turned 6 back at the end of May! We celebrated by letting her pick all the things we did and ate.
