April 2024 // A List

1. April was such a busy but exciting month. Sure, there were some lows, but there were mostly highs, and I'm so grateful for that.

2. We celebrated Raphael's sixth birthday. I still can't believe that my baby is six years old. It's been amazing watching Raphael grow. Raphael has grown so much this past year, and watching him pass milestones has been amazing and somewhat bittersweet. Time really is flying by, and it's been making me feel so emotional...in fact, I still am.

3. Speaking of birthdays. I'm currently staring at the dinosaur decorative banner that is still hanging from Raphael's birthday celebration. For some reason, I can't bear to take it down yet. Maybe I'm still holding onto my youngest son's birthday, but perhaps it's because I'm currently loving dinosaurs as much as Raphael does. Is it odd that I'm an adult that is very much loving all things dinosaurs? I've even looked up dinosaur graphic t-shirts and skirts. I've also looked up fun dinosaur art drawings.

4. The solar eclipse was really exciting. We didn't buy any of the solar eclipse glasses, but I really enjoyed noticing the differences in my environment and taking photos of shadows (as pictured above). 

5. My current favorite drink is Starbucks' Strawberry Açaí Refresher with 3 scoops of lavender powder. I'm also loving Chick-fil-A's Cherry Berry Sunjoy. I'm not a fan of iced tea, but this drink is so good.

6. I went on a school field trip to the zoo and loved it. It had been a long time since I had been, so it was a treat to be able to go. 

7. John and I visited my in-laws. It had been a really long time since we saw John's dad, brothers, sisters-in-law, nephews, and niece. We met the newest member of the family. It was a pleasant visit, and the boys loved spending time with their cousins and grandpa. 

8. We went to the Smyrna Jonquil Festival and had a blast. We bought some granola and little treats. The kids enjoyed the bounce houses. John and I tried coffee from a new-to-us coffee truck, Travelin Tom's Coffee Truck.

9. I've been enjoying flowers this spring. I even received free flowers twice this month; each time, they came at the perfect time. I also got a free mountain mint plant that is growing, which has been exciting.

10. I passed an important career-related assessment and am so excited. I have a couple more that I need to take, so I've been trying to study for those.

11. Meera Lee Patel's latest newsletter post, Dear Somebody: A Birthday Wish, really hit home, especially her words for Monday. Her words on baking and it being an act of care reminded me of Mami and her love of cooking. Cooking is definitely one of Mami's ways of showing care and love. As for me, it reminded me of my love of making banana chocolate chip waffles for my boys on the weekends.

12. April was truly a dream. I'm so grateful that this month was full of celebrations, family visits, trying new things, and going to fun events. I'm thankful I'm starting to get out of this little creative block, and I hope to continue working on some creative projects. I'm looking forward to May and hope it's a good month.