Florida Fun!

Last weekend we made our way down to Florida for Labor Day Weekend.  Our first stop was Gigi and Papa's house.  We got there around bedtime on Friday so after everyone stretched their legs from being in the car all afternoon we all hit the sack.

The next morning we woke up feeling refreshed and ready to explore.  The first order of business was breakfast.  And in their community the only way to travel in style is by golf cart!  These are not just any golf carts...they are custom, personalized and the snazziest things on the road.  Literally everyone down there rides around in golf carts and it there are special golf cart lanes and paths to get all over.  The kids just adore this whole concept and think it is so much fun!

They were dressed in their UGA red and black for game day and Gigi and Papa's golf cart is none other than red and black!

I couldn't resist taking a picture of all of the golf carts parked in the town center area at breakfast.

After a quick donut breakfast we gave hugs and kisses to the kids and then Robby and I made our way east to the coast.  We were meeting up with our friends Kathy and Corey for Kathy's 40th birthday party!  We spent the day on the beach relaxing with them and then that evening we had fun at the big luau party.

The next day we went back to Gigi and Papa's house to meet up with everyone for a fun adventure to Silver Springs.

Silver Springs is located between Orlando and Gainesville in central Florida and it hosts an array of wildlife from monkeys to alligators.  The Silver Springs is made up of a group of springs that occur in the headwaters, coves and edges of the Silver River, which leads to the Ocklawaha River.  An interesting little tit-bit of info for you is that the water coming from the Silver Springs amounts to over 550 million gallons per day!

The original plan was for us to rent canoes and explore the Silver River up to the springs, but a Boy Scout troop took most of the canoes so we had to change our plans.  Instead we entered through the main state park entrance and it felt like we were stepping back in time.

Right away we popped in the museum and educational center.  The kids were fascinated by the wildlife displays of all of the types of animals found around the Silver Springs and Silver River area. There were also real live snakes and reptiles on display for everyone to see.

We ate a quick lunch in the cafe and then walked on one of the nature paths to observe the springs close up.

We were going to try out one of the famous glass bottom boats, but there was about an hour wait and we knew the kids probably wouldn't last that long.  Walking the nature path was just as fun and we got to go at our own pace and stop and see all of the sights we wanted to.

When we got back we saw this giant turtle in the yard across the street.  The kids saw all kinds of wildlife while we were there and thought that was one of the most exciting things about our visit.  Handley's favorite animal is a sea turtle, with regular turtles coming in a close second.  SO, you can imagine her excitement when they found a big turtle while she was wearing her turtle t-shirt.  It doesn't get much better than that!

We enjoyed our last evening together by getting dolled up for dinner.  The girls always want to take selfies with me when they feel all fancy and this night was no exception.

The kids took another golf card ride to the town center for dinner with the guys and Gigi and I drove together in the car.  We went a different way than they did, so we were excited to run into them along the way!

 We ate dinner and then enjoyed the live music and dancing.  It was a fun evening for us all, but especially for the kids who have no problem getting up in front of a crowd and breaking it down.

The next morning after sleeping in we packed up and made our way back to Atlanta.  It was a lot of driving for a quick long weekend, but so nice to get out of town and have a few days with a change of scenery.

Random Catch-up

Over the weekend we went to Florida for a little fun and I plan to share all about that tomorrow, but for today I wanted to do a little random catch up post of things that have been going on around here lately!  

Harper has met a new friend in her class this year and these two have become fast friends. They both get along really well, have similar interests, and can play for hours together.  

One day when they were having a playdate at her house, her mom texted me this picture and told me they were both on outfit number 3.  I could just imagine them as teenagers!  And, the first thing Harper asked me when we got home was if she could have some boots that go up to her knee!  Ha!

Last week was Pet Week in Pre-K.  Hudson's awesome teachers are so sweet and fun and they allowed anyone who wanted to bring their pet in to school to do so!  Hudson was so excited that Walker would get to visit him at school.  :-)  We set up our time for when the kids were outside on the playground.  Walker had no idea he was about to meet 14 adorable 4 year olds, but he was just happy to be going on a car ride!

Hudson was happy to tell everyone about Walker for about 30 seconds and then he was back off to running around and playing.  I could hardly get him to pause for a picture, so this was the best I could get.

The girls and I have been working on some projects and they just love being crafty with me.  Before we left for Florida they wanted to make some beaded hassle necklaces like I was working on for Magnolia Mamas.  

They turned out so cute and they were so proud of them that they both wore them to school the next day. It worked out perfectly because it also happened to be picture day, so they both felt extra fancy with their new accessories.

In other big news, Harper has a missing front tooth!  She had been wiggling it for weeks and right before we arrived back home on Monday evening it finally fell out!  She's so excited about her snuggle tooth smile because now her smiles matches all of her friends at school.

And last but not least, this sweet little guy is just doing so great at school.  He never had showed much interest in writing before, but with the encouragement (and rewards) from his sweet teachers he can write his name!!!!  I'm so exited for him and knew he could learn to do it when he was ready.  He also is loving his extra curricular activities.  He is in a little after-school sports class called Playball and the mascot "Sporty" gets to go home with one student who did an outstanding job that week.  Well today when I picked him up he was thrilled to show "Sporty" to me, the girls, Robby, our neighbors at the bus stop, and just about anyone else we ran into!

Weekend Sports Begin!

We had a fun weekend that really kicked off Thursday evening.  After dance for the girls we went to Gigi and Papa's house for dinner and then by the school to see the administration.  They were camping out on the ROOF of the school...all because the kids got pledges from all 50 states for their Boosterthon Fun Run.  They couldn't believe they were up there in tents.  I couldn't believe they were still there the next morning when I drove up to drop them off, but they were. :-)

Friday night Harper got to go to a fun birthday party and sleepover and while she was at that the rest of us made our way to the Walton Varisty home opener.  Handley got to go on the field before the game and she was so excited.  She loved getting to see Olivia and all of the other high school cheerleaders.  We stayed until just after half-time and had such a great time!

Saturday morning was Handley's first game.  She is cheering for the 5th grade team this year, and they are good!  We won the game and the girls all had fun cheering on the team to a victory.

While I was at the game with Handley, Hudson was at his first soccer practice.  He has been so excited about finally being on a team and apparently he did really well at practice.  I can't wait for his games to start in a few weeks because I know he's going to do great.

Saturday night we walked up to Moxie Burger for dinner and then Sunday was church, grocery shopping and Jen and Justen's gender reveal party!  We were all team blue, but we were so wrong!  They are having a girl and we couldn't be more excited. :-)

Boosterthon 2015

Today was the Boosterthon Fun Run at the girls' school.  It's our biggest fundraiser and is a ton of fun for all of the kids.  They work to get pledges for all of the laps they will run and leading up to the run their classes attend pep rally and learn about character-building experiences.

Parents and families are invited to watch the kids run and the Boosterthon team does a great job to make running the laps fun for the kids.  There is music, themed laps, and a positive vibe that is super fun for the kids.

Each class gets introduced and runs through the tunnel as everyone cheers.  

After all of the classes are introduced the administration arrived in style! 

Hudson loved cheering and can't wait for his turn to run in the fun run. 

The goal is for each child to run 30-35 laps and the girls both exceeded that goal!

 After the Kindergarten/1st grade run the classes joined back together and enjoyed popsicles to help cool off.

Then it was time for the 3rd grade fun run.  These two sweet girls are the best of friends and I just love seeing their sweet friendship develop over time.

Handley also had a blast and ran over 35 laps and loved the fun time with her classmates!