Art Barn

This morning started off bright and early when I had to get all three kids up and out of the door by 6:30 AM.  I was just painful.  I am not a morning person and neither are the kids.  Handley is the best at getting up and putting on a happy face in the morning, but it takes the other two a little bit longer to wake up.  I let them have a pajama ride and thankfully I was somehow able to keep Hudson sleeping as I moved him to the car so he slept almost an hour more, all the way until we dropped off Handley.

** I was stopped at a light when I snapped these pictures.**
I am so thankful for iPads in the morning to keep them entertained.

Chickfila drive-through for breakfast was next and then we went to Jen's house (which is somewhat close by) to eat our breakfast, get Harper and Hudson dressed, and then head off to the ART BARN with Jen and Parker.  All of our pre-schoolers are on fall break this week so we decided to plan something fun.  Sadly we kept this a big secret from Handley because I knew she would be so disappointed that she didn't get to go.

The kids loved seeing all of the animals and getting up close and personal with them.  Hudson was so happy when we first got there and then the newness wore off and he just wanted a snack.  Harper liked getting to hold the baby chicks and the egg that had just recently been laid by one of the hens.

Next up we got to take a tractor ride and that was probably Hudson's favorite part of the day.

The kids got to paint pictures of roosters in the art barn and Harper did a fantastic job following along with the steps.

After a picnic lunch it was time for us to head back to pick up Handley.  Then the regular afternoon of dance class, dinner, and cheer practice followed.  I sure do wish I was a coffee drinker because I certainly need a little something to keep me going on these long and busy days.  I'm just glad that Robby is back in town now and that tomorrow morning won't be quite as tough.

Our soccer star

When it came time to choose activities for this fall, I had a hunch that Harper would be great at soccer.  She loves to run (and she's really fast), she's naturally athletic, and she's pretty rough and tumble, too.  Turns out my hunch was right because she did AWESOME at her first game today.  

One of the coaches wasn't able to attend today and since Robby was one of the first dad's there the coach asked if he would help out.  Harper loved that he was out there with her and told us later on that, "Daddy was on my team, too!"

She was really excited and earlier when I was explaining to her that it was OK to take the ball away from the other team, her eyes got really big and she said, "really?" That seemed to click and all make sense because during the game she took off and didn't stop. She was really aggressive (in a good way), pushed her way into the mix and went after the ball with full force. 

All of the girls got a turn to play goalie and she had fun with that part, too.  We were all very proud of her and loved getting to cheer her on!  

Harper is playing with one of her friends, Kendall and they were both so cute and red-faced after their game.  

After soccer we stopped for a quick lunch and then were off to cheerleading for Handley.  Each week they pick two captains for the games and she was one of the captains this week.  It was a hot by this afternoon, but the girls did great and the football players did, too.  Our team won, which is always icing on the cake.  Gigi and Papa were able to come watch Handley cheer today and she was  so happy to have them there.  

During the game Hudson and Harper had fun running around and playing.  Harper did cartwheels on the sidelines and Hudson threw his football or kicked the soccer ball non-stop. That boy is all boy! 

Happy Birthday Robby!

Today is Robby's birthday!!! He had to fly out of town bright and early this morning and since he was going to be gone on his actual birthday we did a little celebrating on Sunday evening instead.  We were not about to let a little work travel get in the way of a birthday party.  We grilled out, the kids helped decorate cupcakes and he opened a few gifts.

The girls were really into helping with the wrapping of the gifts and Hudson was really into helping with the unwrapping of the gifts.  So much so, that he ran off with one of them and the next thing I knew I heard the trash can closing. I was worried he'd thrown the whole gift in the trash, but when he ran back wearing the visor he'd just unwrapped I realized he was just getting rid of the paper and delivering they goods.  

Robby and I had our first date was the day after his 18th birthday and here we are in our early (approaching mid) thirties.  I love that we are growing older - not old, just older :-) - together.  He works so incredibly hard and such long hours, but he always makes the most of his time at home to be silly with the kids and they just love his fun and playful side.  It always makes me smile to see them all playing "dog-pile" on the floor or when I think the girls are asleep and I realize he is in their room and they are all cracking up about any and everything.  He is the most devoted, caring, fun, silly and playful dad for our kids and I couldn't ask for a more dedicated husband.  WE LOVE YOU!!!  HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

We are - - Walton Raiders!

Handley woke me up this morning asking if she could go to her cheerleading game.  It was 7:45 AM.   It was not time to go yet, but she was so excited that she couldn't wait to go cheer.  All morning long I heard her practicing cheers and yelling "We are - - Walton Raiders!!!"

The games are all over town, but their home games are played in the high school stadium.  It was so fun to see the high school she will be attending and think about the fact that if she decides to stick with cheerleading she could end up cheering at that very same stadium as a high schooler.

They do it up right...they have the big scoreboard going, the girls cheer on the track, the announcer calls plays and the works.  The little football players were so cute, too...just like little bobble heads with their giant helmets on.

It was really hot today and their game was really long, but Handley did awesome and had so much fun.  She cheered her little heart out and gave it 100% the whole game.   They got to do a few cheers on the field at half-time and she had been practicing really hard all week to get her motions sharp and just right.  I was so proud of her!

Their coaches keep reminding the girls they had to be really loud during the games so the fans and the football players could hear them cheering and Handley takes that very seriously.  :-)

Sadly, I was the only one that got to go to her game because Harper is playing soccer this season and today was her first practice at the same time as Handley's game.  I hated to miss it, but Robby took her to the practice (along with Hudson so he could run around and play) and it sounds like she had a lot of fun. Thankfully there are only a few weekends that their games will over lap so most of the time we will all get to go to both games.

School Successes!!!

All three kids have had big weeks at school this week and I feel like it was just the weekend, but yet again, this week has passed by in a flash.

Harper was the start student this week which meant she had to make a poster with pictures about herself to share with her class and also got special privileges all week at school (including sitting on a magic carpet during circle time, sitting with the class mascot, and wearing the star crown).  She was super excited about this week and has been so incredibly happy each day.

Handley has her first ever spelling test tomorrow.  We did a practice test tonight and she seems very ready.  I'll tell you something though...being on the parent side of first grade almost seems like more work than when I was on the teacher side of things.  First grade here is no joke and she is working hard to stay on task, complete all of her work on time during the day, use neat handwriting, and finish all the homework each day as well as fitting in her reading time.  Thankfully the homework goes home on Friday and is due back the next Friday so we can squeeze things in when we have more time at home and not stress about it on the days we don't get back here until after dinner time.

The biggest success of the week has got to be Hudson's improvements at school.  He is still crying at drop-off, but both days this week his teachers said he was fantastic and did great.  No paci, no lambie, and no stroller at all!  He's been participating in the activities, playing on the playground, doing his artwork, eating snack, and best of all...having FUN!!!  I feel so relived that he is going to make it and I know the day can't be too far away that he will walk right into his class with no tears.  When I pick him up each day he is very proud to show off the art work he has made and so happy to tell me about school.  I'm so proud of him!

This was his first artwork that was hanging outside his class.  Each week they put up something they did and he has been too busy crying to do any art...when I saw this up on the wall when I picked him on on Tuesday I was so excited and happy to know that he must have had a good day.  Plus, getting to paint with the wheels of a truck was probably really exciting for him.  :-)

Today his class had spirit day and wore their school t-shirts.  

NASCAR

Yesterday I got to experience my first NASCAR race. I really wasn't sure what to expect, but it was every bit as entertaining as I thought it might be.  RT was co-sponsoring a car, so a group of people Robby works with all got to go to the race.  We had pit passes which got us up-close and personal.  We got to tour the hauler, see the final tweaks being made to the cars before the race, meet the driver, and learn all about the behind-the-scenes stuff that goes on.  It really was interesting to learn about something I knew very little about.  Seeing and hearing the cars up close was the coolest part and I couldn't get over how LOUD they were.

It was a very hot day, but we had a few rain showers that cooled things off.  We spent the rest of the day hanging out in the in-field waiting for the race to begin and thankfully there was a big RV complete with air conditioning and a bathroom.  When it was time for the race to start we stayed on top of the RV to get a good view.  Robby and a few of the others had passes to stay in the pits while the race was going on so they spent some time there, too.  It was a really fun and interesting experience and I'm so happy we got to go.

Robby and the driver of our car, David Ragan. 

Football season is here!

Our Friday started off awesome with our commute time cut in half!  It was such a pleasant surprise.  Harper and Hudson were really happy to be sporting their red and black in preparation for the UGA game on Saturday.  Handley had Pajama Day at her school, but she changed into her UGA shirt as soon as we got home.

Hudson had his first gymnastics class on Friday morning.  He was really excited when we were looking in the room and kept asking to go play.  The mom's sit out and watch through the window, so I really wasn't sure how he would do with this set-up...especially since he is having such a hard time at pre-school. However, he walked right in and I think having his best buddy, Parker, in there with him helped.  He had fun most of the class and got a little upset right at the end, but besides that he did great and I think he will be happy to go back next week.

Saturday we layed low part of the day and did things around here that we never have time to do (like laundry).  Then we toured a few model homes to get ideas for our house.  The kids weren't the least bit interested in this idea...until we actually got there.  They discovered all of the FUN to be had in some of the homes and took full advantage of using it like their own personal play house.  One house even had a slide going from the main floor to the basement. I couldn't believe it and neither could they!  They each took turns sliding down and then had fun playing skee ball, pretending to play cards (AKA messing up the display) and "swinging" out back.  I had to make us leave because they would have liked to stay there all day.

Next up we went to Jen and Justen's house to have dinner and watch the GA/Clemson game.  Kickoff wasn't until 8 PM, but we had promised the girls they could stay up until half-time.  All 4 kids were loving it and having fun cheering for our Bulldawgs!  The boys were acting out the football they saw taking place on TV and had so much fun running, jumping, throwing the balls and literally slamming themselves into the walls.  They all put up a fight when it was time to go home, but as soon as the car started moving they were all sound asleep.

Too bad our team couldn't pull out a win over Clemson, but we are happy that football season is finally underway and hopeful that our season only gets better.