Happy Birthday to Garrett!

My sweet baby is 7! I can't believe it. Where the time goes, I have no idea. Garrett wanted a Star Wars party at the park. There was no swaying him. Once Garrett gets his mind set on something, that's it. We've had TONS of rain, so we had to reschedule it once, but it turned out just great. A little cold, and dark, but the kids didn't seem to notice. They just ran wild in their Star Wars getup, lightsabers in tow. Every little boy's dream.

I have to say that this is the first time I have not made my kiddos birthday cake myself. We had flooring done in our house that week, and I hurt my back that week as well. I had to call in the big guns at Walmart. It turned out great and even tasted pretty good too. And Garrett, of course, could not have cared less! :)

Disneyland

We surprised Halle Grace and Garrett with a trip to Disneyland for their birthdays. They are just 3 weeks apart, so we made the trip a gift for both of them. Halle Grace chose Incredible Pizza Company for her birthday dinner, and we gave them their gifts that night...a ticket to Disneyland, a Mickey ears hat, and a Mickey/Minnie t-shirt with their name on it. They were super excited. :) Scott took Grant to Chicago for his birthday, so this time it was my turn. (By the way, we were so proud of Grant's attitude toward all of this. Before we could talk with him about it, he came up with the idea and suggested it on his own! He said that he had been lots of times and that he was fine with just them going. Makes a mom's heart swell with pride!)

My mom got to come with us (hooray!). We got up early on Friday, Sept. 11 (HG's actual birthday - she got in free with Disney's birthday promotion this year), and headed to the airport. By 10am, we were in line for Peter Pan! The 2-hour time change works in our favor. :)

We ran ourselves ragged - rode everything we wanted, and then some. Garrett enjoyed showing Halle Grace the ropes, and Halle Grace just took it all in. She truly believed everything she saw was real, waving to the pirates in Pirates of the Caribbean, and even to the animals on the Jungle Cruise. Ahhhh, Disney magic!
She fits right in to our family - she will ride anything, the faster the better!. Their favorite rides of the day were Splash Mountain and Indiana Jones.

We had lunch in New Orleans Square and had some play time at the old Tom Sawyer Island (now called Pirates Cove, or something like that). That was a big highlight as well - they loved exploring and climbing on everything in sight. We took a treat break at the Tiki Room with a Dole Whip (heaven in a bowl). If you haven't had one of those at Disney, you're missing out! Put it on your list.

We decided to skip the parade and Fantasia since we only had one day. We caught the firework show that night, though, and that was plenty. Halle Grace was in tears by 7pm, asking to go to bed. We drug her around for one last round, saw some fireworks, then headed to the hotel. She was a trouper!

We stayed at the Candy Cane Inn, which we highly recommend. It's a charming little place with updated, super clean rooms. You can walk to the park, but they have a great shuttle as well.

The next morning, Mom had to head to work, and I took the kids to Storytellers Cafe for a character breakfast before heading to the airport. We love this one because it's the only one where you can order off the menu (they have a $40 buffet, but it's not mandatory). The kids meals were around $5, which is amazing for a character meal! The eggs-Benedict, which I have every time I go, was outstanding. :)

By the time we got to the airport, it was exactly 24 hours from when we arrived at the airport the morning before. We were all sad to leave and wanted to stay longer...hopefully we can plan a family trip soon!

Halle Grace's 7th Birthday

We got to celebrate our second birthday with Halle Grace - her 7th birthday. She wanted a swimming/mermaid party, so we had a party at our neighborhood pool with friends and family. A good time was had by all!

School

School has been more of an adjustment for Grant than for the other two. It's taken him some time to make new friends - by 3rd grade, most kids already have their groups of friends. He has finally said that he loved it at Hidden Lakes and is glad that we moved. It took awhile to get to that point. His teacher is great and just what he needed. He plays kickball with the boys at recess and even signed up for UIL. Today was a rough morning for him because for the first time this year, he forgot to do his homework. With Garrett being sick, we are off of our usual routine. He went to school in tears, which I hate. But it will be a good life lesson for him, I'm sure.

Halle Grace and Garrett are making friends and enjoying 1st grade. They are both good little readers and are doing so well!

I have been very impressed with the teachers at Hidden Lakes. I have subbed up there a bunch and the students are doing lots of great hands-on, student-created projects (very few, if any, worksheets). From a teachers perspective, I know that takes good planning. We have been impressed with our new school and feel blessed to be there!

How long has it been?

It's been so long, that when I typed my blog address, it didn't come up automatically. That means I have LOTS to catch up on...sports, birthdays, trips, school...
I'm home with Garrett today (he has the flu), so I have some time. Let the blogging begin!

1st and 3rd Grade - Here we Come!

As usual, I shed a few tears. I just can't believe how fast they are growing up! They were all a little aprehensive this year - new school and all. I know they were really missing all the familiar faces at Liberty (and so was I!). Liberty's size (and the people, too) really made it feel like a family. But we will have a great time getting to know new friends, and soon, I'm sure Hidden Lakes Elem. will feel like home. Grant was struggling a little this morning. He's really missing his friends. I don't blame hime - the older you are, the harder it is to move. But as Scott says, it will be a good experience for him to get out of his comfort zone a little bit. I'm praying for them all day - that the Lord will be right by their sides, bring along a special friend or two for each of them, and give them peace and confidence. Can't wait to hear how it goes!

Now I'm in this quiet house trying to decide where to start. So much many projects to finish around here!

A farewell to summer

At the beginning of the summer, the kids and I made a list of all the things they wanted to do. We got out the list yesterday, and we were excited to see that we had checked them all off!
Here's our list of summer fun (with commentary):
- go to the movies (lots of them)
- swim at Keller Pointe
- Six Flags (that was so much fun!)
- playdates with friends
- Cousin Camp (at my parents)
- family game nights (we played lots of Monopoly - Grant is quite the pro!)
- Grant and Garrett to Camp Thurman (they LOVED this)
- Halle Grace to Art Camp (with Macie Pope)
- have an indoor camp out (it was a pretty wimpy version, just sleeping in sleeping bags in the playroon, but they said it counts! :)
- go to the park
- go visit Grandma Prince in California (Halle Grace got to meet a bunch of extended family)
- go visit the Prestons in Charlotte (great trip!)
- Grant wanted to go to Chicago (Scott took him for his birthday)
- Wacky Week (VBS at church)
- go visit Aunt Kathy and Uncle Kenny

What a fun summer we had! But come August, we are all ready for school, sports activities, and cooler weather.

Julie and Julia

How can one not be compelled to blog after watching that movie? It's a story about a woman whose blog adventure changes her life and helps her to discover her passion. And it's about food. Food that looks so good, you want to climb up inside the screen and take a bite. Food that makes you want to pack your bags and move to Paris. And I don't even like French food. I've been to Paris, and I was not impressed. After reading Julie Child's book, and now seeing the movie, I am convinced that I have to be wrong about French food. How could food that inspires such greatness be bad? I'm such a spoiled, closed-minded American sometimes!

By the way, if you haven't read the book My Life in France by Julie Child, it is a must read...as good as a vacation to Paris (well, almost).

Grant was asking me what kind of food grilled-cheese sandwiches are. I had just finished Julie's memoirs and thought of the Croque Madame, which is similar to a grilled cheese. I answered that the grilled cheese would sorta be French. We also discussed French fries and omelets and croisants. He then declared that French food is now his favorite type of food (next to Mexican, of cours, he added).

So, with the support of my children, I will be working French food into my rotation of Mexican, Italian, and American cuisine. Surely there is a love of French food somewhere inside me. I plan to find it. And Scott's too, for that matter. :)

In other news, we spent 5 glorious days in Charlotte with our dear friends, the Prestons, and some time with the Johnstons, too, last week. Renee is truly the most gifted hostess I have ever known and she spoiled us rotton. The kids had a blast and are already asking when we can go back. Thank you, Prestons, for a lovely, blessed time with your sweet family. Shannon came with her kids for part of the time, which was so much fun! We loved the time we got to spend with all of you and feel so blessed to have such amazing friends. Love ya'll! (I know you're reading...you two may be my only readers left! :)

Also while in Charlotte, we were able to meet up with some adoption blog friends. We had dinner with Krista and her 4 Ukrainian-American cuties! They live just down the road from the Prestons, so we just couldn't pass up the opportunity to meet. Those kiddos are precious - even more beautiful in person. And so well-behaved and sweet, too. What a precious family God made!

School starts in a week and a half. I have been running around all over town, determined to save money and buy school supplies on sale. I opted not to buy the packaged sets from PTA because I thought I could save money by shopping the sales. Today, after ordering the "1/2" Hytone Blue Baseline Story Tablet" and a couple of other obscure items online (because no store around her carries these items, or even know what they are for that matter), I have declared that the savings is MINIMAL, and not worth it. I had to try it once, just to be sure I asn't being ripped off when buying those PTA packages. Now I can say, been there, done that, and NOT worth it!
Just a little FYI... :)

In house news...it's been a busy and productive week. It's like a back-to-school nesting thing of some kind.
I have...
- built an organization wall in the garage boards with hooks and cork board in bwtween them, shoe baskets, etc
- painted Grant's room (just one wall, don't be too impressed)
- painted the breakfast nook (just below the chair rain)
- hung hooks for backpacks and things in the laundry room
- hung a couple more pictures
- hung a pantry organizer basket shelf thing on the back of pantry door
- made cupcakes - Raspberry Cream Cupcakes from Giada (YUMMM)
- taken all three kids for haircuts
- started staining the wood stair rail (I just can't stand the honey oak any longer!)

Tomorrow? Maybe it's time for a day at the pool with the kids and a book. I'm reading this sweet little book called Bella at Midnight. It's a Newberry young adult fiction book that is just the cutest story ever! You MUST check it out...after you read Julia's My Life in France, of course.

Pictures coming of all my home-improvement projects...

Painting Marathon Completed

If there was a kitchen painting marathon, I would have medaled for sure. I painted the walls three times to get the color right, and I primed and painted all of the cabinets. Whew! Here are some shots from along the way...

I started with the island. I painted it a bright aqua blue and then used 3 different glazes.


Here is the kitchen in all stages...some finished, some primed, some not. There is also a row of cabinets along the sink and across the way by the little bar. That's a lot of paint.


Here is the finished product! I think I'm going to have glass panels put into the cabinet doors over the microwave to break up all the cream. And we haven't put the hardware on yet. But much better, don't you think? I wish I had a "before" pic with the wallpaper...I forgot to mention that part.


And just for fun, here are the kids with their cousins dancing to Michael Jackson! :)

Happy Birthday to Grant!

Last night was Grant's 9th birthday party. We had a pool party at my parents' house and set up a projector to watch a movie outside. The kids loved it, and it was super easy, so a big success all the way around! He wanted a BIG party with tons of kids, but being born around July 4th, that doesn't happen easily. It's the plight of a summer baby. At least there's no school, though, right? We had about 10 kiddos (which is plenty!), ate cake and snacks, swam, shot water guns, and watched Kung Fu Panda. What better way to ring in number 9!
His birthday isn't until the 6th, so there is more fun to come...gotta stretch it out as long as possible, right? :)

Baby Addisyn

Last week, our new cousin, Addisyn Grace was born! The kids and I hopped on a plane to Amarillo to welcome her to the world. What a little beauty she is!


Halle Grace LOVED holding her (no surprise there).


We had fun taking Addisyn and her mommy to the Soda Shop. Yummm!

Sister Trip!

For my sister's birthday this year, Mom and Dad gave her a flight to Napa for a sister trip! We spent two nights with my grandmother, who happens to live about 50 minutes from Napa Valley. Joy and I rented a car and made our way from San Francisco to Grandma's house, stopping in Sausalito for an amazing lunch and fun shopping an the way. The next day, we worked our way through the wine country and had a great time! That place is Heaven - so beautiful, and SUCH GOOD FOOD! We ate dinner at Mustard's - and if you're ever in Napa - you MUST eat there. Just incredible.
We had a tough time getting home the next day (rough day to be flying standby, I guess), but we made it home without having to spend the night in an airport, which is always a plus! :)
Here are a few pics...she has pics of me, and I have pics of her. So it goes when traveling with two!

Take me out to the Ball Game

Scott's parents were here last weekend, and we decided to all go to the ball game! The kids had a great time playing...I don't think they watched that much of the game.
A major highlight was the ball the boys caught during batting practice, followed closely by the peanuts and Cracker Jacks we brought to snack on (cliche, I know, but SO good!).
During the 5th inning, they had to stop the game to repair one of the lights. We waited and waited, and finally ended up leaving. It ended up being an hour-and-a-half delay, and we got to finish the game at home in the air conditioning. AND, we get free tickets to the game on July 5th for our "inconvenience". Whoohoo!

End of Year parties!

Is there anything better than the end of school for a kid? Amidst all the fun and hooplah, I cry every year. It's just a big fat reminder of how quickly my kiddos are growing up.






We're ready for a FUN SUMMER!!!
Then, first grade and third grade - here we come!