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.