Orange Belt Graduation

As of Saturday, I officially reside with an orange belt karate kid.  After several months of hard work on Jack's part and several months of dragging little sisters to karate lessons twice a week he reached his goal.

I couldn't be more proud of him.  And that little humble grin on his face during graduation proved that he was mighty proud as well.  I couldn't help but tearing up on Saturday {seems to be a problem of mine the last two weekends-and I'm hardly a crier}.  But the joy of seeing Jack doing something he feels good about and doing it well is enough to make me want to burst.

His graduation included a full on display of his most recent accomplishments.  I am truly amazed at how strong he has become, both in his will and physically. His confidence has soared since taking on the extracurricular activity and I'm pretty confident he could defend himself well if ever needed.

Not to mention, his instructors are amazing.  They were born to work with kids.  I couldn't be more pleased with the way they handle a class full of boys.  That in itself takes talent if you ask me.

Jack has already set his sights on a black belt.  Obviously a few years down the road.  However, we did both agree a break from the karate grind schedule would do us both well.

I know we will return, Jack just can't ever stay away for too long.  But for now, he decided to put his efforts into his most recent extracurricular activity choices...chess club and flag football.  I can't lie, I was slightly surprised by the latter choice.  Oh, but believe me, I didn't hesitate signing him up for a moment.  I am all about a well rounded kiddo.

And so far so good.  He is loving the football thing and comes home completely worn out.  Score!

Congrats on that fancy orange belt Jack!  Well deserved!

She's Getting Married

I had the honor of celebrating a weekend with one of my besties, Liz.  I met Liz in my twenties {oh, to think that is the past tense...yikes!}.  We hit it off immediately.  She has been my student teacher, my co-worker, one of my brides maids, my favorite Stella and Dot rep, and the absolutely most amazing friend.

If you ever want to feel good about yourself, just hang out with this gal.  She has a way of building up everyone she meets.  A dear friend in the truest sense.

A few of her girlfriends from the past and present gathered for a weekend of toasting the bride to be.  Her wait has been well worth it.  From what I can gather, the groom is quite a catch.  I couldn't be happier for her.

Now mind you, this is one of the very few times I have left my kids {and most definitely my husband} in over two years.  I knew I needed it and I knew it would be great for everyone.  But...I sobbed like a baby all the way to the airport.  I could hardly stand the thought of missing out on one single minute with my little ones.  Am I crazy?!?!

When I arrived for my first girl's night my heart had healed and just being in the presence of Liz brought me peace and joy.  She is that fabulous.  We spent hours catching up, telling stories, laughing, wedding planning, eating, spilling wine, and staying up way past my bedtime.  It was wonderful.

As hard as it was to rise and shine on Saturday morning it was well worth it.  We had the most luxurious spa day in store, and I mean DAY!  We spent hours being pampered and catching up with more friends.  Fabulousness.

By early evening we headed back to the hotel, cleaned up, met more gals, and went out for a celebratory dinner night.  I adored meeting more of Liz's friends {they were a sweet group} and hanging with some of the old ones.

Sometimes you don't know just how much you need your girl time until you actually get it {at least I didn't}.  However, I can't deny that I ran through that door on Sunday and snatched my kids up in the biggest and best hugs and smothered them in kisses.  All three of them were just as delicious as I remembered {and they survived just fine without me}.

Congratulations to the bride to be!  Liz is getting married!  xoxo dear friend

Build A Bear

My girls have been on Fall Break all week.  Seeing as how Jack is in another school and county our schedules never seem to align.  Therefore there were no travels for us.  As much as this could have been a total bummer, I kind of enjoyed not feeling the pressure of having to go somewhere {i.e. pack up four suitcases, a basket of snacks, and every other "just in case" item} .

So the girls and I laid low, managed to have a playdate everyday, and made our first visit to Build A Bear.  And although everyday of the week was in someway picture worthy, I only managed to drag my camera out for the latter.

We joined the Micca crew {who were all enjoying a Fall Break} at the local mall.  My kids were in complete awe of a mall.  I can name maybe twice that they've actually been.  It seems I've been depriving them because their eyes were bulging around every corner we turned.

I had no idea what to expect in the building a bear process except that I was sure it would be an expensive playdate.  But the girls had a grand time and we figured it out as we went.

The first step was picking out our animals.

Oh the decisions...

Maggie was pretty quick to pick out Belle's Palace Pet {an adorable doggie}. Once Maggie had decided Lucy was right behind her with her choice of Sleeping Beauty's Palace pet {a pink cat}.

After the animals were stuffed with love and a heart to boot, it was bath time.

This was very possibly Lucy's favorite part.  She even opted out of dressing her pet so she could continue to bathe her.  One less tutu dress to purchase.

We obtained a birth certificate for both animals after Maggie had dressed her little pup in the finest and fluffiest tutu she could find.  I offered one last time for Lu to dress her kitty, but she was having none of it.

I was pleasantly surprised when the group snuggled in together with their new friends for a picture.

We followed that with the mall indoor playground.  Who knew such a thing existed.

And then lunch and, of course, the carousel ride.  Twice.

Since our exciting day, that dog and cat have gone everywhere with us {and trust me they are not small}.  Maggie's Teacup {as she calls her} even dines with us and has her own place setting.

Fall break success!

My Cub Scouts

It was no surprise to me that Jack was first in line to sign up for Cub Scouts this year.  I mean, camping, exploring, wilderness, and the great outdoors, those are all phrases that race through Jack's daily vocabulary.

I was all for it anticipating the absolute delight that it is bound to bring him.  I can't help but admit that I like the idea of a "well prepared" boy.  It's just an attribute that I find very valuable.  {It kind of runs in our blood.}  Not to mention, he has a whole slew of his first grade buddies in his pack.

Jack is beyond excited and came home from his first meeting eager for the next.

So, like I said, Jack wanting to join Cub Scouts was absolutely no surprise to me.  The biggest {and most pleasant} surprise, was Daddy taking on the role of Pack Leader.  I mean serious kudos to this Daddy!  As much as we adore him, he hardly has the same blood as Jack and I.

When I questioned his generosity to taking on this role, he simply said, "I know Jack will like it and I think it will be nice to spend this time with him".  {sigh}  So simple, yet so endearing.  What a lucky cub my little Jack is.

I have now found myself living with two Cub Scouts...never did I think I'd see the day.

And another shocker that came from this...not one complaint about a collared button up shirt.  That had to be tucked in, mind you!  {Gasp!}  That is usually only allowed on Sundays {per Jack's rules}.  Some sacrifices are worth it, I suppose.

Next on the agenda...an overpriced popcorn sale {beware friends and family} and the camping trip of any First graders lifetime.

Sesame Street Live {x2}

I might possibly live with Elmo's biggest fan so there was no way we were going to miss out on Sesame Street Live when it rolled into town.  And lucky me, I got to do it twice. {did you catch the sarcasm in that last sentence?}  More to come on that.

It must have been months ago when I purchased Lucy's tickets.  I just absolutely love our Friday free schedule this year.  So knowing Jack would be in school, {and he would be more than happy to miss the event}, I bought tickets for the girls and me for Friday's show.  Not to mention the less crowded Fridays always make these events more enjoyable for all of us.

The girls and I headed downtown {dressed in red, as it is Elmo's favorite color} and enjoyed a lovely Friday afternoon dancing and singing along to Sesame Street's latest tunes.

The show did not disappoint.  I found the length to be just right and I loved our seats.  I learned a long time ago to opt out for the pricey seats and grab a balcony seat.  It's the perfect view for my shorties and we always find ourselves with lots of extra space around us.

Elmo's biggest fan, also know as Lucy, could not get enough of the characters.  I must have videoed a bazillion snippets of this one breaking it down.  My most favorite was her jig to "I've Got The Moves Like Cookie" a spin off of the "moves like Jagger" song.  Simply hilarious.

I treated the girls to popcorn during intermission.  You would have thought they had struck gold, and might I never have mentioned, I am a sucker for movie theatre popcorn too.

 
All this excitement and there was still more to come.

So I imagine you got the {X2} up there.  Well, here it is.  Sweet Grandma surprised Lucy {and her family} with tickets to...you guessed it...Sesame Street Live.  The Saturday show.

How could any Elmo loving fan turn that down?  Lucy was more than obliged to go.  Of course, Maggie was in.  It was just Jack who needed a tiny bit of convincing.  But, don't let him fool you for a minute, he was all eyes on the stage the entire show even though he is, "too old for Sesame Street", and I quote.

I praised him for being a good sport and we were off for our second day of Elmo.

Our closet seems to be lacking in the red department, so we chose a bit of pink and blue in honor of Cookie and Abbycadabe for the second showing.

We changed things up a bit with floor seating.  Lucy spent the majority of time standing in Grandma's lap.  Both of them were beyond happy about that.

We traded in the popcorn snack for these frozen treats.

That blue snow cone quickly erased any of Jack's reservations about coming along.

But, Lucy scored the biggest.  Not only did she get to boogie down to Sesame Street Live two days in a row, but she FINALLY got to take home a coveted Elmo balloon.  She had begged me the day before and I just couldn't see spending $10 on a balloon...seriously?!?  By Friday evening she was still talking about it, so I finally caved at Saturday's show.

I have to admit...she is totally worth it.

So I must take a moment to thank Grandma for thinking of our littlest Lu.  How incredibly thoughtful..  And there is no doubt that Lucy was completely up for two rounds of Elmo.  Would we have assumed differently?

I shudder to think of the day when all my kids will be "too old for Sesame Street".  Until then, I will happily take Elmo {x2}.

Student Of The Week

There could hardly be any other reason to share this except for the fact that I just had to brag.  I am ooozing with pride for my Student of the Week.

Only a few weeks into the new school year too...what an honor!  Jack was loving that his certificate was hanging out in the hallway for all to see.  I can't wait until he brings that bad boy home.

Way to go my favorite 1st grader!

Random Labor Day Weekend

Hoping your Labor Day weekend was fabulous.  Ours was rather random, but great, none the less.

Between school starting and Lucy's 2nd birthday, I just let the upcoming holiday completely slip my mind.  I didn't plan a thing and so we just went with it and allowed the randomness of the three day weekend to emerge.

We started Saturday with a very last minute, why not, trip up to Tiny Towne.  It's just that...a tiny town with a driving course for kids.  I did very little research on it.  I only recently caught a buzz that it was open so we gave it a try.

Ever so often, something of this nature completely exceeds my expectations, let's just say this did not.  Nor did it hardly meet them.  Admittedly, it was very well put together and the "town" was impressive. The biggest fault I found was that Jack and Maggie had the exact same course to drive on.  The only difference for his age, was the style of car and the addition of gears, pedals, etc.  

So, unfortunately that impressive town was only enjoyed on a drive by.  Maggie didn't notice, or care for that matter.  But, Jack, oh yes, Jack did, and he was not too happy.  He'll have to wait until he's 10 or something like that.  I hardly see him having any interest by that age though.

The "carcade" did ease the pain, but only enhanced it for me.  I happily bid my farewell to Tiny Towne come departure time.

Somewhere between Tiny Towne and actual Labor Day, we attended two neighbor spur of the moment nights.  One at our home for pizza and FSU football and another for swimming and a cook out.  Not bad for absolutely no Labor Day weekend plans.

By today, my kiddos had been up late one too many nights.  We laid low for the morning and baked and decorated cookies.  Random, I know, for Labor Day anyway, but we were trying to keep in the whole random themed weekend thing.

I took all three of the kids up to Publix to get our supplies.  There wasn't a soul in sight.  I guess everyone was off cooking out or doing what you are supposed to do on Labor Day. I enjoyed having the store to myself as I navigated my wild things down the aisles.

Of course, we left with a variety of unnecessary cookie decorating items, like Princess glitter icing pens, blue icing in a writable tube, and way too many sprinkles.  Our bake and breaks were way more fancy than what was deserving.

I vow to throw them away once everyone is off to school tomorrow.  Serious overload on the dyes.

I'm sure you can only imagine what our floor looked liked post decorating.  And I assure I wasn't going to be allowed to clean it up without "helpers".

After we recovered the 4,000 sprinkles off the floor I dropped the kids at Grandma's house for the rest of the day.  The timing of her phone call was impeccable.  'Sure, {with a grin} they'd love to come over'.  And off I sent them with a sugar induced high.

And for the first time all weekend, I actually got my very own Labor Day.

Happy Day Off friends!