Saturday, September 30, 2017

To Evacuate or Not?

as i'm sure you are aware, the first week of september brought the threat of hurricane irma bearing down on the southeast.  we had just gotten back from sami's wedding up north and thought we might be headed right back up if we were evacuated.  all week, we semi-prepared.  bringing in the porch and patio furniture, packing a few things, buying water and non-perishables.  as the week went on, evacuation looked imminent.  so, i packed everything up and left it by the door. 

but each day, at 5 and 11 (both am and pm), we could look at an updated track for the hurricane and by friday, it was moving west of us.  and at each update, it was further west.  so, each day, i stayed.  toby had already decided that he would stay, so the thought of driving back up north (with the rest of florida and georgia) with the kids by myself, became too much for me to handle.  we spent that weekend just waiting around, mostly. 

headed down to the river to skip some rocks.


and on sunday morning, i woke up and made the decision to stay.  so we headed to the grocery store and got some more supplies.  toby had already gotten his supplies (beer, donuts, chips), but i thought we might need a little more variety.  ๐Ÿ˜Š

that evening, we made cookies and had lasagna for dinner.  comfort food was what i needed after a few days of stressing and a few more headed our way. 

as the storm passed by us, it brought wind and rain, neither of which were too bad, but we did get a leaky window (do you like our towel/cup combo solution?) and we lost power for about 40 minutes.

the kids played video games and watched movies and it was actually a nice day at home (rare for us these days)

that evening, after the rain had stopped, the kids and i took a stroll around the neighborhood and assessed any damage (none, really).  i was SO happy that i didn't leave and that we were spared the worst of the storm. 

we continue to pray for all who have been affected by hurricanes harvey, irma and maria. 

Thursday, September 28, 2017

Sami Gets Hitched

over labor day weekend, my cousin sami, got married.  we drove up to go to the wedding and it was nice to have some time with my family since we didn't go up for a family vacation this summer.

isn't cj the cutest?

look at her, so beautiful!


roman stood most of the time so he could see.  he was very interested in the wedding and what was happening at each stage. 

they did it, they are married!


the decorations were absolutely beautiful!

oops, caught her eating!

the cake was gorgeous and josh made the cake stand.  it was huge and also so beautiful!

this picture is SO sami-doo๐Ÿ’Ÿ
all of mommom's grandkiddos. 

silly girls

we are a mess...but we had a great time!

Tuesday, September 26, 2017

Double Digits!

a decade!  that is how long we have enjoyed having roman in our lives.  
he is an absolute joy to be around, and i am so grateful to God for bringing him to our family.
he is kind, funny, smart, hard-working and so very sweet.  he is a momma's boy and wants his cuddle time, but he is a beast on the ballfield.  he works hard at school and is a straight A student, but he also knows how to cut loose and have a good time. 

through the years...

all he has been talking about is these sunglasses.  he wanted them because they are polarized and they can help him see better on the ballfield.  so, i guess he's all set now!

sharing ice cream with friends at school on his birthday was a highlight of his day. 

then, sharing a bowl of ice cream with his girl, mady, at home that night was the cherry on top!

he chose to have his birthday party at Get Air Trampoline Park this year.  they have tons of things to do for the kids and they just ran around that place, bouncing (see what i did there? ๐Ÿ˜‚) from one area to the next. 

gianna was able to invite gracie to play with her and was so excited to show her the grippy socks that they make you wear at get air.

time for some dodgeball.  you know who is a scary dodgeball opponent?  baseball players, that's who!  these boys were firing them at the other kids!



gianna was super proud of herself that she was able to climb to the top.

then, she and gracie did a 10 second countdown to jump in the foam pit...5...4...3...
2....1....JUMP!

taking a breather

on top of the world!

birthday parties are the best when spent with friends, getting sweaty and eating pizza and then cake, right?

gracie was so kind to help gianna across the tight rope
pizza time!
silly group of boys, right here!

he made a wish and blew those 10!!! candles out!  i hope all his wishes and dreams come true.  he so deserves all that his heart desires. 

happy 10th birthday, my dearest son.  you light up our world everyday and i hope you see how much joy you bring to everyone around you.  ๐Ÿ˜˜

Friday, September 22, 2017

Kindergarten & Fourth

Thanks here we go again!  how can it be that i have a fourth grader?  and, gianna is in her second year of school.  i'm just wondering where the time goes?  see my bear waving?  




of course, we had to get a silly pic!

yes, roman is really that tall.  he always jokes that he is going to be taller than me soon.  however, the joke is on him because i'm not that tall.  it really isn't a big accomplishment to be taller than 5'2", is it?

roman gets settled into fourth grade


gianna's first day of kindergarten, so exciting!!

even better, she gets to sit next to gracie๐Ÿ˜€

my little students๐Ÿ’—

an annual tradition for the bigger kids is the running of the halls.  did you doubt that roman would be up front?  ๐Ÿ˜‚

before their actual first day...we went in to the school to familiarize them with their classrooms and drop off their supplies.  roman was pretty pumped that he is number 1 this year.  he has always been number 2 (insert poop joke here) and when his friend, brendan bruen, left last year, he thought he would get bumped up.  but, they got a new student, lacey (last name begins with b) and she took the top spot.  well, her family has since moved and now, FINALLY, he is #1!!!

4th grade is gonna be fun!

gianna got to see her friend, eleanor, and they were so excited to be back together again!

her desk is closest to the teacher's desk and i'm not sure if that is a good or bad thing.  ๐Ÿ˜

later that day, we got to experience the solar eclipse.  unfortunately, it was a super cloudy day and we couldn't see it until much later when the clouds broke for a bit. 

by then, this was what we could see.   it's still kinda cool. 

a tradition that we have had for a few years now is going to our friends' pool in the afternoon on the first day of school (they always have a half day).  so, here we are...having a blast, bringing in the school year on the right foot!

how are these boys big enough to play chicken?  ugh...time is flying!