Thursday, November 15, 2012

A Little Glimpse of Caleb's School Day

October 2012
One of Caleb's teachers, Ms. Cindy, emailed the parents a few pictures from the past weeks at school. I love getting a little glimpse into Caleb's secret world at school. It is so strange to be with him all day, every day and know every single thing that has went on with him. Then I send him to school for 4 hours twice a week and all I get is, "I played." Sometimes he will tell us more, especially if we know about something they did or if art work is sent home, etc. He loves it though! He is learning so much this year. They do a letter a week that includes recognition, drawing it, sounds it makes, and more. He goes to music class everyday and spanish once per week. They are working on colors in spanish right now. They keep them busy at school and their mornings are very structured and full. By the time he gets home, he is ready for a nap and usually takes a big one! I think sending him to a Mother's Day Out program was one of our best decisions with him...it gives him a break from being with Mommy (and Sissy) all day and me a break from him. I do miss him a ton and I looooove getting to his room before they are done singing or doing circle time so that I can watch the last minute or two. He is growing up so fast!

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Happy Halloween!!

October 31, 2012
We had a big Halloween last week! Our day started out with a playdate party with friends from Church at 10:30am. It was lots of fun! Rachel had a cute Halloween themed lunch and the kids had a lot of fun running around and playing. They were all so cute in their costumes. We took the kid's group photo a little too soon though, because 5 more showed up later.
After the party, we rushed home to take a big nap to gear up for Trick or Treating. We ran to Publix for a few groceries and Trick or Treating there, then met Gran Gran at Pizza Hut for dinner. By the time we got home, the sun was setting and Caleb was beyond excited. We loaded up the wagon and started ringing some "ding bells." It was a little cool, but not too bad. The kids got lots of candy were worn out by the time we got home.
Happy Halloween- from the Gilmore family!!!

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Pumpkin Craft and a Messy Baby!

October 30, 2012
We got a little festive last week, due to Halloween and all of the pumpkins around. Caleb loves to paint...so we painted some pumpkins! He loved it and got very creative mixing and matching paint colors. Meanwhile, Kailyn ate a yummy snack and got pretty messy...Check out the pictures from our fun afternoon!

Saturday, November 3, 2012

Rolling with the Tide, 2012

October 26-28, 2012
This past weekend, we went to Tuscaloosa for UA's Homecoming weekend. It has become an annual event for us and we love it. Jeremy's Aunt and Uncle are super sweet and not only let us stay with them, but they "host" us for the weekend. Cynthia always does such an amazing job making sure everyone is comfortable and has what they need plus some. And although I asked them to not fuss over us this year, they did! We had a yummy cooked breakfast both mornings. I know we are a crew to take in- more like a circus. Bless the Johnsons for putting up with us for a weekend!!
Daddy took a 1/2 day off work on Friday so that we could leave around lunchtime to head towards Tuscaloosa. It worked out great because we ate lunch in the car, then Kailyn napped most of the way. Caleb "rested" and watched movies. Thankfully, we got into town early enough to unpack and get beds put together and all of our night time items layed out. We also enjoyed playing outside since the weather was perfect.Once everyone got to the house, we headed out to eat Jalapenos for dinner- yum! It was such a nice, warm day and we enjoyed our mexican dinner on the patio. After dinner, we hurried to campus for the Homecoming pep rally and bon fire. The kids enjoyed hearing the band play...and we even spotted Big Al up on the stage. Then they moved to the middle of the Quad and lit the bon fire. It was big and bright. The kids thought it was really neat!
On Saturday morning, we woke up and were able to take it slow, enjoy visiting and playing. The Homecoming parade did not start until 2pm (downtown, which meant it would get to the Quad area closer to 2:30). After Kailyn woke up from her morning nap, we packed diaper bags, etc. and headed to campus. It took us a while to find a parking spot and walk up to the Quad. It was SO cold that day and windy too. We decided to keep the kids out of the cold and ate lunch at the Ferguson Center instead of a picnic outside on the Quad. It worked out for the best because Kailyn was able to sit in a high chair and eat! After eating, we walked (very quickly) to the Quad for the parade. We made it just in time! The parade was great and we got to see Big Al again- the highlight of the day for Caleb. We enjoyed snacking on tailgate food and playing on the Quad for a little longer before heading back to the house to settle the kids down. Since they skipped naps that day, we figured we could get them to bed a little early and it worked! The only sad news is that it was soooo cold that day, Mommy chickened out of going to the game and sent Grandad in her place. I figured I would just be miserable and drive Daddy nuts whinning about being cold, so it worked out for the best. Hopefully Mommy will get to go to at least one game next year...
On Sunday, we ate a yummy pancake breakfast, got ready, and packed up. We weren't in a big rush, we were able to visit a little bit more too. Everyone was a little tired and moving slow anyways. On the way out of town, we swung by campus to take a few family pictures. Unfotunately, Grandmama and Grandad wanted to head back to Guntersville early, so we weren't able to get pictures of the 4 of us...except Mommy did stop one family and asked them to snap one picture of us four, ha! One day things like this will embrarass the kids!! But we were able to get several cute pictures of Kailyn and Caleb and that made Mommy satisfied. We topped off our annual trip to campus with lunch at Buffalo Phil's. This was Mommy and Daddy's favorite restaurant in college and we always enjoy going back and reliving our old college days! Not to mention, it is sooo good!
Going back to Tuscaloosa always makes Mommy think back of our college days (FIVE years ago) and remember how fun it was. It is hillarious now to remember how hard we thought life was and now all I remember is how easy we had it. It is easy to wish to be back in those days, but when you look beside you at these two precious kids, there is no way! I am so thankful for great memories though.