Oops! This was from last Sunday, March 12. I’ll move it to that date shortly.
Xander, Owen, and Nic (left to right) were all in kindergarten together. Jayden just moved here in January and is in Owen’s class (and lives one street over from us!)
Category Archives: Friends & Family
My friends made me happy cry!
I was hosting an online Facebook party for this cool new lipstick and had included people from all times of my life…and the consultant was posting fun games for them to earn raffle entries. This one she did was so sweet and the responses made me happy cry. 🙂 I’m posting it so I can look back on it when I’m having a bad day.
Three girls, three ages, one height.
We had our monthly get-together with friends, and had the girls all stand together. From left to right, it’s Sheila (3), Katie (4), and Reilly (5). They all have July birthdays (so it’s not like one is 4y11m and the next is 5y1m). Yes there is a bit of difference between age 3 and 5, but really, it’s all pretty even.
Babysitting at the neighbors
My friend had to take an exam so I came and sat at the house with Katie while her son napped. Well, Caitlin spoils Katie and had out markers and crayons and pages to color and a bucket of water beads…and she was elated. I have to admit the water beads are super cool. 🙂
Katie was SO excited when Liam woke up from his nap. Hell, Liam was so excited, too, when he saw Katie! I so wish I would have been recording when he came to the stairs—she got this super excited look on her face and said LIAM!!! and he got this super excited look on his face and said (in his so cute 3yo voice) KAYDEE!!! Oh man, it melted my heart. And then she had to help take him to the potty. 🙂
They play well enough together that I didn’t have to oversee much and I stayed in the living room on the couch while they were in the kitchen with the bucket of water beads. And then I heard chairs moving and water splashing…and got up to discover this:
They knew they couldn’t reach it and Katie told me since there was only one stool they got the chairs! Smart kid, right? So I moved it to the floor on a towel and everyone was happy!
Later, Katie got on one of her favorite toys. (I am GOING to get two of these if the floors in our next house are good!)
Boosterthon Fun Run Success, Year 2
Owen’s school participated in the Boosterthon Fun Run again this year and once again Owen ran all 35 possible laps! The weather was unseasonably cold (with the first snow day and two 2-hour delays this very week!) so the run had to move inside. They turned it into a “glow run” which was cool…but made for a horrible time taking pictures.
But first, as we were waiting to enter the gym (each grade level ran at a different time), Owen came by doing his weekly chore: delivering lunch boxes to the cafeteria! As soon as he saw me, he hid behind the door (as seen in the second photo). What a stink!
Each classroom was announced and took a lap around the course and then lined up.
Staff ready to mark each lap!
Katie ready to make some noise and cheer!
The boys’ cheering section.
Getting ready to run!
This year they just got a sticker on their shirt instead of writing on the shirt itself. Owen actually ran more than the 35 laps, but a lot of kids did—the laps were much shorter this year because it was just one loop around the gym.
Overall, Owen earned $266.50 for technology for his school!! YAY OWEN!
This is looooooong overdue.
I hate doing it. I always feel like I’m ruining them…or not sharpening them enough. 😆 My stepdad usually does it for me but he hasn’t been here and it was getting dire.
Our first snow day!
And really, it was more of an ice day as we only got 1-2″ of slushy snow (and it was called last night with just the threat of snow and ice). But, Tom had a 3-hour delay which he turned into a telecommute day so everyone was home!
Friends invited us over to play in their yard and go sledding on the hill behind their house.
On our way!
This is what sledding looks like when you can still see grass. 🙂
Cool icicles off the top of the fence!
Owen loses Liam on a bump!
The kids were having a blast, even though the snow wasn’t great.
I wish I’d been recording when Owen slammed into the signpost so he could see just how close he was and why we tell them to be careful. We’d warned them all to try and steer clear of the trees and sign and to ditch the sled (roll off) if they came close…but of course that didn’t happen. I held my breath as I realized Owen was going to hit the post and there was nothing I could do to stop it… In the span of about three seconds, he hit the sign and slid forward, his knees stopping short of the sign by inches—and then he toppled over himself with his head and shoulders missing the post by inches. He immediately gave a thumbs up and then I could breathe again. As I’m sure you can imagine, the sled was quite damaged…
Our reenactment of the sled carnage (though he was actually 180° from what is pictured).
Time for a group picture!
Afterwards we came inside to warm up and play. Even though Owenlooks somewhat annoyed in this pic, he was having fun and is such a good sport.
Belly Swingers
Swinging with one of her best friends (our neighbor), Kayleigh.
Saturday Night Dinner!
Pre-dinner selfie.
Pre-dinner family selfie.
We loved that the three of them all crammed together on one side even though they didn’t need to. The boys were at the other table. 🙂
And I forgot to take a pic of the food (Slow Cooker Bacon Cheeseburger Sloppy Joes, Tangy and Creamy Macaroni Salad, and KFC’s Cole Slaw) and our group!
Entranced…
Owen is getting slightly more adventurous.Â
That’s his friend Jackson on the roof. Before this year there was no way Owen would have climbed up there.
Friends off to the playground.Â
Driveway Drinking
Knocking on our neighbor’s door like a big girl.
It’s been so nice that we decided we had to have at least one day of driveway drinking while waiting for the bus. 🙂
The cuteness. It burns.
We spent the morning with friends at one of the Burke Lake Park playgrounds. Liam will be three and Katie will be five…yet they get along like gangbusters.
Katie’s new trickÂ
This has come about over the last few days. She gets braver each time.
The usual view: Katie swinging and Kayleigh being pushed.
Candlelit dinner for two
I know, not quite what you thought, eh? 🙂
My friend’s husband is deployed and she had a hell of a day so I took the kids over to keep her kids occupied while we had a big drink.
These kids are too cute.Â
Due to power outages and road closures, school was on a two-hour delay—and of course I had my eye appointment followup right about when Owen would need to be getting on the bus. So I called on my neighbor to get him to the bus stop. She said I might as well drop Katie off, too… Okay, twist my arm. 🙂
Her older son was actually staying home so she had four kids to walk to the bus stop. She sent me these pics of the walk home. Jackson is 6 and in first grade.
Kidisms 37
Owen: Katie why are you reading my book?
Katie: I’M NOT! I’m just looking at it. I don’t know how to read yet.
Gramma was teaching Owen and Katie a new card game that involved matching suits and counting.
Katie: Let’s play plain. Without construction.
Gramma Jean was coloring with Owen and Katie. Owen was complimenting Katie.
Owen: Wow, Katie. You’re doing such a good job. You’re staying inside the lines. I’ve never seen a 4yo color so good.
Katie: I know, right?
At the airport, I told Katie that dad got her chicken fingers because that’s all they had.
Katie: Are you serious? I can’t handle chicken fingers.
Dolphins! Gramma Selfie!
The kids finally got to see some dolphins while Tom and I were out running an errand!
A thank you dinner for the grandparents!
We always take the grandparents out to dinner to thank them for letting us stay with them…and this time, we went to McGuires Irish Pub just down the road in Destin. We happened to be sitting right at a Pokémon gym so of course we had to take it over. 🙂
The tradition at this place is to leave a signed/decorated $1 bill stapled to the wall. They have over $1 million hanging throughout the place (see lots of great pictures from RoadTrippers). This was the wall behind us (in the natural restaurant lighting):
And the same picture with a flash:
This is the bill we did. Gramma drew the heart with the year and signer her name; Owen wrote his name on the very left, going up from the O; Katie die her KAtie on three lines; Grandpa David did his GD between Owen and Katie; Major Tom left his mark; and since no one took good ol’ George, I did that plus left our JTOK.
Gramma stapled it to the wall.
Can you see it?
Look here!
Now that’s a big chair.
Florida tradition: Fudpucker’s
Read about the last time we were there (2015).
Later when we checked the other pictures, we saw that Owen had his Halley shirt on again! Totally unplanned!
We had to visit Owen and Tom’s names on the wall…which happened to be right about where we were seated.
Katie adding her name!
Gramma Jean 2017
Time with Grauntie and Gruntie
Grauntie Rose and Gruntie Jim also stay down here during the winter, so they came over for lunch. We had hoped to be able to take the kids to the pool or the beach but it was cold and rainy…so there were a few games of Katie’s new favorite: Go Fish!
Katie wanted hot curls!
Katie loves when Gramma needs to curl her hair because that means Gramma will also put some curls in Katie’s hair, too. She’s been waiting patiently for three days. 🙂 The curling iron actually removes curls from her hair but she doesn’t care—she likes to feel the warm curls.
Another day, another trip the ocean!
Today was a beach day in the morning as it was in the 60s by 9am! Owen LOVES playing in the waves and he won’t come to shore until you call him in! Katie would rather dig in the sand than be tossed around by waves. The water is fairly cold—to the adults! (Tom came down for a bit and jumped in with Owen but then came right back out!!) Gramma made Katie into a mermaid and then made a lobster for herself!
Toooo much ocean fun!
Then we ran into a familiar face—Nancy (used to work with Gramma)!
Hide & Seek Queen
This is where Owen found Katie. He thought it was so cool he made her hide again and had Gramma come find her. Then Gramma thought it was so clever she made her hide again and had mom and dad come look for her. Of course, she gave herself away with the giggle. 🙂
Then we had her pose for us. 🙂
Boys’ Air Force Armament Afternoon Out
Two sets of Len toes
Gramma and Katie toes…
And a cuddle…
It’s a small world!
I knew a friend had moved to Florida but I couldn’t remember exactly where so I was planning to text and ask her. Well, Tom and I were out running errands when she texted me saying “Are you in Fort Walton Beach?” Why yes, I said (I had posted our whereabouts on Facebook). She lives two towns over. So we made plans for her to come pick up me and Katie for lunch!
We came home and I told Katie I had a surprise for her…she was going to get to see her friend Monti. It took her a moment to remember, but she did. This is her, excited, on the way down to meet them.
The two were fast friends in the back seat and jibber jabbered the whole way to the restaurant. They both ordered Mickey Mouse pancakes.
And then things went south when Monti decided she was done letting Katie share her sunglasses. I gave Katie my phone since it wasn’t her fault her friend was being a poop. But that caused even more upset because she thought she should get her mom’s phone and that was denied.
Katie did end up sharing the phone with her and there was happiness for a few minutes…and then Monti got upset about the equality of the sharing so the phone got taken away.
But we were still happy!! It was so great catching up with Melissa!
