Go Gators

Our trip to Gainesville - take 2!  

We finally made it to a gymnastics meet at UF!  It was their Link To Pink meet in support of breast cancer. What a special meet since UF gymnast Rachel Spicer's mom is currently battling breast cancer. We left early from Jax so we'd have time to get dinner first. 

Here she is coloring gators and doing a UF word search!  We ate at The Swamp Restaurant across from campus. Closest you'll find me to the actual Swamp!

Got ourselves so great seats!

Never would I have dreamed I'd have a kid wearing a Gators shirt and shaking a blue & orange pom pom!  The things you do for your kids when you become a parent!

Look how happy she is!!!  She hung out in the aisle for a better view of her favorite gymnast, freshman phenom Alex McMurtry!  

Yes, she even got to meet Alberta!  

Kytra Hunter warming up on beam. 

The gator girls having fun at floor. 

She ditched me for beam & floor for a better view. She watched the entire meet intensely. She didn't want to miss a thing!

We can't leave until after the awards Mom!  

Afterwards she got Kytra Hunter's and Bridget Sloan's autographs. She was bummed she didn't get to meet Alex, but we'll have plenty of time to do that over the next 3 years!

Yes, not only did I buy her a shirt, but also an Albert the alligator. This morning there was a showdown at breakfast. I told her last night at bedtime that it was a good thing she didn't bring Albert to bed with her because he and her Nittany lion probably would have gotten jealous and started a fight!  She asked me who I thought would win...I told her in my heart I'd pick the lion. She quickly said she agreed!  ❤️

Special Date Night

Andy likes to take Sissy on dates from time to time. It's so important for her to understand how treasured she is and to learn the expectation for how a future boyfriend/husband should treat her. It also helps build her self esteem and confidence to know how special she is in her Daddy's eyes. 

They headed out to Mezza for some "pink fish" aka salmon for dinner. It's a favorite for them. 

She and I had fun picking out her clothes, shoes, doing her hair & make up and I even taught her how to apply perfume in the right spots. I hope she always lets me be a part of her date night preparations. 

Can't wait to hear all about her fun evening!

Handsome Date

Lucky me!!!  While Andy was at a work dinner and Sis was at practice, Ra and I got a pizza from Al's and headed home to finish watching the movie Left Behind. It's a special time for us to bond and for him to know how special he still is to me even though he's growing up and so independent. 

He loved the movie. He's really interested in the book of Revelations and this movie sparked lots of good conversation. His understanding of the Bible never ceases to amaze me. 

Warmer Weather

On Saturdays we like to head to the Beaches Farmers Market. It's about a mile away in Neptune Beach at Jarboe Park. With warm air & sunny skies, we broke out our bikes in search of raw milk and fresh, local produce. 

Ra enjoyed an iced chocolate mint tea while Sis was sampling the local organic oranges. 

Riding home with my basket filled with goodies!

Sunday was even more beautiful than Sat. Temps hit the 70's so we all went for a bike ride together. The kids begged to stop at their favorite park. Ra & Andy played football (even after a 2 hr football practice) while Sis climbed trees and enjoyed the tire swing. 

When we got home we threw some steaks on the grill. Yum!  What a beautiful, relaxing weekend!

Baby It's Cold Outside!

While we were here in Jax literally freezing - yes, the beaches actually dipped below 32 degrees - my crazy husband was in Michigan with 30 below temps.  I didn't envy him one bit!

On Saturday he had agreed to participate in a Polar Plunge to support Michigan's Special Olympics.   His team of 6 was leading the fundraising into the night before the plunge but someone must have gotten a last minute pledge to push them out of first place.  

Here's Andy gasping for air from the shock of the cold temps.  His team dressed up as mimes.  They had a great time for a great cause, but I don't know if Andy is interested in doing it again anytime soon!  BRRR!!!!

Here's the article about the plunge into 31 degree water with 17 degree air temps:  

Polar Plunge 2015

The Cat In The Hat

And all those other Dr. Seuss favorites were celebrated in 1st grade this morning.

Mrs R looked fabulous dressed up as the Cat in the Hat today while she shared the story with the class to kick off the centers. 

Sis started by making her Cat in the Hat at the first center. 

Then they celebrated One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish by graphing (and eating) colored goldfish.

No Dr. Seuss celebration is complete without Green Eggs & Ham!  She ❤️ them!  The students got to crack the eggs and whisk them before a parent volunteer cooked and served them. 

The last center was to make their own trufflula trees from the Lorax!

I'm so thankful that I can attend her classroom activities and share in her learning experiences. What a great way to start a Friday!!!

Be Our Guest!

As I'm sure you've figured out, my parents came for a long weekend visit.  Dad had sprint car tickets for a weekend race in Volusia.  They came into town on Thursday so Mom could drive with me and Sis to her meet at Disney on Friday.  Friday night Ra went to the race with my Dad.  He picked him up from school and they headed south for the race.  Ra had a great time at the race but his only complaint was it was too late.  He was exhausted all weekend from being up so late!

Dad went again on Saturday night solo while the rest of us hung out at the house.  Mom played numerous games with the kids - board games and video games.  Both my parents played ping pong with Ra and my dad threw football with Ra as often as Ra asked!  Both my parents got to go watch Ra at football practice which was fun since they'll miss his games.

We took my parents out for their 65th birthday dinner on Sunday night.  We finally tried Culhane's Irish Pub.  It's owned by 4 Irish sisters who are friends with my English neighbors.  Our neibs have been telling us how good the food is so we finally decided to find out.

Mom and Dad said the food tasted very authentic.  It reminded them of their Ireland trip this past fall.  They even had live Irish folk music.  Everyone enjoyed singing along while we ate and drank!  It was a fabulous night.  The staff was as wonderful as our meal.  We'll be back again for sure!

Mom and Dad stayed until Tuesday morning when the kids went back to school.  They dropped them off at school for me so they could spend a few more moments together.  Thankfully Mom reported that no one cried!  Usually Sis is bawling everytime she has to say goodbye to them.  Maybe the fact that they were at school did the trick to distract her.  She was in tears the night before though...Poor kid.  I wish it wasn't this way, but at least they get quality time together.  My parents are really important to my kids.  They are the only grandparents who they see on a somewhat regular basis.  It's hard for my kids to not have any family around for special moments and events.  My parents make my kids feel like a priority and it shows by how my kids feel about them.  I'm thankful that my kids have my parents to play such an important role in their lives.  

Valentine's Day

Both kids had parties at school this year.  Sis had centers for her party that included, delivering valentines, decorating and eating cookies, charting conversation hearts and crafting a teddy bear.  She had a great time and was glad I could attend!

Having fun with her buddy Addison!

Ra's party was on Friday - they exchanged valentines and had some food.  Parents weren't invited to the 5th grade party.  They are too cool for their parents at that age!  Lol!  Ra had a good time at his.

Both kids ended up not getting any candy from family.  With Ra's dietary restrictions, it's just too difficult.  Both kids got 2 new books and Ra got some gear for football while Sis got some new gymnastics t-shirts.  Mom and Dad gave the kids gifts for Valentine's Day too.  Ra got a new Calvin & Hobbes book which he hasn't taken his nose out of since!  Sis got a fun sticker book that actually included gymnasts!

Both kids had a fantastic Valentine's Day!  

Girls Day Out

I like to give Sissy something to look forward to after her meets incase they don't go as well as she'd like...Last time it was going to Disney.  This time it was visiting the American Girl Doll Store.  We decided this would be more fun if Nanny was with us since she's the one who bought Sis her two dolls.  She really was like a kid in a candy store!  She had saved her money and looked at EVERY item in the store at least three times!

We decided to get a bite to eat at the Bistro.  Merleigh had a great time sitting at the table with Sis.  She had her own cup and saucer and new bow hair tie (from around the napkins) to take home with her!

Sis got to decorate her own cupcakes for dessert - one for her and one for Merleigh.  Lucky for Sis, Merleigh didn't want hers and Sis got to eat it!

She loved being able to spend this girl time with Nanny.  

What to spend her money on at the store...Such decisions are difficult when you are 6 years old!  She decided to get her doll's hair done.  So fun!

The two beauties!

She finally decided to spend the rest of her money on a collar/leash set for Merleigh's dog and a new earring set that both dolls can share.  Poor Saige had to stay in the car.  Sis didn't want to drag both through the store.  The clerks said that most of the time girls will bring the doll they've had the longest if they only bring one...That's what Sis did!  Merleigh is her mini me doll, even down to the blue eyes!

Such a fun experience!  We may have to stop there again sometime.  It's a good thing that Orlando isn't too close, but not too far that we can't visit again someday.  The Bistro had really good food at reasonable prices.  We watched a few dads with their daughters there.  It was so sweet.  Lots of girls with their moms and friends were dining as well.  If I can get my cousin and her daughter down here, we may have to take our two girls there together!  Hint Hint Aunt Lori!  ;)

I'll Tumble For Ya!

Sis's last meet of the season was at Disney's ESPN Wide World of Sports!  It's quite a complex.  It was our first time there and it was a bit intimidating for our little gymnast.  We got there early so we wouldn't have to rush and she could have time to settle in before warm ups at noon.

A great bonus for this meet was that Nanny was able to come along with us to Orlando to see Sissy compete.  She was thrilled to have an extra fan cheering her on from the stands!  We even had signs to hold up so she could see us cheering for her from the stands!  Not that she can't hear Momma's voice loud and clear before she starts her event!  All those years as a PE teacher/coach have paid off!

Sis and her teammates being introduced at the meet!  2 girls were sick and couldn't make it.  

Sis was the first athlete to compete in the first event of the meet.  A bit nerve wracking, but she did a good job considering it was BEAM!

Next they moved to floor.  The floor judges were TOUGH!  I was surprised how low all the girls scores were, but at least it was consistent.

Next she moved onto her favorite...Vault!

Her last event was bars.  She still struggles with her mill circle, but every week it gets a little better.  Just got to get her leg straight the entire way around and her scores will go up!

This meet included some older kids in her awards group.  Considering how many teams and kids at this meet, she did very well.

She loved sharing 2nd place with her buddy Darryelle in vault!

Love seeing that proud smile on her face.  I also loved watching her cheer for the other girls who earned medals as well.

She earned medals in all 4 events.  She improved her scores in 2 events, stayed the same in one and went down in another - floor, where the tough judges were located.  She was pleased with her performance and was happy to add more medals to her collection!

Once again, the Level 2's from North Florida have earned 1st Place!  The girls were very pleased with their team performance!  

Sis was so excited to have another meet under her belt.  She was nervous again before warm up, but thankfully this time it didn't last long and there weren't any tears.  She gets herself worked up but once she starts warm up, she gets in the zone!

Winter in the Sunshine State

This is one of those posts where a picture says a thousand words.  This is what makes living in Florida with 100+ degrees and near 100% humidity in the summers tolerable.  I've been taking walks on the beach every chance I get.  I love my beach life...

Utah Bound!

***Yes, this post is VERY late and overdue!  I made a few iMovies on my new iPhone and can't seem to get them off my phone and onto my computer to include them in this post.  For now, here's what I have, I'll update this post with some cute videos when I can figure it out!

We left the day after Christmas to visit Kevin and Cara in Utah.  We also got the chance to visit other friends while were there.  It was a fabulous but VERY (even by Utah standards) cold trip!

Our trip there was adventurous to say the least.  First of all we ran into our friends the Beadles from Utah in the Jax airport!  They were in town visiting their son Zane who now plays for the Jags!  It was so great to catch up with Jill and see Ra and Kayden fall back into step with each other.  They had fun talking about football and their trip to Florida.

Secondly, we were supposed to get to SLC at 9:15pm MST but we didn't land until 12:30am MST.  Once we landed and were on our way to Kev and Cara's house, Ra says to Sis, "Look at all that snow on the mountains!" Sis's response was in total Kendallism fashion: "I know!  I can't wait to eat it!"  Ha ha!  It was a very long day for these two.  Ra didn't sleep much but thankfully Sis slept the whole way from Atlanta to SLC.

Here they are on our first day in Utah - taking in the snow!  They couldn't wait to get outside and make snow angels.  All that was missing was Penton!  ;(

We were lucky to get in a fresh POW day at Brighton.  The kids each took a full day lesson while the three musketeers hit the slopes together like the good old days!

Sis did a great job in her lesson.  I was very impressed how much she remembered and how quickly she picked it back up!  She earned all but the last sticker on her button...After one day, she was considered an advanced level 4 skier!

We couldn't visit Utah without making a stop at our favorite restaurants! Everyone who knows me understands that I have a small (maybe a large) obsession with the pork salads from Cafe Rio.  I had to get a few of them while I was there...and when they look like this, who wouldn't want them?  Just thinking about it makes my mouth water!

We also made a much needed stop at The Red Iguana.  This is all ALL TIME favorite Mexican restaurant and is the reason that the Mexican restaurants here will never measure up!  If you have a party of 6 or more they will take a reservation so it's always a win-win when we go with Kevin and Cara!

Kevin and Cara got some sleds for the kids to use while they were in Utah.  We took them over to a huge hill in Sandy - at a park where we use to roll down the giant hill in the summer time.  They had so much fun!

Can't help but miss this view.  A bluebird day with sugar coated mountains.  It was cold though...16 degrees in the valley.  We were thankful for the sun!

The kids were so excited for a sleepover with Tristam!  He and Ra were like cousins while we lived in Utah.  They did a lot together, holidays, camping, skiing, sleepovers, birthdays, etc.  

You know we couldn't go to Utah without skiing The "Bird!  We had a blast!  Kevin and his nephew Tristam were with us too.  It was like the old days!  

We also got a chance to see friends on NYE.  Kev & Cara were gracious enough to open their home up to some of our friends.  It was awesome to see everyone!

Sissy also got to see some of her buddies while we were there. Here she is at dinner with Faith and Paige. 

We also spent an afternoon with my wine club girls and their kids at Airborne. The kids got to play and jump while us moms all caught up. It was awesome to see Sis and her buddy Nat Nat together again. They got to see each other twice over our trip. 

We also spent a day on the tubing hill in Park City. It was cold and crowded but we still had fun. 

Ra got a chance to ride a snowmobile for the first time. He liked it but said it didn't go fast enough!

My Facebook post from January 5th:

As our Christmas vacation is drawing to a close today, I think back over the 17 days off with my kids and realize just how blessed we truly are. We got to spend time with my parents and celebrate Christmas together here in our new house for the first time. We also spent over 7 days in Utah with my best friend, his incredible wife and catching up with lots of our friends, doing all the things we love to do during winter in Utah! And to top it off, Penn State won the Pin Stripe Bowl! Who knew you could cram that much fun into 2 1/2 weeks!

 — feeling grateful.