Spring Break

Since Mobile is so doggone far away & our lives keep us so busy, we don't get up to north Alabama to visit our family & friends very much. Well, Spring Break was a couple weeks ago & we took the opportunity to pack up, jump in the truck, & head north!

 

Because I was enjoying the break & visiting with the peeps I love, I didn't take lots of pics (like normal). Of course I wish I had more to show all of the things we did & the people we saw, but here are a few...

 

Decatur Where It's Greater!!! 

We were so happy to arrive & see the fam on Saturday afternoon!! Papa G had the popcorn popper out & going. :)

This dude lost a tooth while there. He's picking up where Taylor left up...he seems to lose teeth constantly! The good thing about losing it in Decatur was that the Tooth Fairy left double what she usually leaves! Score!!

On Sunday, we went to our family church & then to my grandparents' to eat & play. Why did we put white on this boy???

Everyone always comments about how fancy Kallie dresses on a daily basis. We can't help it if I, I mean Kallie, likes her ruffles & jewels!! My dad is the leader of the "Kallie Needs Playclothes" committee, so on Monday we had a shopping trip to Old Navy to get my girl some playclothes!!

She's talking to Papa G while he pushes the buggy :)

MaMa & I took care of the picking out & we let Papa G take care of the paying!

On Tuesday, we went back to my grandparents' to spend the entire day with them. Eating, playing, & napping were all on the menu. It was a so nice & relaxing...

Mama Doris had money for the big boys, money & new undies for Tanner, a boatload of singing storybooks for Kallie, & a cute little dress for me! We're so spoiled...thanks Mama D!!

On Wednesday morning, we jumped in the truck & headed to Birmingham. We spent part of the day at our old school (Edgewood). This visit is always bittersweet...awesome being able to see & catch up with all of my teacher friends & being back in the building where I worked 7 years...sad & missing them even more after leaving. After our school visit, the boys saw a couple friends & we stopped at some of our other spots like Brookwood Mall, Homewood Antiques, & Edgewood Creamery.  

 

We stayed in town to go to our old church, CBF Ministries, for bible study that night. Same feeling as the school visit -- so nice seeing our pastor & church family, hard to say goodbye. I hate I didn't get any pics at school or church, but we were too busy talking, catching up, & being happy to see everyone! We're planning another visit for the summer!! 

 

After a busy week, we just hung out at the house on Thursday. After lots of visits, it was nice to have a day to do nothing. Here are some snapshots from that day, but a couple could also be from other times at the house throughout the week. 

Ugh, someone discovered the stairs during this trip. She thought it was funny to climb up & even funnier to act like she was gonna go down. It was not funny at all to the rest of us. We spent lots of time chasing & grabbing her, building barricades, & trying to keep her enclosed in rooms.

Papa G found lots of treasures in the back garage. You wouldn't believe the great toys stored that used to belong to me & my siblings that are popular again (like Power Rangers & wrestling men). My dad kept a lot & my boys were so pumped to dig into it all!

"Anything for me in there Papa G?"

"Nevermind, I'll just go play in the backyard. The rocks are calling my name. Good thing I have on my playclothes today..."

Oh my gosh...watching Kallie out in the yard with my daddy was priceless. Seeing her following him around pulled at my heartstrings...

After a big family breakfast on Friday morning, we loaded up & headed back south to Mobile. Originally we were going to stay through Saturday, but because Tim was planning to leave on Sunday for a week on the road recruiting, we decided to surprise him & head back early. We also had to get things ready for a busy week back to school.  

 

The time went way too fast & we were sad (as always) to leave...but we definitely enjoyed having a break from school & spending it with the people we love most!! This little trip up north certainly left smiles on our faces!

Pottying & Photobombing

When you're a mom, your children take you through a range of emotions. One minute I'm overflowing with pride, the next I'm boiling with frustration. I can be feeling all nostalgic & weepy before doubling over in uncontrollable laughter. Whew, motherhood sure puts your emotions through a workout!! :)

 

I had a proud moment recently when my sweet baby girl finally pee peed on the potty!!! My grandmother (who likes to do things "ahead of time"...hee hee) got Kallie a cute little princess potty for Christmas. Kallie loves to sit on it & has been saying "pee pee," "boo boo," & "potty" for awhile. I figured once she actually "did something" on the potty, she would have a connection & start to use it for real...   

 

A couple weeks ago, when she told us "Pee Pee!" (like normal), we raced to the potty (like normal) & she sat on it (like normal). To our surprise, this time there were real results!! Woo hoo!!! We hope this is the beginning of a short, successful potty training journey!

I had a moment full of chuckles last week when Tanner's teacher sent me pics from school. The class is working on measurement & took part in several fun activities to find the length & height of various objects & each other. We laughed has we discovered that Tanner seemed to "pop up" in several of the pics...just like the photobomber that he is! That boy definitely loves to pop up in my pictures too! Good thing he's so cute! Ha!!

Five Rivers Delta

Hutchens Elementary had a canned food drive back in the fall & Tanner's class brought in the most cans!! They received their prize on the Friday before spring break - a free field trip to the Five Rivers Delta!

The class was lucky to be able to go to 5 Rivers. Located in Spanish Fort, it has over 250,000 acres of waterways, woods, & wetlands, plus a facility with folks guiding you with countless things to see & do. I try to go on as many field trips as possible, but because I didn't have anyone to keep Kallie for the day, I was unable to go. Tanner was sad & a little worried that he "wouldn't have anyone to take care of him"... (which also made me sad). I assured him he'd have a great time & he did!

I enjoyed the pics Mrs. Burkett sent me throughout the day. They all learned a lot, had some fun, & Tanner even got to ride on the bus next to his sweet teacher. :)