Pre-K Program/Awards

Yesterday morning was AB’s Pre-K Program and Awards at school.

All three of the Pre-K classes gathered on the big stage to sing songs and get their certificates. This was a BIG deal to our girl. :)

All of the classes started by singing one song together, which was “Start this Day.”

After the opening song, all the classes received their certificates from their teachers and each student had their moment in the spotlight.

To wrap it up, each class had prepared a song and dance for the parents.

Our class sang “Going on a Jungle Hunt” – complete with safari glasses and hats. They were adorable.

Mamie was slightly disappointed that they didn’t sing “Frozen” – she kept saying, “Thems sing Frozen?”  She also thought Mickey Mouse was going to be behind the big curtain, but it was just her sister and the other Pre-Kers. :)  Mamie did clap loud at the end and yell a “YAY!!! Ann-Bell!” at the end of the program, though.

After the awards, we were invited back to the classroom to celebrate with breakfast.

AB with her teachers

In the room, Ms. L, presented each student with an award of their own. Awards were everything from most enthusiastic singer, leadership, math, science, art, etc…  She took a minute to talk about each student and their accomplishments and it was really sweet. AB got the “Excellence in Reading” award. She is doing so good with her reading (and writing) and we are super proud. She’s so excited about learning to read and she wants to read EVERYTHING around us all the time. Kindergarten is going to be such fun for her.

She was happy to have Daddy, Mamie, Grammy & Nie-Nie all come, too, to see her program and celebrate!

It was a sweet morning to mark the end of our Pre-K year. Hard to believe it’s almost over!

~amw~

The Long Weekend…

Friday afternoon, my dad called and said they’d planned a very last minute trip to Georgia to see my brother and his family and asked if we wanted to go… We really didn’t have any plans for the long weekend, except some projects around the house, so we opted for a little trip instead. :)

My parents picked us up around 5:30 and we headed out with quite a drive ahead of us. I don’t know how many times we’ve made that drive, but it never gets any shorter. Especially not in the middle of the night. The girls did so great, and Mamie, of course (who rarely sleeps in the car) was still awake at 1:30 a.m. when we pulled up to Beau & Kristy’s house.

After a good night’s sleep, we took the kids to the park for a picnic.

We got a nap that afternoon and it was fantastic. After naps, we watched the kids play in the yard and then roasted hot dogs and s’mores on the fire.

This deer head hangs on a tree in Beau’s backyard and it is SO BEAU. I kept wondering why it looked so creepy… then I realized it’s the EYES. It’s actually an old mount that he pulled the hide off of. While we were there, he also added a new bug-light to the backyard. (Talk about a blast from the past… raise your hand if you ever had a bug-light hanging outside your house!!!) We’d all cheer every time it would start zapping that night. Beau is the last of a dying breed for certain and I couldn’t love him more. He’s a “good ‘ole boy” for sure – but so well rounded, too. He’s quite the character and my SIL Kristy is such a great match for him.

We ended the night with sparklers and laser lights.

Sunday the crew went to church (minus me, DW & Mames) and then we had lunch and just sat around outside. The kids played until they decided they needed to take a trip to get some more outside toys with Grammy & Pop. An hour and three bags later they returned. We enjoyed a nice rain shower on the front porch and it was a lazy Sunday afternoon spent the way they should be.

That evening, we decided to have dinner at Quincy’s. It was like reliving our childhood- because when we were all together, you can bet we were down at the Quincy’s – and my Papa always had to tell them he was a Quincey. :) (Where else could you take a party of nearly 30 people?)…We’d usually eat there, too, in Gainesville, after a trip to Service Merchandise. DW remembers doing the same thing when they were kids, and I’m so glad, because I just don’t know if I could be with someone who doesn’t remember walking through the show room at Service Merchandise, marking their order form and then waiting at the conveyor belt. ;)

I didn’t even know Quincy’s was still around, and I’m sure it’s been 20 years since I’ve been to one, but they still have the rolls (not as good as they used to be) and the ice cream bar. When we were kids we’d get a bowl (or two) of ice cream there and then a cone to go. I have to admit, I’m a full on a buffet-hater, but I actually tried it that night and it was good. None of us ordered from the back, but afterward, wished we had just to know if the steaks still come with the pick in it to tell you how done it was… The girls were mesmerized the whole time and AB wanted a little bit of everything. It was hilarious.

After dinner, Beau took us up the side of a mountain to where a cell phone tower substation was. We were all a little skeptical, especially since we had to shimmy our way on the edge of a cliff beside a chain link fence- but when we got to the end, it was a beautiful look out spot…

There was a storm coming, so we took a quick look, a quick picture and then headed back to the cars. After DW had a close encounter with lightening and I’d laughed so hard I pulled a muscle, we made our way back down the mountain. Whoever thinks white men cannot jump, hasn’t seen DW.

We played a fierce game of Farkle that night, and Kristy beat us all.

Monday morning we headed home. It was a quick trip, but a great weekend. Sometimes we try to pack so much into a couple of days that it’s just exhausting…but this trip was just the laid back, restful, catch our breath weekend that we all needed.

~amw~

Mickey on Mother’s Day…

We had one day left on our Disney tickets, so we decided that Mother’s Day would be a good day to use them.
Usually, we try to come up with something to do on that day, since it’s just not one of my favorite days…
It turned out to be a really good day. 
We left around 7:00 for Hollywood Studios and the crowd couldn’t have been any better. The weather was warm, but there was a good breeze and for the most part it was really nice for a mid-May day in Florida. (On a side note, I am so glad this is the last time I’ll have to do Disney pregnant!) :)
We really didn’t have any expectations for the day and I didn’t even bring our big camera. I just used my IPhone to take pictures. It was so laid back and I think that made it an even more enjoyable day.
When we got to the park, cast members were handing our flowers to all the moms. Our girls were glad to take mine and Grammy’s off our hands. (They, especially Mamie, love flowers.)
We saw a couple characters…


Then we saw the Disney Junior Live on stage… it wasn’t what I thought at all. I thought it was the big characters, but really its puppets… and you sit ON.THE.FLOOR criss-cross for the 25 minute show. Big Momma here did not think I was going to be able to walk when we finally got up. Ha… It was cute though, and Mamie LOVED it. So of course it was worth it.
Another highlight for the girls was getting to see Sophia the First…



We opted for the “Great Movie Ride” next, where I knew we’d be sitting on a bench in the A/C for a while. ;)
Up next we grabbed a snack and then saw The Little Mermaid show. We were on the front row, so right in on the action. I was worried Mamie might be scared of big ole Ursula that up close and personal. I couldn’t have been more wrong. She LOVED her and kept waving and saying “Hey! Urs-u-la!” That’s our Mamie… she cries when I go through the car wash and says its scary, but she loves Ursula.
We saw the two Main Mice…



Mames was excited to see Mickey and said, “he’s got on a party hat!”


After we got some lunch, we did the Star Wars ride. AB was tall enough, so they all went on it while Mamie & I waited in the shade. (Expecting Moms cant ride). This is how Mames (who isn’t tall enough) felt about missing out:
My parents (who had to take off their 3-D glasses during the ride) said they’d gladly sit out next time, too. Ha. But AB loved it. They said she laughed and screamed the whole ride.
We did the Muppet 3D show next…

and then wrapped up the day by doing the Backlot Tour. I considered it a little smile from my God when I saw all of these dump trucks in the prop building. Dump trucks were our Cooper’s thing and it’s always sweet to see something that he would love.
The girls loved the bus tour and weren’t even scared during the action-movie scene demo.
We finished the day at the gift shop where the girls spent their Disney money on a Jake Spyglass and a Sofia Amulet, along with getting charms for their bracelets. This trip AB chose a Minnie Mouse mirror (we saw Minnie this trip in her dressing room) and Mamie chose Cinderella. DW saw the stuffed “Bullseye” horse and decided that baby brother needed it (and he picked one up for Parker, our newest nephew, too!) :)
It was a good day- and I’m sure thankful for the small herd (it’s starting to feel like that…ha) of children I get to be Momma to. ;)
~amw~