Dylan turns 7!

 It's hard to believe my baby turned 7 on November 16th!  We enjoyed a week long celebration including his favorite spot for dinner, Kobe, and an awesome Nerf Wars party. 

As Dylan embraces 7, his loves are:

1. His Mom (me) - I remain his "lovey".
2. Animals, especially our dog, Ali, and turtles
3. Milk - He must have his nightly glass of milk

Dylan is also super active and very athletic.  He loves soccer, basketball, and football.  Anything nerf gun related is awesome. 

We love you Dylan!

Fall Wrap Up

Our Fall flew by this year.  Graham was away for a good portion of it during the week, which made weekends a bit more important. 

Sleepover with Olivia. 

Dylan joined Tiger Scouts.

We babysat Reid.

We raised funds for DES.

We bought Reid a scooter.

He loves it!

We went Maitland Rock hunting...

we found a few!

We watched the Gators (mainly lose).

Enjoyed Sushi to celebrate our Birthdays!

Harvest Hoedown.

Crazy dress day at school.

Afterschool fun.

Ellison enjoyed Mickeys Scary Halloween with friends.

Ellison was in charge of Reid's 2nd Birthday party and loved decorating and planning.

Loving on Baxter.

Go Gators! Beat Tennessee!

 I love these photos!  The Gators had a losing season, but our win over Tennessee provided memories of a lifetime for Ellison and Dylan.  They both left the stadium wanting to attend UF and understanding why Graham, Grandpa, and I are a bit nutty for our Gators!

Hurricane Irma

 When Hurricane Irma is headed your way, you pack your valuables up.  For Dylan, that meant marbles, a fidget spinner, and a nerf gun.  For Ellison, she packed photos, a favorite book, and letters.  I just kept my children close.

 After the hurricane hits and the power is out, you play together, try to eat up your food before it spoils, and work on keeping up the positive spirit.

 When you can no longer spend time at home, you head to Sea World!

After a few days at home without A/C, you head to Grandma and Grandpa's house.  We had a family sleepover for several days!

Last Beach Weekend of 2017

We had a blast!  Can you tell?

Tea Time

 Last year, my friend posted about a special Mother and Daughter Tea Party that discusses puberty and the female body.  It sounded like an experience that would be great for Ellison and I. 

In the weeks leading up the tea, I debated how much I should tell her.  I didn't want her to go in with anxiety, refuse to go, tell me I was nuts, etc.  Instead, I just told her we were heading to a special tea and left it at that. 

Well, we sat down and they handed us a worksheet to fill out.  The topic... "What do you know about Puberty?".  The look on her face was priceless.  The experience was wonderful.  She felt empowered. 

First Day

 We have Fourth and First Graders!  Not sure where the time has gone, but it certainly has gone.  This year, Ellison switches class mid-day.  She has Ms. Pilgrim and Ms. Squires.  Dylan has Ms. Maki.  Cheers to a successful year!