WaWa & Pakky

Virginia might not seem too far away compared to many other places, but a 10 hour drive with three kids might as well be a trip around the world.  Our kids are fairly good travelers, but strapped into a carseat for that long would produce a very fussy Grant..and consequently a very frazzled mommy and daddy!  :)  As a result, we have only made one trip to see WaWa and Pakky since Grant joined the family and they aren't usually able to visit us either....meaning many months often pass between visits.  We are thankful for the time we have together this weekend though and I know they are excited to get to spend some time with the kids!

As a special treat, WaWa & Pakky brought gifts for the kids!!  Pakky thought it would be a cute idea to draw names from a hat to determine the order for opening presents....the kids loved that idea!

Who is first??!

Kate was so excited when she opened this beautiful smocked dress.  Patty actually bought this dress years ago to match Kate's dedication/1st Easter dress.  We got Kate's dress when she was only a few months old on her very first trip to Virginia.  What a special gift for Kate to be able to put on her dolls!!

Next up...Grant!

Pakky got him this adorable singing stick pony.....that terrified Grant!  He ran off screaming as soon as it started singing!  It was quite hilarious.  But, it didn't take too long for him to come around and end up loving this cute little pony.  Thanks Pakky...I know Grant will have hours of fun with his new pony!!

Last but not least, a new growling dragon for Gabe's imaginext castle set!!

As you can see, he was soooo excited!!!

Wanting to fill their weekend with excitement, Kate and Grant decided to put on a parade for WaWa & Pakky!  These two kids are certainly cut from the same wild and crazy mold!!  Never a quiet moment with Kate and Grant around to play.

Jon got to enjoy a special treat today....a Jaguar football game with Dave!

The kids love "Uncle" Dave and enjoy seeing him even if only for just a minute.

Friday Night LIghts

If there is one thing Camden County is known for it is probably high school football.  During the Fall it seems like nearly the whole town stops on Fridays to recognize the Wildcats and cheer them on.  Being my Alma Mater, I certainly wish them well, but football doesn't rank high in my books.  That said, I do think we should come to more football games because I know the kids would love it...and they would always have lots of friends here to sit with each week!  With Jon's parents on their way from Virginia we thought this would be a fun thing for them and help break the ice with the kids since it's been about 18 months since they last saw each other.  Kate & Gabe were excited about everything...football, friends, and WaWa & Pakky!!

Upon entering the stadium we were greeted by the Wildcat!

Go Cats!!!  We want to see a win tonight!

The game was such a close match between these two top rated teams, but in the end the Cats came up on top!!

Go Wildcats!!!!

We were excited to also get to see the marching band tonight.  My parents and I were all in the marching band in high school (I marched on this very field!) so it will be interesting to see if one or all of our kids decide to join the band.  Jon also played trombone in middle school but was homeschooled through high school so he never got to march.

Gabe was happy to watch the game, but he was even more excited to get to watch it next to two of his best buds, Sam & Jack Jack!  These boys are all three at different schools this year and miss seeing each other so much!  I am thankful though that they still get to see each other fairly often.

Just as the game was beginning we were excited that WaWa & Pakky had arrived!!!

Gabe was being a little shy tonight and wouldn't get close enough for a picture, but I know he will be talking their ears off in no time!  They were also competing for his attention with his two best friends...  Kate, on the other hand, was eager to take all of their attention and enjoys talking about football with WaWa tonight during the game.  She was very excited to have them come visit this weekend!

When a couple of the older kids near us came back with water bottles and dog tags from the Army, my little soldier wanted some freebies too!  What we didn't discover until reaching their tent though was that to get the goods, you had to do push-ups!  Gabe immediately went into shy mode and would not do push-ups....even with this sweet helper and me offering to do them with him!  So, what does a mom do in this situation.....get down and do push-ups of course!  Fifteen push-ups later we had two Army water bottles, two dog tag necklaces, an Army pen...and a crazy memory.  :)  Go Army!!

JUMP!

I am so thankful for a teacher who takes lots of pictures and emails them for parents to see!  I would love to be able to hang out with Kate & Gabe all day and follow them through their activities, but since that probably isn't the best idea, this is a great alternative!

Today's email said, "We are ‘jumping’ into the weekend…..have a great one!!!"

And jumping in we shall do!  We have a busy weekend ahead with Jon's parent's arriving in town tonight for a visit!

Such a fun bunch of Kindergartners!!

Yikes!!

I had gone out with a group of friends for dinner, coming home after dark.  Jon and the kids were inside waiting up for me and I entered through the garage as usual....only difference tonight was a 4 foot rattlesnake waiting to eat me by the door!!  Okay, so maybe it was really just a 10 inch non-poisonous creepy creature, but none-the-less I still about died from a heart attack as it slid by my foot!  And to make things worse, our garage is packed with stuff and this little guy took off behind boxes.  I ran into the house to demand that Jon come catch it before I called the cops.  :)  He looked at me like I was crazy, but I wasn't joking....that snake had to go...tonight!  All I could picture was one of the kids leaving the door cracked and it crawling in to our house and finding me asleep.  Snakes and spiders....I don't co-exist well with either one!  I knew which direction it headed and I was determined to catch it.  And as you can see, we found it!!  I really would have preferred for Jon to kill it, but for some reason he had compassion on this thing and let it go in the lot next to our house.  But let it be known, it won't get a second pardon if it comes back for another visit!!  :)

Popcorn!

It may not be Happy Apple, but Gabe does have a wonderful Kindergarten teacher who loves doing extra special things....like making popcorn!!  This is what she had to say,

"Today we made popcorn…….real popcorn…..on the stove…..it was soooooooooo yummy!!!

We used our five senses to describe the smell, taste, feel, look and sounds it made.  Ask your child about making real popcorn!  (I know…..microwave popcorn is ‘real’….but this was so much fun!)"

Gabe is a huge popcorn so I know he had a blast with today's activity!

Gabe's Birthday Boot Camp - Part 3

Once all of his friends had gone home, we had one more birthday surprise for Gabe.....target practice with his cousins!  Gabe has never even held a real gun, let alone shoot one so you can imagine his excitement!  Dean-o was so great with all the kids.  He set up the target then spent quite a while teaching them about gun safety and also instructing them on how to use a BB gun.

The Birthday Boy got to take the first shot.  He was so serious!

After firing off about five shots the kids all ran to see how he did!!

He hit the target!!!  Awesome job Gabe!

Next up....this tough little soldier!

Kate was also very excited and as a fierce competitor, she was determined to be the best! 

Nice job!!!

Last but not least, our cousin Zane!

He too did great!

We've got some future sharpshooters on our hands!  :)

As if this day hasn't already been filled with fun from start to finish, there is still one final thing to do.....Go Carts!!

Our cousins have all the coolest toys, and lots of land to play with them on!  Thank you SO much Dean, Jaime, Zane, & Peyton for everything!!!  You guys made Gabe's 6th Birthday the best one yet!!!

Gabe's Birthday Boot Camp - Part 2

After all that hard work on the obstacle course, it was time to cool off at the watering hole...a.k.a. swimming pool!  :)  Water guns, water balloons, and lots of splashing = lots of fun!!

Even Daddy got in on some of the action by the pool!

Baby splash pad for Grant & Quinn.  :)

After a bit of cooling off we decided it was time to take a break and head to the Mess Hall for yummy treats!

We served "authentic" MREs and lots of other snacks...and of course Camouflage Cake.

Make a wish birthday boy!!

Kate and Grant decided that Gabe might need their help stripping the cake of toys and candles...

Awesome on the outside and the inside!

Waiting patiently for FOOD!!!

Anybody in here??!?

 

Once everyone had a chance to eat, Gabe was VERY excited to dig into his pile of presents.  Thank you everyone for coming out to celebrate with us today and blessing Gabe with so many fun new things!

All the kids played/worked hard and would certainly make fine members of our military in a few years....though I continuously tell Gabe that I am praying he chooses a safer career for my heart!  :)  I won't even let the kid play football....so war is NOT top on my list for his future!!  LOL!  The thought of any of my children going away to war is certainly noble, and I am forever indebted to the many brave men and women who fight for our freedom, I just can't even imagine how hard it must be to say goodbye when a child or spouse deploys to a foreign land during wartime.  That said, Gabe's favorite song is "I'm proud to be an American" and I am certainly proud to be his mommy!!!

Before leaving Boot Camp, each soldier was sent home with a goody bag filled with treats, prizes, and even authentic MRE sugar cookies....good for 10 years!

Three of my favorite soldiers!!!

Happy 6th Birthday Gabe!

I hope you had a blast today and made memories that will last a lifetime!