Alabama 2009

We spent the last week of summer in Alabama. We started out in Auburn for Fan Day and then headed close to Selma to stay one night in the RV with Granny and Papa. Sydney and Mac love the RV and all that goes with it. We then set out for Clanton. Granny and Papa have a huge yard and the kids just love to run and play all day. Sydney learned to ride her bike without training wheels and spent most of her time concentrating on that skill. Mac concentrated on running. We also spent an afternoon with my nephew and niece. Sydney and Mac love to play with their cousins. They have the best time with Granny and Papa and are always looking forward to visiting Alabama.

After Clanton, we went to Pulaski, TN to see the over 100 year old farmhouse my parents renovated. They did a great job and spent many, many hours on it themselves. I wish I had some pictures of the house to share. Pulaski is a really quaint town, with a good bit of unique activities. Mac and Sydney loved finding the turkeys downtown, having ice cream, sitting in the big chair, etc... And the hills of Tennessee are absolutely beautiful.

With one of the many turkeys in Pulaski, Tennessee. They loved finding them downtown.
Sydney and Mac enjoyed their $1 ice cream at the drug store in Pulaski. You can also get a nickel soft drink.

Our only girl cousin, Jenna. Sydney loved watching her practice cheerleading. It brought back a few childhood memories for me as well. There is something sweet about cheering for the local Pee Wee football team.
It is a good thing I got my new bike because Sydney learned to ride her bike without training wheels! We rode around our neighborhood trail (3 miles) last weekend, twice. I was huffing and puffing, but Sydney could have gone a few more laps.

My Birthday Bike!

August is a fun and busy month for me. I get to celebrate a new school year and schedule as well as my birthday and anniversary. My sweet little family gave me just what I asked for, a new bike. I told them I didn't want hand breaks, gears or a tiny, uncomfortable seat. So I got this and love it!

Auburn Fan Day

My favorite picture of Mac and Sydney.

Bart and I took the kids down to Auburn to share a little piece of us with them. They had a blast! We saw cheerleaders, dancers, Aubie and football players. It truly is a wonderful place. I can only hope our children love their university as much as we love ours.

First Day of School!

This picture pretty much sums up Mac Street!



This is a little late, but I want you to know that the kids started school and are off to a fantastic start. Sydney is in kindergarten and Mac is in 2K. They are loving every minute of it. Sydney is learning so much and I am so thankful for her wonderful teacher. It really does take a special person to make learning fun and interesting. I hope she knows how immensely proud we are of her.

Mac goes three days a week, but tries with all of his might to get out of the carseat on the other two days. I miss Sydney while she is gone, but love my one-on-one time with my baby boy. We do fun "boy" playdates or just hang out at home and clean. He is very active, but seems to calm down a bit when he gets all of the attention. I am happy to do whatever he wants because I now understand how quickly it passes by.

Georgia

Our oldest nephew, Hunter, has been playing baseball since he was three. He is now 11 and is the catcher for his All-Star team. He had a World Series game near us, so we went to see him play. He lives in Alabama, so it is hard to get to his games, but we love to see him play if we can. They won and after the game we went to Athens, GA to visit the campus. We had lunch at the Varsity, frozen oranges and all and rode around the campus and stadium.

I told Bart we needed to take Sydney and Mac's picture on campus in case one of them decides to go to school there. He looked at me like I had three heads. He said if we are going to pay out-of-state tuition, they were going to Auburn. The kids are only 5 and 2, I think we have time and should let them decide.

We had a great day with the family. The weather was perfect, 79 with a breeze. It doesn't get much better than that.


Mac in his favorite shirt. This is Bart's from 1978. My kid's loved seeing Hunter play, but I think they really loved the ballpark refreshments.

Princess, Princess, Princess

Sydney and I helped her friend, Kathleen, celebrate her fifth birthday at Disney World. We had a great time with just the girls. Kathleen has a little brother, too. The little boys stayed home with the big boys for a little "man weekend." This "man weekend" included a poker night, a sleepover and a lake trip. The little boys had a great time and I think the dads did as well.

Kristy planned an excellent trip for us. We went to a character breakfast on Kathleen's birthday and then we headed to Magic Kingdom for the day. With the special birthday Fast Pass, we were able to ride the popular rides without a wait, which was very helpful in the July heat. The next day we visited the Bippity Boppity Boutique for a princess makeover and had lunch with all the princesses at Cinderella's Royal Table. The food was really yummy. After a long day at the park we had dinner at Downtown Disney where Sydney discovered Legos. The Lego store was packed. By the way, there are no signs of a recession at Disney World. People are just lining up to give their money away. Both girls enjoyed playing "Princess" while we were at the hotel. They would have you line up for their autographs, then pose for a picture.

The trip was quick, but we accomplished much. Kathleen took her first trip in an airplane, they both collected many autographs, fell in love with the Buzz Lightyear ride and enjoyed a three-night slumber party. Kristy and I survived!






Sydney taking a bow after playing Chip in Storytime with Belle.


Buzz Lightyear was Kathleen's favorite ride.


A great way to end the day with a double rainbow.

The Children's Museum of the Upstate is OPEN!

The Children's Museum of the Upstate is OPEN!!! It is great and worth every bit of the wait. The Circle members had the opportunity to preview the museum before it opened on July 31st. They loved every minute of it. They keep asking me why I get to go (to volunteer) and they don't. I guess it is time to take them back!