Seven Years Old

Posted in Family by Kendra G.

Crosby is seven years old today!

The birthday interview tradition continues!

What is your name? Crosby
How old are you? Seven
What is your favorite thing to do? Spend time with you
What do you want to be when you grow up? A scientist
What is your favorite food? Tacos
Who do you like to spend your time with? You
What do you do really well? Play video games
What makes you laugh? Tickles
What is the best time of day? Recess
What are you afraid of? Nothing!
Who is your best friend? Hudson
What do you like to do with your family? Have tickle fights
What do you love to learn about? Outer space
Where do you like to go? Disney Animal Kingdom
What is your favorite book? Bad Guys (the series)
If you had one wish, what would it be? To be a Storm Trooper. and to fly.
What is your favorite color? Yellow
What is your favorite TV show? Anything on Disney+
What is your favorite animal? Weiner dogs
What is your favorite movie? Toy Story 4
What is your favorite drink? Apple juice
What is your favorite holiday? Halloween
What is your favorite restaurant? Tijuana Flats
What is your favorite place to go? Animal Kingdom
What is your favorite song? Every song by Perry Gripp
What is the best part about school? Recess. and art.
What is your favorite cereal? Cinnamon Toast Crunch
What is your favorite snack? Apples
What do you like to take to bed? Nothing
What is your favorite thing to do outside? Run around
What is your favorite fruit? Apples
What is your favorite ice cream? Mint
What is your favorite outfit? Pajamas
Where do you live? My home
What is your favorite sport? Baseball

Crosby is now in first grade and he is an awesome reader. For the Accelerated Reader (AR) quizzes last year, he scored in the top five kindergartners for the whole grade! He recently discovered the Bad Guys series of books and does not put them down.

He has recently gotten into video games and loves to play Super Mario Odyssey; Minecraft; and Disney Infinity on the Switch and the PS4.

He hasn’t gotten a chance to play baseball since early March, but we are hoping to start a new sport this winter. He’s been doing a lot of swimming and bike riding this year during quarantine.

Here are some highlights from this year!

Christmas break in Sarasota!

New bike for Christmas!

Kicked off the year at Star Wars land at Hollywood Studios.

One of his only baseball games of 2020.

Spring picture day. Such a handsome kindergartner!

Nine weeks of virtual school.
The only highlight was he was able to wear his pjs.

Ended kindergarten with a plastic bag full of school supplies. Such a sad way to end his first year at the elementary school.

Crosby fell in love with Ziggy and Bruno while they were visiting from Colorado this summer. He is a huge dog lover!

He lost his first tooth on June 6!

Lots of pool days during quarantine.

His first sleepover to end the summer.

Complete with video games!

First day of first grade! He did nine days of virtual school – LaunchEd.

He lost his second tooth in his sleep and went to school the next day!

First day of in-person school. That smile says it all — so excited!

He got to meet the pilot!

Riding a horse in Montana!

Looking the part in Montana with his best bud!

Fall picture day! Such a big first grader.

Birthday(s) weekend at Disney with friends!

Happy 7th birthday to our lovable, goofy boy!

19Oct2020

Nine years old!

Posted in Family by Kendra G.

Kenley is nine years old today!

Our birthday interview!

What is your name? Kenley
How old are you? 9
What is your favorite thing to do? Go on the hammock
What do you want to be when you grow up? A doctor
What is your favorite food? Spaghetti with butter and salt
Who do you like to spend your time with? My family
What do you do really well? Soccer
What makes you laugh? Getting tickled
What is the best time of the day? Lunch
What are you afraid of? Deadly wasps and bees
Who are your best friends? Brenna, Ashlyn, Aiden, Kyler
What do you like to do with your family? Go on water slides
What do you like to learn about? History
Where do you like to go? To Disney resorts
What is your favorite book? Junie B. Jones
If you had one wish what would it be? That I could fly
What is your favorite color? Purple
What is your favorite TV show? Jessie and Bunk’d
What is your favorite animal? Giraffe and unicorn
What is your favorite movie? Hamilton
What is your favorite drink? Pink lemonade
What is your favorite holiday? Halloween
What is your favorite restaurant? Tijuana Flats
What is your favorite song? Satisfied and Helpless and the entire Hamilton soundtrack; and Hey Look Ma I Made It
What is the best part about school? Recess
What is your favorite cereal? Frosted Flakes
What is your favorite snack? Goldfish
What do you like to take to bed? My blanket
What is your favorite thing to do outside? Go on the hammock
What is your favorite fruit? Watermelon
What is your favorite ice cream? Strawberry
What is your favorite candy? Skittles
What is your favorite outfit? Tie dyed shirts
Where do you live? Orlando, Florida (says subdivision and street)
What is your favorite sport? Soccer

Kenley started playing on a club soccer team in January. She was one of the youngest on an experienced team so it was a great way to learn the ropes. They had two tournaments and won both before the season started, but only ended up playing on regular season game in March before the season got cancelled. The fall season started up in August. Since the older girls moved up, she’s one of the oldest, so it’s a good learning experience on how to lead the younger girls. They’ve played a few games and we’re hoping to get through the rest of the fall season without any hiccups.

Here are some other highlights of the year:

The infamous hammock she talked about!

First daddy/daughter dance!

Field Day 2020 — the last day at school of second grade!

Virtual school for the last nine weeks of second grade. Zero stars, do not recommend.

New bike for quarantine!

Virtual Smile Mile (which is not as fun as the actual Smile Mile)

School supply pick up to end the year.

Seeing Bruno, Ziggy, and her cousins in Sarasota!

Sleepovers!

First day of third grade! The first nine days were virtual, called LaunchEd.

First day back to face-to-face school! Woohoo!

Montana!

Picture day!

Birthday(s) weekend at Disney!

Happy 9th birthday to our sweet girl!

29Oct2019

Disney Dream {May 2019}

Posted in Travel by Kendra G.

In April, we decided to take advantage of a last minute deal on a 3 night cruise on the Disney Dream in departing in May. It had been just over two years since we last sailed on the Disney Dream. You can read about that experience here and here.

Since we knew what to expect, we did a couple things differently this time around. We booked the earliest boarding time possible which was awesome, but we did wait a little bit longer in the terminal this time.

As soon as we arrived on the ship, we headed to eat lunch and explore.

Our room was a bit smaller than last time and it really made is realize how spoiled we were last time. Overall, it wasn’t bad. The kids had bunk beds and there was a divider between the king bed and bunk beds so we could at least watch TV after they went to bed.

The kids were excited to get checked into kids camp and we were excited for drinks after dinner on the first night!

This time around, I booked the Frozen experience and the Princess gathering for the kids to meet all the princesses while we were on the ship. It was such an easy process with very minimal wait times since we booked it in advance. I highly recommend it!

Our first day was a port stop at Nassau. We didn’t get off the ship so it was a great pool day! As an added bonus, Kenley lost a tooth while standing in line for water slide! Greg and I also did the mixology class again where we got to make a variety of drinks and learned about mixing them.

We came fully prepared for Pirate Night again this time. We even brought back our light up cups that we purchased two years ago.

Between dinner and the fireworks show, the kids went to kids camp to do some fun pirate activities while Greg and I went to the PINK champagne bar for a drink. It’s one of my favorite spots on the ship!

The next morning, we docked at Castaway Cay! This island does not disappoint. With exception of a short rainstorm, the weather was gorgeous. The kids tried out kids camp on the island for the first time and really enjoyed it. It worked out that they were in camp while it was raining so we didn’t have to entertain them under an umbrella.

Crosby even took a nap, which should have been a warning about what was to come…

After Castaway Cay, we ate at Animator’s Palace for our last night. It’s still our favorite restaurant! Since we were docking the next morning, we planned for the kids to go to school, so we didn’t stay up too late on our last night on the ship.

Unfortunately, Crosby woke up sick on Monday morning, so he walked off the ship carrying the bucket we use for sand toys and didn’t get to go to school. I felt so bad for the poor guy.

We had such a great time, but the 3 night cruise is so short! We felt like it was such a big difference from the 4 night cruise we did over spring break. We didn’t see any of the shows in the evenings which was something I wish we would have done. I felt like our time was fully booked and there was still more we could have done! The extra day at sea does allow for a lot more activities and more relaxation during the cruise. I would love to check out the other DCL ships and possibly leave from a different port the next time. However, I don’t think we’ll ever beat the convenience of Port Canaveral. We were home and Kenley was at school by 8:30am on Monday morning!

We’re already looking forward to sailing again!

27Oct2019

Six Years Old!

Posted in Family by Kendra G.

Crosby is six years old today! I am not entirely sure how this is possible. I’ll first let the birthday boy himself tell you some things about him.

What is your name? Crosby
How old are you? Six
What is your favorite thing to do? Be with you. [heart melted]
What do you want to be when you grow up? A firefighter or a policeman.
What is your favorite food? Tacos
Who do you like to spend your time with? You
What do you do really well? Climb stuff
What makes you laugh? Jokes
What is the best time of day? Lunchtime
What are you afraid of? Nothing!
Who is your best friend? Christina
What do you like to do with your family? Play with them.
What do you love to learn about? I like to learn about Legos.
Where do you like to go? I like to go to Disney.
What is your favorite book? My favorite book is dinosaurs.
If you had one wish, what would it be? To be Spider-Man.
What is your favorite color? Red
What is your favorite TV show? Star Wars
What is your favorite animal? Cat
What is your favorite movie? Jack Skellington (The Nightmare Before Christmas)
What is your favorite drink? Apple juice
What is your favorite holiday? Halloween
What is your favorite restaurant? Tijuana Flats
What is your favorite place to go? Animal Kingdom
What is your favorite song? Kidz Bop Halloween
What is the best part about school? Lunchtime
What is your favorite cereal? Blueberry Cheerios
What is your favorite snack? Flavor blasted Goldfish
What do you like to take to bed? Nothing
What is your favorite thing to do outside? Play with Kenley
What is your favorite fruit? Pumpkin
What is your favorite ice cream? Mint Chocolate Chip
What is your favorite outfit? Dinosaur shirt
Where do you live? At my house
What is your favorite sport? Baseball

Crosby started kindergarten in August! We really like his teacher and his classroom is Harry Potter themed. I think we’re still in the transition process into kindergarten and elementary school in general. He has had a few really good weeks recently, but the start of the school year was rough. We had a few days off from Hurricane Dorian right after the start of the year, then there was some shuffling of kindergarten classrooms so it took about a month to get into a good routine in his classroom and during extended day. The first nine weeks just ended so I am excited to have his first official parent-teacher conference.

He’s now in this third season of tee ball and really starting to enjoy it! This season he’s on the Red Sox. He’s learning more about the sport and hitting the ball hard off the tee. He certainly has had a few moments this season where he wasn’t as into it but we’ve seen really good improvement over the last few games.

Happy birthday to our incredibly smart and funny little guy!

19Oct2019

Eight is great!

Posted in Family by Kendra G.

Kenley is eight years old!

Our birthday interview tradition continues.

What is your name? Kenley
How old are you? 8
What is your favorite thing to do? Go on water slides
What do you want to be when you grow up? A doctor
What is your favorite food? Watermelon
Who do you like to spend your time with? My family
What do you do really well? Math
What makes you laugh? Sometimes Crosby and sometimes Aiden
What is the best time of the day? Going out to recess
What are you afraid of? Snakes
Who is your best friend? Ashlyn and Brenna
What do you like to do with your family? Go in the pool
What do you like to learn about? Math
Where do you like to go? To a hotel
What is your favorite book? Junie B. Jones
If you had one wish what would it be? That I could fly
What is your favorite color? Pink, purple, blue, and green
What is your favorite TV show? Rapunzel
What is your favorite animal? Unicorn
What is your favorite movie? Descendants 1, 2, and 3
What is your favorite drink? Pink lemonade
What is your favorite holiday? Halloween
What is your favorite restaurant? Tijuana Flats
What is your favorite song? Happier
What is the best part about school? Going on the computers
What is your favorite cereal? Lucky Charms
What is your favorite snack? Granola bar, peanut butter kind
What do you like to take to bed? My blanket and pillow
What is your favorite thing to do outside? Run around
What is your favorite fruit? Watermelon
What is your favorite ice cream? Strawberry
What is your favorite candy? Sour Patch Kids
What is your favorite outfit? A dress
Where do you live? Says exact address
What is your favorite sport? Soccer

Kenley just finished her fall season of soccer on her first all-girl team. She played really well and scored two goals (in the same game!). She continues to show a lot of potential and played forward majority of the season. Since last year, she can successfully do a cartwheel and a handstand!

She had a crazy busy summer going to several different summer camps, including the UCF soccer camp, Double Down sports camp, golf camp, UGAMES church camp where she did karate, and gymnastics camp.

Second grade is off to a great start! The first nine weeks just wrapped up. I said the exact same thing last year, but I think we’re just now starting to get into our routine for the school year.

Happy birthday sweet girl! Looking forward to seeing what this year brings for you!

15Aug2019

nashville {june 2019}

Posted in Travel by Kendra G.

I headed up to Nashville at the end of June for a long overdue reunion with my girlfriends from Zeta. This was the first time in a very long time that we’ve gotten together for no reason other than to be together. No one was getting married or having a baby, but we did have a birthday to celebrate!

We had a leisurely lunch on Friday as friends started to get into town, then we headed to Nash Collection for hats so we could obviously fit in for the weekend. Someone even asked if I was a local because of my hat!

We spent the rest of the afternoon and into the evening at the hotel pool with yummy drinks in hand catching up with each other before heading out for dinner way later than intended.

Saturday, we celebrated Mandy’s birthday! We started with brunch at Saint Anejo in the Gulch before we moved on to shopping.

Uncommon James (Kristin Cavallari’s store) and Draper James (Reese Witherspoon’s store) were on the top of my list to visit while in Nashville. I loved both of them, though there were no celebrity sightings.

After shopping, we headed back to get on our pedaling bike bar. We drove our bike up and down Broadway and around the city for an hour. It was hot and hilly, but so much fun!

After a dip in the pool and a much needed shower, we got all fancied up for a night on the town. Our first stop was rooftop drinks before heading to dinner.

After an insane dinner at Kayne Prime, we headed out to Broadway for some country music and dancing!

We had such a fun night!

We all parted ways on Sunday, but before getting on the plane, I had to try a local beer.

We had such a fun weekend. The seven of us traveled from six different states to be there. It was so good to be reunited.

I’m already ready for my next trip to Nashville. The city is so much fun!

13Aug2019

life lately {june}

Posted in Random by Kendra G.

we began the month at reunion resort with the west coast gilbos and grammy who were in town for drew’s lacrosse tournament.

we loved watching drew on the lacrosse field and hanging with our family all weekend.

twins.

summer camp began!

she loves ucf soccer camp!

the kids had such a fun time with their cousins.

a family photo in front of the castle. magical!

summer is for swimming on a weeknight.

first swim meet of the season.

star wars fun at hollywood studios.

art of animation to celebrate sam’s birthday.

birthday twins!

june supper club.

we celebrated one incredible dad on father’s day!

another wednesday night swim meet.

kenley’s third week of camp was golf camp! i was most worried about this camp, but she did so well and loved it!

movie night!

meemaw came to stay for a whole week! we loved having her here.

the girls.

saturday morning runs.

the first pool party of the summer!

little besties.

week four was ugames camp at discovery church! she did karate!

***

summer was in full swing and kenley got to do a different summer camp all month. we had so much fun seeing our family and friends all month! i ended the month with a weekend trip to nashville which i will share more about soon.

29Jul2019

life lately {may}

Posted in Random by Kendra G.

another month, another lost tooth.

the kids went to their first orlando city soccer game.

cheering on the lions!

may supper club!

cinco de mayo style.

mother’s day tea with c.

we got our saturdays back as the soccer and tee ball seasons came to an end.

go diamondbacks!

his second tee ball season in the books!

another successful season as dugout moms.

my clan took me to animal kingdom for mother’s day!

celebrating us moms.

moms night out!

crosby’s end of the year class party!

crosby’s last day of vpk!

momming so hard on class party day.

her teacher gave her the class leader award.

and her classmates decided she would most likely to become president.

vpk graduation!

our little graduate.

kenley’s memorial day weekend was delayed by a day due to the stomach bug. we made it to the beach on sunday while she was still recovering.

living his best life.

trying to fish.

so happy to see spend some time with the suhrs when they were at disney for the week.

these girls became fast friends.

swimming at disney!

her last day as a first grader!

magic kingdom!

i’m not sure these kids could be any cuter. what a perfect way to end the month.

***

may is the new december around here. the end of the school year came in fast and furious. we had a fabulous month and celebrated all the things.

26Jul2019

life lately {april}

Posted in Random by Kendra G.

kenley got to have lunch with meemaw and grandpa at school to end their spring break visit.

kenley’s artwork was selected to be in the wolf pup art gallery at school for the last nine weeks of the year. they held an opening reception for the art gallery for the students, it was awesome!

our little artist!

twinning on a run!

ucf celebrates the arts!

more twinning.

kenley is certainly outnumbered.

april supper club

soccer saturdays continued.

when you play against one of your besties.

as did tee ball!

more art from the school wide art fair!

kenley lost another tooth!

we celebrated hudson’s birthday at the science center!

saturday morning run.

easter cookie decorating at 4rivers!

easter sunday at church!

easter brunch!

the kids had a blast looking for easter eggs

post-easter brunch brewery meet up

symphony under the stars on campus

on kenley’s half birthday, i was the mystery reader in her class! she was so excited.

beer garden in avalon

baby cam!

we loved visiting with the rosemans while they were at disney!

first grade field trip to dinosaur world!

sunday brunch with scott and katie while they were in town!

***

it was a busy april with games every weekend and lots of time with friends.

24Jul2019

Indiana {March 2019}

Posted in Family, Travel by Kendra G.

To kick off spring break, we headed up to Indiana for a long weekend. The weekend was full of family, friends, and celebrations before heading back home.

We were so thankful to see so many family members in such a short time, most of which made the trip to visit us.

On Saint Patrick’s Day, we ran the Shamrock Beer Run 5k in downtown Indy. It was our first beer run and probably our coldest run to date. It was freezing! Thankfully the beer stops helped us warm up. Downtown Indianapolis was absolutely beautiful on the brisk day.

We ended the day celebrating Grandma Sue’s 80th birthday! We had a lovely dinner with family to celebrate our special lady.

We also got to visit with several old friends and meet new little friends while we were there! Again, we were so thankful that everyone made room for us during their busy weekends.

One major highlight of the long weekend was the snow! Yes…in March…during spring break…the kids saw snow for the first time! They loved playing outside as the big snowflakes fell to the ground. It didn’t last long, but it was memorable.