Emory - Fun on the Green

We are so proud of J!  He earned admission into the Executive MBA program at Emory University!  He started his weekend classes mid-September so it has been hectic and busy, but our mantra right now is that we can do this!  He has wanted to pursue this degree for quite some time and Emory has an excellent program so he decided to apply!  We got to attend their annual "Fun on the Green" where families are invited to have dinner and enjoy games, a bounce house, a photo booth, caricatures, face painting.  When my kids saw the Paw Patrol bounce house, they took off running!

The face painting was also so fun...we never do those extra things when we go anywhere because we have four kids and the price can get to be a little much.  It was so nice to be able to say - go get your face painted, get another bag of cotton candy, play another game.  They were all a bit surprised!

W did not want his face painted, but the rest got their faces painted and got fun balloons!

And somehow we all managed to get in the frame for the photo booth pictures...that was a bit of work but like with everything that has to do with four kids, it is work BUT worth it!  Let's hope we say the same thing when J is done with this degree:)

DANCE!!!

Dance class...I've been waiting to do this with K since I found out that she was a girl!  Eeek!!  I found a ballet class on a day where she doesn't have school, but the boys are in school so that we can do this together and I can focus on watching her in the class.  It's a wonderful class where the instructor has the kids do the proper ballet moves, some tumbling skills and then at the end, they get to dress up as a different princess!  So far, she has been a mermaid, a butterfly and Anna from Frozen.  She gets so excited to dress up - it is so much fun to watch!  They have already started practicing for their recital in December...I cannot wait!!!

We have to have our ballet bow for each class!

Showing off her dance moves at home!

Universal Studios

So, B turned the BIG TEN YEARS OLD at the end of August...How in the world did that happen??  He truly is a remarkable kid...he has lived in four different states already, has already attended four different schools (including preschool), and is just as gregarious and involved as he can be in so many different activities!  He is a Cub Scout, plays soccer, basketball, lacrosse, does a great job in school, and loves his family (and Legos...always Legos)!  So, we wanted to really celebrate this milestone birthday with him!  We surprised him with a trip to Universal Studios so that he could enjoy something new AND his mom may have needed to scope it out for her job:)

We had a small celebration at home with a Harry Potter theme cake and decorations...we surprised him with telling him that he would be leaving for Universal Studios the next day!!  We left on a Thursday and came home on a Sunday.  It was just me, B and M and it was really fun to just focus on the two boys.  We stayed at the Royal Pacifico and with that resort stay, we got the express pass!  I will tell you that I will never go back to Universal without it.  We never waited for a ride longer than 15 minutes - it was like a fast pass all day for almost every ride!  You are eligible for a fast pass if you stay at one of the three deluxe resorts - Royal Pacifico was the cheapest of the three and it was really nice!  Let me share our trip through our pictures...

I had special shirts made that said for B- "I do solemnly swear that it's my birthday!" and M says "I do solemnly swear that I'm up to no good!)

First stop was Ollivander's during the early access hours (another perk for staying on-site)...B was selected as the person to come forward and be chosen for his wand.  He was ecstatic!!!!!

B and M both got wands and they were able to do tricks with them throughout the Harry Potter lands in both parks!

On the Hogwarts Express between Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios- you must buy a park-to-park ticket to have access to this ride!  It was so fun!

Enjoying some butter beer...

Fast and Furious was a favorite ride!

We enjoyed Cafe 4 - a Marvel character meal for B's birthday!  The food was meh, but the characters were awesome and the boys had an amazing time!

We really enjoyed Hogwarts castle!

I did not get many pictures from our time at Volcano Bay (Universal's newest water park), BUT it was a blast and we worked up quite an appetite so the boys got to enjoy VooDoo Doughnuts!

And when the rain spoiled our plans to ride the wet rides at Islands of Adventure after going to Volcano Bay, we went to the Toothsome Chocolate Emporium & Savory Feast Kitchen for some major milkshakes...a brownie and cookie on top of the milkshakes...can we say heaven???

We ended the weekend with a great meal at Mythos restaurant in Islands of Adventure!  It was a great time had by all and I can't wait to do it again!!!

Mommy's Preschool!

It is that time of year again when summer break is over and it's time to start learning again!  My goals for this year are to ensure that K has mastered her letters and sounds with fun activities.  And W has already started to read at a beginning letter with an almost full concept of word, he can track print and only gets off-track a bit with multisyllabic words...I was a reading specialist before kids so excuse my reading education "speak."  

Enjoy my lesson plans for August and September (say what???)...yes, I'm that organized for the new year!  Oh and we are going to practice learning how to bike and scooter to the playground as well as have fun at their real preschool with their friends! And Mommy is going to be the librarian at their little preschool so I'm excited to get my feet wet again in the world of education!

Back to school for these sweeties...

Father's Day

We had so much fun celebrating my husband on Father's Day!!  Each child made him a homemade card, we went on a little nature walk, sent him to get a massage and sample beer at a new craft brewery in town, and grilled out!  The last big surprise was watching Incredibles 2 in the movie theatre!  It was our first time that we took all four kids to a movie and they were perfect!  No falling asleep, crying, or spilling any of the 10 Icees that they drank...so much fun had by all!!!

Thistle Farms

While we were in Nashville to celebrate THE wedding, my talented sister-in-laws and I hosted a fabulous Bridesmaids' Luncheon for the newest member of our family!  The bride suggested Thistle Farms and it was FABULOUS!  

Their mission is to support women who have had trauma in their lives and they have a fabulous shop where they make and sell natural products such as lip balm, lotions, and candles.  From their website:

Thistle Farms' mission is to HEAL, EMPOWER, AND EMPLOY women survivors of trafficking, prostitution, and addiction. We do this by providing safe and supportive housing, the opportunity for economic independence, and a strong community of advocates and partners.  

We believe that in the end, love is the most powerful force for change in the world. 

The restaurant provided a beautiful, private room with delicious chicken salad and egg salad sandwiches, chips, fruit, and salad as well as drinks.  All of my sister-in-laws contributed something amazing - beautiful, handmade place card holders with lip balm bought from the Thistle Farms shop as a gift, a homemade and magnificently decorated cake, and fresh flowers arranged from her own garden.  And I took pictures to capture all of the memories!

If you are ever in Nashville for lunch, please consider stopping by Thistle Farms and enjoying a delicious lunch and then shopping there...it is a wonderful cause and the food and products are SUPERB!!!

Wedding Fun

We were so blessed to get to witness my husband's brother and fiancée get married this past weekend in Nashville, TN!  And my sweet daughter was included in the festivities as THE flower girl!  She was simply adorable and we had the best time dressing her up!  She walked down the aisle with her princess dress, flower crown, and sparkly fingernails.  She would not stop dancing and we just had the best time celebrating such a wonderful couple!!

The beautiful couple!

My sweet family...

 Dancing the night away with her brothers...

 and her daddy!!