January: January started with the kids going to my moms for a few days. Skip and I had a wonderful time lounging kidfree, watching movies, cooking dinner, etc. Grant came back a complete sports fan since he participated in the college bowl game picks with my mom. Skip's brother and his family came for a visit in January. They stayed the whole weekend. It turned out it was the weekend it snowed. They live in Tampa so they do not get a lot of snow. The kids spent the weekend playing football, sledding and building snow-men. The adults stayed inside near the fire and watched movies. It was just good ole' lazy family time.
February: We went on a cruise to Cozumel Mexico and Key West, FL. It was a great get away for our family. The kids had one room and we had an adjoining room. Kendall met a sweet friend from Indianapolis. She makes friends so easily. Grant learned to shuffleboard and became competitive at shuffleboard as he does any sport.
Skip takes the girls to a Father/Daughter dance each year. The girls love this time with their daddy:
March: Kendall, Waverly and I spent the night at the Chattanooga, TN aquarium with Girl Scouts. We slept in the tunnel under the sharks and big sea turtles. It was really one of the most peaceful nights. I remember looking up and seeing a large sea turtle, hammerhead shark and parrot fish swimming above me.
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Waverly and Kendall started spring soccer. They have been on the Bulldogs for years. This was their last season with the Bulldogs. We will miss that great group of families. Grant went to ADay (Auburn) game with my dad. This was the beginning of transforming the little guy into an Auburn Tiger. Skip and I went through a renewal with our marriage this month. It was a challenging process but our marriage has never been stronger.
April: We went to Panama City Beach, Fl for spring break. My dad and step mom have a place in PCB that they frequently loan us throughout the year.
We spent time with Kim Wood and kids. We always enjoy our time in FL for spring break. We see the same folks there every year. Kendall is 100% a surfer girl. I have no doubt that she will end up living on the coast one day. Mt. Paran had Service Day which is an awesome event. It was my first experience with service day. The entire school and parents participate in a service project for a day. I went with some kids to the Warehouse of Hope in Hiram, GA. Skip turned 40 something this month. I surprised him by getting his mom to watch the kids. I got a hotel in Atlanta and sent him a text to meet me there. He was very surprised. It was a fun little vacation.
May: I went to the beach with some lady friends of mine. This was the 3rd year we have gone to the beach for a kid-free weekend. It was fun as always. Our beloved baby-sitter heaven went to be with Jesus in May. She died in a housefire trying to save her 2 year old son. Amber's son made it out of the fire but Amber did not. Amber was Grant's baby-sitter when he was young. She is missed. Our family went to Cozumel with my father. We stayed at a resort we have grown to love. My dad has stayed at this resort many many times. They know his name and know we are part of his family. It was kind of like a homecoming for us and the kids. The kids absolutely LOVE Cozumel. See posting about Cozumel. Grant became an Atlanta Braves addict. Skip and Grant went to the Braves game any chance they could get.
Cozumel:
June: June was the beginning of a very busy and crazy summer. It started out with Kendall and Waverly going to Girl Scout camp for a week. They loved the camp and had a great time.
Waverly attended a soccer camp at Mt. Paran. Waverly and Kendall then went to Tampa for "Cousins Camp". Aunt Stephanie has the kids at her house each summer for cousins camp. It is great fun. She is amazing! The following week was SURGE camp for West Ridge. I taught a photography course to 3rd- 5th graders. It was an incredible experience. Waverly took cooking, Grant took basketball and Kendall took scrapbooking. Skip worked with the parking guys. A good time was had by all. We headed back to the beach to recover from the crazy month. Grant turned 7 and had football birthday party. See post about Grant's birthday.
We spent time with friends during the summer. Here is a photo of one fun summer day at our neighbors, the Dennehy's, pool:
July: Kendall went to an English camp at Mt. Paran. Grant went to my mom's house for a visit. Kendall then went to Camp Glisson in Dahlonega. This is a great Christian Camp out in the woods. Skip went when he was a kid. It is not fancy at all but a great way for the kids to have a good ole' fashioned camp experience. Kendall turned 9 while at Camp Glisson. She was showered with attention and really enjoyed having her birthday at camp. I felt like a heel for planning the camp week with her birthday in the week. She had a spend the night party when she got home from camp. The last two weeks of July were spent working on a Community Makeover with Engage Atlanta. www.engageatlanta.com We got a group of friends together and did a make-over on a friend's home. We originally were going to put down flooring and ended up hard-wording and recarpeting the entire home, painting the home, adding furniture, landscape work, doing extreme repairs, cleaning, making drapes, decorating.. It was truly an effort by many that has changed the life of the family.
We also spent the summer getting ready for the Back to School Drive. Boy oh boy did that take a lot of time. It is quite an experience working for your 10 year old daughter. We had to give our sweet dog Judd away. See post on Judd. We still see Judd often and he is doing great.
August: The big event in August was the Back to School Drive 8-9-08. This was A Fresh Hope and West Ridge event. Over-all, 1100 new back packs and supplies were given to kids in the area. It was a true blessing for our family. It really brought service to the forefront of our family mission. Skip and I started the Dave Ramsey course. Although we did not graduate, we did learn a lot. Even 5 months later, we are putting his principles into practice. Kendall and Waverly started Mt. Paran and Grant started Picketts Mill. All 3 have had an incredible school year so far and LOVE their schools. Grant went to an Auburn game with my Dad. I think they went to 3 or 4 games this season. It has been a great way for them to bond.
September: Skip and I went to the mountains for a little R&R. My mom came and watched the kids for the weekend. My kids love when Gram and Joey come to watch them. Skip, Waverly and Kendall went to Father/Daughter Girl Scout camp one weekend. This was their 4th year to go to this camp. They bike, hike, cookout, etc. Skip takes several tents. They are not roughing it as Skip is usually working on his laptop after the girls fall asleep.
October: October was jammed packed with flag football, soccer, fall carnivals and events, etc. Our kids once again got their flu shots. They just love getting the flu shots, ha ha ha... it is a sight to see. Grant has to get his at the pulmonologist because of his egg allergy. This month was monopolized by junky election stuff. I hate elections and have over-posted on this fact to date so I will just drop it. I was diagnosed with mono so our life slowed down a bit. Skip was diagnosed several weeks after me. Thankfully, the kids never got it which is amazing!
November: Waverly turned 11. We went to Tuscaloosa for a weekend for my cousin, Lindsey's, wedding. It was beautiful. I could not believe Little Lindsey was getting married. We then headed to Tampa for a visit with the cousins. My kids LOVE the cousins house. They have 6 kids and live on several acres. There is more than enough for any child to do at any time. I enjoy spending time with my sister-in-law Stephanie and the gang. Skip, Grant and Waverly went to the Bucs game before we headed back home. Doug is the Chaplain for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers so we are big Bucs fans. Obama was elected President. It was a historical moment that our children will remember for a lifetime.
December: I am officially no longer 40 as I turned 41 this month. 40 is not nearly as bad as everyone makes it sound. In fact, I think it is better than 30. We spent the month preparing for the Outreach Party. The party was help on 12/21. A Fresh Hope partnered with 5 churches, CAYA and Toys For Tots. We had an incredible outreach event. Over 5000 in the community were served.. Amazing! see www.afreshhope.blogspot.com for more information. The kids had their annual Christmas party. They love doing this little party. It started 8 years ago as a cookie decorating party for a few kids. It is now 25+ kids with crafts, parents, and good eats. The boys typically play sports and the girls will do a craft.
Our Christmas was slimmed down this year but it was the best Christmas Ever!!! We spent more on giving than on our own gifts and felt very blessed in the end. Our kids "Got It" and that was the best part of all.
We adopted Lily Bleu in December. She was an 8 week old Goldendoodle when we adopted her:
This year ended in St. Louis celebration Grammy and Grandpa Gilcrease's 50th wedding anniversary. It was a great celebration of 50 wonderful years.
