Let's Go To The Circus!

Abigail made her dance debut tonight on

 The Florida Times Union

 stage in Jacksonville.

The circus theme could not have been any cuter.

How precious are little girls in tutu's?!

I was so proud of her keeping up with everyone on stage.

She did not get that talent from me.

It was such a treat to go back stage where previous productions had paintings on the wall to commemorate their shows on this stage, with autographs of the cast.

I was a little impressed.

Abigail is so patient with the gazillion pictures 

this MiMi had to take.

 This girl has a big fan club who came out to see her dance.

We love you Abigail and are so proud of you 

and all your hard work!

Camp Stewart (part two)

My grandkids came and spent the week before they headed 

back to school.

I had a calendar filled with activities.

One of the highlights was going to a Kidz Bop concert.

They loved it.

Well, most of them did.

Abi and I weren't all that thrilled with the volume.

The venue is Daily's Place.

It's just outside of where the Jacksonville Jaguars play.

They offered lots of fun games and photo ops.

A spin the wheel game where 

everyone is a winner was a huge hit.

Happy kids make a happy MiMi.

Elijah designed his shirt for the night.

Another night was designated as Movie Night.

I had baskets with movie goodies for each kid.

It was a big hit.

I roped my SIL into planning one of our nights.

She is a rock star!!

We titled the event

"Mystery Night with Aunt Delores."

We went to a trampoline park in Jacksonville.

They ran and jumped and played.

It was so fun.

Thank you, thank you Auntie D!

I didn't take pics because we locked 

our cameras in the provided locker.

Outside the trampolines,

was the arcade.

I'm pretty sure Aunt Delores 

had as much fun as the kids.

Abi was really good at the dinosaur game.

Go Kacey!

During the week,

we fished, swam, did crafts, scavenger hunts,

painted nails, curled hair, & went to a skate park.

I will post about the skate park later.

It was Elijah's favorite.

You can read part 1 of our week by clicking on this link.

We also rode on a ferry, went to church, 

baked cookies and so much more.

The kids drew straws to see who's "day" it was.

If it was your "day," you got to sit up front in the vehicle and you were the one to choose dessert of the day.

It works to keep the peace.

The week flew by.

My heart was sad when it came to an end.

I am so thankful for the precious memories 

we made.  My heart is full.

Camp Stewart

 Before heading back to school,

we had our grandkids for a few days .

From the moment I found out they were coming.
I had been planning an exciting adventure.

So many plans, so little time.

I began by making lists and lists of ideas, 

places to go, food to eat 

and how to make each thing special for them.  

The challenge is the boy who a non-stop,
 always running 9 year old. 
The other extreme is a Miss Priss 

who is the baby and 5, 

who loves Barbie and snuggling.
The goal...
to make every one happy.

First and foremost,

every good party must have presents.

I filled a bag for each child.

I loved watching them dig through the bags 

about a second after they arrived.

I filled the bags with snacks, game books, toothbrushes,

and toys that I thought each of them would love.

I had Danielle cut out their monograms 

for new hair supplies.

I stocked the fridge.

I stocked the pantry.

Since I do not have enough extra rooms in the house,

I made a sleeping pallet for the girls.

I bought rectangle pool floats for mattresses.

I gathered every quilt I own to make it comfy.

It was like magic.

They all slept with me.

Ha!

On day 1

we had crafts. 

We painted zombies to hang around the house.

I was thinking of the boy

when I chose zombies.

He spent more time on his skateboard.

Us girls had a good time.

We designed and painted t-shirts the next day but apparently,

I was having so much fun that I forgot to get some pictures.

Duh!

We did our hair.

Sweetest thing

our Dani is.

Elijah made me a MiMi.

He has my heart.

We took the Ferry across the river for seafood.

Dani wanted fried fish.

She ordered chicken strips.

Go figure.

Kacey designed her shirt.

Mark came up with a scavenger hunt game.

He is so good at these things.

Thank you honey.

Here he is giving the instructions.

It was a close game but in the end,

Elijah was the winner.

We had several hours of fun by the pool.

I will tell you more in another blog.

It was so fun.

The key is to plan, plan, plan.

Mark always says, 

"if you fail to plan, plan to fail."

I think over planning is a good idea.

Watch for another episode of the fun we had

at Camp Stewart.

Until I see you again,

I'm going into my cocoon to recoup.

(google images)

Tampa Road Trip

On one of Mark's recent business trips to Tampa,

we decided to bring the girls with us.

I don't know who had more fun, the girls or this MiMi.

When we checked in,

they had a treasure box for kids to choose whatever they wanted.

What a great hotel!

The hotel was 8 stories and the inside was all open so you could see 

everywhere.

They enjoyed the freedom I gave them while I watched them roam around from floor to floor and especially the glass elevator.

We went shopping and I let them try on whatever clothes the wanted in TJMaxx for 2 hours.

Girls are so easy and fun. 

Abi HAD to have this Barbie.

Dani is such a great mother.

She got a new doll. 

She tended to her new baby every minute of the day.

The baby ate better than she did.

New goggles.

On our shopping day,

we also got hair cuts.

Talk about fun! 

I know it's a cliche 

but they are growing up way to quickly!!

What a gift I have been given!

In other news,

Enough already!!