Welcome into the Hollington Huddle! Here we will review game plans of the week and highlights from the big plays! Thanks for supporting our team! IF YOU HAVE TROUBLE WITH THE PICTURES, CLICK ON VIEW ALL IMAGES!
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Artwork
The crazies donned their mouse ears for a little interpretive dancing and then Wil sat down to create a few masterpieces! We have, in order, an alligator, mouse and pig!
Monday, November 26, 2012
Thanksgiving/Rivalry/Concert12
We were so thankful for a few days off in Perry with all of my family! 18 of us to be precise! We ate the most glorious and flavorful food thats entered my mouth in a long time! My family is getting pretty spiffy in the kitchen! Dad set up a Lego table outside while we fried turkeys and we all got a good talking and sipping in! The Farmers showed up later and by then we were at the campfire getting sticky with smores! The Kareoke machine was kicking, we swung and pushed and circled the sinkhole many times! Black Friday Becca and I went on a 6 mile run to Grandpa's farm and back and then we were fortunate to be present to see the neighbors skin a deer they hunted! Jason sees lessons in everything and this time it even yielded us dinner! Mom fried us up venison and we ate it with gravy over grits and a salad! Katie and I took our girls shopping and that was a hoot! Saturday brought us the victorious win at Doak and there was much pregame celebrations at Becky's house! Mom and Dad watched the kids and we relieved them at halftime. We didn't really want to leave a good game, but we had 4 Eddie Vedder tickets at will call in a Jacksonville theatre waiting on us! It was of course, magical the way I thought it would be! The kids really enjoyed it and it was very acoustical! At the encore I hoisted Elsie and we ran down to get a closer look at Eddie! He got a closer look at us and even passed back a guitar pic to the little girl! Unfortunately a rude concert goer stole her pic but it was nice to be noticed just the same! Wil said we should go back so his sister could get another guitar pic!
UF Homecoming 2012
We were so blessed to have Grandma Terry with us at Homecoming! I ran in the Gator Gallup while Terry watched the tots. By the time I got back to our parade viewing site, Wil was well on his way to making friends with the pretty colledge coeds! They were very sweet and patient with the kids because they were elementary majors! Terry really enjoyed herself and told me this may be her first street parade! Because it was an election year, the parade was themed "United We Growl" and it was also held 3 days prior to Veterans day so it was very patriotic! Terry and I gave Wil a crash course on saluting our military figures and Else shook her hips with just about every dancing or pom-pom yielding girl that passed us! We almost lost her to the Hari Krishnas!
Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party!
Wow what a great time we had at Mickey's party! We arrived just as the sun was setting on the last parade of the day and caught Woody and Jessie who went out of their way to dance with us on the street! Woody wisked Wil away to dance while Jessie broke it on down with Elsie! After dancing, Woody carefully put both kids back in the stroller and bumped into Jason in the process! Afterwards we decided to go eat our picnic dinner near the Happy Harvest Roundup and we were fully charged for a hoe down! Wil was slow to get into the dancing at first but Elsie ate up every second! Once Wil found his dancing shoes it was on! I danced with the kids til exhaustion and we probably stayed the entire hour! Dancing, hugs and autographs from your Halloween costumes!! Afterwards we paid a visit to the Haunted Mansion and then needed to head over to position ourselves for the fireworks-which were amazing! We had just enough time to take in a ride before the Boo to You parade started so we figured while in costume to head to Buzz's Space Spin. On route our fearless leader Jason took off and Terry and I lost the crew! In the commotion of trying to find the stroller, join him, call him or even text him we found ourselves in line...for the wrong ride! Or was it? Terry and I found ourselves in line for Space Mountain! What can I say? It totally rocked to ride a roller coaster with my girl! I think it cracked us up more than anything! Anyways, afterwards we met up with our fearless leader and crew and settled in to see the Headless Horseman bring on the parade! Our favorite moment was the attention the kids got from the Queen of Hearts! She must have had a soft spot for them and was deviling them a little until Wil broke out his sword to slay her! We took the tram back to our car afterward and most of the car was asleep in minutes!
Pumpkin Patch
Here are a few pictures of the Pumpkin Patch kids! We always purchase our pumpkins from the church so before picking out the perfect pumpkin we read bible stories on a picnic blanket!
Sunday, November 25, 2012
Happy Halloween 2012
Flowers Montessor had a fall festival and we started our day in costume! Grandma Terry said Elsie's eyes were bigger than her stomach! They played games and had party food and the dreaded sugary treats! After school I rushed home and we took the kids to Boo at the Zoo! I had a chance to do the "Time Warp" with a complete stranger vetinarian type person and the kids enjoyed the creativity of the staff! The animal portion was closed due to the fact of an infant primate being born that day. So we headed home and Terry and I talked politics and how God sends us signs sometimes! We picked up a pizza and had a pizza party before heading out to Trick or Treat in Rock Creek. We hit all our participating neighbors up and the kids are getting better and better at the art! One unexpected situation we had to contend with was our kitten Tiger following us to every door. At one door a lady opened up the door and Tiger ran right into the lady's house. To make matters worse she had a small dog! It was quiete adventurous. So Jason takes the kitten home and puts him inside the house while we knock on Mrs. Gamache's door. The kids got her dog "Nappy" (short for Napoleon) all worked up and it was quite adventurous. Jason finally got back and from that point on it got much easier! A lot of animal involvement this time! Grandma Terry drove us around in the Durango and we picked up a ton of candy!
A Hollywood Halloween!
Because the kids dressed as "Jessie and Woody" from the movie "Toy Story" we thought it would be cute to see them on set! So we took them to the World of Pixar at Hollywood Studios in Orlando! They got a lot of looks but we only had Woody and Jessie on the brain! We rode a few rides but the coolest was hooking up with Woody and Buzz again! They signed the cowboy and cowgirl hats and took many pictures! We even met one of the green army men! We watched the Pixar parade and found Jessie and Bullseye but found out that Jessie lives at the Magic Kingdom and meets folks over there! And no amount of Elsie's pathetic crying helped! We planned on returning in a week for Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party and informed the disturbed tot. Grandma said she really liked the Star Tours ride and we all had a good time seing the great costumes in Hollywood Studios! Jason bought us a frosty drink and my fav Mom in Law kept me laughing! She wore those bats on her hair all day! She's so batty!
First Prophies and FL/GA
We had a nice stay with Grandma Terry who came in for some medical treatments and got a lot done while she was here. I took her up to Freimuth Family Dental for some needed dental work and while there I gave the kids their first prophies! School was out that day and Lynn brought Lilly to visit the kids again. Wil bravely went first and Elsie insisted on watching Lilly before her turn. Wil was very mature in the chair and seemed to enjoy the experience! Elsie felt the need to get up multiple times and eventually I just called Cindy in to floss her teeth! It was a good visit with my dental family again and the kids loved Dr. Freimuth's "rhinestones" on her shirt! She crouched down for a hug and Wil started feeling her shirt! He said "I love the Gators!" I told him that a lot of people like those Gators! Somehow my boss didn't seem to mind being molested!
Terry watched the kids for us and we had a good time working and going to the game-even if we lost!
Megan, Gary and Steve!
Steve Spurrier brought his cocky team in for a butt kickin' we hosted Megan and Gary for a good time! Megan picked up geodes for the kids to crack open with some assistance from Mr. Gary! We ate white chicken chili and caught up with our favorite adventurers! Debbie lovingly watched the kids for us and we enjoyed a fun and victorious weekend!
Nashville with our tour guide, Jon!
We explored downtown Nashville with Mr. Jon and Jason taught the kids Greek mythology lessons at the Parthenon! Tailgating was fun with the beautiful and bountiful fallen leaves and then we took our "High 5 Machines" into the game where they made a lot of friends! Go Gators!!
Chattanooga Choo Choo
Our next adventure was the Tennessee River Valley Train tour and Chattanooga Choo Choo. We took made sandwiches and ate them as we watched the train pull up into the depot. Then we boarded, got our tickets punched and we were off! We enjoyed a narrated 3 mile ride and then learned how the round house worked to switch directions. We climbed on the trains and then shot over to climb on the old Chattanooga Choo Choo. Our plans were to meet up with Jon for dinner at the Aquarium Restaurant in Nashville but we had a few hours to kill. We decided to go tour the Jack Daniels Distillery and enjoyed every second of it! I asked Wil to take notes so he could make me some whiskey! Afterwards we headed for the restaurant and had a good meal and identified all the fish in the tank! Tomorrow: tailgating!
Stone Mountain Pumpkin Festival
We decided to make the Vanderbuilt game a mini family vacation and left on a Wednesday night. We spent all day Thursday roaming around Stone Mountain and enjoying the Pumpkin Festival! It was beautiful and we walked around the perimeter of the bald mountain and located the Atlanta skyline, located "weapons" and located rabbit poo and prickly pears! We fed the geese by the carillion and danced the afternoon away! As the sun decended we made our goal to drive up to outer Chattanooga. We couldn't resist the Popcorn Haven and let Elsie go crazy! After an adventerous bath in our room for 2 we finally settled our stowaways down and turned on the Vice Presidential debate. Tomorrow: Chattanooga!!
LSU and Becky too!
Because Kevin had a big project to complete, Becky offered to make an overnight trip to Gainesville to sit the kids so we could go to the LSU game! We enjoyed a victory, came home and watched football the rest of the day with Aunt Becky, Cam and Luke. Becky filmed Elsie doing the "Two Bits" cheer and it is adorable! Jon came over and had some jumbalaya. Becky and I made jello shots for us and the kids and it had a marvelous effect! After the kids noded off we played in the backyard and took a midnight bike ride! Next morning I woke up with the morning people:Wil, Elsie and Luke and we let Becky and Cam sleep in. I love my twin and her sweet little family!
Tampa time!
Marisa and Craig volunteered to watch the kids so we could work at the FSU/USF game and we dang sure took them up on it! We attempted the Food and Wine Festival at Epcot and then headed over to the Faasons. Our camera was well hidden in the car and we didn't find it until all the good times were had at the Ris's. They fed us breakfast on Saturday and planned on bringing the kids over to the Ciaks. Ris and Craig said they had a good time visiting with Gary and Nina at the pool. After we got back we made dinner and consumed our jello shots! Of course, that got us talkative and we talked and laughed all night! Next morning we met up with Katie's family for omelettes and a early afternoon walk through Lettuce Lake Park. What a great time we had!
Tailgating Strueken style
We tailgated with the Struekens for the Kentucky game and sampled Michelle's homeade Gator Gritio! The kids had a ball playing together and I loved every minute of my girl time with Michelle! The game was a hot one-noon kickoff. Elsie said, "The sun is hurting me!" So we ended up leaving a little early and hanging at the Strueken house!
UF vs UT and good times in Tryon!
We took a road trip up to Mom and Dad's place in Tryon to work the UT/UF game and create a few good times with the folks! We had a long weekend so we did all kinds of things:climbed Grandpa's trees, ran up the mountain, picked blackberries and apples, picnicked at a covered bridge, waded in the mountain stream, removed a painful splinter in dramatic form, yard saled, soaked in the hot tub, ate Grandma's magnificent food, hung out with Uncle David and Aunt Mary, camped in the camper, celebrated a victory and snuggled much!
Texas A&M vs UF
Jason and I drove on out to College Station Texas to work and play! The Aggie fans were very cordial and so excited to be playing their first SEC opponent! I enjoyed the new experience and it was fun to root against the "Twelth Man!" We had dinner at the Chicken Oil Company and stayed at a nice motel room. After our victory we headed out of town and stayed at a Red Roof Inn. Next morning we picked up the kids in Freeport and they told us all about the good time they had at Grandma Terry and Pepaw's house!
School Days
September brought on the start of Elsie's Montessorri experience and the return of her brainy brother to his favorite learning spot! I got emotional, I guess because my baby started school! Jason promised to take some pictures to capture the moment and I kissed their heads as I headed down to Ocala while they slept! I told them I am so proud of them! I believe Wil is eating some of Elsie's food on the couch based on the expressions on their faces! And the last few pictures are what I come home to when I roll in from Ocala! Elsie picking flowers and Wil working out his alphabet as Dad sweats it out on the eliptical!
Sabrina and the sun!
The Speigelmans invited us over to enjoy their new house and we thouroughly enjoyed it! After soaking in the pool Neil grilled us steaks to perfection and Sabrina provided all the fixins! We ate well and were just getting worked up when Melissa and Josh stopped by to party too! Tanner and Eric gave Wil and Elsie belated bday gifts: Star Wars rocketbike and a My Little Pony. We bedded down for the night, slept well and Sabrina even made us breakfast before we headed out! We are so blessed with such good friends!
Grandma Terry's First trip to the Magic Kingdom!
We took Grandma Terry to the Magic Kingdom and introduced her properly! We put her with the kids as much as possible and we all had the best time! She told us her favorite ride was Small World!
Birmingham Vaca
Wes and Kasey hosted the whole family at their house for some summertime shennanigans! We carefully planned the entire trip to make it the most fun ever! We cooked big meals, ran through the neighborhood, picniced at a dam little park after we waded, slip and slided, took many pictures, went dollar store shopping, practiced gymnastics, got silly with the red wine, ate ice cream, made homeade ice cream, took lots of bubble baths, explored Oak Mountain, grilled hot dogs, paddle boated, canoed, swam, and strolled in the shade! On the way home a trailer hitch crashed into Grandma Terry's windshield but did not go through! It was a miricle no one got hurt but it sure gave Ralph and Terry on heckova scare!
FHS Reunion
It has been 20 years since Wil and Elsie's dad graduated Freeport High School and he and his best friend of years, Michelle put together a wonderful 20 year class reunion! We had a brief layover at St. George Island for some surf and sunbathing and then it was on to Pepaw's house! Grandma Terry had been up in West Virginia with Granny and we had the pleasure of hanging with Hester's mom who had been visiting her girl for the weekend. Jake, Hester, Pepaw and the cousins watched the kids for us for the nighttime reunion events. We gathered for a family picnic at the sports complex. Mark Miller grilled up a bunch of hamburgers and hotdogs and everyone brought a dish. It was cool to meet all of Jason's classmates and I loved every one of them! They made me feel welcome. The kids had a good time with water balloons and we all enjoyed catching up. We had about 3 hours or so to go home, nap, shower and put on our best to make it up to Nick's on the Bayou for the big Mullet Toss! It was the most perfect evening down by the water with a good breeze, a few adult beverages, kareoke singing, and dead fish handling! Tossing a mullet is harder than you'd think! As classmates began to disperse, a couple of others arrived and we sat outside Nick's until the wee morning hours cutting up and finding out what interesting items were to be found in Tammy's purse! I loved meeting Bunny and Edwina and the whole gang! Of course, I always enjoy Michelle and Tony! It was a great date night for Jason and I too!
A Patriotic Party!
For the Fourth of July we invited Grandma, Grandpa, Bill, Becca, Wyatt and Ramona to come over to celebrate America's Birthday! We put together a bbq pulled pork picnic and took in the fireworks over Lake Alice on the third and we loved watching the kid's excitement! The next morning it was waffles with red strawberries, whipped cream and blueberries! Grandpa and Uncle Bill helped assemble our totally awesome new tire swing and the kids and Uncle Bill wore it out! Becca and I got a morning trail run through Ring park and that's where we got the idea of taking the family to wade in the creek during the heat of day! The mosquitos just about carried us off but we all found treasures including a board, bottle and a half dead fish! We snacked on watermelon while we soaked and by the time to leave were all feeling a nap in our near future! After a good long nap and our suits had dried we put them on again for a quick trip to the pool as Jason and Bill prepared our hamburgers and hotdogs! We returned for a lovely birthday dinner on the porch to celebrate Ramona's birthday! Becca made cupcakes and we lit off sparklers and danced the night away!
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
4th Beach trip
It was a very patriotic and spirited trip to the beach before the 4th and we celebrated with an awesome bike ride in the sand! We ate watermelon and played on the sand piles created by the tractors! Can you say Awsome?! :)
Quick Orlando Trip
With tropical storm Debbie approaching, we braved the winds and rain and hit Hollywood Studios and Epcot. We had the parks pretty much to ourselves and got to meet a lot Buzz, Woody and a whole slew of princesses!
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
A sweet little visit from the Faasons!
Craig and Ris came up for an overnight trip to Gainesville for dinner, wine, playing in the backyard and breakfast! It was so good to get caught up with some of my favorite people and we are already planning the next trip!
Monday, November 12, 2012
Operation Kitty Pickup
We took a long weekend trip to West Virginia with a few fun stops on the way. First we hit Washington DC and took the kids to the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. We let them burn off the rest of their energy before hitting the road to Baltimore at the Washington Memorial. They were a little off the chain after spending the day in a museum! They both had emergency potty breaks on the lawn in front of the Memorial. How reverant! National Aquarium in Baltimore was awesome! You walk right by a shipyard and the kids enjoyed the old vessels. We loved touring the animals up and down the escalators at the aquarium. Before leaving town we got some crab cakes and headed up to Clarksburg. Its always a hoot to play at Stantons house! We caught lightning bugs and we showed the kids the rooftop on this visit! Of course Stanton fed us well again! Stanton let us borrow his jeep for a thrilling ride through town to go see Pam, Savannah and meet Hoss. Stanton and Anita offered us kittens and we took 3 off their hands! We welcomed into our house Tiger, Marmalade and Tangerine! They all have a tabby oragne coloring and are very sweet! They made the 13 hour trip back down to Florida a little more interesting!
Snails pace
Here are a few pictures of summer. "Mom, I love mashed potatoes!", We found a snail, light saber attack, hatching baby birds, welcoming the cement truck, safety class at the Y, Space Cowboy and the Cowgirl, living room ballerina and a blueberry scramble!
Sunday, November 11, 2012
Sears Photo shoot 12
We only have professional pictures taken once a year so enjoy folks! It was an interesting experience. I can't count the number of times I had to drag the kids from behind the white screen! I had never craved a beer more in all my life!
Sunday, August 19, 2012
Summer Swim Lessons
Summer time is here-and that means Swim Lessons at the YMCA! They were sort of slow learners on their first class and the instructers advise to start up again the second week of June. The 6pm time is a little chilly for them-we assume! Hopefully as it warms up, so will their independence! Jason and I had to endure a classic tantrum/pity party. One of those moments where all you want to do is spank their hineys but scared to death that would only make them behave worse!
After leaving the Y, they were sent straight to bed without dinner and Jason said their next couple of classes went much better!
Memorial Day Weekend
As we celebrated the sacrifices made by so many souls that fought for our independence we paid tribute in church on Sunday after a day of sun at the beach! Friday was a lot of yard work, Saturday morning Jason mowed as I packed us up and we headed for the sand at Cresent Beach. On Sunday we had an awesome church service and afterwards a quick bite to eat, pictures at Sears, Avengers at the Movies and then a quick trip to the creek! Monday Jason had to work and it rained all day! I took the kids to the Dr. for their runny noses and just spent the rest of the day organizing the closet and hand-me-downs. Next weekend, we are on the road again!
Summer Freeport Trip
Wes and Kasey had a week outa Birmingham so we all converged on Terry's house for the weekend! Wil started our weekend off by almost biting through his tongue! We rushed to the ER after he fell down at the YMCA. They had just finished off the last swim class and Jason was in the process of enrolling them for the next class. Jason had wrapped the kids up tight in their towels and Wil horsed around and fell over like a tree! The tongue is highly vascularized and his tongue is healing fast, but what a scare! Friday night we arrived around 4pm at Grandma's and took a walk to the sand pit where we all got sand in our cracks! Friday night laughs on the porch was awesome but it made it a little hard to wake up Saturday to run with Kasey! The cool morning helped and we made our usual 4.5 mile run to the water tower and back. Saturday Wes's bunch had to leave, Jake worked a double and Hester had to work in the afternoon. Despite all the odds, we convinced everyone to make a quick beach trip to Ed Waline Beach. We even had Grandma Terry out there in her sun hat and she borrowed my dark sunglasses and sat under an unbrella! We snacked on strawberries, burried the kids, met Corona the parrot, had a few Limaritas and got more sand in our cracks!
Sunday morning was Homecoming at the church and we worshipped together with Jenny, Joe, Ralph, Terry and Granny. Our guest of honor for the trip back was Justin. He stayed a few days in Tallahassee and we arranged to meet his Nana, Karen so she could pick him up in Tallahassee.
Mud Flats and Courtneys Grad Bash
We headed for Perry on a Friday night with plans of hanging out and catching up with Grandpa Hoyt. Mom and Dad took the kids to Hagens Cove in Steinhatchee for some muddy fun! Wil and Elsie enjoyed chasing fiddler crabs, finding horseshoe crabs and splashing and wading with Grandma and Papaw. Dad took some awesome pictures-as usual! Meanwhile back in Perry Jason finished his notes, I worked on this here blog, we ate Mom's homecookin leftovers as we watched the Yearling. I enjoyed a little extra one on one time with my Grandpa!
Next morning Mom cooked us breakfast and we ate on the porch with Aunt Laura and Grandpa. Becky stopped by with Camden and Luke and we just socialized and enjoyed each other until it was time to get ready and go to Courtney's Graduation Party.
Almost every Hollington converged on Stacy's house and we all enjoyed the feast our caterers (Stanton, Jake, Joe and Danny) provided. We chilled out in the pool and stayed late after half of the bunch went home. Terry Aubriyah and Ralph stayed over and we had the best slumber party at Stacy's! Plenty of individual "catch-up" time with everyone! We hated to leave Sunday but got back to Gainsville feeling refreshed that we got to see so much family on one weekend!
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Mothers Day 2012
For Mothers Day we dressed in matching colors because I planned on taking a few good family shots at our favorite backdrop-our churchyard! Church was great and we had a lot of good food left over so I didn't have to cook! We took a family bike ride and by the time we got home the kids were out! After naps we watched the Heat playoff basketball game and the season finale of Survivor!
Terry's Day!
Grandma Terry, Pepaw and Joe came just in time for Mothers Day to keep a medical appointment at Shands. So we really lived it up! After attending Spring Performance and Mothers Day lunch we just chilled the rest of the day outside watching the kids splash in the water and play in the grass. The fresh daquaris went great with the perfect spring day!
Saturday Terry suggested we go to one of her favorite places-the Butterfly Rainforest. She strolled along and took pictures of I don't know how many flowers, butterflies, turtles and fish! The kids were pretty energized and I believe I made the decision that day never to take two 3 year olds to a butterfly habitat! We finished the night at Applebees and the Coopers had to head out!
Spring Performance and Mothers Day Lunch
Wil and his classmates at Flowers Academy have been working real hard on their annual Spring Performance. We are pretty sure Wil was a little aggrevated over the tennis shoe incident from earlier that morning. Apparently I put the wrong pair on! He kind of stood around with an exasperated look on his face and I thought to myself, "Wish I had those shoes with me right now!" It was a cute show and since then we have just about got him to sing about all the songs!
ACA hosted a delightful Mothers Day Lunch and graciously served us lunch and presented adorable Mothers Day gifts. The vase was beautiful. Elsie made a sign that said "I love my Mom because she lets me watch her cook." That meant a lot to me because I practice my patience a lot in the kitchen on a weekday night! She maid a teapot and teabag and told me "I'm going to drink tea with you!"
Becca's AAchomplishment and a trip to see my little "Sucker!"
I made a few phone calls and pulled together a Cinco De Mayo style Graduation party for Becca's achievement of an Associates in Arts from Polk State College. Becca made soft tacos and corn salsa and I brought in the Margarita makins. The Pitts all joined us and it was a girls weekend with Becky as Kevin had both boys in Tallahassee. Bill and Becca enjoyed a date night to her commencement service and we had the wild ones as we sipped on our margaritas! Aunt Becky taught all the kids to sing Pomp and Circumstance and march when Becca entered through the front door! Bill and I took in a long walk and a long talk while Jason and Becca entertained the youngins. A bubble bath with popsicles was a frozen treat and breakfast in the morning on the porch was awesome! Becca and I even got in a 5 mile run around town and the lakes! I slowed her down quite a bit I guess but I'm just not used to those killer gnats!
Katie got up early to make us all strawberry lemon scones! Katie is on a big scone kick and has perfected the art of being a perfect housewife and mommy in her maternity leave! Melanie was the perfect hostess as she shared her brother with all the arms that wanted to hold him! By the way-I nicknamed him Sucker due to his passionate and shark like suckling abilities! On our way over I told the kids I get the baby first but that didn't work too well with Elsie! She gave me about 2 minutes before she started asking if she could hold the baby! She even followed me to the kitchen and begged! When she went to the living room and got the boppy and sat on the stool I relented and told her to go to the couch! She held him and said, "Aww! He's a tiny baby! He's so cute!" Katie kept us filled with fresh scones and even shared her ice cream with Wil and Elsie! We had a great time until we left for The Faason wedding celebration!
Final Gymnastics class and a trip to the beach
We just finished Wil's second go around with gymnastics and Elsie took right to her first year! Seems they both learned a lot and by the end of it were able to follow the circuit and earn their stickers! Ms. Brittany and Ms. Ashley saved a big surprise for the last class and let the kids walk over to the big kids gym to play in the foam pit! Then on Thursday we got the kids from school with a beach bag packed and headed to Crescent Beach! Wil is just a beach bunny-or should I say beach cheetah! He runs all over the place! The water was just a little too chilly for Elsie and we had to bury her to warm her up! Wil got burried too but he didn't last long in the sand, preferring the surf! After Elsie got out of the sand she walked down to the water covered in sand from her neck down. She said she needed to rinse off her hands! So Jason insisted on bringing a shovel to the beach-not a cute plastic shovel attached to a bucket, no a work shovel! It did come in handy and he enjoyed embarrassing me! After rinsing off well we stopped at Blue Water Bay for some seafood! The kids were out so fast as soon as we got home-no time even for a shower!
Meeting Devin!
As promised to Katie and the kids, we took a trip down to Tampa to meet our newest family member Devin Malakai Pitt-born on Good Friday! Our plan was to roll in around dinner, pass the baby around, watch him get some "ninny", head over to Mom and Dad's campground for a dip in the pool and spending the night in the pop up! The water was a little cool so Katie and I stayed out and the girls didn't stay in long! Little Devin is the sweetest thing! He has quite an oral fixation and loves to latch on to that pacy or his mama! Just holding the boy soothes me and calms me down. He is just awesome! Elsie and Wil enjoyed holding the baby too and it was fun to watch the big cousins play. We were all happy campers in the pop up and on Sunday before we left we got a cake for Elsie-her birthday is coming in a few days and we figured it was the best opportunity to have a good round of "Happy Birthday!"
He's Alive! 2012
He's Alive! He's Alive and I'm forgiven, Heaven's gates are opened wide! Time to celebrate and we made it back just in time to! We unloaded the car Saturday night, ate a quick dinner, showered, picked out church clothes and crashed! I got up before the sun came up with intentions of a personal sunrise service! I read the resurrection story in all 4 gospels noting the similarities and differences in each. By the time I was done, I felt like one of the Mary's and I laced up my shoes, took off into the cool morning air and dashed down the street! I ran about 3 miles and decided to be bold and tell anyone I passed that "He's Alive!" I only passed a couple who seemed confused by my shouts and one man who simply responded with "That's right!" The birds were singing, I was hoofing it and it was one of the best runs I can remember! In true Kimble form I donned a towel over my head and tried to pry Jason out of bead by impersonating Mary again. He simply told me I stunk and rolled over! I showered, got the towel and cameras ready and woke the kids up to tell them Jesus's body was gone and He is Risen! We walked down the hall and used our imagination as we peered into the sun filled bathroom to find the "empty tomb!" Then we followed the "Bunny trail" of jelly beans and even found some fluff from Peter's tail! The trail led to Easter baskets on the porch! We got all sugared up and primped up and joyfully headed to church! The service rocked as always with "Christ the Lord is Risen Today" and the "Hallelujah Corus." We took pictures with the kids at the empty tomb on stage and had a nice lunch on the porch. The Egg hunt was funny because Elsie was very competitive grabbing any egg she found. Wil was selective. Even if he found an egg, if it was pink or purple, he would tell Elsie about it! What a joyous and meaningful Easter!
Last day of Spring Break
Well, the weather didn't cooperate so no sailing this time! But we sure took advantage of the perfect beach day! It was so good to get salty and sandy and we always enjoy Gary and really like his choice in a woman too! Megan was so good with the kids and she is definately my type of girl! We needed to get back to prepare for Easter and working next week. We hated to leave but are seriously planning to do this again soon!
Spring Break-Garys, part 1
On Good Friday we woke up ready to explore-well, Jason and the kids that is! I joined them for a trip to a nature center and they took off for Gumbo Limbo as I happily stayed home at Gary's with the laundry! My nephew Devin Malakai was born that morning and I wanted to be available for the news and reports! Katie had a very smoothe delivery and we plan on seeing that rascal soon! Gary and Megan worked and got off a little early to join us down at the beach. The kids were so jonesing for the beach and had a great time in the sand! The water was clear and cool and we stayed out until the rain drove us in. No problem-we colored Easter eggs, put the kids down and had good time with Gary and Megan! If the weather was going to cooperate, we were planning on sailing in the morning before having to head home.
Spring Break-Wil's B-day @ Miami Zoo
On Wil's 4th Birthday we celebrated by driving back up to Miami and had a wild time at the Zoo Miami! We rode the monorail and toured the zoo all day snacking on our treats and drinking cokes. By the time 5 o'clock rolled around we needed to get to Gary's house after picking up a birthday cake for Wil! We met Megan, Gary's new roomate and girlfriend and we all walked down to the beach to catch the sunset. After many sand angels and much conversation, I headed back to frost the cake. Gary lives a block away from the sand and I just had enough time to finish up a margarita when Megan joined me to help with the cake! Her creativity was much appreciated after my long day and another thing that was appreciated was Jason taking the kids to the shower! We sang, cut the cake and headed to bed! Happy Birthday Dear Wil!
Spring Break-Florida Keys
After escaping the crowds of Orlando, we drove down to the Florida Keys! I love that drive! We rolled down the windows a lot and let the kids look out at the blue waters and palm trees. You really feel like you are on a vacation as soon as you get on Highway 1 and head to the Southernmost Point! We stopped by John Pennekamp for an awesome experience on a glass bottom boat where we drove out through the mangroves and into the open water. We saw about 7 green sea turtles, one shark, queen angels, other exotic fish and plenty of beautiful coral. It really is a neat experience to show your toddlers because the only wildlife they have seen is in captivity in aquariums. They got a feel for what we see as divers and it sort of filled that niche for us too! We ate at the Whale House, one of Jason's favorite seafood buffets and I lost count of the plates of crab legs and shrimp Jason consumed! Wil and Elsie loved picking out their desserts at the buffet. Elsie settled on chocolate mouse (not too much room for dessert bc she ate so much shrimp!)Wil couldn't decide whether he liked flan or Key Lime Pie better!
The next morning we had to take a quick detour to a walk in clinic to get Dad some medicine. He came down south with bronchitis and laryngitis. While he was seeing the Dr, I took the kids to a nature center. Afterwards we picked up Jason at the clinic and headed straight for Duval St! We parked the car amungst the Banyon trees, popped out the stroller, packed a few snacks and off we rolled! Key West Aquarium, Hogs Breath Saloon and subsequent Hogaritas, Southernmost Point, some kind of frosty pinneaple drink and limeades, huge and messy chocolate chip cookies, Key Lime sherbert cones, the Cat Man on Malory Square at Sunset, a accidental and very long $5 carosel ride and then we headed exhausted back to the Anchor Inn in Marathon! My favorite day!!
Spring Break-Epcot
For the last Orlando day we spent it at Epcot. A lot had changed since Jason and I had been there and we really appreciated all the kid-friendly rides at the beginning of the park like the Nemo ride (our fav!), Soarin' and Ellen's Energy ride with dinosaurs. After spending much of the day at the front of the park we set out around the lake and around the world. We lost Elsie to a 2 hour nap about the time we got to France so I suggested to Jason he take Wil to ride Soarin' while us girls took a stoll around the world together. The boys were in line for 2 hours giving me plenty of time to shop and have some refreshments! Champagne in Paris, Limoncello in Italy and Margarita in Mexico! By the time we caught up with the boys all 4 of us were ready for dinner, showers and bed!
Spring Break-Hollywood Studios
Day 3 found us at Hollywood Studios. We probably enjoyed the Toy Story ride the best because we all were able to ride together. We quickly learned this week that Elsie is just too short to ride a bunch of things! So as the boys took off for Star Tours, us girls took in the 3-D Muppet Movie! Honey I Shrunk the Kids area was a good energy burn for the kids but we saved a little energy for the T-Rex cafe later that night! The food was exactly the same as Rainforest Cafe but I really loved the dinosaur dig while we sipped on adult beverages and the kids dug! We ate in the Ice Cave surrounded by fossils and a mammoth family and the dinosaurs entertained us as we munched!
Spring Break-Animal Kingdom
Exploring Animal Kingdom was sweeter with friends! Marisa and Craig met us over for a safari through the park! The safari ride in Africa was the best- I even learned what an Okapi was! I gave Ris a hard time for not knowing who Rafiki was but by the end of the day she not only knew his name but had her picture with him! We were just getting settled into the park and had explored every section except Asia when the skies opened up! Thank goodness we were all standing in lines for rides-Elsie decided to to take her nap at that point! After waiting for the rain to slow up we were all pretty cold and tired so we decided to call it a day and headed convieniently into the Rainforest Cafe for dinner! Except for the sporadic wild monkey and elephant calls it was a good dinner with good company! Craig and I got a coffee and we all chowed down before gorging ourselves on Birthday Volcano Cake! I hated seeing this day end and wish I could have taken the Faasons with us the rest of the week!
Spring Break-Disney
For Spring Break we decided to take a "Staycation" and explore our home state of Florida! Since we have the Disney parks pass we spent a busy 4 days in Orlando first before heading south. We hit the Magic Kingdom with our mouse ears on and had a great time mousing around!
St. Patty's Day Bash
What's green and sits on the back porch? Patio Furniture-and Hollingtons! Because Wes and Kasey and fam had spring break coinciding with St. Pattys we all converged on Freeport donning our green! One rule: you had to wear green! I think pretty much everyone that could pick out their own clothes put green on and some put green in their hair! We had sheppards pie, corned beef and cabbage, salad, shamrock punch and "Liquor-chan!" Jake supplied raw oysters with our green beer and we celebrated our Irish heritage together as family!
Ace's Bday party and Michelle's
We were invited to Ace's awesome Star Wars themed birthday party for cake, pizza, pinata, play and friends! It was cool to mingle with some of Wil's classmates and their parents! On Sunday we headed over to the Struekens to sip on tea, play outside and plan Michelle and Jason's 20th HS reunioun!
Melanie's 2nd Bday Party
Grandma Terry came to Gainesville for a visit to her Doctor. We made margaritas-regular and virgin for the kids! They enjoyed hanging out with Pepaw and Grandma Friday night. My cousin Sara came in Friday night to ride down with me to Tampa for Melanie's 2nd Birthday Party. Jason had patients so Sara made for the best conversation and help! Lettuce Lake was our destination (just like Mel's 1st bday) and I hope Katie always picks this place! Plenty of shade, playground equipment, good food, nature walks-Katie always puts on a good party! She really wanted to celebrate Melanie well before Mel's competition shows up! Marisa and Craig came out and joined the family and I loved seeing so many of my loved ones all in one place! Had to throw in a real cute picture of Elsie after church with the blooming azeleas in the backyard-Spring has sprung!
My first Half Marathon
On February 19th I ran my first Half Marathon-5 Points of Life Half Marathon in Gainesville. My goal was to finish in 2 hours-My time was 2 hours and 3 minutes! It was a lot of fun running with so many people. When you run a 5K I feel you are racing against everyone-in competition. When you run a distance race you get a lot of encouraging and pushing from all the others around you-comradary. Jason, Wil and Elie greeted me at the finish line. Jason had to go see a few patients so he let me take the kids home with me and I was absolutely tired, worthless but extremely pleased with myself!!
I enjoyed every aspect of the experience. I knew I would get stronger physically so I wanted to do something to help me grow stronger spiritually as well. I wrote up verses on notecards and lyrics to hymns and tucked it in my pocket or sports bra. I told myself if I stopped to stretch I would break out my "motivation" and by the end of the run I had a verse memorized and the hymns helped me up the hills! Through the training I learned about my faith, my God, my purpose with running and relationships with others. God told me to run for my happiness and the happiness of my family-anything other than that is vanity. It really made me examine my reasons for running and put competition in perspective for me. If I am running for any other reason than what my purpose is, my heart isn't in the right place. I may go on to do more races but I am running with a new purpose now. If I compete its just to prove that God made us a beautiful machine when he made our bodies. It can be molded, shaped and tested. And when you push yourself to new levels it really gives you confidence mentally and physically. It also gives you gratitude that you can run, gratitude for those who support you, and gratitude in achieving goals. God guided every footstep and lit my path to get there!
WE's first trip to Disney!
We took off for Orlando on a Friday to introduce the kids to Mickey Mouse properly! We kept it a surprise and they finally guessed what was happening by the time we got down I-75! As we took the ferry over to the Magic Kindom we put the kids on our shoulders so they could see Cinderella's castle. We were trying to get them excited and build the anticipation and what I didn't anticipate was how excited I would get! Because rain threatened us all day we plotted our course so that we would hit the must-sees first. Wil really liked Pirates of the Caribbean but Elsie was hunkered down on the floor of the boat! Thinking Small World would be a little less frightening for her, we headed there next! You should have seen her dancing on the seat! She said that was her favorite ride. After getting over the dissapointment that Mr. Toad's Wild Ride was taken away, we decided to give Pooh's Honey Pot ride a chance. That was what Wil said he liked the most. The Haunted Mansion was a lot of fun and we ended the day at the Teacups! And of course, you can't leave without mouse ears on your head! They are so cute in them!
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Ye Ole Hoggetowne Medievil Faire
It wasn't hard to convince my sistas to come up and down to Gainesville! They were super excited about the Hoggetowne Medievil Faire! Unfortunately we were missing Kevin, Camden and Brian. Jason even stayed home to do his notes. But all those guys have promised to be present next year! I made Katie a fun shirt to wear that said "Sir Kicks-A-Lot," Becky and I sampled the homeade brews from Hoggetowne Brewery, we ate ye olde funnel cakes, shopped up and down, got knighted and played with magic bubbles! Because we got there so late we had to be bussed in from the parking area and that was a thrill! Bath time was fun and we let the kids get sand in their cracks the next morning in the sandbox! I love hanging with my fair Ladies!
Running into family in Gainesville!
Hester and Jake brought Karen and KC over for an overnight stay with us. They had an uncle who was brought up to Shands and the girls wanted to pay respects. When they asked if they could stay we said of course. KC and I were both training for our first half marathon-hers was 2 weeks ahead of mine. She told me her goal was 8-10 miles. I told her I would try to keep up! We had so much fun chatting while we ran that we ended up running about 11 miles! KC is the best running partner because she talks just as much as me and encourages me to keep pushing and forget the pain! She ended up making her goal for the 13.1 and I was proud of her! It was so cute to see Karen with her 2 girls- they all have the same voice and mannerisms and they were a joy to have over! (So was Jake!)
Grandma Terry's B-day
We made the trek to Freeport again to celebrate a special person-Grandma Terry! Waking up Saturday morning was easier knowing we'd be going to see Justin's basketball game at the middle school! Saturday night Jake cooked Curry Chicken, we created Grandma's Strawberry Shortcake Cake and built a nice bonefire outside while we sipped on daquiris and mojitos! We hated leaving Sunday but we had to! Happy Birthday Grandma Terry!
One last ride for Rider
Rider Hollington was found by Jason as he pulled up to one of his patient's houses. Rider just jumped right into the Corolla and insisted Jason take him home! The patient did not own the cat, said he just wandered up and that day he became a Hollington! I had never med a cat who enjoyed car rides so the name sounded natural for him! He was the craziest little cat! I witnessed him jump from the steps to the shoulders of a roomate once.He used to go on rides with us as we dropped the car off at the stadium before game days. He used to aggrevate the stew out of me when you'd hear "a kill." Rider would pull down the towels hung to dry and meow with the towel in his mouth. Jason would find the towels and just hang them back up so when you'de grab a towel to dry off you'de get grey cat fur all over! We took him on a 13 hour trip to West Virginia and he was so easy! We got a laugh when the Doors song "Riders on the Storm" came on! He was always bounding down the stairs to get to the food bowl first and loved trying Casper, Jasper and Mona's patience. Discipline was difficult with him because he'd just look up at you with a look that said, "What seems to be the problem here? He never backed down from a tussle and ALWAYS took the chance to escape if the door was left open! When the kids came along he'd enjoy his naps with them and let them carry him and hit him! His tail always gave ample warning and I can only remember one occasion where Rider finally had enough and put a little scratch on Wil's hand.It turned into a lesson on how to respect animals and look for the signs of irritability. Rider loved laying beside you every night. He always returned home, always hung out underfoot, always plopped on your lap no matter how much trouble he'd gotten himself into. He was especially cute with Bill, my Dad and Zac. As the kids get older we are really missing him. He was an angel and a devil at the same time! We miss his cuddles and his antics! We burried him with a ceremony and he now rests under a gardenia bush just like his brothers, Casper and Jasper. RIP Rider Hollington 2005-2011.
Sugarbowl/Saint trip and Freeport
All the good folks in Freeport Florida pitched in and helped watched the kids as we headed west to New Orleans for the Saints playoff game and National Championship. Its always fun seeing all the crazy things on Bourbon St. and Saints fans are pretty fun too! Boy that city is crazy! We decided to get away from it all on Sunday with a trip down the delta to Golden Isle, Louisianna. The drive was spectacular as we passed shrimp boats in the canal on the right and cattle grazing on the left! You really got a feel for the damage Katrina caused and how dependent on oil Louisianna is-oil rigs left and right. We drove to where the oil spill last year hit the shore first. There are still cleanups and some residue but it is looking much better (from what I could tell.) We took a short walk down to the tip of the island and sat on the shore for a little bit watching the porpoises play! We ate some good cajun food on the way back and enjoyed our time together while the kids romped on the farm with their crazy cousins!
Monday, May 14, 2012
Churchill Downs
***Tried my best to go back and put this in order! This post belongs in between Mammoth Cave and Cinncinnatti Science Museum back in the fall of 2011! We are sorry for the incovienience! Thank you, Blog Manager:)***
No trip to Louisville is complete without a trip to Churchill Downs and the Kentucky Derby Museum. It had been a while since Jason and I went and we were pleased to see the expansion, interactive games and kid friendly activities! Come to think of it, I'm not sure last time we were there we were at all interested in kid friendly things! A very cool and slightly rule bending security guard looked the other way as Jason scooped some dirt up from the track into a Starbucks iced coffee jar! Wil's school has a garden to pour dirt from "all over the world." We thought dirt from the track would make the flowers grow faster! Elsie loved all the flowers on the paddock-especially the roses! It is such an experience walking the paddock and ending up on the track between the steeples! Hopefully it means the kids will have an appreciation for watching the Kentucky Derby in May!
No trip to Louisville is complete without a trip to Churchill Downs and the Kentucky Derby Museum. It had been a while since Jason and I went and we were pleased to see the expansion, interactive games and kid friendly activities! Come to think of it, I'm not sure last time we were there we were at all interested in kid friendly things! A very cool and slightly rule bending security guard looked the other way as Jason scooped some dirt up from the track into a Starbucks iced coffee jar! Wil's school has a garden to pour dirt from "all over the world." We thought dirt from the track would make the flowers grow faster! Elsie loved all the flowers on the paddock-especially the roses! It is such an experience walking the paddock and ending up on the track between the steeples! Hopefully it means the kids will have an appreciation for watching the Kentucky Derby in May!
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Christmas at Stacy's
Christmas morning was wild and crazy but this time we had a huuuge crowd at Stacy's! It meant so much that people were willing and able to make the drive to Stacys and her house was spacious and accomodating! Stanton, Danny and Jake kept the fires warm for good home cooking and we all ate too much of the sweets! The ripping and shredding started a little later-like 7am this year! Coffee flowed (thank God!) and the kids just got more and more keyed up! Plenty of conversation as we all played with our new toys and enjoyed each others company! I loved Christmas at Stacy's and hope we do it there again!
Christmas Eve found us in good ol Taylor County for dinner, carols and good visiting! Mom's tree was beautiful, food was awesome and we got to see a whole bunch of Kimbles! Grandpa settled in his papa chair and sang along with Grandma Jane, Aunt Mary, Uncle David, James, Sara, Bill, Becca, Wyatt and Ramona. We all got a little silly and Aunt Mary shared her family tradition of "reindeer food" on Mom's front lawn. After staying a while we headed to Tallahassee for Christmas Eve preparations and partying with the Hollingtons at Stacy's house! Stacy hosted the entire family and as we all settled in I couldn't even count the number of bodies dreaming of sugar plums! Just like old times, being all together under one roof!
Christmas in Gainesville
A week before Christmas we celebrated Jesus's birthday with stockings, presents, a candy cane tree and Santa brought us a new playset!! We woke up early to fry bacon and make coffee. Mr. Jon came over to unwrap and unwind with us. I think he enjoyed the playset as much as the kids! We made cookies for Santa hoping he would stop by if he saw the cookies out on his trial sleigh run. It worked! Santa even brought me a set of bedside drawers! Wil got up first in the morning and ran downstairs with little gasps, "Huh! Look! Stockings!!" We asked Wil if he'd like to go wake up his sister and he took off! I think Elsie was still sort of asleep as she poured out her stocking! We kept waiting and waiting for them to see what Santa brought them outside. Elsie spotted the playset first and it was a mad dash outside! Sara stopped by later on and tried out the slide and swings! It was a sweet Christmas day at our house!
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Farmer Fun!
Sara and James drove down from Thomasville with Jame's friend Micheal to catch a basketball game with us! I missed the Gator fun because I was at Dr. Freimuth's Christmas party but got home in time to talk all night with my cousin Sara! Jason said the kids enjoyed having Sara sit with them-she took my seat. James and Micheal sat together for some guy time! I think James slept most of the visit away! But Sara woke up and had coffee with us, we ate breakfast and lollygagged around a little more and then they were off! Its so cool getting to hang with my cousins as adults now! I've always enjoyed them but we have a new level of closeness now!
Wil's Flowers Montessori Christmas singalong
Wil's school put on an entertaining Christmas program (right in the middle of the day!) Jason was able to make it and "good ole Dad" brought both the camcorder and the camera so Elsie and I could be a part of it! Our favorite song was "Must Be Santa Claus" Wil taught us all the lyrics to that! He made himself a crazy Christmas hat and the kids brought many chuckles out of us as they sang under the trees!
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Elsie's ACA Christmas Performance
Elsie showed off her talents as we enjoyed A Child's Academy Christmas Performance. Sleigh bells and reindeer horns adorned them as they belted out the Reindeer Pokey. Elsie was a true performer until she saw Mommy move in closer for some pictures! Then she said "Mommy!" with a big smile and I had to remind her to sing! Then exiting the stage she accidently knocked the microphone stand over-that's my girl! Her friends Mackenzie and Helena had no stage fright whatsoever and all of the parents had fun watching them as we crammed into the fellowship hall!
Sara's Birthday Party
A Jurassic Halloween
This Halloween Wil and Elsie were "Buddy" and "Tiny" their favorite characters from Dinosaur Train. Both of their schools had parties and they had a chance to go trick or treating with their favorite monster, Shawn! While we were at the UF/UGA game Debbie watched the kids and took them on a candy gathering stroll through her neighborhood! The kids had such a great time exploring Debbie's neighborhood and staying up late into the night eating candy and watching Disney movies with Shawn! On the actual dark and spooky night, Jason took the kids up to "Boo at the Zoo" and I met them there after work. From there we drove home and prepared for some trick or treating in Rock Creek! It was so fun to visit with all of our neighbors on the loop! A lot of them recognized us even in our dinosaur costumes! Jason and I helped cut down on the huge supply of candy and the rest is hidden at the top of the pantry! Jason told the kids we gave the candy to a homeless man! A week later Elsie asked Jason where the homeless man was! Was she planning on retrieving her hard earned work?
Monday, April 16, 2012
Elsie's 3rd Birthday!
Elsie's birthday fell on a Wednesday so we made cupcakes to take to school-chocolate with roses-per Elsie's request! I put out a brand new party dress and her teachers made her a birthday hat shaped like a crown! Dad got the kids out of school and took them to the Butterfly rainforest. Elsie loves flowers and its always hard to keep her from picking a few! When we all got home we had fajitas with lots of mushrooms (Elsie fav!) and more cupcakes! Elsie unwrapped hair bows, another dress, and pretty sandals. We reminded she and Wil that the Spring Break trip was a big birthday trip as well and we talked about all the fun things we had recently done together. Can't believe we are leaving the terrible twos and my baby is already 3!
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