So by now I’m sure most of you know we have this little celebration every March 17th in Savannah, Ga, called St Patrick’s Day. It’s only the 2nd largest parade in the US, but definitely the largest party afterward. It was on a Tuesday this year and the girls were out of school so we headed downtown with our neighbor Lonnie. We got there about 8:00 and headed to a Starbucks for a little warm up/wake up juice and get the kids a little bite to eat. It was still a little cool out and I had opted for shorts opting to deal with the cool for a little while in hopes of making it up on the back side with the predicted nice weather so getting inside out of the windy gray chill was good. Read more

Again we took a trip to beautiful Tybee Island for another parade, this time St Patrick’s day. Tybee held it’s parade on the Saturday before the big Savannah parade and we again had kids on hand and an extra one to boot in Courtney, Alyssa’s friend, so we loaded up and trekked to the island hoping for another fun day. It was gray and cooler this time, as opposed to the beautiful day we had in February for Mardi Gras, so we decided to get back off the beach breeze a little and stood on Tybrisa this time. Read more

This past weekend Tybee had it’s first Annual Mardi Gras parade and street party. We had all four kids this weekend so Kriss and I made plans to go down to the beach and check it out. The kids really love going to the beach and the weather was going to be nice. We got there early enough to get good parking and get down by the pier where a few vendors were set up selling beads, masks, drinks, etc. We had over an hour before the parade came so we walked up on the pier and then the kids wanted to go dig in the sand so we let them while we sat on the pier and enjoyed the sun.We ran in to several friends too. Read more

This year our new tradition of the kids making gingerbread houses is carried on. This started last year when Auntie Dawna (aunt Donna is from Boston) came down for Thanksgiving and on the weekend after she bought a gingerbread house kit for Kellie to decorate while the other two were off for the weekend. So this year nana bought three kits for each of them to decorate on their own. From L-R; Erin’s, Alyssa’s, and Kellie’s. I’m not certain if all of the royal icing is going to come up off the floor, carpet, counter, tv remote, or cordless phone, but we have three lovely gingerbread houses to show for it so thats a pretty fair trade off. Click pic for full size view.

Today was the last day of school for all of the kids here in Bryan co. They were all excited but Kellie was very excited to have her first Christmas party, especially since she missed the Halloween party since she was sick. Kriss and I went up to the school to take treat bags and help out. Another parent brought these tree hat kits, that’s what she is decorating in the picture. You glue ornaments to it and then roll it up and it looks like an elf hat. They all had fun and were surprisingly good the whole time, not once did they get rowdy. We were trying to hurry though because Erin’s class was having a party too and her school is right next door within walking distance so I ran and put Kellie’s stuff in the car while she and Kriss went to Erin’s class. We should have gone there first because they had pizza. It also looked a little rowdier there but she was smiling and having fun.

Every year Santa comes through our neighborhood on a fire truck with lights flashing and siren blaring. We always run out to meet him and take pictures and get some candy. When we first moved here he would come down our street and turn around in the cul-de-sac. Then 2 years ago he faked us out and stopped up the road at a fork and turned around so we went up to meet him this year. I’m not certain but I think Santa has been in the egg nog a little too much before this ride, click on the pic and check him out up close.

It did help get the kids to bed early though. We told them that Santa was still in the area so he was able to keep an eye on them. “He sees you when you’re sleeping, He knows when you’re awake …..”

Yep, this is the first year that we’ve had all four kids, or Marc at all, on Halloween for Trick or Treating. I drove up Friday afternoon to get him and try to get back in time before the other 3 ripped the door down at dark, we barely made it right after dark. Kellie was Princess Aurora, or Sleeping Beauty as you probably know her. I’m not sure what Erin was, I guess a dead, scary, witchy, something or another. Marc was a cowboy, at least that’s what he said he was, there was a hat. Alyssa was scariest of them all, she was an ugly, mean looking witch ! We walked a good bit through the neighborhood though there were some skipped houses along the way, I think the older kids hit more but they always get ahead of Kellie since they don’t need adults holding their hand. We worked our way around to where the Pirate’s of the Caribbean show will be the next weekend, at one of our neighbor’s houses. He does a big production that gets bigger each year with costumes, sets, smoke, etc, and it’s free although they will take charitable donations to benefit SMA, Spinal Muscular Atrophy. This was in front of the Flying Dutchman set. Click on the image to see the full size version. The extra girl beside Erin is her friend down the street Ashley.

I then walked Erin over to a friend’s house that was having a party ’til late, their house was all made up cool with crystal balls with floating heads inside them and lighting effects, while the rest of us went to get something to eat and then we all came back home to divy up the treasure and enjoy a sugar rush.

Erin has finished her first full year of gymnastics now and we recently got to go see her end of year exhibition. I took some video and hope to have some on here soon. If there is such thing as tripping over your own smile I think that would be her, she really likes having an activity of her own being the middle sister.