First Field Trip (Pt.2)

We only live a hop, skip and a jump away from the Millbrook Airport in Elmore County. But I have never, ever, ever done anything other than drive past it.

So I was just as curious as the children when we arrived at the airport to find out some information about what is known as the Air Evac Lifeteam. Jayme (who is the father of one of Gracie's classmates) actually led the children through a guided explanation of what they do. One of the chilren even got the experience of being loaded onto the stretcher and placed inside the helicopter!

Having watched enough episodes of Grey's Anatomy to know what a life-flight helicopter is used for, it was definitely interesting to see one up close. The area in which the patient is placed on the stretcher is extremely small. Jayme assured the children that while it is very noisy that riding in the helicopter was very safe and it would get them to the hospital very quickly.


Jo-Jo, one of Gracie's classmates, being loaded into the helicopter on a stretcher!


Gracie with her Junior Flight Crew wings


Wiley, one of Gracie's classmates, with Mr. Jayme's helmet on!


Gracie in the helicopter


Mr. Jayme poses for a picture with the class

We ended the field trip at the Millbrook Park. The kids had a blast and so did the moms who went. I am looking forward to many more field trips with the kids!

First Field Trip (Pt.1)

So on Monday, Gracie's K4 class at Victory Baptist School had their first ever official field trip! I normally work on Mondays, but requested the day off to accompany the class on their field trip. The children weren't the only ones who were excited about the trip. I'm sure some of the moms were as well!

The class not only got to visit the Pumpkin Patch of a local church, but they also went to the Millbrook Airport to visit with the Air Evac Life Team there. Then we headed off to the Millbrook Park to finish off an exciting morning!

But first off: The Pumpkin Patch! It was held at Trinity UMC in Prattville, and was just the right size of fun for Mrs. Eddings K4 Class!

The kids got to check out all the different colored pumpkins (they had yellow, red, blue, green, white and orange) and some of the kids noticed the different shapes and sizes, and even found some "Bumpy Pumpkins" which happened to be what they heard about at story time at the Pumpkin Patch!


A sweet sign greeting us as we walked through the Pumpkin Patch!


These are Winged Gourds, which are pretty much for decoration. But Gracie and her friend, Sam, though this gourd looked like a duck! Do you think so?


Gracie and her buddy, Sam (who is putting bunny ears up behind Gracie!)


Classmates! L to R: Randria, Aysia, Sam, and Gracie


This was during Story time, when they were read "The Bumpy Pumpkin"


Gracie with the Pumpkin we picked out!


Mrs. Eddings K4 Class

Check out our visit to the Air Evac Life Team at Millbrook Airport in my next post! The kids had a blast!

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday

Have you ever seen a Peanut Pumpkin? That's what Gracie thought it was so, of course, we had to take her picture with it!

Buddy Walk 2010

I met Rita Andrews through a mutual friend of ours.

Rita and her husband William have two grown children, Lyndsey and Michael, and they have adopted four girls: one from India, one from Guatemala, and two biological sisters from Colombia. Three of the four girls have Down Syndrome.

When I saw Rita advertising a Buddy Walk for Down Syndrome on Facebook, I realized that as much as I've wanted to do fundraiser stuff like this in the past - I never have. So for a total of $20, I signed Gracie and me up to walk. The Buddy Walk was held October 16th at the Riverwalk Stadium (home of the Montgomery Biscuits). As members of the "Princess Team" the Andrews girls were decked out in yellow shirts and tutus, and walk participants got to wear a special badge made of a princess crown with the girls' group photo attached.

Gracie, James, and I headed out that morning to meet Rita and her girls for the walk!


A picture of Gracie in her princess crown, in support of the "Princess" Team.


Rita, William, and the girls with a friend at the Buddy Walk


From l to r: Giovanni, Gabriella, Lily, and Isabella with a group of cheerleaders from a local school!


A group photo of the Princess Team and the walkers supporting them!

Although the weather was a little warmer than we expected the walk was so much fun! Rita's girls are absolute dolls and it was a blast to get to watch them dance and just have a good time. Hopefully, this will be an activity we participate in every year into the future!

What's Up, Pork Chop?

I feel like it's been forever since I've done a post on James! And since I've discovered how to load my pictures onto the computer through my printer, I'll have to post more videos very soon!

At 14 months, James mastered the art of walking unassisted just last week. Although it takes him a second or two to get his balance and he can't stay up on his feet for long - he figured it out!

He is also completely off of baby food and formula and no longer taking a bottle! He can pretty much self-feed, although we've only let him hold a spoon while he's eating. He doesn't know just yet how to manuever the spoonful of food into his mouth. We are still holding onto the pacifier, but he is only allowed to have it at naptime (at home, not at daycare) and at bedtime.

Just recently I noticed him sounding out more words. There are a new words and sounds he can imitate: Gracie/Sissy, No no, That, Mama, Da Da, and other noises.

He also likes to dance when he hears music and more recently when I was singing to him, I noticed that he likes to make noises/sounds as if he's singing back to me!

We go for his next well baby check-up on November 16th, so I'm sure I'll have more updates then!

Luke Reid Spivey

My friend, Brooke, got married this past January. Gracie was her flower girl and her son Mason was the ring bearer. Just last month, Brooke and her husband Ryan welcomed a baby boy into the family!

Here are some pictures from our visit with Luke Reid Spivey as the newest member of the Spivey family!





It was nice to visit with Brooke, who I've only seen a few times since the wedding, but the real excitement was for Gracie and Mason (Brooke's son) to see each other again! Gracie and Mason go way back and according to Ryan and Brooke, he tells everybody at church and school that Gracie is his girlfriend! Watching them play and catch up was just as much fun as holding Baby Luke!

Ah, ah, CHOO!

There is nothing sweeter than the sound of a baby giggling, unless it is his big sister fake sneezing just to make him laugh!

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday

You can barely see because it's so dark, but they had music playing before the circus started at the fair. James is gettin his groove on!

Jalapeno's Princess Dinner

ETA: Sorry for the lag in posting. My USB cable for my camera is missing, and I literally just figured out how to get pictures from my memory card being connected through my printer. Yay me!
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Gracie just loves being a princess! I don't think there is anything she loves more, unless it would be spending time with an actual princess!

Jalapeno's in Montgomery and a business called The Party Palace have done a wonderful thing-once a month, typically on a Saturday, they will have a character dinner. Families can come and spend time with whatever character might be featured. The particular weekend we got to go, it was Cinderella, Snow White, and Ariel from the Little Mermaid!







We had SO much fun and had some great food! And for those of us with die-hard princess fans, the Party Palace does birthdays too! They have a wide variety of characters, so be sure to check out their website for more info!

No Darkness Black Enough

There are no words. Just watch.

The Murphys from Frazer UMC on Vimeo.