The Gilmore's

Jackson's 8th birthday!

2013-03-22T21:21:00.000-05:00

My Jackson requested his two friends have a campout in the backyard for his birthday.
I thought that was perfect!
Ryan, Jackson and Lane
They all started out in Kindergarten together :)

A camouflage cake to complete the evening.

James built a fire and they all roasted hotdogs for dinner...
s'mores to follow [my fav]

8 years!? Where did that go?

Singing to Jackson...lots of silliness going on!

He made out a loooong list of Legos that he wanted for his birthday and gave it to his Grandma...
She delivered. ALL of it.
Sheesh!
Here we have "big ben" clock. talk about tiny pieces!
Took him two days to do it.

Georgia photo bombing with the infamous tongue...

He wanted to go to George's Mexican restaurant for his actual birthday...so that's where we went!

instagram effect.

We went to Destin to see my mom the following weekend and she had a cake for him too!

pingpong tables make a great present for the whole family too!
Fits perfectly in the playroom :)

Grandma and Jackson working hard on Legos!

Jackson you are a super smart kid.
You are stubborn [just like yo mama]
you love playing out in the creek with your trucks and boats and getting super dirty.
School is easy for you and you enjoy learning.
You make friends easily and are such a sweet boy.
I love you with all my heart :)

Mardi Gras 2013

2013-02-14T19:19:00.000-06:00

Apparently kindergarteners who live in the state of Louisiana make mini Mardi Gras floats this time of year...

Well, Charlie and I certainly had fun with a hot glue gun [and several blister burns later].
Here's his finished product!

I also had a 'first' this Mardi Gras season..
I got to ride in my first Mardi Gras parade!
My cousin, Stephanie and I climbed on board our float and loaded all of our "throws"...

Now all I needed was my "costume and mask"....

Done.
ohhh what a fun night that turned out to be!
I would LOVE to do this again!

My man, Charlie, also got to ride in a Mardi Gras parade of his own.
His Kindergarten does one every year in our little town and the streets shut down and people gather on the roadside while the 6 year olds pummel beads and such at innocent bystanders.

I walked alongside to make sure no one fell off the trailer..

And the Gilmores are off to Destin for Mardi Gras break!
Happy Mardi Gras ya'll!

Christmas: part deux

2012-12-30T21:28:00.000-06:00

Saturday afternoon we made Christmas cookies!
Mom had all kinds of fun decorations for the kids to decorate cookies with.
Jackson had requested that we make cookies so we waited until we were at my mom's and had lots of help :)

Cori [Steve's nurse] and her daughter came to join in the festivities.

Sage and Jackson rolling out the dough.

Me and my momma :)
I was slowly going downhill at this point, but I kept truckin'

Charlie's Kindergarten class had made bags of "reindeer food" to sprinkle on the lawn Christmas Eve....here he's doing just that!

a mixture of glitter and crushed peppermints and sequins :)
think I also saw some honeycomb cereal in there...

He had been looking forward this all of Christmas.

Beau, Ryan and Jeffery the dog :)

Getting ready for bed.
wipin' noses and downing tylenol

cute little photo op
The boys were so excited it was Christmas Eve.

We had just gotten home from a yummy dinner at Cuvee Bistro for Christmas Eve.

Goof ball!!

the flash is sooo bright!

Jackson thought Santa needed a little guidance in the cookie eating department...

He wrote a note to the big guy and fixed him a plate of cookies and milk.

our sugar cookies we made :)

Mom told the boys if they behaved at dinner they could open one gift on Christmas Eve.
Jackson got a vest....
not exactly the gift he was hoping to open, I presume...

Georgia got a tea set!

I got Just Dance 4 for Christmas!!
We took it all upstairs to the Gilmore Floor.

Jeffrey the dog was over it.

I whooped these girls..

gee, my pictures are out of order and I don't know how to fix that!
Surprise!

JWG gettin' fresh with the camera.
He's a dancing fool just like his mamma!

Man, the Gilmore Floor is messy!!!!

Lana ignored the fever and just danced...

fun times on the gilmore floor.

My bro taking a break from the dance floor.

But not for long!
This game has some fun songs on it!

Jackson said to me, "I can't wait for Dance Party 5 to come out mom!"

me either son!

And that concluded our Christmas :)

Christmas 2012

2012-12-30T19:23:00.000-06:00

Georgia got a tree for her room this year!
Hello Kitty but of course :)
She loved going and sitting on the floor by her tree and looking at it...
then unplugging it and trying to plug it back in, etc...

Mr. Charlie called me into her room one night and said, "Hey mom! Come see. I look like Elf on the Shelf!"
hahahha..he really did!

This Christmas spent with my side of the family.
The kids had a 1/2 day on Thursday.
We loaded everything in the car [presents and all] on Thursday night then got up Friday morning and drove to Destin to my mom's.

Everything started out grand.
Then fever hit Charlie.
Then throwing up.
Next thing we know, Georgia is running fever.
I came down with it next.

Lana ended up with it.

It sucked.
We drove back home the day after Christmas.
I took all of us to the Dr.

Charlie had pneumonia.
Georgia had croup and flu and ear infection.
I had bronchitis and flu...

yuck.

So needless to say, we had a low key Christmas.
Lots of handwashing and not touching each other...
Jackson never got sick.
Him and Uncle Beau were into Lego building.

I cooked all day on Christmas and we had a really nice meal that evening.
It was our first time eating at the dining room table!
Roasted Turkey
Carrot Souffle
Mashed Potatoes
Roasted Brussel Sprouts
Cheese Ball
Cheese Platter
Artichoke Dip
Veggie Tray
Pumpkin Pie
Key Lime Pie

The Sunday before Christmas my mom, Lana, Ryan and I went to Vintij for a girls lunch.
It is our favorite place to go!

Jackson enjoyed a fun game of War with Cori [Steve's nurse].

Christmas Morning!
Looks like Santa came!

Georgia was inspecting her 4-wheeler.

Poor thing was running fever.
Charlie was feeling much better by today.

It took some coaxing to get her on the thing!

Pappa unwrapping gifts.

She was so intentional with opening her presents....it took FOREVER!

....one strip of measly paper at a time!
We didn't all wake up till 8am Christmas morning and were done unwrapping at 9:30!

a new dress from Uncle Beau and Ryan!

Yes, the fat cat was with us.
He got a catnip filled tray of sushi toys.

Legos of course!

And a Nerf gun that I hate already...

Taking her sweet time with this one!

Babies.
Two twin cabbage patch dolls.
That should keep this little mamma busy :)

Uncle Beau unwrapping...

they were ripping into everything.

Ms Ryan

out of focus Nonna and Georgia

Aunt Lana was excited to unwrap her Keurig she's been wanting!

Texas girl :)

Me and Mr claus :)

Daddy always gets the biggest gift under the tree!

Mom's beautiful Christmas tree

Lana and Ryan putting together a puzzle on Christmas day.

I know I've explained my Mom's tradition of the "pickle".
She has this tiny pickle ornament, like 2 inches long.
She hides it and whoever finds it gets $100!
I found it two years ago :)
Beau found it this year!!
It was soooo hard to find this year!
It took us a good 10 minutes!

Despite the sickness that we passed around, it was a great Christmas!
We enjoyed Beau and Ryan's company and just being all together.

Dance Party 4 competition commenced not too soon after dinner :)
I own everyone.

Gilmore Christmas Card

2012-12-20T20:18:00.000-06:00

I totally procrastinated with this annual task this year.
We were all set to take our pics one Saturday [early] in the month of December, but James and Jackson went duck hunting that morning and Jackson came back with mosquito bites all over his face.
cancelled.

So we got up one Sunday morning before church and drove to our local park in Abita.
Easy peasy.

Everyone was super cooperative :)
He's such a cutie ^^

Super handsome man.
One pic is all I needed and he delivered.
First try.

This goober was being extra devilish...

talking back to the camera....
yelling who knows what at me.

Anyways, it was pretty painless.
Lana met us there and took our pic for us.

This is the one we went with :)

And just like that, she was done.

gilmores in disarray...

I finally realized after looking at this pic that Charlie needs a haircut by a professional.
Not his mother anymore...

behind the scenes:
10 minutes before we're supposed to roll out...
Georgia typically likes to take her pants off and put them on her head.
Or one of her brothers underwear...yuck.

She's a hot mess.

why, I look perfectly normal, mom!

This guy is trying to figure out his belt.
I always have to ask, "do you have underwear on Charlie?"
The kid doesn't like to wear them...

old. man.
He totally wanted to skip out on the Christmas card photo shoot.

We made it to the park.
And we weren't late!
It's like freakin' herding cattle, people!

Merry Christmas from the Gilmores!

girls trip to Destin

2012-10-07T11:12:00.000-05:00

The boys didnt' have school one Friday so James loaded them up and took them to his Dad's hunting camp in Arkansas for some deer hunting and quality time together.

The girls packed up and went to Destin!

Even the fat cat came.
We didn't have much of an agenda for the weekend....
just enjoying the beautiful weather and the fact that my mom was in town from Baltimore for a quick trip home.

She speaks but no one knows what she's saying...
I know that'll change very soon.

she's such a happy girl!

We were lounging on Nonna's bedroom floor....

While Nonna did some unpacking.

The beautiful sea...

It's a great time to be here.
off season.

We always enjoy any chance we can get away to here...

snapshots in august

2012-08-24T22:04:00.000-05:00

We are having some awesome evenings on the back patio...

This happy little lady loves to be outside!

I bought a pack of those polybands....we're experimenting with pigtails :)

she can totally pull them off!

a one legged lady!

serious GA pose

the kids Halloween costumes came in the mail...
Hooves were all she wanted out of her sheep costume

Daddy brought her a flower at breakfast and she wore it in her hair :)

Got a new little Canon camera....experimenting.

flash is no bueno.

My little cuties!
Hang on to that gut, Jackson!

Why can't they be this cooperative and cute for Gilmore Family Christmas Card??

silly kids.
I love you!

Back to School....

2012-08-17T23:09:00.000-05:00

Bear with me...these few photos are out of order...

Look at these cute brothers!!
Charlie's first day of Kindergarten!

Can't tell that he was SUPER excited!

[I think he was more excited to ride the bus]
although, this mamma insisted on driving him to school on his first day and walking him to his classroom!
He woulda been fine hopping on that bus...but not me :(

Ok, it totally looks like I ironed his elastic khaki shorts...I promise I did not!
I just folded them lengthwise and hey, he got a fancy crease down the front!

These two dudes are complete opposites.
I love them equally.

My big Kindergartner and me.
Where oh where does the time go?

It was back to school night for this big 2nd grader and Moi insisted on a new haircut!
Dad does a great "free" job right in our own backyard!

Jackson's first day of 2nd grade!

He had a super fun summer and lost LOTS of teeth!
He was excited to go back to school!

I pray they both have a wonderful school year and are blessed with great teachers.

NYC Girls....

2012-08-06T21:04:00.000-05:00

So my cousin, Stephanie, is opening a shoe boutique at the end of the month! She asked me to jump on board!
This is right up my alley!
How could I say no!
I mean, I actually get to use my degree!

This means we go to NYC about 4 times a year!
Yes Please!!

We took Emma with us this time. She is Stephanie's 9 year old daughter, whom the store is named after :)

We are always super busy taxi-ing from one appointment or showroom to the next but we do get to squeeze in some fun time :)

Times Square above:

Guess I was feeling extra cute on this day.
Ha!

Green shorts = sassy, maybe?

Getting ready to head into a fabulous showroom.
Sigerson Morrison.
Beautiful shoes!

Dining al fresco lunch.

Emma :)

Emma resting her weary feet at our next showroom.
She was a trooper!
We dragged her all over NYC!

...and she dragged us all the way to the top of the Empire State Building one night.
It took us 2 hours to get up there!

Hope it was worth it, Emma!

Mommy and daughter at our favorite restaurant in NYC.
ABC Kitchen.

solo pic again...
this never happens!

It looks like we're in a dungeon.
Actually, we are in a basement.
La Esquina in SoHo.
YUM authentic Mexican.
You have to have a reservation to get down here.
There's even a secret door on the inside that goes down the dark steps to the hideaway!

My first photo with one of our designers and I have to go and close my eyes!!!
Meet Gillian.
Maker of beautiful jewelry :)

Meet Barbara.
Maker of more beautiful jewelry.
Evocateur.

I was welcomed home with a handmade sign on the door!

Seems some small people miss me while I'm gone.
I am very grateful to my husband and M-I-L who help out tremendously while I am jaunting off to NYC every couple of months!

Decatur Visit--Long Overdue

2012-08-05T20:33:00.000-05:00

The weekend before school starts I had promised my Grandmother Cagle we would come and visit.
We usually go every Easter to Decatur and this year we went to Destin to my mom's because a bunch of PA family was going to be there...
...so it wasn't until August that we made it to Decatur.

My sweet 92 year old Grandmother had never met Georgia Mae.
Georgia is named after this precious woman.
Mae Lenese Cagle

She has always gone by "Lenese" as long as I've known her.
I have never heard anyone call her Mae.
I love Mae.
and Georgia Mae had a beautiful ring to it :)

My Grandmother doesn't cook anymore..
During one of our weekly phone conversations she casually said, "I am getting so sick of canned soup."
It literally broke my heart.

Instantly an idea popped into my head as to what I would be doing when we went to visit her.
I cooked all day on Saturday and completely stocked her freezer.
Ravioli and Zucchini Lasagna
Chicken Noodle Soup
Chicken Spaghetti
Chicken Tetrazzini

We ran out of room in her refrigerator freezer so we had to put some in my Dad's freezer.
She was soooooo excited.
And so thankful.
I received a thank you note in the mail from her the following week we got home.
Such an easy task of cooking for me became such a burden for her and her arthritic hands.
I was more than happy to help her.
I wish I lived closer to her, I would bring her hot meals daily.

My Dad hadn't seen Ga since she was born, so this was a treat for him too.

It took the Lady a few hours to warm up to the man.

But once she did, all was well.

All Smiles!

So was he...

the kiddos with their Grandaddy Cagle

I'm so happy that my kids know their great-grandmother.

I love this woman to death.
She has always held a special place in my heart.

We rarely come visit, but when we do, she welcomes my rowdy bunch with open arms.
They are never too loud or crazy for her....
She loves watching them play and get the occasional hug as one is passing by her recliner.

4 generations.

Jackson and my Dad's terrified dog.

The dog was certainly glad we had a short visit!

Georgia's First Birthday!

2012-07-29T19:52:00.000-05:00

Birthday cake from Publix.....if she were my first child, this wouldn't even be an option. ha!

She wasn't feelin' the chintzy highchair decorations....

Where is my cake?!

ahh...there it is!
much better :)

Don't mind if I do....
smash cakes are so fun!

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Sugar is kickin' in right about here...

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Well, that was fun...now it's off to the tub!

And time for presents!

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A new baby doll!

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Jackson and I were having a serious Dance Party 3 competition...

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Georgia got in on the action...this girl loves to dance.
Wonder where she gets that from!

We got all dolled up and went outside the next morning for a little photo shoot!

I love this face :)

Does my butt look big?

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Happy birthday to my sweet prisser :)

We had a fun weekend in Destin at my mom's.
Lots of swimming and beach time.

Georgia, you are growing up too fast.
I love you and I love watching you change everyday.
You make all of us smile :)

All About Georgia...

2012-07-13T14:12:00.002-05:00

Is there anything more sweet than a sleeping baby?

I could seriously take her picture all day.
She sprawls out and flips around when she sleeps.

And her sweet baby toes.
I could eat them.

Breakfast with her leg hiked up.
This is how she prefers it.

11 months old!
She's running all over the place and terrorizing her brothers.
She is into everything.
Loves to play with her kitchen.
Loves to get into the kids utensil drawer and tote spoons and forks around wherever she trots.
We have to keep ALL doors shut.
She's been caught playing in the cat food in Lana's room,
caught climbing the boys ladder to their bunkbeds,
caught with her paws on the toilet [yuck],
and the litter box is in the laundry room...
you get the idea.
ALL doors shut.

She got a shiner at the gym.
Some punk kid threw a wooden block and hit her in the eye.
Poor Baby.

Her cousin, Emma, gave her a new purse.
She puts her little trinkets inside and carries it around, taking them out and putting them back in.
I love watching her do this.

Some day she just likes to attach her little self to my legs.
She looks up at me and without speaking can say, "Hold me, Mamma"
It's amazing.
How can I say no to this face?
:)

I find her most of the time in the little ball pit at the gym.
She just got moved out of the "infant" room and into pre-tots room.
She has made the transition well.
It's a loud room.
She loves it.

If she's not in the ball pit, she's usually having a snack with some of her gym friends!

She's getting soooo big.
Big #1 is next..
sniffle.

July 4th in Destin

2012-07-08T13:43:00.000-05:00

What a fun week this was with our Cagle cousins!!
These 7 cuties are 3rd cousins :)
They played soooo well together!

All of our families gathered at my mom's house on July 4th for a day of reconnecting, swimming, eating, drinking, laughing and ending with fireworks!
The day didn't have enough hours in it if you ask me :(

My mom took Charlie with her to pic up Beau and his girlfriend, Ryan at the airport.
They killed some time and Charlie got to tour this cool Army helicopter!

Getting some much needed Uncle Beau time!

Cindra knows how to throw a party!
We set up this fun kids table by the pool, complete with goodie bags, underwater cameras, juiceboxe and snacks.
What else does a kid need?

Lady Liberty herself :)

This one is my favorite!
She's such a poser :)

Georgia getting sand up all in her crevices...
She loves it!

Beau Beau and Ryan

Beau and cousin Scott...
these two goobers got into lots of trouble back in the day!

#346455 why I love Destin.
Look at that WATER!!
the beach was absolutely perfect this week.
Georgia and Charlie had no complaints either :)

We loaded up in the golfcart one night and headed to dinner at Tommy Bahamas.
fun stuff!
I miss hanging out with my brother!

I initiated a Dance Party 3 competition.
I have never been beaten.
By anyone.
Until Ms. Ryan comes along....
She certainly gave me a run for my money.
Yep, she beat me..

Until next time, Ms. Hestilow......

I left my reigns and watched these three go at it...hilarious.

These manly men fished off the dock a lot.
Of course, a mandatory Bass Pro store run was in order....

While the men fished, the women lunched!
Mom, me, Lana & Ryan went to Vintij Wine Boutique
[our favorite]
and wined and dined, then hit up the OFF SAKS outlet!
It was a REALLY fun afternoon!

James and I snuck off after dinner one night to the beach to watch the sunset.
It was wonderful :)
Excuse the purple teeth :0

This is what walks through the door after a typical Bass Pro Store excursion.
"Hi Charlie. What time does your rig pull out?"
You can't see it but he's also eating beef jerky.

This kid can house some strawberries.
He loves them.
I will wash a carton of them and lay them out on a paper towel on the counter.
He will walk by and grab one and pop it into his mouth all day long.
Love him!

What a fun week...
I wish I had half the pictures my cousin, Melanie, took!
I certainly slacked this week.
Happy Fourth!

Everyday Summer

2012-06-30T10:59:00.000-05:00

These pics really just capture what the Gilmores have been up to.

June certainly has flown by.

We were pretty nonstop.

Jackson finished up his baseball season early in the month.
We went to Chimes Restaurant after a game for dinner.
He was being super goofy with his sister :)

My little baseball player.
He is so grown up!

Hey look! I finally got in a picture with one of my children!
ha.
I tend to be the one behind the camera...i should work on that ;)

My crazy haired breakfast buddy showing me her blueberry!

slip n slide fun...
they went at it for hours......

on our way to somewhere..
Jackson thought Georgia's doll needed a safety belt too!

S'mores!
Yes, it was 90 degrees outside!
Yes, James built the boys a fire because they asked him to!
Yes, Charlie is wearing flannel pants standing in front of a live fire in 90 degree weather.
Kids are crazy!!

Georgia Mae turned 10 months old on May 25...
She is such a happy girl and always smiling!

James was the best man in his friend, Josh's wedding.
That was a fun weekend in the city!

A sweet friend gave this kitchen to Georgia.
She LOVES it!
Have caught all three of the kids cookin' in the kitchen :)

Swimming at Nonna's...

My three children :)

taking a bottle break poolside!

We went to WaterColor one day while my mom was at the gym and walked around.
5 minutes into our stroll, the bottom dropped out and it came a fierce thunderstorm.

The nearest escape was Wine World!
How very wonderful!
We ate lunch and this mamma might have had a glass or two of cab :))

She conked out on the couch.
Amid her brothers running around and playing.
That's one sleepy lady!

While we were visiting my mom, she was having a dock built out in her back yard.
The guys finished up one evening and we immediately took up residence on it that evening.
Adirondack chairs are a must!

My current favorite photo!
Father's Day 2012

Stripes!

2012-06-18T11:34:00.000-05:00

When I feel the urge to change things up a bit in my house, [which is quite often! Hey, I come by it honest!]
I paint!
It's a relatively inexpensive way to bring a new look and update without breaking the bank.
My house is beige.
I don't hate beige.
It just gets blah looking.
I am trying to change that....
in come stripes!

I saw a cute post on Remodelholic.com about a girl that did this to her foyer and I was instantly like, "Oh, I am so doing that!"

My foyer was the perfect place to spruce up in one afternoon!

Fat cat decided to plant it right in the middle of my project...
dandruff anyone?

So here are all of the befores...

of course, I enlisted the help of my sister!
We came home from church one Sunday and I put Georgia down for her nap.
Lana and I got started taping up the wall.
I found a formula online for how to calculate how wide I wanted my stripes to be considering my ceiling height.
We cleared out the room and got to work!

Here is the "after"
It took Lana and I about 3 hours to complete.
It wasn't hard at all!!

I am very pleased with the results!

It really brings a new dimension to the room.
and I no longer have to stare at just beige walls!

I just need to find some cute roman shades for my front doors.
[insert inexpensive.... and cute].

I painted the mirror that hangs above the console table the same color as the ivory stripes and hung it back up.

Original wall color: Behr Castle Path
stripe: Behr White Clay

hmmmmm...what's next!?

Jackson's First Triathlon!

2012-06-04T10:00:00.000-05:00

So, after going to many, many of his Daddy's triathlons over the years, Jackson decided he wanted to do one of his own!
Of course, James was thrilled....
The closest one we could find was in Houma. [2 hours away]

Since the grandmas weren't going to miss this event, we decided to make a weekend out of it in New Orleans!
Jo Ann and my mom came down and we got rooms at the Windsor Court.
We had a yummy dinner the night before in The Grill Room and called it a night....well, the Gilmores did, anyway ;)

This is the transition area.
We got up at 5 am and drove the remaining 1 1/2 hours south of New Orleans to here....
This triathlon began at age 3 up to 14.
There were tiny little bikes out there...
it was so cute!

We raced in the gates because we thought we were going to be late...but the race started a little late anyways, so that was to our advantage.

My boys right before the swim portion of the race.
Jackson was cool as a cucumber.
He didn't act nervous at all.
At this point, I had already teared up!

TONS of kids packed around the pool.

Jackson swimming!
He's the one with his head popped up looking at me..haha.
His age group had to swim 3 laps in this pool.
It was a challenge for him, and he was worn out after it, but did a great job!

Here's a video of his swim :)

the sun beat me out on this shot...
Jackson coming out of the pool and running to transition area to mount up on his bike.

Jackson is straight out ahead putting his shirt on.

Parents weren't allowed in the transition area but they had volunteers helping the kids out.
He's about to roll out!

There he goes on his 2 mile bike!

He did great on the bike and came back in to transition and dropped off his bike, stripped his shirt off and started his 3/4 mile run!
James jumped in with him.
Water works happening right here, people.
and not just by me...
There were two grandma's in the crowd with me who I caught choking up :)

He had a smile on his face the whole time!
He loved hearing all of us cheering him on.

James fell back and let him run into the finish line by himself.

There's my little triathlete!
He was super sweaty, super tired, and super hungry!

Nonna, Charlie and Jackson postrace.

Grandma, Charlie and Jackson.

The Gilmores!

ooops!
We forgot one!
There. That's better
:)

Aunt Lana and Jackson showing off their guns!

Jackson requested IHOP after he was done!
So we found one in Houma, after driving all over the place!

Way to go, Jackson!
We are so proud of you!
I think Charlie has caught the fever and we'll have two participants next year :)

What a great, fun environment for kids to be in!
We all had a lot of fun this weekend.

Last Day of School 2012

2012-05-22T14:35:00.002-05:00

This school year has FLOWN by.
Where did it go?
Jackson on his first day of First Grade....
Aug 2011

Charlie on his first day of Preschool.
Aug 2011

This is Jackson this morning.
Last day of First Grade.
He grew many inches.
Needs a haircut..
Wears his backpack the "cool" way...

Charlie this morning getting ready to go to his last day of Preschool!
He has grown the most.
I mean, look at the above pic compared to this one!
I wish I knew how to put pics side by side...
He is super excited about Kindergarten and riding the bus with Jackson in the morning and going to Jackson's school.

He keeps asking, "When is it going to be August?"

Next Question:
What am I going to do with these two goobers for a whole summer?

Considering I was preggers with the lady last summer and we didn't do much of ANYTHING...
I'm hoping to be going and doing much more.
pool
destin
zoo
playdates
ice cream trips :)

we'll see what the summer brings!

My three kiddos :)

I don't know what I'm going to do with myself once the lady starts school.
That time can creep very very slowly ::)

Happy Summer!!

cute teacher gifts!

2012-05-21T14:57:00.000-05:00

I found this cute idea on Pinterest for inexpensive teacher gifts.

I knew right away it was something that was totally doable!
And cute too!!

I found the striped ceramic pots at Lowe's for $2.98

Plants were $3.98 each
pack of pencils $ .47
Pack of school stickers $2.00 (walmarts)
had the blue cardstock

I just printed out the card on my computer and glued it to the cardstock and let the boys put the stickers on each card.
I glued the card to the pencil and stuck it in!

How easy is that!?

The teachers loved them!

#32

2012-05-20T15:24:00.000-05:00

Happy birth on earth day to me.
32 years.

It was a great Saturday.
I got up. [thank you Jesus]
took the kids to the gym.
got my pilates on.
went to Jackson's baseball game.
He hit a homerun!!
home to plant some new annuals in the front beds.
then I got to get all dressed up and my man took me out to eat.
Del Porto.
Our favorite :)

What do I have to show for my 32 years??

There ya have it.

My little Gilmores.
:)

I love them all so very much.

How each are different.

How they each can melt my heart in their own special ways.

How blessed I am to be their mamma.

How she makes me smile constantly :)

how he loves to challenge me...
He is growing up.
No longer a small child.

I am blessed.

Mother's Day in Destin

2012-05-14T16:02:00.000-05:00

We made a last minute trip to Destin for Mother's Day.
I was excited to get to spend a Mother's Day with my MOM.
Hasn't happened in several years....

My brother's girlfriend, Ryan, drove over that Sunday morning and spent the day and night with us.
We were so happy to have some time with her to get to know her better.
....and for my kids to waller all over her.

We followed the rule that Mom's don't cook on their day.
So Poppa took us all out to dinner at Marlin Grill :)

Jackson and his dinner date :)

mamma hen and her chicks
:)

My sis and Momma
:)

Lana and Ryan.
wit their big sunglasses....

Mom and Steve
I really tried to get him to smile.
Even did the happy dance.
Oh well.
He was a trooper for taking us all to dinner :)

Love this pic.
IF only the girl was in it too...
The boys love their poppa

I love this one too!!!

Ryan was a trooper :)

What is it with little girls and purses?
Does it really start this early??
She loves to pull everything out of my purse, or yours if you let her, one at a time.
She observes it and then puts it down and moves on to the next thing..
So funny to watch.

Don't know what the smirk on MY face is all about...
probably trying to hide my purple teeth...hmmmm

Only thing missing this Mother's Day was James and my brother!

It was a fun weekend and always goes too fast!

a rare family pic!

2012-05-06T18:13:00.001-05:00

There are just too few family pics of us.
I'm always the one behind the camera.
Now, this is not my first pick for a family photo op, being in my bathing suit and all...
but you take what you can get.
[AND everyone else looked great]

My cousin, Chelsea, took this pic in Destin over Easter break.
Why is it soooo hard to get a decent Gilmore family photo at Christmas?
I might just have to move our session to the beach!
[I promise I won't be wearing a 2 piece for our 2012 Gilmore Christmas card!!]

IronMan New Orleans

2012-04-24T08:50:00.000-05:00

James did the IronMan New Orleans triathlon on Sunday!
We got up extra early on Sunday morning and made our way across the bridge to watch him race.
[Grandma and her babies]

James came across the finish line at right before 5 hours.
The swim portion of the race was cancelled in Lake Pontchartrain due to high winds.
So they incorporated a 2 mile run in its place.
2 mile run
56 mile bike
13 mile run

Is he sticking his tongue out at me??

Georgia giving her daddy kisses :)

It was a beautiful Sunday morning.
Cool breeze.
Lots of sunshine!

James' mom and her two friends came down to New Orleans to watch James race and made a weekend out of it.
They got a hotel room in the Quarter and we went to visit them Saturday night.

Grandma and Georgia at Morton's postrace meal :)
Beautiful afternoon on the river with live music.

Ga trying to eat my camera.

We got home that afternoon around 5 and the kids wanted James to play baseball with them.
Which, of course, he did.
I'd still be trying to peel myself out of the car if I had done what he just did...
Ha!

She loves her some Jackson!

eye sore...resolved!

2012-04-13T18:31:00.001-05:00

Have you ever been "shopping" for a particular something for, oh say, a YEAR AND A HALF?!
But can't find what your looking for in your head?

I have.
I have this space in my house,
[actually many spaces I feel this way about]...
that I could totally picture what I wanted it to look like.
But either A: I couldn't afford it
or B: it didn't exist...

insert my desire to be a designer so I could create EXACTLY what I had in mind......

Problem Area::
The area under our flatscreen tv on the wall in our living room...

The drawback was/is that I don't have a debit card with limitless funds :-/
That poses a problem for this gal.

Anywho.
On this fine Friday the thirteenth, I found EXACTLY what I was looking for...

I have never been to this one consignment shop in our town.
Don't know why I was called to go there today.
But I'm glad I did.

Cause I found this beauty.
Old.
Very Old.
Beautiful.
Multiple Uses flying around in my head.
First thought?
Area under my tv!

Second thought...
dresser for GA someday!

40% off?
Sold.

So here's the BEFORE.
Awful.
Ugly.
Provides no storage.
Cords hanging out for my 8 month old to chew...

AFTER.
Perfect.
Exactly what I had pictured in my head.
I was thinking I was going to have to buy an old dresser and strip down the paint and repaint. etc.....
She came perfectly shabby :)
With three drawers to hold all my life's junk.

Bottom drawer: Ga's toys!
Middle drawer: grown up movies!
top drawer: kids movies!

I am so happy I found it!
I think they are too :)

I took the mirror off and stored it in the attic until I someday put it in GA's room...

Yay for a good find!!

Easter 2012

2012-04-13T17:13:00.000-05:00

We went to Destin for Spring Break/Easter last week!
This is a random picture post of pics from my iphone....
random.
My aunt and cousin took much better pictures which I hope to get my hands on soon ;)

Georgia and Reid
second cousins :)
4 months apart

My Aunt Janet rented a house for her and her family this week.
We went to dinner at their house Saturday night and the kids swam out back.
They kept squirting water at the window to these two who were entertained for quite a while!

Ga getting ready to head to the beach in her new terrycloth outfit!

Let's just say this little lady LOVES the beach.
Sand?
Everywhere.
She rakes it up into her hands and has successfully eaten a handful or two on occasion.
She sat under the tent for most of the time we were there but decided to venture out to sea...
She took off crawling thru the sand til she reached water.
It was so funny to watch.
She looked like a baby sea turtle making her way to sea. Ha!

I was at my mom's for two nights by myself with the kids until my Aunt Barb, Chelsea and her three boys flew in on Monday.
Ga and I were having some girl time in the "girls living room" after the boys went to bed.
She opted for chomping on a glass table :-/

this monkey doesn't like to get his pic taken.
He's having suntime with his jeeg.

Holy Cow.
Make this salad.
Today.
Greek Panzanella Salad.
Yes, those are big chunks of bread....and feta...and calamata olives...
It is amazing.
Ina Garten never disappoints!

Found this lovely surprise in the pool one morning.
A frog and a snake.
The consensus is that the snake was not poisonous...
I don't know.
No one got into the pool all day until my cousin came over and removed it.
YUCK.

Second Cousins!
I wish I could find the photo I took in this very same place two years ago...
Baby Sawyer, Carter, Jackson, Georgia, Charlie and Elliott

Georgia had to get her paws on Baby Sawyer :)
That's Chelsea, Baby Sawyer's mommy.
Ga and Sawyer are 5 months apart!

Carter's glasses that Georgia had to try on.
She had just eaten breakfast.
Apparently, without a bib on.
YUCK Lady!

It was a cloudy, rainy day so after we loaded the kids up and went to Destin Commons for some splash pad/playground fun.
Georgia was super excited that she could get in on the action!
We enjoyed a yummy lunch at Zoe's Kitchen too :)

Lovers.
These two.

She hadn't see her daddy in 6 days.
Him and Lana drove over on Friday afternoon.
We went to the Wharf after dinner and walked around.
Caught sunset.

So peaceful!

Ga, Jackson and their Aunt Lana in the pool.
It was cold!
Doesn't appear that anyone minds!

I LOVE this pic!
She is so happy!

First time in the pool in her ladybug floatie :)
She just splashed and splashed her Aunt Lana!

Jessica's iphone struggling with the poor lighting.
L to R:
Lana, Me, Chelsea, Sawyer, Elliot and Aunt Barb

We had such a fun week with them!

trouble.
In a few years....
major trouble.

James sitting by pool with the babes.
They love being outside.
Could my daughter's eyes be anymore stunning?!
Sawyer had beautiful blues too...he's just not looking

Margarita = Kids naptime relief.
Much needed.

Artichoke pita nachos!
One of Aunt Barb's delish creations.
They are SO. GOOD.

Let's just say we ate VERY well at the beach.
Nothing like being spoiled for a whole week with yummy food.
Came home Monday night and all we had to throw together was tuna salad.
Don't get me wrong.
I love tuna salad....
just was a little spoiled from the week before

Nonna and Ga at the beach.
It was rather chilly one night we went down for sunset.

the Mr. and the Mrs.
Once again, I get stuck carrying all my kids crap.
Could James' watch be any bigger??

Happy girl.
She was all smiles

Such a bad pic.
I am waiting for Chelsea's pics from her good camera!

So Jackson decided he wanted to learn how to skim board this week.
He borrowed his cousin, Christian's, board one day and practiced ALL day.
There were falls, wipeouts, tears, yelling, more falls, some bumps and bruises...but that kid was persistent!
James bought him his own board the next morning.
We went to the beach for the afternoon and Jackson practices for hours again.
By the end of the day, he had succeeded!
He was even doing fancy twists on the board.
Impressive.
I tried to do it but we won't talk about that on here....

Sisters!

there's the female generations of the fam!

Elliot.
aka: stripper
:)
I'm showing this at your wedding someday boy!

Love this pic!
Look at the beautiful colors!
ahhh..i could so live at the beach.

uh-huh
he's going there!

James and the boys building a tunnel under the sand.
It took a solid hour but it was fun to watch them all playing together nicely :)

Fun week!
It flew by.
James conducted a great devo on Easter Sunday for us by the pool.
The Easter bunny hid all the kids baskets so it was fun watching them search for them.

On the way home from the beach, Jackson asked Charlie where he had gotten this one particular toy.
Charlie replied, "That big bunny brought it last night."
Ha.

Jackson is 7!

2012-03-29T16:53:00.001-05:00

Where has SEVEN years gone?
I blinked and now I have a little man.

Nonna and Poppa sent birthday balloons :)

This pic was taken before he got on the bus the morning of his birthday.
Crazy bed head.
crusty eyes.
sweet little smile :)

He requested an ANGRY BIRDS birthday this year.
So I took cupcakes to his class on his birthday...
no, I did NOT make them.
thank you Albertson's for your help this year!

Easy, homemade birthday invitation :)

We had a big crawfish boil party on Saturday and he invited all of his friends.
It was a beautiful day for some crawfish and backyard soccer.
Isn't that cake cute?
I took a pic to Albertson's that I printed off the internet and they did so good!
Good job, bakery cake decorator ladies!

Blue icing...
better than black icing??

Doesn't matter..he is one happy seven year old.

L to R:
Lily, Hayes, Jackson, Ryan, Charlie, Zach, Lane and Chloe

after cake it was pinata beating time!
My friend, Nikki, was getting everyone in line so no fights would break out!

Jackson getting prepped by Dalton.

The person on the other end of the rope was his Daddy...being tricky...

Lily taking a whack at it.

After it was broken open, candy went flying everywhere.
This one collected his goods and went into a quiet corner of the yard and began devouring his.
Started with chocolate of course...
just like his mamma :)

This is a horrible pic :(
It was a looooooong day.
My face tells it all.
I was super sun burnt from being at Charlie's soccer game in the morning and then Jackson's baseball evaluations for two hours in the afternoon.
Sans sunscreen :(
and I'm a sunscreen girl!

Happy Birthday to our sweet Jackson!

You are loved by many.

You are funny and giggle alot!
You're food tastes are expanding and you are eating lots more of a variety of foods than you used to.
[This makes Mom very happy]
You love school and are very smart.
Learning comes very easy for you!
You are super independent and shy.

You love your baby sister and are so gentle and loving with her :)
You love wii and computer games and iphone games...
You are an amazing reader!
You love baseball and going to the beach.
You love to watch Animal Planet.
[No more Nick Jr!]
and River Monsters....

I can't wait to see all of the ways you grow and mature this year!
I love you :)