quick visit

Omi and Papa breezed into town on their way to the beach this weekend. Papa and Landon attended a father/son Braves game with a group of our friends that's becoming the annual tailgating event. While the boys were at the game, Omi loved on our kiddos all afternoon & early evening. One things for sure, they needed their grandparent quality time. It's been too long! We spent the evening at our favorite indoor activity mall "The North Point" as Miller refers to it. Sort of sounds like the place Santa lives if you ask him. With the playscape, carousel, Lego store, and "princess store"aka Disney..there's just so much to see all in one place.

Eliza Kate chose the camel seat which was stationary. She didn't seem to mind with her Omi hanging on to her. 

Crazy kid with all of his antics going round & round on the horse. The two girls sitting next to him thought he was just a little off his "rocking horse" wildly waving and bouncing up and down. Quite the character. Looking forward to a reunion in a few weeks!

touch a truck

Miller brought a flyer home from school in his Thursday folder advertising Touch a Truck.  Cobb EMC is fundraising for its new Safety Village replica of the Marietta Square, so we just had to go out and support such a great cause. In the spirit of fundraising, Miller had an awesome time hopping on and off all the vehicles. Miller's passion for trucks & cars has been within him since he was two. From as early as I can remember, he was announcing "see the truck" from the backseat. He is wired to memorize all the makes and models. As you can imagine, this event was right up his ally!

Miller's dream job {UPS truck delivery man}

All kinds of engine sounds were rumbling from his mouth!

They pretended to be on their way to an emergency together. Miller's hat completed his look for the mission. EK was in a "no bow" kind of mood. It started with her removing her bow for the fireman hat & continued. We choose our battles at two.

The highlight for Miller were the two Monster Trucks sightings with wheels towering over his head. I'm mean really. Can you think of anything more exciting for the five year old male? His miniature models at home were blown up to real size.

Miller asked the pilot to put the helmet on h used his microphone to engage in a full combat mission while sitting in the helicopter.

So the morning excursion really was solely for Miller. Eliza Kate did find some enjoyment in climbing in & out of all the equipment. In some photos, you can see her thinking.... "what's the big deal?"

Meet Fred. A bomb detecting roving robot for Cobb County. This was a whole new concept for Miller. Great, now he's talking about bombs blowing up buildings.

Playing was hard work on this Saturday morning.

Miller aka Animal Control Officer mastered the animal pinching skill used to rescue wild animals. All types of county vehicles attended this event.

Cherry picker delight was seen all over Miller's face. Sounds like a dessert, I know.  His head barely peered over the bucket when the two workers hoisted him into their work zone. It was entertaining to witness. When asking Miller what his gloves were used for..he commented that they protected his hands from an electrocution. From there our conversation journeyed into the topic of insulators and conductors. All concepts slightly over his head...but you can't nurture the young scientist enough at this age.

This outing was all Grandmama's idea--glad she talked us into going.

Standing in the front loader. They really "dug" the construction zone.

To some it would be stressful to play in a trash truck. Miller was seriously pondering his future occupation in the trash industry.

With a "hand on hip" fully confident swagger, Miller gave his sister a school bus tour of a Cobb County bus. He's an experienced rider now.
 

Back seat riders peeking out of the window. Cute,cute!

Two officers were teaching seat belt safey with racecars. My two were all over buckling up.

Monster Truck entertainment from our crew. Now if we could just convince Landon to take Miller to a Monster Truck show.
Near the end, EK's excitement for Miller was dwindling. You can see her mapping out her quick escape exit with her brochure in hand. We'll take your field trip request next, patient girly.

fall carnival

The countdown to Friday was made sweeter in Miller's world as he anticipated his first carnival of elementary school. Fall nights were made for family friendly events like these. Since, it's a smaller neighborhood school...there's just no room to park. So, we parked at St. Anne's and walked with the crowds to join the fun in the parking lot. As soon as we passed the cones, two girls from Miller's class ran up and greeted him with a girly curtsy and a "hi-yaaaa Miller". Hair flips and all! It was nice to be welcomed in the cutest of ways.

I manned our classroom booth for a shift , the Washer Toss. Volunteering in Miller' s classroom and at events like these has allowed me to meet some of the moms.  I'm already feeling so blessed that Miller has chosen wisely { 2 precious little boys} as friends and my mommy discernment understands that they are wonderful families. Landon and I commented that it's not always easy to be the new people on campus attending a school function with few connections. It takes a concentrated effort to connect with new families. But, we want to do it for Miller's sake. It's so important to be involved in this way. Freshman year all over again in my head!! Of course, Miller was calling across the parking lot to friends in different classes. He's particularly great with names which helps us all out.

 Then, I spied the cutest little sign advertising his Kindergarten class station. Justin & Miller holding the "T" in washer toss--oh my! These little touches warm over the teacher in me. Ms. N's class wears their yellow classroom shirts with a large K on them for special events. It was helpful to spot all the yellow in the crowd. They were all Miller's classmates. Each homeroom in the school has a different color. Such a great idea for field trips!





 

We hopped from game to game filling our plastic baggies with prizes galore as little sister tried to stay under the radar from mascot Wolfie's gaze. Eliza Kate thinks that animal characters are "so scary".."wanna go home" was her second phrase as he approached our direct vicinity. She clung close to Landon's legs as her safe zone. An impromptu Wolfie hug would have been just a little stressful.

 Miller waited a solid ten minutes to swing at this hovering baseball game. He was cheering for some other K friends while waiting.

Still working on his swing--We need a t-ball refresher practice in the backyard:)

Basketball was another favorite. No long line for this one!

 

 We finished off all the fun with an ice cream truck finale. Miller's little friend Emily {in line}and her parents joined us for a treat. Before long, there was a small gathering of team yellow running in circles and chasing in the fields. A sweet ending to our first elementary school social.

the fair came to town

Guess what rolled into town..again this year? The North GA fair! Landon's catching on that this event keeps coming back each fall & the rest of us get the itch to go. I'm so proud of him though for putting his game face on and joining in on all the fun. He likes to {get it over with}-- but I did catch a smile or three from him now that Miller wants to ride some of the bigger rides with his good ole' man.

The carousel was a great warm up ride for Eliza Kate. We all could ride together, so I enjoyed the round and round ride too. Her unsure face warmed up to a smile. A classic at the fair!

It was a dizzying fun, up & down feeling for the little missy. This is one of my greatest joys to observe our kiddos laughing and enjoying themselves. I can only imagine that this is how God delights in us when we enjoy his gifts to us.

Miller was tall enough for the swings this year. He really wanted to do it. I often have to hold him back and say "no, not yet!" or "you're not tall enough for that one". Then, he spots a kid his size and assures me that yes he is in fact tall enough.

I let him go--Wee! Isn't that what parenting is all about?  A plastered on grin a mile wide from our boy on this one. Everyone was smiling:)

This was his surprised face when the rickety fighter plane ride jolted forward to start the ride. I loved how EK was old enough to be his co-pilot in the back. She wants to participate in everything that Miller does.

Both kids rode the flying dragons. Eliza Kate refused to sit by Miller on this ride with an entertaining stand off. She knew she wanted her own seat and control stick. the twos {sigh}

Vroom, vroom. The motorcycles are always a favorite.

I had to laugh when Miller held up an "L" to pose. What in the world?!

Check out Miller's hands wildly waving in the back on the roller coaster. He cracks us up.

No fear, this one. He was having a big time.

Another first for us this year was the Ferris Wheel. With no lap belt, I was a little anxious when we stalled at the tippy top overlooking the park. Miller was rambling a mile a minute excited about all the sights of the fair.

 

This is how EK passed the time while we took a spin on the wheel. The concessions were a big hit. They were sugared up for the ride home. What made the whole night worth it in Landon's book was Miller's comment that we were the "bestest parents" for taking him to the fair. Warms my heart when he verbalizes appreciation. I reminded Landon that it's just 364 more days until the fair rolls around next year

talk like a pirate

National "Talk Like a Pirate Day" was this past week. Shiver me timbers, there's really a day for everything I'm learning as a mom. To celebrate, Krispy Kreme was giving away a free donut if you ordered using your best pirate lingo.  Miller dressed in full buccaneer best & to our surprise landed a pirate dozen for wearing his pirate uniform. His eyes were wide eyed under that patch for scoring such a glazed bounty. I had to use creativity on this one--all our pirate gear from Disney is packed away in storage. I found a plastic eye patch in my purse {all boy moms have the most creative of collections in their bags}. Hand tied handkerchiefs completed our look. Oh, and that's Landon's cummerbund from prom as a side banner. "Arrgh'nt" we cute? 

 

 Landon joined us--our whole crew manned the ship. Eliza Kate let us tie a kerchief on her head when she heard the word treat. Believe it or not, she requests "Jake and the Neverland Pirates" on tv from time to time.  Landon thought she looked more like a hip hop cutie than a pirate. 

 

The donut shop was bustling with other scallywags in to claim their treat. It was like The Pirate's League  all over again minus the painted moustache. An impromptu sword match was enjoyed while we placed our order.  It was an over the top adorable marketing plan. Can you believe the mom in the background that laced her vest up for an after school snack? She commented that she already owned her get up! That's one cool mom.

Captain Jack Sparrow got out of his red truck and made an appearance for his pirate dozen.  All kinds of characters were showing up inside Krispy Kreme. Miller was too star struck to pose for a picture. 

'X' hit the spot on our afternoon adventure! Ahoy, it was quite the treat.

 

tailgate

It's tailgating season--I'm a self professed social tailgate girl. I'm all about the food & friend time, but not so into the game. That's just my style--although Landon likes a great game afterwards the best. We hosted a Sunday School social a few weeks back & it was a good excuse for families to come out and do just that. Kids were everywhere chasing and riding big wheels-Miller's favorite part.

Eliza Kate's two loves were in attendance--Owen & cookies. She found a spot right next to him for dessert. These two kept going back for more cookies on the table set up like a sweet buffet for their taking. We finally cut them off.

I love how they're hanging out perched on our Samford corn hole game like it's a bench.  Landon gifted us with this game a few years ago. Perfect for tailgating. Relax, the other half is bright orange and white. Go Vols!

When Landon wasn't flipping hot dogs, he was making sure everyone had enough to eat.  And, the guys usually like to hang out around a grill. It's a manly thing.

Taite cracks me up on his borrowed pink big wheel. It was the coveted toy of the evening to roll around on. We exhausted Miller so much that he missed out on school the next morning complaining of sickness. I've pulled the reigns in on some of these late night socials. Back to back nights out on this weekend was just more than he could handle at his 5 year old age. Especially, because he goes full steam at parties like these. We feel so thankful for the friendship of the sweet families in our class.

 

Miller thrives from the social interaction of street play -- we're missing out on some of that in this stage of our house hunting. Brings back memories of all the riding fun we had with neighbors on our street. Looking forward to those after dinner bike rides again. In the meantime, we take his bike to the park for short rides.  He makes a round a bout loop around the park & usually meets a new friend in the process. The last friend Miller met at East Cobb Park resulted in Landon training the new pal how to ride on two wheels:)  Making do & feeling so blessed in this season.