It's an orange life

After a few year hiatus we finally returned to the UT Alumni Kickoff Party in Jacksonville.  I would love to say that it was a roaring success and we met a bunch of alumni we are going to watch games with here in the sunshine state, but I'd be lying.  The party was a bunch of much more senior alum than ourselves and a few new graduates who looked at us like we were ancient.  We felt so out of place that we finished our beer and headed out to dinner with our non UT loving friends.  Certain ones may be gator lovers, but we tolerate them the best we can.  

 I do have to throw this little story in there.  My niece Hannah has been anti football for her entire life.  Then she started high school and oh wow all of the cool kids actually go to Friday night games.  She may not have a clue as to what is going on in the game, but at least she is giving it a try and just maybe her aunt and uncle don't seem as crazy when it comes to their football love.

Grr taking H to her first game, no she would not sit with him.  

5 Years Old

The party already happened, school has started and Adelaide is now five!!  We spent a little Adelaide time at the pool and in the balloons, this is one happy little five year old.  

The First Day

I don't know how this time has already come, but I do have to announce that Adelaide is officially in Kindergarten, ahhhhhh!!!!  We have been talking about going to school for what seems like forever yet I am looking at my 28 pound baby wondering how she isn't going to get pushed over while wearing her giant backpack and wondering if she will eat any of her lunch or just talk the whole time.  The good thing is that cousin Brooke is also going to school with A so at least she will have a little bit of 6th grade protection.
There were so many activities before school ever started with registration, assessments, new family orientation, see the classroom day, Kindergarten day and the Publix back to school bash.  By the time school started I was glad to get back to a normal day at work without looking at my watch and thinking oh man I have to go or else I am going to miss some activity at school, thank goodness for a flexible schedule.

A is obsessed with Plato.

New family orientation with Brooke.

There she goes, could care less that she was leaving us behind.

Little sister was her escort and about threw a fit when she couldn't stay with Ada.

Waiting for the doors to open and it looks like Daddy was reflecting on the last five years.

Get off of me Mommy, I'm a big girl.

I swear other parents took pics with their babies too.

As an update Adelaide did a great job at school, but she does talk a lot and never eats her lunch at school.  She is going to OT, PT and Speech throughout the week and is showing great progress in her communication.  She does have her occasional fits at school which are completely embarrassing to her parents, but the teachers think that it has a lot to do with how young she is compared to the other students.  She is keeping up with and mastering most of the items that she is taught and after a lot of practice her favorite new school is rhyming.  Only a few months into it and she is already asking who her first grade teacher is going to be.

ROY G BIV Party

Oh yes time for another birthday party.  It felt like we had just taken down the castle from last years shindig and here it was time to throw another party.  It was a little tougher to pick a theme this year because the girls were all over the board with their ideas.  The one thing that they could both agree on was that crafts were fun.  So we went on a job down memory lane and thought about a color and craft theme.  You wouldn't believe how many people didn't know what the acronym stood for and if you are one of those people reading this right now I suggest the power of google.
The party was a great success and took a ton of work!  We had about 40 people attend which was way too many when you consider how hot it was outside and everyone was floating around the house.  There were kids ranging from newborn to fourteen and enough crafts to entertain an army.
Thankfully I had an army of help before the party started because there were a ridiculous amount of balloons and streamers to hang, snacks to make and crafts to organize.

Hannah and Adelaide getting a jump start on the colorful birthday cake.

Oh yes, old school link paper chains.

All of the colors for the cake which turned out great. 

Play-doh, scissors, glitter, pipe cleaners, glue, sequins, feathers, paint, crayons, markers and so much more to play with.  Each child made a wood frame that they were able to take home.

Grr made us wraps for the party.

Colored marshmallow pops, paintbrush pretzel sticks and sugared up drinks.

Paintbrush rice krispy treats.

White chocolate drizzled popcorn with rainbow sprinkles and a ROY G BIV fruit platter.

ROY G BIV veggie tray.

Just hanging out before the party starts.

We colored different shaped noodles so that the kids could make their own jewelry.  

Special appearance from the Delta puppy dog.

Kids everywhere!

Sometimes paint happens...

Our guest helper was making her own jewelry too.

Balloon walls and the fab cake that we were all so proud of.

Savannah was serious about her work.

We had two canvases and asked each guest to paint a little something for both A and P to keep in their rooms.

Time to cut the cake.

So excited that this turned out and that it didn't fall over until the very end of the cutting.  6 layers of homemade yumm with cool whip icing.  

 Some people didn't make it to the end of the party without a nap, my 5 year old partied until the very end until she literally crashed.  After a quick rest it was time to put A's favorite gift together and play a little basketball before the furniture returned to the appropriate rooms.

Obviously I have a pinterest problem, that little website has caused my family and I a whole lot of extra work.  In my opinion this years party took the cake and I was very proud to have everyone in my home to celebrate my two favorite girls.