It's Always Fun When Gigi Comes

I have loved David's grandmother - Gigi - from the first time I met her. She has always made me feel welcome and loved. She has always been attentive of me, David and our kids - never missing a birthday or a special occasion. When we lived in Texas, I loved going to her house for Thanksgiving and tasting her southern cooking. She is my epitome of a "Southern Belle," so beautiful and gracious.   

I didn't realize how much time had passed since we last saw her until my kids started asking what she looked like. She came to visit us back in 2011. The kids were just 1 and 3 years old. She also came to visit us in Utah and we visited her in Texas, but the kids were so young they don't remember it. 

We were all so excited to have her come visit us this week. On Tuesday, she and David came to eat lunch with the kids at school and afterwards David checked the kids out early to go to Edventure Children's Museum. I was substitute teaching Baylie's class so I had to stay at school! 

Thursday we kept the kids home from school and went to the zoo. We have the best zoo.

The birds were HUNGRY!

So were the giraffes.

And so were the goats.

The koala was cute.

Baylie took a rest on the train...

while everyone else enjoyed the ride  

Ostriches.

Cardinal.

Some people were more excited than others. It was freezing!

With Gigi at the elephant habitat.

Meerkats on watch.

Chinchilla.

Gorilla feeding time.

Kangaroos in the sun.

I love the snakes. These are some of my favorites.

I also love the tree frogs. They look like toys.

Hermit crab.

Lionfish.

The sea turtle is so fun to watch. I could seriously watch him for hours..

This turtle is made of garbage.

The otters were putting on a show. They even teased the gorillas who are in the neighboring exhibit, but I didn't get a picture of that.

Baylie and Jalen attempted the rock wall, but didn't get far. Their hands were too cold.

Racing back to the tram.

Flowers in the botanical garden.

"Just my size!"

After the zoo, we went to Blaze Pizza. So delicious! You get to build your own pizza for one prize and then they cook it in a wood burning oven. It was so much like the pizzas in Italy.

They also had really cool soda and lemonade flavors. Baylie had sausage and pineapple while Jalen had pepperoni.

My pizza (ham and salami with artichokes and spinach).

Gigi had a veggie pizza.

David had a pesto sauce with Italian meatballs and olives. (His had great flavor, but I couldn't have handled more than one piece of it.)

We were sorry to have her go home today. The visit was too short. We definitely won't let so much time go by before the next one.

Irmo's Got Talent

I know I've said a million times how much we love our kids' school. It's the main reason David commutes three hours a day for work. Each year they put on a fantastic talent show. I love all the kids up there being so brave and so excited. They all support each other and the performance is always standing room only. I especially love the diversity of performers and talents. 

Aside from my little stars, favorites this year included: Whack-a-mole (think guacamole) to the tune of "La Cucaracha", the synchronized swimming number, a little 4K Indian girl dancing to an Indian film song, and a 10-year old girl signing and beat boxing with her dad - seriously she was amazing.

Thankfully, my good friend April took pictures of my kids because my pictures didn't turn out at all. 

Baylie waiting for the show to start. 

Waiting in the wings, watching the adorable little 4K girl. She was so cute! (And danced with great enthusiasm and a wide smile.)

On stage - Baylie sang "Party in the USA" while Jalen danced. He refused to wear the hat on stage.

Getting into it.

I managed to capture the exact same moment as April. As you can see, we are very grateful for her photos since our pictures did not turn out very well.

Our vice principal, Mr. Scott, found his talent. (He was Emmet, the principal was wild style and the other vice principal was Unikitty.) We have the best principals.

HERE is a video we took with our iPad from the very back row of the auditorium. We'll have to buy the official video again since our recording skills leave a lot to be desired.

After the show, we went with our friends the Baltzeggars to McDonald's for ice cream and french fries.

As a special bonus, here's a photo of our principals on Dr. Seuss's b-day.

Weekends at the Batchelor Pad

We have had a couple of fun weekends here at the Batchelor Pad. Last weekend we went to a Dance-a-Thon to benefit the local children's hospital. It was for all the local elementary and middle schools. David and the kids got their groove on. I danced a bit and quickly learned that my knee was not ready for that. I was sore for a couple of days.

Doing the limbo.

This weekend we split up. Baylie and I went to watch USC women's soccer play a spring game against Coastal Carolina. We have become big fans of this team. The principal of the kids' school is the star of the team. She didn't play today because she is playing with the national team in Spain. It was a beautiful day to be outside - high 70's with a light breeze.

David and Jalen went to a free soccer clinic at the local ice rink. Jalen LOVED it. We may have to look into him playing in the future. The only problem is that hockey is at the same time as football - and it's very expensive.

He got to keep the jersey and the stick. Isn't he adorable??!!

Happy Valentine's Day!

A day late and several dollars short, but here's our Valentine update. 

We make photo cards every year. Usually we attach a pencil or eraser or something else, but this year it was just the photo. I have to admit I felt inadequate as I saw all the creations made by other moms. Plus there were moms that did something Valentiney every day of the month. Not me.

Baylie's card

Jalen's card

Both of them card

Cards from me to them

The kids kept asking me if I would keep up with the tradition of "surprising" them with a fun table in the morning. So I surprised them. (Most of the stuff was mailed to us from my sister, Tiffani.)

I forgot to take a picture at the beginning, so I took a picture of what was left by the time I remembered.

David planned a date complete with babysitter to an old theater downtown that I have wanted to go to. We saw LaLaLand, which is something I've wanted to see. It wasn't what I expected, but it was good. The theater was great.

Inside the theater.

Root beer

Afterwards, we went next door to Sweet Cream, a homemade ice cream parlor that was quaint, but had weird flavors like rosemary/olive oil and rose/chocolate. (See a full list of flavors here.)

It was one of our better Valentine's despite the lack of photographic evidence.

Smarty Pants

Baylie has always been a smart girl. So far, school has been easy for her. She even likes doing homework. Her biggest challenge right now is that she wants to just guess at answers rather than taking time to actually figure them out.

This year is the first time she gets letter grades. So far she has been on the all A honor roll both terms. The school does a nice little ceremony each time for students on the A/B honor roll and the all A honor roll.

Waiting for the ceremony with her friends Savannah and Isabella.

Walking across the stage and greeting Mr. Scott...

Mrs. Wiley and Mrs. McCaskill.

She got a certificate, a pass to the local trampoline park, a free lunchroom treat, a free month of karate lessons and a pencil.

There's nothing wrong with your eyes. There is a problem with mine.

Baylie with her amazing AGP (academically gifted program) teacher, Mrs. Paddock. Baylie loves her. Her class is full of enthusiasm and creativity.

Another shot with Isabella. These two have been great friends since kindergarten and have been in the same class three of the four years.

 We celebrated by going to Sonic for a milkshake (thanks, Grammy).

We are so proud of Baylie and how hard she works. She is such a fun girl to have around.