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.

Jalen Turns Seven

I still think of Jalen as a little boy so his birthday this year kind of caught me off guard. Seven doesn't seem so little, especially since that means next year he will get baptized. He has changed so much this past year. It has been a great year for him as he has faced challenges and started learning to control his emotions.

We don't do birthday parties every year. This year Jalen got to invite a friend to go do something fun so he chose to take his best friend, Ian, to Frankie's Fun Park. (Ian's brother, Josh, also posed for the photo.)

Jalen loves to go to Frankie's. They have go-carts and motor boats and slides and mini golf, but all Jalen ever wants to do is play the arcade games. That's okay with us (much cheaper!).

I didn't realize that I forgot to take pictures of Baylie - whoops!

After Frankie's, we came home and made pita pizzas.

Then Jalen opened his presents. He was so sweet and let Ian help open them

Jalen's cake was AMAZING. My friend that makes them uses all local, organic ingredients. If you're in the Columbia area, check out her website.

Jalen LOVED it. (I'll spare you photos of my previous pathetic attempts.)

Thinking of his wish (forever!).

The inside of the cake was as pretty as the outside and it was DELICIOUS. (We didn't finish it until Saturday and it was still great!)

The black frosting was a bit messy.

Jalen's actual birthday was Thursday. On that day, he opened his present from Aunt Tiffani. It was a big hit. This boy loves his superheroes.

When I asked him what he wanted for dinner, he said he wanted to eat at a restaurant. We had some kid coupons for Texas Roadhouse so that's where we went. He was super excited. (He also got to eat what he wanted for breakfast and consequently had ice cream and cold cereal.)

He love the peanuts.

Jalen said, "Look! I made the Baby Jesus!"

On Saturday, Jalen took his birthday money and bought some Legos as well as some other things. He loved spending his own money.

So essentially his birthday celebration lasted all week!

We sure love this little boy and are so grateful for the miracle that made him ours.