Christmas Break

Not much is going on we have just sat around the house during Christmas break.  The boys play outside all day long (by the boys I mean Allen and his three friends down the street).  They will come get Allen around 9 am and come in for lunch then play until it gets dark. He has so much fun.  Something funny he told Mike the other day-he asked Mike "Dad, why aren't there any presents for us this Christmas in your closet like there are all the other Chrsitmas'?" Isn't that funny!! Mike told him that his Christmas this year was moving to Florida and having a house. He will be so surpirised! I will post after Christmas what all the kids got. 

One of the many things I love about being down here are the produce stands-I really hate feeding my kids junk foods and they love fruit and even vegetables so we make a trip about twice a week, and hardly spend anything.  And there are no taxes on groceries in Florida!

Also-I love them eating on the back porch!

Merry Christmas everybody!!

Pizza Party!

Yesterday was the kids; last day of school before there Christmas break.  Emma had a pajama party at school and watched the Polar Express and swapped book presents; she brought Tangled to give to someone.  Taylor had her Christmas party and made gingerbread houses.

Allen had a party and they didn't swap any presents.  They made their teachers chocolate chip cookies and fudge and gave them dry erase markers with it.  It was a practical present but they were excited to give the teachers something.  I didn't get to go to any of their parties to take pictures because I had to take advantage of free time, two days three hours each, thats all I had for Christmas shopping.

Friday nights are our pizza and a movie night and before I went to the store I talked to Jenny for a bit, and remembered Allen always talked about making his own pizza at her house so I thought we would do it.  We made the pizza's, they were huge and after the first slice the kids were stuffed.  We watched Disney's A Christmas Carol and The last Airbender.

 

 They had so much fun making their own pizza and watching the movie. 

Mike really likes his job, he does think it is boring but he says he is "big time" now haha! Last night he was walking down the street in Tampa and carrying our Alabama flag that we put up every game day; he was taking it to a diversity thing they had at his company (KPMG).  He said when he walked down the street people were gator chomping him, one (smart) person yelled out a Roll Tide to him but mainly he was heckled by the Florida fans! He thought that was hilarious.

It is going to be sad not seeing everyone during Christmas this year, I think the saddest part will not be able to see Mandi and Bo's sweet little Trey and Finley when they are born.  I know they are so excited about having those two sweet little babies.  What an awesome Christmas present!

Everybody have a safe and happy Christmas! 

Christmas in Florida

It has been so crazy the past two weeks it has taken us a while to get our tree so thats what we did Friday.  I heard about the Christmas stroll in the historic downtown area of Plant City so we took the kids and walked around the town.  It was so neat.  There were carolers singing, it looked just like a Norman Rockwell picture or something, I have never seen real live carolers walking around singing like that. 

The kids loved the lights, the middle of the town is a park and sitting area and it was decorated with tons of lights, it was really pretty.  We left there and went to get the tree and went home to decorate it.  People in our neighborhood probably thought we didn't celebrated, because this place has been lit up practically since we moved in, everyone has lights outside or some kind of decoration. 

Last night, Saturday, we went to Celebration, Florida.  It was a really awesome little town.  They had ice skating, horse carriage, train rides and a concert with some disney bands.  We walked around the place and took pictures and listened to the music. We went in to a cute little kids boutique and got the kids all lollipops.  It was a great night, too bad we had to miss the Taylor family Christmas party, we thought of everyone and miss everybody so much!

Emma starts school

My neighbor asked if Emma had enrolled in school yet and I told her she was too young for kindergarten and I don't want to pay for day care, plus I like her being home with me, she is great company! She then tells me that right next door to the kids school is an early childhood development center, which is FREE!!!! Alabama should really look into this lottery thing, it is really unbelievable what the benefits are, yes I am sure there are downfalls just like everything else has them, but the schools seem to benefit greatly from it!

So, me and Emma take a tour of the school just to get the paperwork and stuff we needed to have her registered and before I signed a thing Emma was in the class playing and stayed the rest of the day.  It is from 8-11 but it gets the children ready for kindergarten.  Then I can hang out with Emma before the other kids get home.  She is so funny, she loves being able to interact with all the kids and really just loves life! Today at her school they are having a Christmas shop where she gets to buy a present for Mike, Taylor and Allen and it gets wrapped and she gets to put it under the Christmas tree, which we will get this weekend, I hope!  Have I mentioned I just love my new little city!!

Let me back up a little!

The night before we left on our journey to Florida we watched the Alabama Auburn game with our awesome game day friends! They helped us out so much after the game was over, Matt cooked some really good hamburgers and chicken, and Danny and Michael helped organize the truck, Alan and Grubbs and Brett and Martin and Mike loaded the moving van for us.  Kay and my mom helped pack up the kids rooms.  Thanks everyone for all the help, if I left someone out I am sorry, oh Amanda you did a great job coaching everyone along.  And Tony, cant leave him out, finally gets to come watch a game with us and he gets thrown into doing work! I am so glad Jenny and her sweet kids got to come play one last night before the move.

Emma's birthday was Sunday and in a very empty kitchen everybody gathered around her to sing happy birthday, I think that will be one I won't forget!

So on Saturday my brothers and my parents came to tell us goodbye, but my grandmother (Mamaw) called and wanted to come by really quick and say goodbye and give the kids a little present (all three got a snow white pez, she promised Allen she would get him a boy one, she just couldn't find one that day).  We still had some moving to do so she sat and watched us, and decided at the literal last minute she wanted to go with us! I was shocked! She had nothing, no make up or anything, she remembered she put some clothes in the back of her car to take to Hannah Home and got them out and loaded the car and we headed south. 
It was really good having her with me, she helped me with the girls while I drove.  When we got to Plant City, she was a trooper, I would have thought she would be worn out but she was helping out as much as she could.  The next day she helped all day, or actually all week folding clothes and helping me organize the house and where to put certain decorations.  She is so good at that, the girls room looks so cute and everything she else she suggested I do was perfect! We spent the whole week at the house, she would watch Walker Texas Ranger, which she got the girls to love.  Wheel of Fortune and Hallmark Christmas movies.  I can't wait for her to come back, she was such a comfort having down here with us, not knowing anyone it was good to know I had some company.

We Made It!!!!

We made it to Tampa! Actually, we made it to Plant City.  We thought we were going to move down after Christmas to give the kids some time to get used to the area but Mike needed us to come down and to have a home to come to every night.  So we came early. 

Mike had to look for a house without me and he did a great job! He picked a house in a little town called Plant City that is famous for its strawberry festivals.  The festivals last for about two weeks and from what we here there are some famous people who come to entertain.  Allen made friends with two little boys down the srtreet and one has a sister Taylor's age. 

The school is incredible.  In Tuscaloosa and Jefferson county you could only walk your kids to the class the first day or two of school, but here there are parents everywhere everyday.  Moms and dads walk there kids to school or ride bikes with them to school.  There is even a place for the kids to park there bikes.  The best part about it is parking the car under the trees with spanish moss hanging from it, walking through the sand to there classes.  The kids can go have breakfast for free in the morning and the parents can eat with them. The first and second day of school I walked the kids home and it was so pretty, blue skies and palm trees and the oak trees with the moss; and lots of parents walking their kids home, it was so neat! So far I love this little place!

We went to the beach on Saturday when Mikes mom and my aunt Debbie drove Mikes car down here for us.  It was so cold and the water was freezing, we were the only people on the beach but the kids didn't care they played in the water for about two hours, until it got to cold for the adults!