Hot Hundred

Greg participated in the Hot Hundred bike race on Saturday....and completed it!! I am in awe of him and all the riders that were able to accomplish this amazing feat; especially because it was so.darn.hot.outside!!

 

It's been a little over 2 years ago since Greg purchased his first bike. But I would say just in the last year he's become super serious about riding and it's gone from a hobby to a full-on obsession :) He trained long & hard for this race though, so I'm so glad to see him accomplish such an awesome goal!

 

Now, if you ask Greg, he didn't do as well as he had hoped (he didn't have the starting position he was hoping for, and he had a pretty bad crash around mile 50). But I consider anyone who finishes the race a winner in my book!

 

It took him a little over 5 hours, and the kids and I got to the finish line with 10 minutes to spare. Abby was just a wee bit excited to see her Daddy!! :)

 He made it!!!

 He was majorly cramping when he finished, so after downing a few bottles of water and getting his "legs back," we were able to take a few pics and enjoy a BBQ lunch.

Daddy's biggest (little) fans! :)

 The race started & ended at the UA pool, so most of the riders and their families took a dip after lunch. Greg was pretty dead and chilled out some with a fellow rider while I went around and around the lazy river with the kids :)

Abby was so proud of her Daddy!!

I think he's crazy, but Greg insists he will be back next year to complete the Hot Hundred again. And the year after that. And the year after that! :) Maybe I should start calling him Lance.....

Dance Camp

I asked Abby to pick between a gymnastics camp or a dance camp this summer. She chose the dance camp and waited patiently all summer for it to begin!!

 

She went to MJ's Academy of Dance last week, every morning from 8-12 pm. Luckily, one of her besties from school, Indya, was able to join her. It was a "Tights & Tiaras" camp, with about 8 girls who were aged 4-6. They were all beginners, and were told to wear the whole ballet get-up....leotard, tutu, tights, ballet shoes, etc. I think that's the part Abby was most excited about - the "costumes!" :)

 

The first day, she was ready to go by 7:30 and I struggled to get her hair in a bun. So, we opted for pigtails! Abby was thrilled regardless, and insisted on a photo shoot.

One of her besties, Indya

Day 2 went well too. She showed me a few "moves" she learned at Camp and I was less than impressed. (I didn't tell her that of course!) But at least she was having fun, making friends, enjoying the snack & games, and especially loving playing with the Barbies in the morning after drop-off. (Awesome, I was trying to avoid those things for like....ever.)

 Day 3 she insisted on wearing a long-sleeve leotard because it was so cold inside the studio. And I started to get better at fixing a ponytail in her hair :)

 Day 4 she was done. And done. She didn't want to wake up early, didn't want to be cold in the studio, didn't want her picture taken, didn't want to do ballet ever again. Nice.

 

Day 5 she decided to finish strong and was excited to go the last day. Nate and I went to her "recital" later that morning, and were greeted by this cutie pie:

 All the little girls lined up in front of the mirror and the parents were told to sit behind them against the wall. Not the best view, but whatever.

 They started with their daily warm-up song, "Happy." This is one of Abby's all-time favorite songs, so I was expecting her to really break it down and have fun with it. Um, nope. She walked around in a circle a few times. Click here if you want to watch the thrilling video. (And if you're wondering, the 3 really tall girls were all 10 year olds that were "helpers" all week.) It's by far the longest video - like 3 minutes; you've been warned.

 Then they moved into the "Princess Song," which they learned the first day. This was probably my favorite "performance" :) Click here to view that video.

 

 Again, a bit underwhelming. I think it was a lot for all of them to take in, learning a new song/dance every day. After each song, they would close their eyes, put their hands behind their back, and see what color ribbon they got. (Duh, they all got blue every time!)

 For some reason, when Abby is pretending to be shy or embarrassed, she sticks her tongue in the inside of her cheek, or she sticks it out completely. This drives.me.crazy b/c she looks like a weirdo! :) Well, she was at it again for most of this recital. Perfect example:

And I say "pretending" to be shy, b/c we all know she does not have a shy bone in her body. Usually she is pretty out there actually! More like this:

Oh well. You win some, you lose some. Anyways, here are the rest of her "performances:"

Click here for song #2 - Happy 2.0

Click here for song #3 - Broadway Babies

Click here for song #4 - From Peter Pan

Click here for song #5 - From Mary Poppins

The whole gang

Plus teachers

 I was really glad Indya was able to join Abby for Dance Camp. I'm actually not sure Abby would have gone all 5 days if she hadn't been there! Funny story: Indya's mom told me that on Thursday, Indya picked out a new Barbie and asked that it be a "light-skinned one with yellow hair like Abby." Too cute!! Here they are, showing off their goody bags and awards. Abby got the "Cutie Patootie" award.

 They both insisted on taking off their "ugly blue shirts" and wanted some real pictures, lol. These two are a trip.

 

Indya is going to continue taking dance in the Fall, and I asked Abby if she wanted to join her. She said, "No, I'm done with that. I'm gonna do soccer." This girl is all over the place!!!

TN Camp

I really hit the jackpot this summer - BOTH sets of grandparents offered to host the kids for a few days at their respective houses!!

This time, it was off to Tennessee to spend time with Greg's parents, Mum Mum & Granddaddy. Greg met Mum Mum halfway - in Chattanooga - last Thursday and handed the kids off, after lunch at McDonald's of course :)

 

The kids were greeted in Johnson City by not only Granddaddy, but Aunt Gena & Uncle Kevin as well!! (Who came in from FL & CT to be there. So sweet!) The kids were super excited to see everyone and immediately started playing games, Wii boxing, and even took a late night trip to Toys 'R Us to pick out one toy.

Unicorn Pillow Pet for Abby & Legends of Chima speedorz for Nate :)

 Friday was another fun-filled day....more Wii playing, coloring, singing, riding bikes at the park, and playing games.

 Friday night, they all went to downtown Jonesborough for "Music on the Square." The kids enjoyed the music, dancing, old-fashioned candy store, and hula-hooping.

 Click here to see Nate hula-hooping. Who knew he had these skills!? And if you want a laugh, click here to view Abby hula-hooping. She was more booty shakin' than anything. Typical :)

Saturday morning, the kids went on another bike ride and to the library with Mum Mum to check out some movies. (Nate got one on Benjamin Franklin!?)

 That afternoon, the kids headed off to Wetlands (a water park) with Kevin & Gena, their BFF's! They got to go down water slides, play in the pool, and eat at the snack bar. From the looks of these pictures, I don't think they had any.fun.at.all :)

Nate clearly adores Uncle Kevin. I'm getting this one framed for his room :)

 Sunday morning, the whole group went to Tupelo Honey (SO good!) for brunch. Abby requested her favorite, grits! (Actually she wanted shrimp & grits but they told her that was a dinner meal, ha!)

Oops, I need to pack jackets next year. Poor Abby wore her snuggie most of the visit! :)

 The rest of the day was spent drawing with chalk, talking to/harassing Ripley (the dog), playing the Wii, watching Legends of Chima on repeat, using Uncle Kevin as a jungle gym, taking selfies, having cupcakes to celebrate Granddaddy's birthday, and getting golf lessons from Aunt Gena.

Serious conversation with Ripley :)

Playing the guitar on Kevin's phone!?

Blondie selfie :)

She put on a dress for Granddaddy's "party" and gave him a princess drawing for his birthday. Just what he wanted, I'm sure!

 Sadly, Uncle Kevin had to fly home to Florida on Sunday night :( So, Aunt Gena, Mum Mum, and Granddaddy did an extra good job of entertaining on Monday, so the kids (Nate especially) wouldn't be too brokenhearted.

Lunch & more fun at McDonald's

Playing games with Aunt Gena while Abby napped

After naptime, it was off to Chuck-E-Cheese for one last hurrah! Poor Granddaddy had to suffer through this on his actual birthday. Best 65th birthday ever!? :)

Bubble fun before bedtime

Apparently, Aunt Gena says Nate has a knack for golfing. (And she would know, she's super talented!) May need to look into trying a golf camp for him. I think non-contact sports are just going to be his "thing!" :) Click here to watch Nate golfing.

Abby loves wearing Nate's underwear now, awesome!

 Tuesday morning, Aunt Gena & Mum Mum loaded up the van and headed back to Alabama to bring my babies home!!! Clearly, they were still a little worn out from all the fun....

 

I can't thank Mum Mum, Granddaddy, Aunt Gena, and Uncle Kevin enough! The kids had a ball and are already talking about going back next year. If you'll have them :)