Fall

Here's a peak into Fall at the Camp household

We started Ballet!

 Emalyn was so excited that she was finally old enough to take ballet.

Maddie got to stay and help the teachers for Emalyn's first class. 

Field Trip

Maddie's class had their first field trip to Percy Warner nature center. It would be a fun afternoon activity for anyone who hasn't been there. 

They are in the middle of a Hummingbird project - where they band the legs of the hummingbirds. It was so interesting to watch!

Maddie and one of her sweet new friends on the nature walk. 

Football Thursday and Fairytale Day

Emalyn's preschool has a day where everyone dresses up in their favorite team, and it happened to be on the same day as Maddie's fairytale dress up day.  

I can't imagine anything more fun in their world - getting to dress up for school!

And this is what we saw as we walked into St. Georges that morning.....

James Franklin's, the VU football coach, little girl goes to St. Georges. So he had the cheerleaders and the football players come for the morning. Of course, it freaked Emalyn out! 

I was hoping she would get in a picture with just the cheerleaders, but she was holding onto me for dear life. I picked her up that afternoon and asked her how her day was, and the first thing she said to me was I not like the pirate. I couldn't figure out what she was talking about. I asked her teacher and she started laughing and said most the children in her class were scared by the Commadore. :)

Birthday Parties

We celebrate Carrie's 3rd birthday - and Cinderella even made a special appearance!

My girls loved it!

We celebrated my grandmothers birthday.

They love helping blow out the candles. 

Dear Dads Breakfast

School starts one hour late so that all the dads can take their children out to breakfast. This was the sweet picture Mrs Holladay took as Chris walked her in. 

 JK Hoedown

Maddie's class had a hoe down for their fall party! I kept thinking as I went their all of their clothes for this fall I would find something she could wear with her jean skirt for the hoedown but no luck! So we had to get creative - I found this felt vest tutorial. It turned out really cute. 

And it turned out Macie got out of school half day that day, so she came to the Hoe Down with me. Maddie was so excited that Macie was coming to her school!

But Emalyn overheard me telling Maddie and was most upset that she would not get to see Macie too.  So I picked her up from school early and took her to lunch with Macie and me. 

Maddie last question to me that morning before she walked out the door was, "but I'll get more time with Macie, right?" :) They sure do love any time they get to spend with Macie. 

St Paul

Even though Maddie is in school less days this year, her days are longer (7:55-3:00). We have been so blessed by her sweet teacher this year - she emails pictures of what they are doing throughout the day. I love having her hop in the car and already knowing some of what she had done throughout the day. So here is some of pictures from her days as a Junior Kindergartener. 

Making teeth for "T" day

Ironing a grilled cheese for "I" day

Her 3rd grade buddy, Elizabeth.

Science Class - she loves the goggles!

 Acting out fairytales

She loves each and everyone day she spends there, and we start counting down the days on Friday until she goes back on Tuesday!

School

We got back from our beach trip, and St Paul started the next week! 

I realized as I was talking to a good friend from college this week that I had not blogged about our school decision. St. George's, the girls preschool, changed their hours for this year, and every child had to stay for the extended day Tuesday-Friday. It hit me about this time last year as Maddie had had afternoon after afternoon of meltdowns and falling asleep for the night at 5:30 that I did not want to have to go through that again this year if she would be adding another afternoon and full day at school. So I started searching for other options, but I had already missed the Kindergarten Admission panel & all of the schools open houses, & I did not know the first thing about what to expect! I emailed a friend and asked for her to be praying for an answer for next year. She had a son in Junior Kindergarten and sent me this video.

Junior Kindergarten at St. Paul Christian Academy from St. Paul Christian on Vimeo.

It brought tears to my eyes to have a school that would truly partner with us in educating our children. We literally had our tour the day before the applications were due, praying that the Lord would make it abundantly clear because I knew it would be really hard on all of us to move Maddie a year before all of her friends. We left confident that we wanted to go ahead and put in the application but knowing a lot had to fall into place in order for her to go this year. And He provided abundantly! We are so grateful to have the opportunity to send her to school that we are continually amazed by.

 Mrs. Holladay came to our house for a visit! All the Junior Kindergarten teachers go to each students house so the child can become comfortable with them in their own setting.

 

First day of school - loving the uniform!

 

Walking her in on her first day! 

She is in a class with 10 other little girls!

And two weeks later, Miss Em started school. She was less than pleased to go back, until I told her she would see Miss Anne Byrn (her teacher from last year) on the playground. She stopped mid-tear and said, "Wait a minute...Miss Anne Byrn? What about her sister?" Referring to Miss Michelle her other teacher from last year - I couldn't help but laugh! In her world any two girls together were sisters. :)

 

Emalyn's visit with her teachers - Mrs Philpot and Mrs Rutledge

 

Her first day of school. 

She has never been attached to any one comfort item, but since school has started back we cannot go anywhere without "lambie." Not going to lie, I am not thrilled about having to keep up with one more thing! But if it helps with our transition to school every morning, guess I'll have to get used to it!

Friday Fun Project

Both of my girls are home with me on Fridays, so it is our let down day after a busy week. It's so nice not to have to get up and get lunches made and Maddie out the door by 7:40! It's nice to stay in our pjs and relax. I usually try to plan a playdate Friday mornings, but my favorite thing is starting a craft project in the afternoon with the girls. 

So here is our latest project - burlap door hangers. It was so fun and easy.  Here's how I did it. Let me preface this with I am crafty not artsy - so I have to trace or look at a picture to draw anything and there is always a lot of erasing that goes in to get the shape right.

I started by drawing a pumpkin and a football shape out of crate paper and then traced it onto some extra burlap I had.

 

I folded the burlap over (so I would have a front and back) and cut the shapes out. And then it was onto the girls favorite part - painting!

 Once again I'm not artistic - so I printed out a font I liked from the computer, cut it out and traced around it for the letters. I used the edge of a paper plate for the laces and the white stripes (there probably is a name for those and my husband would be most disappointed that I don't know - but that about sums up my football knowledge) :).

I used a hot glue gun to glue the front and the back together and stuffed it with plastic grocery bags. 

I glued some orange ribbon on to hang it with and....

 the finished product hanging on the front door. 

 

 I'm still working on the pumpkin - maybe next Friday afternoon!

The Beach

We ended our summer with a 10 day trip to the beach. And it was actually really fun for everyone this year! Partly, I think I finally have the mind set that it is not a vacation but a family trip. It is not time for me to relax, but time for me to enjoy my sweet girls with help during the day! Not to mention at two and five, the beach is really fun for them.  No one is scared of the ocean, no meltdowns because there is sand on hands or feet. We never made it longer than about an hour and half at the beach at a time, but that was okay - it was so nice not to have a schedule!

Chris was supposed to fly down and meet us half way through the week, but "Mr Joe" as the girls call his boss asked him why he wasn't going down with us. Chris reminded him he would be gone for 2 weeks, and he said so... just make sure I would remember this when he is working 60 hours a week this fall (so I am bracing myself) but excited for him as they start working on a new idea.

The girls loved their daddy time. After such a hectic winter and spring with Chris traveling to Chattanooga every week, they soaked up the extra time with him!

When I told Emalyn, we were going outside to take pictures before dinner, she responded, "okay, I go get bitty".  So we had to make sure we got a few pictures with bitty in them.

The girls with Bebe - each with bitty in hand. :)

My sweet family! 

Thanks Honey for the cute matching dresses!

 

My big 5 year old! I still cannot believe she is 5. For some reason, 5 seems so much older than 4!

Dancing at dinner one night with Uncle Tee and Miss Caroline

 Celebrating the birthday girl - she was celebrated quite a lot this year!

We brought a few present for her to open at the beach - Uncle Tee gave her a baseball tee & a pink bat. She had blast hitting the ball!

Pillow fight with Uncle Tee! 

We are so thankful for Uncle Tee and Miss Caroline - not only do they keep my girls once a week for us to go to small group, but they truly love spending time with my girls. And for that Chris and I are grateful.

Chris' family came down to the beach the next week, so we stay a few days with them. The house they stayed in was about 40 minutes away, but the beach was so different. There were shell everywhere!

 Maddie and Anna Caroline loved collecting the shells. There is no doubt about it, Miss Maddie definitely has Chris' dark complexion.

Mimi sewed all the girls matching dresses.

Mimi and Grand D with all of the grand kids.

Sweet Macie braided both of their hair for the beach pictures.

Everybody was worn out after the beach pictures!