Celebrating St. Patrick's Day...and Me!

Well, I sure felt ALL the love on my birthday this year!  The kids were out of school (St. Patrick's Day weekend in Savannah) so it really turned into an all-day celebration. The weather was absolute perfection, which meant outdoors, pool, and lots of bubbly.

The kids started with breakfast in bed. Now, I don't think I've ever had breakfast in bed. James is very clean and does not allow any food outside of the kitchen (and certainly not on our bed quilt).  But Wesley was insistent and so James finally caved in. They did a great job! And were so excited to bring in my tray.  Such sweet boys.

With the high temps and sun, all of the girls and kiddos met up at the pool for most of the day.  We had a blast! They brought cake and cupcakes and sang to me when we arrived. Love these fabulous group of women and thankful for the new friendships.

That night we headed to the Clubhouse for dinner where we met up with most of the ladies (plus spouses) for delicious food, fellowship, and more cake and singing!

The next day we decided to head into Savannah for the annual St. Patrick's Day parade.  We were not quite sure what to expect (and even hesitated to go, hearing how crazy it can be!) but our friends invited us to their tent where we would have access to a bathroom and food/drinks.  To keep things simple, we only took JB and left the littler ones with Gia.  

They have a shuttle into Savannah from Richmond Hill, starting at 7AM. We were on the 730AM (!!!) and got to watch the sunrise over the city. What a way to start!

Our friends had the BEST set up. The hotel was right off the parade route and they had set up a fabulous tent and chairs the night before - to secure the best spots for the parade. They had so much yummy food, lots of mimosas and drinks, and the most festive atmosphere.  

You know who lived his best life? This guy. JB had a blast with the swag, the corn horn, and all the activities.

The parade lasted so long that we eventually left in the middle of it (to make sure we got back to the shuttle before things got too crazy down on the river).  We saw some great floats, lots of bagpipes, and lots of our brave military who are stationed down here.

While I would certainly go back to the parade in the future years (especially under these fantastic circumstances), it will be super hard to top this first parade (and my birthday weekend). What a great time!!  

Exploring the Okefenokee Swamp

One of those places I've never been to but can now cross off my list: The Okefenokee Swamp! I'm sure I've heard of it over my lifetime but knew nothing about it (other than James tells of Okefenokee Joe, who used to come to his elementary school and the library when he was a young child, to show off snakes and tell tall tales).

The swamp is: a shallow, 438,000-acre (177,000 ha), peat-filled wetland straddling the Georgia–Florida line in the United States.  The Ford had what I lovely call a "Ford Field Trip" to explore the swamp, and we jumped on the chance to take the kids!  

I didn't realize the entrance to the swamp is about 2 hours away, so we loaded up early on Saturday morning, hit up the McD's for a "special treat", and then made our way across Georgia. 

The group of us piled into 2 flatbottom boats and started the slow trek into the swamp. Our guide was a young Biologist who was quite entertaining and very informative. We learned so much!

We saw all sorts of flora and fauna, including 5 different types of birds, carnivorous plants, and lots of turtles.  Oh, and about 100 alligators of all different sizes. James spotted the very difficult to find American Bittern!  He's turning into quite the birder, that husband of mine...

While we traveled through via boats, another group of our friends took a 4 hour kayak trip!  Not sure we could pull that off quite yet, but maybe next trip.

Such a great time exploring the swamp.  It may be crossed off our list of places to see, but I'd definitely return.

Reading Across America Week

Always love it when the schools keep things nice and simple for dress up days!  For Read Across America week, the kids loved dressing up each day (with the finale for Wesley - PETE THE CAT!!) I may have enjoyed crafting his outfit way more than he enjoyed wearing it :)

Hat Day

Crazy Sock Day

Team Sports Day

(Poor Sissy had school pic retake day)

PJ Day!

Pete the Cat for the School Character Parade!

This same week Wesley performed for the PTSO meeting. He did such a great job. He's a total ham...espeically in a ham costume :)

We are so thankful for the kids school, their teachers, and this community. They are thriving!