Seven, Soaring, and Smart!
October kicked off with my annual week-long conference, this year in Orlando. Everything went really well and it was great to have a “reunion” with many of my coworkers. At the same time, Trent whisked Brayden off to her bi-annual Y Guides longhouse at Camp Cheerio. They participated in archery, riflery, horseback riding, and this time, Brayden was courageous and did the zip line. Trent thinks the reason is because the platform was just a couple feet off the ground and wasn’t intimidating (versus the last camp they went to where the entire obstacle course was about 30 feet off the ground). Of course, the zip line then went over a ravine, which was pretty vast. Check out the video to see her soar! While we were all off on our trips, Grandma and Grandpa Jones came in town to hang out with Hanleigh. They took her to some great restaurants and I’m sure she enjoyed the one-on-one time with them!!!
We continued our (not-so-good) football season by traveling to Raleigh for yet another game. This was a bit exciting, though, because we stayed in the same hotel in which the team stays. Trent was out for a friend’s 40th birthday party, so I took the girls to the indoor pool/hot tub and we ran into about five of the players. Hanleigh sang the fight song for them and Brayden bounced back and forth from the pool to the hot tub (basically, depending on wherever the majority of them were). I think they were both in awe somewhat. Before the game, we drove around campus for a bit, taking a trip down memory lane to see where Trent and I first met, the dorms in which we lived, and where Trent worked. It’s always a bit nostalgic doing that and I know Trent and I enjoy rehashing those amazing times!
In some exciting news, Trent’s hard work and dedication really paid off when he received an unexpected (yet, well deserved) promotion at his job. We are very proud of him and I know he was surprised and appreciative! He busts his butt every day, is so incredibly talented in what he does, and even though I can’t comprehend half of what he works on, I know it takes an incredible person with major smarts to accomplish what he does on a day-to-day basis. Congrats, sweetie!
October brings some important birthdays as well! Grandma Jones had her birthday and Brayden turned seven (not sure how time has flown by so quickly). We painted her school spirit rock, had lunch with the family at one of her favorite pizza places the weekend prior, had lunch with her at school and ordered cupcakes for her class, and then capped it off with a party at the local pumpkin patch. All the kids got to participate in a corn maze, pumpkin pickin’, and hayride (complete with a mission to find items along the way). Brayden loved having all of her good friends and family there and the weather was perfect.
Both girls had their annual checkups as well. Brayden is exactly four feet tall (52%) and weighs 47 lbs. (33%). The doctor emphasized how important it is for her to eat her fruits and vegetables, so we will continue to work on that. Hanleigh is 3’1” (37%) and weighs 28 lbs. (17%). She is our little peanut, but is a firecracker, nonetheless. We attended Boo at the Zoo with the Mazzolas and it was downright chilly. Thank goodness the sun was out and it turned out to be a nice day by the afternoon. The girls had a blast with Emilia and Chase, and Brayden enjoyed seeing her BFF. Of course, it was great to hang out with Les and Joe, too. We miss them so much!
Brayden had her annual school-sponsored Boosterthon and did a great job calling family members to raise funds for the event. She ran 39 laps this year (three more than the max for the event, which means she is picking up speed with those long legs!) and did a great job. Those events are so fun! We made a sign this year for her after we neglected to make one in kindergarten (we were naïve and didn’t know what the whole deal was even about). I think she was very proud of herself, as were we!!! Thanks to everyone who helped support Brayden and her school!
We capped the month off with Halloween and trick-or-treating with our neighbors. We are so blessed to have so many kids in our ‘hood and parents that we enjoy spending time with. The kids were like a swarm of bees taking over the streets. Brayden was a fashionista witch and Hanleigh was Doc McStuffins. They were too cute. Trent dressed up as Willie from Duck Dynasty (complete with his own home-grown beard) and I repurposed a hulu girl outfit from my work conference.
Hanleigh-isms:
- On the way into the Marriott one night, she grabbed Brayden and my hands and said, “C’mon, girls!”
- Her new saying is, “That is so cool!”
- One day, she was walking around the house and did something funny and responded with, “That just happened!”