Earlier this month, just after Todd and I got back from our trip, we packed up again (all 4 of us this time!) to head up to Gainesville for Caroline's graduation. Gainesville will always be one of my favorite places and this trip is hopefully just the first of many we'll take with the kids.
Besides watch Caroline walk across the stage for her diploma, the kids went into the stadium for the first time, walked along the bar-lined University Avenue and had their first meal and drink at The Swamp. And a real Gainesville weekend wouldn't be complete without sleeping on a couch and falling out of bed in the middle of the night. Check and check.
Our plans changed a bit last minute and we ended up inviting ourselves to stay with Caroline and her roommate at their apartment...thank you Caroline and Emily! It was cozy, but we made it work. With our old couch and an air mattress we were snug as a bug. Caroline bunked with the kids out in the family room the first night. The second night, Ross and I took Caroline's bed. All was well until Ross rolled out with the biggest thud I have EVER heard onto the hardwood floors. Sorry Ross, but rest assured you weren't the first or last guy to have a mishap like that after a late night in Gainesville!
(Still only had my cell phone camera on this trip-talk about bad timing for my camera to break!)
Bridget thought the slumber party at Caroline's apartment was so cool!
Dad, Caroline and Mom
Caroline with her favorite niece and nephew!
My favorite Gainesville establishment...still alive and well!
They wouldn't Tebow in front of Tebow for anything! Little stinkers!
Welcome to The Swamp!
I have just one picture from our next special night...Bridget's Spring concert at school. Here she is with her friends Lily and Livi. We've been friends with Lily and Lily's parents since our days at Chili's! This will probably be the only year they will ever all three be in the same school together!
Later that week Bridget had her first big dance recital. There were Christmas recitals back in December, but I quickly realized those were just for fun and a lot more laid back than the big Spring recital. I have to admit, the amount of emails and instructions I got on the dance recital was stressing me out. So many things to remember...how to do hair, make-up do's and don'ts, rehearsal practice, drop-off procedures...It was becoming overwhelming and as usual, it fell on a week when there was already so much going on.
But the show was amazing and we were so proud of our beautiful and confident girl! Bridget and her dance classmates did such a great job and it was so hard not to tear up as I watched her perform. She was so proud of herself and loved the chance to dance on stage. All the stress of the week was quickly forgotten and we are already so excited for her to continue in dance class next year.
On the left is Bridget on her first day of dance class last August.
On the right is a picture from her last day just a few weeks ago.
