Visit with the Randells part 1 and Eliza turns 5!

In late August, my parents came to visit for a week. It was the kids first week of school, so we just started settling into our new routines and it was good for them to see what day-to-day life is like for us. One thing my dad had been wanting to show the kids is how to fish, so we went to Cabela’s and got a rod and some fishing supplies. The kids had one rod and had been using bread and hot dogs as bait, but they had not caught anything yet.

Casting 101 class…

This is the pond behind our house that the kids fish in. This is the view from the fishing dock.

Great success…Eliza was the first to catch a bass.

Then Benjamin….

And he caught a little bluegill.

Even Nathan caught a bass. From here on out, the kids fished for weeks and caught several fish every time they went out. We are lucky to have the pond and dock right behind our home.

Another evening, Nathan, my dad, and Benjamin went to a high school football game.

One evening our neighborhood held a fall festival. They had rides and activities for the kids, food trucks, and music. It was a crowded but fun evening and all the kids saw lots of friends from school.

Caleb working on his backflips

Grandma Sue walked around to rides with Eliza most the evening.

Benjamin tried bull riding…he fell off in about 2 seconds, but still had fun.

It was a big crowd!

That week, Benjamin received good news that he was selected to do school announcements for Alvey in the morning. To apply, kids had to fill out an application and have an audition. Close to a hundred kids tried out and only 24 were selected. Each semester there are 3 kids reporting the news and 3 behind the camera. He was selected as a reporter, and is very excited about this upcoming opportunity from April - June.

During that time we celebrated Eliza Rose turning 5 years old! Eliza has grown so much this year, both physically and mentally. She is sharp witted, loves everything pink and unicorns, adores her big brothers, has a big heart, and she is responsible and a hard worker.

We celebrated in the morning with birthday muffins for breakfast then celebrated after school.

Eliza had a big birthday surprise awaiting her that morning. Aaron flew in the night before and came up from the basement during breakfast. The kids were certainly surprised to see Uncle Aaron.

Off to school for this 5 year old!

She was excited to have her grandparents and Uncle Aaron here to celebrate.

After school celebrations with a unicorn cake and opening gifts. It was a special day for this 5 year old.

On my parent’s last day they said goodbye to the kids in the morning, then we went to Harper’s Ferry for the day before heading to the airport. 

We are thankful they were able to spend the week with us as we settled into our home, and Aaron stayed with us for several more days.