Farewell, Walt Disney World!

We left WDW yesterday morning after three action packed days and nights. It was so much fun, exhausting, exhilarating, overwhelming and magical. We cannot wait to go back! I'll be back soon with lots of details. We are at the beach for few days to unwind from all the excitement. See y'all soon!

Week in Review: Kindergarten Readiness, Cinderella and Cousins

Monday: We took Krystal and Peyton to the airport. Evie and I had so much fun with them and were sad to see them go home. Our next stop was ballet. Carl had a dinner meeting so it was a low-key night.

Tuesday: Evie went to school and Henry ran errands with me. Swimming was next on our agenda. Carl spent the night in Chattanooga. I went to a Kindergarten Readiness meeting at Evie's school. Lots of good information but of course there was that one mother that turned the meeting into her own personal counseling session. Evie has a good birthday for school but Henry has a summer birthday. Teachers appreciate independent children more than exceptional learners. I need to help Evie practice her independence.

Wednesday: I was so excited for a girl's day with Evie. We saw Cinderella and went out to lunch. I love having special time with my sweet girl. We made dinner for a friend recovering from surgery and it was fun to visit for a bit. Carl was home too when we pulled in the driveway.

Thursday: Both kids went to school and I ran a few errands before coming home to clean and pack. After school, our play group met at Chick fil A for some ice cream and playtime. We had such a good time and one of the dads joined us. He must have enjoyed his peek into the glamorous life of a SAHM's life and to see a play date first hand.

Friday: We stayed home to pack and then headed to Atlanta. It was an easy drive and we were so excited to see Kurt and Lollie and their girls. Evie loves Mary and Lucy so much. She was just as excited to see them as she is to be heading to Disney World. We had a fun night and a delicious dinner.

Now, we are headed down I-75 on our way to Orlando. Only 387 miles to go!

Have a great weekend!

Weekend with Krystal Penn

My sweet college friend, Krystal,  arrived on Saturday with her four year old daughter, Peyton. Evie was so excited to have a friend spending the night. 

We picked Krystal and Peyton up at the airport about 10 and headed out for a bite to eat. Puffy Muffin was swamped so our next stop was The Local Taco. Our girls became fast friends over queso and chips. 

We came home for a bit and then headed out for an adventure. Henry had his own adventure with Daddy. Science Center was super busy too so we made our way to Inside Out Play Park. Fun times!

Evie decided to spend most of our time snuggling me instead of playing and then put herself to bed before dark. 

Peyton and Henry had enjoyed each other's company very much. Henry loved all the extra attention!

On Sunday, we took a little tour of Nashville showing Krystal around our fabulous city! Then, we grabbed some lunch at The Turnip Truck. It's like a miniature Whole Foods with "urban fare" along with some groceries. The seating left some room for improvement but the food was delicious. Krystal and I were especially impressed with the bacon. 

Carl held down the fort while Krystal and I went for a little adventure in downtown Franklin. Most of the stores, were closed but it was nice to look around a bit and have some girl time.

We spent the rest of Sunday playing outside, supervising projects and giving out snacks. Our kids hit the sack and we enjoyed a nice quiet kid-free dinner. 

It was such a delight having my sweet friend visit for the weekend! I cannot believe we have been friends for so long. Time keeps marching on. I love having daughters that are birthday twins that will be a special bond to share forever.

Week in Review: Friends, Flying and Fun!

We had a super fun yet busy week! My kids are totally out of sorts from being off schedule. They are waking up way too early after five nights on Eastern Time. It's only an hour but there is a big difference in waking at 6:00 versus waking at 7:00. Let's hope they adjust tomorrow!

I have lots to do but wanted to document our week so this will be short and sweet.

Monday: Discovery Place with my sweet friend Candice and her son! My Dad was kind enough to send along his Office Manager, Joanie and her niece to help rein in the chaos. WE had such a fun time and it was so nice to have an extra set of hands. I was able to even finish a few sentences with Candice.

Tuesday: My mom took the day off. We went to feed the ducks and froze to death so our next stop was the mall for some window shopping. Their Chick fil A does not serve breakfast. Can you believe that? Shocking! Henry took a long nap while I cleaned out my room. My parents were ready for me to get all my junk out of their house so I purged. Time changes so much and things that I would have not parted with five years ago were happily tossed into the trash pile.

Wednesday: We flew out of Greenville and had a great flight. My kids did great and we all survived without any tears! I need to write a few things down so that I will remember what worked for our next flight.

Thursday: Both of my little Valentine's were tired and cranky but we trucked through the day. Carl and I called it an early night.

Friday: We stayed home all day and I attempted to take care of a few things around the house. Not much was accomplished with my little helpers under foot. Carl did hang some curtains in Henry's room for me. That's about it folks!

Happy Friday! Enjoy the weekend. I am so excited because my dear friend, Krystal is coming to visit for the weekend with her daughter. Peyton and Evie will finally meet!

Happy Heart Day!

Hope it has been a wonderful day filled with love for you. Valentine's is more about showing love to our children these days but that is okay. Evie and Henry were both thrilled to wake up to their little treats this morning. 

I dropped off my little Valentines at school so that I could meet my main squeeze for lunch. Carl and I enjoyed a delicious lunch and some uninterrupted conversation. Now, that's something to celebrate!

We picked up a scrumptious dinner from Simply Living Life and will enjoy our dinner after the children are in bed. Pan seared pork tenderloin, salad, bread, green beans and red velvet cake - everything is ready to go.

Happy Valentine's Day!

"We laughed until we had to cry and we loved right down to our last goodbye we were the best we will ever be - just you and me." St. Elmo's Fire

Discovery Place

I'll write more later but Discovery Place was a blast!

Weekend in Waynesville: Skiing, Shopping and Snuggles

We had a fantastic weekend in Waynesville. It's always fun to spend time with old friends. Carl and Ben have been friends for over twenty years. Kappa Alpha brothers to becoming husbands and fathers. I have lots of pictures on my camera and will upload those when I get back to Nashville.

Week in Review: Crunchers, Well-checks and Warmish Weather

It's been a fantastic week! Lots of things to keep us busy and everyone has been well for the majority of the week.

Monday: I was not feeling 100% yet so we mostly rested this day. Evie and Henry went to the Y for ballet and Y-Play while I enjoyed a smoothie instead of a workout. Henry started showing signs of tummy distress so I canceled my Girls Night In for Tuesday.

 

Tuesday: Everyone was fine again. Evie went to school and Henry and I had such a great day together celebrating his 19 month birthday. My little buddy is so much fun these days! We went straight to the doctor for Well Checks after school. Now, that's an adventure taking two kids to the pediatrician. Evie went to swimming lessons and I took a long walk on the trail since it was such a warm day. We decided to eat Chick fil A for dinner since it was Kid's Night. Evie is turning into such a big girl. She waited in line by herself to order her balloon animal, tipped the man and found us at our seat without any trouble.

Wednesday: We went to Kristin's house for lunch and playtime. Evie loves Jacob's new backyard and calls it the forest. They "hiked" around and had a grand time. I reminded Henry of gentle touches about three million times. Henry took a nice long nap while Evie and I played outside. She helped me clean out the Odyssey and sprayed down the mats. It's amazing how dirty kids can make a car. We made some cookies and then Henry woke up from his nap. We ran dinner to a friend with a new baby - oh how tiny! I adore new babies! Barbecue was the meal this time because my friend is from South Carolina. Elizabeth was excited for the bottle of Maurice's sauce. Carl might not be excited that it is now missing from our pantry. Maybe he will not notice? We came home and played outside for a bit. 50 degrees is my kind of winter day! Evie was so excited that Caitlin was coming to babysit. Caitlin broke a bone several months ago and Evie has worried about this so much. She told me that Caitlin was going to walk over here on the crunchers. That's crutches - how cute! For the record, the crutches have been ditched and this Mama hightailed it out of here. Being a single mama for three weeks requires some breaks for sanity.

Thursday: Evie's school had Muffins for Mama and we had such a delightful morning. Henry was quite impressed to be invited into the classroom for muffins and to sit at the little table. He made a royal mess with his muffin and Karen was probably thrilled to see all the younger siblings depart. Evie's class did a little program that was adorable, passed out painted canvases and little notes. One of the questions: My mommy is as pretty as _________. Evie's answer was "My mommy is as pretty as Evie." That made me laugh out loud. My girl has so much self-confidence and I love it! Henry went to school and then I met some friends for brunch before heading to the dentist. Then, it was time to pick the kiddos up and we went to our Thursday playgroup. I think we agreed that our group is too big to meet in homes anymore. Perhaps a large, open field would better suit our needs? Evie had swimming and then we came home to see Carl. We were all so happy that he came home a day earlier than expected.  It was so nice to have a family dinner and help putting the kiddos to bed. 

Friday: Henry was up a lot last night. Ugh! Morning came too soon for us all. We spent the morning packing and running last minute errands. By the time, you read this post, we will be well on the way to the mountains of North Carolina. It's going to be an adventure with four kids under four. 

Have a wonderful weekend!

Henry is 19 Months!

 

Dear Henry,

   You are turning into such a big boy! I still think of you as my baby boy and probably always will. You weigh 23 pounds and are now in the 10% for your weight and you are 31 inches tall. Daddy and I can tell that you are beginning to gain some weight now that you are feeling so much better.

You are so docile! Evie plays doctor with you, carries you around the house and leads you into all kinds of mischief. Nothing ruffles your feathers. You get that from your Daddy not from me or Evie.

You are smart! I know all parents say their kids are smart but you are really smart. You might not talk much but everything is clicking inside your head.  Evie had a birthday party with a Belle cake and an appearance by Belle. You walked from the Belle cake to Belle several times exclaiming and pointing your fingers. Letting us know that you knew that was the same girl on the cake as in our kitchen.

We were pretending to be animals tonight and I told you that you were the dog. You marched right over to our side door and started making dog sounds at the dogs next door. 

When you are thirsty, you point at the cabinet with the cups and when you are hungry you bring me a bowl. You put the dishes away out of the dishwasher, your clothes in the hamper and distribute all the lost items you find to the right person. See, Henry- you are almost ready to be a husband! Evie loves when you find Raffi for her. I'm telling you Henry that you are a genius!

You are also the sweetest boy ever and I cover you with kisses all day long. We love seeing you become so affectionate with others too. You will allow anyone to hold you without any hesitation. New situations do not phase you a bit. You are always ready to try something different.

I am amazed at how independent you have become in the last month. You walk into the garage and climb into your side of the van and then attempt to hoist yourself into the seat. You alert us when your diaper needs changing and you even try to wipe anyone sitting on the toilet. You climb up and down the stairs, up and down from furniture and even sit on the counter to cook with me now. One morning, you even walked across the kitchen table - just for entertainment! It scared us to death but made us laugh too. Henry, you love to make us laugh!

You certainly keep us on our toes. We will be glad when this biting and scratching phase passes. You even had to send your first apology note. It must be frustrating not to have many words but your vocabulary is growing by leaps and bounds. My favorite words you say: Mama, Daddy, ow, yuck, doughnut and chocolate. Soon, you will have all the words you need to make your point without biting or scratching. Evie is your biggest fan and squeals in your face, "Henry, you know how to talk now." She does this every.single.time you say a word and you still find it amusing. 

Evie fiercely protects you and does not hesitate to put others in their place. She told Dr. Brooks not to give you a shot at his appointment today and you get very concerned about Henry's ears. You take your job very seriously not to get water in his ears during bathtime to keep the "ear affections" away and you keep your milk cups out of his reach since Henry is "llergic" to milk. Evie's got your back at the park too and does not let anyone else come to your rescue when the slide is too scary or you take a tumble. You are her "favorite" brother and she loves being your sister. Her requests for a sister baby have been reduced significantly since you have become so much more fun. It's amusing to observe you and Evie playing together. You also love big boys and will attempt to mimic anything they do. Let's make good choices with our friends, Henry! Good friends help you make good choices and good choices make good friends.

Henry, you are such a blessing to our family and we love you more than you will ever know. We love your soft little cheeks, wrinkled toes, infectious giggle and most of all your gentle spirit. It's so much fun to watch you grow and change by the minute. We are so thankful to have you as our little boy!

Love, 

Mommy and Daddy

Weekend Wrap-up: Snow, Grand Ole Opry and Princess Party

It was a long weekend at our house because I had the stomach bug. Not fun but at least it was on the weekend when Carl was here to help!

Saturday: We woke up to gorgeous snow falling rapidly and accumulating. Carl bundled the kids up for some sledding fun and I went back to bed. They made a snowman, snow angels and played with the boys then came inside to make some snow cream. I took the lead on that activity and both kids seemed to enjoy the yummy goodness. Carl wore Henry out. I took another nap before taking Evie to a princess party at Divas and Dudes. Such a fun place for a party! We raced home and tried to straighten the house before the sitter arrived. I was feeling better and we had already bought tickets for the Grand Ole Opry. We grabbed a quick bite to eat at the hotel and then headed to the show. It was so much fun!

Sunday: Everyone slept until 7:30 and we raced out the door at 8:15 for church. I should have stayed home but we will miss the next three weeks . Evie met a friend named Evie at church. Both girls thought that was super cool. We picked up some soup for Souper Sunday that the choir made for a fundraiser. I slept all afternoon and Carl held down the fort. He took Evie to the grocery store and was surprised at the crowds. We had a nice afternoon watching the kids play and snuggling them on the couch. Henry helped Carl grill the wings. I managed to heat some bread and place a few bowls with snacks on the table.  Evie kept saying football was going to win! Pretty cute. I put Henry to bed and then crawled in myself. Carl and Evie watched the entire game together. It was not exactly the weekend that we had planned but it was a weekend.

Hope your week is off to a great start! I am going to be hit or miss on blogging this week. Our computer is down and blogging from my phone is a chore. I have lots to do this week as our busy month gets underway. See you soon!