Happy Halloween!

It's been a rainy, stormy Halloween but I have enjoyed a birthday that is not a holiday. First time, in a long time without trick or treaters. We are celebrating Halloween tomorrow which means we had a nice relaxing night at home. Evie and Henry enjoyed eating cake and carving the jack o lantern with Carl. We are looking forward to trick or treating tomorrow night. Happy Halloween!

Party Time Girl!

 

It's been a day filled with parties! Evie loves a party especially if there is cake. I was so excited to join her at preschool for her Halloween party. It was really fun talking with all her friends and seeing Evie thrilled to have me with her at school. What a fun afternoon and the chaos was manageable. We had pizza, veggies and fruit along with doughnut holes for dessert. Games were on the agenda after lunch and then it was time for Trunk or Treat. Evie was super impressed that it was so easy to grab a big bag of loot. After school, we came home and chowed down on some protein to cancel out some of the sugar. Then, it was time to head to our ballet party! Now, that was chaos! It's easy to spot a rookie teacher on a holiday and Evie's dance teacher is a rookie. Pure craziness but still fun. Evie gorged on everything from popcorn balls to chocolate candy. All of the girls had a blast! Tomorrow, will be another day filled with treats galore. Henry's class will have their party too but his teacher knows that 2 year olds only need to see their parents at the beginning of the day and at the end of day. Otherwise, there will be tears. Happy Halloween!

Week in Review!

It's been a terrific week! I feel like we are all in the swing of things with our schedule and have found time for what we enjoy. Fridays are my most treasured days because it is my only day with Evie. I miss her so much while she is at school. Kindergarten is going to be tough on this Mama!

We had a blast with the Andre's last weekend. So much fun that I only took one picture! It was wild having a 2 year old, a 3 year old and a 4 year old all in the same house. Evie made her debut at the Honk Tonk's dancing with a strange man. 

It sounds really wild but it was really sweet. We went to the park, tried out some new BBQ - Edley's if you are local. Delicious! We shopped in Franklin and grilled out at home. Stayed up too late drinking wine and chatting. Finished off with lunch at Local Taco. Miss them already!!!

Evie was back to dance after a little hiatus this week which thrilled her to pieces. Henry and I attended a Pumpkin Tasting Party. YUMMY! I do love pumpkin anything especially muffins.

Henry's new teacher started and he cried a lot! That was hard on me - he held up his little hands and said, "Bell. Bye Bye. Cindy here." He will adjust but those tears make me sad! Evie has not shed a tear at school in years so this is new again. My little learner would go to school every day if I let her and has even requested to go on Friday like her friend Austin. Sorry, Evie - Mama gets one day!

Carl was out of town for work and we missed him a ton. Everyone was elated to see Daddy walk in the door on Thursday afternoon. We caught up on some family time with dinner and a dance party and then watched all our shows after the kids were asleep. Homeland is our favorite!

We went to the local nursing home to trick or treat this morning with our MOMS Club! A new place opened in town and it was amazing. Lots of moms were taking notes for their parents! It was a little sad for me to back in a nursing home but my kids did not skip a beat since loads of candy filled their buckets. Inter-generational events are important and this is one of my favorite ways to bring joy to both my kids and the residents. Such a fun morning!

 

We hung out at home watching movies, accessorizing and reading piles of books that Aunt Libby sent my kiddos. It was the perfect afternoon. Right when the natives were getting restless, it was time to head over to Courtney's house for a delicious lasagna dinner. Nothing better than pasta and friends!

Happy Friday, folks! Hope your weekend is off to a terrific start. It's the last weekend in October so make it count.  See you on Sunday!

Five on Friday!

Bow is crooked but our days with bows are dwindling!

Henry hanging out in an old swing with his favorite snack. Popcorn!

Happy Friday, Everyone! Here's my Five on Friday.

1) We are so excited to have my best friend from college and her family coming to visit us this weekend. It's their first time to Nashville. Candice and I have been friends since freshman year at College of Charleston in 1998. Her husband, Carl and my Carl get along great and we have three kids between us. It's sure to be an interesting weekend!

2) Halloween Joe Joe's are out at Trader Joe's. My kids love any and all things pumpkin so of course we picked up a box of cute little Jack o Lantern cookies. They sure are tasty!

3) I met up with a few friends for dinner last night. We tried a new spot in town, Granite City. I was not that impressed with my food but my wine sure was delicious. Santa Margarita Pino Grigio is one of my favorites so I splurged. I love sneaking out for a bit with my friends! We had a blast.  

4) I am loving all the sweet notes that my students write me these days! There's nothing better than a class full of kids that adore you except my two kids at home.

 

5) One of my students did not have their homework in class so her mom sent me a picture of it! That cracked me up and was another reminder of how things change. Can't wait to see how I will get Evie and Henry's missing homework to school! I am hoping that they take it themselves but that's a whole different story.

Enjoy the weekend and soak up this fabulous month of October!

Evie's First Field Trip

Evie was so excited to go on her first field trip with preschool. It was to the pumpkin patch. Parents drove the kids and Evie was thrilled to have Sloan ride with us. Henry went too and tried to fit right into the giraffe class with his sister. Evie is such a good sister and was thrilled to have Henry along for the ride. 

My favorite part was when Evie's teacher was having the kids count off in the line and Henry chimed in at the right time with "4." He was right before Evie in line and he was number 4.

Walden Farms is a fun place to spend the morning! I am so thankful that I was able to share this experience with Evie. It was exhausting - preschool teachers must have a special place in Heaven because they sure do work hard!

Taking a huge group to the farm is no small feat! I was exhausted after a morning at the farm. We saw animals, went on a hayride, picked pumpkins and learned about pumpkins. Evie's next field trip will be as a kindergartner! YIKES!

 

Life Lately!

 It's already been a week since my last post! Life sure has a way of getting away from me. We spent most of the past week in North Carolina grieving over my grandmother's life. It's hard to be sad because she lived 90 (almost 91) years but it is still sad to lose a member of your family especially a grandmother. My Mamaw always had a way of making me feel special and could remember the details of every important life event. Evie took the news of Mamaw's death well. "Oh no, I forgot to kiss her." That's okay, Evie - send her a kiss now. "Now, that's not going to work."

We arrived back in Nashville late Thursday after taking the scenic route home. It seemed like a good day to visit the Sunsphere in Knoxville and enjoy a leisurely lunch on the river. I could not help but think while eating lunch that these crazy days are going to be what I long for as life speeds up even more as our children grow up. It was fun to see them so excited about being high in the sky, feeding birds at lunch and even playing on the playground.

Saturday was the perfect day for our annual pumpkin patch visit. Both kids had a ball although Henry was super cranky on the way home. Toddlers have a way of letting everyone know their feelings!

Carl and I had a date night on Saturday. It was during a Clemson game so we ended up at Wild Wing. Not my favorite but he loves it!  We just enjoyed being kid free for a bit and knowing that our kids were happy as clams with Taylor.

Everyone slept in this morning and we barely made it to church on time. Evie was annoyed that I would not allow her to wear the clinking shell necklaces that Carl made for her yesterday. She moved on quickly when she found out that Krispy Kreme was on the agenda after church.

We spent the afternoon relaxing around the house catching up on laundry and running a few errands. Looking forward to one more day of fall break and then starting a normal week! Hope y'all had a terrific weekend.

Weekend Wrap-up!

 

We had a low-key weekend -just what we need these days after a busy week. Friday afternoon, we enjoyed the sunny day with Campbell and Christian. Carl picked up pizza from Amico's. Everyone has been raving to us about how delicious the pizza is there. I was a skeptic because after 4 years I still miss Brooklyn South in Charlotte. Amico's was a game-changer - delicious pizza that does not come from a plastic frozen tube.

Saturday, I had my annual physical - what a convenience to have that taken care on a Saturday morning. That's one thing I can cross off my list for the next year! Evie and Henry convinced Carl to take them to the pool so we tried two indoor pools without any success. Swimming lessons take precedence over open-swim. Evie was disappointed but settled for a romp in the backyard with the sprinkler.

Henry and I napped while Carl took Evie to pick out pansies. Raffi even made the trip and they came back with beautiful blue and purple pansies.

We had dinner outside last night soaking up one of the last warm nights of fall. Evie is not impressed that cooler temperatures are coming our way. She is not a fan of jackets and coats.

We woke up to a rainy Sunday morning with cooler temperatures. Evie had a birthday party this afternoon at Shipwrecked. It's super easy to take her to birthday parties now that she entertains herself. Henry stayed home for his nap. Evie and I had fun together.

We hung out at home the rest of the day. Hope everyone has a great week. We are looking forward to fall break!

Five on Friday!

It's been a great week filled with fun! Of course, we had some crazy moments too but that is just life. Here's a peek at our week! Disclaimer: I started this Five on Friday last week and never finished. 

Princess: Evie wakes up every morning and immediately puts on a princess dress before coming to wake us up. One morning, she announced, "Mommy, aren't you so glad there is a princess in our family?" I do love the dress-up stage and love it even more that she puts the dresses off and on herself.

Playgroup: Henry and I joined a Baby Boy playgroup and it's so much fun. Several of my friends have boys as their youngest so it's great to play with the same friends that I already know but only with the little ones. Henry's favorite part of playgroup is cake - just like his sister.

MNO: I went out with some friends for dinner last night and had a blast. I'll be honest and say that I really was not in the mood - just wanted to stay home and read my book. Hard things are almost always worth it. We sat outside, enjoyed live music and crisp wine. My idea of a perfect fall night!

Parenting: I am on a mission to prepare Evie for the real world! Teaching again has made me more aware of how if we do everything for our kids and neglect to allow them to make some decisions than they are not prepared for life. I think parents worry more now than ever before and the world can be a scary place but it's our job as parents to give our kids the skills they need to make it in our world! Sometimes, I think that it will be easier to tackle the hard stuff later but it is never too early for the laying out the foundation. Evie and I have talked about empathy for others, Heaven, homeless people and friends that are mean this week. I try to listen more than I talk and give her ideas that are easy to implement. Evie told me that she could not play with her favorite friend anymore and when I asked why her reply was that "he had boogers in his nose." It made me laugh a little but it was a great conversation about just telling him that he needed to wipe his nose. I LOVE 4 year olds!

Fun with Friends: We have been enjoying lots of time playing with our friends! It's fun to meet up at a park after school, Chick fil A for lunch,  take nature walks in the yard or our favorite meeting the boys outside for a little playtime. Fall makes us all happy with cooler temperatures.