Weekend Wrap-up!

Another weekend, went by in a flash! Friday was our best day with our fun night at Highballs and Hydrangeas. My hives went away just in time but they came back that night while I was sleeping. I'll be so glad when they go away again. So itchy!

Saturday, Evie woke up first and we snuggled on the couch for a bit and then made these Banana Blueberry muffins while the boys slept late. I thought the muffins were delicious and Henry seemed to agree. Evie decided that she does not like blueberries and Carl thought they tasted too healthy because oatmeal was one of the main ingredients.

Carl took Evie to run a few errands and included a stop at Krispy Kreme. YUMMY! Henry napped while I did a few things around the house. It's so much easier to get things accomplished with only one child. Not sure, why I ever complained about having one kid because looking back that was so easy. Although, it's so much more fun having two kids, our house is in a constant state of disaster.

Evie decided to skip her nap so Carl took her to the pool. They had a blast! Henry and I made homemade pizza for dinner and it turned out much better this time. Evie was exhausted and went to bed super early. She was so tired that she fell asleep sitting up in bed!

At 5:00 this morning, I woke up to Evie crying because she had fallen out of the bed. We dozed together for a bit and then decided to start our day started bright and early. Henry slept late again this morning. Two mornings in a row of sleeping until after 8. That's something that I could get used to for sure!

We went to Einstein bagels for brunch and then ran in the grocery store quickly. Carl took the kids outside while I did some laundry. Both kids were ready for nap time. Evie rested quietly in her room for about an hour and then popped out dressed like Cinderella. I need to work on adjusting my attitude to her new napping schedule. Nap time is such a blissful time. Too bad, it does not last longer. On the other hand, it's fabulous to have both children tucked in bed and asleep by 7.

Carl worked in the yard and I played with Evie while Henry slept then we all went outside to help Carl. Henry loves to be outside just like Evie. Carl grilled chicken for dinner and then it was bedtime.

That pretty much sums our weekend up, this is our last week of summer vacation before Evie goes back to school. Evie is looking forward to meeting her teacher on Tuesday and so excited that Molly is in her class again this year. I'm not sure that she ever realized that Molly might not be in her class!

Hope your week gets off to a terrific start!

Cheekwood: Highballs and Hydrangeas

Carl took me on the best date last night to Cheekwood for their Highballs and Hydrangea's party. It was so much fun. We cannot wait to go back to the next one!Weather was nice and cool but the humidity did a number on everyones hair. It was so funny to see all the women in the bathroom trying to tame the curls and fly aways.

It was definitely the place to see and be seen with ages ranging from early twenties to people that were over eighty. People were wearing everything from their best cocktail dress to their Tennesee Khakis - blue jeans! Everyone seemed to be having fun! Lots of press were there and one of the social magazines even took our picture. Can't wait to see if we make it in the magazine. Cheekwood was all decked out for the occasion and looked beautiful under the stars.

Carl and I really enjoyed the selection of food from dozens of area restaurants including Boundry, Wild Iris, Yellow Porch, Table 3 and Nero's. Some of the restaurants went all out preparing their best to entice all the patrons into their restaurants passing out discount coupons to sweeten the deal. Food was included in the price of admission which at $25 was a real steal. We feasted on salmon mouse cups, lobster salad, tuna, ham biscuits, beef tenderloin. Everything was absolutely delicious.

We had a blast dancing to the music, people watching and trying new drinks - all at the same time. There were some really amazing dancers! There were also some that should perhaps check out their moves in the mirror before prancing around on stage. Band did an outstanding job playing everything from Brick House to jazz tunes.

Highballs and Hydrangeas was the perfect way to end our crazy week. It was a blast!

Week in Review!

Henry is growing his molars and frozen peas thrill him!

Depositing peas back into the freezer one by one kept him busy.

Evie played "snow day" and served as Henry's "snack helper" all at the same time.

Painting with combs kept her busy. We worked on our masterpieces for nearly an hour.

Painting ice cubes was super fun and transferring frozen cubes was even more entertaining.

It's been a wild week at The Niemeyer Nest! I am going to keep this short because nap time is almost over.

We traveled back home on Monday and that went really well especially lunchtime. Carl took Henry to the doctor shortly after we arrived home since he had a fever and belly issues. I was really proud of Carl for taking Henry to the doctor by himself for the first time! It gave me a chance to catch up on laundry, clean the house and play with my sweet girl.

On Tuesday, we made a quick Target run for milk and diapers to replenish our supplies. I took the kids to Chick fil A for lunch and Evie had fun playing while Henry ate for what seemed like hours. I put Henry to bed after Carl got home and went to run a quick errand but came home quickly because Henry was sick again! Poor thing was just not feeling well. Carl changed the sheets and tried giving him some ginger ale. Henry is not a fan of any liquid besides milk and water. 

Carl left early on Wednesday for a jaunt across Tennessee - driving from Nashville to Knoxville and then to Chattanooga all on on the same day. Not sure how he does it, that makes me tired just typing his itinerary. That left me with the kids and we just hung out at home all day. After nap time, we headed over to the park for some fresh air and playtime. Evie made a friend but then decided "that girl not nice, Mama" after she accidentally knocked down Henry. Evie let the poor girl have it, " You knocked down my husband. That hurts him. Don't do that again." Yes, Evie often refers to Henry as her husband.

Henry seemed to be doing better on Thursday so we headed out to the park and to Publix. I had been really itchy and then developed some hives. My doctor could not see me so I just took some benadryl. Took the kids to the pool along with Courtney and her boys. Evie had a blast. Everyone went to bed early and my hives kept getting worse.

Evie woke up with a bad dream but I was so tired that I thought that the thunder storm was scaring her. I hopped in bed with Evie and we slept until 8. That was a nice treat! My hives had spread so I decided to go to the doctor. Evie went to play with her boys and Henry went with me. Doctor gave me a steroid shot and now they are even worse than they were. Maybe, they have to get worse before they get better! Evie skipped her nap but rested quietly in her room while I napped. We may be moving past naps but quiet time is still going to be a daily requirement for us all.

Carl will be back later today and we are heading out on a date. Hope he does not mind my red, splotchy appearance. Someone always seems to be sick in our house except Evie. She manages to stay healthy despite the rest of us.

Happy Friday, y'all! I hope it will be a fabulous weekend for you.

Random Facts!

Courtney tagged me last week and I am just now sitting down to write 11 random facts about myself. Thanks for letting me off the hook on the questions, Courtney! I love to read random facts about other bloggers so here's 11 random facts about me.

1) I was born on Halloween and Carl was born on Christmas. We were really hoping for holiday babies and we were pretty close with a MLK weekend baby and a July 5th baby. Neither of us really get to celebrate our birthday on our actual birthday now that we have kids. Evie and Henry are way more into trick or treating and opening presents than celebrating another year of our life.

2) I am six years younger than Carl. We both graduated from College of Charleston but in different years. People get really confused and just assume that we met in college since we both graduated from CofC.

3)  I grew up going to camp and then worked as a camp counselor. Camp was an important part of growing up for me and I look forward to sending my kids to camp one day when they are older.

4) I love to organize but have to take everything out of the area before I can begin. Sometimes, this leads to lots of piles of stuff until I get around to putting it all back. I drove my parents crazy with this when I was a kid because when it was time to clean my room I would rearrange my furniture or take everything out of my closet before starting the cleaning. Now, I drive Carl crazy with my method of organizing our house.

5) We have lived in four houses in seven years including a five month rental when we moved to Nashville. Selling and buying houses is not fun but it's a necessary part of moving. We have bought three houses and sold two houses so moving seems pretty normal to me. We have lived in Nashville for three years. That makes Nashville, the city we have lived in the longest since we were married in 2005.

6)  School supplies are really fun for me to buy! I love them all - pencils, markers, notebooks, binders and have absolutely no use for them since my children do not really need any supplies for their school. That does not stop me from stocking up on glue sticks, mechanical pencils and brightly colored notebooks.

7) I am really good at keeping in touch with my friends from college and talk to most of them at least once a month and some lots more! I have not kept in touch with anyone from high school except on Facebook and email.

8) My sheets have to be white on my bed for me to sleep well and I have to sleep with two pillows. I have to read for a few minutes before bedtime or I have a difficult time getting to sleep. Sleeping is one of my very favorite activites!

9) I enjoy meeting new people but feel more comfortable interacting with others in small groups. Carl used to be more of the extrovert and I was the introvert but we have swapped places since becoming parents. I need time to myself every day which is hard to find so that makes me an introvert according to the textbook definition.

10) I love getting and sending mail! December is my favorite month for mail because of all the beautiful Christmas cards. I begin thinking about our family Christmas card long before most people.

11) Precise V7 rolling ball pens are my favorite and the only pen that I will use for anything that really matters such as a check, thank you notes or even a grocery list.

There you go, 11 random facts about me! I will skip the tagging but if you have a minute leave me a comment with one random comment about yourself to keep me from feeling so random.

Are you ready for some football?

We decided to stop at Calhoun's in Knoxville for lunch on our way home yesterday. Carl has been raving about this restaurant and we are usually in too much of a hurry for a leisurely lunch. I am so glad that we stopped. It was fun for the kids and yummy too. Evie asked where the "play area" was right when we got there but was satisfied with watching the boats go by and feeding the ducks.

I knew it was going to be a good restaurant when this sign greeted us as we walked in the door.

Our server was excellent and took such good care of us. It was a beautiful day to sit outside and enjoy a delicious lunch.

I left the table for a minute and Henry cried for me as I walked away. Evie told Carl, "Henry loves Mama but I love you Daddy." She's such a sweet girl and knows just what to say.

Carl and I both had barbecue chicken for lunch with housemade chips. Delicious. Menu is limited outside but it's worth it to enjoy the breeze. We will defintely stop at Calhoun's again!

After lunch, we drove around the University of Tennesee and told Evie that might be her school one day. It's a beautiful, big campus and it was fun to check it out especially the stadium.

Football is BIG in Tennesee and that sign sure got us ready for some football! Only 25 days to go . . .

What a long, strange trip it has Been!

We just returned home from a fun yet crazy weekend, one thousand miles of driving in five days, three cities, one new iPhone, an EMS call, bellyaches times three plus lots of good times with friends and family. It's always good to be home but we sure did have a nice visit.

On Thursday, we left for Atlanta after lunch. Evie was so excited to see her cousins and kept asking, "Are we there yet?" It was so good to see Lollie, Kurt and our beautiful, sweet nieces Mary and Lucy.

On Friday, we left for Belton to see my college friend Lindsay and her family. I had not met her precious new bundle of joy, Maggie. She is so adorable! I am glad that I was able to see her before she got too big. Lindsay made us a delicious lunch and the best dessert ever - smores' bars. I will be making these tomorrow. Evie and James played so well together. Lindsay and I wish that we lived closer so they could burn off some energy together. Mac was the Pied Piper with the kids. He took them tomato picking in the garden, read them books and kept them entertained outside.

After lunch, we headed to Sunset to visit Carl's parents. Kurt and his family joined us there and we had a great weekend celebrating birthdays, watching the kids play and catching up.

Evie is infatuated with her cousins and wants to be just like them. Mary and Lucy showed off their fabulous swimming skills and now Evie talks about her strokes. She was obviously paying attention since backstroke and freestyle are a regular part of her vocabulary! Lollie made a delicious rainbow cake and now Evie is drawing rainbows nonstop. Evie went tubing for the first time. Mary had the idea to get Poppy a large tube for his boat as a birthday present from all the grandchildren.  That birthday present was fun for us all! 

She She and Poppy enjoyed having all their grandchildren together at one time. It does not happen often since we live so far away from everyone.  Evie had her first milkshake and Henry had his first boat ride so it was a successful weekend!

We left this morning to come home. Henry had been sick all weekend so Carl took him to the doctor. Poor little guy is having some major tummy trouble so hopefully we can it figured out tomorrow. Hope you had a fun weekend too!

Life with 2 . . . 1 year Later!

It's been more than a year since I wrote this post on adjusting to life with two children. I've been reflecting on how much has changed since Henry was a tiny baby and Evie was a 2.5 year old and how much has stayed the same.

Someone still always needs me especially when I am trying to do something such as prepare dinner or return a phone call.

Stain remover is still something that needs to be bought in bulk at our house.

Laundry is still never caught up.

Unloading the dishwasher at night still makes the morning so much smoother.

Getting out of the house is still a major undertaking. It's much faster to get out of the house now that Henry does not need to eat every two minutes hours. Evie is able to get herself in and out of the van without too much assistance from me.

It's still amazing to see Henry and Evie become closer each day. Capturing both of them in the same photograph is still nearly impossible.

Time is still scarce and there is not much time for anything besides taking care of my family. It is much easier than it was last year this time. I am still so grateful to have these two precious, beautiful, healthy children and so thankful for the opportunity to spend my days with them.  There's still no one else I'd rather spend my days with than Evie and Henry.