One-On-One With Savannah

This weekend Preston got a last minute invite to the circus with a buddy from his class.  Dave and I took the opportunity to spend some one on one time with our sweet Savannah.  We dropped Preston off at 2 and then headed straight to see the newly released Kung Fu Panda 3.  Savannah had been wanting to go to the theater with reclining seats so she was super excited.

Once we got home we still had some time before Preston was due back so we enjoyed some girl time and left daddy at home to work while we went on a long walk.  Of course we stopped at the park for some playground time before heading home.  It's not often that I get to talk to her about school without lots of interruption so this time was treasured.

Before long our Peanut was home (super exhausted) but excited to show us his circus hat and tell us all about the circus.  It was certainly a fun way to spend a Sunday for us all!

Where Did January Go??

Super fun was had by all on our wonderfully steep driveway

I'm not sure where the month has gone, but between basketball games, practice, and non-stop craziness the it's already over!  We did have one ice storm that came through Thursday which managed to keep kids out of school Friday through Tuesday.  Thankfully there was enough snow/ice for the kids to play in Friday morning, but by Saturday the roads were mostly clear so I ventured out to run some errands.

We've spent a lot of time playing Dutch, our new game of choice

This kid is always willing to be my little assistant, even with clipping coupons!

We also managed to close on the sale of Aunt Kathy's house this month, which is a huge praise!  So now we head into February ready to wrap up the basketball season and celebrate Valentine's Day!

All He Wants is a Missing Tooth!

And he got it! :)  This kid always amazes me with his childlike faith.  He came home from school and said his front tooth was wiggly . . and that he had been praying it would come out. He chose an apple for snack (since Savannah said that would help his tooth to come out) and sure enough by almost dinner it was nasty and just hanging by a thread.  My kiddos know I do NOT do teeth so I begged him to just hold on and wait for daddy.  But he kept messing with it . . . and it was bleeding . . and well, honestly he couldn't possibly eat dinner with a front tooth all sideways so I gave in and put on my mama pants and pulled it!  Ahhh!  It helped a bit that I was afraid blood was going to end up on our white sofas and knew it needed to come out.  It was still gross and not something I want to do again, but he was SO proud.  He wrote a note to the toothfairy and requested a .50 coin and a dollar coin, which is just what this sweet kid got!   As an added bonus when I was in his class volunteering today I got to see him put a lost tooth sticker on the smart board calendar.  :)

It's a Happy New Year Weekend!

Dave and I had the kids in bed their normal time on New Year's Eve and we settled in to watch War Room around 8pm.  Shortly after the movie we hit the sack and reminisced about the years past when we stayed up to ring in the new year.  I have to say that in our early years of dating we have quite a few fun memories. :)  But this year we both agreed that sleep was more important and the new year would be waiting for us on Friday.  I was just thrilled to find out that Dave was going to be home New Year's Day!

NUTELLA!!!

We spent New Year's day mostly at home.  The kids loved playing multiple games with Dave.  Then, Savannah and I escaped for a bit around lunch to run some errands and get her some new shoes (now in women's sizes) and then we were home for lunch.  Savannah was SO excited to finally eat Nutella again.  I am so proud of her for making a resolution and sticking to it for an entire year.

We talked about resolutions a bit.  Savannah decided to be healthier by not eating PopTarts for breakfast anymore.  Not sure what she'll replace it with will be much healthier, but at least we agree PopTarts are bad.  Preston, doing pretty much everything that Savannah does,  decided not to eat PopTarts and Nutella as well.  However, after an hour of just thinking about it he decided he didn't need a resolution and ate both. :)  For me, after a year of being much healthier myself, my goal this year is to feed the family healthier.  Starting first with the kids' lunches.  It will be a slow gradual change, but I'm determined to help us all eat healthier this year.  I've also decided to add in a 7th weekly workout, nothing major but just another 30 minute minimum exercise set.  Dave, yeah, he refuses to make any kind of resolution!

Saturday morning we were all up and ready to head to Greenville, SC for the Clemson game.  It was a fun trip and a great game.  We stopped at the outlets on the way home and I used my Christmas money for a much needed new purse.  Sunday was business as usual.  

We have had a wonderful year in 2015 and look forward to what the Lord has planned for our family in 2016.  Here's to a year full of love, laughter, good health, and fond memories.  Happy New Year!!!

Bounce Who . . . You!

Yet another rainy day in Charlotte on Christmas break . . . but we're not letting it keep us down!  Today's fun consisted of an afternoon at Bounce U. Thankfully I purchased some Groupons earlier in the year and kept them for just such an occasion.  So we've been on our daily errands, bounced our energy out this afternoon and plan to finish the day with homemade pizza (a good healthier option) and some Tiger football!!!

Rain Stinks, Especially on Christmas Break

Well since post Christmas break has been nothing but rainy weather we have tried to make the best of it.  Tuesday we tried to go to the bounce house but were dropped off by the shuttle only to find out that it was closed for camps and didn't open for free play for 2 more hours . . so we ended up walking 1.4 miles down a very busy road to get back to my car that was getting the oil changed.  We were determined not to be disappointed so we decided to go see The Good Dinosaur.  After lunch we loaded up and headed to the theater only to wait in line and discover that it was SOLD OUT!  Ugh!  I thought fast and we ended a "perfectly planned out" day with TCBY!  No one complained.  Actually, neither kid complained all day about the walking, oil change, errands, nothing.  They have been amazing!

So today we thought ahead and prebought our tickets for the movie on the way to the outlets!  It was a great movie with a super happy ending.  I'm praying the rain lets up soon because we're all sick of being stuck inside!

It's a Very Merry Christmas

We enjoyed a relaxing day Christmas Eve . . . filled with a few last minute gift wrappings and then time to enjoy the super warm temperatures with a run outside in shorts and short sleeves!  Before we knew it Dave was home from work and it was time to get ready for our Christmas Eve service at church.  It had a Charlie Brown theme and was the perfect way to set the tone for celebrating Jesus Christmas Day.  We continued with our tradition and had Chili's take out for dinner and then read the Christmas story from Luke before putting the kids to bed

They were obedient and didn't open our bedroom door until 7am Christmas morning.  We went downstairs and found the message mess that Jingles left.  It says "you were good" with a heart.  I started the oven for our french toast casserole and the kids quickly dug into their loot!

Since it was literally 75 in our house (and about as warm outside) it made wearing our specially selected Christmas jammies a bit difficult, but we were at least able to wear the bottoms.  They *gladly* let me take a quick picture before packing up for Great Grandma's house.

These two LOVE their Great Grandma

Family Christmas picture

The rest of the family arrived shortly after 2 and let me snap a quick picture before digging into lunch.

The afternoon was filled with sharing memories, laughing, eating delicious food and dessert (even golf balls), and lots of time playing outside for the kids.

There is nothing better than spending Christmas Day with those you love most.  Even though the drive isn't always fun, we would do it again and again to be able to spend such a special day with our family.

Truly we are blessed beyond measure.  Blessed to be loved by our Savior who was born to die for us and blessed to have such incredible family.  There is nothing better!  Merry Merry Christmas!!!!