Monster Jam

On Saturday we had big plans to have lots of fun.  We had tickets to attend the Monster Truck show and the kids were so exited, especially Hudson!  After lunchtime we made our way downtown to tailgate with Kathy and Corey's friends before Monster Jam.  

We spent the afternoon getting to know some of their friends, feasting on lots of yummy food and drinks and trying to keep warm.  For FL weather, it was super cold and windy!  The kids were able to run around have lots of fun, so they were warm as could be.

When we got inside for the show, it was unlike anything I'd ever seen!!!  These trucks were so huge and so loud. 

It made me very happy that I had gotten these headphone things to protect our ears! 

When the show started Hudson was in awe and loved every second. 

 The kids all shared a cotton candy half-way through the show and it was a fun treat for all of them.

The giant trucks raced, drove over crushed cars, catapulted into the air and landed with big crashes.  Hudson declared it the best night ever!  It was every little boys dream and surprisingly, the girls and I enjoyed it a lot more than we though we would, too!

 It was a late night on Saturday and everyone crashed as soon as we got back to their house.  We made our way back home on Sunday morning, eager to get back and see our pup.  He was so happy to see us when we got home and the feeling was mutual.  We had a great time, but missed him and were happy to be reunited!

Weekend in FL - Day 1

We just got back from a long weekend away in FL.  We left on Thursday afternoon and made it to Gigi and Papa's around 10:00 PM.  We were excited to see their new retirement place there and the kids were beyond excited to see them!  Despite everyone waking up early for school that day, they all got their second wind and were wide awake at 11:00 when I finally declared it bedtime!

The next morning we got up and checked out the fun and active lifestyles there.  We rode on golf carts to breakfast at one of the town center area, which the kids thought was a blast.  After feasting on donuts we checked out the entrance of the town center, complete with statues of cows, bulls, and horses.

This town center had a western feel to it and it was so neat to see all of the buildings, shops, and restaurants with that western flair.

We just loved getting a glimpse of what retired living will be like for them when they are there.

From their house we loaded up and made the hour and 1/2 drive to see Robby's grandmother.  We were sad that Aunt Sharon wasn't feeling well, but happy to be able to visit Great Grandma.  We picked her up and went out to lunch!    The kids are growing up so fast that it is always a treat for us to get to spend time with her.  She even had sweet little treats for the kids to keep them entertained in the car after we left.

Lastly we made it to our final destination for the day!  Our awesome friends were eagerly awaiting our arrival after they got home from school and our kids were beside themselves to finally be there.  These sweet kiddos always pick up right where they left off months ago and have the best time playing together.

The girls played American Girl Dolls and pretended to have puppies they were taking care of while Hudson entertained himself with monster trucks, airplanes, and race cars.  The best part about them all playing and getting along so well is that the parents get plenty of catch-up time together!

100th Day of School

Wow! I seriously can't believe it is the 100th day of school today for the girls. I love that schools make a big deal about this milestone of a day and celebrate in really fun ways.  All of the Kindergarten classes were trying to collect 100 canned or boxed food items per class for Must Ministries.  Not only were they working on counting objects to 100, but they were also able to help out those in need.  We slowly sent in our share of cans because those suckers make for a heavy backpack for a 5 year old.

2nd grade has the most fun of all.  They get to dress up like they are 100 years old and parade around the school for everyone to see.  Handley has been talking about this since last year when her class watched the 2nd graders.  She planned her outfit, accessorized, and of course, needed gray hair (just a little baby powder did the job).

Hudson has not been in school 100 days yet, but he celebrated today at home with me!  Earlier this week I finally admitted to myself that his tennis shoes were a little too snug and a little too worn.  I mean, holes in the toes can only get you so far, right?!?  I took him to get measured and try on new shoes.  I had ever intention of just getting a bigger size of the gray New Balance ones he had because they match everything and are pretty classic.  However, he spotted these awesome blue and neon yellow ones and just knew those were the ones for him.  They were less expensive and seemed a lot more comfortable for him, so I just threw caution to the wind and went for it.  According to Hudson, they are the fastest running shoes he's ever had and he is quite proud of them. He shows them off to anyone who will take a look.  :-)

He wanted me to send a picture to Robby so I did and then Robby sent a picture back of his work shoes.  They were nice shoes, mind you, but after showing the picture to Hudson he said they were slow shoes. Ha!  I was cracking up.  Then, because I was wearing my running shoes that day too, he told me we could be on a fast team together because the fast people need to stick together, but not people with slow shoes like Daddy.  Too funny!  How cute is he?!?!

3 Day Weekend

We had such a great long weekend.  There is just something about having an extra day that makes the weekend that much better.  And if that wasn't enough, we had sunshine all three days!!!  It doesn't get much better.  I hardly took any pictures, but it was full of fun.

Saturday morning we ran errands and then the girls had a birthday party at the movies!  Such a fun idea.  They saw the new Paddington movie and said it was really cute.  While they were at the party, Robby and Hudson took off to the boat show.  That night we relaxed and ordered pizza.  I used to love being on the go all of the time, but I'm becoming more and more of a homebody these days and it is so nice to just be able to relax and hang out as a family here at home.

Sunday morning was church and then chores around the house before heading to dinner club at Trey and Stefanie's house!  It's always fun to catch up with all of our friends and the kids love getting to play, too.

Today the kids were off school for MLK Day.  We took Walker to his vet apt. to check his stitches and get the all clear from his surgery last week. He is so happy to be free from that darn cone!  I actually ended up taking it off of him on Saturday night because we were close to the 10 days and it looked like it had healed pretty well from what I could see.  He doesn't look very happy in this picture be cause he was worn out from an extra long walk we'd just taken.

Next we had a playdate here with Jake and Reece and spent the rest of the afternoon playing outside.  Having these three nice days in a row meant Harper got lots of practice in on her bike and she finally has mastered riding with no training wheels with no help!!!  She's so excited and proud of herself and we are proud of her, too!!!

Not to be outdone, Handley wanted a picture of her riding her new big bike she got for Christmas. I was afraid she might have a hard time transitioning to a bike that had gears and handlebar breaks, but that girl can ride it like a pro. :-)

Winterfest Court

Tonight the girls and I got the awesome opportunity to see their role model and our neighbor, Olivia, on the high school Winterfest Court (kind of like a winter homecoming court).  We went across the street to her house before they left to see her all dressed up and when I saw her I was seriously in awe!  She was so beautiful and classy! Hard to believe she is only a junior in high school.  She's beautiful inside and out!!!   

We ate dinner at home really quickly and then mad our way to the high school.  The Winterfest Court was announced between the girls and guys basketball games so we got to see part of the basketball game and the cheerleaders, which they loved.

As they announced each couple on the court we cheered and the girls loved seeing everyone all dressed up.  Olivia looked amazing!!!  The girls kept waving to her and she was so sweet to wave back.

After the senior king and queen were announced the girls were so excited to see her and get another picture.  On the way home they were both asking tons of questions about how you get to be the one to get dressed up on the court and how the voting goes.  Harper said she couldn't believe everyone's dresses were so sparkly!

I couldn't have asked for a better role model for my girls.  She is responsible, smart, respectable and the exact type of young lady I hope my girl grow up to be!!!  

Ending with a Bang!

Yesterday was a big day.  I had to drop off Walker for his big-boy surgery, I was the mystery reader for Handley's class, Hudson went back to school after 3 weeks off and the girls both brought home excellent report cards!  Talk about ending the week with a bang!

Hudson was excited to be back, but he wanted to be sure I'd be back to pick him up, though.  He made me "piggy promise" to be there after lunch.  It took me a minute to figure out what he was talking about, but then it clicked and I just loved it so much.  I will forever call pinky promises piggy promises from now on.

When we picked up Walker he was very excited to see us, but he was also very unhappy about the cone on his head.  The vet gave us specific directions of how to help him stay comfortable the next few days and most importantly we're supposed to help me stay calm.  He spent the evening whining a bit and trying to figure out how to move around with this giant thing on his head.  That quickly passed though and he was back to trying to jump on the couch, play tug-of-war, and chase the kids around.  He did great all night and today has seemed totally fine (besides the cone head) so I'm hoping his recovery will be smooth sailing.  Today he seemed totally fine and despite our attempts to keep him calm, he still had fun running around with the kids and playing outside.

He has to wear his e-collar (cone) for 10 days so the countdown is on...one down, nine to go!  I have to share the funniest story.  When they brought him out to us he was already wearing the cone and Hudson asked why he was wearing a helmet and kept telling Walker that he liked it!  Then as we were leaving Walker was skittish as ever and anytime he saw someone he would start pulling on the leash and darting as fast as he could.  Hudson kept saying, "He's trying to show them his cool helmet!"  Ha!!! I just thought that was the cutest thing.

Tonight the kids decided they wanted to have a camp out in the playroom.  Robby set up his old tent for them and about an hour in I was regretting having them in there.  The girls, of course, were doing just as they were told and trying to go to sleep, but Hudson was up constantly for one reason or another.  It's finally quiet in there though, so I'm hoping they all make it through the night.

And one more quick thing to share.  Handley has recently become obsessed with Taylor Swift. She has always liked her, but she got the newest CD for Christmas and has been listening to it nonstop.  I mean all day, every chance she gets.  She'll stand in front of the mirror and sing or dance around during the songs.  It's really cute.  She also has a book about her she reads and tonight when I was in her room I saw little signs she had made all over her room.

Personally, I love Taylor Swift and I recently watched a video on her Facebook page about the way she surprised her fans over the holidays with hand picked gifts and surprises.  It was the sweetest thing and this girl is real and genuine.  I just love that her fame hasn't changed the kind of person that she is and if Handley is going to be idolizing some sort of superstar, I can't think of anyone else I would want her looking up to!

Baby It's Cold Outside

Not only have we had to adjust to getting back into our wake up early routine, we've also had to face frigid temperatures.  It was SO cold this morning at the bus stop, but thankfully the girls were still smiling.

Right now it is 18 degrees, but it feels like 3.  Yes, you read that right, 3 degrees!!!  Tomorrow morning will be miserable, so Robby is going to take them to school in the morning.  There is no way I'm letting them stand out in temperatures like that.  If it's going to be this cold I just wish it would go ahead and snow!

Hudson seemed to be fine this morning taking it easy and getting over his tummy issues.  Then all of the sudden he started complaining of his ear hurting.  Then he told me it was hurt from being outside in the sun.  He kept saying the sun made his ear hurt???  He's never said anything like that before and we had not been out in the sun so I took it to mean that it was a burning or hot feeling in his ear.  I called our pediatrician's office and got him in 30 minutes later.  She said his eardrum was bulging and he definitely had a bad ear infection.  He was so sweet and good while we were there, but he went downhill fast from there and was pitiful.  Thankfully the Tylenol and numbing ear drops are helping him feel better until the antibiotics kick in and he was quickly back to his playful self this evening!

Back at it...

After a glorious 17 days off of school for Christmas break, today was back to reality. Back to packing lunches, back to waking up early with an alarm clock, back to homework and back to a go, go, go schedule.  I loved the break and having the kids home for so long.  The first week they were at each other's throats.  There were constant fights, arguing, and pestering.  But it only took a few days and they were into their groove. They were playing, make-believing, imagining and creating.  I sometimes hated to interrupt their play because it was so sweet.  I just love having the kids at home and allowing them to really be kids.

This morning was a rude awakening.  Not only was a early, but it was really cold, too!  We have to leave for the bus stop at 6:45 AM, and it is just miserable to be up and outside at that time.  Thankfully they were really excited about getting back to school though.  That certainly made it easier.  Handley couldn't even go to sleep last night because she was so excited.  It was almost like the first day of school all over again.

Hudson wasn't supposed to be starting back until tomorrow, but he got sick in the car this afternoon and seems to have an upset tummy, so he'll be home again.  Him getting sick meant we didn't make it to dance this afternoon.  Hudson was disappointed because he had been looking forward to going and playing with all of the other little brothers.  The girls were a little bummed, but understood and as Jen put it, it was God's way of easing us back into our busy schedules.  Our afternoon at home proved to be just what we all needed.

I'm sure by the end of this week, we will be back into our school schedule groove and things will be rolling right along.  I certainly hope that is the case because we have a long way to go before Spring Break!

Happy New Year!

We had a fun New Year's Eve and a laid back New Year's Day.  Like every year, we celebrated with Justen for his NYE birthday.  First we made our way to Jen and Justen's house so we could get the kids set up with Bryn, who was babysitting for the night.  The girls had their New Year's Eve sparkle on and I matched them. :-) 

Our five kiddos were so excited to be hanging out together and having a fun evening of their own.

While the kids were having lots of fun with Bryn, the grownups met up for dinner.  I love these friends so, so much and am constantly feeling super thankful for the laughs they provide.

Yesterday we had a very low-key day at home.  I got stuff done at home, Robby got stuff done outside, we ordered pizza for dinner and we ended the evening playing a few of the kids new games.

It's hard to believe another year is behind us, but I'm so excited about 2015.  Last year brought lots of changes for our family as we built and moved into our new house, met new neighbors (who quickly became new friends), and started our new normal.  I feel like the next year will be really awesome for our family and I can't wait to see what wonderful things are in store.  

If you want to read about my New Year's resolutions/goals, you can check them out on our Magnolia Mama blog HERE.  Happy Friday!