January 21

There's a big boy in the house! We took the plunge today and removed the front rail off of Grayson's crib. He asked for it and it is time, so we did it. But when it was time for bed, he was scared to death. We read his book, My Big Boy Bed, at least 6 times, each time transitioning him or our position to the point where he was alone in his bed and I was laying on the floor beside him. He did a great job going to sleep!

January 20

It's always fun to find places around town for kids to play during the colder months. So, tonight we had dinner with friends and then headed to Zonkers, a small indoor amusement park, play area, arcade, etc. The kids had a great time riding a few rides, playing on the play structures, maneuvering through inflatables, and trying a few arcade games. Our couple of hours there ensured solid sleep for our crew!

January 19

Well, folks. It happened again! I had a really cute video of Grayson today, but somehow it got deleted before I could get it uploaded. I'm really disappointed becuase it was so cute. I'll try to catch him doing the same thing again soon. So, you get the next best thing. Or really, the only thing I have to offer from the day!

Tonight was my monthly bunko night and I won the boobie prize. Woo Hoo!!! The biggest loser there! And my prize was this great soap for the kitchen

January 18

I guess we need to reiterate the rule about no cell phones at the table

January 17

This was not how I planned to start my morning. Stupid garage!

So, I had to end it on a good note. Chocolate peppermint whoopie pies!

Approved!!

January 16

Adam and I planned a fun morning for the boys since Daddy was off work today. But, before we could even make it out the door, both boys were caught and charged with assualt and battery, with a weapon (a book). Double time-outs were served and then we went on with the day. Whew! It was torture, obviously!!

This morning we went to Kaleidoscope, a fun children's museum that is part of Hallmark. It is full of art activities and fun- for FREE!!!!

The boys colored these pieces of cardboard and then ran it through a machine that made it into a puzzle

They got to paint with watercolors and so much more. We had a great time and will be returning frequently!

Then we headed to Chick-Fil-A for lunch with freinds

Our busy morning ensured long naps this afternoon!!

January 15

This January has been like none other we have ever experienced since moving here. It's so warm and nice. I'm thinking it's because I haven't decorated for winter yet, so tonight, I pulled out my snowman collection and put it all up. Now we are ready for some snow.

January 14

The boys joined me this afternoon for some scrapbooking. Neylan made friends with anyone who would let him help with their projects.

January 13

Mommy is away tonight, scrapbooking with the girls, so Daddy is in charge. And it did not go well. His tactic is to just keep everyone busy until bedtime. So, he did that, despite no one feeling very well. I got a text with this picture that said $1.50 makes everything better when it buys popcorn at Target!

January 12

When there's not much food in the house and I don't feel like going to the store, I can usually always find stuff to make breakfast for dinner. And, tonight was yummy! We had a Southern favorite- biscuits and chocolate gravy!! And then I made myself go to the gym to work it off.

January 11

Well, it's about time! It's nearly mid-January and we have had NO snow to this point. But tonight is supposedly the night. There is evidence of winter outside, so we'll see what things look like in the morning.

January 10

Our impromptu dinner of hot dogs and cheese rolled in crescent rolls will certainly not win the "mom's best dinner of the year" award, but it went over well with everyone. That works for me!

January 9

Although the potty training is going soooo slow (if going at all), we are to the point where we have read the potty book so many times, Grayson is now reading it to us. I'm just wondering when the words in the book will really click! Like the phrase "and now he uses his potty every time"!

January 8

Have rough or dry feet? Need to reward yourself? I recommend the ped egg (or ped pro) to solve both of those problems. I got mine for free with extra bucks at CVS and immediately felt guilty for buying something so "unnecessary" when I should have spent that $10 on toilet paper or something more "practical". But I have to say that after using it for the first time tonight, I like it and this little tool will probably get some good use on my feet.

If you're wondering how it works- just imagine cheese grater on your heels!

January 7

Tonight our church hosted a really fun event for a great cause. Comedian, Tim Hawkins, came to do two sold-out shows and help our new adoption ministry raise money to help families in the process of adopting. He was hilarious and a HUGE amount of money was raised. So much that we could start the process again and benefit from it!!! Just Kidding!!!! There is NO discussion of that happening any time soon.

If you have never heard any of his routines, you should check some out and see if he is coming to a place near you!

January 6

When Grayson got home from daycare today, he started asking to play with certain friends- over and over! So, we called to see what they were up to tonight and they graciously let us come over and fed us dinner! Then the boys got fun sugar cookies with peanut butter fudge frosting!

The best part of the evening was that the big boys stayed home with all 5 kids while the mommies went out to a Pampered Chef party for some fun girl time and fabulous treats! What a spontaneous night

January 5

60 degree days in JANUARY call for some outside time- without jackets!! This has never happened in the 5 winters we have been here. So, we took a snack outside. And then Grayson requested the chairs to sit in. And then started pulling out our summer toys. Let's not get that excited yet. It's still January!

Grayson did see the need to mow, so he did. Another first- we've never had to mow in January. But this year is different!

January 4

When we arrived home yesterday, we had a package with more Christmas presents for the boys (because it was forgotten under the tree when we opened presents with this family). So, after school today, I let them open up.

Grayson got Toy Story 2

and Neylan got 2 new books, one of which is tactile- his favorite!

Thank you, Childers. They are loving everything

January 3

Have I ever expressed how much I love airports that have good play areas for kids in them? Nashville is one of the few. And even better- it's in the Southwest terminal and our flight home always boards at the gate across from it. Fabulous!! I wish all airports got this concept

January 2

Our last full day in TN was spent doing fun things with the grandparents.We headed to the park this morning to feed the ducks and play on the playground. We thought it was a bit warmer than it actually was, so we didn't stay too long.

The biggest slide Grayson has tackled so far- and conquered without fear!



Well, no wonder we thought it was cold- it actually snowed tonight! It didn't snow long and it didn't amount to much, but it did stick to the cars and on the streets. Enough to make people drive extrememly slow and give us midwesteners a good laugh.

January 1

Happy New Year!

Welcome 2012!!! 

Today we just laid low. We had two great meals and ended our dinner with this fabulous lava cake that Adam made for everyone! 

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 Neylan loves his fine motor activities!

We also took time to sit down and watch our friend, Jeremy (in the middle), play in the New Years Eve concert with the Vienna Philharmonic. It always airs on PBS on New Years Day. Jeremy, you sounded great. Loved the concert!! 

December 31

 Mimi and Papa took the boys to the mall this morning to ride the Christmas train. They had a great time and waved to everyone passing by.

 After the train ride they played in the play area. Neylan climbed on everything and treated it like a slide. He is moving so fast these days it's hard to capture the front on him at times!

December 30

When our family gets together for Christmas, we always work a large, hard puzzle. Over the past week Grayson has been an observer, but now he is showing a lot of interest in participating. He is the cutest thing to watch as he tries his hardest to put a piece in for us. He gets so exited and celebrates big.  So, we pulled out a few smaller puzzles for him to tackle himself. He actually did a great job with them.

Yes!!

December 29

Adam had so much fun at the hockey game last week that he wanted to go back again this week. Knoxville played the same team tonight, which started a lot of fights last week, so he thought the rival would be worth seeing again. So, we took Nick and Kasey to their first hockey game. 

The fights didn't happen like last week, but we still had fun. Knoxville pulled off another big win.