Weekend Fun!

We had a really great weekend full of fun! (If you don't count 2 really crazy moments/episodes, one on Friday and one on Saturday, when everybody lost their mind... including mama... and then everybody ended up in tears... including mama. Raising 3 boys is the BEST thing and the HARDEST thing all wrapped up together. It is challenging and rewarding and wonderful and hard. Please Lord equip me with wisdom, grace, patience, and everything else I need to raise these boys in the nurture and admonition of Christ. Amen.)

Moving right along to the great and full of fun stuff! =)

Friday after school we kicked off our weekend with lots of outside time. It's one of their favorite things and we enjoyed being out for almost 2 hours before heading to town to pick up supper. 

Immediately following supper, we enjoyed movie night. It was Garrison's day and he chose the movie Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs. Such a cute and fun movie! We made popcorn and watched most of the movie together before putting Layton to bed and then getting the big boys to bed as soon as the movie ended. 

Saturday morning we slept late!! And it was wonderful. =) We had breakfast together and then cleaned the house a little before getting ready to watch this boy play in his 2nd game of the season! 

I loved being able to watch every second of his game! I am WAY too into every single play to handle going back and forth between fields! Thankfully our next couple of games are not conflicts and I'll be able to devote all of my attention to one game and boy at a time!

We lost a close one on Saturday but our team played hard and took the loss in stride. I was very proud of Garrison for his sportsmanship and the way he handled the loss easily and without major disappointment, pouting, or devastation. He handled it great! And look who came to watch Garrison play! This adorable little fashionista!! 

After getting home from the game, this little man finally napped after lots of playing in his bed (his new naptime routine... sigh) while the big boys played in the basement and watched a show and while Terrell cut grass. 

Layton's new favorite thing!! Hey mama!

The big boys weren't left out this time! 

We spent the rest of the day outside... Layton was my little shadow while Garrison and Austin hung out with daddy. Then Terrell grilled for us and we enjoyed a rare Saturday night at home. It was the best. 

Saturday night was so laid back and carefree. It was much needed and just really nice. 

We woke up Sunday morning well rested and cold! So we wore our warm clothes to church and I snapped a selfie of me and the boys after church to pass the time while daddy had to run back inside in search of something we'd forgotten. Yay for loving church! Well Layton doesn't exactly love it right now since his separation anxiety has returned but he'll love it again soon. =)

Sunday after lunch Terrell and the big boys ran some errands while I put Layton down for his nap and started cleaning. Two realizations Sunday afternoon....1. I feel better when my house is clean and straightened. It's important to me and makes me crazy if it gets out of control. 2. My top priority/room when cleaning is the kitchen. I really don't like cluttered counter tops and a messy kitchen. A clean and clutter free kitchen makes for a happy mama. 

After the boys got home and I gave up on Layton taking a nap (the bedtime/naptime phase we're in right now is a challenging one!) everybody spent the rest of the afternoon outside. It was lots of fun and the perfect way to wrap up our weekend.  

Before the day was over we also got Layton's brand new bookshelf built by Pops set up in his room! 

It's an exact replica of the one he built for Garrison when he transitioned to a big boy room and he also made one for Austin if/when he's ready for his own room one day! It adds a special touch to Layton's room and finally gives us a good space to store all of his books and puzzles. 

Eventually when Layton gets a big boy bed, we're planning to put his bed between the windows where his crib is now, move the bookshelf to the wall to the right (where the changing table is now), and move the dresser to the wall where the bookshelf is now. All the measurements fit so this room is ready to be transformed whenever our baby is ready! But we're in no rush. This is my first time not being pregnant while having a 2 year old in the house and needing the crib back for a new sibling. So I think we'll take our time with the transition. =)

So grateful for our really fun weekend full of lots of downtime and good quality time as a family!! 

We're counting down to Spring Break this week (and my surgery... eeeek!). I'm super nervous but anxious to get it over with and for my boys to have a break. Even though it will be a very different kind of break I'm praying my recovery is swift and that the boys are really able to enjoy their time off and break in the routine. 

Have a great Tuesday!! 

Friday Favorites: The Season Is Underway!

This week has been good! Plus exhausting! Plus busy! Plus fun! That's just the theme of life right now... lots of good, fun stuff but reeally busy and exhausting too. Baseball season is officially underway. =) We're just trying to go with the flow and ENJOY it the best we can! 

Here are my favorite happenings from our week...

*The day off on Monday was a big favorite for everybody! It was much needed and we all loved our mini-extension of the weekend. Once Garrison started feeling better the big boys played a game of indoor baseball in the playroom. Never a dull or quiet moment around here. Except for naptime I guess. 

*While they played baseball I changed the sheets on the bunk beds (which is the reason for the big pile of stuffed animals on the floor) while listening to music. And when our new favorite song The River came on the boys joined me for a huge dance party!! It was SOOOO fun!!! And it was a major workout! Haha! 

*I know it will always be one of my favorite memories with my boys! We just let loose and sang loud and danced our little hearts out! And afterwards Garrison said, Mama I didn't know you could dance like that. Ha! Hopefully I didn't scar him. I think I see more dance parties in our future. =)

*Lunch with the birthday girl was a fun outing! And this is the best picture I could get. Layton wasn't looking but I love how it looks like Piper is laughing at Austin. =)

*Austin and I have enjoyed reading his first chapter book together! We only have 2 chapters to go before we finish it!

*AnAn had to stop by our house one afternoon this week to drop off some things Garrison left in her room at school and Layton could just not get enough of her. I'm talking record amounts of hugs and kisses! It was super sweet. 

*On Wednesdays Terrell's dad usually picks Austin up from school for us and they go out to lunch with Terrell before he brings Austin home. This past Wednesday Pops asked us to bring Austin's Easter hat so they could get a picture in their matching hats. =)

 

*We enjoyed our night at home after choir on Wednesday! Of course they practiced baseball skills with the hit stick. Haha. I cleaned up the kitchen in the peace and quiet while enjoying my view out our big kitchen window. Love these boys so!!

*I got to missing these 2 for a few minutes and turned on the monitor to this sweet sight. Both in Austin's bed side by side reading and playing perfectly. Made my mama heart smile. 

*Layton has taken a new interest in Jake and the Neverland Pirates... which means our "Jake" toys are making a big comeback. These 3 played with Bucky and the Tiki Treehouse almost all morning yesterday! Independent, imaginative play is one of my favorite things!

*Last night my big boys both had their very 1st games of the season at the exact same time. While Terrell coached Austin's game and had to miss Garrison's and while I went back and forth between both fields and couldn't see every second of either one of my boys' games start to finish due to going back and forth... It. Was. So. Fun!!! The practices and crazy schedules are so worth it to watch my babies play! It is just the BEST. And both teams won!! Wooohooo!! 

*It was such a fun night watching my guys play, and daddy coach!

*And of course the cutest baby brother and fan at the ball fields was this little man. Other than getting a little tired by the end of the night he did GREAT watching and cheering on his big brothers. And thankfully I had lots of help from all the grandparents who were also back and forth between the two games all night. I am so thankful for hometown living. It's the best! 

We are all really, really looking forward to this weekend. The only thing on the agenda so far is one baseball game tomorrow at noon. Other than that we are hoping for LOTS of downtime. So thankful for a low key weekend that we plan to enjoy to the fullest! Happy Friday!!

5 Random Things...

*The day off on Monday was sooo nice and sooo needed. Way more than any of us realized. Thank you Lord. Even though Terrell had to work and I was home all day with 3 busy boys who didn't necessarily get along or make good choices every second of the day, we were HOME. We were able to play, rest, relax, play, read, change sheets, take Granna out to lunch, rest, play, cook, etc, etc, etc. Even though it wasn't a perfect day, it was just so nice being home with all 3 boys... sleeping a little later, taking things a little slower, being a little more laid back, and just enjoying time together without any busyness at all. Garrison was pretty bummed about having to return to school on yesterday morning but a 4 day week has lifted everybody's spirits! And energy levels!

*My surgery is officially scheduled. (All sorts of emoji's I could put here to describe my feelings about this.) I am so thankful that my "issues" aren't serious and that it's working out for me to go ahead and get it over with during Spring Break, but I'm also a little nervous. Mainly about the recovery. Obviously I'd rather not be miserable and in pain while I recover but it's also really important to me that I can function and be available to my family (at least a little!) while I recover. I'm going to have lots of help so I can take care of myself and get well but I don't want to be totally out of commission for our whole Spring Break. Even though I'm not exactly looking forward to the surgery, I'm so thankful to feel God's peace about the decision to go forward with it. I mean, I have a sore throat right now simply because my tonsils just aren't that great! I've been encouraged recently and given some confidence boosts so I'm ready to get it over with and feel better!!

*Terrell and I have finally made a decision about our anniversary weekend. Sort of. Ha. Our tradition is to take a trip every year the weekend of our anniversary and it's pretty much the only time each year we're away from the boys for a few days. But this year our anniversary is the weekend following Memorial Day... which means I'll be working at least a couple of days that week while Baby A's mom has post-planning and for the first time ever we're going out of town over Memorial Day weekend and aren't coming home until Tuesday. Sooo, those 2 factors put a big damper on our potential anniversary weekend plans. We were torn about celebrating with a big/special date on our anniversary (which falls on a Saturday this year) versus a trip OR taking a trip... but when? In the middle of the crazy first week of summer after just returning home from a family trip or the following weekend when it isn't our anniversary anymore but when we could still get away and celebrate. Just 2 days ago we decided we're going forward with a trip! Not sure where, not sure when, but we're prioritizing each other and this tradition and celebrating with our annual trip! YAY!!

*Baseball season. Ohh, how do I describe thee? In a word, BUSY. In another word, FUN. In another word, CRAZY. In another word, EXHAUSTING. And I'll stop. It has just been a total whirlwind and we haven't even started games yet. Last night Terrell and I sat down to make our grocery list and menu for next week (because I'm super attached to buying groceries during the week and today turned out to be the best day this week to go) and we got so confused and worn out just looking at next week's schedule that we were both shaking our heads and feeling almost overwhelmed at how we'll get everybody fed and where they need to be. And only 2 out of 3 boys are playing baseball right now!! Once Layton starts playing it really will be impossible some nights to do it on our own. It's just pure craziness. Next week we have games, practices, and team pictures so we're having to get reeeally creative when it comes to making sure we're where we need to be on time, dressed accordingly, and FED! Gracious. I'm not counting down to the end of the season just yet because I LOVE watching my boys play and seeing Terrell coach. I love supporting our little teams and the fun we have with teammates and other moms and family members. These are lasting memories for us that will shape our boys' childhoods and our memories of their childhoods. We're having so much fun already just with practices and anticipating our games starting. However, sanity comes first. Hahaha. We must keep things as normal, easy, and stress-free as possible in order to get through this season without totally losing it. Other than some late nights, I think the kids will be fine with it all. The season ends mid-May and they're up for it. It's mama and daddy I'm worried about. Ha. Thankfully we have Spring Break off (which is also a really good thing given I'll be recovering) and thankfully the season isn't that long. If we can get through the craziness of the next couple of weeks (next week being the insane baseball week and the next being Spring Break and my surgery and recovery), I think we'll be ready to tackle the remainder of the season with excitement and energy. Oh, let it be so. Praying for rest and downtime as needed to get us through the wildness of the season!

*Lastly, we are still waiting to find out exactly what I'll be doing for the next school year. And waiting and not knowing is super hard on my planner, Type A self! I like being in the know and having a plan and preparing for said plan. So the waiting hasn't been very fun. We know that I'm going back to work part-time, we know what job we want to work out and that we are hoping and praying works out, and we know what our back-up plan is if the job we're hoping for doesn't. But that's about it. As of now nothing is official or decided, so we're left with waiting and wondering, plus lots of prayer... plus trying not to stress. This is such a big deal for our family and will be a pretty significant change for all of us that I am just having to trust God's plan big time. Which, again, hasn't been revealed to us yet. Which makes trusting in the plan sort of challenging! There are so many factors my job will effect concerning our family (the biggest being where Austin goes to school next year for PreK and our childcare needs and options for Layton) that I am ready to have something work out that we feel confident about and that we believe is best for our family. Prayers are very much appreciated and I'll be sure to update once I know the plan. =) I have a LOT of crazy issues with working outside the home and still being able to care for my family and do what's best for them, so this upcoming change and new venture is unfortunately a source of anxiety for me. BUT, we are choosing to trust in His plan, daily seeking His will, and probably above all, practicing peace and patience while we wait for Him to reveal the plan!

Have a wonderful Wednesday!!

Weekend Recap

This weekend turned out to be mostly great just like we anticipated. Unfortunately we had a few unexpected and not so fun surprises, but overall we made the most of our weekend and enjoyed it to the fullest. Here's a quick recap of the great and not so great happenings that occurred. 

Friday was a pretty fun day. I was able to take both boys to school because Terrell had to be out of town early, and despite the rain and messy weather throughout the day it turned out to be a good one. Layton and I made a solo trip to Walmart and had a little one on one time before picking up his big brothers and Friday night we celebrated Nana's retirement with family and friends. It was a special celebration filled with laughter, a delicious dinner, and just a teensy bit of stress when Layton decided to get a little crazy. Haha. We really enjoyed the night and are super happy for Nana to get to retire at the end of this month after over 30 years of working for the state of Georgia! 

Saturday morning we were up bright and early ready for Opening Day ceremonies and Garrison's first game! (Austin's game was cancelled on Friday due to all of the rain. He was so disappointed.) We made it to Opening Day and were so excited about kicking off the season, only to find out they'd made a last minute decision to cancel ALL games for Saturday. Talk about a bummer. The whole family was down about it. Even though we disagreed with the decision and how it was handled, we went forward with Opening Ceremonies and my big boys are ready to play!

Unfortunately now we have a first game conflict because they are both scheduled to play Thursday at 6:30. Ahhhhhh! Mama isn't very happy. I have to miss somebody's first game and so does Terrell since he's coaching. But since there's nothing we can do about it we just have to make the best of it and try to have a good attitude. The boys are so excited and ready to play I'm hoping that finding out their first games are at the same time won't cause major disappointment. 

The adorableness is almost too much!

We had almost the whole day Saturday free so we cleaned house, got the boys' choice of take-out for lunch, had a family rest time, and got ready for Granna's birthday celebration. Plus this precious baby love's picture was sent to us. It's one of my favorite pictures of Baby Girl!! 

We went out to eat at one of our favorite restaurants Saturday night and had a really great time! With 4 little ones!! With very minimal restaurant drama!! It was a fun meal. =) 

Afterwards we went back to Anna and Frankie's house to give Granna presents and to enjoy cake and ice cream. 

Austin requested a pic with Granna before we sang...

Then we rounded up all the grands for a picture!

We had a fun night celebrating Granna's birthday. Which just so happens to be today! Happy Birthday Granna/mama/Linda!! We love you and are so especially thankful for the day you were born!!

The only damper on the night was that Garrison was clearly coming down with something. Boo! He started running a high fever and his throat looked pretty bad and we feared he had come down with strep fast and furious. Every time the Tylenol wore off his fever would spike again and poor baby was just miserable. We were up with him a couple of times during the night trying to get his fever down so we decided on Terrell taking him to an urgent care office first thing Sunday morning. 

Unfortunately Sunday morning turned out to be pretty stressful on everybody. Well, except for Layton I guess. Ha. 3 of my preschool SS teachers texted to say they wouldn't be able to make it on Sunday morning and so I was in a bit of a panic while also trying to get Austin, Layton, and myself ready for church and Garrison and Terrell out to door to head to urgent care. Thankfully I had some special ladies come to my rescue (including my sister!) and all was well with Sunday School. Garrison did in fact have strep but starting feeling better and better as the day went on despite his fever lingering around. He even took a 2 HOUR nap on yesterday afternoon! He hasn't taken any kind of a nap in a loooonnnng time. 

Thankfully Garrison woke up with a little more energy and feeling more like himself so the boys got in some outside time with daddy on a beautiful day. 

During naptime I did laundry while Terrell worked outside on this spot....

 He pulled weeds and cleaned it out and it looks amazing!! I can tell a huge difference! 

Not only is Terrell an amazing yard man, he's an even more amazing daddy! The boys loved their outside time.

It turned out to be a pretty great Sunday after our rough start to the day. =)

Today I'm home with all my boys and we're planning to take it easy. Garrison had a fever off and on yesterday so he needs an extra day of rest and downtime and that means Austin gets a bonus day off too. I'm going to soak up and enjoy my summer preview today! Plus we have a birthday lunch planned with Granna and Piper and a baseball scrimmage scheduled for tonight that we hope our biggest is up for! We hope to enjoy every moment and to keep everyone else in the family healthy and well. 

Happy Monday!!

Friday Favorites: No Homework Edition!

This week has been nice. Other than being worn out from the busyness of baseball season, our week (MY week in particular) has been super light. And it's all thanks to no homework!! Garrison's teacher was out a few days this week unexpectedly and so she completely held off on homework and the usual routine and assessments she does each week. And it's been such a wonderful break! Especially for mama!! 

Garrison has never been a big complainer about homework and it doesn't take him a super long time to do, but we do it right after school in the midst of our craziest time of day because that works best for us... but in essence it's a stressful and extremely busy time of day for me. So experiencing a full week without that craziness was bliss. Plus I never had to worry about practicing spelling words or sight words or vocabulary words, etc. It just made a huge difference in our afternoons and general routine this week so I am thankful for our mini break!

Here's a look at all of my other faves from the week... =)

*Easter weekend with my guys was the best. And every holiday is a reminder of how thankful I am to be back in the hometown! I don't want to ever take it for granted after 9 years away. 

*On Sunday night before leaving to come home, Garrison got Granna to pull his tooth! He was super excited to use his new tooth fairy pillow and to find some cash inside of it on Monday morning. 

*Monday morning Garrison's Habitat Diorama project was due! He chose the Black Rhino and did a great job... with help of course. =)  

*I thought it turned out really realistic. It was a group effort so we were all pretty proud of it. And we learned tons about the black rhino!

*A short break from watching Garrison's practice to swing!

*The big boys formed a club this week. How special and awesome is that?! They named it "Brothers Club" and they are the main 2 members but Layton is also part of the club and daddy can be in it if he wants. =) They do things like time each other while racing around the house, have meeting places, ride their dune racers down the hill in our yard side by side, keep pretend intruders, bad guys, or girls (ha!) out, and they even have a secret handshake. Brothers are just the BEST!!

*This little man built his very first (I think) tower this week! His favorite part was stacking the blocks as fast as he could and then moving it or nudging it just enough to make it fall over. He cracked himself up every time. =)

*Layton and I had some one-on-one time Wednesday before naptime and while I folded the boys' clothes and put them away, he played dress up. He asked for the Superman cape and found Austin's hat from last year's baseball season. I can't even. There is no way he could be any cuter!! =)

*Wednesday was a big day for Layton apparently. Haha. He has been asking, begging, and pleading for a ride on the lawnmower for weeks and his wish was finally granted Wednesday afternoon. Daddy took Layton for a special ride while his big brothers were at choir. Don't tell them or we might be in trouble. Ha. He LOVED every second. I'm wondering if maybe he'll be a landscaper or something when he grows up. He was that smitten. I have a feeling daddy won't cut the grass again without giving his baby boy a ride. It was a big, BIG deal. =)

*We traded Family Game Night for Family Storytime this week. Our baseball schedule seems to be taking it's toll on all of us, especially our 4 year old. Poor baby has had a tough week and just been out of sorts and TIRED. Having somewhere to be and something to do 4 nights a week with at least 2 of those nights causing a later bedtime is just a lot for a 4 year old. It's a lot for me! Thank goodness I'm home to get supper ready before all of our practices so we can prioritize winding down and bedtime once we get home! This week we decided to do something a little more calm and bedtime inviting on our only early night at home. The picture is blurry but they chose The Day the Crayons Quit to read and they are all laughing about the peach crayon having it's paper peeled off and being naked and too embarrassed to leave the box. Haha. 

*I took Austin and Layton to the library this week! Normally we save our library trips for times when Garrison can go with us but we were on a mission to check out a good read aloud chapter book for Austin. 

*Mission accomplished! This was one of the first chapter books I read aloud to Garrison so now I'm going to start reading it aloud to Austin at the start of rest time each afternoon. We've made it to chapter 3 and so far it's held his attention pretty good. Yay. 

*Garrison lost his 2nd loose tooth of the week on yesterday! And he pulled it himself!! We had all tried several times to get that stubborn tooth out with no success but yesterday was the day! He was able to wiggle it free during lunch and then the school nurse gave him this little tooth holder for safe keeping. He was so excited to tell me the news as soon as he got in the car yesterday afternoon. It made his day. =)

*Garrison also had a scrimmage last night as one final preparation for Opening Day. He did awesome! So excited to watch my #5 this season!! (And my #2 who also kicks off his season on Saturday!)

We have a pretty big weekend coming up. Tonight we're celebrating Terrell's mom's retirement with a dinner and celebration with lots of family and friends and tomorrow morning bright and early is Opening Day! Then on tomorrow night we're celebrating my mom's birthday! Sunday we're hoping for lots of down time and family time. We're looking forward to a great one! Happy Friday!!