Around Here...

We've been having lots of fun with family and friends over the past several months. I'm really trying to be even more present, as I enjoy and cherish these special times ~  time is passing way too quickly! I hope you enjoy these snapshots of our crazy busy, fun, and blessed life!

Birthday Celebrations

 My absolute favorite moment of Daddy and Andrew's shared birthday celebration!

Preschool birthday celebrations are so sweet! We celebrated Andrew's special day one more time with candy sprinkled sugar cookies and juice.

We then celebrated Jonathan's special day (their birthdays are just two weeks apart) at the Outback, complete with a brownie and ice cream (it's flourless!) ~ the perfect birthday dessert for him!

   We celebrated again the next day (on his actual birthday ~ too many schedules to navigate!), and I still can't believe he's eleven! ELEVEN!! He's truly an awesome kid, and we are so blessed to be his parents!

Andrew was SO excited about the Skylanders he picked out for his brother. He was successful at keeping a secret, and Jonathan loved them!

Basketball

We're so proud of how hard Jonathan worked during basketball season. He has been experiencing an onset of Sever's Disease ~ a painful bone disorder that results from inflammation (swelling) of the growth plate in the heel. It's something he'll grow out of, but he was in a lot of pain during/after practices and games. He just loved playing too much to step away for the season ~ we're so proud of his determination and perseverance!

Indoor Soccer

Lauren loved playing indoor soccer, and we enjoyed watching the games ~ it really was a lot of fun!

Taekwondo

And just like that.... Jonathan earned his rank as Black Belt Recommended! He has been taking for about a year and a half, and he has worked really hard... but he makes it look so easy! These photos were taken by our friend and neighbor, Rick Strupp.

All County Orchestra

 Lauren and her friend, Taylor, were excited to be a part of the All County Orchestra again this year. It's their second year of Strings, and they both love playing the violin. I was in complete awe listening to the orchestra's performance ~ they played so beautifully!

Lunch Dates and Play Dates

We enjoyed lunch at French Fryz (complete with chocolate milkshakes) with our sweet friends who were traveling through Asheville on their way to a hockey tournament. We always love spending time with them!

Sweet friends enjoying every minute of their time together at the Play Lodge! The moms had a pretty good time as well ~ it's always fun to "catch up".

Snow Days

Snow days with friends and neighbors are the best! 

We absolutely love the snow, so we were disappointed when the biggest snowfall of the season arrived as we were leaving for Disney. But thanks to our sweet neighbors, we got to enjoy lots of beautiful pictures! And quite honestly, once we felt the warm sunshine and enjoyed a few rides, we stopped missing the snow. :)

 

Walt Disney World

 We enjoyed our winter getaway with family to Disney World!!

I'll be sharing lots and lots of pictures very soon!

Happy Birthday, Andrew!

Happy 5th Birthday, Andrew!

The first thing you said this morning was, "I'm five, just like Grayson!"

A little bit of everything you love ~ Spiderman, Batman, Army men, pirates, and a chocolate covered doughnut with sprinkles (that you were too excited to eat!)! You have such a special place in our hearts ~ we love you to Pluto and back!

Happy Birthday to my sweet daddy, who turned sixty three today! We had fun trading birthday wishes on FaceTime this morning! We're excited for more birthday celebrations!

Birthday Fun with Friends

Jonathan was so excited about his birthday party with friends! He had it all planned out - a trip to Fun Depot with his best buddies, who would then spend the night. But, as is often the case for January birthdays, it all got postponed a week due to snow and ice. He was so disappointed, as were all his buddies. Luckily, the next week passed quickly, and it was time for fun! A snow day (just light snow in the morning) meant he got to put the icing on his basketball cake. I think he ate as much as he put on the cake (maybe more!).

All of the boys enjoyed playing outside before coming in to eat pizza, then... they all agreed Jonathan should open his presents before they took off to Fun Depot. I always love how each kid gets so excited when his present is being opened. Each gift was so perfect for Jonathan - his friends really know him well! 

Solomon, Cade, Will, Jonathan, Dylan and Jackson

After pizza and presents, Joe took all of the boys to Fun Depot (I asked him to make sure they were good and tired before he brought them home - ha ha!) - they enjoyed laser tag, mini golf, bowling, bumper cars, rock climbing and more. Unfortunately, there was one injury - while playing laser tag, two of the boys collided, leaving Jackson with a small cut and a huge knot, right between his eyes. We felt so bad for him, but he was such a trooper! He is one tough kid!

 They were ready for cake and ice cream when they got home - crazy I know at ten o'clock!!

After dessert, they all piled up in sleeping bags to watch "Lord of the Rings". It didn't take too long before they were all sound asleep - they really were tired!

 Dylan was the smartest one of the bunch - he claimed the couch!

 I was surprised, but they actually slept in until seven! Poor Jackson got sick during the night (scary, but ultimately not related to his collision), but he seemed much better by morning - the knot on his forehead was still bulging - later in the day he ended up with two black eyes. His mom was so sweet - she said it was a typical evening for him!

 The next morning they were wild!!! They had a blast jumping into piles of pillows, couch cushions and blankets! I know I'm crazy, but I loved it! Andrew did too!

These boys were so much fun! They were loud and full of energy, but they were also very kind and respectful - such an awesome bunch! Jonathan is blessed with great buddies!

While the boys were having fun, Lauren and Emma had fun sewing (Emma made her first tote - so sad I didn't get a picture) and baking - they made an awesome chocolate chip cookie cake!

So thankful for these sweet girls and their special friendship! It was such a fun night for all of us!

More Birthday Fun

A few weeks ago, Lauren was invited to Leah's birthday party. They painted owls on canvas at a local art studio, went out for pizza and ice cream, and enjoyed a sleepover! Could it have possibly been any more fun?!

These sweet girls have been best friends since first grade! They are officially teenagers!

 Aren't these beautiful?! These girls amaze me!!

Olivia has also been one of Lauren's best friends since first grade! They are becoming such beautiful young ladies ~ inside and out! I love their sweet friendship!

She had SO much fun! Sleepovers are her absolute favorite thing to do with friends!

Double Digits

Last Tuesday, we celebrated Jonathan's 10th Birthday!

I went to eat lunch with him, and we got our own table! His friend, Will, joined us, and it was so fun! I brought fudge pops for his class to enjoy ~ they were a hit, even though it was barely 27 degrees outside! Ice cream always tastes good, right?!

Our evening was kind of crazy ~ he had basketball practice, and I had an important meeting at church. I made pork chops with sweet potato fries (one of his favorites!) for dinner, and we decided to enjoy dessert and presents after everyone got home.

 Andrew loves opening presents, his and everyone else's! Jonathan was so sweet to let him help! Our kids are really loving board games right now, so we bought him DICEcapades! They played it with our neighbor the other day, and there was lots of fun going on!! He also asked for the book, "How to Train Your Dragon" ~ he loves the movie and wanted to read the book. It is actually a series, so we got him the first two ~ I think he is going to enjoy reading them!

We finally got to enjoy dessert ~ an ooey gooey chocolately chex mix! Lauren and Jonathan helped me make it ~ we had never had it before ~ I found the recipe on Pinterest ~ it was DELICIOUS! Especially for chocoholics like Jonathan and Joe!

Happy Birthday, Jonathan! We are so blessed to be your parents ~ you are such an amazing kid!!  You love sports and playing outside, yet you also enjoy playing the piano. You are all boy (loud and rambunctious!), yet you are SO tenderhearted. You truly have God in your heart, and you are so kind and loving to others. We all love you ~ more than you could ever imagine!!!