Welcome back, Mr. Sun!

We were blessed with a beautiful day on Saturday! After weeks of really cold temperatures and several rounds of snow, the thermometer reached near 60 degrees again! We decided to make the most of it. We started the day by loading up in the truck...

...and going to Lowes to get Daddy and E's new toy, a John Deere lawn mower.

We brought the mower back to the house, but we decided to just leave it in the truck for now and get ready to head to the park. After all, the day was so beautiful that we just had to get outside. We packed up the smart trike, and hit the greenway.

 

We headed over to a local park, which isn't far from our house. This was E's first time to go to a park.

He tried the swing. He loved the baby swing when he was very small. This swing was fun, but it didn't last long. He would soon be ready to move on.

Next we took him over to the slide. Apparently he isn't ready for that adventure.

It turns out that his favorite thing to do at the park is play in/crawl around in the grass.

He also really enjoyed sitting on his quilt and having a snack.

Once he finished his snack, we packed up and headed back to the house. While E took a nap, Mommy and Daddy unloaded the mower. E woke just in time to help us try it out. He really enjoyed riding it!

He also got to try his John Deere Ride-On Tractor out next to Daddy's. He sat down on it and within moments was pushing the button on the steering wheel that makes his "start up." It was soooo cute!

I think he and Daddy are going to have lots of fun on their John Deere toys when Spring finally arrives!

As you can see, it was a great day. We really enjoyed getting outside and taking advantage of the warmth. Thank you, Mr. Sun! You are welcome to stay around for as long as you are able!

Happy Birthday, Daddy!

On Saturday, J turned the big 3-0! So E and I decided to have a birthday party for him. We invited the family and a few special friends over to help celebrate this momentous occasion. We spent a couple of days cooking in preparation for the party. We made a triple recipe of white chili and a double recipe of Mexican spiced shredded beef. Those are two of daddy's favorite foods. Mommy also made a trip to the Dollar Tree for a couple of simple decorations to spice up the sunroom.

Everyone gathered for lunch and a Dairy Queen Reese Cup Blizzard cake. It meant a lot to Daddy that everyone took the time to help him celebrate. Even Uncle R, Aunt J, and Baby L made the trip from Tullahoma for the party. This was Cousin L's first trip to Knoxville, and her first time to meet the big boy cousins. Since it was the first time the crew was all together, we decided it was a great photo op and rounded up all the kids for a pic. 

  Daddy got lots of nice gifts, including a watch and a creeper from E and Mommy. Since he has a nice big garage with space to work on the vehicles, he needed some new equipment.

He got a double battery charger for his drill, so now both of his batteries can be charged all the time. He also got a new shirt, some Reese cups, a Home Depot gift card, and money to buy some new jeans. Last but not least, he got a Chick-fil-a gift card from D and Z. Daddy loves Chick-fil-a and is looking forward to enjoying some yummy chicken biscuits for breakfast. Check out the look on his face when he saw the Chick-fil-a card.

After the party ended, the cousins got to spend some time together. They loved seeing L. The boys also enjoyed wrestling around in the floor and playing together. It was a great day!

Cousins....The Best Kind of Friends

Last weekend E's cousins D and Z came to spend the night at his house and play. They also brought their parents along. We had a great time together. 

The boys wasted no time. They started playing as soon as they got here. E showed Z one of his favorite toys, his Noah's ark. They both love animals, so they enjoyed playing with that together.

After a good night's sleep, D helped Aunt N make pancakes for breakfast.

He is an expert egg cracker. I was so glad to have his help!

Z also helped. He made sure all of the batter was mixed properly by helping scrape the sides of the mixing bowl.

Preparing the batter was fun, but it was time to move on to another activity while Aunt N fried the pancakes...

So the boys joined together for a piano trio.

 

They made wonderful music together. They may have a future in entertaining. 

In the midst of the concert, there was time for a little cousin love. E definitely loves his D and Z!

 

D came back to help in the kitchen some more, but the other two didn't skip a beat. The picture below is a scene that would be seen repeatedly throughout the day.

 

The pancakes were finally ready, and everyone enjoyed a yummy breakfast. Then Z and E enjoyed some quality time with Uncle J. Both of these boys are crazy about J.

 

After breakfast, there was time for more play. They played with just about every toy that E owns.

All this play can really wear a boy out, so after a lunch of nachos and burritos, it was time to rest. 

Since the little boys napped longer than D, he helped Aunt N make sugar cookies.

After we baked them and let them cool, we iced them and decorated them with sugar and sprinkles. They were yummy. Everyone enjoyed eating D's hard work!

The boys played a little while longer, then we loaded up and went to the mall. After taking advantage of Children's Place's big sale, we said goodbye to D, Z, Aunt B and Uncle A. We had a wonderful time with them, and we hope they can come back and stay again soon!

Oh the weather outside...

...is frightfully fun! On Friday afternoon, we began preparing for a weekend of fun and hoped to be snowed in. We all know that the weatherman is usually wrong about these things, but we decided to hold out hope!

We began by preparing a surprise for Daddy to find when he got home. He works hard all week to take care of our family, and he allows E and I to be home together, so from time to time, we like to do special little things for him. Reeses peanut butter cups are his favorite candy. This week we bought some special supplies while we were at Hobby Lobby, so we tried them out and made our very own homemade peanut butter cups. Then I decided to continue to foster E's creative side and introduce him to crayons which we used to  make this card for Daddy.

Next, we built a fire to keep us warm and cozy while we waited for the snow.

 

 We enjoyed a yummy pot of homemade soup for supper, then we came back downstairs and got set up for a slumber party in the family room. We inflated the air mattress and picked out a movie. E got very excited about this!

After a night of sleep and dreams of lots of snow, we woke up to discover that although the weatherman was a little overzealous with the forecast, there was still enough snow on the ground to make for a day of fun.

So we bundled up and prepared to head outside. E was not a fan of suiting up...

 

...but that quickly changed once we got outside! That snowsuit might be bulky, but it wasn't stopping him!

He crawled right out into the white stuff, leaving a cute little trail behind himself.

Daddy put him on the sled, and off he went. Much like his first sledding experience, as long as he was moving, he was happy, although this time, he also liked the speed to be quick!

 

  

We came back inside to warm up and take a nap. After a few hours, we headed back out into the snow. This time we took Maddie with us.

 

  

For the first little while, she stayed close to the house. She wasn't really sure about this wet white stuff. Once she came around, she played with us for a few minutes before running right past us for a visit to the neighbors behind us who were outside sledding. Daddy had to go chase her down. Needless to say, Maddie's time outside with us was short-lived. But once Maddie was back home and safe inside, the fun began! In the midst of falling snow, E sledded down the back hill.

 

Then Mommy and Daddy joined in the fun.

 

As you can see we had tons of fun but all of this play sure did wear us out! So we headed back inside to rest. We got cleaned up, and put on our pajamas. Then we gathered around the fireplace to make some smores!

Notice Maddie lurking close by waiting for E to drop something for her to enjoy. 

E loved the graham crackers...

But he is also quite fond of marshmallows we would learn.

 

We have certainly had a wonderful weekend together as a family!