Dates

Kevin and I took turns taking dates with each child a few weekends ago. I've been wanting to do this for a while and am so glad we made the time to do it.

Saturday morning was my turn with Maren. We went to Starbucks at her request. This is probably because we went there last year for a date and she remembers it quite well. She got a pink iced doughnut then and wanted a pink iced doughnut again this time. Of course, when we got to Starbucks they had no pink doughnuts. Not to worry, she quickly chose a cinnamon roll instead and was just as happy. The Barista even wrote "princess" in chocolate on her plate. She also had a hot chocolate. The best part was listening to Maren order her food and drink, after she told the cashier all about how she and I were on a date and we were going to have SO MUCH FUN. Maren is quite expressive.

Maren enjoyed her cinnamon roll and hot chocolate while I enjoyed my vanilla latte. We chatted and looked through new games to download on my iPad. We chose two My Little Ponies games and a princess paint by number game. The rest of our date was spent playing the games, including Memory, which Maren is freakishly good at. 

For my date with Warner, we went roller skating. I realize roller skating isn't exactly popular anymore - and hasn't been for some time. But back in my day it was all the rage. I really wish that was still the case. It's so much fun!

We rented skates, got everything into our locker, and made it onto the hardwood floor without falling. Warner took it pretty easy but still fell quite a bit. But he was such a trooper! We skated together for over an hour, taking breaks for a drink. It was the same roller skating I remember - lights turned down, music loud ... and I'm pretty sure the Florence Fun Dome hasn't been remodeled since I last roller skated, either. Regardless of the state of the rink, we had a blast.

I realize we won't have dates with our kids every weekend, but I hope to make it a more regular occurrence. Quality time with these kids is priceless.

Star Student

Warner was the Star Student at preschool last week. To say he was excited about this honor would be an enormous understatement. It was big time. In fact, on Sunday night Warner announced: "Tomorrow's a big day!" I didn't connect the dots immediately, so I asked him what tomorrow was. He answered "I'm star student!". Duh.

On Monday he brought in stars and a family picture to complete his poster for the class to see. The stars were his favorite things. Favorite book: The Might Avengers. Favorite color: Red. Favorite activity: Playing Uno and Battleship. Favorite food: Cheeseburgers. Favorite holiday: Christmas.

On Wednesday he brought in his favorite book (a Little Golden Book titled "The Mighty Avengers") and Mrs. Eubanks read it to the class. On Friday he was allowed to bring in a few toys from home to share with the class, along with a special treat for snack time. Warner chose bunnies for his snack (he wanted to bring Cliff bars but they may contain traces of tree nuts so they were out). 

I hope the week met his expectations. Warner isn't one to seek the limelight but I think he enjoyed the extra attention last week.

Mine-ami

We decided to be spontaneous a few Saturdays ago and drove up to Oxford to watch the Miami vs Ball State basketball game. I'm always happy to visit my Alma Matter and we were hopeful the kids would enjoy the game.

Of course no trip to Oxford would be complete without a stop at the bookstore to find some Miami swag. DuBois did not disappoint. We are now in tip-top shape on Miami gear.

The game was great. Sadly, Miami men's basketball games are not well attended. But the upside is we got a good parking spot and didn't have to fight any crowds to get in. 

We enjoyed popcorn and the kids cheered quite loudly for the Redhawks. Maren refers to Miami as either "Mine-ami" or "Mommy's-ami", so it was amusing to listening to her. She enjoyed watching the cheerleaders and Swoop (the mascott) too.

As we watched the game, I said to Warner: "this is pretty neat, watching basketball just like you play basketball, right buddy?" To which he replied "this isn't like when I play basketball". Pretty funny. Regardless, we had a great and very memorable time.

These Days

Not so long ago, each day seemed to drag on forever. I would literally count down the minutes until Kevin got home from work because I felt trapped in my own home. I feel awful saying that now, because I often long for the time when my kids were babies and life was different. And I know that years from today I'll look back on this season of life and realize it wasn't as busy as it feels now. But life today is certainly different than it was two years ago.

With most days being nuts lately, I am thankful for our lazy Tuesdays and Thursdays where our biggest concern is deciding which movie to see at the theater in the afternoon. Last Tuesday we assembled five puzzles, colored for hours together, baked banana bread, and were in our jammies until 4pm. We would have stayed in them all day if Warner hadn't had basketball that night.

At dinner or after the kids go to bed, Kevin and I talk about our day and I usually have a funny story to tell him about something the kids did or said. Like when Maren said: "Mommy, we are such good friends. I think it's because we both love princesses". Or when she prays for me to make good choices (not her - me. Apparently I need help in that area). To be fair, she asks God to help her make good choices, too.

Warner  is funny but he's mostly inquisitive, and a really deep thinker for a five year old. We've already had spiritual discussions about what it means to be saved and to get baptized, the Trinity, God's omnipresence, etc. Whew. Deep stuff. So it's refreshing when he prays for our meal before dinner and includes: "God and Jesus, we are thankful for you both. You guys are the best". You guys. Love it.

Busy or lazy day, I'm thankful for each day with my precious little family. 

Basketball

Warner started basketball at the Y last week. I have been so excited for the season to begin because Warner has been so enthusiastic about it. He has insisted basketball is his favorite sport for quite a while now. I'm not sure why this is the case, since until Christmas his only personal experience with the sport included his plastic Little Tikes hoop in the basement. Regardless, he loves it and couldn't wait for his first practice.

So you can imagine my disappointment when he was in tears halfway through his first practice, telling me he didn't want to play the sport after all. The whole first practice was awkward and chaotic - two coaches with four and five year-old boys in a noisy gym. They were practicing dribbling up and down the court individually and Warner was clearly not doing well. One of the coaches spent extra time trying to help Warner, and as I watched from the bleachers, I could tell he was getting upset. He tried so hard to keep it together but he was embarrassed and disappointed and probably a million other emotions. So, the tears came.

After a short pep talk including "you made a commitment to play and need to see it to the end" and "we just need to spend some time practicing", Warner finished practice in better spirits. Thankfully the weather cooperated this weekend and Kevin was able to spend quite a bit of time outside with Warner practicing dribbling and shooting. And let's not forget: he's five  years old. He's playing basketball on a Church team at the Y. This shouldn't be competitive or emotionally scarring, right?

God probably chuckles at some of my prayers, but admittedly I spent some time this weekend praying for my sweet son, his confidence, his dribbling skills, and the entire basketball experience. Thankfully last night's first game was a huge success.

To call the event last night a basketball "game" would be a stretch. One kid passes the ball to another kid (they're instructed which kid to pass to, by the way) and he dribbles the ball down the court to the best of his ability. Meanwhile all the other kids run as fast as they can to the other side of the court and stop beneath the hoop. The kid who dribbled the ball down court then passes it to another teammate (again, he's told beforehand who to pass it to), and that child then has a chance to shoot the ball. Defense doesn't really exist, although the kids are told who to guard. Warner just chatted with the kid he was supposed to be guarding. Once a shot has been attempted, the other team gets a turn and it starts all over again.

Warner made two baskets last night and couldn't have been more thrilled. He dribbled down court very well when it was his turn, and he generally enjoyed himself. Thank God for answered prayers. After his game we allowed him to choose where we'd go out for dinner. Of ALL the dining choices he had, he chose McDonalds. Ugh. But seeing him so happy was certainly worth it.

The Zoo in January

I'm not usually one to get the winter blues, but I am already anxious for spring and it's just the middle of January. Last week didn't necessarily help when the weather was sunny and mild before another cold front moved in. We decided to seize the moment one afternoon and take a trip to the Zoo to enjoy some fresh (and not so cold) air.

Visiting the Zoo on a weekday, in the afternoon, during school is pretty wonderful. Then add in the month of January or February, and you practically have the place to yourself. It's magical. The animals were extra active when we visited, too. The giraffes were indoors but right there on the other side of the glass for the kids to see. The elephants were within 10 feet of us, and the lions were walking around, growling, right at the edge of the fence.

The polar bears were swimming and playing with one another and wildly entertaining.

 A Zoo trip isn't complete without a picture on one of the animals. Spring can't come soon enough!

Snow!

It's snowed twice since Wednesday, leaving us with about 4 inches of snow on the ground. On Thursday morning I bought the kids new snowpants and a snow coat for Warner, since they have grown out of most of their snow gear. Not wanting to spend a ton of money on clothes they may potentially only wear once or twice, we went to Walmart. The store was very picked over, as it seems to always be after a snowfall here. So of course the only coat left for Warner has a huge Spiderman on the back. Ugh. I made him promise to only wear it when he's playing in the snow.

We all played together outside yesterday after more shoveling of the driveway. The kids enjoyed sledding, but they may have enjoyed the swingset more. Kevin made a huge pile of snow at the bottom of the slide, and the kids took turns zooming down face-first into the snow.

 

I think their favorite part might be the hot chocolate afterward.

 Here's to hoping we'll have a few more chances to use those snow clothes again this winter.

Christmas

... and a very merry Christmas it was. We went to church on Christmas Eve for the 5pm service and then came home and enjoyed pizza and the Veggie Tales movie It's a Meaningful Life. 

The kids went to bed fairly early but Kevin and I still had a lot of work to do that night. By nearly 1am we were finally ready for bed. Thankfully the kids slept in until 7:45 the next morning, and woke up to this from Santa:

Christmas morning was spent unwrapping the rest of the gifts under the tree, playing with new toys, and of course cinnamon rolls for breakfast. Yum.

Warner is pretty excited about his Avengers watch. Of all the gifts he received, this might be his favorite. He's adorable with it, too. He constantly tells us what time it is and and is very concerned about keeping it in tip-top shape. He insists on removing it before washing his hands to keep it dry. Of course the bummer about Warner learning to tell time is we can no longer sneak in extra early bedtimes because he can now recognize when it's only 7:30 and we're telling him it's time to sleep.

Maren loves her play kitchen, scooter, and princess books.

 

Warner also got a scooter as well as a ton of Lego sets.

Since it's my blog, I'm allowed to brag about our kids, right? Let me just say Warner's Lego building skills are impressive. He has built four or five sets now entirely by himself, using the instruction booklets for direction. He's hooked.

One of my favorite gifts was from Warner. He made a drawing for Kevin and me, complete with a bow in the center. He wrapped it with extra paper and lots of tape, and put it under the tree.

We have enjoyed family time together including playing games while drinking eggnog milkshakes one evening. If you haven't tried an eggnog milkshake, you are really missing out.

The day after Christmas we got several inches of snow. I absolutely love the snow. In my humble opinion our house looks extra pretty with Christmas decorations and snow.

The kids have enjoyed sledding in the backyard, but probably the best part is the fact that they are now old enough to help us shovel the driveway (thank you Linda for the kids' child-sized shovels!).

Merry Christmas!

Texas



Dallas is really far away. There's no good way to make the 15 hour drive to visit my parents. However, I've driven it enough to have an opinion on the matter and much prefer driving through the night. Yes, it's tiring, but I think it's better than putting the kids through an entire day of driving, coupled with listening to them ask "are we in Texas yet?" at least 100 times. And then when we're actually IN Texas, we have to explain to them that we still have hours to go until we're in Dallas. Turns out Texas is a big state.

 

So, we drove through the night. The drive there wasn't awful. Kevin and I split the drive and while one person was driving, the other slept in the third row seat of the van. The drive back wasn't as fun, as we brought home much more than we came with, so there was no room for the third row seat to be put up. The passenger seat isn't nearly as comfortable. So, less sleeping means a rougher trip, but we made it in one piece.

We had a great time while we were there. The first night we got into town, we went to Babe's for fried chicken. It was great. There is no menu - the server literally asks you how many orders of friend chicken you want. That's it. Then they bring out salad, mashed potatoes, corn, biscuits, and gravy until you can't possibly eat one more bite. Delicious.

We did a lot of eating out in Texas. In and Out Burger was a must-visit-destination. In fact, we went twice.

Kevin and I visited Rooster's Roadhouse one night while my parents watched the kids. We tried their "Redneck Sushi" and it was awesome.

We did a few other things besides eat. One day we visited Legoland and the Aquarium. We spent nearly six hours between the two places and had a blast.

The kids raced Lego cars they built at Legoland.

We visited the holiday train display and listened to Santa read stories at the mall.

We also visited my favorite park on a sunny, 70-degree day. It was nice to watch the kids run around, climb, and burn off some energy.

The rest of the time we enjoyed playing at my parents' house and enjoying their company. I wish I had pictures, but both kids got EZ Rollers for Christmas that they played with all week. They're like the old Roller Racers I remember as a kid. Thankfully the weather was warm enough for them to ride around outside most days.

We got to participate in Mom's annual candy making day and the kids enjoyed "helping".

Maren was introduced to the world of Barbies and played with this doll house as well as mine and Meredith's old Barbies from when we were kids. They're not in the best shape but that didn't seem to bother Maren.

It was a great visit full of sleeping in (thanks, Mom!) long runs outside at 9am instead the 5:30am runs on my treadmill I'm used to (thanks again, Mom and Kevin!), and lots of laughs and fun.