A Day in the Yard

Since we did not have anything planned for this weekend, we decided to do some long overdue yard work.  We have some areas in the back yard that wash really bad when it rains hard.  We have talked about sodding them for a long time.  But, we finally decided to do it.  We also dug up all the stumps to the bushes Paul cut down earlier this month.  The kids had a blast outside.  They helped us and played on the playground.  Now, we just have to baby this sod for the next several weeks and hope that it roots.  Next, we have to decide what we are going to re-plant by the porch. It will be a few weeks before we can get to it though.  The next few weekends are busy. 

Pebbles?

Today when I picked Katherine up from school she had her hair in a little,tiny ponytail on top of her head.  One of her teachers had done it.  It looked quite silly to me, but she would not let me take it down.  She still does not have enough hair to do much with and she normally won't leave a bow in for longer than a few minutes.  That is way it was so funny to me.  You can barely see it in the pictures even.  Oh -- and she has her shirt off because Luke took his shirt off because he was hot.  Pretty much anything Bubba does she has to try to do. 

Fun With the Kids

Katherine was somewhat excited about Build-A-Bear

Overwhelmed by all the Legos!

The kids and I try to have some fun outings fairly regularly.  This afternoon we decided to go to Opry Mills.  We have not been since they re opened and I knew there were several fun stores the kids would enjoy.  Luke said he wanted to see where Paul and I lived when we got married.  So, we drove through the old neighborhood. It was pretty neat to see it.  Honestly, it has not changed a whole lot.

We started our excursion at Build-A-Bear.  Since Luke and I went in January he has been wanting to go and take Katherine.  He was definitely more in to it than she was.  He picked out her bear and clothes.   She did seem excited once the bear was done.  She would not keep the bows on the bears ears though.  I thought we would surely loose them before we got back home.  Crazy 8's was right across from there so we went to look around.  They had some great things at good prices.  The kids sat and watched the TV in the store while I picked up some things for each of them.  We hit the Lego and toy stores next.  The kids did great the whole time!  They rode in the stroller without a fuss and willingly got back in when I asked them to after a stop.  We spent over two hours keeping ourselves occupied until Paul joined us!  The kids were so excited to see him.  We put our name on the waiting list at Chuy's and strolled around a bit more.  It was such a beautiful night we ate on the patio.  It was really good.  I think that restaurant will do really well there.  It is reasonably priced and family friendly - a good combination for tourists.

We had an excellent afternoon and makes me want to do even more outings with the kids this summer!

Just a Little Behind Schedule

I am way behind  getting our blog book this year.  I finally finished and ordered it while I was off a couple of weeks ago.  It came today!  Mom gets one every year, too.  That way each of the kids will have one. The kids had so much fun looking at it.  Luke wanted to read all of it.  We will take it a little bit at a time.  This book is the largest so far since I have tried to do more entries.  I have to admit, it is pretty neat to read about everything that has happened in the past year.  I often refer to the books when we can't remember what year we did this or that - when Luke hit milestones and so forth. It is also crazy to me how often our kids go to the doctor and how often I blog about where we go to eat!

Mother's Day

Today we celebrated Mother's Day.  We went to church this morning.  Luke wanted to go in to " big church" with us.  He did really well.  He decided he wanted to leave and go home with Nonna instead of going to his class.  We let him since we had plans to go to her house for lunch.  We had planned to go on a picnic after church, but it rained all day.  Instead we picked up soup and salad from Panera and ate at Mom's.  We stayed and visited for a while before coming home for naps.

Both kids (and me) took a long nap while Paul got everything ready for supper.  Bill and Paula were coming over tonight.  Paul told me yesterday that I did not need to worry about doing anything, so I didn't.  He cooked everything and got the house cleaned up, too.  He grilled garlic lemon chicken with veggies.  Paula brought some broccoli slaw and strawberry short cake.  Luke loved having Nene and Pop here.  He has been asking for them to come visit for awhile now.  We had a great day!  So great that I didn't even take any pictures!

A Very Busy Saturday!

Look at all those strawberries!

Tractors are always fun...

especially with Papa!

Luke gave me the Mother's Day present he made at school

The only pic I made all night

Today was super busy.  The three of us slept in a little bit and then Paul cooked pancakes for us!  We decided to go to a few yard sales while we waited to pick Luke up.  There was a miscommunication between Bill and Paul so we ended up going to Gallatin to get him mid-morning.  We stopped by Long Hollow Nursery on the way so I could get some things.  I am way behind on my planting this year. 

Luke did not want to leave when we got there.  Katherine was so excited to see him!  She missed her bubba.  She continued to ask for him this morning.  He was equally as excited to see her.  We went home for awhile to do housework and for the kids to take a nap.  Katherine and I took a nap together, but Luke didn't want to give in.  At 4 o'clock I told him Dad was being serious about not going to the cook out if he didn't take a nap.  He laid in our bed and was asleep in less than 5 minutes.  That put us behind heading back to Gallatin for a cook out at the MacLean's.  We were going to drop my car off at Vic Jenkins because the brake lights are on.  It started to pour down rain and Luke started saying his tummy hurt.

We stopped at a gas station to go to the bathroom. (After we got there he decided he did not have to go anymore and his stomach hurt because the seat belt was too tight).  We had fun at the MacLean's.  The Louws couldn't make it because Hanne was sick, but we enjoyed everyone's company.  It was interesting to see Luke interact with the big kids.  He wanted to be outside playing with them, but Brady who is close to Luke's age wanted to be inside.  Even though the big kids were playing probably age appropriate games for them I thought it was a little rough for Luke.  I told Baylor that I wished Luke would want to play inside and she said she wished Brady wanted to play outside.  She commented that the grass is always greener...so true!  We decided Brady and Katherine would be just fine together.  They like to play quietly and independently.  Luke and Jane are kind of loud and rowdy!  So funny!

The night came to an end all too soon.  I packed Katherine's pj's which was good and wished I had done the same for Luke.  Our next outing with that group is going to be adults only!

National Nene and Pop Day!

Scoping out the strawberry patch

Bill called last night to see if Luke would want to come and spend the night tonight.  We actually couldn't get Luke to talk on the phone. He was too concerned with what his after - dinner treat was going to be.  Of course, when he realized he was getting to go for an overnight he was so excited!  He has been wanting to spend the night for a long time now.

This morning when he woke up he said it was National Nene and Pop Day!  They picked him up from school this afternoon and went to pick strawberries, but the farm was closed. They sent us a picture.  They are going to go back in the morning.  Katherine and I went and picked Paul up from work and went to eat.  We can never decide where to go so we ended up at Jet's Pizza on West End of all places.  We actually have never been there.  It was really good.  After that we went to Southeastern Salvage.  Paul has had to go in there a few times for work lately and he thought I would like it.  It was fine, but I was not overly impressed.  I didn't think there prices were any better than HomeGoods or similar stores.  Paul got a call while we were out and actually had to go out to a job to check on something.  So, I am in bed with the lap top listening to Katherine babble herself to sleep.  Here's to a good start to a hopefully great weekend!

One More Time

Nanny is leaving tomorrow so she, Mom and Thomas came over for supper tonight.  The kids entertained them on the playground.  Luke coaxed Thomas in to playing with him while I finished supper.  I made baked spaghetti which was really good.  I am enjoying the eMeals we signed up for a couple of months ago.  Although, I never do all 7 supper recipes it is good to have some variety. I probably average cooking 3-5 of the recipes a week.

Nanny enjoyed seeing the kids toys, especially their kitchen.  Katherine wanted to get everything out and show it to her.  Nanny was impressed at how well Katherine picks up after herself.  I have to admit, this is a nice trait and I hope it lasts!  We have gotten to spend a lot of time with Nanny this week and it has been so nice.  We had supper with them Tuesday night and then I had lunch with her Wednesday and she went with me to pick the kids up from school and we stopped for Italian Ice on the way home.  She loved  spending time with the kids -- the feeling was mutual!

Lovin' This Weather

We have been spending a lot more time outside since it is so nice lately.  The kids love playing on their playground.  They both love to swing and would do so for hours if we would push them.  Paul cut down some overgrown bushes by the porch this weekend so we spent some of tonight weeding the beds and talking about what we want to do with all this new space he uncovered.  Luke loves to pull weeds which is fabulous!  We pull weeds, load up his wheelbarrow and he carries the load to the back of the yard and dumps it.  Katherine thinks she is a big girl, too and tried to take a load.  She didn't get very far.  We also spent a good bit of time picking up rocks out of the yard.  We had our driveway extended about a month ago.  We have yet to do anything with the portion of the yard the excavated to pour the new drive.  Really, they just uncovered a bunch of rocks which need to be picked up before we can seed and straw the area.  Again, so glad the kids like to pick up rocks.  We carried away a couple of wheelbarrows full.  Right now we are enjoying that they want to do everything we do and they think it is FUN!  These days are numbered so we need to take advantage of it while we can...

A Visit with Nanny

Nanny is in town for the week.  Mom went and picked her up today.  The kids and I went over tonight to eat some homemade ice cream. Nanny was so excited to see the kids.  I am ashamed to say she has not seen them since Christmas.  Kahtherine was skeptical at first, but quickly warmed up to her and actually put on quite the show.  She would dance, run back and forth across the room and play peek-a-boo!  Luke didn't like her getting all the attention so he was right in there with her.  He was not to be outdone.  We are glad to spend time with Nanny while she is here!

Friday Night Fun

She carried her apple through the store

Everyone picked a piece of fruit to buy

All smiles for Sweet CeCe's

Tonight was no exception our Friday night out rule.  The kids and I headed to Nashville when I picked them up from school.  We met Paul in Green Hills to eat at California Pizza Kitchen.  We got there at 5:30 so needless to say there wasn't a crowd.  The Predators were in town tonight so there were a few people eating before the game.  The kids enjoyed their pizza -- well, Katherine ate peanut butter and crackers.  She just doesn't know what's good.  After eating we ventured to Anthropologie.  I remembered very quickly this was not a place for little ones.  They were interested in anything and everything - regardless of price tag!  We quickly made our exit and headed to the more kid-friendly Whole Foods. 

They both loved looking at all the produce.  They each picked a piece of fruit to take home -  Luke wanted a pear, Katherine picked an apple and Paul found a jumbo grapefruit.  We spent quite a bit of time in there looking at everything.  If I shopped in there regularly we would go broke!

Before we headed home we stopped in for some Sweet CeCe's.  It was yummy!  I love that they have all kinds of toppings to add to your creation.  We had a fun family night!

What That Boy Learns

Sister had to have her picture made, too

It is crazy to me what all the kids learn at school.  Luke is in Spanish class once a week now.  They also do foreign language in the classroom as well.  He can count to 10 in Spanish and French.  This week the Spanish teacher sent home a drawing of Luke.  He was the "model" for the class - the teacher traced him and then they labeled all the body parts in English and Spanish.  How fun! Luke wanted to hang it up so we put it on the door.  When K saw I was taking Luke's picture she wanted in on the action, too.

Feels Like Forever

Enjoying the "pool"

The kids love that there is plenty of room to play at the farm

Neither one of the kids would look at the camera!

We ended the busy weekend by going to Gallatin to visit Nene and Pop.  It has been two weeks since we saw them in Rugby, but it seems like ages ago.  Both kids were excited to be there.  Luke decided before we went that he wanted to get in the pool.  Since it has been so hot we let them.  I could not find Katherine's bathing suit anywhere, so she went redneck style in her diaper and t-shirt. She loved the water just as much as Luke did!

After the pool they got out their riding toys until time for supper. We grilled ham and had fresh corn on the cob and salad.  All was yummy! It was nice to end the weekend on a relaxing note!

Little Helpers

Katherine hitching a ride

Paul got up extra early this morning, like 4 am, to go help with ServPro's water station at the Country Music Marathon.  The kids and blissfully slept until almost 7 which was wonderful.  We enjoyed cooking breakfast together and playing before Paul got home around 10.  He immediately started mowing the lawn and spraying weeds.  We headed back to Mom's this afternoon to do some more work.  Paul and Luke went home this afternoon to nap.  Katherine stayed with me and fell asleep late afternoon.  Mandi cooked a yummy supper and we headed home in time for the kids bedtime.  It has been great having Andrew and Mandi here and it is amazing how much got done at Mom's with their extra help!

He's Back and Wacky Tacky!

Decked out for Wacky Tacky Day

Enjoying supper with Uncle Andrew

Even though the last few days have not been what I had hoped for I wouldn't change it (well, maybe Andrew needing staples in his head).  Even though Luke was sick it gave us some one-on-one time that we would not have had otherwise.  We built an awesome train track that has brought hours of entertainment already, took naps, ate at "fun" places and got to hang with Andrew. 

I dropped both kids off this morning for Wacky Tacky Day.  Luke went all out picking the most mismatched clothes he could find - right down to two different color Crocs!  I didn't get a pic of Katherine, but she was equally as tacky!

Andrew and I worked at Mom's all day and got a lot accomplished.  We cleared out most of the storage unit she has rented for the past few months, hung lots of garage and closet shelving and unpacked lots of boxes.  Tonight we went to eat at Shane's Rib Shack.  It took longer than we thought so the kids, Andrew and I ended up driving to the airport to pick up Mandi!  She was excited to see the kids there to pick her up. 

It Gets Better and Better

Luke slept good last night with the help of the Tylenol.  He did not have a temp all day today and we do not see any spots in his mouth of anywhere else.  He felt so good he asked to go to McDonald's after we took Katherine to school.  I obliged him.  We then ran a couple of errands before coming home.  One good thing is the school said Luke can return to school tomorrow as long as he stays fever free without medicine -- fingers crossed!

Andrew came over mid-morning to help me carry some furniture downstairs.  Paul is still not 100% with his back and we don't want to risk him re-injuring it.  Andrew climbed on a patio chair to unlock the lock on our patio door (they are really tall doors with a safety lock at the top).  He flipped out of the chair and gashed his head open!  After he examined it we figured out it probably needed some medical attention.  He stayed alert during all of it but did get a little dizzy.  Since I wasn't sure how long it would take Mom left work so Luke wouldn't have to see what all would happen to Andrew's head.  I called an urgent care clinic and they were able to see him.  We wanted to avoid the ER if possible.  He and Mom were gone less than hour.  Andrew came back with 8 staples and a prescription for Lortab as well as strict orders from the doctor to take it easy for the rest of the day - no driving, no lifting. 

So, he hung out at the house with Luke and me.  He rode with us to pick Katherine up this afternoon and then we took him to Mom's.  After we got home I was cooking supper while the kids played in the dining room.  The next thing I knew I heard a crash and ran in to find a broken bottle of red wine all over the floor, on the wall and on my silk drapes!  That was the icing on the cake.  The kids were fine.  I think Katherine knocked it off the wine rack somehow.  Honestly, I am surprised this has not happened before.  Paul got home just as I was finishing the clean up.  I hope I can find someone that can get it out of my drapes!

Luke seems completely back to normal so I am planning on both kids going to school tomorrow --- one day alone is better than none!

No Vacation for Mama

Today was the start of my mini vacay from work.  This Winter has been way too busy at work so I requested a few days off to get some things done that were long overdue on my to-do list and to spend some time with Andrew.  Luke had something else in mind.  Today was Western day and Luke had been looking forward to it for over a week.  We got his cowboy costume out last night and he was so excited.

When he got up this morning he started saying he didn't feel good. I kind of dismissed him since he knew Iwas off I thought he just wanted to stay home. He got dressed but still said he didn't feel good.  I decided to go ahead and take him to the doctor kind of as a lesson about how you should not fake being sick.  We dropped Katherine off and headed to the pediatrician.  We had to wait forever.  The front desk thought it would be quicker for us to see a doctor instead of doing the Fast Track clinic.  We were there an hour and a half.  They did a strep and a urine test.  Turns out Luke has hand,foot and mouth.  There have been a couple of cases of it at the school. We think he actually got it from Katherine.  She ran a temp for 24-36 hours last weekend and had a poor appetite.  Katherine will get a temp fairly often that goes away on its own and poor appetite is not an indicator of illness with her.  She is such a picky eater, we dont' think twice about her not eating well for a day or two. 

The doctor gave us a script for Tylenol with codeine and fully prepared me for this to be a bad case.  She advised him not to return to school for the rest of the week.  When we got to the car I sat there and cried.  I was just so looking forward of three days to myself.  Luke asked if I was crying or yawning (I said yawning).  The crazy thing was he acted fine -- no temp, appetite good, etc.  I decided to go on to Mom's to help Andrew do some things.  Luke was fine until the afternoon then he started getting whiny and fussy.  He started running a low grade temp.  Here's hoping it doesn't get as bad as the doc said!

Blast From the Past

It is "The Week of the Young Child".  So, the kids' school is celebrating by having a different theme each day.  Today was "blast from the past" day.  We are not very creative around here so the only thing we could come up with was for Luke to wear some overalls.  Katherine just went as her cute self.  I couldn't believe how many of the kids really went all out dressing up.  There were a lot of 80's outfits which was hilarious. 

Her Own Space

Not the most flattering picture of K, but had to share.  What Mom's tonight she found the perfect spot to have a snack.  I don't even want to think about how dirty this step stool is, but she loved it.  It was her own little picnic table!

After Supper Treat

Last night Paul and I had a date night.  It was the first one since my birthday in February!  Mom kept the kids.  We ate at Chuy's on Broadway.  It was our first Chuy's experience.  It was packed, but we didn't have to wait too long.  It has a very cool atmosphere and the service was excellent.  The food was good and quick, but we honestly didn't think it was any better than our local Mexican favorites.  The Preds were in town tonight so by the time we finished eating the crowds had died down considerably.  Everyone had gone to the game or were at a bar watching it.  We tried that but every where within walking distance was packed with no seats available.  So, we ended up at Noshville for dessert and to catch some of the game.

Katherine was excited to see us when we got to Mom's.  She felt a little warm so we were glad we were taking her home with us.  Luke spent the night.  K did have a low-grade temp when we got home. 
I worked today and Paul actually had to go to work for a little while, too.  Mom watched both kids again.  We didn't all get home until close to 4.  Katherine ran a temp off an on all day.  She doesn't seem like anything in particular is bothering her though.  Her appetite is kind of down, but that is not unusual for her. 

Paul cooked supper tonight which was nice.  Luke asked if we could go somewhere for a treat.  He chose Dairy Queen.  It was good.  We have already decided that Katherine can not go to Sunday Scool in the morning so Mom will watch her for us so we can teach our class.  I bet Mom is already regretting moving so close!