Sunday, July 21, 2013

A Bit of Everything

We’ve had a terrific week. On Tuesday & Thursday, Grayson continued to enjoy his swim lessons…even getting to ride in a raft for “safety on the water day”. On Wednesday, the kiddos hit our neighborhood park after my jog and, I gotta say, I love that they enjoy the jog AND the park. It allows us all to relieve some of that extra energy. Though, that awesome BOB is getting heavier occupants each year! Whew! On Friday, Dan had an amazing birthday complete with great friends, our favorite BBQ food and an experimental cake (per his request he wanted me to combine 2 of my recipes and it was a success! Yumm-o!). Saturday heralded a terrific date night to continue the birthday celebrations. And finally, we wrapped up the weekend with a rare trip to Cracker Barrel and a newly explored park to expend some preschooler energy.
The kiddos really love The Barrel. Though, who wouldn’t? And it’s especially fun to play games at the table, shop for goodies, and enjoy youngster sized rockers, not to mention yummy blueberry pancakes and turkey sausage. After their naps, we ran a couple errands and decided to try a park down the road. What a hit! This place is pretty neat and they definitely enjoyed the change of recreation from the other 2 parks we visit almost daily. We’ll absolutely be back! All in all, it’s been a stupendous weekend!
Here are a bunch of pictures from the past week or two. Hope everyone else had an equally delightful few days!
Happy Birthday Daddy!
Laneybug perfects the messy BBQ face smile



 How about a little jog?
 And then the park!

 "Weeeeeee!"
 Why go down the slide correctly when one can challenge death?
 Hey there!
 I'm following you Laney!
 Hair courtesy of a static saturated slide
 A little trip to the Allergist, yet she's still all smiles after the shots
 Who's up for a little bike ride? "We are!"
 Water safety day...emulating a jump from a capsizing boat
 A little chat with his teacher before jumping ship
 The girls get to goof off on the swim lesson sidelines
Hee hee...Grayson photobombs. "Hey Mom, you're supposed to be watching me!"

 Cracker Barrel! Daddy uses Grayson's arm as a construction road
 Say what?!? I'm just sitting here using my phone. 
 Yup, I'm definitely going to have to man-up (girl-up??) and buy a couple of these.

 The new park. Monkey bars for the monkey.

  

They had to hold hands. Love it!
The giggles could not be contained



Friday, July 12, 2013

Fantastic Fourth!

Fireworks tend to be a big deal around this house. It’s safe to say July 4th or New Year’s Eve might be some of our favorite holidays, simply because that gives Dan the excuse to purchase a barrage of explosives and legally set them off. Each year I think it’s a goal to top the purchase expense from the previous year, and if it’s not a goal, we’ve certainly unintentionally accomplished it. Long story short, we love them and our kids are following suit too. Grayson was able to not only watch this year, but also partake. He LOVED it! Making memories for years, for sure!
This 4th we had our typical troop in attendance and we undoubtedly made it a great holiday! Delaney stayed up almost 2 hours late and Grayson made it to 3 hours past bedtime. And one would never know; they were having so much fun that there wasn’t 1 fuss or complaint. The arrival of a few yawns prompted their departure, so I’m sure next year we’ll do even better.   
It was a perfect Independence Day.
Below are a ton of pictures, but there are some additional ones HERE. So make sure to check those out too!
Happy Birthday America!
Our Arsenal
 Laney watching the set up and she is a bit skeptical about the fun ahead
 In sharp contrast...Grayson is all smiles, knowing what's coming up
 Dr. Firework and Mini-Me:
 He's so excited!!!
 Uncle Chris comforts a nervous Delaney
 "Daddy, RED PARACHUTES!!" One of Grayson's top 5 fireworks!
 Delaney: "Whoa!"
 The girls...yes, she's not wearing shoes. She's half Arkansan and born in South Carolina = it's in her DNA.
To be fair, she did start out with a pair. :-)
 Have I mentioned how much I love their sibling affection? 
She's super excited now!
 Grayson's bottle rocket posture
 Best buds
 Pop the smoke! Smoke-style, peek-a-boo!
 Sparklers!!
 Laney and Momma observe from a distance for a few
Son, I give you FIRE!
 BOOM!
Ok, I'll go to bed now...  
Laney's in bed, Grayson is going strong...let's go launch some more fireworks!
Perfect viewing position on Uncle Chris' shoulders