It's Grove Day!

Grafton informed me this morning that it was "Grove Day!"  She was so excited about spending the day in the Grove, getting to watch the marching band, and going to the football game. She really absolutely loves the whole Game Day experience and she is such a good girl all day.  We got there early as usual, ate breakfast in the Grove then went to the 11:00 game, came back for naps at the tent, then finished the day off with dinner and friend time before heading home.  Once again, I am incredibly proud of our children and feel blessed to be able to share this tradition with them.

Yay! My best friend Samantha (aka Aunt Sam) was in town!

 My sweet, dear friend...our 12th year in the Grove together!

 Nap #1

 My favorite picture of the day!

 My baby boy is getting so big!

 James is getting some lovin' from DeeDee and Pops!

 Happy to be at the game

 Cheering for the rebels

 James is amazed by hats

 Grafton napping on DeeDee

 Nap #2 for James

 Sweet Daddy-Son moments

 Another favorite picture from the day

 Sure do love this man!

 My girls!

 Aunt Sam and James- dancing in the Grove!

Another football weekend

It is yet another football weekend in God's country, and the kids are excited as usual. Grafton talks about the Grove all the time, and she gets quite excited when she knows that the tents will be going up and we will be "groving" all day.  On Fridays before a game, Pops take the day off of work and he and DeeDee spend much of the day with us. The kids get spoiled being able to spend so much time with them. We usually get out in the hustle and bustle of things on Fridays, and we always go by the Grove and Square in the afternoon. It is fun to feel the excitement around town and see so many people enjoying the town we call home.  Here are a few pictures from the day-

Fire Station fun

Last week I took the kids to the fire station with a group of Oxford moms, and Grafton had a great time climbing on the fire trucks and listening to the firefighters talk about what they do. In case you have forgotten, Grafton LOVES fire trucks.  She loves them so much that we have to drive by them daily- even if that means going out of our way just to see them. So obviously this was a highlight to her week, or maybe month! Here are a few pictures I got of my sweet girl.

Good morning!

Mornings are usually a lot of fun at our house! The kids are bright-eyed and ready to play, and I am usually well rested and excited to start the day. Most days we start off playing in the playroom, we gradually move downstairs for breakfast, and end up dancing to music in the nursery or reading books on the floor.  Here are some pictures from this morning of the kids being silly, cuddling on the couch, and making me laugh!

Helping Mommy clean dishes

 Playing in the diaper box

 So happy

 Playing with puzzles in the playroom

Sweet big sister kisses

 watching Mickey Mouse together

 When did she get so old?!

 holding hands....so sweet!!!

Back home

After getting back home from my girls weekend, we dressed James up in his new Halloween costume and Eric and Grafton cut the grass. It always cracks me up how much Grafton LOVES to cut the grass with her Daddy. This time Eric let her steer, so we probably have donuts in our yard where she turned the mower in circles over and over! Here are a few pictures from the afternoon...

Girls Weekend

I am blessed to have some very sweet friends that I have known for a long, long time- back to my Hutchison School days.  This past weekend we got together in Nashville for a girls weekend, and we each left our kids (each of us have 2 about the same ages) with our husbands for a fun weekend!  It was nice to have some Mommy time and long overdue "catch-up" time with friends. I was sad to leave my family for a couple of days but it was a nice mental break...and now I feel quite refreshed! Eric had a fun time and did such a great job all weekend, and my parents were a great help, too! I am lucky to have a great support system around me, and my children are blessed to have so many people who love them beyond understanding! While the weekend away was much needed and much enjoyed, there is really no place I would rather be than with my children and wonderful husband! Here are some pictures from the trip and once I got home...

A quick picture before leaving town!

 Me and the kiddos

 Pops and James- ready for a fun day without Mommy!

 Ready for lunch in the gardens

 Kristi, me and Lisa

 My boys- waiting on me to get home!

 One of my favorite pictures of the two guys!

 Grafton opening the present I brought her back

 Yay! 2 new books!

James strikes again

James is all over the place. He gets into things that Grafton never even imagines.  He climbs on everything, opens every door, tears up tissues and toilet paper, grabs anything within reach, and put everything in his mouth!  He is seriously the sweetest and happiest little boy I have ever seen, but goodness gracious I am going to have my hands full with this little monkey. While I was cooking the other day he got into one of my cabinets, pulled out the mixing bowls and climbed on inside!  Then yesterday I was getting things out of the refrigerator and up he goes in there- reaching for food and banging on drawers.  Not a minute later he was climbing in the dishwasher as I was loading it up!  He pushes chairs and stools all around the house, he thinks everything is a push toy, and he has already figured out how to open cabinets with the child safety latch on it! He is the cutest little mess you have ever seen!! In his bath last night he pulled down the picture frames that Grafton has never touched and pulled all the shampoo and lotion in with him!  It really cracks me up to watch him!  Fun (and exhausting) times ahead for us!

Playing in the cabinets while Mommy cooks

 Pushing his high-chair during dinner

 Uh Oh....climbing in the fridge

 no kidding- he got up there by himself to play in the dishwasher

 And again this morning...in the fridge!