Time with Friends

Today was the day for play dates with friends.  This morning, we met up with Kimmee and Channing for some fun at Rebounderz.  The kids all had such a good time getting their extra energy out on the indoor trampolines.  Once they were all bounced out, they played some arcade games in order to win a few cheesy prizes :)  Then we headed over to Burger 21 for lunch - my kids are crazy about Burger 21!  We had such a good time catching up, but I didn't get any pictures!!!

After we came home to rest for awhile, we had another play date with Hannah's best friend, Ryan.  We met up at a local park that has several playgrounds and a creek.  It was a beautiful day, and the kids had a great time!

These two melt my heart - and I'm secretly hoping they get married.

So peaceful :)

Not quite as peaceful, but so much more fun!  Hannah was hanging out on the sidelines because she got a cut on her hand.

I mean, really.

Once we came home, the kids still wanted to play outside, so Jack and I played a game of HORSE with his new basketball hoop (he beat me).  We played ring toss with Hannah, and before we knew it - Daddy was home!

And just like my dad used to do with me when I was little, Hannah climbed up onto Brad's lap to drive into the garage.  Jack was very generous and let Hannah have a turn by herself :)

It was a great, fun-filled day.  And all that sun made me wish summer was here already!

A Trip to the Mall

My kids have been asking to see Boss Baby since before it came to the theaters.  One of my co-workers told me about a discount every Tuesday at our favorite local movie theater, so I decided that Spring Break would be a great time to take the kids to the movies (since really, when am I ever going to take my kids to the movies on a Tuesday night after work?).  We really liked the movie - very funny and a cute story, too.

Hannah loves to pose next to movie posters

Since the movie theater is at the mall, I decided to make an afternoon of it.  We did some spring/summer clothes shopping, and then we saw the Easter bunny. 

We stayed to have lunch in the food court.  My kids love to eat at the food court in the mall - I think because they can play and eat and play some more.  And then they get to ride the spinning cup on the carousel!  What could be better?

Since it was such a pretty day, and we'd spent most of it indoors, we decided to hang out at the park in the evening, and Daddy met us there on his way home.  We played some basketball and spent some time on the swings.

My boys, in their matching shirts :)

I love spending time with these three.  And I love Spring Break!

Down on the Farm

As is our custom on Spring Break, we spent the day on the farm.  This year, we decided to go to Great Country Farms, and it didn't disappoint.  The weather was gorgeous - maybe even hotter than I'd planned for!  I think we even got a bit of sun, which felt nice.

My kids love a photo-op :)

Pure joy

This boy loves the slides!

Me and my little lovelies on the hay ride

Summer freckles make their first appearance

Jack showed her just what to do and what face to make!

They were so excited about this ninja course - it's like it was made just for them!

That face she makes when I've taken too many pictures

Funny side story: While we were at the farm, we decided to play a round of mini-golf.  It was only the second time the kids have played, but they were so excited!  Unfortunately, there wasn't a score card and any of those cute, tiny pencils, so we had to keep track of our own putts which wasn't a piece of cake.  For most of the game, Jack was in the lead, and so happily content.  Towards the end, I started to gain on him and finally overtook him.  At the very end, Hannah announced her score, and I announced mine.  Then Jack proudly explained that he hadn't been keeping score; he was just playing to have fun!  There was a grandma nearby playing with her grandkids, and she chuckled when she heard that...

"Gotcha there, didn't he?" she asked.

"Yes, definitely.  He always does!"

So Much Has Happened

It's been awhile since I've really written anything here...for many reasons.  And I'll be honest that it's an overwhelming task to get back into the habit because, really, where does one begin?

By now, you know that I have a new nephew, Dylan.  He is precious and smooshy, and we are in love!  The kids got to meet their new cousin on the first day of spring break.  Jack was so excited to see how tiny and cute the baby was, but he was a little nervous to hold him.  Lots of kisses on his tiny, baby head though...  Hannah is super-jealous of Dylan with a capital J.  As soon as I'm holding him or looking at him, she is all over me like white-on-rice.  It's pretty adorable and makes me feel loved.  Also affirms our decision that two is plenty:)

{this is as close as Miss Hannah would get}

After I took them to visit Dylan, we had lunch at California Tortilla and then came home to nap before visiting the Easter Bunny at the mall.  I have to say, this year went much better than the year before and definitely better than our Santa experience.  I was pretty happy with our picture!

On Tuesday morning, we met up with our BFFs at our local indoor, inflatable playground, and this was the first time that Hannah could participate.  She was so excited to jump and slide!  We all had a blast and were completely worn out.

{focus on baby girl's face in this picture - is that not pure joy that you're witnessing?}

After that, we went home, had lunch and napped.  My eye wasn't feeling too good that day, so we stayed home that afternoon and just lounged around and enjoyed each other's company.  I got to stare into these baby blues...

and he got to draw Spider-man pictures, so really, it was a win-win situation:)

Tuesday evening, I took the kids to swimming and we had Chik-Fil-A for dinner, but as the night wore on, my eye became increasingly uncomfortable.  Perhaps you remember, but last year at the same time, ironically, I suffered a corneal abrasion.  I haven't blogged much about it since then, if at all, but my abrasion was so bad that it never fully heals.  It gets to about 98-99% better, and that's where it stays.  There's actually a name for it - recurrent erosion.  In the middle of the night, if Hannah or the dogs wake me up, and I open my eyes too quickly, it re-injures itself, and the process begins again.  I've learned to adjust.  I use eye drops all of the time, and I actually have trained myself to open my eyes at different times in the middle of the night, but occasionally, something catches me off guard, and I hurt my eye.  It usually takes about 45 minutes to feel better, and it's usually an instantaneous reaction when I know that it's happened again.

Tuesday was different.  My eye felt swollen, so I tried using my drops more frequently and resting it, but it just didn't feel right.  It was a slow progression, but by Tuesday night after swimming, it was bad, and we called my eye doctor.  He called in prescriptions, and I was to see him the next day (thankfully, I already had an appointment scheduled because my eye has been having spasms...).  

I had planned for the kids to go to school on Wednesday and Thursday so that I could get some things done and and ready for the wedding, but I was sad that it was Spring Break and that they weren't home with me doing tons of fun things.  It all worked out in the end since my eye was such a mess, but still...I was sad.

So Wednesday morning I went to my regular doctor about my wrist (possible carpal tunnel or tendonitis) and then straight to my eye doctor where I learned that I had, indeed, injured the exact same spot on my eye.  Another bandage contact lens and a pair of strong sunglasses later, I was on my way to have my wrist x-rayed.  Still waiting on those results...

After my doctor's appointments, I went to grab something to eat and dropped my car off for its safety inspection - I realized I was running out of March days, and thankfully, the shuttle could drive me home, which was probably safer with my wonky eye anyway.

I slept the rest of that afternoon.  Painkillers work wonders for eye injuries...

On Thursday, Brad and I visited a possible school for the littles next year (such big decisions - I don't feel qualified to make decisions this big!!!), and then I attempted to go over to my sister's for Dylan's newborn photo session.  Dylan wasn't happy that afternoon, so we did our best.  I'll share some images once my sister decides on her announcement - I promise:)  I went tanning in preparation for the wedding on Saturday, and then I jetted off to dinner with Jessica and the other bridesmaids, wonky eye and all!  Dinner was delicious - thanks, Jess!

Friday morning the kids and I went back over to my sister's to get some more newborn shots, and while Dylan was certainly much happier, he was still not sleepy and/or wanting to be smooshed into various positions.  None the less - the pictures, if I do say so myself, are to die for.  We came home for naps, I went tanning one more time, and then we got everyone ready for the rehearsal dinner. 

{three generations}

{ceremony spot and view}

{bride- and groom-to-be}

{the rehearsal dinner crew at the wedding location}

{showing off their best behavior}

{Jack has a little crush - more on that later!}

The rehearsal dinner was so pretty, and it got everyone so excited for the wedding day!  I'll share more pictures of the wedding as I get them!  Jessica looked so beautiful, and I was so proud of Jack and Hannah and how well they did as ring bearer and flower girl.  It was so special for us each to have a role in the wedding...we'll never forget it!

Easter was very laid back at my mom and dad's.  Thank goodness - we needed laid back.  I didn't even take my camera.  That's how exhausted we all were!

So Spring Break went by in a blur, and then I went back to work for a day before coming down with a serious case of something.  Tummy bug I'm guessing, but it wasn't good.  

{What Jack said to me after I told him that I missed him and that I was sorry that I wasn't feeling well.  I asked him to come cuddle with me - this was his response!}

I'm feeling much better now. But please, please...can things just be normal for a few weeks?!

Spring Break

Last week was Spring Break.  It was so nice to have the entire week off from work, and I decided to keep Jack home from school (and use our one-week vacation credit, YAY!) for the entire week so that we could spend lots of time together.  It was such a nice week, and we had so much fun each day.  Here's a breakdown of our Spring Break adventures:

On Monday...

• Grandma and Grandpa kept Jack in the morning so that I could go have my Mommy to Be Massage.  The massage was wonderful, and I loved every single second.  I think I'm going to go each month for the last three months of my pregnancy if I can work it out.  Jack got to play with his toys at Grandma and Grandpa's house and then they took him to Chuck E. Cheese (his favorite restaurant) for lunch.  After I dropped the puppies off for haircuts and did some Easter shopping, I picked Jack up and brought him home for nap time.  During the entire week, Jack and I napped together - it was so fun, and we both slept so well each afternoon.  That afternoon we just played around the house.

On Tuesday...

• we met Aunt Kimmee and Channing at Sport Bounce, one of Jack's favorite places to play.  While we were there, we also ran into Ben, one of his friends from school.  He was so excited to see his friend in a new setting, and they played hard together for a long time while his mommy and I chatted.  After Ben left, Jack focused more on Channing, but I noticed that he wasn't really playing with him so much as constantly running past him in the inflatables.  When I could finally catch up to him, I asked, "Jack, are you helping Channing or are you just paddling right past him?"  
  
  
  With complete honesty, he responded, "Just paddling past him."  Lovely.  We're working on how to be gentle and helpful to our younger friends:)
  
  
  After Sport Bounce we headed to the mall so that I could buy some new jeans, and we had lunch at the food court.  Before we went home, we took a ride on the choo choo train.   

On Wednesday...

• Jack helped me go stroller shopping in the morning, and we finally settled on the double stroller we'll be getting soon.  He wasn't quite sure what he thought about the baby seat right up front at first, but after a little push around the store, he seemed to understand.  Afterwards, we had lunch with Grammy at Red Robin and ran into John (my sister's fiance) and his mom while we were there.  We ended up all eating together, and Jack was excited to spend some time with Grammy and Uncle John:)  We came home, took a nice long nap in Mommy's bed, and then headed back to the mall to have our picture taken with the Easter Bunny.  Based on the evidence, Jack is clearly more fond of the Easter Bunny than Santa.  

On Thursday...

• we headed back to Sport Bounce in the morning and met up with Kimmee and Channing again.  I was a little stir-crazy and Jack needed to burn off some energy.  By the time we left, we'd both had a little break from one another:)  That afternoon, after our nap, we met Kimmee and Channing at Frying Pan Park.  The boys had so much fun with one another...visiting the animals, riding the tractors, and playing on the playground.  Here are some of our photos from the afternoon:

Baby Goats

A Bull

Jack on a tractor

Such a cutie

Visiting the bunny (Jack has asked to go back and see the bunny at least four times since then!)

Holding hands

A horse

Sheep

On Friday...

• we ended up having a lazy morning at home, and then we did some shopping and had lunch with Grammy.  Everyone was kind of grumpy - maybe it was the yucky weather!  We sure took a good nap later that afternoon:)

On Saturday...

• I cleaned the house like a crazy person (I think nesting is starting to set in) and pulled out some of our Easter decorations.  Then Jack and I went with Grammy and Grampy to visit Great-Grandma Stella for Easter.  Jack loved exploring the goldfish pond, looking at the garden bunnies, and watching the squirrels in the courtyard.  I love watching him explore - I imagine it's very much what his daddy was like as a small boy.  It's cute.

We wrapped up our fabulous Spring Break on Easter Sunday, and I have some great pictures to share:)  More on that later...