More Fall Break Fun

To round out our little fall break vacation we ended with a trip to one of our favorite places, Chattanooga. Chattanooga is where Ryan and I met so it holds a lot of nostalgia for us not to mention it is just a great city! We made a little stop at the Discovery Museum. Papa Don and Grandma Ruth met us there, and we got our museum on. We had a great time, and the kids loved it!





After the museum we introduced Papa Don and Grandma Ruth to a little pizza place we love called Mellow Mushroom. We split a pizza and had a nice time visiting with them. Lots of fun, good food, and the company was great too!
I am grateful we got to get away for a couple of days this year. Nothing extravagant, but lots of fun and good memories made as a family. Love my family; they make life fun!

Day Two of Farm Livin'

We woke up to clouds and drizzle. But when you are on a farm, you do as farmers do and you brave the elements, right? So we jumped in the golf carts (because every good farmer gets around his land via a golf cart) and we headed to do some fishin'. On our way to the pond we came upon three deer standing in a clearing. It was misting a little but so quiet, peaceful, and just refreshing to take in.
Once we got to the pond we got our bucket of worms, and I gave a crash course in putting your worm on your hook. P was not a fan, but if you're gonna fish, you're gonna put on your own bait. Peyton was the only one of us that got a bite all morning. She went to battle with a 12ish inch catfish and just as we were about to pull him out of the water, the line snapped. Big bummer! Nevertheless, she was thrilled and every time she tells the story the catfish gets longer and bigger.
And fishing with Mason is less than desirable. That's all I'm gonna say about that.



We spent the rest of the day exploring, hanging out with the horses, and just enjoying getting to spend some time together. It was a fantastic vacation and we are already planning our next visit. I am hoping this trip becomes a tradition for us and will be something that our kids will look back on as adults and have such fun memories of.

Farm Livin'

This year for Fall break we took a weekend trip to a farm. It's a fantastic little place on the plateau called Avans Farms. Needless to say, P was a teeny, tiny bit excited and to be honest, so was I! We left on Saturday morning after an 8:00 a.m. soccer game (blek!) and got there about lunch time. We got settled in to the guest house, had some lunch, and set out on the golf carts for some exploring on the 10 miles of hiking/riding trails. We spent the afternoon riding the horses and the surry. The surry was made in the amish community just south of us, and we all got to take a turn driving it. So neat! After the horses we got to take a hay ride and then we roasted hot dogs and marshmallows around the bond fire. The weather could not have been better. Day 1 on the farm = success!

when dad is in charge...

Sure do love the boys in my life!

just a picture of poor health...

well, a few weeks ago P got the you know what. Yep, the pig flu. Bless her, with all the talk of the "H1N1" that she has heard, she was mortified when the Dr. told us that is what she had.
After doing this for about two minutes, she was back to her usual self.

So thankful for our health and healthy kids too!

a boy and his birthday, part II

After much persuasion, M finally agreed to leave the jumpy place and head to his favorite place to eat, "chick-a-lay" That boy does love himself a chicken nugget. And the indoor play ground, well, that's just an added bonus. All in all, it was a great time for a three year old little boy.

Mason, you have brought such joy and fun into our lives. We have lofty goals for year three of your life... 1) putting our business in the potty. 2) keeping all sharpies, nail polish, and scissors off of our furniture. You can do it! Love you big boy!

Mason's 3rd Birthday Party from Ryan on Vimeo.

a boy and his birthday

I am not sure how it is physically possible for Mason to have turned 3 since he was just born yesterday, but he has. To celebrate the beginning of year 3, instead of having a party, this year we took Mason and his boy Bradley to "a jumpy place." M and Bradley have a history. They have maybe, purely speculation here, once or three times attempted to make Bradley's bathroom a "swimin' pool." These two are ALL boy and know how to get their fun on! They love all things cars, balls, and well, wrestling. Here's a little sample.
Don't be fooled by this...

Both boys going for the ball...

Mason gets to the ball...

Bradley wants the ball...

No ball in site. It's on...

And the take down...

Just a day in the life with these two. I mean, is there really a better way to celebrate your third birthday than at "the jumpy place" with an intense game of tackle basketball?

Check out the video here.