Weekend Recap

Oh how it seems like this month has flown by, Tuesday marks the first of November! Before I know it the end of the year will be here.. its crazy how time really does fly :) Our weekend was another short one, somewhat productive and somewhat lazy. But really that sometimes is the best kind of weekend. Friday was a very lazy day for the kids and I. While Brandon was at work, we hung out at home inside. The weather was quite dreary.. cold, windy and more rain. Nonetheless, it was a great excuse to stay indoors and be homebodies. I was somewhat productive in my activities by cleaning upstairs (dusted and vacuumed), did a load of laundry, wrote out my meal plan and grocery list for next week.. nothing vastly exciting but needed to be done. The kids played for awhile upstairs.. we had pizza for lunch and while Henry took a nap, I napped and P watched some shows on Netflix. Brandon got home a little earlier than usual and he picked up Chinese for us for dinner. It was very yummy and a nice treat! Rest of the night was spent playing with the munchkins upstairs and then bath time and getting them ready for bed.

Saturday morning, we woke up to some sunshine. It was still a little chilly but I can handle the cold much better when its nice and sunny outside. We had a lazy morning before getting dressed and ready for the day. We went up to Walmart and roamed around some. Hard to believe they are already getting Christmas decorations out! I guess it wont be too long before that holiday is here. We came back to the house and I made pizza biscuits for lunch. Henry went down for a nap around 1 and I tidied up a bit around the house as well as did a load of Army laundry. It was quiet time for P and Brandon watched some college football... the Arkansas v. Vanderbilt was a good game to watch! Once Henry got up from his nap, we all played outside some until it was time to get ready to head to the Oak Grove Halloween Party. We got the kiddos dressed up in their costumes. Henry looks so handsome as a train conductor and P decided on Princess Belle and looked adorable! (I'll have to take better pictures on Monday to post.) We stopped at Wendy's for a quick dinner on the way.. not knowing what food would be available and not wanting to eat too late. It was tasty and even Henry ate really well! However, the Oak Grove event was a bust and we should have recognized that with the line of traffic just to turn in and park. It was VERY unorganized with no one directing traffic or what was going on. It was all inside several adjoining buildings but there was only one line to enter and only so many were allowed to enter at one time. The line (no kidding) was wrapped around the parking lot. It was insane.. at least an hour wait from the end of the line to the door. There was no way the kids were going to wait in that and especially not just for candy (that they don't eat anyways). Needless to say we left that mess! Note to self next year don't even attempt, ha! Thankfully, we already had plans after the event to go to a coworker of Brandon's, Chief Shoenfelt, house. He is Halloween crafty as well and has been talking to him about the spooky set he made in his garage. They live out in Oak Grove so we stopped by. His house was very neat and definitely spooky. Henry was not sure of it and neither was P. We visited with them for awhile and took the kids to a few houses in their neighborhood since they were already in costume. The city of Oak Grove decided to do Halloween Saturday night instead of Monday. The kids really enjoyed it especially Henry. He loves carrying his pumpkin from house to house and he did not want to give it up. Its not that he cares about the candy, I think he just likes that he earned it or something. It was quite chilly so after a few houses they were done and we headed back home. The each picked out a treat from their buckets and of course my kids pick the pretzels, ha! Then we got them ready for bed... both were tired... P even asked to go to bed. Both munchkins were down by 8 :) Brandon and I watched some football.. including another WIN for South Carolina!! The Stanford v. USC game was another good one to watch as well!

On Sunday morning, we all slept in until 830! That never happens in this house especially not for P or Henry. They both must have been tired from Saturday's activities. It felt good to sleep in, this mama appreciated it greatly :) The rest of our morning was lazy.. I made blueberry muffins for breakfast and afterwards the kids went upstairs to play. Brandon did some yard work then it was lunchtime. Henry laid down for a short nap while Brandon watched football, P played the Wii and I read some in my book & dozed a little too. After Henry got up, we headed downtown to the museum. Its our go to place when we need something to do. The kids always enjoy being there and playing. Henry LOVES the trains. And its technically free since we just paid the membership fee for a year. We lucked out today and the place was practically ours. The kids had a blast and easily spent over an hour there! On the way home, we stopped at a local Mexican restaurant for dinner. It was oh so yummy and always nice not to have to cook! Another weekend of limited cooking for me, but I wont complain :) I cook on the weeknights and even did so well as not to eat a single lunch out all week which is a big deal for me, ha! We came home and took Murray for a walk around the neighborhood. Then upstairs for story time before bath time and getting ready for bed. The kids watched a show then both were in bed by 8. Another successful yet lazy weekend which is good because we have a full, busy week ahead of us that's filled with some exciting events! :)

Flashback Friday

Pictures of Halloweens Past:

October '06

Our first Halloween (Brandon was in AIT in '05) and I was pregnant with P.

We were living on Post at Fort Irwin, CA.

October '07

Peighton's First Halloween

P was only 9 months old and the cutest little pumpkin ever!

Notice our decorations got better that year :)

October '08

P was almost two here. She didn't dress up that year. We went to Disneyland to Mickey's Trick or Treat Part the weekend earlier. Plus we lived in an apartment in Barstow, CA with not many

places to go trick or treating.

October '09

P was 2 1/2 and a fairy princess. She was too cute!

We were in SC for that weekend and went trick or treating around my parents' neighborhood. Then attended a Halloween Party at the neighbors' house. This time I was pregnant with Henry. Notice a pattern, ha :)

October '10

P was Princess Jasmine and Henry (his first Halloween) was Rex the dinosaur from Toy Story.

Brandon was deployed and thus we were at my parents' for the holiday.

Aunt Danielle and Miss Shannon took P around the neighborhood. Henry went to a few houses to show off his costume but mostly we stayed at Mimi & Papa's and passed out candy.

Weekend Ramblings

Hope all is going well!!! We are enjoying a lazy weekend thus far but sure going to miss being at the Doggette Family Reunion tomorrow as well as being in SC in general for a visit. Just wasn't going to happen.. no extra days off and its too long of a drive for a quick turn around. Looking forward to visiting in December!! Here are a few random thoughts:

• A helpful hint to all you Kindle users/owners: do not fall asleep in the bathtub with it in your hands, ha! Seriously :/ Yep that's what happened to me last night and luckily, it seems to be recovering fine.. so far it still works. I let it dry out all last night and charged it up this morning and so far so good! Hopefully, it will keep on working or I know what I will be asking for Christmas this year :)
• Heartburn and Acid Reflux is back (with a vengeance)! Not sure if its stress, exhaustion or baby growing but lately it has been getting worse even with my prescription Zantac. I can only take one a day and I take it at night with my supper which helps tremendously at night time making sleep better. However, I feel like its wearing off my mid morning and I spend the rest of the day until I take it again chewing on several Tums to curb it. At least its a condition that goes away once baby gets here and my insides can relax back to normal position, ha!
• I'll be 32 weeks tomorrow!! This trimester is flying by!! I have a feeling he will be an early baby, maybe even earlier than the 38 1/2 weeks his brother and sister came. I just find myself doing too much and over exerting myself... some days I can't help it and other days I know I should relax, do as little as possible and keep my feet up. Trying to find that balance is always tough especially with two other kids at home including a toddler. But I think I also do as much as possible now because I know once baby comes things will have to slow down. Our schedule will change and outings will be limited especially once Brandon goes back to work and its just me to handle all 3 munchkins when we are out and about.
• I feel ready for baby #3 though... as much as a change it will be for our family. I think it will be a good change.. somethings will get harder to tackle (i.e. outings, running errands) but other things really wont be affected. Luckily, Peighton is almost 5 and a big help around the house when she wants to be. And the older Henry gets, the more independent he becomes. I know they will both be GREAT big sister and brother to Francis Scott :) I feel that most of tasks and shopping lists are checked off as well. I have a few things I need to pick up for my hospital bag for myself and a few more things I need to pick up for baby. There is a bassinet that still needs to be put together and put in our room as well as its linens washed up. There are lots of little clothes that need tags cut off of and washed. We have a car seat base we need to install into the van. But those are little things that will be easily accomplished over these next remaining weeks (fingers crossed). As long as baby does not decide to come before Thanksgiving weekend which also marks my 37th week.. after that he is more than welcome to make his arrival!
• There is a lot coming up in the next few weeks! Stay tuned :)

Boo at the Zoo Pictures :)

Trick or Treating

P the Pirate :)

Mommy and Henry :)

Such a big boy!!

the end of the night= sleepy boy <3

Weekend Recap

What another great weekend under our belts!! It was short.. sometimes those 2 days just fly by!! But we had a fun, productive weekend nonetheless :) Friday while Brandon was at work, the kids and I spent most of the day with a great friend and her little boy roaming around town and accomplishing some errands. Brandon had Officers Call that afternoon at a local restaurant and he texted us to meet him at Red Lobster for dinner when it was over. Thankfully even though it was a Friday night, we didn't have to wait for a table nor our food. It was yummy and the munchkins were well behaved. We then went over to Walmart and roamed for a bit before heading home and getting the kiddos ready for bed. The hubs and I watched an old scary movie on Netflix, The Creature from the Black Lagoon.

Saturday morning our neighborhood was hosting a community wide yard sale and we had a few big things left over from last time and participated in it. It began at 8 am so we dragged out our stuff to the drive way. It was slow going but we sold a few big things and made a little over $100 so all in all it was a good deal. I even scored a few deals myself.. we walked around our side of the neighborhood and one house was selling a bunch of Dr. Seuss books for $1 each as well as a Leap Frog Tag system with the case and two books. I had picked up the Leap Frog Tag system in Pink at the PX a few weeks ago for P for Christmas.. it was marked down to only $27 (originally $39). Now Henry will be getting one for Christmas as well so they wont have to share or fight over it. And the lady sold all the Dr. Seuss books and the Leap Frog bundle for $9. You can't beat that! :) The two books that came with the system were the Cat in the Hat which will be perfect for P and the other book was The Little Engine that Could which is great for Henry. I just need to pick up the pink case for P and we will be set! I had thought about getting the Tag Jr. system for Henry but most reviewers agree that regular Tag system works just as well for younger ones and enables them to grow into. And the price couldn't be passed up! So needless to say it was a good morning! We had a light lunch then Henry laid down for a nap and Brandon watched the South Carolina football game. We got ready for the day and headed out around 3 to meet our good friends (the St Johns) for an early supper in Nashville at Cracker Barrel before heading over to the Zoo for the Ghouls at Grassmere event. Dinner was good and the zoo was so much fun! The kids really enjoyed it and even little Henry got into the trick or treating. We hit up all 20 of the trick or treat stations and even were able to see some of the animals before dark. The kids rode the carousel and we toured the old house on the grounds at the zoo. We enjoyed the hayride as well! We left around 830ish and both kids fell asleep about half way back to the house. Henry was so tired.. I carried him upstairs when we got home.. changed his diaper and put on his pajama pants and put him in his crib and he was still out! We had a good time and hope to go back again next year!! Its a lot of fun especially for our kids who are still young.. definitely worth it!! :)

Sunday we took it easy.. Brandon had a few projects around the house he wanted to work on and we had a few errands to run in town. We grabbed some lunch at Zaxby's. Henry fell asleep in the car and finished his nap at home. I had some laundry to catch up on. P played the Wii for a little bit. We just took it easy for the most part. Henry was up before 3. Then about 330ish, we got ready and headed out to the Greenway Trail for a walk. We even took Murray this time. We had went last Monday when Brandon was off. Its about 5.2 mile loop with 2 major hills. Its a lot of walking, but its nice to get out of the house and get some fresh air. And the kids do mostly well in the stroller and we let them out for a few segments to walk/run on the trail as well. Murray kept up with us but he was tired when we got home :) Brandon grilled hot dogs for dinner and we had a good dinner before beginning our typical nightly routine. The kiddos must have been worn out themselves.. Henry was in bed by 8 and P shortly there after... and neither stirred till 8 this morning! I'm pretty sure Brandon and I were exhausted ourselves, ha!

Pumpkin Patch Pictures

Weekend Recap

I heart 4 days!!! I love the long weekends and love the family time it creates. It seems there are fewer of them, but I will still take 'em when they come around! Thanks to Columbus Day, Brandon has had off since Friday and it's been a GREAT weekend! Thursday night, we started off our weekend off right with grilling steaks for dinner. I also made baked macaroni & cheese and green beans. It was a yummy meal :) Friday morning, we got up and got ready for the day. We did some roaming in town, ran a few errands, had a delicious lunch at Buffalo Wild Wings, and walked around the mall. I picked up Peighton a new winter jacket at The Children's Place for a steal of only $15 and it was originally marked at $29. They were having a great sale! Its just been hard to get motivated to buy the kids a bunch of winter clothes when the highs are still hitting in the high 70's/low 80's... not exactly cold weather clothing yet! That afternoon Henry took his nap and Brandon worked outside cleaning up his truck. P and I made a Halloween cake and we had pizza biscuits for dinner. We played outside and went for a long walk around the neighborhood that evening. Saturday morning was mostly quiet.. we lounged around the house. Brandon mowed the front yard and cleaned it up. We had lunch and watched some football. Henry took a nap. Then when he got up, we all got ready to head out to a local pumpkin patch. We went to the RiverView Mounds Farm and had a lot of FUN! We decided to go later in the day in hopes of the weather being cooler and it was nice outside. There were a lot of activities for the kids to do. We tackled the corn maze.. it wasn't too challenging. The kids loved playing on the swings. We saw all the animals and checked out the pig races. We went on the hayride.. a little dusty, but fun! P got to ride the ponies and the barrel train ride. Henry attempted to ride it as well, but hesitated in the end and him & Brandon just walked behind the train. P picked out a little pumpkin and Henry picked out two mini pumpkins and I picked up some Indian corn. We left after a few hours in search of some dinner.. we were all getting hungry and it was getting close to bed time. We had a quick dinner at Arby's then headed home where the kids got a quick bath and got ready for bed. They were exhausted but I know we all had a good time :) Sunday morning, we got ready for the day and headed on Post to run some errands. Brandon had to go to his office first then we went by Subway and grabbed some lunch to go and headed to the park. We ate our "picnic" lunch and then played for awhile. The kids had a lot of fun and the weather was gorgeous! On the way home, we stopped by the commissary to pick up a few things. Henry fell asleep on the way back to the house and finished his nap at home. The rest of the day was spent relaxing and catching up on some housework. Brandon fried up homemade chicken tenders for dinner.. and we had pumpkin pie for dessert. This morning the kids slept in a little and we enjoyed some yummy french toast for breakfast courtesy of Brandon. I cleaned up the kitchen some and the kids played upstairs. Brandon is busy painting Henry's train table to match the color of his toddler bed (pics and a post of that to come soon). We are going to enjoy a lazy day at home to round off our great long weekend!

Munchkin Randoms

The kids are growing up so fast. Some days I'd just like to freeze time and keep them little.. of course there are other days where we could fast forward whatever icky stage or mood they seem to be in that day, ha! I feel like they are learning, growing and changing so much, its hard to keep up with them and more importantly blog or write it down so one day I will remember. So that is what this is post is about.. just random facts about the kiddos and some ramblings about them as well :)

• P is teaching herself to read. She can almost master all her Level 1 Easy to Read books. It started off as memorization but now she has her sight words down that she easily reads word for word what is on the page. There are a few words she still stumbles on and needs assistance on sounding them out. I am impressed and so proud!
• For a kid who took a little while than usual to learn to walk, Henry is now everywhere without fear or hesitation. He has no qualms with walking down to the sidewalk several houses down and typically we have to stop him or he would keep on going. He loves to run and is learning to walk up the stairs. We have even removed the floor board from his Little Tikes Cozy Coupe Car and he is learning to use his feet to make it move and get to where he wants to go.
• I love LOVE that P is such a reader. As an avid reader myself, my heart is warmed by the fact that she loves to read so much. She can often be found upstairs in her room just reading or playing library. Its neat to see how much of me she has in her :)
• Henry is still sleeping in his crib but at only 20 months old, I'm okay with that. He is making great strides in the toddle bed department... He use to not even sit on it, and now, he will lay it and play on it.. he is just not quite there yet to actually go to sleep in it. He usually starts crying big crocodile tears and points to the crib. But I know he will get there soon enough and he will be all big boy then!
• I am happy that P and Henry like to play together and mostly do it well. It helps out a lot during the day time especially if I have chores to accomplish. Its a relief to know I can send them both upstairs and they can keep each other content while I tackle my tasks. They are also both good at playing by themselves. P is especially good at it since she was the only child for over three years. Henry does well for the most part especially if I get toys out that he typically doesn't play with.. its like something new and he will be content for awhile. This fact reassures me for when baby #3 comes along and my time will be stretched even more so!
• I love that kids love to be outside and play outside. And with the fall weather it has been so nice to be able to go out in the backyard and burn off some energy while playing for about an hour. We typically try to go in the afternoons before dinner time especially now that it is starting to get dark earlier in the evening. They will play on the swing set, ride around in the jeep, play with the balls, chase the dog around and swing. Then we still go for a walk around the neighborhood every night after dinner. And even though we take the wagon, both of them usually like to get out and walk about half way through it. I am not looking forward to the winter season where are days are numbered for such activities as these.

Happy Fall Y'all!!

This weekend it was definitely feeling like fall... weather was cool and windy.. perfect for decorating the house! Brandon loves to decorate for the holidays and this year was no exception. I think he missed not being able to do it last year due to the deployment and made up for lost time this year, ha!



The kids really enjoyed getting to help daddy decorate, especially P. She was quite the little helper! Henry isn't even scared of any of the decorations and loves the lights at night time. We spent a good bit of the weekend outside and enjoyed the nice weather! We have a few activities on the calendar this month to celebrate fall. We are going to the Riverview Mounds Century Farm where they have all kinds of activities including a pumpkin patch and a corn maze. Looking forward also to next weekend when we get to attend the Ghouls at Grassmere event at the Nashville Zoo :) We took P back in 2009 and we had a lot of fun. There are a lot of activities for the children there as well including 20 trick or treat stations, carnival games, a hayride, a spooky carousel, and lots more! I am hoping Henry enjoys it as much as P did. I love this time of year <3