Grandma and Papa Time

Mike got to visit some ministry partners in the Netherlands and Belgium, so Grandma and Papa came to town to keep me and the kids company. They got to come along for a lot of our activities, and it was just fun to have them here.

They got to watch the kids' soccer game, and then we all went out for celebratory frozen yogurt. It was the last night of Relay Boys, so Papa took Eli and Aiden to help them finish up their bird feeders.

The kids got lots of Grandma and Papa time while I got to attend Bible study and various meetings, and I am grateful for the extra help during the week while Mike was gone. Unfortunately I ended up with a cold, so I missed out on a trip to the zoo, but the kids had a blast with Grandma and Papa! They were excited to see the new baby elephant, and they all came home with new stuffies :)

The rest of the week was filled with playing games, reading books, and eating yummy foods. We loved our time with Grandma and Papa and are looking forward to seeing this again early this summer!

2nd Christmas + New Year's

Grandma and Papa flew into town on Christmas night, which kicked off a week of fun Christmas activities with them! To say that excitement levels were off the charts is an understatement {and the kids were pretty stoked too}  :)

We basically had a repeat Christmas morning. I made homemade cinnamon rolls, and I think I found our recipe! We opened presents from Grandma and Papa, and then spent the day playing games, making Christmas crafts, and just spending time together. We enjoyed a roast turkey dinner that evening, and it was an overall great day.

Aunt Vi crocheted ADORABLE little animals for the kids, and they absolutely loved them!

The weather was pretty cold and windy this week, so we spent a lot of time at home just hanging out, playing games, watching Christmas movies, eating yummy food, and just enjoying the week between Christmas and New Years. The kids were more than happy to share their books and toys with Grandma and Papa, as well as curl up and watch movies, have dance parties, and learn new games like Labyrinth and Carcassonne.

But we did make time {and brave the cold} for some fun outings as well. On Saturday night, we grabbed some Chick-Fil-A milkshakes before driving around the neighborhood to look at Christmas lights. On Sunday, we headed to church and then lunch at one of our favorites: Uncle Julio's. That night, we had tickets to the Meadowlark Winter Walk of Lights. They transformed the botanical gardens into a beautiful light display, and it was so fun!

On Monday, we made sugar cookies with Grandma. Unfortunately, I didn't get any photos of that adventure, as my hands were in the dough, but we made some with sprinkles, some with icing, and I think everyone enjoyed the fruit of their labor :)

On Tuesday, we ventured out for some hamburgers at Foster's Grille, and then to Lucky Strike for a friendly round of boys vs. girls bowling! Papa came out on top with the highest score, and the kids were just excited to knock down any pins {to be honest, so was Mommy haha}. 

For New Year's Eve, we make it a game marathon day, and Aiden specifically requested a dance party because he wanted "to see Grandma and Papa boogie." We watched the celebrations in London, Dubai, and Sydney and then called it a night ;)

Today, we went to lunch at McAlister's, and we spent more time playing games and soaking up the time we had left with Grandma and Papa. We were definitely sad to see them go, but we are already planning for our next trip, and we look forward to seeing them again soon!

{iPhone Rewind} :: July

If last summer was our summer of Chess, this one would be our summer of Stratego! Haha, the kids play it ALL day long, and they barely let Mike walk in the door from work before they're asking him to play!

Aiden finally lost his first front tooth! There's A LOT of drama around losing teeth in our house, but it's out, and he's now happy as a clam ;)

Pretty flowers to gear up for VBS week! :)

Mike taught the kids some silly hand tricks and they just thought it was the coolest thing ever. So now all I hear is, "hey mom! Look at this!"

Anniversary flowers :)

Working on some Picasso-inspired art!

Aiden is all done eye-patching! After 2.5 years, it couldn't come fast enough for him ;)

We have definitely had some scorchers this summer!

Mike got a chance to see my parents before his trip to Colorado, and he got to tour the TX Whiskey Ranch with my dad!

I went to put the trashcan out, and met a deer in our front yard! :)

While Mike was in Colorado, the kids and I had a sleepover in the basement! We basically just watched a movie and had some sherbet, then slept in the basement, but the kids thought it was the best thing ever haha.

Twin cuteness