Birthday Boy

Grafton has had a lot of birthday celebrating this year. I guess turning four is a big deal! It all started when we had his birthday party 2 1/2 weeks ago. Then Vince, Deklan, his Auntie Hannah and I took him out Monday night to celebrate.

We started by going to the mall and eating Hot Dog on a Stick (one of his favorites) for dinner. He then went to the Lego Store with his dad to do some building while Hannah and I did a little shopping. (Did you notice his shirt says Birthday Boy?)

After that we took him to see "How to Train your Dragon" which is a super-cute movie and Deklan's shadow even made it into the credits at the end.... Before heading home Grafton said he wanted a real coffee drink for his birthday so we took him to Starbuck's and ordered him a double chocolate-chip frappucino. It doesn't have any coffee in it, but it's a step up from the chocolate milk we usually order him.

On the way home, with his birthday baloon in hand, exhaustion overtook him and he fell asleep for the last time as a three-year-old.

Grafton's actual birthday was the next day and our plan was to join our Mommy & Me group for some swimming. However, it was cancelled at the last minute. I couldn't make the birthday boy stay home all day, so I called my sister Rachel to see if we could bring McDonald's to her house and have a birthday lunch.

As soon as we got to Rachel's door he was greeted with many birthday wishes and the kids all enjoyed their chicken nuggets, fries, and brownie for dessert.

The following day I took Grafton for his four year well-check. We started the appointment off by having his vision and hearing tested.

After that he received a TB test and four immunizations. That did not go very well! He cried, kicked, had to be held down, and was truly tramatized (and so was I for that matter!). Thankfully he doesn't have to get another shot until he turns 11.

Seeing that the doctor's appointment was so tough for him, afterwards we went to Build-A-Bear where he spent the money his Pappa (my Dad) sent him for his birthday.

He picked out a puppy that he named Levi and all was well again for our birthday boy!

4th Annual Movie on the Grass

Vince and I have made it a tradition every April to invite our small group from church (we were previously called YAC+ but have recently changed our name to The Cove) over to spend an evening watching a movie from the comfort of our backyard.

Our dinner is always nachos, grilled hot dogs, popcorn, red vines, and movie candy.

Everyone brings their own chairs and blankets and we spend a few minutes visiting and eating before we start the movie.

I love the chairs my adorable nephews sat in. I must think about getting something like this.... My kids and I only sat on a picnic blanket.

Our movie for the evening was "Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakual"

It was a great evening to visit with friends, cuddle with my family, and eat unhealthy but good food!

Too Cute for Words

Grandparent's Day

I don't think it's widely known, but today is Grandparent's day. Seeing that I am a fanatic when it comes to holidays, I look forward to each September when we get to honor our parents for being such wonderful Grandparents. Our boys have been very blessed with Grandparents who stay actively involved in their lives and are just plain crazy about our kids.

Every year my sister Rachel and I get our boys together for a picture as a gift to my Mom, Step-Father, and Dad, and each year we take it in a new location. Seeing that the kids are still really young, and we hadn't gotten them coordinating clothes when it was almost time to take their picture, we decided to put them in a bubble bath.

For my In-laws I used a picture that was taken this summer in Minnesota. Vince has one sister who lives out of state, so it's not as easy to get all of the grandkids together.

HAPPY GRANDPARENT'S DAY!!!

Getting Excited

For what, you may ask.  In two weeks from Tuesday my Dad and three siblings from Kentucky are coming for a visit.  The last time my brothers, Nicholas and Caleb, and sister, Arianah, were here was in October of 2007 and Grafton was only 17 months old. They have not met Deklan yet and I'm glad that will change soon.

I've already started planning meals and grocery shopping for their visit.

I'm excited to spend the week swimming, playing games, sight-seeing, drinking lots of coffee, and staying up late visiting. It will be a vacation for all of us!

Peachy Keen

Seeing that we are currently in the midst of peach season, our family met up with three other families at a local farm to go peach picking.  Before we set out on our peach picking adventure, we stopped by the petting zoo.

To get to the orchard we went on a hay ride. My sister and her lovely family sat across from us.
Before leaving for the farm, Grafton told me, "Mom, I want to pick some peaches for you."  I'm glad he was able to do just that!

Where's Grafton?  

(Hint: Look in the bottom right corner.)

  He's not always in the mood to have his picture taken.

I am currently the only one in our house who likes to eat peaches. Deklan likes peach baby food, so hopefully he'll eat them with me next year.  However, Vince and Grafton like the taste but cannot stand the texture.  As a result, this is my plan for our peaches: peach cobbler, peach smoothies, and I'll eat some the way they are.

My mouth is watering already!

A Day at the Farm

This Saturday, March 7th, was Agricultural Day.  To celebrate, a local dairy farm hosted an event for families to enjoy while also learning about agriculture.  Our family was able to get in by donating 6 cans of fruits and vegetables that will go to a local food bank.

We spent the day with my sister and her family, and one of our first stops was a hay ride around the dairy.  

The best part of our hay ride was watching a calf that had been born just hours earlier.  If you look to the right of Grafton's hand, you can see it laying on the ground. The calf was trying to stand up, but never made it up on all four legs while we were there.

After the hay ride, Grafton and his cousins were able pet these chicks.  You can take one home for $7 and we were told they make great backyard pets. I had to say "Thanks, but no thanks".

Grafton really enjoyed watching the cows, but was a little intimated and kept his distance. He's staring at them in the picture below.

This is how Deklan spent the majority of his day at the farm.  He was perfectly happy to ride around in his stroller and relax.

We took a few minutes to stop at this tractor and ran into some friends of ours.  Their little boy was able to join my boys in a picture.

We spent a good part of our day stopping at the various booths that were set up.  Each one had an activity for kids that was also educating them about agriculture.  Here's just a few of those...

Planting Seeds

Planting Cotton

Studying Strawberry DNA

Making Bracelets (Each bead represented a different part of planting)

This is my sister, Rachel, her husband, Tony, and their boys Levi and Drew.  We have a lot of fun with them and really enjoy raising our kids together. 

Whenever we see a milk truck on the road Grafton always gets very excited.  This is the first time he's been able to get right up to one.

The rest of our day was spent standing in line for lunch and then finally eating it.  Rachel and I waited with Deklan while Vince & Tony took the older boys to the petting zoo.  

I am very glad the weather was so nice (it was 70 degrees and sunny) because we were in line for 1 hour and 10 minutes!  Lunch was catered by a local restaurant, and consisted of a pulled-pork or beef sandwich, beans, cole-slaw, carrot sticks, a boiled egg, honey stick, cookie, and chocolate or white milk.  The best part was it only cost $1.00!  I think it was well-worth the long wait in line.

We will definitely be going back next year for Agricultural Day!