Grant is 5!

We have decided that we only do birthday parties every other year.  So this was a non-party year for Grant.  We still make them feel special and do the cake and all, just not all of the extra invitees and party favors.  Grant made his own theme this year "it's my birthday so I can do what I want"  Ummm.... ok so we let him eat 3 donuts for breakfast and a cold hot dog for lunch, but let's not get crazy! Grant is really into golf.  We went to Lou's for dinner and then to play mini-golf with Stella and Briggs.

Lou's

 Let's just say 9 people playing mini golf was a circus.  Bless Brandon, he actually attempted to keep score for all 9 of us!  By hole 7 when Elizabeth was asked how many strokes she had and her response was "I think about 4 sounds good" and she had clearly had at least 10, he gave up on keeping score for the kids.  We let at least three other parties play through, except for this horrible couple that was behind us at the end who pretty much just glared and gave us dirty looks the whole time.  The kids had played on to hole 17, and Amber and I were conversing at hole 16 when this group of 4 men say "excuse me ladies, are those your kids? They are drinking the water." As in the heavily dyed blue water that runs throughout the course.  Awesome.  Hole 18 was the best, as the adults just sat back and watched their reactions to the balls being "swallowed" on the last hole.  Grant and Briggs were on their bellies and sticking their clubs down the hole trying to get their ball back.  The place we usually play doesn't take your ball on the last hole.  It was really fun to watch their expressions.   The once happy root beer filled bellies and mini golf enthusiast started to melt down.

In case you didn't know the proper way to measure for the correct putter...to the belly button!

Where did that ball go?!

We went home and let Grant open his gift a day early.  Camping was on his bucket list, so we thought a  tent would be great fun.

Despite the tornado watch that was in effect until 11pm, we set the tent up outside - even put the rain cover on.  I then checked in with my local weather expert (our friend Matt) and he didn't return my text with a text, but with a call.  Severe weather and lightning were headed our way.  No problem...move the camp out inside! Luckily the tent goes up and down in 60 seconds, well maybe 120 seconds, but still fast.  By 9:30 we were all (including Auggie) in the tent.  We had one air mattress and 3 iPads, 2 flashlights and the weather radio.  We watched movie on my iPad for a little bit and then 3 out of 5 began sleeping really well.  At 2:30 Auggie and I threw the towel in and headed upstairs to a very comfortable bed!

On the day of his birthday we had a nice relaxing morning.  We played hide and seek tag in the basement, chutes and ladders and took a swim.  He had a tball game at 1:00, that he really didn't want to go to because he didn't want our family time to be interrupted.  Awe! But he went and had fun.

We came home and Ima and Pops and the Campbells came over to swim.  We grilled out, opened gifts, had cake and ice cream, watched the birthday DVD that my mom makes for the kids for their birthday each year and swam some more.

It was the year of Legos!

The birthday DVD 

New golf clubs! 

The joy and smiles of relighting candles!

Later we caught lightening bugs - a lot of lightening bugs! The hillside across the street was sparkling with firefly lights.  I always remember that I had planned to host a lightening bug party for Elizabeth the weekend that I had Grant.  The lightning bugs are always great in June.

We measured Grant, 3'11" and the kids wanted to sleep in the tent again.  We said they were welcome to, but we were not joining in.  They lasted until 3 am, when the twin air mattress got too small for both of them and they came upstairs!

It was a great day with Grant and a bonus was it was also Father's Day.  A great day to celebrate all of the favorite boys in my life!

The annual birthday quiz...

1) WHAT IS YOUR NAME? Grant

2) HOW OLD ARE YOU? 5

3) WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE COLOR? Green

4) WHO IS YOUR BEST FRIEND? Brady

5) WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP? A farmer

6) WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE MOVIE? Frozen

7) WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE TV SHOW? Paw Patrol

8) WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE BOOK? Click Clack Moo

9) WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY? Mommy

10) WHAT MAKES YOU SAD? When Daddy yells at me

11) WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE FOOD? Hot Dogs

12) WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SONG? Olaf song (In Summer)

13) WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE GAME TO PLAY? Chutes and Ladders

14) WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE GIFT? Every gift!

Rain, Rain Go Away

It has been a very rainy June.  One week we had 12 inches of rain.  Each time it rains we get inches, not tenths.  We joke about building an arc.  One morning in was just rain, no thunder and lightning so I told the kids to go play in the rain.  This could win me Mom of the Year status!

School's Out for Summer!

That's a wrap!

Grant's Last Day at St Marks

Grant will still have one more year of pre-school but he will be at a different school next year.  We still had him do the graduation, it was just a graduation from St. Marks! They had a class field trip to Farm Park to celebrate.

Letting his light shine!

We have had so many wonderful pictures taken in front of this altar!  Weddings, baptisms, Christmas programs, preschool graduations! We are so blessed.

Grant & Miss Carol at graduation

Feeding the geese - or hitting them with food while they hiss 

This little calf really wanted to eat his pants!

Grant and Miss Carol

Good Neighbor Days (aka Cherry Festival) 2015

We kicked off our start to Good Neighbor Days with the Saturday morning run.  My friend and I did the 5K and Brandon ran the 1 mile with Elizabeth and my friend's son.  It was very evident that next year we will be signing Grant up too!  He made me run with him afterwards to the pancake breakfast.  So we all headed to the high school for the pancake and sausage breakfast.

Very excited 1st time runners!

The before 

The after

The weather was pretty dreary and most were wet from running in a pretty good sprinkle.  We had wristbands for the kids for the carnival rides but it wasn't looking too promising.  Elizabeth's softball game had already been cancelled.  We got home and starting doing some housework and Brandon noticed that it had stopped raining so we quickly loaded the kids up and let them ride the carnival rides until the rain was just too much.  Luckily an hour and half of small town carnival rides was enough for them!  We had planned to watch fireworks with some friends but it got cancelled too.  There is a GND family bike ride that I am hoping we can do next year.  I think the kids would enjoy that.  Earlier in the week I had threatened that if they didn't shape up they could take their wristbands and hand them over to two children who weren't has fortunate as them.  Luckily we were all able to enjoy the festivities!

The carnie warned us that there was no override and once he started the ride he couldn't stop it for any crying kids! They were champs!

The Star Jumper that Daddy and EB now call the Star Drooper because it was so boring - EB almost fell asleep

Brandon was inspired by his carnival corn dog and made chocolate covered bacon for our evening festivities!

The end of GND - with great friends, no fireworks!

Ice Cream Truck

The kids have been working really hard at saving and earning their quarters for the ice cream truck.  On this cold (55 degrees) Sunday afternoon I am sitting at the kitchen table playing games with the kids and I hear the music. I stop. I tell the kids to listen and then all of a sudden they explode "IT'S THE ICE CREAM TRUCK!!"  Then panic sets in...Grant is in his underwear.  I have tried to have him put clothes on for the last 2 hours, he refused, I gave up. I mean really, we are at home, who cares! Elizabeth is clothed, but her clothing choice is pajamas!  I run outside to flag him down and he acknowledges that he will wait.  EB is out the door with her dish of quarters like lightening.  Poor Grant is in his bedroom closet in an absolute state of panic because he can't find clothes fast enough to put on.  I, of course, help him and he stops crying and runs out.  Now it is big decision time.  I don't really feel like I have the time to go through the life lesson of counting our money and reading the menu and explaining the math.  So I point to a few things that I know they can afford and ask them to choose.  They both want a character foam ice cream bar with the gum ball eyes.  But they are a little too rich for their blood at $3.00 a pop.  Grant settles for a Sour Power Bar at $1.00 and Elizabeth is happy with a cookies and cream bar at $2.00.  Now they are really anxious to empty the dishwasher and do chores because who doesn't want a frozen gum ball?!

Meet Megan Jo!!

We have a new family member!  My brother and his wife brought this precious little angel into the world on May 12th!  Which just happens to be the birthday of another little guy that we love to pieces, Briggs!  Auntie Alison made a special trip to Atlanta to meet Megan.  I had a wonderful time and got lots of cuddles.  David and Sara are natural parents and Megan is just as sweet as can be.  I think she looks a lot like Elizabeth's baby pictures.  Daddy did an awesome job holding down the fort at home (maybe a little too good...I think I can escape again without worry!) - he even cleaned! Major bonus points!  And in case you didn't know it before -- I think my brother and I may be the biggest game show junkies in history!  We actually watched an hour and a half show on how a contestant beat "Press Your Luck" and won over $110,000!! We laughed and giggled like we were 10 and 12! I also got to watch (ok maybe nap too) the Indy 500 with David's very special commentary to Megan about who we cheer for and why.  It was priceless!!

David and I took her on her first run