It's a Zumba GNO!

Two Girls' Nights Out in one month = madness!

This time, we got the ladies from Livn's Zumba classes together for a night out on the town in downtown Greenville. What an awesome night - dinner, drinks, and dancing with some awesome gals that I am so lucky to have in my life! These ladies are so fun - and I never would have met them if it weren't for our gym and... Zumba!

(Much love to all the Zumba gals, including Nicole, Wendy, Victoria, Tonya, Ashley, Judee, Michelle, and Alisha... to name a few!)

A Day Out with Thomas!

For all the years that Reid has loved trains, he has never been as "train crazy" as some of his friends. But he does love them. Even when they disappear from his toy lineup for a while, he always seems to come back to them faithfully. So this year, when our friends the Maxwells asked if we'd like to go to "A Day Out with Thomas"... of course we went!

The nearest location for the event is in Bryson City, NC - maybe 2 hours from here, into the mountains a bit. Janet and I ventured out with Reid (4), Will (4), and Sofia (2) early in the day so we'd have plenty of time for whatever came our way.

We got there without a problem (well, other than those caused by two four-year-olds sitting too close to each other) and decided to visit the model train museum. They had a nice little setup and the kids loved watching the trains and pushing the buttons to move the different mechanisms. After grabbing some lunch at the Depot, it was finally our time to board the (un-air conditioned) train!

The boys were super excited (I'm not sure if Fi really cared) as we departed the station. The "route" - which is really just straight down the track and then reverse all the way back to the station - took about 45 minutes total and was enjoyable. We passed over a large stream and through some hills and, at the reverse point, Thomas let out a huge cloud of steam! The boys spent the entire ride looking out the windows in awe.

After the ride, we visited the Thomas gift tent and somehow did not buy anything (yay!). Then we visited the petting zoo, the activity tent, and the bouncy house. Did I mention that it was super hot that day? Of course we also needed some ice cream before getting back in the car for the ride home.

As expected, the ride home was not as easy-going as the ride there because the kids were hot and tired. And then we hit Greenville right around rush hour which made getting home that much harder. The kids were hungry and cranky! But we made it and it was worth it - a great day for the most part!

Maskerade!

Nicole and I had our own girls' night out and ventured out to a "Maskerade" (yes, I know that's not you spell it... but I am pretty sure that is how the event name was spelled!) that her friend's Michael and Ryan were a part of.

What a random night! First of all, she didn't even pick me up until after 10pm and of course that's my bedtime! Then we had to find this place - which was in Spartanburg (sort of) and that was an adventure in and of itself.

Fortunately, good friends can have fun no matter what the situation... so we had a great time!

(Check out Ryan's awesome painted-on custom mask! So cool!)

AJW Playground Design Day

There is a new elementary school being built downtown called the A.J. Whittenberg Elementary School of Engineering. (That's a mouthful, I know.)

Anyway, not only does this new school offer an engineering curriculum for its students, but it also will house the only public (non-early intervention-based) K4 program in the county. And we just happen to live in one of the priority areas for the school so... Reid will be attending preschool there this fall! We are so lucky that he got in because the waiting list is VERY long already, especially for the K4 program.

Since the school is still under construction, that also means that the playground doesn't exist yet either. The school has partnered with various corporations and charities to fund a really awesome playspace for the kids and they held a "Design Day" for the kids to offer ideas of what they'd like to see at their playground.

Design Day was held at Fluor Field. The kids got to meet and greet their potential classmates, enjoy some fun activities, and try out the food that will be offered in the school cafeteria (which is also serving as a test program for offering healthful meals within the school budget - another super cool thing about the school).

They kids participated in breakout sessions by grade and were directed by local engineers to draw some ideas for the playground. Of course, Reid's age group's drawings were perhaps not as easy to translate into the real world plan for the structure, but they loved being included. It was great to see them offer ideas to the engineers and get excited out figuring out whether it could really work or not.

After all the drawings and ideas were submitted, an architect drew up a plan for the playground that was shown to everyone that night back at the Field. After the school opens in August, there will be a "Build Week" for the playground that will use mostly volunteer labor to get the job done.

We are SO excited to be a part of this school and I know Reid is going to love it! (He's already obsessed with the school mascot: A.J. the Robot...)

(Check out Reid painting a "tile" with his future art teacher, Miss Burge. The tiles will be used as part of the playground design!)

Visitors!

Reid was glad to have a visit from two of his favorite "people" this month...

His Granna, and...

Miss Libby! :)

Dawson's Fourth Birthday Bash!

Yet another birthday party!

This time, we got to celebrate with Reid's friend Dawson at his annual "Birthday Bash." (There's always a commemorative t-shirt to make it extra official!)

We had a wonderful with Dawson's friends and family by the pool. Somehow, they always seem to have great weather for this event!

Happy birthday to Dawson!

Father's Day / Toy Story 3!

I'm sure it was a very special Father's Day for Ross this year, as we spent it seeing the long-awaited release of Toy Story 3!

(Remember how long we've been waiting? Since before this October 2009 post...)

Ross is a wonderful Dad, so of course he spent Father's Day doing what Reid wanted to do. As you can see, they both enjoyed using the 3D glasses! (I only wish we had managed to take a "normal" Father's Day pic, too. This is all we have!)

A Party for Andrew & Avery

One of Reid's best buddies from school, Andrew, turns four this month - and his sister Avery turns two (bless their mom!) so we celebrated with a party at Pump It Up!

Lots of Reid's schoolmates were there and there was lots of action! Pump It Up has different rooms with different inflatables and activities so just when the kids get restless, it's time to switch rooms. (Someone is veeerrryyyy smart...) We spent time in the first room with a big slide that was a hit with the kids - and the dads - and then moved on to the next room, where there were several things to choose from including an obstacle course and a rock wall.

We were so proud of Reid for going up the wall! And I was the first adult to try it out. I made it all the way to the top! Lucky me.... I won some Pump It Up tattoos for my efforts!

I loved seeing sassy little Avery stomping around in her birthday tutu - she is a feisty girl!

Happy Birthday to Andrew and Avery!

Summer is Here!

Summertime is officially here! We kicked off the summer with a group playdate with some friends (and friends-of-friends) from Reid's school.

Since peaches are in season, we took a drive to a local peach orchard. They had lots and lots of varieties for us to pick, and some super-delicious plums, too!

We got there early in the day to beat the heat... but we weren't early enough. It was H-O-T! About an hour of picking was more than enough for the kids, and the moms. We had planned on staying for a picnic lunch but that did not seem nearly as fun once we were out there.

But at least we all walked away with bushels of peaches and plums to eat! (Did I mention that neither Ross nor Reid will eat fresh peaches? Or plums? *Sigh.*)

Botanical Gardens Fun

During the most recent trip to Alabama, we took a trip to the Botanical Gardens to check out the latest exhibit: Tree Houses! Reid's favorite cousin, Maggie, went with us and we had a great time. But, boy, was it HOT outside!

There were several different tree houses and all were designed completely differently from the others. Some were up high in the trees and some were ground level. There was one that was a very modern looking pirate ship and another that was all recycled materials.

We also got to enjoy the lovely greenery, and the butterflies, fish, and turtles, too. After some lunch, there was one boy who needed a nice long nap - which is a rarity these days. All in all, a pretty good day! :)

The Next Generation

Lifelong friends are just the best. I have a core group of gals from my hometown that I have known since kindergarten and first grade, and I try to see some or all of them whenever I am home for a visit.

We have seriously seen each other through so many milestones: first boyfriends, learning to drive, football games, proms, weddings, etc. And now.... kids! It is so much fun to get together and watch all our kids play together, too. And I love how I can see features and traits in the little ones that I knew in my friends when they were children.

Reid, Emma, MaeLee, Anna, Katy, and Avery

(I wish we had thought to take this photo when Kayleigh and Gavin were there!)

Mother's Day Tea

Reid's preschool holds a Mother's Day Tea each year. Of course they are always special and this one was no exception.

We started off the morning by dropping off the kids. Then the moms were all escorted to the sanctuary where we were treated to a special slide show of photos of our kids from throughout the year. Talk about a tearjerker! And we also got a copy of the slideshow to keep which was wonderful. After that, we went to the breakfast room where there was a huge spread of goodies to eat while the kids serenaded us. Then we got to share breakfast with our little ones and enjoy some special artwork they created just for us.

It was a really beautiful event - so many adorable details - and I'm so thankful that Reid has been part of this school. His teacher, Ms. Ashleigh, has been awesome and we are so going to miss her next year!

Saint Simons Island, Georgia

We got up and on the road to start the trek back to SC. After a lunch/outlet shopping stop in St. Augustine, we drove a few more hours to Saint Simons Island in Georgia. I've heard great things about this little town so it sounded like a great place to stop for the night.


We checked in to our hotel and then headed out to see what we could see. We found a little restaurant - Barbara Jean's (I think?), a total hole in the wall but apparently a community landmark - that had been recommended by a friend and then took a walk on the beach. It was dusk and the tide was coming in so we had limited time out there, since the tide comes all the way up to the rocks, but it was beautiful all the same. We really loved the lighthouse.




Reid was pretty tired so when he conked out in the car, Ross and I took the opportunity to just drive around the island. We drove out to the end where all the "nice" houses are and just took in the scenery. The trees and Spanish moss... just gorgeous. I wish we could have stayed longer. Perhaps on future trip...

Last Day in Orlando

Our third day in Orlando was laid back. We spent some time by the pool, then went to the WonderWorks Museum. It is a big building that is constructed to look as if it dropped out of the sky upside down - Reid is fascinated by the "upside down building." It had lots of interactive displays - gigantic bubbles (always a favorite with me and Reid), hurricane and earthquake simulators, a bed of nails, etc. Three levels of all kinds of exhibits.



We also met my good friend/former boss from days gone by, Deborah, and her boyfriend Kevin for dinner. I have not seen her in...eight years, I think. It was wonderful to see them both and I'm so glad they made the drive from Tampa just to see us!

Tomorrow: We begin the trek home, with a stop at Saint Simons Island, GA!

Our Disney Day...

And when I say "Our Disney Day," I mean the ENTIRE day!

Since Ross and I both got in for free using our vouchers from the food drive we hosted, all we had to pay for was Reid. That, in and of itself, is awesome. Three people into Disney for $72 bucks - sweet! We decided to do only Magic Kingdom and do as much as we could.

And we did.

We got there around 10:30 am and did not leave until after 11pm. It was so fun to see how much can change in just one year. Since we did the whole Disney she-bang last year, I was interested to see how Reid's response to it all would differ. He still loved it, and since he grew over 5 inches in one year (!!!) there were a few rides that were brand spanking new to him. The 100% favorite this year: Thunder Mountain Railroad.

Thunder Mountain was great on a few levels: 1) it's a roller coaster (which I love!) and is good enough to keep both adults and kids happy, without being scary, and, 2) The cars fit three people, so all three of us could ride together and experience it together every single time. And lines moved quickly enough that - between the fast passes and good strategy - we rode it at least 10-12 times during the day. Woohoo! By the end of the day, Reid was riding with his hands in the air. He loved it.

Other favorites this year: the race cars, the Buzz Lightyear ride (where you shoot things), and Goofy's Barnstormer (kiddie) coaster. I am happy and amazed to report that we did not ride a single thing in Fantasyland. Wow! (No It's a Small World, no Winnie the Pooh, no Pirates of the Caribbean, no Dumbo... and we didn't even miss them.) Not to mention that we got to see Woody and Jessie, and meet Buzz Lightyear up close and personal... perfect timing since our Toy Story 3 obsession was in full swing.

We watched the afternoon parade in Frontierland. That time sitting and waiting in the stroller nearly did Reid in. He was looking pretty weary... but nothing a little caffeine and ice cream can't fix! After more riding, we grabbed some dinner and then watched the fireworks at the castle from afar. I'm sure it would have been even better up close but we weren't interested in battling the throngs of little girls in princess dresses (and their parents) who wanted to see Tinkerbell float down from the top of the castle. Plus, we saw her from all the way across the park anyway! And that gave us time to ride Thunder Mountain a few more times before closing time.

We were there on a night when the Spectromagic light parade was to happen. It begins after the rides are closed down, so everyone and their brother can watch it. So we made our way to Main Street USA to snag a spot. We found a really good spot that measured about three square feet and Ross guarded it with his life while we kept Reid entertained. And then, of course, the parade did not begin on time. Right about the time that Reid was wondering "why" we are sitting with a million other people on a sidewalk in the dark, the parade finally started...

And by the fourth float he was sound asleep. And when I say "sound," I mean dead weight, no response, 100% unconscious sleep. And he is sitting on top of me, and I am sitting flat on the sidewalk with zero space to maneuver a way to stand up. And Ross is about 10 feet away (because there is no room for him on our "spot").

After about five minutes of rearranging and shooting dirty looks at our neighbors to move over and make room, I finally whispered a mild threat in Reid's unconscious ear to cooperate or else. Even a dead-to-the-world four-year-old's brain knows to perk up when mommy means business.

We finally made it to Ross and the stroller, and here's what Reid looked like all the way to the car:

It was a great day, though! Perfect weather. No rushing around. Just enjoying each other and having fun. Can't ask for much more than that. :)

Vacation!

How much do you love it when you arrive at your vacation destination super early and they have your suite ready? I love it a lot. :D

We got to our resort in Orlando by 11am and were able to get right into the condo. And then right into our swimsuits. We were sitting by the awesome pool by noon.

Yep. Reid is giving a "thumbs up" signal in our family self-pic. I think all three of us were just so happy to be there!

We spent all afternoon at the pool, having lunch poolside, floating around and watching Reid swim back and forth through the waterfall, and making tie-dyed t-shirts (gotta love resort activities!).

We decided to visit Downtown Disney for dinner and shopping. We even ran into someone Ross works with - it's such a small world! We had dinner and then ended up at the most popular place for us there this year... the Lego Store. Reid has become fascinated by them. He stood there forever, making all kinds of contraptions, including race cars to race down the Lego track.

They had lots of Toy Story 3 Lego art, which Reid was also fascinated by. Until we got too close. He eats, sleeps, and breathes Toy Story right now, but take note of the look of fear on his face in the photo above next to Lego Woody. Hilarious!

Tomorrow: Our Disney day!

On the way to Florida!

So, after Ross completed his 5K run, we came home to shower and load the car.

It was a rainy day but luckily we weren't in a hurry. Our plan was to drive part of the way down and then chill out at a hotel for the night. We made to Valdosta, GA - and truly we could have gone even farther - and then relaxed for the evening. We even took a dip in the outdoor pool, after a nice long rain, in April... to say it was COLD would be an understatement. (How is it that kids don't feel the cold?)

The next stop along the way was a visit to Gramma and Grampa in Sumterville, FL. We got to look for alligators and ride in the golf cart to our hearts' content. And enjoy some of Gramma's key lime icebox pie. Yum!

And we finally remembered to get a good photo with Reid and his grandparents:

And a silly one... :)

Now off to Orlando!

Greer Earth Day 5K

Ross completed another 5K! This time it was the Greer Earth Day 5K. The weather was not ideal - quite dreary actually - but he had a good reason to run fast... we were leaving for vacation afterwards!

Good job, babe!

Easter in Alabama

We made the trip once again to do Easter with the Alabama family. It's never a long trip since Ross has to get back for work, but I love seeing Reid with all his cousins (technically, second cousins, but who can keep track at this point?).

It came up at one point that we had never let Reid dye his own eggs for Easter. Now, I'm all for holiday "traditions," but that is one that just doesn't mean much to me. Plus, it's a mess and generally a waste of eggs. But then I started to feel a little guilty so when I spotted a "paint your eggs" kit at the Piggly Wiggly, we had to grab it. Instead of dipping eggs in dye and vinegar (yuck!), you used ready-made stuff and painted the eggs with paint brushes. Brilliant!

Check out our masterpieces...

And then of course, we had the hunting of the eggs. I'm so glad all the "little" kids are at an age now where they can hunt eggs independently and get into it. Maggie was a big help to Peyton and Reid - she loves to take care of them.

Probably the biggest highlight of the weekend was Granny and Papa's new paddle boat. It was fun to paddle around the pond, but I am once again so thankful that Maggie likes taking care of the little ones. Naturally, they wanted to be on the paddle boat ALL day and can't paddle themselves. Yay for Maggie for being the designated paddler!

Warrenton Easter Egg Hunt 2010

We had our annual neigborhood Easter Egg Hunt again this year. It's low key - nothing fancy - just lots of eggs and snacks afterwards. But it is always enjoyable.

It's fun to see the differences in Reid and all the boys from last year to this year. Most of them needed guidance last year in finding the eggs, but not this year! Reid did a really great job... until he took a roll through the mud and dumped his bucket of eggs. Luckily Cece (from down the street) took time to help him get all the eggs back in. He even had mud in his hair.

(See the mud in the hair? See... he really did take a "roll" in the mud!)

Spring Soccer 2010 - Video

Spring Soccer 2010

Reid participated in soccer again this spring. I've said it before but, wow, it is a laid back program. We are okay with that - they mostly just works on basic soccer skills. No games or any real competition. We figure he'll get enough of all that as he gets older.

His good friend Will (whom we met during his short stint with the basketball program) was also there, as was Dawson, so he was glad to go play with his buddies. And the post-soccer trips to McDonald's together didn't hurt either. :)

Family Food Drive!

Disney had a great promotion this year: The Disney "Give A Day, Get A Day" program. Basiclaly, if you signed up and completed an approved volunteer opportunity, you got a voucher for a free day at a Disney park. And since we already had plans to visit Orlando, we took advantage of it!

Our volunteer opportunity was to host a food drive for a local family support center. We shared flyers with our neighbors and look at ALL the food we collected!

It was a great opportunity for Reid to participate as well. And.... Ross and I got our free tickets to Walt Disney World. (More on that later!) A win-win!

Visitors!

The night before the Valentine snow came in, we had the chance to see Ross' aunt Elaine and uncle Phil. They were driving through from Raleigh so we met up for dinner and a visit.

Reid has only seen them a few times and it is always interesting to see how he reacts to people. He was in rare form that day and was ready to put on a show - and he had on his "25 cent Kisses" shirt, so Elaine took advantage of that. We'll have to be sure he wears that shirt next time Gramma comes to visit!

Brrrrr! More Snow!

For the first time since we have lived in South Carolina, we've had two measurable snow "events." (Because everyone in the South knows that anything related to the S-word is an event.)

On what was to have been my and Ross' night out for Valentine's weekend turned into a night of frozen pizza, hot cocoa, and playing in the snow. And it was REAL snow, too. Not ice. Not mush. Powdery SNOW. It would have been perfect for skiing (I assume) if we only had skis, hills, and some amount of skiing ability. :)

It began around 4:00pm on Friday afternoon and did not stop all night. We played in it quite a while Friday night and then more on Saturday. Our little plastic sled came in handy once more, but it seemed to work better on the ice a few weeks prior. That didn't stop the boys from enjoying it though.

The snow hung around for a few days, and remnants of our snowman were still here a week or so later.

I love the way everything naturally looks prettier covered in snow. Couldn't help but take some photos.

Reid really loved having Daddy pull him in the sled. And sledding down the playground hill worked pretty well as long as both Reid and Joshua were in the sled together. They needed the extra weight for it to slide on the powdery stuff. And of course we had to have a snowman - with a spray painted face (just like last year!).

This last picture is my favorite of all. It's one we took the first night as the snow was coming down. Reid was SO excited to get out in it. He's holding onto the sides and his tongue is sticking out, like he just can't decide what to do first. Love it. :)

What We've Been Up To...

Here are some random things we've been doing lately...

Making banana pops by dipping frozen bananas in chocolate. Yum!

Making "Fresh Beat Band" Groovy Smoothies. (Thanks, Nick Jr!)

At least it's a good way for Reid to eat more fruit!

Dressing like robots.... or martians. I forget!

And using our new bathtub body paints. He insisted on painting the bottom of his feet to show me so I used some creative camera angles to make the photos, um, "tasteful." :)

And Ross completed his second 5K in late January. Good job, babe!

Reid is FOUR!

So, it's been a few weeks now but Reid turned four years old on February 7th! Between the preschool party and the "real" party, we had several days of celebration.

One thing about turning four is that he has definite opinions on lots of things these days, including what he wanted his cake to be. He mentioned a few months prior that he wanted a Frosty the Snowman cake. He surely does love Frosty, but I didn't take any action because his mind changes like the wind. But, he kept his word and was still asking for Frosty up until his birthday so the race was on for a great Frosty cake.

Anyone can do two round cakes lying flat to make a snowman but that's not what I wanted for him - that's not nearly "cool" enough for our boy. :) (Most likely he would have loved it either way, but I digress...) And I had decided I didn't want to tackle a cake for him this year. After only one bakery quote, I decided I could 1) do a cuter job, and 2) do it for a much better price.

After tracking down a borrowed yard sale cake pan from a friend, learning some techniques on the fly, and basically three days of cake fun, here's the Frosty cake we ended up with:

Isn't he cute? He has his flaws but I'm pretty proud of how he turned out. And Reid and all his friends loved him, too. Reid loved watching Frosty come together as the process moved along during the days leading up to the party.

Frosty started out as a bear, so we had to chop off his ears and create some arms with frosting, among other things. And the pan was a 3D thing that you clamped together and baked upside down. I had my doubts but it worked pretty well!

You'll also notice that we had Frosty cupcakes, too. Those were for Reid's school party - they got to have snow cupcakes with a chocolate Frosty on top, and everyone got to take home a balloon from the celebration. Reid helped me make the cupcakes by spraying the blue snow color on and putting the snowman on each one. He was so proud to help!

Here is Reid with his birthday crown from his school party and his star balloon. He also had a healthy dose of cake batter from licking the beaters over the few days that I was baking like a madwoman...

Finally, his real birthday arrived! It fell on a Sunday this year - Super Bowl Sunday, actually - but we had plenty of time to celebrate before the pre-game started.

We started the day with birthday cinnamon rolls and opening gifts from family and friends. It was like Christmas all over again for Reid! He had a multitude of gifts from Mommy and Daddy, Gramma and Grampa, Granna and Doug, and even uncle Toby.

We had a few hours to play with the new toys and such before we went to the big party.... at CHUCK E CHEESE! Reid had never been to one but was infatuated with the idea from commercials. And, as it turned out, it was a pretty good birthday deal. (Having a child with a February birthday, we are well-educated on all the indoor party options to choose from...)

Reid's guests got lots of tokens to play all the games before we ate pizza and cake. It was pretty chaotic there (in the best way) and I'm sad that we didn't get better photos, but Reid and all his buddies were running in different directions the entire time.

During the birthday show, Reid was presented with a special crown and medal - which he thought was pretty cool - and he got to say hello to Chuck E Cheese himself. (See the photo above of Reid and Ceci with Chuck E.)

And below are photos of some of our guests. Thank you everyone for coming to help make Reid's fourth birthday such a great day: Joshua, Bryce, James, Silvia, Ceci, Andrew, Avery, Gideon, Dawson, and Reeves - and of course all the parents!