Take Me Out to the Ball Game!

      Today after church, we took the girls to Jackson with Granddaddy for family day at the Jackson Generals stadium.

     For family day, admission was cheaper and all kids got free ice cream cones. The kids enjoyed their treats and loved clapping and dancing along with all the music. Rylee has been super into Mario Baseball on the Wii lately, so she actually watched the game quite a bit. Payton just had fun being there.

     They also were able to play in the play area for free for family day. They had a lot of fun. After the game, we headed to SteakNShake and got some dinner before heading home. I love days like these.

Field Trip Fun

      Today I took a personal day to go on Rylee Love's kindergarten field trip to Tennessee Safari Park with her and her class. It was so much fun. I love getting to step out of my "teacher" role and into my "mom" role on days like these.

    I loved getting to see Rylee interact with her school friends that I hear her talk about every day. All of the kids had so much fun see all the animals.

     We got to take a wagon ride through the huge park and feed bread to all the animals. It was the coolest experience. We've been to the safari park before, but never on a field trip and the wagon ride is apparently only for field trips.

       Her class had  a wonderful time petting and feeding the animals. Then we enjoyed a picnic lunch and the kids got to play on the playground equipment.

    The best part about chaperoning her field trip is I was able to take her with me as soon as we got back to the school, so we had time to go pick up Payton Joy and enjoy some time at the park. This was the perfect way to spend a personal day. I love making memories with my girls!

Easter 2016

      We kicked off our Easter celebration at Mary's Chapel annual Resurrection Celebration. The kids hunted eggs, painted crosses, dyed eggs, planted flowers, and painted stones. It was a lot of fun.

      Then we headed to Liz and Brandon's house for our annual cousin Easter Egg Hunt. We went overboard and they had TONS of eggs to hunt, but they had a blast. Kaden got a new swingset that the kids broke in, and then we went to Los Portales for a delicious dinner. It was a perfect day.

     Sunday morning, we attended the Easter services at church. I love Easter. I will never get over the fact that Jesus chose to come to this Earth to die for my sins. There is no greater love.

     After church, we changed and headed to the FOP building to have Easter lunch with family. We ate, the kids hunted eggs and played, the adults played pool, and everyone enjoyed spending time together.

     Easter is my favorite holiday. Not because of eggs or candy, but because of the love of our Savior. There is no better way to celebrate his sacrifice than to spend times with those we love.

Spring Break 2016

     We started Spring Break off right! Friday was Egg Hunt day at our school and at Payton's daycare. The kids had a blast collecting Easter Eggs with all of their friends at school. Then Friday night we celebrated the start of Spring Break by eating dinner at my favorite place: Kissell's Kitchen. They have the best barbecue. It is so good!

     Saturday we celebrated Liz's birthday with a family trip to Jackson. We went to lunch at Chili's, then Brandon and Ryan took Kaden, Rylee, and Payton to the park while Liz, Levi, and I did a little shopping. Afterwards we all met back up at ChuckECheese. It was a blast!

    Sunday was the first official day of Spring, but it sure didn't feel like it. The sun was out, but we had flurries off and on most of the day. Brrrr.

      Monday the girls and I stayed home and relaxed. We decorated Easter cookies, cleaned the house a bit, and played together. It was great.

    Tuesday, I took the girls for haircuts. It was Payton Joy's first haircut. She did really well. Afterwards I took them to Olympic for lunch. It was a perfect girls day.

     Wednesday we went to the park with Liz, Kaden, and Levi. It was cool, so we didn't stay at the park very long.

    After the park, we went to Liz's house to play inside for a while. Then somehow Rylee convinced me to have a sleepover at Kaden's house. It hurt my heart to have her spend the night away, but she had an absolute blast. I'm proud of her for staying. She's attempted sleepovers in the past, but always ended up wanting to come home before the night was over.

    Yesterday, Payton and I did a little grocery shopping, then went to pick up Rylee. When we got home, we painted sun catchers to hang on our front window. Oh, how I love being able to spend my days with these 2 girls. I wish Spring Break didn't have to end!

A Sick St. Patrick's Day

       Yesterday, Rylee came to me at lunch crying. She hadn't eaten a thing and was complaining her throat and head hurt. I took her to the nurse who said her throat was red and had some puss in it, and her temp was at 99.7, not quite a fever yet but close enough that it looked like that was where it was heading. So I took and "early out" and took her to urgent care to figure out what was going on. They did a strep test (negative) and then a flu test (positive). I couldn't believe it. She had the flu in January. How was this possible?! But the doctor did assure us since she had her nasal mist this year AND had already contracted the flu once this year, that this round should be easier on her...

    So far, so good. Her temperature never did go up and higher, but we did spend today at home to rest up just in case it decided to spike. Payton enjoyed a free day at home with mama and sissy, and Rylee got the rest she needed. As long as no temp spikes during the night, we can go to school tomorrow! I'm so excited we won't have to miss egg hunt day. It was sad enough to miss St. Patrick's day and the leprechaun's visit...

Our First Cookout of 2016

      Today we had our first cookout of 2016. The weather was warm and sunny, and I was thrilled to see some sunshine. Levi was feeling a little under the weather, so Liz and Brandon dropped Kaden off early this afternoon and took Levi to an Urgent Care. Ryles and Kade were thrilled to have some extra play time.

     Then Mary, Chuck, and Bailey showed up and the fun was multiplied. The kids had an absolute blast playing while the men cooked. Then we all enjoyed delicious hamburgers and hotdogs from the grill. It doesn't take an expensive dinner to make me happy. Nothing beats burgers on the grill.

    I am thankful for this beautiful weather and a perfect day with family. I'm hoping this is just the first of many cookouts this year.

Payton's First Trip to the Dentist

     Today, I took a sick day to take the girls to Dyersburg for their dentist appointments. This was Payton's first trip to the dentist and she did great. Rylee Love got a got report, and the dentist said everything looked good for Payton, too. Her 2 year molars are nearly all the way in. The dentist did mention that Payton has a significant crossbite that will likely require minor oral surgery to correct around the age of 7. He said it's mainly cosmetic, but can also cause minor speech impediment until it is corrected. He mentioned it may have been caused by an overly strong sucking reflex that she would have been born with, and this could also be why it took a long time to be able to wean her off the pacifier.

    Both girls behaved very well and were rewarded with a trip to Chik-fil-a following their appointments. This was the perfect way to spend a "sick" day.

Bailey's Birthday and Valentine's Day

     Friday, the kids had their class Valentine's parties. They got to enjoy treats and pass out little Valentine's cars to all their friends. They both had a blast.

     Saturday was Bailey's birthday party. I can't believe she is 6! I seriously wish time would slow down!! She had her party at Bounce With Us and the kids had a blast jumping and playing games. After her party we headed to her house to have lunch with Grandma and Grandpa, Liz  and Brandon, and of course Chuck and Mary. It was a lot of fun. The kids had a blast trying out all of Bailey's new toys.

     Today is Valentine's Day. The girls woke up to their Valentine's from us, Reese's hearts, dancing animals, and new flip-flops. The were thrilled. They danced witht heir animals until it was time for church.

    We got ready for church and headed that way, only to get a call when we were almost there that the parking lot had iced over and was too dangerous to hold church today. So back home we went. Ryan went over to his parents' house to visit with Mel and her kiddos, the kids and I stayed home because Austin was running fever, and we are trying to go 1 week this cold and flu season without someone being sick... All in all, we had a good Valentine's day. Maybe they can actually wear these outfits out of the house next year... haha.