Long Time Friends

My sister has been friends with “the twins” since we moved to Georgia more than twenty years ago! I remember playing with them throughout my entire childhood and even though they didn’t all go to college together, everyone remained close friends! Allie and Ashley both live in town so when Kris was here visiting we all got together to let the kids play! Ashley was brave to let us invade her house and all seven kids (eight including sleeping baby Baier) ran around enjoying the sunshine. We haven’t seen Ashley since I took Baier’s newborn baby photos and Carter and Nathan both had a blast playing with the girls and sharing all their awesome toys! Thanks for hosting Ash, hope we can do it again soon!

Ashley’s oldest daughter Reece shares our same birthday and is going to be four this year. Her other daughter Macy

just turned two in November. Allie’s oldest Catherine is also going to be four and her middle daughter

“Liney” turned two in January. Littlest babies Baier (not pictured) and Charlotte are just a few months old.

Carter had so much fun trying out Macy’s balance bike! He can’t wait to have his own!

Our attempt at a group picture!

Playdate Reunion

A few weeks ago we found out that friends KariBeth, Lila, and Alli would be in town in the middle of February! We couldn’t wait to have them back to playgroup and it worked out that we would be at Beth’s house again (I wanted to link to that post but I cannot for the life of me find it in my blog archives :( I don’t know where it is!!)! It was like a mini play date reunion only this time there were lots of extra babies! Kristin and Nathan came too and it was great to have all the babies spend time together.

Alli, KariBeth, Lila, me, and Carter

Long Weekend

Kristin and Nathan came up to visit for President’s Weekend so Carter and I decided to camp out at Hattie and Poppy’s house while they were there! It was a great four day “staycation” and so fun to wake up in the morning so the cousins could play, eat breakfast, and watch cartoons together. C is really starting to enjoy his cousin now that they can sit and play and he wants to copy everything that Nathan does! I am so glad we could spend a long weekend together and can’t wait to see them again in two weeks for C’s second birthday!!

Sunday Silence

My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense -- Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world. 1 John 2:1-2

Pain-O

Lincoln got a keyboard piano for Valentine’s Day. He is teaching himself how to play and has already made amazing progress! His mini-me is also learning and loves to spend time practicing his “pain-o.” I love watching this little man dancing and jamming and hope he continues his love of music forever!

VDay at Kangazoom

My Little Valentine

We spent Valentine’s Day bouncing with our friends at Kangazoom and then chowing down on subs at Jimmy Johns! It was a low key day but sometimes those are the best! That night we went on a family run (where it was confirmed that I had a stress fracture in my right leg…), watched some Clemson/UVA basketball, and enjoyed some ice cream sundaes! Maybe not romantic, but I was with my two boys and couldn’t have been happier. I didn’t have my camera handy so thanks to friend Halie for taking all these photos!

Dinner Out on the Town

My parents invited us to their club for the annual Valentine’s Day dinner and we joined them, my sister, and her boyfriend for a fun evening out on the town! Our friends Becky and Matt were so awesome and took Carter for the night so we could enjoy some adult only conversations! The night began with a cocktail reception and butler passed hors d’oeuvres before moving into the ballroom for a four course dinner. There were musicians playing some festive jazz music and all the staff were wearing white gloves. The ballroom was filled with fragrant red roses and beautiful candles set the mood for the night. Our first course consisted of She Crab Bisque with a little pastry and then we moved onto mixed greens with a goat cheese fritter. Thank goodness for my race that morning because I ate every single bite!

My parents had just gotten back from a week in St.John!

My dad looked like Bob Barker compared to me and Alex hahaha

Our main course arrived and I nearly licked my plate clean. We had an amazing filet topped with lobster and Béarnaise sauce with a side of asparagus and twice baked potatoes. Afterward, Alex opened up a few gifts (we were also celebrating her 25th birthday!) and then we finished with a flourless chocolate cake with hazelnut bark and chocolate dipped strawberries. We also got to go home with our centerpiece roses…and Alex and I may have taken a few others on our way out to create some beautiful bouquets! It was an amazing night and I am so thankful to my parents for including us! This was our third time celebrating Valentine’s Day at the Club and I hope we can continue to go back year after year!

The Great Valentine Race

On February 11^th, Katie, Krissy, and I competed in the First Annual Great Valentine Race in Cumming. Our hubbies entered too and brought the babies and we all had a great time. The morning of the race was questionable weather and as we were all standing at the starting line it began to sleet! It was already beyond freezing but once the rain began I was wondering why on earth we signed up for this race! Thankfully the stroller we borrowed from Matt and Halie had an all weather tarp so Carter was tucked in and safe from the elements. Once the race began we had to wind our way through all the walkers to get into a comfortable running pace. I regret starting at the back of the pack because we wasted a good thirty seconds waiting to even cross the line. Once we got around all the slow pokes, Linc and I were able to make up some time and get in the groove. The first two miles were really tough because of the sleet and the ridiculous hills but we trucked on and really pushed through. Having to run with Carter is a whole new experience but thankfully Linc took him for most of the uphill climbs. I was so thankful that the last mile was mostly downhill and we crossed the finish line holding hands! Our official time was 29:22 and we managed to beat my goal even with an extra 50lbs ;)

After the race we packed up as fast as we could and headed over to Dutch Monkey Donuts! We had a yummy celebration breakfast with the Reeders and the Bignons! It was such a fun race and I’m glad we could do it with our friends. Even though the weather was less than ideal, I am so happy with the results! I was laughing to myself because even though I have competed in a triathlon, this was my very first 5k! I did things a little backwards and didn’t really catch the running bug until after we’d raced this summer. This was also Linc’s first 5k and I’m glad we could do it together. We already signed up for another race at the end of March and will hopefully have our own jogging stroller to use by then!

VDay Crafts

Krissy is so brave and once again had us over for craft day to let the toddlers go wild with paint! We had grand plans to make Valentine’s Day cards, but I know mine certainly did not turn out how I envisioned. Carter did great though and had so much fun painting his own hand and stamping it on the paper. I was impressed how well he did since he tends to be weird about messes, but he went to town painting his hands, arms, shirt…you get the idea! Even though we didn’t make any real cards, I’m excited to display his latest masterpieces. Thanks for a fun day Krissy and Nicholas! Can’t wait till next time :)

We started in the basement with a little play time and then moved upstairs to the kitchen to let the creative juices flow. Afterward we let the babies run wild outside and enjoy the beautiful fresh air!

Bennett, Nicholas, Carter, and Trenton

Kayden got in on the action too while baby Kinley watched from her car seat!

Terrific Twos!

After a very brief break over the holidays, the second round of birthdays has begun! Our first baby to turn two was Trenton and we celebrated on February 4th. Mommy Beth hosted a Curious George themed party complete with indoor bounce houses, monkey cupcakes, and lots of delicious toddler food! What a fun morning! All but one Baby Brigade member was there and I wish we could have gotten a group shot but all the babies were having too much fun playing. These kids are growing up SO fast and I swear we were just at the Mullen’s house ringing in year one. There are two more February birthdays in our group and then it’s Carter’s turn! AHH! Happy Birthday Trenton! We love you little monkey!