Barn Rats

On a frigid day in January my old group of riding friends had a mini reunion at our trainer’s barn. Only one of the girls still rides and owns horses so we watched her hack the ponies while the boys ran around. I spent my entire child hood with these girls mucking stalls, riding ponies, and getting into all kinds of mischief. Some of my most incredible memories are from the barn and I am so thankful for the years our trainer Maria picked us up and drove us out to the stables. We lived there during the summer and had the time of our lives. Eileen now lives in Augusta and is engaged to be married and Jen is a pharmacist that lives not too far away. We bonded in middle school and even though we have not been together for years, we picked up right where we left off. I am so glad my boys got a chance to meet everyone and see some of the horses. I would be thrilled if they wanted to take lessons with Maria some day and I know they would be in excellent hands!

Jen, Eileen, and Me—the original Barn Rats!

Maria was our second mom and took great care of us!

Even though I haven’t ridden since getting pregnant with Carter,

I am still in love with these gorgeous creatures.

No barn would be complete without a one eyed pirate pony!!

Kindergarten Registration and Nature Walks

At the end of January we signed Carter up for kindergarten!!! I can’t even believe how quick and easy it was and just like that my little big man was ready for “real” school. We celebrated by having a picnic and going for a nature walk but after a little while the cold set in and we decided to take cover at home. January was a mix of crazy weather and it certainly allowed us for lots of play time outside.

Winter Playtime

Grayson, Noah, Harrison, Nolan, Parker, & Maggie

I took the boys to visit the kitties at the pound.

We left sneezing, itchy, and all scratched up. Whoops!

The Beach in Winter

We took a road trip to HHI in January to help dad pick out some finishes for his new beach house! It was windy and cold and perfect! We stayed with Aunt Elaine and even got to spend a day with Candace on the beach. Winter is my favorite time to visit the ocean and this trip was just what we needed to help beat the January blues!

Scenes from Hilton Head

More from January

Nolan was super sick all winter and Carter tried his hand at karate.

We had some gorgeous mild winter days and soaked up as much sunshine as possible!

And my tennis team had a Wine & Wisdom for mom to be Lauren

before she welcomed baby girl Dylan!

Tellus Science Museum

A few times this winter I had heard people mention the Tellus Science Museum. I was always turned off because of of how far away it was but with a wide open Friday and no friends to see, we hit the road for a little trip and decided to check it out. The boys slept most of the way there and we pulled in just in time to see four bus loads of kids leaving! Good timing! We basically had the entire museum to ourselves and the boys had a blast exploring and touching everything! There was a large dinosaur exhibit, gem mining, a tiny town to explore, a solar powered house, and a fossil dig. We had lunch in the cafeteria before beating the traffic home. I am not sure we need to go back any time soon, but I am glad we gave it a try! Definitely worth a little road trip to soak up some educational fun

There was a hurricane wind simulator that Nolan kept wanting us to do

even though he said it hurt his ears lol

Quiet New Year

The beginning of January was very quiet, which was a welcome change from the hustle and bustle of the holiday season. We spent a lot of time with our family and friends, and hunkered down inside to brave the cold winter.

Buddies Go Bowling

We kicked off 2015 by going bowling with our friends the Bignons! Somehow the little boys were way better than the moms and they almost beat us score wise haha it was a great night and I can’t wait to take Carter back. Nolan wanted to try so bad but he was just a little too small. Soon enough buddy!