In Like a Lion!

Last month we left off with snow, snow, snow--and the next week just brought MORE snow! It started snowing again Tuesday morning just as the kids were heading to school, which kind of caught everyone (including the school district) by surprise. Generally if there is even a whisper of snow, they cancel school even if it means calling everyone up in the middle of the day and dismissing students early (which has happened a time or two).

 It snowed and snowed all morning, and most parents ended up picking their kids up early from school anyway, but according to the weather report it was supposed to stop snowing later on, so the district kept school in session. I let my poor kids stay all day. This is right after they got dropped off by the bus-- and as you can see, they couldn't wait to get out there and play in it!! Lucy said there was only 7 other kids in her class, and it was pure torture that I hadn't come to pick them up early! 

 As soon as we got home I let them suit up and find Josh and Luke (who's mom was a lot nicer and had picked them up early), and enjoy a REAL snow day, even though there had been school.

 I think I made up for it in the mom department by making them snowcream (sweetened condensed milk mixed with fresh snow) as an after school snack.

 Zach decided to have a snowball fight with the neighbors and came in COVERED in snow. He asked, "Do I look like Kristoff from the movie Frozen?" 

 I had been following the Moore County Schools' Facebook page all morning regarding school closures, and by Tuesday evening they had over 300 angry comments from irate parents about not canceling school. Obviously, it wasn't THAT much snow, but as I keep mentioning, it's a HUGE deal here in the South to get snow and everyone is totally terrified of it. I knew the school district would completely overreact and swing waaaay the other way to make up for it, so sure enough they canceled school Wednesday and Thursday (even though the snow had completely melted by then) and there was a 2-hour delay on Friday morning. The South is NUTS!! By Friday I was so SICK of "inclement weather," and my kids were actually wanting to go to school. We celebrated that night by getting Mexican food for dinner and Leah took this lovely photo of Zach eating flan for dessert. 

The kids got their "halfway" school year pictures-- and although the backdrop with the lake house and chairs is a little odd, I though they turned out super cute. But I may be a little biased!  

My little Zach-O and his trademark "pirate face." He's grown up so much this year in Kindergarten! I was eating a piece of toast the other day and he told me, "Mom, bread is a grain and that's healthy for you." Who knows what else this kid has picked up!

WeeWee's has been in such an ornery phase lately! She is in the throws of the Terrible Two's (that's what I keep reminding myself at least) and is either crying, screaming, or throwing tantrums 90% of the time, so it's nice to take a picture of a smile now and then. I feel like I'm torturing her just by making her get dressed, eat food, change a diaper, get buckled into her carseat, etc., but since I remember similar phases for both Lucy and Zach, I know we WILL survive this!

 Jon flew out to Denver this past week to meet with his brother Jeremy and work out some of the plans for their future practice situation, which left me solo for 3 days. I decided Leah and I needed a little afternoon treat so we headed to Panera for a cupcake. The weather was finally gorgeous and 75 degrees, and it felt really good to sit outside in the sunshine! 

Thursday evening was CRAZY-- I had to sub a class at the gym from 4:30-5:30, pick up a quick dinner for the kids, get Lucy to her 2nd grade music concert by 6:15, watch the concert from 6:30-7, and then head clear back over to the church to do Activity Days from 7-8. Phew! 

Lucy's concert was called "An Ocean of Commotion" and her class was the crabs. She got to crab walk across the stage and say, "Mom! She keeps bugging me" because she was supposed to be "crabby." Ha ha! It was the thrill of a lifetime! We made it to Activity Days by 7:20, and then got home around 8:30. It was a very looooong day for Mom!

I was so glad when Jon made it home safe and sound late Friday night-- and he was an especially good sport because he let me join some friends from the gym Saturday afternoon for a GNO to go shopping up in Durham. They have an Athleta store there which carries super cute workout gear and I am now totally addicted to it (thanks to them). Woohoo!

We got dinner at Zinburger before heading home, which is a gourmet burger joint, with all different kinds of burgers and super yummy fries and shakes. I definitely need to go there again before we move! It was a wonderful "day off."

 Today we had BEAUTIFUL weather-- our first real, true sunny day where it felt like spring from start to finish. And with Daylight Savings, we got to enjoy the sunshine for even longer. 

 We all came outside and laid on the tramp for awhile, just soaking up the rays, and Leah's hair got all static-y and crazy and she was cracking up about it! I bought Lucy and Leah matching church dresses for $10 bucks each at Walmart and I'm so excited about them! They're supposed to be for Easter, but they couldn't wait.

And last but not least, I love when I'm going through pictures on my phone to choose which ones to put on the blog and I find myself a random selfie that one of my darling little children left me as a surprise. It's kind of like a little love note. So, cheers to surprise selfies, spring, and more sunshine! I just hope March goes out like a lamb!

Snow Week!

Snow in North Carolina is pretty rare according to the natives, so we feel pretty exceptional that this is our second year where they've had "record" amounts of snow. Last Monday was President's Day, so the kids and Jon were off all day on holiday. A big storm blew in that evening, bringing with it freezing rain and snow in some areas. Although Jon had the day off with the military, he still had to go into work at Day and Night in Fayetteville from 5-10 p.m.-- even though we knew nobody would be venturing out into the bad weather to get their teeth fixed! Most people here panic, and then hunker down to weather out the storm!

I was so worried about him driving home late at night on those icy roads, because we knew there'd be a few yahoos out and about not knowing how to drive in snow and ice, but thankfully he made it home around 11:30 p.m., Phew! His car was completely glazed over with about 1/4 inch of ice.

 The kids were absolutely thrilled to wake up to SNOW, in addition to the fact that school had been canceled! They wolfed down breakfast and then suited up-- complete with grocery bags over their shoes to "waterproof" them-- and headed out into our winter wonderland! I'm thinking we'd better invest in some winter boots next year.

It had snowed maybe a good two inches around where we lived, but it was then covered mostly in ice! The ice makes the snow on the trees and bushes so heavy there was a lot of breakage around our yard. One of the trees in our front yard completely snapped in half.

Miss Leah didn't want to miss out on the fun, and joined her siblings in their exploration of the wintery world. In fact. the first thing they all did was run over to Josh and Luke's house to see if they could come and out and play! They even have some sleds, and each one got some good runs down our hill before it got too cold.

And one more close-up for good measure. I couldn't resist that little grin!

 This is the holly bush right in front of our garage all iced over from the freezing rain! It really does get bad around here, and the roads were so treacherous getting onto base they canceled work for Jon as well. I was thankful because that meant we had an extra freebie day to all stay at home and play! 

 We read lots of books upstairs in the playroom while Jon and Zach played Wii, and Lucy played at Josh and Luke's house. This is the face Leah makes when we get to her favorite part in "Camilla the Cupcake Fairy." All of the little fairy friends have to wish for magic cupcakes, and Leah wishes right on with them!

 Here they are wishing for cupcakes! Don't you think Leah could fit right in with those little fairies? Ha ha!

 I took this picture of the weather forecast on my phone to show our week. It just got worse and colder! More snow Wednesday afternoon, and record cold on Thursday with -2 as the low!! This kind of cold is basically unheard of around here for late February. I think a couple years ago there were record highs of it being in the 70's! I guess we got to experience both ends of the spectrum. School stayed canceled through Wednesday and Thursday, due to the ice on the roads not melting and the extreme cold. The kids weren't complaining!

 Honestly compared to last year, I gave up feeling frustrated with all the extra snow days and cancellations, and instead just enjoyed a little reprieve in our crazy school schedule and soaked up the extra down time with the kids! School did start back up by Friday, just in time for Jon and a couple of his co-workers from the base to go into Zach's kindergarten class and give a little presentation for Dental Health Month. It's pretty cool having a dad for a dentist after all! 

 That night we decided to go bowling and have some family fun. The kids love to go bowling and Jon is actually an excellent bowler (big surprise right?)! Here's Lucy during her turn.

Mr. Zach-O!

 And even the Wee-Wees got in on the bowling action with her own little pink bowling ball and bowling shoes. She liked it when it was HER turn, but otherwise ran wild during everyone else's in the arcade.

Hopefully Father Winter has gotten all of the snow and ice out of his system and is ready to bring on spring! We can't wait for some good ol' fashioned sunshine and an afternoon at the park! (Hope I don't jinx us like last year!)

Things That Make Us Go XOXO!

Our week started off with a gorgeous sunrise! I always know spring is on its way when we start waking up with the sun again-- as opposed to driving to school when it's pitch black outside we're treated to this instead. I thought the colors were perfect for Valentine's Week. XOXO

 We got a much anticipated Valentine's package in the mail from Grandma Cardon Monday afternoon, with some handmade crocheted hairbands and this cute little bear hoodie for Leah. I think Leah thought it really did look like a bear and was a little afraid to put in on, but luckily Lucy was more than happy to oblige and and try it on for size so we could send a pic!

Leah did love the headbands however, and she was happy to model all the cute colors and sizes. Now all three of us girls will be fighting over who gets to wear which one-- and Lucy's worn one every day to school so far. They're all so ADORABLE!

Zachary was not left out of the fun and was sent his Hoggy-Hoggy-Hogwarts muffler. He's wanted one since Lucy got hers last fall, and has been wearing it to school in the mornings. He likes to show his support for Harry and Gryffindor too! Thanks Grandma! XOXO

Jon has been working his tail off all week picking up extra moonlighting hours in Fayetteville, and had another 60+ hour work week. I'm not really sure how he does it. He worked from 7 a.m. until 11 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, but by Wednesday I had reached MY limit! Thankfully another package arrived-- this time from Grandma Joanie, with lots of fun treats and cards and books to entertain the kids! On top of that, I decided we needed a little frozen yogurt break at Purple Penguin.  XOXO

Thursday I surprised the kids at school by showing up unexpectedly at lunch. Their reactions were so priceless! Zach walked into the cafeteria and saw Leah and I, and got a big huge smile on his face and said, "That's my mom and baby sister!" He even let me give him a few hugs and kisses in front of his friends. Lucy's class eats after the kindergarteners, so I went out into the hallway to meet them.  When she saw me, she stopped dead in her tracks, and said, "Moooom??? I didn't know you were coming here!" She was totally shocked. These two Valentine's definitely have my whole heart! XOXO 

 I made some chocolate covered strawberries Friday morning for a friend, and with the leftover dipping chocolate I had just enough to pour into a candy heart mold and make Leah a little treat. She was thrilled and thought she could eat them all before mommy caught her! She IS pretty hard to say no to!

The kids had an early release day, so I got to pick them up right after their Valentine parties. Zach was SO thrilled he'd been given Valentines from his friends-- he takes it very personally and is like, "Wow! JB gave me a Valentine?? That's so nice of him!" with every single Valentine. He's so funny! 

Saturday morning we were all pretty thankful Daddy was at home at last! The kids hadn't really seen him all week, and neither had I, so I figured the perfect way to celebrate him being home was by making some red velvet pancakes for Valentine's breakfast. Yum!

 

Poor Zach had caught Lucy's cold from the previous week, and was really feeling yucky Friday after school when the excitement from his class Valentine party had worn off. He started getting a fever Friday night and complaining about his ears hurting, so right after breakfast Jon took him to the doctor. Yep, you guessed it. Double ear infection for this little guy! After a few rounds of antibiotics he's feeling much better now. 

Jon spoiled me rotten and let me get this chair from TJ Maxx that I've had my eye on. I think it's the perfect sitting room chair to go right next to my piano once I finally paint it blue! Ha ha! Jon's not so sure about the color I picked out, but I love it.

Then on top of that I got a real shocker when I woke up and sitting on the counter was a little black box with my name on it. I got me some new sparkly earrings! You have to look close, but I promise they're really there. In the immortal words of my niece Eva: they're "diiiamonds!" They really are a girl's best friend. XOXO 

 That night we splurged on a babysitter and headed out to dinner just the two of us. Jon picked the Pik N Pig which is a kitchy little BBQ joint out in Carthage, but it totally hit the spot! After a week of being ships that passed in the night, I was sure glad to finally have him all to myself!

 My handsome Valentine! He got the BBQ brisket sandwich, fries, and coleslaw-- and it was delish.

I ordered the garden salad and added pulled pork on top and it was awesome. We finished our night of BBQ off with a slice of key lime pie to share, and called it a date! XOXO

My little Valentine's looked so cute all dressed up for church today, I couldn't help but take a picture. These two sisters are best friends, and I'm so thankful!

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY 2015

XOXO

February Follies!

February is officially here! And along with it have come many a folly:

fol·ly

ˈfälē/

noun

1. 1. Lack of good sense; foolishness.
2. 
   

 The months are really dwindling down before the "Great Move," and I feel like all the stress and pressure we're feeling from its looming presence has made us a little crazy. But we're trying to make the most of each day left here in the grand ol' South and have been up to quite a bit in these last few weeks. Here's a folly-filled recap:

 Jon picked up a few extra days of moonlighting at Day and Night Dental in Fayetteville, including a Saturday, so instead of sitting at home bored with the kids, I decided to brave it alone and drive out to Rockingham to visit the Discovery Kids Museum before our pass expired.

 It was my first act of folly, but I'm so glad we did! The kids all had a blast and it was the perfect way to use up a freezing cold Saturday in winter. It broke up the monotony of being at home all weekend, and Leah even snoozed on the drive back to Pinehurst she was so tuckered out from all we'd seen and done!  

 Not too long ago it was revealed to my friend Jennifer-- who is a local-yokel who's lived here all her life-- that we had NEVER been to Granny's for some donuts! February Folly #2! Granny's is down in Aberdeen, literally 100 yards away from a brand-new Dunkin Donuts ironically, and let's face it, based on their signage I was a little freaked out by Granny's face. Wouldn't you be?? But she swore up and down that they were the best donuts ever, and the reason it always looked closed was because they WERE closed; they only make a certain amount of donuts each morning, and when they sell-out they close up, which on the weekends is as early as 10 a.m. 

 Well, if they're THAT good I knew we were really missing out on a best-kept-secret, so Leah and I did indeed get there early one morning to test them out. I don't think Leah minded too much, do you?

 Jennifer said their glazed donuts were fabulous because they put some sort of sweetened cream cheese mixture in the center, so I got these to take home to Jon and the kids as a surprise, and an old-fashioned cake donut for me. What an awesome local treat! Yum! 

 I think I must have had Granny's donuts on my mind the rest of the week, because that Sunday I decided to make a "healthy-er" version of donuts for our Sunday night dessert. I bought a donut pan, and whipped up some devil's food chocolate cake donuts that were BAKED, not fried, and then dipped them in a most scrumptious chocolate glaze. Oh! And I added some heart sprinkles for good measure. They were AMAZING! 

 Who doesn't love donuts??? And you could hardly even tell they weren't the regular fried kind. All dozen were gone by Monday morning, so I think that speaks for itself.

The kids helped me do a little decorating for Valentine's Day, and Zach already has his Valentines signed, sealed, and ready to deliver to his friends at school!

Speaking of Zach, we are SO proud of him! He recently got his report card back for his first semester of Kindergarten, and he had completely surprised everyone (even his teachers) with how well he'd done! He'd started the year off being one of the lowest readers in his class, and he had to meet every morning with the reading specialist. He just didn't seem to care about letters and numbers and learning to read, so he was just very apathetic about everything! We kept working at home with his letters, then gradually his sight words, then with his take-home readers until he became more and more confident. This time when they tested him, he knew ALL of his sight words, and more importantly he read at a level C (which is back up to grade-level and where he should be), and he basically blew away his teachers with how far he'd come in such a short amount of time. We (of course) always knew he had it in him, but school finally clicked and he's a rockstar. Now that's no folly! WAY TO GO ZACH!

Meet the Queen of Folly herself. She has been working hard to remind us she is officially in the "Terrible Twos"-- and nothing she does makes any sense. Holy moly! She is a two-year old terror if ever I saw one, and she is smart, sneaky, and sassy to boot. Don't let that adorable smile fool you! 

 She absolutely HATES getting her hair combed, and sometimes we go days without washing, combing, or styling it, and we show up at the gym with hair (and Leah) looking like something the cat dragged in. I should feel embarrassed, but I don't. Those gym ladies love her to death, and they know I'm just very wisely picking my battles!

 She is constantly making messes. Mess after mess after mess. If I leave anything within her reach, I can pretty much guarantee it'll end up on the floor or in her tight little clutches. She dumped an entire bag of Cheerios all over the floor one morning while I was showering, and then very "helpfully" swept them up for me.

One afternoon driving home from the grocery store I gave her a bag of marshmallows to hold, thinking she'd just eat a few as a snack, only to discover upon our arrival home that she'd been chewing them up and then smearing them all over her feet, face, hands, car seat, chair, etc. It was a HUGE sticky mess-- similar in fact, to the one she'd made a few days prior involving a poopy diaper of hers. I'll spare you the gory details, but the concept was the same. LEAH!

 February Folly #1,00,001: I got called to be an Activity Days leader last month over the 8-11 year olds, and it's been a fun and challenging calling. Jon and I team teach the 9-10 year olds in primary on Sundays, and he also got called to be a Cub Scout leader, so now the whole family has to be at the church Thursday nights at 7 p.m. for our activities. I have one leader helping me (who is a cute young 20-something newlywed), and between us we have over 20 girls to entertain! We basically have no budget, no room, but plenty of silly, sweet, and enthusiastic girls so it'll definitely keep me on my toes these next few months.   

 This past weekend was filled with folly as the doldrums of wet winter weather, lots of work and no play, and a yucky cold the kids were passing around all kind of caught up to us. We were all in need of a little break-- and when that happens, my motto is to throw good sense to the wind and just get outta town as quickly as possible! So Saturday we hit the highway and drove the 2 1/2 hours to Myrtle Beach. The kids couldn't figure out why we were headed to our summer retreat when the weather was so cold, but it was nice just to wave goodbye to Pinehurst in the rearview mirror, despite knowing it wasn't really a true Beach Day. We drove straight to the outlet malls for some power shopping, and then got half-priced milkshakes at the Steak 'n' Shake during Happy Hour. 

 Next we headed straight for the beach. I knew the sun would be setting soon, and I wanted to catch the last light of day with a little salt breeze on my face before we turned around and headed back home. Although freezing, it was worth it! The sunset was absolutely INCREDIBLE.

 The outside temperature was around 54 degrees, but with the wind chill off the ocean, it was much, much cooler than that! Brrrrr! 

 I am really getting depressed as my beach opportunities dwindle further and further down. They've been the absolute best part about living in North Carolina, and are my sanity in the summer months. I made Jon promise we'd come every weekend in May and June-- which are right around the corner!

 

The sea foam was so beautiful!

We spent a few minutes enjoying the fresh air, chasing the seagulls, and just soaking in the breathtaking scenery. Lucy, ever impervious to the cold, even wanted to put her feet in the water. She's nuts. But we had the entire beach to ourselves-- there wasn't a single other person in sight when we looked up and down the shoreline. It was pretty cool.

Sometimes I'm really grateful for folly-filled, impulse decisions that say, "Let's go jump in the car and head to the beach and not look back!" But more particularly for a husband and kids who are game to do it. Jon didn't even laugh at me, when I'm sure the last thing he was expecting to hear when he asked was, "What do you want to do today?" We had a super yummy dinner at Carrabas (which is NOT on the list of 10 restaurants here in town-- hooray!!) and then drove back home. All three kids zonked out about 30 minutes into the drive, so it was actually a very pleasant, quiet ride home, with lots of time to talk to my main squeeze. I'm sure thankful for all the fun follies February has brought so far!