Leap Day Birthdays and Soccer Practice

C's teacher is a Leap Day Baby so of course we had to make a big deal about it - and it was her 13th birthday as well!!!

We hung out, hiding, in the PTA office until we saw C's class go by for lunch.  We
then made quick work of decorating the door as a surprise for everyone and then
joined them in the cafeteria bearing treats!  They were all so excited and his teacher was
surprised with all the attention and love!

This kid was so surprised to see me:)

Frog in a pond brownie bites:)

Oh and the door decorations were a hit too!!

Tonight C had his first soccer practice of the season!  He was determined to play soccer instead of tball(much to my chagrin!), but he seemed really into it tonight!  His coach seems to know what he's doing, the kids on his team are all very aggressive(C fits right in!).  It'll be fun to see how the season goes!

The Rest of February

I made it through my least favorite part of the year - January and February!  Woohoo!!!  And, you know, it wasn't as bad as it has been in the past and I think it is a mix of both kids being in school and a relatively mild winter this year!  I am very much ready for spring now!!

S had an ear re-check to make sure the meds were working
on her ear infection - they were!:)  We took a quick trip to
the park before going to her appointment! 

M and I had a date night to Caro - Mi Lodge in Tryon, NC!
It was so picturesque, but the food was just so-so.

Sunday Football

Bingo:)

We had a play date on a rainy afternoon at Barnes and Noble!
Who knew the kids would be entertained for so long!?!?

And this is what the girls did - read:)

I was so excited to see the stars of Friends back together!  I DVR'd
the tribute to James Burrows and enjoyed myself one afternoon
before getting the kids from school!

All these bills - in ONE day!  I did not enjoy that!

Camo shirt and camo rainboots is how he was rollin'!

Cousin Jackson's birthday party

Followed by another birthday party!  One of those kind
of days!

They had 2 new inflatables at Pump It Up that the kids
both loved!!

Maiden Voyage and Why Kids Wear Life Jackets!!

M finally got his toy - a fishing boat!  He as been talking about getting one since we first bought our lot two years ago!  

After church we got the final necessities ready to take it out!  I had to go pick up S from choir rehearsal, so the boys went out without us for the first part of the trip.  Once S and I got home and suited up, we went down to our neighbor's dock and they came and picked us up!  We stayed out about 2 hours, fishing and driving around watching the fish finder with the kids were enamored with!  

M spent a lot of time getting the poles ready and baiting hooks while S kept us updated on whether or not there were fish below us as our boat was blown across the lake(it was a very windy day!) and then there was wiggly C!  He is our bait catcher!  The boy is obsessed with catching the bait(minnows was the bait of the day today!) and he does not ever sit still.  So, it was bound to happen, he was doing who knows what slightly too close to the edge of the boat... over he goes!!  And that is why kids wear life jackets on boats! Talk about a panicked moment!!  M was quick to fish(haha, pun intended!!) him out but not before he was completely drenched and freezing!  

And, that was the end of our first boat outing and with one big 45lb catch of the day!!!

When I left to go get S from choir, C was definitely ready to
get going!

The boys coming to pick us up!

Our lake has a TON of seagulls!!  Why?  I don't have a clue!!

One cold kiddo!

Wrapping Up Basketball

During last week's game, I was "assistant coach" and helped M know who to sub in and how many times they'd sat out since David wasn't able to be there!  It also gave me a different vantage point from which to take pictures and luckily I had my good camera with me:)  

Don't mess with him on defense!

He is one aggressive kid!

Team Mugshot!

This week was the team's last game!  Basketball season always seems like it lasts forever, but it does eventually end:)  I didn't have my nice camera with me today because I was too lazy to haul both that and the cooler full of team drinks into the gym, so phone pictures are just going to have to work!  The boys played a great last game and C even got another basket!

After the game, Chelle had made everyone special end of the year treats and the boys got their trophies!  It was an interesting season, and next year should be a whole other level of interesting when we move up to the next age group!

Getting his trophy and then outta there!

Bobby, Mark and C

Zoo Fun

We made a mad dash to the zoo after school today with some friends!  We were so excited to get to see the new baby giraffe, Tatu!!  It was so much less crowded than when we went and saw Kiko when he was born and we were so glad to see that Tatu was out on exhibit as well!  S and her friend could have stayed there for hours watching the giraffes, but the two little guys were having none of that!  The kids played on the small playground in the zoo for a while before we realized what time it was and that they were starting to put the other animals away!  We raced through the rest of the exhibits, with the zookeepers right on our tales pushing us along, and were able to spend a few minutes on the big playground at the entrance to the zoo before we made our way back home for C's basketball practice!

C and his friend, Nate.  S and her friend, Liam.

Autumn and Baby Tatu

Goofball boys!

The orangutans were in rare form!

S and Liam on the requisite bear picture - the little ones were
not having that either!! LOL!

Valentine's Day/President's Day Weekend

Valentine goodies all around:)

We had a far from romantic dinner for Valentine's Day with
friends that included these two crazy boys!!!  Best picture I got!

The kids were out of school today because it's President's Day
and how do we start it off?  With a trip to the doctor's
office for S - terrible "bulging" ear infection!!

We were able to see our friends from our old street for
a couple hours before heading home to beat the ice storm that
had been forecasted!  On the drive home at about 12:30, my car his an
icy spot on a bridge and then it spun again as I tried to turn into my garage!
I'm glad we came home when we did!!
Miley and C being somewhat lazy!

Mallory and S quarantined themselves in Mal's room with a
"Keep Out" sign on their door:)  What are they, 13!?!?!?

Then it was time for some relaxing at home time!

And then the neighbor boy showed up and he played too!