New York City!

My great uncle Joe has 2 granddaughters that are 14, twins obviously, and they are from New York City! How awesome is that? They were in town recently and I have not seen them since they were toddlers.

Hannah and Sophie go to a boarding school for high school in New Jersey. They have to have so many community service hours turned in by the time they graduate. While they spent almost 2 weeks in West Plains they volunteered to help me out here at City Hall! I was so thankful for their help, just because it was the busiest time of the month for me!

We had lunch on Monday together and I got to know them and then Tuesday they helped me out. Wednesday night we met them, Joe, and his friend, Joanne at El Charro’s for dinner. We were there for over 2 hours just talking and getting to know the girls. They would be my 3rd cousins. Kody really enjoyed visiting with them. They are by far the most polite 14 year olds I know! So sweet!

I just can’t imagine growing up IN Manhattan! How awesome is that? Their lives are SO different than what ours are, but so neat!

What’s Happening?

It’s been the real dog days of summer around here! I’ve stayed really busy this week because we’ve had some very special guests! Kody’s Mom and Grandma have been here since Monday. We LOVE when they come visit. They bring Grandma’s little dog, Jack, along too so the boys enjoy playing with him. I’m always sad to see them go and they left this morning. We had a great week!

Monday night Kody grilled pork chops and we had fresh green beans, squash, okra, and lots of fresh fruit. We ate like kings all week! (Imagine that?!) Each night we enjoyed sitting around and just visiting with them. My Mom came out Monday night to visit too!

Tuesday I met them for lunch at my favorite place, Heros. It’s SO good! We had our home appraised on Tuesday morning for our refinance. Unfortunately with the CRAPPY market it was not appraised for what we hoped, but such is life. We’re still hoping to get something worked out. It’s not fair that appraisals are based on one opinion AND the homes that have sold recently…the comparative homes weren’t much to compare with! Kody made another great meal, chicken grillers!

Wednesday was a lot of the same except we met Mom for lunch. They had originally planned on leaving Thursday morning but we were sitting out on our deck Wednesday afternoon waiting on KT to get home and Grandma said, “We didn’t get to go out to eat or celebrate your birthday, I’m in no hurry to get home!” So I went inside and Teresa followed me and said she would surprise Grandma and stay another day. I was so happy and so was Grandma!

They helped me yesterday afternoon with a craft and then we met Kody at Ruby Tuesday for dinner. We had to top it all off at Spring Dipper for ice cream! I’m so glad Kody’s Grandma is able to come stay with us in the country as she refers to it. We just love having her and my MIL. They are the perfect houseguests, the clean up after US an themselves!! :)

Tomorrow we’re going floating and tonight we’re celebrating Ashley’s birthday at El Charro’s! I can’t say what she’s getting, but I hope she likes it!!

Basement DONE!

We have worked our fannies off this summer trying to update our basement. My mom graciously came over to our house while we were lounging on the beach in Gulf Shores and painted the great room. It’s a pretty big room and she got a lot of stuff done! We just had the tedious stuff to finish and it took awhile. Let me start by saying I HATE wood paneling, I guess this is what we get for buying a house from the 1980s! lol!! We could have sheet rocked it, but I didn’t feel we would gain that out of our home when we sell. But paneling is a pain in the rear to paint. It looks so much better—it was an off-white before, now it’s called Toasted Sesame.

We put up trim and all of that had to be painted. I painted the 3 doors down there, the kitchenette, and then Kody and I both worked on the stairwell together. For the past 3 weekends we have worked both Saturday and Sunday if we don’t have plans trying like crazy to get it DONE! It is now!!

We hung stuff yesterday and while that took up the majority of the day I am so glad to have it all done. I have always wanted a stairwell with a lot of stuff going on, and I believe that’s just what I have! Going down the stairs on the right are 2 rod iron keys and then our monogram, K T M, in gold letters that were used for our wedding. Right below the letters and between the 2 keys is FAITH framed. Keep in mind these pictures are from my phone, bad quality!

The other side of the stairs will be somewhat of a collage wall, it’s just not finished yet. I need more black frames! :) We measured a line down the middle and are hanging pictures above it or below it. I saw it on Pinterest and loved the idea! It's kind of pitiful right now, it has our FAMILY RULES canvas on it—which I loved, and then some framed wedding shots that I haven’t known what to do with!

The front of the stairs has a large frame that says The meaning of life is not a question to be answered….but an EVENT to be experienced. It has one of our wedding pictures in it, that was definitely an event! Crosses for the cross wall are on my bday list and obviously I need some! I want some with some color! :) We went ahead and hung these accordingly so we have room for more as I buy them.

 

As you get into the family room downstairs you see our new furniture! Please excuse the lack-of end tables, I am in the market for a couple…and new lamps. The dog bones in the picture are real life!! Sorry for the crazy light/flash!

You can’t really tell but it’s a couch, loveseat, and ottoman that is thick chocolate covered microfiber with red, green, and khaki plaid pillows. We picked this because it looked comfortable, yet manly. After all, it’s the man cave.

Our kitchenette may be my favorite area. We hung pictures from the Hermann wineries on 1 wall and then pictures from Tin Mill Brewing Company in Hermann on the other. Goes great!

 

If you’re sitting on the couch looking at the TV you will see this wall. This is a fun wall with little highway Americana decor. (See the dog ears?)

I was a stress ball most of the day Saturday because I was watching this….

Kody had a ladder and he balanced on it while I was sweating like mad nervous! He did really well though and I’m so thankful he’s as talented as he is!

My MIL and Grandma-in-law are here this week! And we’re floating this weekend with our Sunday School class, I’m so ready for an actual weekend of NO work!!

Dinner with Friends

I forgot to post about a couple of nights with friends we’ve had this summer. It was back in June (yes, it’s been awhile!) and we spent one weekend with lots of friends!

On the Friday night we had Josh and Ashley out for burgers. We love to have people out to our house and Kody loves to cook for people…I think he gets bored with me being the only person eating his food! It was his idea and just what we needed! We were able to just sit back and relax, let the guys cook, and we had a great dinner! We drove around town for awhile afterwards and got in several good laughs! We finished our night back at our house on the deck—one of my favorite spots at our house. I am on our deck all the time! We are thankful for our good friends!

The next night we knew we were going to be with another group of friends, but plans were made late so we decided to go to Dawt Mill. They all have kids, so it’s kind of like as long as everyone is well and a sitter is found we can go….can’t wait for those days! It’s an old mill with a restaurant right on the river. We had a great meal outside, there were 9 of us, and lots of laughing! Afterwards we went downstairs to the gravel bar to watch karaoke. It’s a new bar they’ve built and it’s huge compared to the old one. There were TONS of people down there and it really wasn’t for me, but I still had a great time!

Dinners OUT and IN are great, especially with friends!

Our Weekend!

I realize I haven't finished posting on last week and I have one big post in my drafts that's lacking some pictures....I'll get there.

Friday was a busy day at work finishing up the council packets. I had them done really early though thanks to all of Hannah and Sophie's help!!! I was done by 11:30 and worked through my lunch and was off for the day at 1:30! I stopped off at the bank to see Kody and get our weekly money (Dave Ramsey--envelopes!) and he made sure I got a great little snack! :) The bank he was working at has a popcorn machine and a fridge full of all kinds of sodas. I hadn't had lunch so this was perfect! How cute is that?

 

We had a super productive weekend!! Kody and I met my grandparents and aunt at a hot dog place for dinner on Friday night. It's one of our favorites, but we don't frequent near as much because we're trying to be better. Weekends are more of a free game!! I had the Memphis Dog, which has pulled pork and cole slaw on it! YUM! We even had an ice cream cone there, perfect meal! We headed back to their house to swim and hang out for awhile. We left around 10 knowing that we were going to get up EARLY to start our long Saturday!

We got up before 6 and headed to town to get our run in. We ran 2 miles and ran to breakfast. (Left the truck there...) We had breakfast (defeats the run I guess...but oh well!), went by the Farmer’s Market for some blackberries, and then headed home to begin painting. My mom painted our great room in the basement while we were in Gulf Shores. We had to paint the doors, the trim (which we added), the kitchenette, stairwell, doorways, and that was basically it. I had painted the kitchenette earlier in the week and all the trim and doors so we just had 2 doorways, our double entry doors, and the stairwell. Did you catch that keyword, just??? HA! We worked from about 7:40 to 5 up.m.!!!! I painted the doorways, entry doors, and helped Kody on the stairwell. Looking back I'm not sure why it took that long but it did. We actually had a lot of fun doing it. Funny story (to us) we call our dogs ALL KINDS of nicknames…Bo is often Rohm, Rorer, etc…and Jacks is often Roni (pronounced RowKNEE), Jaxaroni, etc. Kody came up with Swizzlepants for Jax on Saturday. We shortened to Swiz and maybe it was the paint fumes but we were constantly calling each other Swiz or talking about Swiz while painting in the stairwell…At one point I said, “What is this on the wall? It says…Swiz was here?” Kody died laughing and then I proceeded to laugh at him hysterically for a good 5 minutes. I went to the restroom later and came back to paint some more. Kody then went to the restroom and came back and said Swiz!!! I looked up and saw this….Then I really died laughing. It doesn’t take much to entertain us, obviously…

We finished up all we were going to do around 5. I took a 45 minute catnap while Kody watched a movie. I then showered and we went to TJ’s for dinner. It is a restaurant close by that we go to for pretty good food and it’s just easy. We were too tired to mess with much. We drove around for about an hour afterwards because I think we had a small case of cabin fever! We both agreed it was one of our better Saturdays even though we worked like dogs. We were able to spend time together and didn’t kill one another in the stairwell!! We went to bed pretty early Saturday night as it was obviously a LONG day!

Sunday came early! We get up for church at 6:50, drink a cup of coffee, and get ready for the day. Our service starts at 8:15. We usually get there right then. Church was good and Sunday School was ok. We’re doing a study called Basic with Francis Chan and although I feel he has good intentions and makes you question things which is great, I leave feeling guilty that I will never be a replica of Christ. In my mind (TOTALLY my opinion) I feel if we were all replicas of Christ, there would be nothing that would offset him to be MORE than we all are. And he is SO MUCH MORE than we all could ever imagine of being! After church we went to lunch at Colton’s and then went to the ever-so lovely Wal-Mart for groceries. We made it home about 1 and I knew then I wouldn’t be making it to the pool. We had paint touch ups to do and I cleaned out our unfinished/wood/laundry room in the basement, vacuumed, and we unwrapped the new couch, loveseat, and ottoman! I forgot to take a picture of it, but it is perfect for the man room! We even took a little cat nap on it all last night after we worked hard again. We dumped a bunch of trash, went by my parents house to say hey, and then headed home.

I keep saying it, but I am SO thankful for Kody’s new job and the fact he is off now on Saturdays. What a blessing! We’re able to get so much done around the house. This next weekend we plan to hang stuff!! Can’t wait!

Monday Post!

Once again, I apologize this is 4 days late! Monday was a long day. I started working on things for our council meeting, which is next Monday, but it takes around a week to prepare for. I got a phone call that my third cousins were in town visiting their grandpa, my great uncle. I had not seen the girls, twins in fact, since they were toddlers. They live in NYC--can you imagine?! They are 14 now and as sweet and cute as ever! Hannah and Sophie are here for a week and a half and wanted to have lunch on Monday!

My uncle Joe picked me up and we set off for lunch. I really enjoyed lunch and talking with them, mainly asking questions about growing up in the city. They go to a boarding school in New Jersey now for high school, but are home during the summer. They have to do community service hours for their school and wanted to help me out this week. They came Tuesday to help and yesterday too!

I went to the chiropractor over lunch for my weekly visit and then home real quick to grab a bite to eat. I stayed busy Monday afternoon and then headed to the cleaner's to pick up Kody's shirts. I LOVE THE DRY CLEANERS!!!! I hate ironing and that was the one thing about Kody's new job that I dreaded. I figured I would be married to the stupid ironing board. It's not so bad, I take all of his shirts to have them cleaned and I do the pants at home.

I had a Pastor Parish Relations Meeting at 5:30 at church. It was about an hour and a half and a pretty intense meeting. Afterwards I headed home for grilled porkchops from KT. Good meal!! We watched a little TV and then I went to bed early. I have been tired all week! Real exciting post, I know! ;)

Sunday!

I know, I’m several days behind. Oh well, that’s life for me here lately. I can’t stay caught up. We don’t even turn the TV on at night we’ve been so busy! Sunday (the day of rest and my Dad’s birthday) was no exception.

We got up a little bit earlier and went to the store for some fruit for breakfast after church. We always attend the 8:15 Contemporary Service and afterwards from 9:15 to 9:30 is coffee and doughnut time for whoever wants to go. We take turns provided snacks (not just doughnuts) through our Sunday School class. We have July! Kody likes when people bring fruit instead of brownies, doughnuts, muffins, etc. So we took cantaloupe and bananas!

The sermon was great and it was good to see Mark (our pastor) back. He went on vacation for two weeks and then we were gone when he returned. We always enjoy chatting it up with our friends during coffee time.

Sunday School was ok, I’m at a crossroads thinking I need something more than a video and discussion. More on that later. After we planned to have lunch with the Skeeters and then we ended up joining the Rutledges + some of their extended family at El Charro’s. I have since eaten El Charro’s 4 times since last Friday. I’M DONE FOR AWHILE!! I get tired of places real quick!

Lunch was fun, there were 17 of us total! Wild group! After we went to Wal-Mart to pick up the few things we needed for the week. We got home and had about 45 minutes to rest before Hannah’s party. I told Kody I was going to take a 25 minute nap and about that time my friend Lindsey showed up. Her husband is a logger and came to look at one of our trees that got struck by lightning that Kody needs help getting down. I decided a nap was not in my cards! It was EXTREMELY hot Sunday and has been all week. I stood outside and talked to Lindsey in a sun dress for about 7 minutes and was sweating like a man afterwards! Sick!!!

Hannah had quite a houseful of guests for her 6th birthday party! I can’t believe the little, sweet girl is actually 6! (Today in fact!!) I remember the day she was born and going to see her in the hospital! She had a friend and lots of cousins there to celebrate. She wants hair down to her butt and got a Tangled wig! She loved it and it was so funny to see her be so serious with it! Isn’t she beautiful?!

After Hannah’s party we went to the gym for an hour to workout before our next birthday celebration. We worked mainly on abs and I was sore for 2 days after, so I felt it was a good workout! We were going to run, but being the middle of the day it was too hot.

We went to dinner at my Mom & Dad’s house. Kody actually grilled hamburgers in the 100+ degree heat, what a champ. We had corn on the cob and some other stuff including homemade ice cream and a layered chocolate and cream cheese icing cake!! to die for! Kody ate 2 big pieces, he said he saved up his calories!! LOL! He is not a cake eater so it was really funny. We lounged around for awhile, Dad opened his gifts—we got him a cordless drill, and then headed home. I took a shower and went to bed, Sunday was exhausting to me!

My Dad & his BFF, Boj, Excuse the quality—phone pic

Saturday was a GREAT day!

When Kody worked at the diesel shop he got up EARLY (before 6 am!) and went to breakfast with guys from work. He still goes, but we’ve been out of town lately. I talked him into sleeping in until about 7:15 and then going with me. Reluctantly, he broke tradition and took me! He said next week he would go earlier! HA! We had a really good breakfast, we love their wheat toast…we’re easy to please.

After breakfast we headed to the Farmer’s Market. I wondered if it meant I was getting old since I was up early on Saturdays and excited about going to the Farmer’s Market?? :) We bought some blackberries and enjoyed looking at all of the fresh vegetables. We were already loaded up on squash and zucchini from the night before, so we didn’t really need any of the other stuff.

Kody got inspired after leaving the Farmer’s Market and wanted to take a trip to the river with our camera. We ran home and got the camera and headed to Patrick Bridge and Althea Spring.

On our walk back to the truck we saw this HUGE spider. It may not be the biggest spider out there, but it was scary looking…

We headed home and I started painting our basement where my mom left off. I painted the three doors down there outside first. Then I painted quite a bit of the trim and finished a couple of doorways. We’re SO close, I hope to wrap things up this weekend. I’m so anxious to unwrap our plastic couch and love seat, put up our wall decor, and watch a movie down there! I painted from about 12:30 to 4:30. I was a hot mess after! Kody mowed the yard in the 100 degree heat while I painted outside most of the time. We showered and got ready for dinner at 6.

My Dad’s birthday was Sunday so we celebrated in Gainesville at the Antler on Saturday night. Awesome pizza, I can’t wait to go back for some more. It’s a Catch 22….I wish it were closer, but it’s probably best it’s not! :) I LOVE PIZZA!!

We had a lot of laughs while we were at dinner. The table behind us was a very rowdy, drunk bunch of adults. One of them hit Kody’s chair pretty hard and Kody said easy there and then proceeded to push his chair back a little. The guy nearly blew up and kept asking him to go outside! My brother and Dad were getting so mad sticking up for little Kody!! haha. Finally that group left and all was well. My Dad said where is the bill, did someone take care of it? Alex said I don’t know, grabbed it, and went up to pay. We were cracking up laughing because HE NEVER pays for things!! He’s making good money at his pharmacy as an intern this summer, so good for him! He said later he was still worked up over that table of crazy people!

I drove to and from because of the curvy roads. After we got back to town Kody and I headed home. Sunday morning comes early, we always try to make it to bed at a decent time on Saturday nights!

It was a wonderful day and I am so thankful for Kody being off on Saturdays now! What a blessing!!

Day in the Life: Friday

I'm sorry this post is 4 days late! I've been busy this past weekend. I never have time (or make the time) to blog over the weekends. Friday was a great day though!

It started out Kody going to work out early and I got ready and headed to work. I got a lot of paperwork done on Friday (mainly because my computer was all jacked up and being worked on!) I did stuff I had on a list for the last year, it just wasn't a pressing issue. I'm SO glad to have it all done though.

I met my Mom, Grandma, and Aunt Janet at our church at lunch and we went to the annual Methodist Women's Salad Luncheon. I love going, always such good food!! Kody made a grilled corn salad for me to take. It was my intention to make the salad. I had been cleaning the master bathroom from floor to ceiling and he offered to do it. SO I am capable!! :) We had a really nice lunch and then it was time to head back to work.

I finished up a lot of paperwork Friday afternoon and was ready for 5! Kody and I went to El Charro's with Brian and Courtney. First the guys loaded up our new furniture and took it home. The guy that bought our old stuff had just picked it up, so we were ready to get the new home! We had a great meal and sat and laughed for a long time. Kody and Brian are too funny when they get together. We went back to their house and raided their garden and got several good looking squash to take home. We don't have any squash or zucchini this year and it's really sad!! I've actually had to buy it and Courtney said NOT to do that they all had plenty. We went out to her parents' house to get zucchini from them. We sat out on their back patio for a long time, I love it there! We headed home around 11 and showered and went to bed.

That was my Friday, one of my favorite days of the week!

Day in the life: Thursday

These posts are probably pretty boring for you all, but if you read it Kudos to you! Thursday was a good day! I woke up and got ready at 6. Kody stayed home yesterday morning from working out. We both left for work around 7:20. I spent a lot of my workday filling out scholarship applications for upcoming conferences I could attend.

It rained off and on all morning. During lunch I went to the Civic Center to attend the Chamber Luncheon. I always enjoy those, get to eat lunch with my friend Courtney! The speaker was from the Missouri Cattlemen’s Association and talked about cows, agriculture, etc. I really didn’t think I would find it that interesting, but I did!

My afternoon went pretty quick just doing odds and ends things. It’s been a quiet week at work, 2 of my friends are on vacation!! Five o’clock approached fast enough and I changed and met Kody and a friend at the track to run. They ran sprints while I just ran laps. I did NOT enjoy running on that track. First of all it was boring as all get out and second of all there was this nasty smell in the air of smelly boys/kids and it was hard to breathe! I don’t know if it was the section of town, track, or what, but it stunk! It took me back to one of my most embarrassing moments in high school….

9th grade, late August…We had to run a mile for the state’s physical fitness test. I was in fine shape then, but not a runner. I had a partner and we practiced for awhile and then the day came where we were doing it for a time. Sarah, my partner, pushed me (which is great), but at the end of August in Missouri in the afternoon it did not end great….we finished in record time and I was walking around and then felt SICK!!! Of course I had to wait on the boys’ PE class to walk by before I threw up all over the place (in front of the boys!!). HOW EMBARRASSING!!! I can laugh now, but the whole time I ran last night I thought of that!

Back to my day….I finished my run and then walked for awhile while the guys ran bleachers. Kody is a machine, let me tell you! We were going to head to the gym after that but it was already 6:30 and we thought we better get home for dinner.

When we got home I had this wild hair to clean from ceiling to floor our SMALL master bathroom. Now I say small, it’s really small…has a sink/vanity, toilet, and shower. So I didn’t think it would take too long and it needed it BADLY. I threw the rugs in the washer and began cleaning the toilet, walls, baseboards, floor, sink, shower, etc. I got that done in about an hour so it wasn’t bad.

Kody grilled salmon and asparagus! It was TO DIE FOR! At the Chamber luncheon earlier in the day our steakhouse, Colton’s, passed out seasoning. He put that on the salmon and grilled it on his wood plank. SOOOO tasty. I had to take a picture. It was the first time he grilled the asparagus right on the grill instead of in aluminum foil, we liked it much better this way. It was crispy!

We sat around and talked for awhile after dinner…mainly about our weekend plans. We have someone coming to pick up the couch and loveseat today and our old end tables so we wanted to go get the new stuff. The basement needs to be finished painting, but our painter (my mom!) sprained her ankle really bad and has a sore throat now. She did so much while we were on vacation that I believe we can finish. I hope we can get a lot done this weekend. I can’t wait to start hanging stuff in the stairwell. Here’s a sneak peak at a new found I purchased last weekend!

We filled out paperwork to refinance our home with Kody's bank and the bank we have everything at and then I went to bed. It started thundering BIG and lightning a lot and the dogs were scared, we were sitting at the kitchen table and they were both (100lbs each…) under the table. We had to laugh. I slept great with the rainy weather! Hopefully we see some sun today!

I’m going to the United Methodist Women’s annual salad luncheon with my Mom and Grandma. :) Fun day!

Day in my life...

I really enjoyed Kelly's week of a day in my life posts and Ashley just did a weeks worth and it was so fun to read! I know this is totally in the middle of the week, but I'm going to start with Wednesday and see where it takes me!

Wednesday:

Woke up at 6, Kody left the house to go workout and I got ready. Kody normally makes my breakfast (I'm spoiled--who cares) but I made my own. I typically have some little turkey sausages or little sausagies as we refer to them and a piece of fruit. I made a fruit smoothie and it was so good! (frozen mixed berries, skim milk, packet of Splenda, dab of honey, and 3 regular strawberries--then blended it!)

I left the house about 7:15 and got to work about 7:30. I always eat breakfast at work and check emails or reply to emails. 7:30 to 8:15 is my favorite part of the day, it's quiet and I can get a lot of work done.

I worked on random things until 11:30 and headed home. Our air conditioner had not been working right Tuesday night and I was so afraid it was going out. It's a newer unit though so I did have faith it was going to be ok. It ran all night Tuesday and never cooled down. I turned it off yesterday and hoped for the best! I got a guy to come out at 12 while I was at home for lunch. The problem was actually solved and I just didn't know. Embarrassing enough, the filter was so clogged up from yucky stuff it couldn't get the air through, therefore it backed up and froze. WHOOPS! I totally never remember to change that thing. I now have reminder to change it every month. Our A/C guy said to buy the cheap filters and change them once a month. Makes sense! I was so pleased it was fixed and I could cool off!

I partially cleaned the floors while I was home (never-ending job at my house) and then headed back to work. Kody normally goes home but he went to meet with a loan officer to go over some things.

My afternoon crawled by, I was so excited to go home and DO NOTHING! I couldn't tell you the last time I sat around at night and didn't do anything. Since I had the yard sale last week the two weeks prior I was cleaning out closets and rooms getting ready for it.

I got home about 5:15 and sat out on the deck with the iPad and played around and took a little nap. It started to rain so I put my chair up under the roof. I love our deck and I spend a lot of time out there. Kody went to run sprints after work and got home about 6:30. It was his first day at another branch and he really enjoyed it. He said they were more laid back. This bank is not just a drive-thru so he worked with customers face-to-face.

He made an incredible (and light!) dinner. I was in the mood for Mexican so he grilled chicken tenders with olive oil, salt, and pepper, grilled squash, and then made a salad with the chicken and squash and then added black beans and avocados. It was so good!! I put a little ranch on mine but he put salsa which was also good! Isn't it pretty?

We sat at the dinner table and talked for a long time after dinner. I cleaned up the kitchen and then took a shower. We then got to be lazy!! Kody took some online banking tests and I played on facebook/watched tv. The Long Lost Kennedy Movies was on, so of course I watched that.

I went to my room about 9:30 and was asleep before 10! I love nights like that. All-in-all, Wednesday was a great day. I was thrilled knowing that tomorrow (which is today) is Thursday! I love short weeks!

Swing Batter!

Recently Kody and I went to watch our little friend, Hannah, play T-ball. I had to see her with my own 2 eyes on the ball field because Hannah is a very girly girl. I was shocked she played (so was her Mom!). She did very well and it is always fun to watch those kids play.

Her little brother, Hunter, will be 3 next month and was too young to play. He didn’t understand why he couldn’t play with Nanna as he calls her. He asked at the end of the game to go bat and he did and then ran the bases!! It was so cute!

 

Hannah’s last game Hunter got to play! He was so excited, I’m sad we missed it. I stole these pictures from Courtney. He’s got some good form for a little boy who isn’t even 3 yet!

…Born on the 4th of July!

It’s so fun to me that we are able to celebrate our nephew each 4th of July. Since DAY 1, Drew has proven to be a little firecracker!! He may be small, but he has quite a large personality!

We headed to Jackson Friday afternoon and arrived just in time for dinner at Stooges. Kyle, Erica, Drew, and Drake joined us. Kaci was in town but Luke had to work nights all weekend! :( We love Stooges, there’s something for everyone there. After Stooges I was able to get a sno-cone from TY’s!!!! I LOVE TY’s!

Drew’s swimming party was Saturday morning at John & Teresa’s. He had a few friends over and lots of family. He was so funny…he loves Thomas the Train, so that was the theme. He loved his cake! (I did too!!) His BFF, Ashlyn or Ashy/Ash as he refers to her helped him open gifts. Erica’s dad brought him a HUGE teddy bear and the kids loved playing on that. It’s so big I have no clue where they’ll put it!!

They had simple decor, but with the pretty (but hot) weather and the pool they didn’t need much else!

  

Drake had grown since vacation! His cheeks were big and so sweet!!

After presents and cake it was time to swim!! The kids had a lot of fun fighting over all the swimming toys! :)

A lot of people love Drew!

TIME TO SWIM!!

 

Crazy Uncle KoKo doing the Uncle Wayne T. move!! haha

After the party we grilled out and swam. It was SO HOT out that the pool was perfect! I lounged around in the orange floating boat pictured above most of Saturday and Sunday afternoon!

Saturday afternoon I got to run by and see Ashley Lancaster! I had a little something for Liam and Evy and it was great to catch up with her!! Thanks for seeing me, Ashley!

We actually went back to Stooges for a last minute dinner on Saturday. We crashed early, it was a long and fun day!

Sunday Kody and I got up early and went downtown Cape and ran a couple of miles down there. I loved running around downtown Cape, I quickly window shopped as I ran by and reminisced on the old days when I used to live in Cape and shop and eat downtown! We had lunch on Sunday before Kaci headed back to STL and then Aunt Robin, Teresa, and I enjoyed the pool. We had dinner at BG’s…somewhere we never go on Sunday (sounds like all we did is eat!) and then just hung out.

Yesterday we got up and went to brunch with my in-laws before they left for Kentucky Lake and before we headed home. We thought we lost Bo for a little while yesterday morning. He was nowhere to be found…or so we thought, and we got in 2 cars and drove all over Bent Creek looking for him. Finally my FIL found him in the small powder room with the door shut. I guess he went in there and turned around and accidently shut himself in there! We were panicked, but got a good laugh out of it!

It was a fabulous weekend in Jackson, we can’t wait to return!