Valentine's Day

We had lots of fun celebrating Valentine's Day. Carl and I celebrated early with dinner at Mojito. On Valentine's Day, we made breakfast, went to the science center, gave the boys a few small gifts, enjoyed take out, and had a great movie night. I was also able to attend Evan and Preston's class parties, which is always a treat.

Preston's Valentine's Day Party

Preston was a ham after the party and enjoyed posing for a few pictures.

Evan made an awesome Pokemon box for his Valentine's Day party.

Evan and Parker

We made blueberry muffins for breakfast, but Preston decided that he wanted to make M&M muffins too! They were pretty tasty!

Fun at the science center!

Making cookies was fun, but eating them was even better!

 

The boys and I had fun making decorations for the house.

Preston's New Bed

When Preston was potty training last summer, we converted his crib to a toddler bed. He liked it for a day or two, but then he hated it. He really liked feeling protected in his crib. We tried modifying the toddler bed, so that he would feel secure, but it did not help and Preston was very unhappy and not sleeping well. We eventually let him use the crib again.

Last month, we were able to get Preston excited about a big boy bed, by telling him that he could have a bunk bed. He was really excited, so we got rid of the crib and purchased Preston a bunk bed. He really likes it and he has not once said that he wants his crib back! He alternates sleeping on the top bunk and the bottom bunk and enjoys doing "tricks" as he gets into bed. Both boys like playing on it together during the day time and I look forward to when they are calm enough to have a "sleepover" in Preston's room.

Of course, despite the fact that he is exhausted each afternoon, he hates the idea of taking a nap. So, even though I have used all the tricks that I know to get a child to sleep, he often sleeps in his car seat on the way to pick Evan up from school. 

Happy 8th Birthday, Evan!

Evan turned 8 years old on January 25th. Preston and I joined Evan at school to celebrate his special day. Both boys had lots of fun. Evan was really excited, because a friend, Ahmed, surprised him with a new pack of Pokemon cards.

Evan is 8 years old!

Evan really enjoyed his school celebration. He had to include his new Pokemon cards in his picture!

When we returned from school, there was a package from Aunt Heather and the kids! It was a box of balloons and each balloon had a prize inside! We had fun popping the balloons and Evan enjoyed collecting his gift of fifteen dollars!

Once Carl got home, it was time for presents! Preston was really excited to open presents too, so Evan was really sweet and let Preston help. We had Papa John's cheese pizza and cheese sticks for dinner, since those are Evan's favorites. We also had some yummy birthday cookies. It was a really fun night and we completed the festivities with a Nerf battle!

On Saturday, the Congleton family joined us for birthday fun. We had lunch at the house and then we all headed to House of Boom. The weather was great when we got home, so everyone played outside. Aunt Rachel, Uncle Teddy, Caroline, Alex, Grammy and Granddaddy joined us for the evening birthday party, which was lots of fun. All the kids enjoyed playing together and the adults had lots of fun too.

House of Boom

Nerf gun on a "boat!" I love their creativity!

Evan got several more Nerf guns for his birthday. He was THRILLED! I think Nerf gun and Pokemom are his absolute favorite things these day!

Evan really liked his Pokemon cake!

Before the Congletons left on Sunday, we took a walk on the bridge and played at the playground on the Jeffersonville side of the river. The kids had a blast. Although everyone was tired, we even managed to squeeze in a lunch at a Mexican restaurant and the boys had a ball.

I think I always say that I can't believe how old or how big Evan is getting, but it is the truth. He is a really great kid and we are really proud of him. He is doing well in school and I enjoy seeing his progress as we work on homework each day. He is also a really kind person too. He is getting more and more responsible and does a pretty good job with his daily chores. We love Evan so much and we are looking forward to all the wonderful things that will happen in the coming year.

Mommy and Daddy's Trip to Lexington

Carl and I took a couple of weekend trips when Evan was younger, but it is has been a VERY long time since we traveled together without the kids. In fact, we have not been away for more than a night since well before Preston was born!

We decided that it was time for the two of us to get away for a few days. The kids seemed excited about getting a few days to spend the night with Grammy and Granddaddy, but Evan became VERY upset at the thought of us going anywhere fun without him. So, in order to keep the peace and make everyone happy, we decided that our trip to Key West would now be a trip to "Lexington." Since Evan does not consider Lexington a super fun place, he was happy for us to go there without him!

Carl and I spent three days in Key West and we had a wonderful time! We ate, drank, went on a sunset cruise, collected sea glass, walked all over the island and RELAXED. We really enjoyed our time away and it was so nice to concentrate on each other and enjoy being together.

The boys had a great time with Grammy and Granddaddy and went to a movie, went to House of Boom, at at McDonald's, went shopping for toys, built a snowman, went sledding, etc.

Of course, Carl and I missed the boys very much and they missed us too. We were all excited to be reunited again. The day after we returned ended up being a snow day, so we got to spend lots of time together, which was just what we all needed!

We went up in the light house for the first time. The views were fantastic!

The weather was cool, but taking walks on the beach were lots of fun!

The Key West Garden Club

We were able to see a pretty sunset each night we were there.

We had fun walking along the harbor.

Smathers Beach

Geiger Key

We spent our last night on a sunset sail. It was a great way to end our trip.