Church on a Saturday?

Yesterday my father's church held a Friends & Family Day for, you guessed it, friends and family to come out. Daddy invited me to go and somehow, someway got my mother to go along too. It was really nice seeing so many nice people and meeting the people of his church. It's a little bit of a shame Isaac couldn't make it, there were a bunch of kids there. Older boys were playing basketball, but there were plenty of other children his age there. Plus face painting and water balloons! I got to play (and lose) 3 games of bingo, but Mama won! As you would expect from a church event there was also plenty of food. Chicken (fried and baked), hamburgers, hot dogs, corn on the cob, potato salad, baked beans, green beans plus cakes and brownies, soda and chips. Yes, Kyle, I know you're jealous.

Yeah, we had a good time.

Sister, Sister (& Pretend Shopping plus a School Meeting)

Tuesday (one of Kyle's days off) just happened to be a day Kate didn't have to work, so we decided to spend a little time together. We started off the day with a trip to London Bridge Greenhouse & Nursery. Kyle and I were looking for something to plant in the front of the house to grow up on the pair of trellises we just added to the front of the house. A trip to the nursery is kind of like taking a mini visit to the Norfolk Botanical Gardens.

There were rock sculptures all around and of course lots and lots of plants. The sculptures are rocks that are carefully balanced on top of each other. It's really neat outdoor art. We didn't happen to buy anything though we did narrow our choices on plants for the trellis. We still have a tiny soft spot for Wisteria, but Kyle really took a liking to the Jasmine.

There was still some time before Kyle and myself needed to be school-ward bound for a meeting with Isaac's vice principal and guidance counselor, so we headed over to Ethan Allen. Their building has been in the same spot for as long as I can think if and I had never been. I didn't really find their prices to be outrageous, but they were definitely out of our price range. I found a sofa I really like, it happens to very strongly remind me of one in The Dick Van Dyke show (if you want to know it'd be the sofa in Rob's workplace). 

Kyle found a definite style he liked that we shall call 'Mad Men', it pretty much encompasses the things in Ethan Allen's 'Modern Glamour' collection. I'm just glad to have stumbled upon something he really took a shine to, it feels good to be able to nail a look down.

After our trip to the Land of Pretty Things We Cannot Afford, we grabbed a bite to at Chez McDonald's. I got the very fancy Happy Meal and Kyle had a frappe. 

After Mickey D's we temporarily parted ways with Kate and Emmy, so we could make it to Isaac's school. No worries, everything's fine or at least is going to be. We just had to set some things up for next year. We ended out time out by heading over to Kate's for some more brother, sister, sister-in-law, niece, nephew, cousin family time.

Actual Fun with the Children

April 29th was Kyle's birthday but he didn't get to enjoy his best birthday present until Friday. Blaze had bought him a ticket to Lunatic Luau, which was finally back after a long hiatus. Kyle took a half day out of work so that he could go around 4 o'clock. He, Blaze and Audrey had a very good time and he got a new band to listen to out of it.

Sorry for the crappy phone pic. Blame Audrey :)

As for myself, my Friday night was spent with Isaac & Mariska. We went to a free sale at a local church, where the kids each took home a small bag of toys. I got a few items for Mariska, Blaze, Isaac & Kyle, but didn't find anything for myself. Oh well. We picked up cheapie pizzas from Food Lion on our way home along with some popsicles. Once we got to the house it was private dance party time! We also rounded out the night with a little Spongebob and Rugrats. Since they were so good, I promised some something extra fun on Saturday. Kyle gave me the great idea of letting them go to town on some canvas I had that I had already painted but wasn't crazy about, and then hanging it in their room. They had fun and stayed remarkably clean.

One of our masterpieces.

He also used his floating holiday to take off Saturday which is so nice since he has Sunday off already so we get to have a full weekend. Our plans got off track as we were planning to go to a free yard sale but it ended at noon and we were still at the house at half past 12. This was all my fault as I forgot to double check the time of the sale. Oh well, you live, you learn. We decided to hit up some regular yard sales instead. Things were winding down when we were we out and that amounts to cheap prices and free toys for the kids. There's something I forgot to mention, we 'kidnapped' Mariska for our family day out.

My father had given me his car to drive home so we needed to return it. Pops had invited us to spend the night so we packed a tiny bag and headed out to my folks (Mariska included). As always the kids have been getting the The Grandparent Treatment. Free flowing juice, cartoons galore, sweet treats, the works. It's good to be a grandchild.

We also took the kids to Kangaroo Jac's yesterday. It's a bit dizzying in there because of all the the bright colors and the loudness that is to be expected in a place filled with dozens of children. But since we were there for Isaac and Mariska and they had oodles of fun, it was completely worth it.

That's pretty much our weekend. Family time with my folks which is always good.

Impromptu Barbeque

Yesterday we hosted a last minute planned cookout. Eric and Krystal supplied most of the eats, though Kyle made our summer pasta salad. Oh, and he made brownies, can't forget chocolate stuff. The boys did the grilling and us girls cleaned up the backyard. We were later joined by Blaze, Mariska & Miss Audrey. Kyle decided to reinstate the kiddie pool and Mariska got her first at home dip in the pool.

Afterwards some of the gang went outside to toss some balls around. First in the driveway and them to a big open field nearby. Isaac came home just in time to head out to the field with Kyle, Eric & Audrey.

First Time at First Landing State Park

Day three of Spring Break and Isaac and I went to First Landing State Park. We accidentally took the wrong path and ended up walking a mile before we decided to turn around. While not planned it was a really pleasant walk, though Krystal and Isaac were definitely done by the time we were done. The trail was littered with little stops for exercise. There were crunches, push-ups, monkey bars (which were called the overhead ladder, oh fancy) and more. Afterwards we stopped for lunch at Famous Uncle Al's, hot dogs all around. Technically Krystal had corn dogs.

Easter Weekend

Our neighbors (the best neighbors I've ever had, btw) invited Isaac to their church for an Easter egg hunt on Saturday. Kyle had to work but luckily Blaze was able to take us, not so luckily we ran late and having the wrong directions did not help us make up time. It all worked out in the end as there was still plenty of candy to go around, there just wasn't so much in the way of hunting.

Saturday night was spent keeping up with family tradition of dying Easter eggs. This year we headed over to Kate and Shawn's new apartment for the eggstravaganza (sorry). Isaac and Emily really enjoyed themselves. it was great seeing Emily as a happy toddler, she was warm and fuzzy. I got hugs and heard Emily say my name for the first time!

Sunday we were supposed to do another egg hunt at Hunt Club Farm with Blaze and Audrey, then meet up with Eric & Krystal for lunch and a visit to the St. Jude Dream House. Our plans got skewered slightly since Audrey couldn't get to Hunt Club until later so we had to go without her and Blaze. But then there was a monkey wrench in our revised plans when we discovered that Hunt club wasn't offering the egg hunt for free or for that matter cheap. Since spending $31 to egg hunt was not in our plans we had to cut it out. We did however enjoy brunch at Cagney's and the dream house.

On Sunday we also gave Isaac his Easter basket. Well, first he gave him a tiny Easter basket, we knew he had already seen the basket he was getting so I threw him off the trail by telling him that the basket he saw was for Mariska and that I had made a different one for him. So no doubt Isaac was expecting a big ol' basket after seeing 'Mariska's basket'. His face when he got the small basket? Pure disappointment, brave child that he is, he disguised his desire to cry and just accepted the small one. He was much happier when he got his real basket. We got real smiles for that one.

Receiving a tiny Easter basket.

His real Easter basket.

March Madness

I've been seriously slacking on that whole resolution to post more, huh? Life always continues to go and here it is no different. No big news to share or announcements to make, just daily life happening at our place. Consider this post a little photo bomb of the past month.

We bought a 'new' couch. $8.

Waiting in the doctor's office.

Cooking out in some of the first warm weather of the year.

Isaac sneaking up on Mariska.

He's getting so big! Cliche, but true.

Pops getting a haircut.

Swings! That can handle my weight!

Rain, rain wash away all the pollen.

Mariska playing in the rain.

Deuces!

Temples & Tombs

The second grade class at Kings Grant put on a play about ancient Egypt called 'Temples & Tombs' yesterday for the first grade class. Tonight is the evening performance for family to come see. We won't be able to make it because it's a 6:30 & Kyle's working til 8, but we did sneak and watched it with the first graders yesterday. I think Isaac unexpectedly seeing us in the audience was a big boon to his day. Isaac has a line in the play and it was so great that we got to see him because I really did not think we'd be able to see him perform.

Isaac is on the left next to the teacher. By the way the girl all the way on the right is Cameron, a girl we believe Isaac has a bit of a crush on. He won't admit it, but we can tell. Plus Grandma Smitty tricked Isaac into telling. My father asked Isaac for the name of his girlfriend and Isaac told him he didn't have one. Then Dad said 'Oh, I'm sorry, not your girlfriend but that girl said you liked, what was her name?' And just like that Isaac fell for it and said 'You mean Cameron?' 

My parents are sneaky. :)

The Big Chop

Nevermind the serious face. :)

About a week ago I bit the bullet and did the big chop, meaning I cut off all of my processed or relaxed hair. I'd been growing my hair out for a few months and had suffered from some major breakage. Having very short hair in the back made it  easier to make the decision to cut my hair much easier, plus it reducing my likelihood of relaxing my hair. I still haven't decided if I am going to go completely natural, but my hair wasn't in a good state so either way I'm getting a fresh start. If I do decide to process my hair again I am better prepared to take proper care of it and have seen what happens when it's over processed. Over processing is not a mistake I ever want to make again as being 'bald' in the back is definitely not the look I'm going for.

So now my hair is a bunch of curls and coils. My goal is to go all of 2012 chemical free.