Weekly Happenings - 4/21 - 4/27

1.  A few weeks ago the kids had pictures taken at daycare.  These two cuties absolutely melt my heart!!!

2.  For Easter, Peyton received a set of Brave Legos.  So fun to watch her work on her Lego set with Daddy.  Of course, Garrison has to be in the middle of everything too - always the helper!

3.  On Friday, Garrison had a make-up swim lesson so Peyton & I made a Home Depot run to pick-up our flowers.  It was so fun to walk around and let her pick-out what we would plant.  When we got home, she was a big helper with getting the flower beds ready to plant and picking which flowers we would plant where.  They look beautiful but my favorite part is that we did it together!!

 

4.  Later on Friday night, Marla and her kiddos came to stay the night at our house on their way to see Marla's parents.  Peyton wanted to have a camp-out in her room with sleeping bags on the floor.  Evan wasn't quite as sure so they both ended-up sleeping in beds but I thought this picture was super cute of them while we read stories!  My favorite quote for the night, however, was when Evan first got here and Peyton walked over to him and said, "hey Evan, I got my hair cut." while flipping her hair over her shoulder.  Total teenager like move - it was priceless!!

 

Saturday morning we enjoyed a tasty breakfast of French toast and strawberries, played lots and then it was time for them to finish their journey.  We were so glad they came for a visit, even though it was a short one!

5.  Saturday looked to be a super rainy day so we started to run errands.  Peyton really wanted to have brunch with a buffet so we of course headed to Cinzetti's for brunch!  She ate great and the food was of course, awesome!  Luckily, however, the weather turned around after lunch and we were able to get out and plant our garden!  I can't wait to see how our garden grows - we have planted tomato plants, cucumbers, peppers, carrots, lettuce, spinach, squash & cantaloupe!  Peyton loved planting.  Garrison loved trying to dig for worms!  Hopefully he doesn't dig-up our vegetables before they are ready looking for worms!!!

6.  On Sunday, it was looking to be a dreary day again but we still tried to make the most of it by venturing to Deanna Rose for a fun morning.  We were only there about 45 minutes before they cleared the park due to pending lightening but we still had a great time visiting the Blacksmith (a new addition for the year) and play on the playground.  The kids were less than thrilled to have to leave early but we made up for it by having a lunch picnic before rest time!

Weekly Happenings - 4/14 - 4/20

1.  Wednesday/Thursday this week we had new windows installed throughout our house.  Although not super exciting, we are happy to have this home improvement project complete!  I didn't realize how dirty our old windows must have been because these are super clear!  They open, stay open and keep even more noise out than I would have imagined.  So I guess, yes, exciting!!

2.  Friday after work, we packed up the car and headed to Grammy & Grandpa's house to celebrate Easter!  We enjoyed dinner then Chad & I snuck off to watch Captian America 2!  The movie was awesome and the grandparents had a great time playing bubbles outside with the kids!  On Saturday, we started our morning with a little golf!  Peyton & Garrison went-out first with Grandpa & Daddy to play 3 holes.  They had a fun time - Garrison loved putting and Peyton loved driving the golf cart!  When they were done, I joined the fun by playing a few holes while Grammy, Grandma Mintun & the kids dyed (and hid...3 or more times....) Easter Eggs!

After lunch it was time for Garrison's nap and I needed a few things from Walmart so Peyton & I went on a little trip.  As soon as we walked in, Peyton saw the flower display and asked if we could buy some to take to Grammy - what a sweetheart!  She picked out a beautiful bouquet for our Easter celebration!  Later on, the St. Louis Mintuns & Grandma Mintun re-joined us for our tasty Easter dinner and of course, another egg hunt!!  We wrapped-up our visit by sitting around and catching up with family - can't be beat!

3.  Easter morning was BUSY!  We woke-up, got dressed for church and had a quick peak at our Easter baskets.  The kids were super excited - Peyton's favorite was her Frozen flip-flops and Garrison's probably his water gun for the swimming pool!  We then packed the car and went to church.  The kids did great, especially given we had to get there quite early and the mass was a little long.  But it was a great way to start our Easter Sunday!  When we got home, we hunted the eggs the Easter Bunny had hid in our front yard.  It was so fun to watch the kids run around trying to find all of the eggs.  Peyton was such a big help for her brother.  Awesome morning!!!

4.  Around lunch time we loaded up again for our last Easter celebration at Grandma & Grandpa Todd's.  The kids were excited to see their cousins when we first got there and played for a bit before a tasty lunch.  It was fun to visit and catch-up with Daddy's side of the family!  And of course, we had yet another egg hunt!  With the nice, somewhat windy weather, we even got to fly our kites in the back yard.  The kids had a great time playing and Garrison even fell asleep on the way home!

Weekly Happenings - 4/7 - 4/13

1.  My friend Marla had to come to town for work this week so we were thrilled she chose the Todd Hotel for her accommodations!  We had a chance to visit two evenings and even snuck-out for some awesome sangria the second night.  It is always so great to see her!  Now, to get our kiddos back together again because Peyton & Evan always ask about one another!  One step at a time I suppose!  If only Sprint decided to send Marla back to town more often!

2.  Friday was a BIG day at our house - Friday was Peyton's kindergarten round-up day!  Woo hoo!!  Now, Peyton was super excited, and I was a bit anxious - I mean, my big girl was going to school, actual school!  We had a relaxing morning, a yummy breakfast then it was time to head out.  She was less than thrilled to have her picture taken but I did get one to mark the big day.  She skipped all the way into school but then got a bit nervous.  She didn't really want to go on without me but the teachers said she did recover quite quickly and had a great time!  It was refreshing to pick her up and have her be so excited to show me everything she had done.  She hasn't stopped talking about round-up since!  I guess it really was a good time!

4.  After round-up, we spent the rest of the day as a Mommy-Daughter day!  Since one of my friends/co-workers' daughters will also be in Peyton's class, we spent the rest of the day with them doing all kinds of fun things!  First we went ceramics painting.  The girls thought this was SO fun and loved picking all of their colors to paint and their special piece - a princess and a fairy!  After that we went to Panera for lunch and then on to Deanna Rose!  We rode ponies, mined for treasures, played on the playground, enjoyed ice cream and all-in-all had a great time!  All of us were exhausted by the end of the day but it was a day I hope I always remember!!

5.  Saturday was a pretty laid-back day.  We played at the house, ran errands and even went shopping for the supplies we need to finish-up our garden!  Daddy helped the kids pick-out seeds and tomato cages.  They cannot wait to get their garden started!!!

6.  On Sunday, our morning started with lots of activity before 8:00!  We colored Easter Eggs.  The kids had so much fun!  The weather definitely turned South today and it rained on and off most of the day!  Silly Daddy played golf (even in the rain)!  Grammy & Grandpa came to visit us around lunchtime - we went out to Freddy's for lunch then while the boys napped, the girls went to Kohl's and Costco.  While we were in Kohl's, it started POURING down rain.  I took the bullet and got the van so Peyton & Grammy didn't get too wet!  Even though it was a bit nasty out, we had a fun time!  Then, Peyton & Grammy worked on a "make your own" jewelry box Peyton picked-up (with her own money!) at Kohl's.  We played a bit downstairs and watched a few cartoons before it was time for Grammy & Grandpa to head home.  We had such a fun visit!

Weekly Happenings - 3/31 - 4/6

So this is why I really try to always post our weekly blog on Sunday or Monday.  Because as I sit here finally playing catch-up on Friday night (of the following week), I am struggling to remember what happened during the week!  Oh well, here it goes...

1.  On Saturday we had a pretty quiet morning - working on little projects around the house, running errands, playing outside - it was great!  The kids also got haircuts which was extra exciting since Peyton decide to cut her hair into a short little bob!  It is ADORABLE and makes her look so big.  Garrison also picked-up a more summer like cut - they were stylin'.  Even better?  They got to watch Frozen while getting their hair cut - sweet!

2.  Saturday afternoon, Grandma & Grandpa Todd came for a visit!  We played outside and Grandpa helped Daddy build a garden box (with lots of help from the little people) so we can try our hand at growing some fresh vegetables this year.  After having some pizza for dinner, the kids showed Grandma & Grandpa their skills with riding their bikes/trikes in the basement before it was time for them to go home.  We had a fun visit!

3.  The kids both had "homework" this weekend.  They were asked to make alphabet letters out of materials they could find around the house.  Peyton chose to make her "U" out of ribbon and Garrison made his "N" out of pom poms.  They took their work very seriously and were proud of their products!

4.  On Sunday, I treated Peyton to a trip to the nail salon with me.  She thought we both needed "Frozen Elsa" nails which meant blue of course!  Peyton even got a snowflake on her thumbs with a sparkly center stone - fancy!  Always so fun to take her with me!!

Weekly Happenings - 3/24 - 3/30

1.  Daddy had a busy, busy week at work this week.  And Mommy had a retirement party to attend and hosted a freezer meal party at our house on Thursday night.  Why is it everything always happens at the same time??  But we made it through the week, whew!

2.  On Friday, the kids got to play hooky and we got to go see Disney on Ice!  Daddy wasn't able to sneak away from work so Grammy joined us in the fun!  Of course, the kids were on cloud 9!  Snow cones, special treats (spinner for Garrison & Belle doll for Peyton) and all of their favorite characters!!!  The show was great, the kids were in awe - we had a fantastic time!  After the show, we stopped by Fritz's for a train-delivered lunch - yummy!  Peyton showed Garrison the ropes since this was his first visit!

3.  After our fun day, the kids went home with Grammy while Chad & I went to the movie.  This time, the movie we wanted to see was playing in the Cinema Suites.  It was awesome - dinner in a recliner while enjoying a great movie - Divergent.  I have read the books so was very excited to see the movie - it did not disappoint!  We had a great evening.

4.  On Saturday, since Chad had work to do on Saturday and a golf tournament on Sunday (where he won a skin for his birdie!), I joined the kids at Grammy & Grandpa's for the rest of the weekend.  We watched Frozen, played outside in the super nice weather, played dress-up (Grammy even hemmed and cinched one of my old prom dresses!), read books & even went to the 4-H carnival.  The 4-H Carnival was definitely a walk down memory lane for me!  The kids had so much fun - tattoos, face painting, games to win tickets and the most important - the cake walk!  The kids both won a cake and were thrilled!!!  Overall we had a great visit!