Weekly Happenings - 1/19 - 1/24

1.  This week was pretty busy getting ready for Family Game Night at Peyton's school.  One of my friends & I planned the event last year and we were crazy enough to do it again this year!  The weather was less than ideal but we still had a fantastic turnout (300+ people!) and the evening was great!  Our committee did a great job helping pull off the event.  We had lots of Bingo winners and fun games for the kids to play downstairs!  Peyton won a book and won a drawing where she gets to have a pizza lunch with her teacher!!  All in all it was a successful night!

2.  Saturday was a pretty quiet day as 3 of the 4 in our family had colds they were battling but a little rest and fun around the house is what the Dr. ordered as most are now feeling much better!

3.  On Sunday, Grammy & Grandpa decided to come up for a short visit and to go out to lunch.  Garrison had fun telling them all about going to Marvel Universe the previous weekend and both kids drafted the grandparents into playing several games before we went to Olive Garden for a yummy lunch!

4.  On Sunday afternoon, Peyton went to a birthday party for one of her friends from daycare that she doesn't see often anymore.  Several of the kiddos from their daycare class were there and they had so much fun playing together!!  Here she is with Victoria and Connor!

Weekly Happenings - 1/11 - 1/18

1.  SuperGarrison to the rescue!!  Mr. Garrison wore his new Superman sweater to school this week and couldn't have been prouder!

2.  On Friday, Peyton had a sleepover for her BFF Victoria so Garrison go to enjoy being an only child for the night!  Daddy took off work a little early to pick him up and take him for a fun swim - they had a great time!  Then we fixed a little dinner at home and cuddled until bedtime.  Since Garrison wakes up early, he & I had some alone time watching cartoons before it was time to start getting ready for the day.  He always misses Peyton when she is gone but also likes a little extra attention too, I think!

3.  So we are so very terrible at surprises but for once, we were able to surprise the kids with a trip to Marvel Universe Live at the Sprint Center on Saturday.  They literally didn't know where we were going until we walked in the doors and they saw the posters.  They were of course excited and the show was fantastic!  Peyton had her face painted as Marvel's Black Cat and they both picked out a souvenir before it was time to head to our seats.  Garrison's favorites were Spiderman and Hulk Smash!  We all enjoyed the show and had a great time!!

4.  On Saturday afternoon, our neighbors asked us to join them to watch the Chief's playoff game.  We had 6 families and twice as many kids but it was a great time to spend with friends!  Unfortunately, the Chief's did not win so they are done for the year but we still had a great time!!

5.  Sunday morning, first thing, the kids both came downstairs dressed and ready to go for the day.  What was their request?  Let's play Monopoly!  So, at 6:45 AM, we started a game of Monopoly!  Garrison & I were a team for a bit then he went to be the banker.  The game never really ends but we played off and on most of the day and had a great time!

6.  And what is better for a cold Sunday evening?  A fire to warm up and roast marshmallows - pretty perfect!

7.  On Monday, Peyton was out of school and we were off work so Garrison go to stay home and Isabella, one of Peyton's friends, came over to spend the day.  It was beyond cold but we still decided to venture out a bit and went to Scheels for a spin on the ferris wheel and lunch at Ted's.  

8.  Garrison has really gotten into playing lots of games.  Here he is teaching Daddy about the game he got for Christmas.  Other favorites include Candyland and any card game he can find!

Weekly Happenings - 1/1 - 1/10

1.  The new year started with a bit of cleaning and purging around the house.  The kids had another night at Grammy & Grandpa's so while they stayed busy crafting, cooking and playing games, Chad & I were busy cleaning out cabinets and closets.  It is always tough to do but important to go through things every couple of years and get rid of the things not being used anymore.  I'm guessing we could have actually purged twice as much as we actually did but hey, it was a start!

2.  The kids came home on Saturday and quickly found that I had Garrison's bed down to change the sheets.  Of course the bed then became a trampoline!  Luckily, they decided it was safety first and lined the bed with pillows!

3.  Peyton also got out one of her project kits from Christmas - crayon melt art and she loved it!

4.  Peyton had a sleepover on Saturday night but the whole family got to join in on the fun with dinner first!  Peyton has had several sleepovers now with this group of friends and the families are all great!  We have definitely met lots of great families since Peyton started school and it is fun to get to know new people!!

5.  Since school didn't start for Peyton until Tuesday, Grammy came up for one more day of holiday break fun!  Garrison didn't want to miss out so he stayed home too!!  A trip to Scheels was in order for a ride on the Ferris Wheel and lunch at IHOP before it was time to come home and rest to get ready for school the next day!

6.  On Friday night, Daddy had to work late so we met him at The Cheesecake Factory for dinner.  The kids were in great moods after dinner and I found them cuddling watching cartoons.  They really DO love each other!!

7.  Saturday brought another fun day and a chance to cheer on the KC Chiefs!  It's a pretty exciting time in KC since the Royals won the World Series and now the Chiefs are in the playoffs!  Peyton's cheers must of worked - they won and are on to next week's game!

8.  On Sunday, Grammy & Grandpa came up to have lunch with us and it was yummy - Olive Garden!  We visited and played games and had a great time!  Peyton had also gotten a cake decorating book from the library and created this masterpiece (with very little help from me)!  Her jewelry chest turned out great and was super tasty too - nice work Ms. Peyton!

Weekly Happenings - 12/28 - 12/31

1.  On Tuesday, we got up and around and I gave the kids 3 options of things to do - go to the library, go roller skating and go to the museum.  Peyton picked the library and Garrison the museum but since Daddy had to go to work, we landed on the library so Daddy could go with us to the museum.  The kids had so much fun (and brought home 11 books!) at the library and they were on their best behavior.  We picked out books, checked them out and read for about 30 minutes before heading home - pretty much perfect winter break morning!

2.  We had to run a few errands next and then the kids had picked Freddy's for our lunch destination.  As we were walking out of Staples, Grammy & Grandpa called and said they were close and asked us if we could meet them at Freddy's for a quick lunch.  Well, that's where we were going anyway so sounded good to us!  We had a fun visit over lunch and the kids of course loved eating at the high tables!

3.  On Tuesday afternoon, Grandma & Grandpa Todd and Whitney came up to pick-up the kids for a sleepover!  They were super excited to spend some time at Grandma & Grandpa's and to see Whitney & Wyatt again!  On their way home, they had dinner at Culver's and got to go to the mall for a spin on the carousel and a little shopping before heading home!  On Wednesday, they kept busy with lots of sledding (Grandma & Grandpa got even more snow than we did!), craft projects and games before it was time to rest and then head home.

4.  While the kids were away, the parents decided to play! :)  On Tuesday night, we enjoyed a tasty dinner at Bonefish, one of our favorites!  Then on Wednesday, for lunch, we tried a new place - Louie's Wine Dive and it was fabulous!  We also got several projects knocked out around the house, but the two meals out were a treat!

5.  On Thursday, Grammy & Grandpa came up to pick-up the kids for their New Year's celebration!  On their way home, they stopped at Burger King so they could have lunch and play on the indoor playground - always a fan favorite!  Then they were off for lots of fun - games, projects and a little baking!  Meatballs and rice (and of course a few black eyed peas for good luck!) were on the menu with an early sparkling grape juice toast to bring in the new year!  Garrison also took a game he got for Christmas to their house - looks like lots of fun!!

6.  Next up was New Year's Eve!  This year, we celebrated with 4 other couples at Pinstripes with dinner and a little Bocce ball.  We were exhausted so we didn't make it until midnight but did at least make it to the East Coast ball drop! :)