Walter is 8!

How does this even happen? I say this every year when the time seems to pass more quickly than the last. He is so big now. My sweet first born boy! I love this precious boy! 

Right now he is in the 2nd grade. He really likes numbers and math....like obsessed with it, and is a fantastic speller and reader. He is always challenging us on the things we know, with some secret hidden fact he can't wait to spill on us. He is so kind and caring and always considerate and thinking of others. (ie. for his birthday, he wanted to make sure that his sister had a present to open because he didn't want her to feel left out!) He loves The Lord and is really a fanatic about his bible verses and bible facts. 

He is really into basketball and baseball and obsessed with Nike Elite socks-that is all he wears. He loves his basketball shorts and his jerseys and is always talking sports talk. 

I am so thankful to have these days with him. He brings us joy and laughter into our hearts and home, more than we have known. 

Happy Birthday sweet boy! We are so thankful for you!

Friends at school that he chose to sit with him at lunch. 

Gram and Papa came and had lunch with him at school.

Georgia Football goodie bags for the birthday party!

Laser tag at Sports Connection

Homemade cookie cake by request

Birthday dinner at Red Robins

Birthday treat for dinner!

Taking back parenting!

Taking back parenting with these 2 tools. The parents will come out on top!

Hornets or Cats

Walter got some awesome tickets to the Charlotte Bobcats game on Saturday night so we took the kids. The seats were great and the game was a nail bitter. 

The Charlotte Bobcats are going back to the Charlotte Hornets next season and the hype is continuing to grow again for them. 

We had the Hornets here when I was little and I use to LOVE going to see them play. The name and colors will be the same as the old school team and the mascot has an updated look. 

I am really excited. Hopefully it will get the city back excited for the game of basketball and the fan support will show. 

The kids loved seeing the game and really understood it since they are in the middle of basketball season too. We love sharing sports with them and taking them to enjoy the same things we do. 

Halftime show was a group of guys doing flips and dunks off of trampolines. It was awesome!

We started the night with Bobcats shirts and ended the night with Hornets shirts (I forgot to get a picture). 

Awesome family fun!

George W. Bush in the 2nd Grade

Walter has been studying Presidents in 2nd Grade and as a celebration of  President's Day, each 2nd grader had to pick a first lady or president to dress up as, research and give a speech to the class on. Walter chose George W. Bush. He did great. He looked adorable and loved the facts that he researched on George. He played the part well. 

Walter and his friend Alex...George Senior!

The whole 2nd grade class as Presidents and First Ladies. 

Snow Tubing at Winterplace 2014

Every year we try to take the kids snow tubing at Winterplace. This year was fantastic...probably the best we have ever had. West Virginia has received so much snow this year that the ground was covered in fresh powder. No ice on the ground at all. It made for great. tubing. 

Our friends the Kransteubers went with us and Ann Elizabeth, Walter and Allie had a great time. We met for dinner on Saturday night and then headed tubing on Sunday. 

After being home for a week with our own snow, it was "snow" much fun to get away and go somewhere different. The weather was freezing with temps in the 20's, but the fun the kids had made up for it. 

Happy Valentine's Day!

What's better than a snow day on Valentine's Day. I was thrilled to have all my little favorites at home, but the kids were bummed to be missing out on their Valentine's party at school. They will have it when they get back so it's like an extended Valentine's this year. 

After a full morning of loving on each other, the kids were back outside and ready to play in what was left of the snow. Daddy went to work for a few hours and then came home and we headed to dinner at Longview. It was a great way to cap off the Snow Week!

Daddy brought us a cookie cake for Valentine's Day! It was so yummy!

I love this shirt I wore on Valentine's Day. The kids thought it was the most offensive shirt ever. "Mom, you don't have a boyfriend!" Well he was my boyfriend before he was my hubby!

Yummy desert from dinner that Walter and I shared. It was delicious!



A little selfie in the car on the way home. Happy Love Day!

Snow Day #3

Today marks Snow Day #3 and the snow is still falling. The kids are loving it and we are loving having Daddy home with us. We have played in the snow, had snowball fights, sledded down our hill numerous times and the kids even snowboarded on their snow boards from Christmas. It has been a great surprise to have a week off of school due to the weather. We have been blessed with extra family time and it has been SNOW much fun!

Molly wasn't to sure about all the snow. Once she got out in it she was fine and loved chasing the kids un and down the fence as they sledded down the hill. 

Our view from our back deck. The snow just continues to fall and cover everything in such a beautiful white blanket.

Panoramic view from the corer of our house down the street. 

And he is done!

Walter finally got the hard top on the jeep and took it out. It was the best weather to drive the jeep in. Thank goodness for big tires and 4-wheel drive. 

Putting our friends to work!

It is supposed to be warm tomorrow but still have snow to play in. The kids were out all day today from 9:00 am until about 5:00. We don't get days like this often so we have to make the best out of them!

Snow Day #2

Today was another great snow day. Daddy was home with us all day and we had a blast.

Before heading out to play, Walter finished up his states project for school. It was still snowing really hard so this game us time to let the snow fall and finish up some school work. 

We went sledding down the hil beside and behind our house. It is "the hill" that everyone in the neighborhood enjoys so there is never a shortage of kids. 

This was out our screen porch door. We had about 8 inches of snow at the end of the day. I think it has been 10 years since we have seen this much snow. Crazy that it will be gone by the weekend and in the 60's next week. 

I made snow cream for the kids and even let them put sprinkles and chocolate syrup on it...no go. They were not a fan. They must think that it will taste like ice cream. It was always a favorite of mine growing up so I was hopeful that they would like it as well. 

Tonight and tomorrow we are supposed to get round 3 of snow with ice mixed in. I don't think we will see school until after Presidents Day. 

Snow Day #1

We are preparing for a winter storm here in Charlotte. We got out of school at 12:00 today and it was pouring snow from about 10:00 am until about 6:00. It is supposed to start again in the wee hours of the morning and we are expected to get 6-10 inches. What? Yes and lots of ice to follow. As much as I would like to think we are going to be back to school on Friday for Valentine's Day, chances are slim.



Here is the view outside my office today about 11:00. You can't really tell, but it was snowing a lot. Big, fluffy flakes!



Tonight we went out to On the Border for one last meal out before we are stuck inside for a few days. The kids were so great last week in getting ready for school and earned a treat on Friday. Needless to say, our Friday afternoon was crazy so tonight we took them for their treat. Starbucks it was...and Mom wasn't to sad about it either!



While in the parking lot, my boys had a snowball fight and Daddy picked Walter up and dunked his head in the snow. Poor kid. He LOVED it though. He thought it was hysterical.

We let the kids stay up tonight since we have no school tomorrow. My guess is they won't sleep past 7:00am. They are ready to have a major snowball fight with Daddy! Oh I can't wait! We LOVE a good snow day!

Father-Daughter Dance 2014

This weekend was the Father-Daughter Dance in our neighborhood. Walter and Ann Elizabeth attend every year and it is my one event that I co-chair in the neighborhood.
Ann Elizabeth is always very excited about it. She plans for days what she will wear and then what her Daddy will wear.
She begged me to go to Claire's on Friday after school to look at tiaras. She wanted a little bling. She couldn't find a tiara that fit well so she settled on a precious headband with lots of rhinestones. It was perfect.
She wore a red dress and requested that Walter wear jeans, a button down and his red "soft jacket".
They looked so adorable. And she danced so hard with him. She had a few friends that also attended with their daddies that go to CCS also, so she had lots of fun with her girl friends as well.

Another dance down in the books and lots of memories for the two of them!