Firsts.....

I cannot believe I am saying this already, but WOW, my children are growing up so fast. I sound like all the older parents who say this, but when you are mired in the dirty diapers, sleepless nights, potty training issues, and temper tantrum episodes, it feels as if they will never grow up. Well, as of this morning, I am saying it "they grow up so fast".

Olivia had her first (non-family) sleepover 2 weeks ago at our neighbor, Skylar's, house. It was only next door, but it doesn't matter, it was her first real sleepover. This is BIG people! Skylar's dad asked me if I wanted to take a picture and I did not.... I should have. So, last night, I had two sleepovers at my house. Olivia had Skylar over to our house and Zach decided he needed a sleepover buddy too. Garrett, his best buddy in the neighborhood, to the rescue! It was amazing and still is (they are playing like champs as I write this blog). Everyone went to bed on time; actually the boys were asking if they could go to sleep while everyone was wrapping up dinner. The boys were exhausted; Zach especially since he woke me up at 5:30 am that morning. Fast forward to Saturday morning...I heard little feet around 6:50 am, but finally and leisurely crawled out of bed at 7:30 am (what a treat) to find them playing happily. Oh, their little cherub faces, the sweet smiles, the amount of sleep we all recieved - can we do this again??! I found that they helped themselves to a quick breakfast of yogurt- see photo. Yes, my children help themselves to the kid scissors that are tucked away above my washer (they use chairs to climb). Note to everyone, my kids are almost too good with scissors. Does anyone need a haircut? :-) It truly was amazing, but also a reality check that my children are growing up and are big enough to have sleepovers. What's next, driving?! Oh Dave......

Also, as a very, very, very proud parent, I have to give her a shout out on this one (and follow Amy P.'s lead).... Olivia's class has started spelling tests each week. She made a 100% this past Thursday and I am an extremely proud parent on this one. Yay, Olivia!!

Life is good and my kids are happy, what else can you ask for? Maybe, we will get a little snow early this week, (just a touch), then we can hop on a plane and head to south Florida for some sunny beach time. Now, that would make a really great week.

SeaWorld and the Daytona 24 Hour Race

We were in Daytona and Orlando last week on a mini vacation. The weather was not as warm as we had hoped for, but the family time was unbelievable! After making this trek last year, Dave and I knew some of the possible pitfalls that could happen. Last year, all Olivia would talk about, whine about, eat, sleep, breathe was SeaWorld. Well, this year, we (as sane parents) decided to make the trip to SeaWorld at the beginning of the vacation. Hence, we would not have to listen to the whining of "when are we going to SeaWorld". Well, I am happy to say, it worked!! Thursday, we spent the entire day at the park with very little crowds. I wouldn't even call them crowds at all. The Budweiser beer area was one of my favorite places especially since they had gluten free beer, oh and the Dolphin and Whale show! Both kids played hard, ate cotton candy (mommy ate half a bag to keep her energy up - he he he) and watched every show offered. It was such a fun, fun day! While in Daytona, we played on the beach (chilly weather, but still nice), swam in the hot tub and played with everything imaginable in the really nice condo where we stayed. Except for the iPhone/hot tub incident that I never want to talk about again....ahem, it was an amazing, low-key trip. Zach had to wait for his "special thing" on Sunday. He is a HUGE race fan, so going to a 24-Hour race for the entire 24 hours would have suited him just fine, but we waited to see the last 4 hours. It took Zach a while to understand that the cars would race while we were sleeping Saturday night. Now, at home, he plays with his race cars and talks about how long they have been racing (days and days). We walked our tails off at the race, but the weather was incredible and we even were able to ride a ferris wheel! The kids loved it.

Life is back to the normal craziness here in Atlanta, but now were are looking forward to Delray Beach, Florida and seeing Aunt Kim next Wednesday - Sunday. Dave will be in the Canary Islands (that's off the coast of Africa), so I'm psyched for him. He's not so excited (work trip), but hey, do we ever travel anywhere without it being a work trip?!

Yes, we like to travel.

The Feet Say it All

Just in case we lose her at SeaWorld this week, she'll have her name written on her feet! We are heading to Daytona, Florida tomorrow for the 24 Hours of Daytona race with Dave. Yes, we always tag along on work trips :-). Olivia will not say anything without the word "SeaWorld" attached to it. So, yes, she is excited! This afternoon, she came home from school and decided her feet needed a little pazazz. Witness, the decoration (toenails and all).

Digging in the Dirt

As I spent part of the MLK holiday weekend working at the lake, I realized how much I feel at home there. Dave and I are still working on a pathway, patio and retaining wall. It is very, very hard work, as the blister on our hands, sore backs and weak arms can attest. It is, however, completely satisfying to work in the red Alabama clay (not only Georgia has the red clay). The lake and it's surroundings this time of year is a nurturing quiet. Olivia and Zach were at my parent's house, exactly where they wanted to be (well, there and Wal-Marts). Yes, Wal-Mart has an added "s" with my children. They missed the bonfire this time. Dave always builds a fire at the lake when he's there and spends hours upon hours standing over it. I spent 1 1/2 hours there and retreated to a hot bath and Sudoku (nerd!) The rain on the metal roof, the sound of deer walking in the woods, the quiet trickle of the creek nearby all add to the nurturing component of this place and that is exactly why I love it.....

It doesn't look like much, but this little project is taking some time.... oh, and we also (mostly Dave) cut a few dead trees down and we loaded wood to take back to my dad. Now that, is something I do not want to participate in again :-) I'll take digging in the dirt anyday.

Holiday wrap-up

I think I had so much fun over the holidays, that I did not spend much time blogging. However, I do want to remember the good times, so I'll try to wrap it all up!

We had Dave home for two entire weeks. Low-key, little travel, extended family-time, parties, (drinking) and nice, warm days are some terms that come to mind from this past holiday season. The kids had their first Elf on the Shelf this year and named him Frisbee. I wasn't sure what I had gotten myself into, so it was a long December trying to find places for Frisbee to roost each night! Will they remember him next year and do I have to keep this "tradition" up? :-) We spent some time at the lake and worked our tails off. Thanks to my brother for getting us where we are on this so-called project! We'll enjoy this spring and summer with a new patio and fire pit.

Dave and I spent New Year's Eve at the Georgia Dome watching Georgia Tech and LSU play a bowl game. It wasn't such a great game for GA Tech, but we had a fun being together! We had drinks at Legal Seafood, watched ice skating before the game, then enjoying the colorful bands play at the Dome. New Year's was bitterly cold and windy, so the Georgia Dome was a nice place to stay. It was our best holiday season yet! The kids are the perfect age to enjoy the magic of the season.