Remember that Time We Were In A Wedding...

So this is one of those blog posts that is really more about the long term record keeping/photographic evidence of our life rather than like, up to the minute, humor fill stories.  (Let me believe I am sometimes funny) ( and I stay relatively up to the minute)  I realize that back in June I did a complete blog post on Matt and Blair's amazing wedding.  BUT!  The professional pictures were just posted and I don't know if you remember this or not, but Nick, Henry and I were all part of the wedding party.  This means we were all three cleaned up and looking presentable in the presence of a photographer!  Such things are required by blogging law to be documented to the fullest extend possible.  So...

Ta-da!  Don't we look becoming.

The bearer of the rings with his Lego ring box

My handsome husband.

And I will even post a picture of myself... because RECORD KEEPING!

Love!

And me with the sweet bride

My boys

Post ceremony celebrations with the groom

And then there was the reception...

Which had a photo booth...

Which is giving me a lot of laughs this morning!

You look a little terrifying there, H...

And here are a couple of Matt and Blair.  Because I love them.  And like, it was actually their day and what not...

The wedding party

The sweet couple

Love

Thanks for having us be part of your day.  We adored every second of it.
 

#MicroblogMonday: Positive Reinforcement (for me)

I am thinking about buying myself a tiara so that on days that I work AND cook a good dinner I can wear it around my house as a reward to show how I am winning at being a grown-up.  I might actually buy two tiaras, one small one for working and cooking, and then a large one that has LED blinking lights on it or something.  On days where I work and cook AND have tball I will wear the one that lights up.  I am even thinking about finding a way to sell this idea.  I mean, there is really a limited market on positive reinforcement tools for adults...  it would could make me millions. 

Pictures, Pictures, Pictures

So I feel like I am dropping the ball on blogging lately.  I try to get on here at least three times a week, and while technically I am meeting that goal, it includes the Micro Blog Monday posts, which feels a little like cheating.  BUT, I am still blogging.  And that mean something, right?

So you want do see what we did last weekend?  Because if I don't show it to you now it's going to drop into the category of "Too Far Gone" and will never be mentioned on here.  We can't allow that to happen, so here we go.  Be prepared for lots of pictures... it was a busy weekend.

First up, this amazing family came to town and spent the night with us!  We had a great time together and it was awesome to spend some extended time with Sweet Freddy!

We headed out Oktoberfest at a local church where fun was had by all

Me and Freddy

Nick and Ryan

Me and Boo

Giant inflatable slides...Oktoberfest was a hit!

On Sunday we had our monthly Queen Bee meeting, which is a day where several girls in my family try to get together and catch up while doing something fun.  We used to do this a lot, and it was called SIS day, but that sort of fell away after Missy got sick, and while we wanted to bring back the tradition, it felt wrong to call it the same thing when she was no longer with us.  My cousin Liz came up with the name Queen Bee, and it fit perfectly because the name Melissa actually means honey bee.  It's like a little piece of her is with us in the name, which makes us all happy.

Love this one

My Aunt Jan, Mom, and Aunt Carole

These two...

We have this picture without Henry in it as well, but I prefer this version :)

Marline, Aunt Carole, and Aunt Cheryl

After lunch Boo and I took the kids to a local craft fair

We didn't buy anything but still had a really great time together!

After that we headed to... where else?

We are down to our last three games... the home stretch!

So that was our weekend!  Can you tell we like to keep busy?
 

First Kindergarten Field Trip: The Apple Orchard

So a couple of weeks ago we got a letter sent home that said it was time for the very first Kindergarten field trip. I thought back to my days in kindergarten and recalled going on exactly ONE field trip (FARM!), so I thought "I MUST CHAPERONE!  IT'S MY ONLY CHANCE!" and also my precious baby will need me with him on his first bus trip.

Later we were told that parents can't ride the bus and apparently kindergartener's take around one field trip per month the entire school year.  This month was the Apple Orchard, and next month is the Pumpkin Patch.  It's merely a technicality that this apple orchard also contained a pumpkin patch... just don't go over there yet.

So, good to know.  I will have PLENTY of opportunities to chaperone...

I made them take a picture by the pumpkins... I am ruining next month's field trip already

Enjoying the non-hay covered "hay ride" through the apple orchard. 

There WAS a large Hay-Fort thing they could play in, but it sorta terrified me and I was pretty sure one of the kids I was in charge of was going to fall off and break an arm (IT WAS TALL! AND TERRIFYING!)  (HELICOPTER PARENTING IS SAFE PARENTING!) so I suggested we return to the gigantic slide.

And to jumping on the giant air filled pillow of joy.  ( I don't know what this possibly has to do with Apple Orcharding, but it was a HIT)

And of course, mountain climbing.

Oh, and these things. 

There was also like, an apple orchard lesson where they talked about bees and showed the kids how they make cider, plus a petting zoo, but I was too busy trying not to let a kid get bit by a llama or lost during the tour to take pictures during those moments. The entire day I only lost one of my kids for like, five minutes, so I consider that WINNING AT CHAPERONING!

I will see you next month, Pumpkin Patch.  I hope you have a giant pillow of joy.  I want to get try it out.
 

Questioning Reality on #Microblog Monday

Yesterday Henry was sitting at the kitchen table eating breakfast when all of a sudden he looks up at me and says "Mama, did you know this is all just a dream?" And I say "What?? Like everything around us right now?" And he said, "Yep. You are just dreaming."  Then he just went back to eating his cereal like nothing was happening.  A minute later he smiled and said "I am happy I am in your dream, Mama."

And that's how a five year old makes you question reality at 8 in the morning.

Check out the other posts for this week's #MicroblogMonday Here!
 

Game Ball and Other Ramblings

So I just realized I haven't posted since Tuesday... unacceptable.  But this weekend is extremely packed with fall activities, so this is just a filler post to hold us over until Monday.

Someone got the game ball on Tuesday night!  He was SO EXCITED.  As soon as the coach started describing the player who was getting the ball he started pointing to himself with a huge grin!  It was adorable.

1-2-3 Go Green Cats!  (Nick's Lime Drives was voted down by the kids.  They much preferred green cats...Nick feels robbed)

On Friday I went with Henry's kindergarten class for his very first field trip.  I followed along behind the bus and all I could think was "Seriously... WHY are there not seat belts on buses??  My BABY is on there!"  WHO MAKES THESE RULES?  Clearly not a mother.  Seriously, by law Henry has to ride in a booster in our car until he is like eight, but on a school bus it's a 1930's style free for all?  WHERE IS THE PUBLIC HEALTH OUT CRY?  I move to vote for five point harnesses for all.  Who's with me??

Pictures from the field trip to come this week.  Also, pictures from the TWO fall festivals we are attending this weekend.  It's Fall y'all. 
 

Bring On the Flannel

This past weekend the temperature surprisingly dropped into the extremely fall like range.  Kentucky is weird.  Sometimes it will be 85 degrees in October, causing us to want to wear tank tops and flip flops to the pumpkin patch.  Other times, like this weekend, we are breaking out the flannel a few days after Labor Day. But the change in temperature turned out to be the perfect lead in for the annual Fall Festival held at a Catholic Church down the street.  Henry spent both Friday* and Saturday night there and loved every single second of the inflatable slides and obstacle course, the fifty cent games, and the $2 pizza.  Saturday night we were with him, so I took some pictures. (Of course I did).

Henry and Cici.  They would have been completely content to sleep in the inflatable obstacle course and just never go home.  They LOVED it!

They also loved running into their cousin, Wesley!

Love these three.

It made me laugh how whatever Henry did, Cici immediately followed in the same way.  Head first?  IF YOU SAY SO!

Sisters.

Boo, Chris and Cici

My little family

Love!  We have been to this festival before, but this year the kids were the perfect age.  Plus, the weather was so nice, it was just awesome.

Can you tell I enjoyed myself? Fall Festivals for the win!

*Friday night he went with Cici's Aunt Gayla (also Henry's Aunt Gayla, because of course) and we FINALLY went to see Guardians of the Galaxy!  I was worried it would be over hyped since so many people had said they loved it but NOPE!  It was awesome!  I highly recommend it to those seven people in America who haven't seen it yet!