Fall Frenzy ... weekend update

This is going to be a long post. I apologize up front. But we have had a very busy weekend! I will break it down day by day.

FRIDAY: Old friends, a picnic and a travel swing. Friday was a CRAZY day. Two of my dear friends from high school that live in the area came over for a playdate of sorts. It has been TOO LONG since I saw them and I hope we can get together more often. I had a lot to do before they arrived-including getting a shower, making some muffins, getting the kids ready and straightening up the house. My "to do" list did not include washing changing sheets and bathing David. Apparently, he DID NOT get that memo. Needless to say, David has graduated to size 3 diapers (at night at least) so that we won't have any more leaky diapers episodes. I managed to get everything done before my friends and their kiddos arrived, but I was exhausted and the day had only just begun. After the girls left, the kids and I had a picnic lunch in the front yard. It was such a beautiful day and we have the perfect shady spot under the tree in our front yard. Claire modeled a bit for me while we were out there and I got some cute photos for the scrapbook.

David got to join the picnic too thanks to the bumbo seat. He just watched us eat and played with his toy since he had already eaten.


Model in the making? Perhaps not. She is always on the move.

Now to the travel swing. David naps in his swing. Every nap. Every day. I know, it is bad. But he will go to sleep without the tiniest fuss and I can focus on other things (e.g., my very busy toddler). Unfortunately, at about 5 a.m that morning, Will had moved David into the swing so he (and we) could sleep a little longer. Unfortunately, the leaky diaper leaked in the swing too. So, with the papasan swing cover in the washing machine, the travel swing came to my rescue. David took 2 good naps there on Friday. The rest of the day was pretty uneventful other than a very expensive trip to Costco with the whole family Friday night.

SATURDAY: First birthdays and Football. Saturday morning, will did some much needed yard work, and then we headed to my sister/brother-in-law's house in Murfreesboro for our nephew's first birthday. We had a WILD time. (It was a jungle theme party.) I got some cute photos below.

All the little party guests had an indoor picnic.


Our nephew Ian. The birthday boy. Time for some cake and little chorus of "Happy Birthday" singing.


Look at this cute cake Aunt Ashley made to go with the jungle theme. I do not decorate cakes. I buy them. Ashley scores one for creativity.


David and Claire in their matching outfits at the party. (The flower on Claire's dress is a pocket. I am scared to see what she has hidden in there.)


Time for play time outside. Here comes Claire down the slide.


Here comes Ian down the little slide.


In case you wondered. Yes. You can fit 2 children in a swing. If they are small enough. And if they will tolerate it. Evie and Claire did not swing like this for very long.


Claire snuck in one more cupcake before we left. How to eat a cupcake (from Claire): (1) Lick all the frosting off the top of the cupcake. That way, no one else will want to eat it. (2) Break the cake into pieces. (3) Cram all of the pieces into your mouth and make a really big mess. If you're really messy, Uncle Jon will get out the broom to clean up.

After that, we headed back home to get ready for the big football game. Alabama DID NOT disappoint. They blew the Georgia Bulldogs away 41-30. Uncle Jon and Evie came over and watched the game with us and ate some yummy chili (a football season fave). Evie got to ride in her daddy's new black corvette for the very first time. In the front seat. I made sure that Uncle Jon turned off the passenger-side airbag. It was such an exciting ride that she fell asleep on the way over. Children just don't appreciate a smokin' cool car.

Back to the football. We had a fun time cheering on the Tide. (Actually, Evie cheered "Go Raiders". She recently went to a MTSU game. At least she was getting in the football spirit even if she was cheering for the wrong team.) We put Big Al up in the yard to let all of our neighbors know what team we were pulling for. Claire loved it. Apparently she is scared of any character, unless is a big blow-up elephant. She kept saying that she wanted to see "Roll Tide" even though we continued to remind her that his name was Big Al. She even asked about him the next morning (after we had put him away for the week). Never fear, I have a feeling that Big Al will be making another appearance this coming Saturday for the Alabama/Kentucky game.


Claire and David show their team spirit! Roll Tide!

SUNDAY: A very busy day of rest. As usually on Sunday, we had a mad morning rush to make it to our 8 a.m. Sunday school class without a minute to spare. After we got home from church, had lunch, and got the kids down for naps, Will and I split up and did our chores to get ready for another work week. The highlight of the afternoon came when Will found out that Alabama had been ranked #2 in the AP college football poll after their stunning victory over UGA. We were PUMPED! (They were ranked #4 in the BCS poll.) We ended the day enjoying a nice fall afternoon/evening outside. We decided to grill out for dinner and eat outside (at Claire's request). What a beautiful and peaceful evening we had. And a great way to wrap up our fun fall weekend.