Superhero Play Date

We try to plan fun play dates on Fridays since both boys are out of school. Today, we were going to go ride bikes at the church but instead headed to Ashley's house to play. This was a much better option as it allowed inside and outside play.

The boys had a blast. The two of them and Shepherd pulled out the dress-up clothes and we ended up having a Superhero Play Date! So cute!

Spiderman!
The outfit was a little large on Philip and the red "pants" part looked hysterical on him. He looked like he had REALLY big underwear on - especially when  you saw him from behind!

Jack, Red PowerRanger Jackson, Yellow PowerRanger Shepherd, Alayna, and Superman Philip

Crazy Hair!

Today was crazy hair day at school. Jackson requested blue hair which, of course, I forgot about until 8:00 this morning. Thankfully, Wesley was out playing basketball this morning so on his way home from the Y, he stopped by CVS to pick up some blue hair gel. Jackson was one happy boy!

Before we headed to church, I asked Jackson if he wanted to wash it out and he shrugged his shoulders and said, "No, I will just go with it." Once we walked in, everyone was all over him asking about his hair. He seemed bashful, but really, LOVED the attention!

Wesley said one of our friends came up to him and asked if we really put blue Jell-O in his hair. Though that might have worked, we didn't and Wesley had to explain that Jell-O is Jackson's word for Hair Gel!

Mani/Pedi!

Today I got pampered!

Edith called and offered a pre-baby gift of an afternoon out, and I enjoyed her gift today. We went to her usual place and I was treated to a manicure and pedicure by the same nice lady who did my nails before Philip was born. This time, instead of blue, I came home with hot pink toes with a little glitter mixed in for fun!

It was a great afternoon. The mani/pedi was wonderful but it was also so nice to catch up with Edith! It had been too long since we had caught up on life without the boys around. She and Larry are so dear to our family and it was nice to spend the afternoon with her!

Thanks, Edith, for the special treat!

After the manicure, we stopped by Harry's to pick up dinner for Edith and Larry and she 

The Power of George

Both Jackson and Philip love Curious George - LOVE him! The other day, I snapped a picture of Philip in a George trance as he watched an episode...

I thought it was cute but really got a good laugh when I witnessed this on the couch this morning as they both watched an episode....

My "new" desk!

I have been searching for a desk to go in our family room. I wanted a writing desk that could store my stuff but also be closed off when people came to visit. 

I found one at Ikea but it was expensive and looked too new. I wanted one that had a personality and added a little something to our home.

Emily had seen a few at the Nashville Flea Market so when Cumming's Flea Market came around, I went and found one I liked. The only hiccup was it was the wrong color. I decided that didn't matter and I could make it look perfect.

Original Desk

Wesley helped me sand it down and then I researched how to distress wood. Using paint we had on hand, I painted the desk the perfect shade of blue with some brown distressed highlights. I love the way it turned out and I am proud of myself for my first furniture make-over project!

Finished Project!

Here are some pictures of the desk as I worked on it. The entire project took maybe 2 hours (plus drying time). It was so much easier than I thought it would be!

After Wesley sanded the desk, I painted it with a diluted brown paint. (50% paint/50% water)

After the brown coat was dry, I lightly painted over the brown with diluted (again 50/50) blue. 

All that's missing is the hardware. Finding the perfect knobs/handle took a few trips to the store

Yay! I love the way it turned out! 

4th Annual Friendsgiving!

Tonight was the 4th annual Friendsgiving with our dear friends here in Cumming. This has become my favorite tradition!

Usually, Kate hosts this dinner the Sunday before Thanksgiving but due to Elizabeth's upcoming due date of the Saturday before Thanksgiving, we decided to have the event 2 weeks early. It was actually really nice to do it early because it kicked off the holiday season!

Here are some pictures from the night:

We had more food than ever! 

My favorite item this year - strawberry pretzel salad! 

BEAUTIFUL table!
This year, we were one couple down. Priscilla and Todd moved to North Carolina last December so they were not able to join us. Usually, we split up the men and women but since there were only 8 adults, Kate set one table for us all! It was so nice to sit together and celebrate this annual tradition.

With the adults all together in the dining room, the kids had run of the kitchen. Kate had butcher paper on the table and crayons. The kids loved it!
(Tucker, Jackson, Philip, Addie, Alayna, Sam, Isabelle, and Jack)

I really wanted a family shot of us but the boys were playing so well, we didn't bother them.
I am glad it worked out that way because I love this picture of Wesley, Elizabeth and me!

Todd thought we needed a "prom shot" to show best show off our bundle.

I love these girls!

Thanks to Tucker, we got our first group shot!
Ashley & Todd
Katey & Waylon
Leanne & Wesley
Kate & Ben & Jack

By the end of the night, I felt every bit of 38 weeks pregnant! I was so tired, achy and I felt HUGE!!! The above pictures prove the huge part - she is really growing these day!

Chuck E Cheese

I decided to take the boys on a little outing today to Chuck E. Cheese. Jackson has been wanting to go somewhere fun, and I thought this would be a special treat.

We arrived at 10:30 and there was hardly a crowd. It was so nice! The boys enjoyed playing the video games and really enjoyed playing the ones that gave out tickets.

Jackson kept talking about the time he went with Joshua and Caleb for his birthday and won "190" (really 117) tickets when he broke the machine. I couldn't believe he remembered this but he did. He even showed us the game that he won all those tickets on last time! It was cute!

Philip had a hard time remembering to roll the skee ball underhanded! 

Jackson was really good at this game. He made it in several high-value slots multiple times,

Jackson loved playing the Guitar Hero game.

Philip enjoyed dancing....until

He saw Chuck E. Cheese! He is not a fan and was ready to go after seeing him on stage. 

We were able to distract him with the Star Wars pod racing game. It was a hit.

As was the "Ticket Taker" machine!

After counting our tickets, we went to the counter for a special treat. I was sure they would want a plastic bug but both insisted on a box of Nerds. Really? With all the Halloween candy we have at home, they wanted Nerds! Oh well!

As we were leaving, Jackson started questioning me on how come the Tennessee Chuck E. Cheese looks just like the Georgia one. When I said it was because they were brothers, twin brothers, he then questioned why brothers live in different states instead of together. He is one smart cookie!

After Chuck E. Cheese, we went to the mall for lunch and to run a few errands. We had to stop at the Apple store where the boys played with the new IPad minis - I think it was the highlight of their day!