Girls Weekend...

This past weekend was a GREAT getaway weekend...just what this mama needed!  My cousin Erika kind of got the ball rolling on the trip.  Her husband referees college football in the fall, so he's gone pretty much every weekend to games.  When he mentioned wanting to do something for her (after the long football season) she immediately told him "I want a girl's trip, and I want you to take care of the kids all weekend like I do while you are gone!"  HA!  Way to go Erika!  So she mentioned us going to Nashville to visit my sister! Me, my grandma, mom, aunt, cousin Erika, and cousin Jared's wife Kelly all made the trip to see Linz!  We had a BLAST...shopping, eating, visiting, etc.  GREAT WEEKEND!

On Friday morning my grandma, mom, and I drove up together to Lindsey's apartment.  (My aunt Tina and her daughter-in-law Kelly came later on after Kelly got off work).  Then we picked up Erika at the airport and headed to lunch and then a big Nashville flea market thing.  

We weren't really even "inside" the market yet and we were already looking for deals...clearly this was the junk area!  HA!

But my grandma was finding the deals...HAHA!

Then the deals turned serious...they had tons of really cute furniture.  We found an awesome table and knew my mom NEEDED it for her kitchen.  After calling my dad and convincing him, the table was HERS!  AWESOME!  (Getting the table and chairs home was another story...)

After the flea market we got ready for a night out on the Nashville town! =)

We went to dinner at the famous Wild Horse Saloon.  We even got some free line dancing lessons!

I guess I was getting into it??  HA!

I am directly behind that lady in the khaki pants in the middle, but you can see Erika and Linz on
either side.  And let me tell you, there was an adorable Asian man GETTING down in front of us...\
HILARIOUS!

Concert Time!

The next morning we got up and headed to the famous Loveless Cafe for breakfast.  OH. MY. WORD.  It was just incredible.  I can't wait to go eat there again the next time we are in Nashville!

My mom is really into getting a variety of foods...she was trying to convince my Aunt Tina
to split all these things with her so they could try a bunch of stuff.  Their order was HILARIOUS!
Our waitress probably wanted to kill them..."PLEASE make sure you make our bacon EXTRA crispy.
We want our eggs boiled HARD...no runny yolk.  Can we have extra sorghum?"  And it went ON AND ON!
I had to take this picture after they ordered just to document their shinanigans...

BEST. BREAKFAST. EVER!
Maybe even better than my mom or grandma's homemade breakfasts, and that's saying something!  HA!

After breakfast we headed to the Opry Mills Mall for LOTS of shopping...so much so that we were all about to collapse when we got back in the afternoon.  WHEW!  But we had lots of fun and got lots of good deals!!  The older crew (grandma, mom, and aunt) were staying in a hotel near my sister's apartment, and the younger crew stayed in Lindsey's apartment.  We headed back to Lindsey's apartment for about an hour to rest and visit before getting ready for the evening...dinner and a movie...

Rose Pepper's Mexican Restaurant...yummy!

 Then we all went to the movies to watch the Nicholas Sparks movie "Safe Haven."  SO GOOD!  If you haven't seen it, you should GO!  I even think guys would like it because it's got a lot of suspense.  It was seriously one of the best movies...if you like a good chick flick DON'T MISS IT!

After the movie we headed back to Lindsey's apartment.  Since my sis and I are huge Mizzou fans we had DVR'ed the Mizzou/Kentucky game.  We watched it when we got home and we LOST in overtime!  BOO!  The night went even more downhill when my allergies kicked in and I WAS SO CONGESTED I COULD NOT BREATHE.  Not real fun.  I don't think I slept much that night.  Oh well.

The next morning (Sunday) we got up and went to Lindsey and Curt's church.  Then we headed to lunch before driving home and saying bye.  Oh, and we had to pick up all the furniture at the flea market and figure out how to get everything in my mom and my aunt's cars...thank you Curt!  Why are guys so much better at stuff like that than girls?

Look out Nashville, the Clampett's are heading home!  HAHA!

It was so good getting home, and seeing Brynn and Ryan, but sometimes you just NEED a weekend away with the girls!  THANKS to my amazing hubby for taking great care of Brynn all weekend, and for keeping the house so clean!  =)

Busy Weekend..

Whew!  This past weekend was busy busy!  We hosted eighth and ninth grade boys at our house for Disciple Now Weekend.  They arrived on Friday evening, and left on Sunday morning. They were so sweet and we had a lot of fun keeping them in our house.  We didn't even hear them at night and got a full night's sleep!  YAY!  But sidenote - whew! Our basement smelled a little FUNKY over the weekend!  HAHA!

One of our main tasks as a host home was to cook breakfast and lunch on Saturday.  We haven't cooked for that many hungry boys before..what an adventure...you should have seen our kitchen after pancakes and bacon.  It looked like a bomb had gone off!

Ryan is seriously pancake man extradordinaire!
And he had been working out before he cooked.
When the boys came up to eat he was like "uh, guys, just so you know, I don't normally
wear spandex shorts around the house!" HA!

One thing that was "interesting" this weekend was how excited Brynn was to hang out with the "boys" (as she would say).  She ate with them, wanted to go downstairs and play with them (clearly she didn't mind that funky smell!), and when they were downstairs doing their Bible Studies she would stand at the basement door and say "where boys?  Come on boys!"  HA!  She definitely showed off this weekend for them.  Ryan was like "oh my gosh, I need to be worried!"  HAHA!  We helped transport them to church for stuff, and she would say "church, boys!"



After the craziness of breakfast, Brynn had a birthday party for a little friend.  Poor Ryan got left with all the dishes while we headed off to Calla's party.  It was at a new little art studio in town, and the kids got to draw and paint all morning.

The birthday girl!

Then each kiddo got to paint their own little canvas...

She started with purple, and ended up with "mud."  HA!
I called it "the Mississippi River" by Brynn Bandermann!

When we got home Ryan had the kitchen sparkling...and then it was time to get ready for lunch! HA!  After lunch the boys went downstairs and did Bible Study and we all took a NAP and watched some basketball.  Then I had an Upward Game and Brynn and Ryan came to watch.  My parents met us at the game, and took Brynn home to play for the evening, and Ryan and I got to have our Valentine Dinner Date!  YAY!

I promise Ryan doesn't smile like this in real life.  He told me it was nerdy that I was taking a picture of us,
so I guess he wanted to make it really dorky with his cheesy smile!

We had a couple gift-cards to Outback and it was FABULOUS!  I think I could eat there every weekend!  HA!  We picked Brynn up from my parents and headed home for bed.  Ryan had to stay up a little later to go pick up the boys from their recreation time, but I was in bed early, reading and watching some tv!  This weekend was so much fun, but it WORE. ME. OUT!  After the boys left on Sunday morning, Brynn kept asking about them.  She's already excited about next year!

Evy Kate's PAR-TAY

My friend Ashley's little girl just turned 4.  She had her party at LeBounce and the kids had a blast.  Sidenote - I somehow wrote the time wrong in my planner and we ended up at the party 30 minutes late...whoops!  Where is my brain? 

 

Brynn's favorite place to play?  The jumphouse.

Even little Charli got in on the action...

Then Brynn wanted to try out the bigger stuff...big mistake.  Sometimes she got stuck just climbing up, and other times she would make it to the top and start crying because she "couldn't" come down.  Oh my...I got a WORKOUT rescuing her!  (And so did some of my sweet friends who let me have a break and went up to get her!  HAHA!)

Then we were saved by the bell with some delicious lunch...catered by Chick-Fil-A!  YUMMY!

Millie and Brynn

HAPPY BIRTHDAY EVY KATE!

A couple of pics...

We stopped by Gigi's to visit the other night and Brynn remembered that Gigi had a little green vaccum cleaner!  (She has a MEMORY!)  So of course we had to get it out and she had to show Daddy how to do it!


The other night we were at Pamaw and Papaw's house and the girls were a LITTLE TOO QUIET.  Ryan went to investigate and found them in Pamaw's bathroom like this.  Ansley had smelled Brynn and decided she needed to "sit on the potty".  So both girls went into the bathroom where Ansley proceeded to help take off the diaper (I'll spare that picture) and try to clean up Brynn.  Oh these girls...we are in trouble during the teenage years!

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This Is How We Roll...

Someone has QUITE the personality these days.  When Brynn was younger I remember hearing people talk about their kids and saying how they wanted to wear certain clothes, or their kids only wanted to wear this or that.  I remember thinking "I guess we won't have to worry about that, Brynn doesn't care at all what I put her in."  FAMOUS LAST WORDS!  HAHA! 

 

When we are around the house sometimes I will let her pick out stuff to put on, and it is hilarious.  She has a cupcake shirt that she wants to wear all the time.  I have to tell her it is being washed so she can't wear it everyday.  She also goes in little spurts for two or three days at a time where she wants to wear certain things.  Recently it was this purple hat we got from Children's Place for $0.99!

 

Here are some pictures from breakfast the other morning...what can I say??

 

Oh, and have I mentioned her new love of Lucky Charms?  She LOVES them!  (And don't let her violent bites fool you...she is having a blast eating!)

Full mouth of lucky charms...

These are the Aldi version, but let me tell you...they taste just like the real thing.  When we were buying them I heard Brynn yelling "Santa, Santa!"  I'm like "what is she talking about?"  See box below...she thinks the green wizard is Santa!  HA!

 

 

After breakfast we were putting away some dishes...I can't turn my head for a second with this girl...this is what I found.  I was laughing too hard to be mad, and so I grabbed my camera!

 

Oh my...there is ALWAYS something going on in our house!