It’s a wrap on Griffin’s first session of indoor flag football. He really enjoyed it and his team ended the season with all wins, except for 1 – which quite honestly was in our eyes still a win as there were several questionable calls and the other team was in many cases playing tackle football – not flag! Griffin played well this season. He had time at QB, receiving, and defense. He got more aggressive and confident with his flag pulling too.
We’ve been enjoying lots of family time and snuggles on the weekend. Reid is in a “I want to nuggle you” phase and loves to come in our room in the morning and then go downstairs with one of us to feed the dogs and make my coffee. Haya has been doing fun art/craft projects with Reid while Finn is at school. He’s so proud to show me when I get home each day!
It was Dads and Donuts recently and Kevin was able to take Reid on a Friday (not a school day for him) and have a donut and see some art that he had made at school. They had a fun afternoon together and Reid was so tired he fell asleep in the car on the way home!
Griffifn had his best bud Colel over for a last minute sleep over one night. They had literally been playing together all day, from our house to Cole’s and back. Cole joined us for dinner at Roosters and then they asked if they could have a sleep over. They read books for such a long time before they fell asleep. Then they were up and at ’em early Sunday morning!
February is Book Fair time at Tyler Run and I’m on a committee that puts the fair on. While I enjoy helping, I’m by far the least involved. I liken it to being on the bus, in the very back seat! It involves helping with decorating, setup, working during fair week (an entire week of school), and then tear down. The kids in the school love this week each year and the hallway decorations add to the excitement as they walk past the library each day. Griffin was able to come to the library after school and help me for a couple days. He enjoyed getting a behind the scenes look at the bookfair and helping with delivery teacher books to their classrooms.
February has been rather dreary weather so I thought it would be nice to include this great photo of Mom and Dad enjoying sunshine in sunny Florida! They’ve been enjoying their time down south with daily walks on the beach, pool time, and fun with friends!
Big changes are ahead for our family, as Kevin has decided to make a career change after working over the last 10+ years as an Independent Contractor, with the State of Ohio as his client. Some people he works alongside organized a nice Farewell party at Pins Mechanical downtown at the end of his final day of work on February 27th. I was able to join in the celebration and it was great to finally meet so many people whose names I’ve heard for such a long time. So many people sang Kevin’s praises and spoke so highly of him. I was a proud wifey and enjoyed seeing him be celebrated by so many people. I was so busy talking to people I didn’t really snap many photos! We’re excited for this next phase for Kevin as he joins Base22 as a partner.
On leap day we had a neighborhood progressive dinner: “Breakfast for dinner” complete with everyone in PJ’s. It was a huge and awesome breakfast spread complete with mimosas! The kids loved playing together for hours. This time we stayed put at one house, the Duncans.
Millcreek’s inside building project is coming to a close and the finishing touches are going up in most ways. It will be put to use quickly!
Reid wishes everyone a Happy New Year (check out the video below)!
We’ve started off the new year with some lounging and relaxing family time. Movie nights in the loft, Griffin has been making ice cream “sundaes” each night with our yummy peppermint ice cream and mint meltaways. We’ve been playing with duplos, legos, magnets, and dressing up like superheroes and cops, jumping in big puddles, and I got a cute video of Reid playing with Brutus (rather being bossy, lol) and trying to ride him like a horse.
Kevin and I had a date night and headed out to dinner at Cap City followed by a stop at Urban Meyer’s Pint House, and then we ended up at Vaso Rooftop Bar in the new Bridge Park area of Dublin. They have super fancy and unusual cocktails and it’s a pretty different vibe than most Dublin and Columbus spots. Honestly, the drinks were a bit too unusual for me, lol and I’d rather just hang at a more low-key place but it was fun to get snazzy for the night and go somewhere different.
We joined Amy, Andy, Graham, Rowan, and Greta along with Mom and Dad at a Blue Jackets game. Rowan’s team got to play on the ice during the second intermission so it was fun to see him score a goal and hear his name announced on the speaker! It just to happened to be Kids Takeover day so each of the kids got a CBJ piggy bank and the whole game there were kid-focused programming. Afterward we enjoyed dinner at the Bethune’s and then the following day we watched Graham’s hockey game.
Our boy Brutus can be a hard one to figure out. Griffin and a friend were in the garage and Brutus rushed out into the garage and barked and chased Griffin’s friend out into the driveway. It scared me to hear the screams and barking though Brutus didn’t “do anything”. Trying to figure out what triggers him to be so fearful and react by scaring off his perceived threat is a challenge. I must say, I was in tears over this situation. We’ve spent a lot of time and money in training, daily walks, and we love him so much. But the lack of certainly and unpredictable behavior is worrisome to me. I took these pics wondering if we need to rehome him and all of the emotions that go along with that. Ugh. He’s such a good dog with our family, I just wish he wasn’t sketchy with strangers!
Each week after swim or gymnastics we typically go out for a quick dinner before bedtime. The kids like to choose (typically Canes or Culvers) and Culvers is always a hit on Tuesday’s as they have a face painter there. She is so kind and will paint anything you want! This week the boys both got Pokemon.
Reid is at such a fun age. He’s stubborn and sassy but also quite often loving and cuddly. He definitely likes to put on a show and be bossy from time to time (even if he’s just re-enacting or repeating something he’s seen or heard). He absolutely still adores his pacifier and doesn’t sleep without it. He makes so many different facial expressions! He really enjoys gymnastics class and I believe he quite enjoys me having to chase him down or bring him back to the circuit he’s supposed to be doing (rather than what he wants to do in the moment!). He is affectionate and caring and his verbal skills, words, and concepts that he grasps are impressive for a 2 3/4 year old!
We ordered a bookshelf for Reid’s room so he can more easily get to his books. He was so excited to help build it! Griffin wanted to hang out while we built it so he brought his Pokemon cards to the hallway and periodically handed me parts :).
Griffin came home with another Pawsome note and all of the promise areas were circled: Teamwork, Respect, Effort, and Spread Kindness. His teacher is very encouraging, which I really appreciate. The Cub Scouts had a special Pack Event at the OSU Planetarium. Kevin took Griffin and they had a fun morning learning about the solar system. Afterwards they explored campus starting with Buckeye Donuts and then heading on to a fun adventure. I think Griffin has seen more of the campus than I ever have! They ended up walking so far from where they parked that they rented scooters and scooted back!
This Winter I signed Griffin up for indoor Flag Football. It is 4 on 4 and he’s on a team with his friend Owen. He gets so excited each week for game day. The boys really enjoy baths (bath bombs in particular) and for the most part playing together. Though it doesn’t take long before there is screaming and crying, lol.
For Christmas I gifted Kevin an Order of the Moth membership at Nocterra. It’s our hang out spot so I figured he would enjoy it and it supports our local business. We’re excited for the launch party of 1/24.
One of our date nights we headed to the Remodeling Show at the Convention center. We got several ideas for an outdoor treehouse/playhouse from these “she sheds” that were on display. We also signed up for all kinds of free quotes for various projects. We’re hoping to get some pricing info together and then put together a plan for making some improvements around here like painting, lighting, our front step/walkway that’s falling apart and such.
The interior building project in our Shipping Facility is moving right along. Framing is done, electrical and networking is complete, the insulation is in, drywall is up, and the weather covering is up too.
And our Amaryllis is adding a pretty look to our kitchen with three large red flowers!
We headed out for our Tennessee vacation on Friday morning. Before we left I took Brutus on a nice mile-long walk. It was a pretty quiet morning and not many distractions so toward the end I put the leash up on his back and had him heel alongside me for a stretch. He did really well. I took video of it which is below if you feel like watching. Some of these things I just post for me to easily find later 🙂
Before leaving we turned Reid’s car seat forward facing. Though he hasn’t reached the “limits” of the manufacturer for rear facing we felt it was time. He seems to like being able to watch everything and it certainly makes interacting with him much easier, not to mention putting him in the actual seat.
We didn’t leave Columbus until 11:30 by the time we got the seats rearranged, packed the car, and stopped at Walmart to pickup Kevin’s prescription. One of our later starts, but still a good trip down. Once we arrived we quickly unloaded our car and unpacked some things while the boys explored the bunk beds in the basement. Our cabin this year had 4 bedrooms, so we took over the basement floor which had the bunks, a room for Reid, a room for us, a bathroom, foosball and arcade game, and a tv area with a couch. It was a great layout. It was about 7:45 and we packed back into the car and headed in to Gatlinburg for dinner at Smoky Mountain Brewery, our yearly first night stop for dinner.
Our cabin this year, Aspen’s Envy, had a great view of the mountains. Here is the sunrise our first morning there. We woke up on Saturday, our anniversary, and opened some gifts. Then we proceeded to lounge and rest a majority of the day and then decided to head in to Gatlinburg for dinner at Ole Red, Blake Shelton’s restaurant which features live music.
We enjoyed dips in the hot tub, playing on the beds, arcade games, Reid’s favorite was the balls that come in the foosball table. They were the perfect size for him to carry around everywhere he went.
On Sunday, Mom and Dad arrived midafternoon. It was a nice and sunny day and we figured they’d want to stretch their legs after 7 hours in the car, so we headed to Dollywood. We visited Santa, Griffin and Reid wrote their letters to Santa, we rode the coal train, met Abominable, Clarice, Rudolph, and explored various parts of the park. We had dinner at Aunt Granny’s (which I later learned is Dolly’s nickname, lol) at Dollywood and
On Monday it was another nice, warm, and sunshine filled day. We headed into Gatlinburg to walk around and explore the shops at the Villages. We had lunch at Ole Red and then we ventured up to Anakeesta, which you reach via a chairlift (aka Chondola, lol). The have open lifts or closed cabins – we waited for the closed cabins, ha! Griffin and I rode the mountainside coaster together and Kevin rode separately. We walked through the sky walk bridges (they are high up there and after the first two I got a bit nervous for Reid to walk alone, so I made him hold my hand!!). They have a nice garden and play area and it’s a nice high elevation where you can take in some nice views.
We stopped quickly at the cabin and then moved on to Dolly Parton’s Stampede (formerly the Dixie Stampede) dinner show. It’s always a nice Christmas show and tons of food to eat. This year both Griffin and Reid were selected to chase chickens. It was super cute and completely predictable. Griffin was excited and eager to do it; Reid a bit apprehensive and stubborn – at least at first. Then he came around and participated and seemed to have fun. They are in front of a crowd of a thousand people, literally, with lights shining on the arena – it is intimidating! I video’d the whole thing and this year Kevin got some arena-level photos too.
On Tuesday we drove to Cade’s Cove and did the driving loop of the park, getting out at a couple of places for exploring and traditional photos. This year the park was conducting controlled burns within the cove, so that made it rather interesting! Griffin got some practice driving the loop and Reid was all proud of himself for buckling into a big kid seat.
We went home and had lunch and then Dad, Mom, Griffin and I headed out to the outlet malls for a bit of shopping. Check out Griffin showing his trick riding skills that he learned the night before at the Stampede. Reid was home resting up for our big dinner at Paula Deen’s restaurant. This year we had the fried chicken, pot roast hash, pork chops, salad, broccoli casserole, corn casserole, and sweet potatoes. It was a big and tasty spread. We got dessert to go, lol!
The next morning Mom and Dad headed back to Ohio. Reid was being a bit stubborn during our goodbye photo. Later that afternoon we headed back to Dollywood to ride some coasters and other rides. They don’t open until 2 pm! Reid rode his first big kid ride that leaves the ground – the Flying Acorns. Throughout our visits to Dollywood he would at first want to ride a ride, but once on it would start fussing and crying and sometimes screaming. So we got off more than a couple times. He is a boy who stands up for how he feels.
The Glass blowing shop was doing a demonstration so we watched a snowman being made. We’d been eyeing these guys for a few years and this year after looking at those in the shop decided to ask if it would be possible to buy the one we saw being made – and we could! So we bought it that night and picked it up the next day. It’s hard to tell in the photo, but the hat and scarf are red/white but different patterns. We love it!
The next day it was another sunny one so we headed to the Island to explore the rides, pretend to play in the Arcade, and have some cookies for a snack. Reid loved riding the train (we probably rode 3 or so times), the carousel, and he bungy jumped and the ropes course this year too. He worked up his bravery as the first time he backed out of it, refusing to get on the scale to be weighed with a blatant “NO”, lol. But after watching Griffin do it and after some time passed he was actually excited to do it and the scowling turned to smiles and excitement as he got strapped up. We also rode the ferris wheel (our annual tradition) and visited Build-a-Bear where the boys made Pikachu and Pichu. Then we moved on to Dollywood (gotta make the most of those season passes!) for more coasters. Griffin and Kevin explored Wildwood Grove coasters and rides while I watched Reid explore an indoor kids gym area.
The next couple of days were mostly chilling with a bit of exploring. We took in the Pirates Voyage Christmas Show this year and that was an entertaining dinner show. See if in the pictures below you can see the labradors mid-air jumping off the platform to retrieve a stick from the water! They get crazy air!
This vacation was a pretty busy one with bits of rest here and there. Lots of brotherly love and wrestling. It wasn’t all sunshine and roses, but it was filled with many memories and traditions and we’re grateful for the time away. As we were driving away today Griffin said “It’s so hard to leave, I love being at the cabin”. “Bye Dixie – until next year!”.
And here are the professional photos from Dollywood – enjoy!
