Crazy Weather

If there is one thing that I've learned about Atlanta, it is that you really can't predict the weather.  Growing up in Cincinnati, we had a change of seasons, where it got far too hot and muggy in the summers and then it seemed like the cold would never go away.  In Atlanta, you can get all of that within a weeks time!  About two weeks after the last snowfall, we were told another storm was on the way.  School was cancelled and since we had a scheduled break, we have had the kids home for almost a week now. 
This snow storm wasn't as strong but was more icey/wet snow.  It was beautiful while it lasted but melted quickly. 

Thankfully I had bought new snow pants/jacket/boots after the last storm so this time both boys had good clothes for playing in the snow.  After all the sledding in the back yard, over the past few weeks, it is basically a mud pit now!

And since the snow was a more "wet" snow, we actually got to make a snowman this time!

We have spent a lot of time indoors at home, so Lance came up with a new movie theater for the boys at night.  Definitely a highlight of the past few weeks!

In between the two storms, Harrison celebrated his 6th birthday.  He wanted a ninja turtle party, so we invited just a few boys over and he had a great time.  This was definitely the most low-key birthday we have had so far, as I just didn't have the energy to throw a big party this time around, and I have to say, I may keep them all this way.  I think the kids had more fun at this one than in the past and I didn't feel so overwhelmed/stressed.  I made ninja turtle shells/masks for the kids and gave ninja turtle shirts as a party gift.

Harrison's biggest request was a pinata.  And he wanted to whack it, not just pull strings.  The kids all had a blast, but I'm glad the pinata had the strings as a back up plan b/c that thing wouldn't bust!

And he got to pick out his own cake:

It was a busy weekend because he also had another friend's birthday party and his first school dance.  It was an 80's themed party and to say he had fun was an understatement!  He found a group of friends from his class and they ran all over dancing and being silly all night.  It was so much fun to watch him, they seemed so grown up!
Harrison dancing with his buddy Sara:

The dance didn't start until 6:30 (when the boys are usually starting to get ready for bed), so Davis was a little out of it.  He spent the evening on Lance's shoulders, or right here:

My parents, sister, and her little girl came in town for the weekend after the snow melted.  Our time together was cut short b/c of the weather, but we had fun.  They came in on Valentines Day so I made a steak house dinner, which was a nice way to spend the evening.  We sang happy birthday to Harrison and had cast iron pan birthday smores...so easy and so good!

Saturday was really cold but we were determined to get the kids out to burn off a little energy so we headed up to the train park while Harrison had baseball.  They had a ball!

So sweet:

 Showing Isabela his favorite part...the tunnel!

We went out the following evening to La Parilla to celebrate.  I knew Harrison would love the fuss they make over you on your birthday, so that was our official birthday dinner with grandmommy and granddaddy.

My family left on Sunday, which was a bummer, because the weather finally warmed up!  We went to church and then spent the rest of the day outside at the park.  I love having such a great park right in our backyard!  Harrison wanted to ride his bigger bike, so we let Davis ride the smaller one with training wheels.  He felt like such big kid!

We had a picnic lunch, played in trees, played on the playground and practiced catching/throwing the baseball

It was one of the most fun family days that we have had in a while!

Today we caught up with some old friends who we don't get to see as often as we would like!  We climbed up the mountain and somehow made it to the top and back!  It was such a fun morning and a great way to enjoy the beautiful weather!

Davis and his buddy Sam were the caboose of the group for the day, but they sure had fun!

We're hoping for warmer weather so we can get out and do this more often!

Snowpocolapse 2014

It has been an absolutely crazy week in Atlanta.  The snow started on Tuesday around 11 am and didn't stop until around 9 pm.  What was supposed to be a "light dusting" ended up causing the entire city to shut down.  Kids stranded.  Parents stranded.  Cars left on the side of the road.  These types of events really do show you how amazingly kind and compassionate people can be given the opportunity.  Lance had to abandon his car and stay at our friends' house...thank you a million times over Nesmith Family!  Thankfully Davis did not have school and Harrison made it home on the bus (thank you Lord for living .10 miles from his school!!!), so we had a very mild past few days.  Unfortunately, most of my friends did not.  Our prayers still go out to all families trying to get home, as well as to those who spent the past two days helping others!

As soon as Harrison got home from school yesterday, we got to work putting on as many warm clothes as possible so we could enjoy the snow.  I kept thinking the snow would only stick for a little while so I thought we needed to get out as quick as possible.  The kids have had a blast sledding, playing with ice and sliding around the neighborhood.

This was after the first hour of snow:

Davis showing me his snow angel.  I was amazed that he knew exactly what to do without us even talking about it:

Harrison wanted to make one too:

We spent most of the afternoon sledding in the backyard.  The boys loved it!

The boys really wanted to make a snowman but the snow just wouldn't pack b/c it was so dry, so we opted to bring out the beach toys and build a snow fort instead...we didn't get very far before they got bored.

There is nothing better than warming up with some hot chocolate after playing in the snow.  I still remember that feeling of taking off all your gear and having hot chocolate from when I was little.  We may have set a record for the amount of hot chocolate and marshmallows we have consumed over the past two days.
 
 Our neighbor Ava came over for a few hours to sled with the boys and then they played hide and go seek inside while they warmed up.  Ava's poor mom had to wait at the bus stop for about 2 hours for her son to be dropped off.  I brought her some hot chocolate after about an hour b/c I knew she was freezing, I just wish I would have had some Baileys to put in it for her!  God bless the bus drivers, who took such great care of our kids!
This morning we decided to venture out further into the neighborhood to try to find some other kids and other hills for sleddding.  We didn't have to go far.  The main street in our neighborhood was completely covered in ice, so just around the bend, we found about 12-15 boys out playing (and about 3 dads).  We hung out there for a while, sledding down this driveway and sledding down the street.  I'm not sure how I took this video with no one else in it, there were a ton of kids out!

We then headed over to the pool to sled.  The hills were smaller than I had in my mind, but they loved having it all to themselves. 
Lance finally got home around 2:30 today and of course, as soon as he gets outside, he finds a ramp for the kids to sled off of.  What can I say, they loved it...

I have to include one last thing so I don't forget.  Harrison has been watching a lot of the news coverage with me and he is just in shock about how aweful the roads are and the accidents that are out there.  Last night he said a prayer for a person who's car flipped over and they had to climb out of the front window. 
We talked about how fantastic his bus driver was to be so careful and get him home safely, so he wanted to write her a letter.  He also wants to get her a coffee cup as a present.

Its been a crazy week, but we are thankful for our safety, a warm house and family and friends who help in a time of need.

Fall Recap

This fall was a little crazy here and I decided that something had to give.  That something ended up being this blog.  I was at a breaking point and wasn't sure whether I should just stop, but I am going to write a few posts to capture the last several months with a few highlights.
I left off with Harrison learning to ride his bike.  That has been his favorite activity and we have taken quite a few walks up to the park so he can ride.  It has been even better for the boys now that the skate park is up.  They loving taking a break to watch the big kids skate around.  Harrison is always concerned about the fact that the big kids do not wear helmets...hopefully he will still be worried about that when he is 15!

Football was another big part of our fall.  We went to quite a few games with the boys this year, which they love because that means they get to hang out with their cousins and fish and ride the little boat at Grandmommy's house.  Here is a slideshow with the highlights of football season with the boys

Next up was Halloween.  Part of the chaos of this fall was that we had quite a bit going on around Halloween.  Harrison played flag football this year, I was in charge of our church's Tailgate Treats event, we had Harrison's school fall festival, and of course, the big night on Halloween.  It was all fun, but a lot to juggle in the span of 2-3 weeks.  Slide show # 2:

After the Halloween fun was over, we were able to take a deep breath and then all of sudden Thanksgiving was here!  We hung tight for all of the school parties and then headed to Tuscaloosa to spend the holiday with my family.  My older sister went to NYC for Thanksgiving, so it was a smaller crowd, but we had fun.  The weather was terrible all week, except for the final day we were there, so we mostly stayed indoors.  Once the sun came out, we practically ran outside to get some fresh air!

Its been crazy, but fun.  The slide shows were a little easier to insert than posting every picture.  This sums up most of our fall.  Next up: Christmas!

Official Bike Rider

It was a big weekend in the Randolph household!  Harrison learned how to ride a bike!  Lance took the boys on a little road trip this weekend to pick up a carrier for his new dirt bike.  Lance happened to mention that before he could learn how to ride a dirt bike, he had to learn how to ride his two wheeler bike with no training wheels...apparently this was all the motivation he needed!  They got home yesterday afternoon and Harrison hopped on his bike and figured it out right away!  He had been trying for a few weeks, and really liked gliding on his bike, but hadn't wanted to use the foot pedals.  I have been surprised at how patient he has been throughout the whole process.  We practiced on the driveway yesterday and something just clicked and he figured it out.  This afternoon, we took him up to school and after just a few tries, he really had it down.

And since he is a boy, within 30 minutes or so, he found a ramp to go down.  I was a nervous wreck but I think this is what Lance was most proud of.

Leave it to my fearless three year old to follow right behind his big brother!  This little guy had a hard time with his brother getting so much attention, so we took quite a few videos of him as well.

Lance took charge of helping with this accomplishment, it was so fun to watch the excitement on his face as Harrison was figuring it out.

This might have been the coolest milestone that we have reached so far, I am so proud of him for not getting frustrated and giving up.  We celebrated with cherry limeades but I hated to break it to him that his dirt bike dreams will have to just be dreams for quite a while. 

Recent Happenings & Tennis

Life never ceases to slow down around here lately.  We have been going non-stop, but this week feels like a nice break between the madness.  Here are a few of the recent highlights from our lives over the past few weeks.
Our church held its fall consignment sale two weekends ago.  It is a whole bunch of craziness, but its always so fun to work with friends that you don't see very often and also great to score some great deals!  I was at church all weekend helping out and then that Sunday had to drive to Tuscaloosa for a quick trip.  Thankfully Lance played super dad all week and helped out when needed.  I headed to Tuscaloosa because our sorority just built a new house and they were having the dedication.  I always loved our old house, it had so much character, with a cute courtyard and filled with so many fun memories.  However, the sorority has more than doubled its members and needed more space.  The new house is just incredible...if only I could go back for a 4 year redo!
Here is a picture of the old house:

And here is the new house:

So large that it wouldn't fit in my camera frame.  Here is the sketch:

 

Both of my sisters were ADPi's at Alabama, so my sister and mom made it clear that they really wanted me to come to the dedication.  I am so glad I went and was shocked when my sister showed us the room that she and her husband had dedicated to The Koeppe girls.

 

The other name on the plaque (the real one wasn't finished yet) is my brother in law's sister.  The funny part is that she was my "big sister" in the sorority.  So cool to know that our legacy lives on in the new house!
It was a fun day and nice to get to spend some quality time with my sisters all together!

It was a quick trip and I headed home on Sunday evening.  My little sister and her daughter drove back with me to stay for the week.  The boys were so excited to see their cousin and had fun playing with her all weekend.

Little buddies while big brother is at school

We had a nice week but I caught a terrible cold that hit me like a truck.  Thankfully some antibiotics helped and Liz helped out by playing with the boys all week.
Liz went down to watch the Alabama game on Saturday with a few of her friends, so Isabela was my little buddy.  I decided she couldn't watch the game without some sort of Alabama outfit, so I whipped up a shirt for her.

When it got stressful we decided to go check out some flowers

It was fun week and we miss them already!
After they left, the boys had their first tennis lesson.  Harrison took lessons for the last few seasons, and I realized that Davis was now old enough to start and would be in the same age bracket as his brother, making it really easy.  I don't think he is quite mature enough in the listening and focusing departments but I felt like it would be easier to let him play than listen to him cry about not being able to go on the tennis courts.  It was hilarious to watch him and thankfully the coach is a really patient guy.  At one point when he was trying to corral the kids, I heard him say "Davis, come here buddy!  Okay you know what, Davis is happy over there doing his own thing, we will just let him be".  Ha ha.  He was concerned throughout most of the practice that the tennis balls were all over the court so he spent most of his time picking up the balls and bringing them to the coach.  He had a great time though and definitely worked out some energy!  Harrison was really funny during the practice, anytime any of the kids would hit the ball, he would say, "Great shot buddy!  That was  a great swing!".

I wish I would have brought my camera to get a better video, but here are videos of each of the boys.  Harrison - he had some really good hits, especially since he hasn't tried since last fall:

Davis' video.  The instructor helped him swing and he loved it.  Everytime the coach would walk off to get a few more balls, Davis would yell, "More again, more again!"  You can hear him at the end of the video.  I'm definitely  not expecting much at the age of three.  This is his first organized sport to try and I'm so glad he had such a fun first lesson.

 We have a busy fall ahead of us but this is my favorite time of year so I'm excited.  There is a breeze and a coolness in the air today and I hope it stays!

Davis - First Day of School

My second "baby" started school a few weeks ago and has been having a great time so far.  After a full summer at home with me, I thought he was going to have a harder time going back than he has.  We started off the morning with a big smile on his face.

All morning he was so excited to go to school...then we pulled into the parking lot and he said, "No!  Not this school, I go to Harrison's school!!".  Poor guy, thought he was going to kindergarten.  He fussed a little in the car, but once it was our turn for him to get out of the car, he walked out with no problem.  His Spanish teacher was the one to get him out, which I think helped, because it was a familiar face who knew his name and was excited to see him. 
Over the past two weeks, he has done great.  He generally tells me he doesn't want to go to school in the morning.  I tell him I understand and I'm listening while I get him dressed and then by the time I have his hair brushed, he usually just hops in the car without a fuss.  Hopefully that doesn't change!

Since Harrison has been in school longer, Davis and I have had more time together on our days that he is not at school.  This leaves time for fun things like the zoo!  I feel like we barely went last year since we had preschool four days a week.  I'm hoping to make it far more often this year.  The zoo put in a new splash pad that was really nice and the kids loved it!

We also rode a few rides since we have the unlimited rides bracelets right now.  These cutie pies joined us.

Last year, Davis was so afraid of riding the animals on the carousel, but that was definitely not the case this time.  He did not want me standing next to him and kept telling me to go away. 

These little guys were in the same class together last year, and haven't really seen each other in a while, so they were having fun goofing around.

Granddaddy has been at our house a lot lately and the boys love seeing him everyday.  He graciously offered to paint the outside of our house and has been slaving away for the past few weeks (when its not raining that is!).  Davis loves to help but I'm not sure whether granddaddy loves the help or not.  Of course, he kept telling me to go away so he and granddaddy could paint, but I just had to get one picture.

We are finally starting to get back into somewhat of a routine.  I still don't feel like I have it figured out all the way in the afternoons yet, but we will get there eventually.  Harrison has always loved choir, so we started back up again this week and this year Davis gets to do it too!  I hope he enjoys it as much as Harrison did!  It made me laugh at how many blond boys are in his group!

I feel like we are busier than we have ever been, but I'm trying to make an effort to slow down and enjoy these little ones as much as possible.  Having one in kindergarten really makes you wake up to how quickly time goes by!

My sweet Davis

I forgot how easy it was to handle one child until Harrison went back to school!  While it's nice to get a little break from the bickering and whining that comes with two young kids, I still find myself missing him throughout the day.  The nice part is all the one on one time that I have now with Davis.  There are so many fun things about his little personality that I think I haven't really paid attention to lately since we have been crazed this last month of summer, just trying to keep busy to prevent the said whining and bickering.  One of my favorite things he has been saying lately when he really likes something is, " I'm talking about it mommy!".  I think I say, " that's what I'm talkin about!" A lot and that is his version of it.  I laugh every time I hear it.  He was a late talker so I feel like his personality has really been coming forward over the last few months.  He loves to talk at home but seems to be more shy/reserved when people talk to him when we are out and about.  He also loves to dance and run around like he is a race car, but as soon as he notices anyone watching him, he gets a mad/smily look on his face, if that makes sense, and he pushes out his lips.  I think he doesn't like feeling like he is the center of attention.
We walked Harrison to school this morning and he was confused about why the ice cream man wasn't there.  They had a snow cone truck on the day of the meet and greet so he thought kindergarteners got those everyday.
He still throws his fits and had a very clear idea of what he does and does not want to do, like any 3 year old, but he is also very polite.  He will ask me throughout the day if he can play with various toys and when I say yes, he will say "thank you mommy!!".
I think he has felt a little lost without his big brother around, he asks me no less than 5 times a day when we are picking Harrison up from the gym.
This has been a string of random thoughts but I am feeling rather nostalgic as these boys are growing up way too fast!