Menu Monday

via

Monday: Mississippi Pot Roast, mashed potatoes, & rolls. I am not a huge fan of the crockpot but I do use it quite often for baseball nights! This is a new recipe for us that I am hoping will be tasty!

via

Tuesday: BBQ Beer crockpot chicken (making nachos with the pulled chicken!)-- this is a staple at our house because the leftovers are great & we can use for lots of different things!

Wednesday: Chicken cutlets with brown gravy, mashed potatoes, & peas

via

Thursday: Tamale Pie -- this was a recipe that Ben did not have high hopes for but ended up loving.

Friday: using the leftover chicken to make BBQ chicken pizzas

Saturday: Pancakes and bacon

Menu Monday

We are almost fully back into the swing of things around here. School has started and so has baseball practice. Both boys are playing now so we will have double the practice & games this fall! A hectic schedule and late nights at the baseball fields make menu planning a little more difficult, but I am determined to not eat out during the week! When we looked at our budget over the summer and saw how much money we were spending on food, it made me sick. We have been doing a lot better about eating at our house. And let's be honest...eating out with 3 kids isn't exactly easier in the long run. Here is what we are having this week!

Monday: Taco Filled Pasta Shells -- I have blogged about this recipe before. It is a family favorite! It is also great as leftovers!

via

Tuesday: Chicken stir-fry & veggies (I saw this posted on Instagram--hoping it is good!)

Wednesday: Grilled chicken, white cheddar macaroni and cheese, sautéed squash & zucchini

Thursday: Leftovers!

Friday: Burrito Bowls (rice, chicken, corn, black beans, avocado, salsa, & a little shredded cheese)

Saturday: Pancakes and bacon

WE SURVIVED.

I haven't been this happy about a Friday in a long time. We survived the first week of kindergarten and tomorrow we won't need an alarm clock to wake up! HALLELUJAH! I guess I should say Grayson survived his first week of kindergarten..but not only did he survive, he rocked it! 

This week was the real deal. He rode the bus to and from school and was there for the full day. I was so nervous about Monday since it was the first time he rode the bus, but he did it and really wasn't even nervous. I am so proud of him! He is definitely not like I was when I was his age. Love that about him!

He seems to really like his teacher, Mrs. Hodge. He has also talked about a few of his new friends...one of which is a boy named Griffin! I think his favorite things are riding the bus, eating lunch in the cafeteria (but he refuses to buy a lunch EVER because they put veggies on the tray. haha!), going to P.E, and of course recess. He was so excited to see that they have monkey bars on the kindergarten playground! 

It has been really strange having just the two little ones with me during the day. We went to our MOPS leadership meeting yesterday and I told G it was so weird to not bring him with me! I started going to MOPS at our church when he was just 11 months old. Crazy how time flies! 

Last night he was so cute. They went to the school library for the first time and he got to check out his first book. He would not show it to us until bedtime because he wanted to surprise Griffin and I. Grayson is just loving all these new experiences and it is so sweet to watch! 

I am proud to say that we have had no tears about school so far...from either of us! (don't worry--I will more than make up for it when my last baby heads off on that bus.) It has been a busy, busy week with this and baseball starting but G has handled it all like a pro. Yay for a great first week! 

...and just because I love this picture so much, I have to share it. Cheney was not happy about her Bubba going to school without her last Wednesday. She cried and cried that morning & kept asking "where Bubba go?" We are definitely missing him during the day but I know he is having fun being a big boy at school!

the day before kindergarten

Well, friends, here we are. 

Grayson is going to KINDERGARTEN.  I feel like this is his senior picture. My firstborn is looking so grown up these days!

I don't feel like I will be one of those weepy mamas as I drop Grayson off tomorrow.  He is so ready for this & has been ready for a long time! I am mostly just excited for him. Excited for him to learn how to read, make new friends, and watch him blossom into a big kid. He is mostly excited about the school bus, his new neon Nike lunch box, P.E, & recess.  I'm sure this transition won't be a walk in the park (for any of us) but I am looking forward to this new chapter in our lives.

I ordered this bag tag from my friend, Amy, and it is perfect. (Etsy: One Good Name. Check her out!) These are ALL the things I have been praying over G as he starts this new adventure.  I know he will meet kids this year that aren't nice. I know he will be around kids that say words we don't approve of. I know that this year he won't be as sheltered as he has been at our wonderful church preschool. BUT, it is all part of growing up & as hard as it is to let go a little, I know that it is time to. Grayson is more confident as an almost 6 year old than I am as an adult. I am so proud of him.  He is such a good kid & I know he will do just fine!

Watch out kindergarten, Grayson is ready for you!



my girl is two

Time seems to move a little bit faster with each child. Today this precious baby girl of ours is TWO years old & that doesn't even seem possible!

Cheney Katherine, you are such a special girl. We always knew we wanted to have to a girl but we could have never dreamed of a more perfect girl for our family! You are the perfect mix of sweet and spicy. You love to "go nigh nigh" on our shoulder when you need a snuggle but you are a feisty little thing when your brothers are bothering you! You are fearless--always climbing, exploring, jumping off things, & trying to keep up with your brothers. You have the sweetest heart & always make sure I know if someone nearby is crying and you always check on your brothers when they are upset. You ALWAYS keep us laughing too! You love to disappear upstairs and come down wearing random items of clothing and shoes that are way too big for you. You have girly dress up clothes but prefer Griffin's spiderman costume--that's just your style!

At 2 years old, you love:

-Doc McStuffins, Mickey Mouse, & Peppa Pig

-your baby dolls. You are a sweet little mama and love to carry around your babies!

-reading books. You love having us read to you & sometimes I find you sitting in your chair reading by yourself!

-music & dancing--Hosanna Rock is your favorite song!

-your brothers! Y'all drive each other crazy but you love them so much. I know you will miss Grayson this year while he is at school!

-all animals but especially dogs!

-your daddy. You are a daddy's girl through and through & only like when he puts you to bed!

 

Cheney, you are such an active little girl. You remind me so much of Grayson at this age. You are very coordinated, can run really fast, and love jumping on the trampoline. You also love swinging on any type of bar you can reach. Future gymnast?! You have gotten super independent lately and love exploring playgrounds on your own.  I think that is the 3rd child in you...you want to be big just like your brothers! I love your fearless and adventurous spirit....even if it does mean I have been researching toddler leashes. ha!

You are my opinionated, sassy little girl and already want to have a say in what you wear. You like to pick out your shoes and bow. Snow boots and cowgirl boots have been your favorites lately! You also hate tutus and ponytails. We are working on that!

Cheney, you are such a gift to our family.  You are the little girl I never knew I needed. I catch myself just staring at you because you are beautiful & I can't believe you are mine! Watching you grow up, learn new things, and turn into a sweet little girl is such a joy. You are strong, independent, brave, & loving--I can't wait to see how God uses you as you grow up! We love you so much.

 

Happy birthday to our Cheney baby!

 



a barnyard bash

The one great thing about having birthdays a week apart is that we can celebrate two kids with one party! Griffin and Cheney LOVE farm animals so we decided to have a Barnyard Bash party for them! The party was this past Saturday at our house. Can I say for the 1000th time how grateful I am for a huge backyard?! It has served us well over the last year & it was perfect for their party!

 

 

It took some work because Ben (and probably everyone else) thought I was crazy, but we had a petting zoo come to the party and it was so fun! What is a barnyard bash without animals?! If you are in the middle Tennessee area, I highly recommend Molly's Ark Mobile Petting Zoo. Molly was wonderful!

We had some goats, a sheep named Teddy, a mini donkey named Penelope, two bunnies, two mini chickens, and a huge pot bellied pig named Lulu.

Lulu was the star of show. She does tricks & performed for Griffin and Cheney! She could wave, turn around, AND played a little piano while we sang "happy birthday!"

The kids loved petting and brushing all the different animals! The goats really enjoyed eating bark off our tree and trimming all the grass.

This girl was in heaven!!

 

Griff & his buddy, Jaylan

 

our rising kindergarteners, Hutson & G!

a sweet lady from our church made the cake and it turned out so cute!

I've realized that pinterest party foods are way too difficult and time consuming. Hot dogs, watermelon, dip, chips, & rice krispy treats are way easier!

Happy birthday to Cheney & Griffin!

One of my favorite things about our day was giving Griffin his present. The only thing he asked for was a real dinosaur.  I was puzzled for a month about this but happened to find a mom here that was selling this huge triceratops & knew it was perfect! Koda is pretty much our new pet & he moves, makes noise, & eats leaves. The whole family loves him!

with Mimi, Pops, Thomas, & Alex....and Koda!

 our big 4 year old!! still can't believe it!

Nana and Poppy were here too!

It was a GREAT day celebrating our littles!