Bowlin Beige

Sadly, today is the kids' last day with Miss Robin. We've known since last month that she would be taking on a new job, but it's taken a while to fully come to terms with the change. We didn't tell Ainsley until last weekend - she still has a difficult concept of time and we didn't want her worrying about it too far in advance. But this week, our last three days, have been more about celebrating all the wonderful things Miss Robin has done for our family over the past (almost) 4 years. Ainsley was just 13 months old when we 'discovered' Miss Robin, who we found through a contact at our church. Ainsley's first Halloween at Miss Robin's home. It was here that she met her favorite friends, Davis and McKenzie, as well as others who have come and gone over the years. Miss Robin didn't hesitate with our spunky little girl, teaching her valuable life lessons such as patience and kindness. When Ainsley was old enough, Robin encouraged us to si...

This week was my spring break from school so we took the opportunity to schedule a family ski trip. Well, almost all the family - Parker stayed home with Nana and Papa. Ainsley, Eric and I headed off to Snowshoe in West Virginia. Ainsley had a fabulous time and wasn't scared at all. She loved ski school and made some new friends. Here are some highlights from our fantastic trip! Taking a catnap through the mountains. It sure is hard to sleep on these windy roads! Finally arrived in our room! We had a great 2-bedroom condo in the middle of the village, right on the slopes! View from our room . Sunday night tubing! Ready to hit the slopes! Our little ski bunny. Eric and I enjoyed some ski time by ourselves while Ainsley was in ski school. Too busy waving at her friends to stay on her feet. She's a natural! After a long day on the slopes, we enjoyed the indoor/outdoor pools. That's our litt...

We are so lucky that our babysitter, Robin, also provides special celebrations for the kids at her house. Here are some fun pictures from Parker's birthday party with the other kids!

Thank you to all our friends and family who made Parker's birthday so special. He was a typical two-year-old - energetic, moody, and completely attached to Mommy. Here are some highlights from his birthday! Friday night we celebrated with a cupcake with Nana and Papa. Sunday, his birthday, we started the day with a trip to Waffle House. He even ordered his own waffle from the waitress! " Waffle please!" Although today the temperatures reached 70 degrees, we couldn't have anticipated that so we held Parker's birthday party at Romp-N-Roll, an indoor children's gym. We picked up his cake from a local bakery, and made the mistake of showing it to him right before the party. Note to self: Never buy a cake that has toys on it.  He wanted to get his hands on that dump truck. Nothing we did could distract him from that obsession. The party started, friends arrived, kids were playing, and he spent the whole time crying and throwing himsel...

How is it possible that I have a two-year-old son? It seems like yesterday that Ainsley was a two-year-old and I was pregnant. Now I have a daughter who is almost 5 and a son who is no longer a baby. Of course in my mind he will always be the baby. My little mommy's boy, who loves snuggles, follows me everywhere, and asks me to sing to him before bed every night. ('Stars please?') When Ainsley was our one-and-only, I couldn't imagine possibly loving another child as much as I love her. But here we are, with two beautiful children, and I love them both more than life.  Happy birthday to my little man. I can't wait to watch you grow over the next year! "No one else will ever know the strength of my love for you. After all, you are the only one who knows what my heart sounds like from the inside." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=caPHyGWXBRY http://animoto.com/play/DH3u0zDTSr20BP560wn1sQ

We have a big house. There are lots of places to hide. Somehow my 'junk' cabinet has become the best hiding spot in the house - not just for all of the random stuff that comes in the house, but also apparently for my children.

My kids have developed a great love of Chick-Fil-A, mostly because of the cow. Ainsley used to be scared to death of the cow, but now she loves it. Parker has taken her cue and decided that the cow should be loved, even if he is a little scary. Mommy loves Chick-Fil-A because my kids can burn off some energy, do fun things like face painting, and Mommy  the kids can get milkshakes. Parker keeps a close eye on the cow's whereabouts and chases him down if he goes too far away. What started with high-fives quickly turned into full-blown snuggles. Here are some highlights from a recent trip to the wonderful Chick-Fil-A. And finally, here is a dance party with the cow.