Oh Hey, Friday!

I feel like I blinked and this week went by.  We have been busy, busy bees over here, and we aren't slowing down any time soon. This time of year is always a non-stop, super fun, mess -- and I LOVE it. 

I'm linking up with September Farm and The Farmer's Wife for Oh Hey, Friday!

And with A.Liz Adventures, Carolina Charm, The Good Life, and Hello! Happiness for Five on Friday.

1. Please take a look at Christina's posts at Carolina Charm about her sweet baby Thomas, and say a prayer for their family as he has his first surgery today.  

2.  We went to the TN Valley Fair this Monday!  Stephen and I had been once before to see Boyz II Men a few years ago. (Yeah, it was awesome).  This time we had the kiddos so it was a little unnerving for an anxious lady such as myself, but we all had a blast.  Griffin had way too much fair food, and Hallie was entertained by all of the lights and noise.  We let him ride the monster trucks, and he pretended it was Blaze and the Monster Machines so he was a very happy camper.  The coolest thing was probably the petting zoo where we all saw a kangaroo jumping for the first time.

3.  Griffin stayed at school the whole three hours both days this week! Sure, we had to bribe him with a $15 truck from Target, but I say we worry about that later.  Small victories.  He even walked in instead of insisting we carry him!  Go Griffin, go

4.   We went to the Dixie Stampede in Pigeon Forge last night.  Hallie was not the biggest fan, but Griffin LOVED it!  We got tickets last year for Christmas from my brother and his fiance.  I love gifts that we can all enjoy together and so cool that it was something none of us have ever done before and just a short drive away.  We will be taking him back in a few years for sure so maybe he can participate in the chicken races :)

5.  Monday is my 28th birthday, and we intend to celebrate all weekend long.  

Happy Friday!   

Our Weekend

This weekend was a good one (even with the tough loss). Friday night my best friend and her husband came over for pizza and an "ice ceam shamich," as Griffin says.  Griffin loves her so much and so do I. She is growing on little Miss Hallie Bell. She was showing her momma's girl side and stayed with me almost all night.

That Fall feeling stuck around through he weekend, and my parents were camping at Indian Boundary so we loaded up on Saturday and took a beautiful, hour and a half ride to visit them.

 We roasted hot dogs and marshmallows and played at the campsite before heading out for a few adventures. 

We drove on a very curvy road to get a look at a beautiful waterfall called Bald River Falls. It was right on the road so I was nervous, and Griffin hated being held the whole time, but it was worth it. Little Sis was mesmerized! 

Then we headed home, and everyone in the backseat napped the whole way. Hallelujah. We got home just in time to cheer on the Vols and get our hopes up, only to have them completely crushed in overtime. Well, there's always next week :)

Happy Monday!

Feels Like Fall...

It's really been feeling like fall in East Tennessee, and I'm LOVING it.  I'm pretty sure it's a dirty trick, but we will take what we can get. 

It was rainy on and off all day. I had to pick Griffin up from school early because he "missed Momma Daddy." Bless his heart. He reallyyyyyyyy wanted to go home, but I convinced him we had to stop and get Momma a Pumkin Spice Latte first. Then, we went straight home and put a huge roast in the crockpot. 

Yep, seems like fall to me 😍

Oh, and this:

Pinday Wednesday

There are tons of recipes for crockpot meals I am dying to try.  Mornings are Hallie's happiest time, and Griffin is usually content to play with his toys without constant Mommy entertainment before lunch so its the way to go if we want to have dinner on the table  before 7-8.  We tried a  crockpt lasagna recipe  last night, and it was pretty good!  

Find the recipe HERE.

I did tweek it a little bit. I skipped the mushrooms since I knew Griffin wouldn't  eat them and added a chopped onion and half of a red pepper when I browned the meat. We really liked it, but next time, we may not use all of the cheese. 

We cooked it for four hours and then enjoyed with some sauted broccoli and sliced bread with pesto. 

This one is a Pinterest win for sure! 

Happy Labor Day!

Happy Labor Day, Friends! 

Hope you are having as much fun as we are 😊.

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Oh Hey, Friday!

Bring on the three day weekend! We have had a crazy few weeks over here laying tile in the kitchen (finally) and out of town family here for a surprise 75th birthday extravaganza. We have zero plans this weekend other than watching college football, Go Vols!, and getting our big girl some new pjs.

I'm linking up with The Farmer's Wife and September Farm for Oh Hey, Friday!

And with Carolina Charm, A.Liz Adventures, and Hello! Happiness for Five on Friday.

Here's my five:

1. We are on a preschool roller coaster over here. Last Thursday, we went to pick up Griffin from school only to find out he cried the entire three hours. Not only did he cry, he sat by the window the whole time we were gone. I can't handle that. That's too long. We went back and forth about sending him anyway since he is only two and a half, if he started next fall, he would still go two whole years before kindergarten. Tuesday, I got called to pick him up at 10:30, but he stayed the whole time Thursday, only crying on and off. Fingers crossed for a better week next week. 

2. Griffin started a little mommy/daddy and me soccer class on Tuesday, and he loved it! He could not stop smiling and giggling, and he tried so hard. Soccer was just what the Dr. Ordered after our traumatizing morning of preschool. He talked about Coach Derrick (pronounced coach Dewict) on the way home, and then my heart exploded.

3. I think my sweet girl is teething, and I'm nervous.  Griffin would cry the day of, pop through and tooth, and was happy again.  I have heard horror stories from mom friends.  We will see how this goes.

4. It's Football Time in Tennessee!! Well tomorrow! We both graduated from UT, and there is nothing like a Tennessee football game. The game this week is in Nashville, and most of our friends are going. We will make it to a few games this year, but babysitting a 4 month old who is exclusively breastfed and doesn't love a bottle is kind of a tall order for the grandparents at this point so we are choosing the games wisely. Nonetheless, we will be tailgating and watching at home in our best orange. 

5. With all that said, on Fridays, we wear Orange! 

Happy Friday!