High Five for Friday

Hello again! Today I'm linking up with Jennie to share some fun stuff from the past week. 

1) Friday was Grant's preschool graduation! It was absolutely adorable. The teachers did an awesome job working with the kids and the kids just too freaking cute. AND I only cried a tiny bit! 

2) On Saturday, me, Husband, and my in-laws took Grant to Chuck E Cheese for lunch to celebrate graduation. Grant had the best time! He's been wanting to go back since we went for a birthday party and this seemed like the perfect thing to do. The best part was when he put a token in one of the ticket "jackpot" games. He said "Did I win?!" and when we looked, tickets werejust pouring out! 

He won over 100 tickets off one token!

3) One of the things I really wanted to sew this year was a dinosaur tail for Grant. And I did it! It's not perfect but it's damn good for a first try. And Grant loves it!

4) There was more slip-n-slide action over the weekend!

5) I found cheese curd! It's one of my favorite things from back home and practically impossible to get here. But I randomly found it at a Super Target! It's not from back home, but it'll do for the craving :)

It's been a pretty good week and I'm looking forward to nice weekend.

Happy Friday everyone!

Have a great weekend!

Jazz - The Super Special Bear

When I was younger I collected teddy bears. I'd get one while we were on vacation and it kind of became a thing. Then I got them for birthdays and Christmas and eventually I had way too many. When I moved to North Carolina I brought with me only what would fit in my car so almost all my bears stayed with my parents. But Jazz Bear came with me. I got Jazz Bear at the end of my teddy bear collecting phase. I saw him in a store and thought he was adorable with his big belly and he's so soft and cuddly...but I was "too old" for that so I didn't get him. 

My mom did. She surprised me with him later (and for some reason she named him Jazz Bear). But when I moved, he pretty much stayed in closets until I had Grant. Then he became Grant's.

When he was old enough, I told Grant that Jazz Bear is very special. That's he's sort of a present from my mom because she gave Jazz to me and now he belongs to Grant. And that if he hugs Jazz it's like getting a hug from me and my mom. He accepted Jazz Bear as a special thing and most of the time when he wanted to sleep with him Grant would say "Jazz is special because he's from your mama and he was yours and now he's mine, right?" And that was as far as I'd ever been able to go with it because I get really emotional talking about that stuff with Grant.

Next week we'll be coming up on 5 years that my mom has been gone and back in February was 4 years since my dad's passing. It's still hard but I've learned that talking {and writing} helps. So it's appropriate that Grant initiated our first real conversation about my parents. For me, it came completely out of left field but looking back, I think he's been wanting to ask. But he's a smart kid and kids pick up on way more than we give them credit for, so I think he doesn't talk about it because he knows it's hard for me.

It started with Jazz Bear at bed time, it usually does. Grant couldn't figure out which animal to sleep with, so I suggested Jazz. Grant said "Because he's your super special bear, right Mama?" I told him, again, when he hugs the bear it's like a hug from me and mom. Which made him ask "But she died already, right?" I said yes and he asked how she died. I didn't want to get so detailed that I scared him but I wanted to answer his questions. So I explained that she was very sick and that she went to a lot of doctors but they couldn't make her better (an explanation that I'm always worried will scare him but I have yet to find a better way). He knows she's in Heaven so he says she's "up there". 

He also asked if my dad died already too, which he knows, but I think he was just trying to talk about it. So I said yes. He asked why my dad died. You can't explain alcoholism to a 4.5 year old so I said that he, too, was very sick. That he tried to get help to get better but the doctors weren't able to make him better either. He just said "Oh" and laid there quiet for a minute, like he was thinking.

He asked "Who else is up there?" I told him my Uncle Charlie is up there with my mom and dad. And our dog Brodie. And my Grama. He asked "...do you...miss them?" Which of course I do, I said I miss them all the time but I tried to keep my tone light and not sad. I was pretty proud of myself for not breaking down because this was the longest we've ever been able to talk about my family.

Then he broke my heart. He was very serious and a little sad and I want to say even a little sorry for me. He said "So...you don't have any families left?" So I reminded him of how much family I do still have left - him, Husband, my sister, aunts, uncles, cousins, in-laws - and that seemed to cheer him up. He was done asking questions then, for now, so it was a good note to end the conversation on. 

He asked some good questions. He was very serious and I feel like he really listened. It was a really difficult for me but I know it's going to have to happen more so I'm happy that I handled this first one so well. It's important that Grant knows my parents and I'm going to be the biggest part of that so I'm glad we're heading in the right direction.

Snow Days!

Back in November I made an impulse buy at Target (you don't say!). A sled. Because last year when we had snow days I was dragging Grant around the yard in the lid of his old sandbox...and that was only fun for one of us. That poor sled has sat in the garage looking very lonely ever since. I really didn't think it would see any use this year.

But yes! Finally some winter weather. And snow days. The first - two weeks ago - was really more of an "ice day", no real snow to speak of. But the yard was slippery enough that we got some good use of the sled. The only real disappointment for either of us was that no real snow means no snow slushies. Grant remembered the snow slushies from last year, he was a bit sad about missing out on those (and so was I).

We managed to find a couple good spots in our yard where we could make the sled really go and, of course, I pulled him in laps around the house.

Not much on the ground, but it was slippery!

He kept throwing his hands up like he was on a roller coaster.

After simply riding down our little slope, he decided
to "crash" his sled like a race car...every time.

We ventured back in the woods like last year to get a look at the little stream we had found (it gets quite nasty back there in summer so this is strictly a winter adventure). It looked much the same as it did last year but still so pretty!

We found out not long after this that a coyote lives
back there...so this was our last adventure in the woods!

When we went back to riding in the sled, I told Grant it was my turn.

That didn't work out too well for me.

We had so much fun playing outside that day! And we ended up with the next day off too although the yard was no longer sled-worthy.

We got just a little bit of real snow that evening, but it didn't last long.

Round two of the snow was last week. Tuesday I was actually on my way to Greensboro for a trade show but got called back by the office. On my way back to the office I found out daycare was closing early, so headed there instead. When we got home, we did one of Grant's very favorite things: made koolaid. Because enough snow had fallen that we could make slushies (not being fans of that snow cream business)! So we did that while my big pot of chicken & pastry cooked on the stove (YUM!). 

After a nap, though, it was time to play outside! Last year my sister sent Grant a pair of snow pants and he hates them. He actually cried when I made him wear them the first time (the "ice day" above). Quite ridiculous, yes? Kids. Anyway, no snow pants = no playing outside so he didn't give me a hard time anymore. 

They're a little big so I think he felt silly but they work!

He brought a couple monster trucks outside to play with when we weren't sledding. We made little jumps for them out of the snow and he thought that was just the greatest.

And more sledding...and snow balls...

So happy :)

And, of course, he had to eat the snow too.

I love snow! And I love spending our snow days like this. It doesn't happen often so I try to enjoy it. Grant looks at me with disbelief when I tell him I used to get to play like this all the time in the winter where I grew up. He wants to go up to NY one winter to see Aunt Shauna and to see all that snow. I hope we get to make that happen sometime!

High Five for Friday

Hi there! Today I'm linking up Jennie to share some of my favorite stuff from the past week.

1) Last Friday, Grant was sick and home from school. I stopped for a movie on the way home thinking we'd do a movie night. We ended up not watching it until the next morning (Frozen, again...we love Olaf) but I still fixed our typical movie night food: stove popped popcorn! Its one of my favorite things. My mom used to make it for us and I've got Husband and Grant hooked on it. We don't even buy the microwave stuff anymore. 

When I make it I like to send pictures to my sister (who got revenge
by sending me pictures of homemade dinner rolls a couple days later)

2) I haven't been walking or running much yet this year (ok, I haven't been running at all since sometime in December) and Saturday was so pretty! So I set out for a walk in the afternoon and got in 4 miles. It made me feel a little better about not getting out so much last week...and walking is always so much more enjoyable than running!

There's this rundown farm house in the middle of  cow pasture
that I love to look at on my walks. And it was such a pretty day!

3) I had promised Grant some baking time soon since he got some new kitchen tools for Christmas. Over the weekend we decided to make some brownies (just the box kind). He got to use his new giraffe whisk and was so excited! Soon I have to make time for cut-out cookies because he's chomping at the bit to use his alligator rolling pin!

Baking lesson: always, always lick the spoon :)

Enjoying the fruits of his labor (he'll eat brownies but not cake!)

4) Monday I was off! That in itself is wonderful. I kept Grant home with me that day and we explored a new park ("new" meaning we'd never been there) and had lunch together before running some errands. I love our days off together!

Jumping on the bridge

He loved sliding down the pole pretending he was in "Paw Patrol"

Me and my guy :)

Happy Friday everyone!

Have a great weekend!

High Five for Friday

Happy New Year! Today I'm linking up Jennie to share some of my favorite stuff from the past week.

1) With Christmas being just over a week ago, I had to post this picture. This crazy kid is the best and we had such a great Christmas!

2) Santa brought Grant a marble maze for Christmas. Santa was really excited about this gift because "he" thought Grant would be really fascinated by it. Santa was right. Grant think it is - as my mother would have said - the cat's ass. But when Santa ordered it from Zulily...Santa had no idea that it doesn't come with instructions. Have fun with that Christmas evening when you're deliriously tired. It doesn't work out so well. However, after a good night's sleep and an great cup of coffee (with the promise of much more in the pot waiting for me) I managed to get that marble maze going correctly based solely on a picture from the box. Hooray Mama.

3) Friday I cooked a yummy beef roast in the crockpot. I'm typically a terrible beef cooker (or perhaps I just think that because when I eat it I want it to be life-changing and it never is) but this turned out really well. I shredded it to make french dip sandwiches - one of my favorite sandwiches ever. I didn't love it in a sandwich so next time I think it would be good with just some mashed potatoes and a veggie. (beef roast recipe HERE).

4) Saturday we wen to Hill Ridge Farms for their Festival of Lights. Last year I won tickets to this through a raffle at work and I did again this year too! Grant loves to ride through the huge light display on the hay wagon!

5) My Aunt Bonnie sent some Christmas presents to Grant and she told me that she'd put some old pictures in there for me. I love to go through old pictures and there were some good ones in there!

Me and my sister

Me with my cousins Nick and AJ

Me and my cousin AJ

6) Grant's school did early closing on New Year's Eve so I decided to just take the day off and have some fun with him. We went to an early movie, ran some errands, and then just relaxed at home (he got to stay up a little later that night and we had ice cream to celebrate NYE).

Hogging the popcorn and waiting for The Penguins of Madagascar to start!

Happy Friday everyone!

Have a great weekend!