Alan's Birthday!

Alan's birthday fell on a Tuesday this year, which meant a full day of work for him and then work for me and a t-ball game in the evening.  Alan also had a nasty cold.  So we didn't get to celebrate much, but I did make him a special breakfast and Spencer made sure he opened his presents first thing in the morning.  He didn't even feel like eating his birthday brownies that night, so I saved them for Sunday.

I made him this no-sew fleece tie blanket.  He likes it, but Spencer likes it even more and is constantly sneaking it into his own room!  I made one for Spencer last year, but his isn't nearly as soft as Alan's anymore.

Alan was feeling much better by Saturday and he didn't even have a race, so we spent the afternoon celebrating his birthday.  We started out with a picnic and hike (really a walk) through Tryon State Park.  I had never been there and it was pretty.  A little chilly in the shade though.

Spencer liked this forest animal play table in the visitor's center.  It really was pretty cool.

A snail on the trail!

The walk was only a mile long, but a baggie of trail mix always helps Spencer be more pleasant on hikes. :)

We passed close by the Temple on the way home so Alan wanted to stop and get a quick picture.  Hmm.

It's rose season here!

Next up was mini golfing.  We hadn't been in a long time since it's so pricey here, but luckily groupon had a good deal at a course just 10 minutes from our house.  I think this was all of our favorite activity of the day.  Spencer's game has improved a lot in the last couple of years.

 

Still a stud!

We finished off the day with dinner at Sweet Tomatoes.  It was such a fun afternoon of just playing together.  We don't get to do that often enough.  Happy Birthday Alan!  We love you!

Bird Festival 2014

The wildlife refuge that is 5 minutes away from our house hosts a Bird Festival every spring.  This was the 2nd year Spencer and I got to go.  They had free crafts, a bird show, a scavenger hunt and wagon rides this year.

Spencer decorated these cute, little rock pets.

He got to use a power drill (with help!) for the first time to make a bee board.  We still need to hang it in the backyard though. ;)

The scavenger hunt took us out on the trail looking for and learning all kinds of things.  Spencer is usually a pill when any decent amount of walking is involved, but he seemed to love this walk.  The landscape was pretty stunning.

We learned that ink used to be made from these little balls that grow on oak trees.  They are created by some kind of little bug.

The refuge has a real eagle's nest with two adult eagles and an eaglet at the moment.  We got to see it through some pretty awesome binoculars.  This is a replica of their nest.

It was a fun morning with my buddy!  I just need to remember to bring some snacks next time.  We didn't get to do the wagon ride because we were too hungry!

Zoo Field Trip

I got to be a chaperone for the kindergarten zoo field trip last week.  I don't know what gave me the idea that this was going to be a fun, relaxing field trip, but boy was I wrong!  Keeping my eyes on four kindergarteners in the midst of the thousands of other kiddos at the zoo was seriously stressful.  Especially since we had two wanderers in our group.  Luckily, there was another parent in my group, but it was still hard.  However, that being said, I'm SO glad I got to go.  I feel blessed to be able to be so involved in Spencer's kindergarten class and cherish the time I get to spend with him at school.  It won't always be so easy for me to volunteer.

It's about a 45 minute bus ride to the zoo.  Spencer and cute, little A. let me sit with them.

I wound up being way too busy chasing kids to take many pictures, but I got a few shots.  It was fun that Spencer could read all of the signs.

Snack time!

These bronze lions were just outside the lion enclosure.  They loved climbing on these so much that I could hardly get them to look at the real lions!  I think they would have enjoyed a sculpture zoo just as much as the real thing.

Lunch

 

Cheetah cave

Spencer and I liked the flamingos.  Spencer's favorite animals were the giraffes still, but I didn't get a picture of those.

It turned out to be a fun, exhausting day for all of us.  Several of the kids fell asleep on the bus on the way back to school.  I waited to have my nap until we got home. :)

Cousin Buddies

We got to have Ryan over to play a couple of times while he was visiting with Dani, Alicia and Kaylee last week.  Spencer and Ryan were so cute together and became such good cousin buddies.  They are a little over a year apart in age, but have a lot of similar interests.  They played great together with NO fighting!

Sherwood hit a record 90 degrees on Wednesday, so we decided to break out the grill for the first bbq of the season.  I spent a good portion of the day getting the backyard in decent shape.  (It still needs a lot of work though.)  Alan grilled and it was so fun to have family over.

 

These just made me laugh:

Cousins are the best!

Mother's Day

We found out we are having another boy in perfect timing with Mother's Day this year.  It made the day a little more special.  I've said this many times, but I feel so blessed to be Spencer's mom and now getting the chance to raise another little boy almost seems too good to be true.  My heart is full.

Alan had to get in on the picture action too.

Alan and Darwin made a nice Mother's Day dinner after Church.  Grandma and Grandpa Larsen joined us and it was extra fun because Alicia, Dani, Ryan and Kaylee were here visiting too.  Spencer is blessed with aunts on both sides of the family who, even though they don't have kids of their own yet, are the best nurturers I know.  And THAT is what motherhood is really about.  Happy Mother's Day to every woman who makes kids feel loved!

T-Ball

Spencer is playing t-ball for the first time this year.  We had wanted to sign him up for track club instead, but he wasn't quite old enough.  Then, he came home from school with a flyer about t-ball and was super excited about trying it.  I was much less excited when I realized how much equipment was required for the sport.  Despite the cost and the hassle of having practices as the same time I work on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, Spencer loves it.  He has several friends from Church and school on his team and he's learning some good skills.  These pics are from his first game last week.

Even though it's t-ball, the coaches give each batter three underhand pitches before they pull out the T.  Spencer whacked this one on his first try!  T-ball is fun because there are no strikes or outs and they only call some of the foul balls. :)  The last batter on a team is automatically the "home-run hitter" and all of the players on bases run home after his hit.

I was too cheap to pay for the professional team pictures, but this shot makes up for it.

Running home!

Go Clancy's!  (I think they are named after a local bar.  ha! ha!)

Even though I don't love watching or playing sports myself, I'm really glad Spencer likes to.  He's learning great teamwork and sportsmanship skills in addition to the physical skills.  Plus, it's really fun to see watch him having such a great time!