Backyard Weenie Roast For Fern

Sunday night we invited my family and John's family over for a little bonfire and weenie roast to celebrate Fern's birthday. We all knew that she would go inside herself a little bit because she is the biggest two year old introvert that I've ever seen. She was excited and enjoyed herself as long as she was playing with one or two people at a time. The grandmothers took turns holding her, so she was well loved.

She became a little more animated after everyone left and the crowd got was small. As John and I cleaned up, my brothers showed the kids how to burn stuff in the bonfire and how to spit like men. Not a lot of two year old birthdays end that way, but it's all good family fun and everyone knows that's a ton of fun. 

Happy Birthday, Fern! Thanks to our families for joining us.

Halloween 2013

The Costumes. Halloween fell on a school day for Burl, so he got to wear two costumes: baseball player to school (which was his own, invented costume, then Darth Vader for trick-or-treating. I borrowed a homemade s'more costume for Fern, which she adored. When she first tried it on, she started twirling daintily with her hands by the side. (This girl has a girly side to her that way surpasses me.)

The Trick-or-treating. This was Burl's second year and Fern's first year to go door to door and they both knew what to do. Burl loved interacting with all the neighbors, especially the slightly older boy who loved his costume and played with his light saber. 

Joseph and I took the kids this year, and there were so many people! In the two hours and three blocks that we did, we must have seen 100 people. There were also a lot more people passing out candy too. It's all so neighbor-ly and I love it! I'm so glad that little phase where people equated trick-or-treating with worshiping the devil was short lived. Nothing about any of that felt wrong. It was a great time.

The best part: coming home and hitting up the candy. 

Fern's 2nd Birthday

As I'm going through the very many photos of Fern's birthday yesterday, I almost forget all the fussiness. Yesterday Fern was so fussy, because that poor girl was recovering from illness and just plain exhaustion. We started the day and ended the day well, and  the pictures help me to remember the good times we had yesterday:

I will not be known for large expensive blowout parties every year, but I will be known as a woman of hype. With some $3 balloons and $1.50 streamers, Burl and I had fun decorating for her birthday morning-on the cheap. Fern was so excited to see all the balloons, and Burl said it best, "it's fun being here."

I taped two helium balloons right at Fern's door that were on her level to see and grab as soon as she woke up. Then, I taped some balloons that lead to the dining room where we had her birthday breakfast and gifts. She was quiet and careful, but Fern figured out what to do. 

Her big present was this doll stroller. I researched and thought this through, and the small, inexpensive one was perfect for Fern-and absolutely the cutest one out there.

Bacon, eggs, and leftover cake followed by family playtime in the den was a great way to start the day. (John took the day off of work, which just makes everything so much fun!)

After one fell-asleep-in-the-car attempt at the park, we returned after naps for the kids to play. Fern took her stroller and was told to go wherever she wanted, and it was at this park that Fern was the happiest and playful-est that she was the whole day. She loved pushing the stroller and moving her things to the seat, to the storage, and back again.

We found a hay tower perfect for catching, and John and I caught them as much as we (and they) could jump. 

Our plan was to eat pizza and swing at the playground, but it got pushed back past sunset. The kids didn't mind and went with the flow. It was a perfect pizza picnic. 

We finished the night by using our gift certificate to Baskin Robbins where Fern got to have her first little cup of ice cream instead of sharing with John. And of course, I had to take one more family picture because that's how I roll. Seriously though, these pictures were great and helped remind me what a fun time we had as a family. She was fussy, but what I remember most is her sweet little nature and how excited she was while remaining calm. 

Fern is two years old, which is such a sweet little age where they are learning so much. Fern is her own person, and we love watching her grow.

Here is a little movie that I made of the birthday breakfast (click over if you want to watch it). 

Because I Love It & That's All

This post is a conclusion to October's daily blogging about The Great Outdoors.
It should have posted on October 31, but I was unable to post it then. 

My own insecurities and excuses used to hinder me. Even though I always enjoyed our little excursions outsides (the hikes, the church camping trips, the trips to watch the kayakers, the creekin') growing up, I never considered myself an outdoors girl. It just seemed like there was always someone else who did more than I did or had more appropriate gear and they were the true picture of outdoorsy. I mean, I wear makeup daily and shop at Walmart, and outdoorsy people just don't do that. Well, enough is enough. I'm stepping out around the tree to say, I'm an imperfect outdoors girl who is ridding herself of excuses. 

The biggest excuses I gave was ignorance and time constraint. I don't know where to go, I don't know how to get there, I just don't have the time really meant that I was too lazy to research enough details and I wasn't willing to fit it into my lifestyle. With the help of friends and my iPhone and finding pockets of time, we have really found some cool stuff to do in Chattanooga. I'm starting to realize that it's a lot easier and a lot more fun than I've believed in the past. 

That's all I like about it. I don't have a long list of reasons, except that it's pretty, it's fun, and it makes me happy. I don't even have an agenda when I go out there. A friend recently posted this great article encouraging people to take the challenge and be intentional and get outside. It has great points that I agree with. However, for me, I'm just not that intentional. There's no plan or agenda, it's just fun. My kids do seem to enjoy themselves more, but that's about the furthest my intentions go. 

This month has been fun exploring some new places while revisiting some old, all the while focusing on the large role that the great outdoors plays in my life. If I could leave you with one encouragement, then it would be this: don't make excuses. If you like getting outside, then may you find the resources to make it happen. If you don't like getting outside, then just say that. Either way, I'll still be your friend and we will have plenty more to talk about. 

For a complete list of this months post about The Great Outdoors, see my introductory page.
 Thank you for reading my blog.