First snow day!

Today was our first snow day of the season and the excitement was contagious!! Porters first comments after waking up were "I can't bewieve this!" And "this my best day ever!". The kids stood at the window for the longest time just watching the snow fall.

Then we made some special snow day waffles and added sprinkles. Sissy had pink waffles and porter had red and green waffles. They were a hit!

We had to bundle up and go enjoy at least a little time in the snow! It was freezing! Unfortunately, the snow had all melted off of the driveway, but there was still plenty in the grass to enjoy. Savannah bundled up in the stroller and watched the fun. 

Porter made his first snowman. Yes the bottom circle has yellow snow, hahaha!! We think the snow had dirt in it...we hope! His snowman was quite quarky, but what else would you expect?!

Sissy and I got a little too cold, so we came in to warm up and daddy and porter continued playing on the back porch for a while.

It was the perfect first snow day!!

Christmas Parade Day

I have so many fond (and cold!) memories of the Asheville Christmas parade and I was so glad to be able to make some new ones with a very special parade date! Saturday, Porter and I met Jesse and Tim at the downtown Christmas parade. It was freezing, but worth every minute! We got to see horses, llamas, pigs, sheep, dogs, giant balloons, marching bands, and lots of cool floats. Porter loved it! I think it's safe to say he has inherited my love of all things festive! He was such a big boy! We even got to go on a lunch date to OCharleys afterwards. Those were the sweetest chicken tenders and fries I have ever shared :) 

No parade experience is complete without cotton candy...

I forgot that the people on floats gave out candy. He definitely had his share of sugar!! 

The parade was fun, but we were very glad to end the day in a nice, warm restaurant.

We weren't the only ones that got to spend some special time together. Daddy and Sissy stayed home and had lots of fun baby doll play time :)

Rodeo cowboy

Friday, Porter and I headed to his first rodeo. I knew he would like it, but I had no idea how much! It was a Jr. rodeo, so the riders were all ages 4-18. He liked it even more because there were kids doing it! Bet you can't guess who wants to take rodeo lessons now?! He was able to get really close to the animals and it was not crowded at all, so he could walk around as much as he wanted. It was the perfect date with my handsome little cowboy! 

He was excited enough already, but y'all...he saw his first cowgirl! I'm actually not sure that he realized girls could be cowboys(girls) too. This tiny girl (probably about 4) got done with her event and came to sit in front of us. She took off her hat and her long braid fell out and she turned around. This boy has his first crush! (Even though he's never allowed to love a woman other than his mama. Ever. No joke!) I was lucky enough to catch his reaction in two stages...

He later informed me that he would buy her a pink horse. Just what every cowgirl dreams of ;) I love this boy and his sweet, loving heart! 

It was the perfect day! I will remember it forever. And plus, I thought it was as cool as he did! I asked Sean if this surprised him and he reminded me of the Valentines Day when we were first married that he asked me what I wanted to do and I said go to the monster truck show. I guess that means he wasn't surprised :)

Small moments

I say it all the time, but I know that when our kids are grown and out of the house, it's the little, everyday moments that I want to remember. Days get so hectic and it's easy to get caught up in our routine, but I want to remember the days of having babies playing before church on Sunday mornings...

And taking walks on beautiful Fall days in our neighborhood. Some of the best conversations and sweetest moments Sean and I have shared have been during long walks. They're quite therapeutic, I must say.

These days are blessed, for sure. And I never want to be too busy to appreciate these little people that made me a mama. 

Strawberry Pie

Nonnis are pretty great at making toddlers' dreams come true. Or maybe that's just ours! Porter has been talking about strawberry pie for weeks. We finally figured out its because Mike the Knight's mom makes it on a lot of episodes. If you don't know who Mike the Knight is, a) you are missing out and b) you must not have a 2 year old boy! Anyways, yesterday we went to Nonni's for the day and Porter got to help her make a strawberry pie!!! He loves helping make things! He was so excited to be able to help. However, I have to say I think he was more excited to help than he was to actually eat the pie. Strange child! It was delicious. What fun memories! 

Halloween

This Halloween was one of my favorite days ever! We had some very simple fun! Nonni came over and we had a Halloween party during the day. We did Halloween crafts and made Halloween cupcakes. After nap, she helped me get the kids ready in their Halloween outfits. Savannah was the cutest little cupcake I have ever seen! Porter was supposed to be a cowboy, but wasn't feeling the whole lets dress up thing! We talked him into his cowboy shirt and tag-along horse, but the hat, the boots, and the bandana didn't happen. It was ok, most people still knew he was a cowboy. We went to Hoopla at our church and got to see horses and other farm animals. Porter got to play some fun games and the kids (aka mom and dad) got lots of candy! Next we went to Chilis for dinner and Nonni met us for dinner, yay!! By the time we got home, it was pretty late, but Porter and I still knocked on a few neighbors' doors. I was very surprised at how brave he was about talking to people. He actually said "trick or treat" and "Happy Halloween"! I was shocked! Our boy is usually painfully shy! I guess all bets are off when candy is involved ;) We had such a fun, simple, family-centered day and I loved it!! I think we found our Halloween tradition :)