New curtains, new desk, new bike!

Tyler has FINALLY decided that he wants a bike, so we took him to Wal-Mart this morning to pick one out. He adores his scooter, and has preferred it over any bike for the past two years. I think seeing how fast the other kids in the neighborhood get around on their bikes has finally made him see the light. :) Oh, and I found out this afternoon that his good buddy, Spencer, has the same exact bike--and we didn't even know it! So, of course he's even more excited about learning to ride his new wheels now. :)

After we got home, Dave hung some curtains in our front room (which will probably forever be a toy room) and assembled Tyler's new desk--with some help, of course! Then, we took Tyler's new bike over to Dave's parents' house with us when we joined them for dinner tonight. He had so much fun riding around their cul-de-sac.

Connor insisted on standing on the step-stool WITH Dave while he hung our new curtains. :)

The boys had to take turns hammering in the nails for Tyler's new desk--it was double the fun, but also took double the time!

Tyler's new ride

Here I go!

A Remax hot air balloon flew over Dave and Carol's house while we were standing outside--and Connor flipped out. He loves ANYTHING that he sees in the sky.

Last Day of T-ball!

20/20 Vision

We took Tyler to his first official eye exam today and he passed with flying colors. His vision is perfect according to the ophthalmologist, so he's cleared for Kindergarten. :)

Tyler and Dr. Brave

Lowe's

Another fun morning at the Kids Workshop with The Johnson Family!

Moms and kiddos

I sent Tyler to his room for a nap this afternoon, and this is what he did instead. :)

Box party time!

Back home

We left Memphis right after breakfast this morning and made it home right after lunchtime today. Let the unpacking begin!

Let's PLAY the Pyramid!

You can still see the shiner on the right side Connor's face from his collision with the front door handle at my grandma's house. I don't think this battle scar will be completely healed anytime soon!

Although, it doesn't seem to be bothering him at all.

Headed Home

Is it time to go home already? It seems like we just got here! I always hate leaving, because I always know that it'll be at least a year before we make it back. Before we started our journey back to Memphis, Dave took my grandparents' Wii for a spin one last time. The 6-hour drive was uneventful (thank goodness for portable DVD players!), and we actually made it to Memphis by the early afternoon, which gave us some down time. Dave took Tyler for a dip in the hotel pool, then we took the boys to Cici's pizza for dinner and had snowcones for dessert, which we ate while walking along an outdoor outlet mall. When we got back to the hotel, I thought for sure that the boys would crash. WRONG! They were SO wound up, I didn't think they would ever go to sleep. Part of the problem was that I agreed (after Tyler's relentless pleading) to let them try sleeping in the same bed, since the room had two queen beds and a fold-out sofa. I quickly realized my mistake; after about five minutes of (sort of) silence, the giggles and monster noises started, followed by bouts of tickling and tackling. After giving them far too many chances to quiet down and go to sleep (and lots of teeth-gritting on my part), I finally had to separate them, which did NOT go over very well and was met with lots of protests. Tyler, however, was actually asleep in less than 10 minutes. Connor, on the other hand, kept up the silliness all by himself until about 10:45! Think he'll sleep in tomorrow? :)

We're ready to hit the road!

Tyler and Daddy enjoyed clowning around in the cool water, while Chicken Little and I watched them from the sidelines. :)

This is what happens when napless children feast on snowcones right before bed!

Our Last Day

My Aunt Sherry (dad's sister) came over to my grandparents' house this morning for a visit. After breakfast, we headed over to my mom's parents one last time and spent the afternoon with them and my Aunt Susan. We had my Mama's awesome gumbo for dinner, then just hung out and visited the rest of time. It was kind of nice to have a "slow" last day. On our way back to my other GP's house, we stopped to see my cousin, Dano, at work. He's a couple of years older than me and we were pretty close growing up. I always make sure that we get to see him, even though our visits are usually brief.

My grade school: L.S. Rugg Elementary

We HAD to pull over to the side of the road so that Tyler could see this crop duster in action!

With 14 grands and 11 great-grands, these two have never run out of love, hugs, or patience. They still dote on all of us. :)

Marie and Richard: two of the best grandparents around.

Tyler has just been armed with a Shipley doughnut and his first cup of coffee-milk, thanks to Aunt Susan.

Love my Mama and Papa!

The four of us with Aunt Sue Sue.

I always enjoy catching up with my cousin, Dano.

Our tan man and pale male are ready for the tub!