Peggy Palmer Turns One

We were very excited to make the short drive to Birmingham to attend Peggy's birthday party. I was so impressed by the decorations for the party; I felt like I had stepped into a magazine shoot for party planning; the cake and treats were as delicious as they looked.

I also enjoyed having time to visit with my friends and Joe held court with the kids and told stories.

Even Bear, the Weaver's dog, made an appearance at the party. Bear was a huge hit with the kids and regardless of his name origin, he really is a sweet dog.

Don't Try This At Home

This year for Christmas, Joe and I bought the boys monogrammed bean bags. I was the stimulus behind this gift due to the fond memories of my own bean bag as a kid; even as I transitioned into high school the bean bag was my chair of choice. I just knew the kids would love them.

On Christmas morning the boys were excited about the bean bags, but as with most toy/gifts the boys lost interest in them over time. That is until they found a new use for the bean bags: bean bag diving!

I think Jackson started the new sport and as with most things Charlie was not far behind. As you can see from the pictures, it is probably not the best idea but they have a blast. I would bet most moms would not recommend trying this at home but if it is raining outside all bets are off!

Hiking at Monte Sano State Park

Joe and I took the boys on our first hiking adventure at Monte Sano State Park. Doing little to no research prior to planning this impromptu trip, we were blindly hoping for some easier trails or at least a playground for the boys. When we arrived we found the entrance to the trails and decided on the South Plateau Trail that was defined as "easy". The boys really enjoyed hiking and even started singing "Hi Ho Hi Ho its off to hike we go!"

Jackson was enjoying hiking and for some parts was our hiking photographer; which surprisingly some of the pictures turned out pretty good.

Jackson also was on a troll hunt after crossing a bridge and got Charlie on the lookout for any trolls as well.

About a mile into the hike, the boys started to give out; we figured out that even though the trail was deemed easy it was 3.5 miles. The boys both decided that even though hiking was fun ,it was hard work, and they needed to ride the Parents Express.

As the sun started to go down, we had no idea how much further we had to go. We decided to bail on the trail and start following a random gravel road that we lucked up upon. At the end of the hike I was thankful for: marrying an Eagle Scout, gravel roads, and most of all finding the Odyssey!!

Wet Dog Triathlon

Joe competed in his first traditional triathlon this morning and believe it or not there were no paramedics involved.

The swim was 400 meters, bike was 15k, and a 5k run. The event was held at Point Mallard Park in Decatur, AL and due to the heavy rains yesterday; we all were a little muddy by the end. The swim portion was off a beach shore to the Tennessee River and the boys enjoyed playing in the sand while Joe swam. During the bike portion, the boys and I took a muffin break in the van and waited for Joe to pass, then we hiked to the finish line to see Joe's big finish.

Due to the distance and 3 separate events, by the end of the triathlon the boys were very muddy and thirsty and kept stealing the Gatorade from Joe to rehydrate!

Joe finished strong and beat his goal time by 3 minutes. At the finish several people came up and said, "Hey, aren't you that guy that wrecked?" and while running the last mile a stranger yelled "Hey, you finished!!" I guess the Race Warrior is racing on and still enjoying his 15 minutes!

Spending a little time at Lake Martin

We had a great time this past weekend visiting with my parents at Lake Martin. We always enjoy going down to get a little sun and spend time with the family. Jackson and Charlie always look forward to new toys and my mom's cats.

We enjoyed feeding ducks, fishing, and Sea-Doo riding. Charlie caught his first fish. He kept telling the fish, "Hey Fishy", then told Joe to put him back. Jackson didn't have much luck in the fishing department but did get to spend some quality time with BaBa eating bread and holding the rod.

Both boys were excited to ride the Sea-Doo, which Jackson deemed the "Little Boat". Jackson instructed me while riding that I needed to go "Super Fast!!"; Charlie just fell asleep.

We also celebrated my mom's birthday and I think that we devoured an entire cake in two days. My mom claims its was the swimming that made us all so hungry, but nobody really swam. I don't think that riding a Sea-Doo makes you all that hungry; we just like cake.

We had a great time this weekend enjoying family time and lake relaxation. I regret to say that I got some really good pictures of Charlie and my dad playing makeup at Michaela and Tatum's table. My dad forbid me from posting these pictures on this blog. Hmmm..... blackmail material maybe?

Red, White, and Blue Celebration

The boys school always has a parade to celebrate each of the national holidays and sometimes random other nation's holidays. Joe and I always suspect that the early Friday morning timing is a ploy for the teachers to have an early start to there holiday weekend, but we diligently go to support the boys.

Jackson and Charlie both got to show off their craft handiwork and Jackson even showed his support for the 4th of July on his head, I have a feeling that later in life I will be hiding this photo from prospective girlfriends.

The boys had a great time with the parade but I think that Jackson's favorite part was the popsicle with friends; being patriotic is hard work.

The Birmingham Zoo

The boys and I were so excited to start our day early to make a trip to Birmingham to visit the zoo. Tara and I had planned a play date for the boys last weekend at Nic's birthday party and Jackson and Charlie were ecstatic. We were also very glad that Noah and Nic's cousin Logan came as well, he became our official tour guide to the Birmingham Zoo. This was not his first visit to the Birmingham Zoo or maybe he was just better at following signs than Tara or I.

We made a complete day of it; the boys enjoyed animals, carousels, trains, fountains, random snake sitings, and even a camel ride. By the end of the day, Tara and I were pooped and were ready to call it a day; Jackson just wanted to know which way to the rhinos.

On the way home the boys were out like a light and I was just glad that the Odyssey was a much smoother ride than Daisy the Camel.