Bryson's 1st Overnight Stay!

Last Friday night was Bryson's first spend the night with us. We had a great time!!!! Chase normally stays with him at my mom's but we wanted Bryson to have a chance to be with us. From what we hear, they are usually "all boy" or "rambunctious" at my mom's house, but they were awesome for us. I knew in my mind I had to keep them busy....with "kid friendly" activities. I picked both boys up on Friday at 3pm and we headed to Greensboro. Once we got home they immediately ran for the back door....not a bad idea, I thought. They played for about 30 minutes and then we changed clothes, played inside for 20 minutes and then headed to McDonald's for dinner and more playtime. Both boys did incredibly well at dinner...they ate like it was Thanksgiving :o) Chase enjoys the McDonald's Play Place a lot, but the last time we went with Bryson to play, he refused and cried if you tried to help him inside to play. This time was much different. Once he saw Chase get down and head towards the ladder, he did his sign for "all done" and was right behind him. They played for 30 minutes and then we headed to our neighborhood park and then home for a quick Krispy Kreme doughnut!!! FUN FUN! Our goal was simple: let them have fun, get tired, get sweaty....lead to a smooth bedtime :) Bryson and Chase did enjoy themselves at the park too! Once we got home, we headed to the bubble bath to wind down and cool off. Brush teeth {check}, Lotion {check}, Potty {check}, Kisses {check}, Slumber Party bed set-up {check}, 2 tired boys {check}!!!! Bryson and Chase slept through the night like little angels, while I cuddled and tossed and turned in between them.

Rise and Shine: Chase woke up around 7:30am and Bryson at 8:00am! What a beautiful day in the making. We had breakfast, got dressed and headed to the Greensboro Children's Museum for more fun! They enjoyed themselves until 11:30 and then it was off to Ci-Ci's Pizza for lunch! YUM! More sleeping angels....they both fell asleep for nap within 5 minutes and slept over 2 hours! YIPEE! Then Bryson's Mommy came to pick him up.... can't wait until our next sleepover!

2 sneaky boys

Stuffing their mouths with doughnuts and leftover happy meals

2 happy and lovable boys

one wild hairdo = one happy little Bryson!

Bryson took a cup full of water and dumped onto Chase.....

and again.... notice that Bryson isn't really wet yet.....but Chase is soaked. I just placed them in there and took a couple of pictures, but Bryson started bath time early :o)

But Chase sought revenge quickly. This was their only battle the entire time Bryson was here...and this was a happy battle...no fighting or whining, just 2 giggling overly tired boys!

One freshly cleaned soft toddler bed for our guest and one pumped up air mattress for the host

Chase serving Daddy pizza at the museum

Bryson was very excited to see the train exhibit at the museum

Such a gender appropriate moment!! We stayed in this gross motor area for about 20 minutes while they climbed, jumped, ran, etc...

Chase knows his Mommy's weakness....CAKE!

Bryson working on painting with stencils

Yes, that's my child who still enjoys eating paint. I just don't get it?!

Children's Museum....the place to be

Chase and I made one more day visit to the Children's Museum before he has to start school soon. Chase was very excited to go in and play with the train exhibit. Unfortunately, this wasn't the most pleasant trip we have had there. Two young boys made an awesome train track that all of the even younger boys were interested in touching. The worst part, the two boys who made the track used *all* the track that was available in this area. Chase really wanted to play with Toby the train and drive him along the train track. Chase made his way over to the boys, but they weren't very nice to him or any other child that approached the area. The over protective Mommy that I am, resolved this situation quickly. In the end, we had a great visit to the museum and we topped it off with a trip across the street to check out library books and DVDs.

Krispy Kreme Date

I had to make a trip to Vision Works to get both pairs of my eye glasses fixed. While they fixed them, Chase and I walked over to Krispy Kreme to enjoy a sweet little date with each other. He picked 2 doughnuts.... one with pink strawberry icing and one with sprinkles and topped it off with a cup of milk! YUMMO!

Chase Washing Dishes

My boy is so domesticated!!!!! He loves to: feed the dog and cat, do the laundry (he even pours the laundry detergent in and will tell me if I forget the softener ball), he enjoys sweeping, he dusts the tables in the living room, he helps me make the coffee pot in the morning, and he also enjoys doing the dishes. Don't get me wrong, he likes making a mess too :o)

My Flower Baskets

I am so proud of my green thumb this year!!! This shows my two-toned hanging baskets. I also have two planted flower pots, that are beautiful too, but usually my hanging baskets are the ones that die.

High Rock Lake

Two weekends ago, we joined The Peele's at High Rock Lake for some much needed fun! We enjoyed the boat rides, food and fellowship! It was a great day with great friends! The kids had fun together and neither of them had a nap....whew, what a long day!

I forgot Chase's sunglasses on the first boat ride, so he borrowed mine. Poor kid, his eye kept watering.

The Daddy's took the kiddies in the lake

Exhausted!

August Beach Trip

The Wilder's and The Peele's headed to the beach the 2nd weekend of August. We had so much fun, once again. The weather was perfect...hot and appropriate for swimming. Unlike our week long beach trip at the beginning of April, we were able to cram as much beach and pool time as possible in a 4 day trip. I think we had some 'extra' sun to prove it. :o) The kids had a great time. They didn't eat the sand like they did in April, so that was a relief for the parents. The kids also spent time in the ocean and believe it or not, they lasted from 10am - 2:30pm on the beach the day before we came back home. The Mommy's lathered the kids in sunblock at least 6 times, but somehow forgot themselves....hmmm! Overall, we had a wonderful trip and it was a break from reality. Cannot wait to go back. I LOVE the beach!!!!

*ABOVE* a picture of a crab (below the white seashell)
*BELOW* a picture of two curious kids.....doesn't look too promising for the crab

Holding hands at Barefoot Landing......"Where's that Carousal?"