We had our first snow day on Friday!!! The boys had SO much fun playing in it…they were in and out all day…sledding, playing with friends, scooping and piling up and eating snow, and enjoying our first winter wonderland this year.
Category: Jonas
Adventure Science Center…
Roman and I visited the Adventure Science Center with some friends several weeks ago and LOVED it. So, when Aunt Jean gave the boys some money for Christmas, I knew one of the best gifts ever for them to enjoy would be a membership to the Adventure Science Center. We went today, and I practically had to drag them out of there to go get some lunch…haha!!! They were all over the place like pinballs in a pinball machine. Jonas had the great idea of bringing walkie talkies…so, in case we got separated, we could find each other…it worked brilliantly. Among the favorites of the day were the rocket launcher, the parachute pulley, the play structure that goes all the way to the top of the pyramid and looks out over Nashville, and the water table. We can’t wait to go back and explore some more. Thanks, Aunt Jean!!!
Christmas in VA…
We spent Christmas in Virginia this year with Grandma and Grandpa Seyfried, the (Northern) Seyfrieds, the Longs, and the Paccassis. The boys had a BLAST playing with their cousins…exploring the woods, playing pool, decorating Christmas cookies, playing Wii games, going to mass, and opening and playing with their Christmas presents. Highlights for me were: catching up with everyone over after meal conversations; learning to sew a pair of pajama pants from a pattern with Sherri; watching all of the kids play together; family prayer time; continuing my half marathon training by running my first 8 miles in 13 years; and seeing Gabe, in his little man Christmas pajamas, hug Joseph and kiss baby Jesus in the nativity.
For more pictures, click on the “Christmas in VA 2016” picture page to the right.
Visiting with Uncle Darren…
We have LOVED visiting with Uncle Darren, who is here from Norway for the holidays. He spent a day and a night with us for which we were so grateful. I enjoyed having some one on one time with him before we picked Roman up from preschool and before Jonas and Xander came home from school on the bus, kicking off the Winter Break. I loved sharing our daily life and catching up with my big brother and watching him spend special time with each one of the boys. His rousing rendition of “Ooey Gooey was a worm…what a worm was he…he climbed upon the railroad tracks…the train he did not see…Ooey Gooey” was just as much of a hit with Jonas, Xander, and Roman as it was for me when I was a child. Yay for Uncle Darren!!!
Jonas and Nolen…
Jonas was excited to bring home Nolen, the classroom bear, for a few days. He enjoyed snuggling, reading, and checking out the presents under the Christmas tree with him.
Breakfast with Santa…
Going to the Breakfast with Santa at our church has become a holiday tradition. We eat breakfast, help the boys with crafts and games, and snap a picture of the boys with Santa. This year they stamped treat bags, made Santa puppets, played Christmas bingo, and loved on the dog (sheep) in the live nativity. So sweet!
Visiting with Grandma and Grandpa…
We loved having Grandma and Grandpa visit with us for Thanksgiving. We played games, went shopping for a nice outfit for Jonas’ 1st Reconciliation and 1st Communion (thank you, Grandma!!!), watched a Predators game, celebrated Thanksgiving with my family, decorated for Christmas, and went hiking at Henry Horton State Park.
Veteran’s Day Parade…
Tom drove one of the fire trucks in the Veteran’s Day Parade…here he is waving to the boys and our precious little friends, Claire and Katharine. A heartfelt thank you to all of our veterans!!!
Planting Bulbs…
The boys helped me plant some bulbs in our garden this morning…daffodils and tulips!
Jonas asked me why I wanted to plant bulbs, and I told him…after a long winter, it’s my favorite thing in the world to see those first flowers of spring coming up. They remind me…in much the same way as a hard season of life easing up a little bit…that no matter how long or how cold the winter…there will always be that day when spring comes. To me, those beautiful spring flowering bulbs represent faith and hope.
Happy Birthday, Jonas!!!
I can’t believe my first baby turned 8 years old today!!! Happy birthday, Jonas!!!
Here he is with his very best friend, Ethan. They met in Mrs. Watkins class in 1st grade last year, and even though they’re at two different schools this year…they’re still keeping up like true friends do. They just love each other so much and are like two peas in a pod when they are together…cutting up, laughing, and into a lot of the same things. Jonas celebrated his birthday by having Ethan over for a sleepover. They played in the woods with walkie talkies, ate pizza and birthday cake (cheesecake) for dinner, watched Finding Dory, stayed up late and woke up early, ate pancakes for breakfast, played with birthday presents, went on a hike at Long Hunter State Park, had a picnic, swung on the rope swing and built a fort in the woods, and were totally bummed out to say goodbye to each other. They had a TOTAL blast.
Halloween…
We went trick or treating in our neighborhood with my namesake, Isabelle Leigh (the daughter of one of my dearest friends, Lizza). It was so sweet to see all of the kids together (it’s amazing how they grow) and to walk around the neighborhood with Tom and Isabelle’s aunt and grandparents, marveling at the droves of trick or treaters that turn out on Halloween night in our neighborhood.
Tom was an “I don’t know”, I was Pikachu, Jonas was a wizard, Xander was Pikachu, Isabelle was a fairy princess, and Roman was Ash the Pokemon trainer.
Above All…
Jonas has been working really hard on following directions the first time at home…so hard, in fact, that he earned an hour of jumping at Above All with Daddy. Go, Jonas!
Fun Run…
Jonas and Xander were SO excited to run in the Fun Run to raise money for technology for their school. It was a threatening rain kind of day, so they ended up changing the location from the playground field to the gym…it was a glow run and the kids loved it. There’s always something about watching a race that makes me tear up…especially to see my boys out there. Roman and I had fun showing our Cardinal pride and cheering them on. Thank you so much to everyone who sponsored them!!!
Fall Break: Henry Horton State Park
We took the boys hiking today at Henry Horton State Park. We did a one mile trail (with some light trail blazing/rock formation exploring on the side), and they did great!!! We all LOVE to be outside, so I’m looking forward to enjoying more of our state parks together.
Fall Break: Nashville Zoo
We went to the Nashville Zoo today…it was a beautiful fall day. Tom and Jonas rode Soar (a zip line sort of ride), Xander fed the lorikeets, Xander and Roman rode the carousel, all three boys played on the playground (actually, all four), and all three boys fed the turtles. So fun!
Fall Break: Walden Pumpkin Farm
After school today, we took the boys to Walden Pumpkin Farm to kick off Fall Break. They ran through the corn maze, went down the slide, played on the seesaw, climbed the hay bales, played in the corn box, and picked out pumpkins. It was hard to get a good picture of them all together because they were in constant motion and looking every which way, but here’s what we got. By the end of our time there, I think I was more worn out than they were!!!
Bentley Bear’s Adventures with Roman…
Each week, a child from Roman’s preschool class gets to take home the classroom mascot, Bentley Bear, for an adventure filled weekend. This was Roman’s weekend, and he was SO excited!!! We took lots of pictures to make some fun story pages to share with his class. Bentley shared snacks, checked out the garden and the treehouse, snuggled with Ah-Ah, went to the zoo, watched soccer games, took a trip to the dentist, and listened in on piano lessons. So fun!!!
Jonas Playing Soccer…
After a year of gymnastics and a year of rock climbing, Jonas wanted to try his hand (or rather his foot) at soccer this fall. His first two practices got off to a rocky start with a no show coach both times (I actually ended up coaching one of his practices with the help of a few older, soccer-playing siblings). Jonas had his first game today and did a GREAT job of getting in there (especially considering the fact that he hasn’t had any real soccer training since the one season he played when he was four AND the fact that it was blazingly, ridiculously hot). The assistant coach stepped up to be the head coach and did such a wonderful job guiding the boys through their first game of the season.
Jonas and Xander’s First Day of School…
Jonas and Xander had their first (half) day of school today…here’s to my 1st and 2nd graders, their precious teachers, and a great school year!!!
