Spring Fling 2015

On Friday night, Vince & I took the boys downtown to the bike races that kick off Spring Fling.  I won tickets and a t-shirt to my work's booth that had free catered food from Cribb's.  Yum!  They had two platters of pickles, so Evan and Alex were in heaven.  They love pickles more than any other food on the planet. 

This year was the first time that my parents got to go with us to Spring Fling.  Vince and I went on one of our first dates to Spring Fling in downtown Spartanburg over 7 years ago.  I remember we ate chicken on a stick.  On Saturday, I talked my mom into trying deep fried Oreo cookies for the first time.  She liked them!  I think my dad liked them, too.  They are one of my favorite fair foods. It was very crowded this year and we don't like to stand in long lines much (who does??).  All of the food vendors were packed with people, so I think their profits were way up this year. 

The boys rode in their double stroller and saw the Budweiser Clydesdale horses when we first arrived.  They were beautiful horses and very large.  We also visited the Spartanburg Regional medical tent to say hi to my coworkers.  The rides were not for infant/toddlers so we just breezed past the kiddie ride section and strolled through the vendor booths.  I'm glad they had such a great turn out this year.

6 Year Anniversary and GMAT

The past 6 years have flown by for me and Vince.  I am so lucky to have found the man of my dreams and so much more.  We have been abundantly blessed and have a wonderful little family.  Our boys keep us on our toes and they are growing up so fast.  In order to keep up with them and be the best I can be professionally, there's no time like the present to start achieving my personal goals.

Several months ago I decided I would go back to college and earn my Master's Degree.  I wanted to pursue this for the last 19 years and did not want to keep putting it off any longer.  Since working at the hospital for the last few months, I've had nothing but encouraging words to better myself and achieve higher education.  So after studying with a book from the library for the last two months, I took the GMAT exam the morning of our anniversary.  It was from 11am to 2:30pm in Greenville at a testing center.  The math was hard, but somehow I prevailed and scored higher than needed to get accepted into Gardner-Webb University. I am waiting on my acceptance letter, but should have no problems getting in to their on-line master's program. The hard part will be finding time in the evenings and on weekends (in between very few cake orders) to do the work.  I will still be working full time at the hospital, which I totally love!!

Speaking of love, let's get back to my anniversary.  Vince and I were fortunate that my parents were in town and willing to babysit for us while we went to dinner at Long Horn.  The meal was sooo fabulous.  I love all of their food from the appetizer to the steak to the dessert trio.  And I love being able to spend my anniversary with my one true love.  I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with him.  Every day is a blessing and an adventure.  I love you, Vince!  I'm so glad we turned 6 minutes into 6 years. 

Easter 2015

I had my cousin in-law, Pat's sister, Darla, make the boys their Easter shirts this year.  She makes the cutest shirts and I had already bought several from her for their birthdays, Disney, etc.  They were a little more casual than the traditional Easter toddler suit that most kids wear, but I got some good use out of them at a couple of Easter egg hunts, visiting the Easter bunny, and on Easter Sunday.  The boys looked so cute in their personalized shirts. 

They both loved the Easter bunny at the mall.  Evan kept looking at him so it was hard for him to want to look at the camera.  Alex got comfy and wanted to sink into him and snuggle.  They did not want to leave the Easter bunny. 

We had an Easter egg hunt in our neighborhood the week before Easter.  It was the first time Alex had ever been to one.  We practiced that week putting his play balls in his Easter basket so he performed like a champ.  Evan liked opening each egg to see what was inside before placing it in his basket. 

Our second Easter egg hunt was at church the Saturday before Easter.  Alex fell asleep and missed out, but Evan collected more than enough eggs for both of them. 

Easter Sunday was busy at church, but since I only keep the 2 year old nursery on the odd months, I got to go to service and see the Easter sermon.  We attended the contemporary service for the first time in order to free up space in the main building for guests.  It was a nice change of pace and we both enjoyed it. 

After church we ate our traditional Easter ham dinner that I made in my new pressure cooker that I got for Christmas.  That afternoon we had our third Easter egg hunt at the house of Vince's co-worker.  Both boys enjoyed themselves.  Alex was quite social and said hi to everyone.  Evan liked their dog, especially his tail. 

Evan's Tractor Themed 3rd Birthday Party

Evan loves to play with his toy tractors and he loves to ride on Vince's lawn mower.  I decided to have a tractor themed party for his 3rd birthday.  Pat's sister, Darla, made some cute shirts for me and she made the tractor koozies that we passed out as party favors.  I made the cake, cookies, and cupcakes.  We bought some pizza and salad and the party was on!

 Evan loved eating a large pickle at his party.

 We found a cute cardboard cut out of a tractor to take pictures.

 Evan loved his cupcake and  made a total mess with it.

 He got some great gifts from friends and family.

Thanks to everyone that came out to help Evan celebrate.  He had a brief melt down part way through the party, but other than that, we all had a great time. Happy 3rd birthday to my little boy!