Military Ball

Ryan and I got to attend his National Guard Military Ball in Winston Salem! For those who are "civilians", as the Army calls them, the Military Ball is a ceremonial event that recognizes and celebrates the service men and women of that area. There are speeches by the top officers, great food, giveaways, music, and dancing.

Ryan and I have attended one other ball together, but that was back in 2011 when I visited him in Italy. We were invited to one while we were in Louisiana, but it was right after I had Blake. Let's face it... who wants to leave their newborn with swamp people while she stuffs her recovering baby body into a ball gown?! Not me! So, we skipped out on that one.

Military Balls are always a great event to dress up. Ryan wears his dress uniform (this was his first time wearing the Blues). It is actually really neat seeing all of the guys in their uniforms. They are very symbolic. Each thing (ribbon, rope, medal, stripe, slash, etc) stands for something that they have accomplished in the military. Pretty neat. Also, let me go ahead and say that I am SO proud of everything that Ryan has done while in the military. He is truly a hero to us! He actually has future plans of framing one of his old dress uniforms, which would be awesome to see.

Now, my dress was not symbolic in any way, but it sure was fabulous!!! :) I loved my dress because of the lace. I also really lucked out in getting it. I simply found it online, ordered it, and it somehow fit perfectly. That doesn't happen very often... just for the record. To begin with, I was very self conscience. I am just not the girl who dresses up a lot (I prefer jeans and a tshirt). By the end of the night I was being complimented like crazy by the other ladies. In  fact, one group of girls pointed in my direction and said "Look, there is the girl with the best dress!" I quickly turned to the girl next to me like "wow, great job!" HAHA! They corrected me and told me that in fact they were talking about me. Seriously!?!!? Thanks!!! (also slightly embarrassing.haha).

Overall we had a great time! We laughed, ate great food, bonded with new friends, and also got some much needed husband and wife dating time. We spent the night in Winston Salem and then made our way home the next day. Blake stayed with Granny and Papa. He had a blast and I think he would've been just fine if we stayed gone another day or two. :)

Winter Hibernation Survival

We have almost successfully survived another Winter!!! :) That is, in our eyes, a very big achievement when you have a toddler in the household. And here is how we did it (meet our newest addictions)...

Blake:
Cars - Disney Pixar Cars and Cars2 to be specific. He now has both movies on DVR and all of the little cars that go along with the movies. Oh yeah, and Cars PJ's, books, sunglasses, table, plate, and more!!! And thankfully Disney just announced that Cars 3 is in the making, so I guess this obsession can stick around a little longer.
Toy Story - Probably a second close in movies. We he has a huge Buzz Lightyear toy.

Sarah:
Frozen - Mommy has to have a Disney obsession too, right?!?! :)
Divergent Series - Reading the third book now.
Selection Series - waiting for the third book to be released in May. Waiting very impatiently might I add.

Ryan:
Video Games - when he gets the free time, which sadly isn't as often as he would like.
COPS Reruns - a good guilty pleasure
Divergent Movie - Yes, Ryan took me to see the Divergent movie premier and I think he liked it!!

All of these favorites have kept us very busy over the past few months, but we ready to set them aside for a little sunshine! Spring is officially here and we are ready to some outside adventures!! :)

Greenway Trail

This weekend was absolutely beautiful. It is amazing how the sunshine changes your attitude. We had one of those most productive Saturdays! We blew the leaves in our yard (a constant battle when one lives in the woods!), we washed off all of our outside toys for Blake, and we even cleaned off the bikes! After Blake's nap we went to the Greenway Trail to ride around for a bit. We discovered this treasure last year and we really enjoy riding there. Not only does it have a brand new paved path that lasts for miles, but it also has little spots to stop and play too.

Blake LOVES riding the bike! He got a little impatient on the last part of our ride this time, but I think it was because he wanted to get out and run. Plus his helmet from last year was a little tight. He had a great time for the major part of it though!

 

Our favorite spot to stop on the trail is at this little beach area. There are picnic tables, a cute little bridge, and a sandy beach right beside the Neuse River. Very pretty. Blake loves it because he can pretty much run around wherever he wants to. This time we were really surprised to see that the little beach area was covered in water! I guess the ricer was really high and it had covered the banks. Sadly Blake couldn't run around as much. He did enjoy throwing things into the water though! :) 

  Overall we rode about 2 miles, thanks to Ryan's handy dandy mileage app on his phone! Ryan and I got our legs ready for our upcoming 5K and Blake was able to enjoy the sunshine.Blake loves being outside more than anything. We can't wait until it is warm outside ALL of the time so that he can play ask much as he wants. Just a few more weeks!

Spring Fever

It is finally starting to feel like beautiful Spring!! Sadly Ryan had to go to Ft. Bragg this week to take an IED class.

 Well, it was sad that we were apart for a week, but it was good for Ryan! He learned lots of new things and was able to catch up with old friends. Meanwhile, Blake and I were able to catch up on some sunshine fun and we were also able to spend some time with Taylor. It was her Spring Break! Keep the fun coming, Spring! We are ready!

The Ultimate Birthday Wish

Yesterday was my birthday! The big 2-8! :) I was overwhelmed with all of the birthday wishes, calls, gifts, food, and more! It is one of those days in which you are just reminded how much you are truly loved... and that's just a great feeling!

I was able to spend my birthday with my boys and my family. Ryan and Blake got me a book I had been asking for and also a Swiffer Steamer. Yes, I asked for a cleaning gift. LOL! My family also got me tickets to the Lipstick Luncheon, gift cards and money for books (duh), and a gift card to Wine and Design. All of my favorites! Blake also got to have a sleepover with GDaddy so that Ryan and I could go out to eat and have the house to ourselves for a night. It sure was nice to sleep in a little. Am I getting old because 7:30 is considered sleeping in!?! :)

 

Another year older and also another year wiser. Recently I have learned a couple of very important things...
1) "Every act of kindness grows the spirit and strengthens the soul."
2) "Generally speaking, the most miserable people I know are those who are obsessed with themselves; the happiest people I know are those who lose themselves in the service of others." - Gordon B. Hinckley

This year my birthday wish is to BE THE GOOD in the world. I plan on making my 28th year a year of service and kindness. Each day I will make a special effort to go out of my way to do an act of kindness or service. It may not be something HUGE each day, and sometimes it might just be a smile to a stranger or a compliment. The important part is that I want to do something positive in someone's life each day. You wouldn't believe the difference that something like that makes in others lives... and yours! It's just magical. I am very excited to see some happiness spread into the world around me for 365 days (and more)! :) Join me?! Be the good!!

More Snow Days

Well, this is snow day round.... I honestly have lost track. We were released from school early on Monday due to incoming sleet and freezing rain. Our area got a little more than expected and temperatures didn't get over freezing, so we also got a snow day today too!

Sadly Ryan still had a normal schedule, but Blake and I got to spend more "snow days" together. Many of my friends and colleagues have been really complaining about the cold weather and snow days, but I have really been enjoying them!

One of the main reasons that I chose a career in teaching is because it is very conducive to a family schedule. When the kids are out then I am out too! If I have to work out of the home, then it's nice to have a job that runs on the EXACT same schedule that they will be on.

Monday afternoon I was able to pick Blake up before his nap. We came home and both took a nice little nap together. We then spent the rest of our snow day time playing in a pop up tent, watching Blake's favorite movies, eating cookies, playing with cars, and more! I was even able to sneak in some good reading time!

 So, while all of the other people are stuck seeing the negative side of snow days, I am busy living in the moment of quality time with my kid. And of course Ryan jumped right in and joined us when he got home! Family is our priority. We take every moment we can and we turn it into a memory. :)

Two Magic Words

Blake's vocabulary has REALLY been developing over the past few months. He is even saying little sentences. However... there are certain words and phrases that a parent waits, for what seems like FOREVER, to hear and Blake finally said one of them.

Last night Blake said, "Love you!" Melt my heart!!!

We obviously say "Love you" to Blake several times a day, but normally he simply responds with " uhh uhh" :) Last night when I was putting him to sleep I snuggled him up and kissed him on the head and told him I loved him. He got a little grin on his face and said, "Love you!" Wow!! There it was. I have waited two long years for him to say that to me! I got so excited and he just kept saying it. I yelled for Ryan to come back to Blake's room and we surprised him with it! We all started smiling and saying it all over again.

Part of me was a little worried that he would forget about it in the morning, but rest assured... he is still saying it! YAY! It is truly amazing how two little words can make your heart about burst with happiness!