Spring Break Picnics & Birthdays

Summer is in the air...ok, it's really just Spring Break around here, but boy did it get us ready for the real thing. We have about 6 more weeks until SCHOOL's OUT FOR SUMMER! So, in the meantime, we'll have picnics in the front yard, playdates in our culdesac and at Cogburn Park, and lots of late nights up with friends and family. Luckily, we have a trip planned to Tampa (the beach condo...) with Dave's family for Easter weekend to get us through the next couple of months.

We also have some birthdays to celebrate! Check it out!

Grady & Drew enjoying our front yard picnic on Thursday--the weather was perfect - sunny and NOT humid! We ate leftover stromboli, watermelon, and our new favorite treat, applesauce from a squeeze packet.

Our sweet nephew, Hudson, turned ONE yesterday, and his party is today. Chelsea and Jay were sweet enough to let us celebrate Dave's birthday last night on Hud's actual birthday..they rock! What a sweet little boy he is?! It's hard to believe that he is just ONE because it seems like he has been here forever. He, Drew, & Grady love to hang out and play. He's very independent though and can entertain himself with just about any toy. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HUDSON!

AND HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO DAVE!!--Our favorite daddy and husband! Below you'll see Dave with his biggest helpers and biggest fans. They love to play with their daddy and to "help" him with his chores like mowing, clearing the yard, cleaning up the kitchen, remoldeling our sunroom into an additional family room (his latest project...he really is amazing!--more to post on that in the coming months) and opening his birthday presents (probably their favorite thing to help him do). You can tell how much they love their daddy because Grady will literally stop whatever he is going (including chucking a toy across the room) when he hears his daddy is home from work, and Drew loves to hide, so Dave has to find him. Drew's new favorite game is hide and seek these days...just what Dave wants to do right when he walks in the door, but he finds a way to put on a smile and play with them even when he is VERY tired.

Personally, I am so appreciative of this amazing man that I call my husband and best friend. He continues to support me no matter what, and I can be a royal pain in the ass...ALL THE TIME!

Thanks to everyone who sent him gifts/cards and for my parents treating us to a great "healthy" dinner last night.

So...Dave - We hope you enjoy your birthday and more importantly, your Masters weekend. WE LOVE YOU! Drew, Grady, Kari, Tex, & Scout

Dave getting a little help with his new zero gravity chair from his parents....Grady really likes it!



We're back...

At least for now...It's been a VERY long time since I posted anything, and we've been busy with school, work, and just playing. Here are a few pictures from our last few months. The boys have been playing in the culdesac on most afternoons with our neighbors. (even if it's freezing cold)


Drew & Grady riding around in their Jeep


I took a group of seniors from my school to the Capitol for Senior Day; we met the new governor.

Grady at the playground

Drew & Grady

We'll be enjoying spring break around here this week, and at the end of the week, we'll celebrate Hudson's 1st birthday and Dave's birthday. More pics to come soon...I hope!

Happy Birthday to Gaga & Uncle Mark...

Today is a special day in the Yuhas-Blevins household because my mom, Gaga, and Dave's brother, Uncle Mark, share the same birthday. So...Happy Birthday to these two very special people! We are so lucky to have Uncle Mark around whenever we are in Fairport to play referee and playmate to the boys. He's always good for getting the party started and keeping it going. I'm not sure that I can really put into words what my mom means to me. I'm so thankful for the love and support that she gives to me and all of our family. She loves unconditionally all the time!

Gaga with her boys

On another note, we had some snow and some snow days this week. As I write this, we are on the eve of our 5th day off, and we won't be back at work until next Tuesday b/c of the MLK holiday on Monday. Ok, so what really happened for you northerners who are wondering why we can't go anywhere after 5 inches of snow fell...well, the problem in Atlanta is that we have VERY limited equipment to deal with the snow not to mention we had a layer of ice form over the snow. That ice decided to hang around for a few days making it impossible to get around anywhere.

Dave just went back to work today, and he worked limited hours. I ventured out today with the boys to Walmart just for a change of scenery. It was a BIG outing. Thanks to our awesome neighbors we survived. We alternated playing inside and sledding down "Horel hill" as we named it. The kids had the time of their lives, and some nights, we all got together at someone's house to change things up a bit. I barely got cabin fever at all. My advice if you're buying a house anytime soon...FIND A GOOD NEIGHBORHOOD/STREET that has fun people on it. It will save your life! (or make you crazy...in a good way.)

Some of the kids sledding on our makeshift BIG sled compliments of Mr. Brian H. (a huge piece of masonite board)

We could fit 8-10 kids on it at a time, and they would FLY!

Drew suggested that we have a picnic one night, so we did. It actually turned out to be a great distraction. It wasn't a true "sit on the blanket picnic", but we busted out the Christmas tablecloth which was actually ready to be put away in the attic and used the plasticware from our picnic basket. Not bad...

 

All in all, it's been a fun week. It was really helpful to have Dave around to take Drew out sledding because it was just too cold for Grady sometimes. I'm not saying I want another storm this winter, but I could handle a 5 year cycle of this for sure. Watching the kids having so much fun in the snow is so worth it.

Sledding in NY...

Well, we had some serious snow in Rochester, so the boys spent some time sledding with Papa, Daddy, and Carlos. The girls went along for the ride to check things out, but we didn't really get into the action like the boys (big & small).

A little pre-sled dancing by the boys in their snow bibs

Drew & Papa

The BIG hill...only Papa & Dave tackled this one, but the little boys went down an impressive one too. I was scared going down it, but I'm probably not the best judge since I'm a wimp.

And sweet Grady...no sledding for him yet. It was too cold for this little guy. He's having fun playing in the house though. He's looking pretty serious in this picture. Probably just woke up...

Merry Christmas...

Well, we've decided to go the cheap (I'll call it practical) route and not send out a Christmas card this year, so here you go. We've started celebrating with my family on Christmas Eve, and we'll head to Dave's parents' house tomorrow afternoon to spend the week with his family. We hope this post finds you all enjoying time with friends and family. We are awaiting the telling of the Christmas story via Drewman Hoss...I'll tape it and post it for you later. Be safe! Merry Christmas! 

Drew & Grady at our house

Grady, Hudson, & Drew - We tried to get a serious shot, but who were we kidding?!

Merry Christmas!

Happy 4th Birthday to Drewman...

It's so hard to imagine that the sweet little one year old (in the pics below) has turned into a big, crazy (and still sweet) 4 year old. Drewman - You give us such entertainment on a daily basis. You are constantly talking to us (can't imagine where you would have gotten that trait), and you can be one stubborn little man (I'm throwing Dave under the bus on that one). You make us laugh all the time with the funny things you say and do. We love you very much.

Things you don't love as a 4 year old: going to bed, eating dinner, being left alone at the dinner table b/c you're a bit of a slow eater, saying a "long" prayer on the way to school, pants with a snap, sometimes sharing toys with your little brother...

Things you love as a 4 year old: magic shows, Spiderman, Black Spiderman, Batman, praying before dinner, candy, blue go-gurts, watching a show in mommy and daddy's bed, green ice cream, jumping on the bed, jumping on/off pretty much anything, playing with your friends, playing with Grady, running around the house with no clothes on, "shaking your booty", playing tricks on people, football, soccer, baseball, basketball, candy, cupcakes, your teachers at school, writing your name, dinosaurs, taking a shower with your swim goggles on, all of your grandparents, your big boy carseat, reading books on your own or with us, Christmas, playing in the cul-de-sac with your new friends...

Here are a few pics of our Drewman - (from a cute one year old to a cute big boy now...)