Grayson's big birthday party bash!!!!

Our baby...or shall I say, big boy... is five!!! Wow!! That is hard to say. Grayson had such a wonderful birthday weekend! Yes, he has a birthday weekend. Saturday was his party. My mom came and met me early so we could decorate and get every thing ready while Marc was taking care of the boys at home. I made these yummy ghost marshmallow treats and bloody ice cream eye balls. Grayson and his friends thought it was really cool. Grayson made his grand entrance and just loved all the decorations and his cake. It..meaning 'The Cake' had to be Wolverine. All his friends arrived shortly there after along with our family. It was so great watching all the boys play together and eat. Their conversations were a good laugh for us all. Grayson got so many wonderful gifts! He is having a blast playing with all of them. Grandma Callaway made it to the party along with Uncle Ross and his son David. A huge thanks to my father for going and picking up Grandma Callaway so she could come too. We knew she wouldn't want to miss Grayson's big day. Marc's Dad and his wife Lorri and Marc's younger sister Shelby were able to make it also. Aunt Sarah and Justin came... of course!! Aunt Julie and Grayson's cousin Ashley came too! We all had such a wonderful time not just the boys but parents and family as well.

On Sunday, we went to The Children's Museum. We have made it a tradition to take the boys on their birthdays. We also love going around this time for all the Halloween festivities! We went to The Lights On Friendly Hours, for the haunted house at the museum. Afterwards, we headed to Grayson's favorite restaurant for lunch...Texas Road House. Grayson opened his presents from us that morning so he could play with them all day with Rogan and Daddy instead of doing it after dinner and second cake! Grayson was so excited about turning five this year! He has been telling everyone.

We have been enjoying this fall season. After we returned from The Smoky Mountains, I went with Grayson's class to the pumpkin patch. I was a chaperon. It was great being able to have that experience. Grayson could have cared less that I was there. He was more interested in being with all his friends. Therefore, I was able to take lots of pictures. The next week Marc went to Dad's Night at Grayson's school to carve a pumpkin and for a party with yummy treats. Grayson and all his classmates sang at Dad's Night also. Grayson got a ribbon for being the loudest singer. That's our boy!

We also went to Zoo Boo!!! It is another one of our fall favorites! The Zoo looks so festive this time of year. The boys went dressed in their Halloween costume. Grayson was Wolverine and Rogan was Batman! It was nice and sunny that day, perfect weather. Thursday, we are headed to Conner Praire for their fall celebration and The Headless Horseman. More fun to come and our Grayson starts basketball at the YMCA this Saturday! Can't wait. Grayson keeps asking me about every day, "When are we going back to The Smoky Mountains?" I replay, "Next fall honey." Followed by, "How many more days until we fly to Disney again?" My reply..."Six more months." I have decided to put a ticker on our blog to count down the days until we fly off to Disney again so we all can follow that. We just bought our plane tickets and are staying on Disney property in a tree house! The count down until we see the mouse himself has begun! Happy Halloween to everyone and be safe. My boys can't wait!!!

Our Family Vacation to The Smoky Mountains

Wow...breath taking!!!! Every day was just wonderful, waking up in the mountains and looking at them right out our window and balcony! Our resort was so beautiful. We had such a peaceful relaxing time. The boys just loved every minute, from hiking in the park to swimming at the water park in our resort to just taking it easy! We made every day special and exciting. We had to hit our most favorite restaurants...The Pancake Pantry and Bennett's BBQ! The best fudge around comes from the Smokies! Yes, the Pancake Pantry has amazing pancakes!!!! I always have the blueberry and Marc loves the chocolate chip. Grayson got bear shaped pancakes and Rogan loves the blueberry too. I remember going there when I was younger with my parents. It is truly a tradition! We were even lucky enough to see a black baby bear crossing the street in the park. I am sure it's mother was close behind but we did not see her.

We took the boys to this great Aquarium located in Gatlinburg. Grayson and Rogan had so much fun! The sharks were huge as were the sting rays. The boys actually pet the sting rays while they were being fed. Grayson and Marc went to a car museum and saw Herbie (the actual car) and Kit from Knight Rider just to name a few. They also saw the General Lee from Dukes of Hazard! Wow!!! The ride down there was good. The boys did really well!! :) Rogan did better than when we took Grayson to the Ozark Mountains when he was Rogan's age and we thought he did good! It was better than our flying adventure. When the week was over, we were all sad to leave. I told Marc, I enjoyed staying in the mountains in Gatlinburg more than our trip to Disney. It was just so peaceful. Don't get me wrong, we love Mickey and Disney but we needed a vacation after that vacation. We are still counting down for May when we return to Disney. I am sure flying will be even better now that Rogan will be two this time around. I hope you all enjoy the pictures. Our vacation was just amazing. Tennessee I could call home! We can't wait to return next fall.