Fun at the Park! - Part 1

*Warning - LOTS of pictures!! We had so much fun that I got a little picture happy! ;)*

On Monday, we finally got the chance to try out the new Woodland Discovery Playground at Shelby Farms. Lilly and Ethan have actually already been with Chris' parents, but Chris and I hadn't been yet. I've heard such great things about it, so I've been itching to go. And you can be assured that it did NOT disappoint!!

We got there around 8:30 (I was told to get there early before it got crowded), but it didn't open until 9. It's actally still blocked off by a chain link fence, so you couldn't even get into the parking lot until right at 9. I'm sure once they finish all the construction, the fence wont be there anymore. Since we were there early, the kids wanted to go by and see the buffalo.

All weekend Chris had taken his kayak out of the Wolf River.. we had GORGEOUS weather all weekend!

Once the playground opened, we headed right in! The playground is broken up into several different "nests", all connected by "ivy tunnels". The tunnels are actually just wire frames right now, until the ivy grows over. You can see the potential though, and it's going to be incredible! The first stop was the sand & water nest.. an instant hit!

The next nest is the slide/rope/climbing nest. It was awesome and Chris was completely impressed with LK's climbing skills! ;)

My little monkey!

We stayed in this nest for quite a while, then moved on to the swing nest!

I'll post more pics from the other nests soon.. I had so many pics that I had to break it up.

This is what we did...

... all weekend long!

We did some other fun stuff too, but I'll post about that later! I am EXHAUSTED!! Everyone is! I hope y'all had a wonderful Memorial Day Weekend!

OH - and in case you're wondering... This is what a beached whale looks like in Memphis..

Just kidding! But I am huge and PALE! WOW! I finally gave in and bought a swim suit.. I had too.. it was up in the low 90's this weekend! SO nice of my husband to get this kodak moment too! ;)

Furniture and Friends

We had a great weekend around here! Friday night, we ended up making an unexpected purchase, but I am SO excited about it!!

We went to dinner at Swanky's and then headed to Target to finish up Baby Gray's list of goodies that he'll need. I am so happy to report and he is D.O.N.E! I didn't think I'd ever say that!!! The only thing I haven't purchased yet is bottles (which my Mom and Mother-In-Law both said that they would get). I plan on nursing and have the bottle set to go with the breast pump, so the regular bottles are no rush. I am loaded up on plain white onsies of every size and an entire set of burp cloths, just waiting for me to embrioder. The only thing left on our list of "baby to-do" is BUY A NEW CAR! haha! Yes.. we put that one off till July! Mainly, b/c we're going to try to sell mine and I have yet to decide what I want! What can I fit 3 kids into that isn't either a mini-van or a bus??!! AHH! I'm looking at crossovers and SUVs, but I'll be honest, NO WAY can I drive an Expedition.. I'd hit everything on the road! But, I have the next month to decide that we can get it crossed off the list!

After leaving Target, we made a quick stop into PBO. It was 7:45 and they closed at 8, so I definitely wasn't expecting to come out with anything. Well.. that quickly changed when the sales lady showed me one heck of a deal.

So, let me show you our living room before...

And now....

Yes.. We bought a new couch! This is the PB Comfort Sectional in Light Camel. #1 - I wasn't planning on buying new furniture until Gray was a little older.. #2 - I NEVER thought I'd buy a sectional!.. and #3 - I never thought I'd buy something lighter in color than what we had before. But the price was too good to pass up and it seriously is the most comfortable couch I have ever sat on! We do have to purchase the slipcovers for the corner piece, but that's all. The entire couch is slipcovered in WASHABLE linen! When she said that the entire couch was washable, I was sold! With two boys, washable is the magic word! We bought the entire sectional (w/slipcovers) for $500! I'll let you look online and see the original price.. UNBELIEVABLE!! I am i love with it!

Luckily, I had fabric that I hadn't yet used and was able to recover some pillows.

Since we no longer have the arm chair, I had to find extra seating, so I quickly remembered this chair that Chris bought me for Christmas. I recovered the seat in burlap and put it in the corner. Eventually we'll have to purchase a real chair (Chris is going for the brown leather PB chair and ottoman!) but with lack of space.. I think this will do just fine for now!

Another shot of LR before..

And after...

Saturday, the kids went swimming at Grams. Mom was so sweet to come and pick them up while Chris and I were working in the front flower bed. Chris had tilled it up this past week and we finally got around to planting on Saturday. We filled it up with daylillies and hostas. I can't wait to see it when everything starts growing!! The front of the house is starting to look great! One of my favorite things about this house (and East Memphis in general) is that we literally have almost every variety of flower/plant already growing.. in our yard alone we have azaleas, crepe myrtles, hydrangeas and a butterfly plant. Chris did such a good job!

We also had another unexpected expense on Saturday.... Huck's vet bill!! YIKES! He is a full blooded lab and definitely comes with all the "issues" of a full blood lab! He has THE WORST dry skin and allergies EVER! This weather lately has been taking a toll on him and Benedryl was NOT working. This past week he had scratched and scratched himself raw on his neck, so we decided to take him into the doctor. $200 later he came home with two antibiotics, medicated cleansing wipes AND ear drops for two infected ears! WOW! I swear.. if it isn't our two-legged children, it's the four-legged one! I am happy to report though that he is already looking much better and is not scratching a bit!

Saturday night, we met up with The Caldwells and The Hills for a cookout. It was Chris Caldwell's birthday, so they drove down from Jackson for a get-together. Of course, I didn't get any pictures of the adults.. but I did get a few of the kiddos playing. They had a great time!

The swing was a big hit!

They all took turns swinging and pushing. Their giggles were precious!

Today we have cleaned the house. I swear, my house hasn't been this clean in MONTHS! I finally got a little bit of energy and Chris chipped in big time. We got so much accomplished. Other than cleaning and grocery shopping, we have just hung out inside on this rainy day!

We have a very exciting week ahead as school comes to an end and I start my weekly doctor's appointments.