Xander had his Thanksgiving Program tonight at school, and it was so much fun to watch him!!! He sang and danced his little heart out, and it made me so happy to see him light up like that. Go, Xan-Man!
Category: Tom and Jodi
Halloween…
We had a fairly laid back Halloween. We went to a fun neighborhood potluck, trick or treated around the loop, passed out candy, and watched a Halloween episode of Paw Patrol before tucking in for the night. Here are a few pictures, featuring: AhAh as Curious George, Roman as a Dinosaur, Jonas as Pikachu, Xander as a Dolphin, Jodi as Katniss, and Tom as a HazMat worker.
Kindergarten Field Trip…
I loved going on the kindergarten field trip to Walden Pumpkin Farm with Xander this morning!!! Â It was the perfect fall day, and everything was so well organized. Â Each class rotated through different stations: playing in the activity area, hearing about the life cycle of a pumpkin and picking out a pumpkin, going on a hayride, finding their way through the hay bale maze, and petting the farm animals. Â Afterwards, we all enjoyed a picnic lunch and headed out. Â It was good times!
Fun at the Park…
The boys and I stopped off at the playground this morning to enjoy some outdoor playtime and have a picnic lunch before heading to the dentist on Fall Break.
NVFD Open House…
The boys and I joined Tom at the NVFD for an Open House this afternoon. It was awesome!!! Â I was just as excited as they were…what a cool event. Â They helped a firefighter put out a fire on the fire simulator, watched a team of firefighters do a vehicle extrication, and saw a life flight helicopter land and got to see it up close. Â It was so moving for me…I’m so grateful for all of our heroes, including my dear husband, Tom!!!
Outdoor Adventure…
Tom met up with his best friend, Jim, in Virginia this weekend for an outdoor adventure! Â They backpacked and hiked a little bit of the Appalachain Trail and camped out under the stars. What a perfect time of year for an adventure in the woods!
Walden Farm…
We joined some precious friends for a birthday party this weekend at Walden Farm. Â We went on a hayride, and the boys picked out a pumpkin from the pumpkin patch. The corn box and the hay bale maze were a big hit as well. It’s so fun to keep coming back here every year…it’s one of my favorite traditions. We’re looking forward to coming back and playing again before the season is over. Happy Fall, Y’all!
Marriage Retreat…
Tom and I went on a marriage retreat this weekend. Â We are so grateful to my mom who kept our wild boys for us so we could go…bless her heart.
Here are a few pictures from when we got to kick around downtown before the seminar started, checking out the Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash exhibit at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Antique Archaelogy (the American Pickers store).
Lunch with the Boys…
Last year, I loved being able to volunteer every other week…helping out Ms. Chase (Jonas’ amazing kindergarten teacher) and getting to have lunch with Jonas.
This year, I’m excited to volunteer for Ms. Chase again (she’s Xander’s kindergarten teacher now) and to have lunch with Jonas AND Xander!!!
Roman’s First Day of Preschool…
Roman was beyond the moon excited about his first day of preschool this year in the 3 year old class with Mrs. Catharine and Mrs. Angela!!!
Funny Family One-Liners…
MOMMY
“You don’t guzzle sprinkles!”
“Did you put gum on the ceiling?!?”
DADDY
“Jodi, why doesn’t your womb produce anything quieter?”
JONAS
“I’m older than Dad in dog years.”
“The pool is an automatic trash can for boogers.”
“Mom, how old do girls have to be to get a baby?”
XANDER
“JoJo, will you love me forever?”
“I’m wearing the kind of shoes that God has.”
“Dad, what does salvation mean?”
ROMAN
“You are a beautiful mommy…I love your girl outfit.”
“Mommy, the clouds are like whipped cream.”
“Mommy, why does everybody need protein?”
Roman’s Get Acquainted Day…
Roman was SO excited to go to preschool today to meet his teachers and his classmates!!!
He’s been ready to go back to school since Jonas started back towards the beginning of August. Â He’s been chomping at the bit…
He waltzed right in and had his picture taken, found his name and signed in with an “O”, did a little coloring, gave Tom and I a tour of all the different centers, and set right to work with his buds (Barry and Will) from last year building block creations. Â I have no doubt he will have a BLAST this year. Yay, Roman!!!
Xander’s First Day of Kindergarten…
Xander had his first day of kindergarten today!!! Â He was so excited this morning. Â Then, as we were walking into school, I think the reality of it hit him and he started to get nervous. Â I love that we were able to walk him into his classroom, show him his cubby and his seat, introduce him to a friend at his table, and give him a big hug and a kiss goodbye. He immediately set to work on beading his gingerbread man necklace. Â When we picked him up, I asked him how it was. Â He smiled and said, “I liked it!” Then he smiled even bigger and said, “I didn’t like it, Mom…I loooooooved it!” Â On the way home I asked him what his favorite part of the day was…he took a while to think about it and beaming he said, “The whole day!” Â Yay, Xander!!!
50th Anniversary…
My mom celebrated her 50th anniversary tonight as a member of the Grand Ole Opry!!! Here’s to one of the greatest and most inspiring women I know…what a voice…what a heart…I love you, Mommy.
Jonas’ First Day of 1st Grade…
It’s hard to believe it, but Jonas had his first day of 1st grade today!!! Â Here he is with his “When I grow up, I want to be…” sign, trying to smile with dear old mom in front of the school (he was not super enthused to be wearing khaki shorts and a polo), and greeting his sweet teacher…Mrs. Watkins…outside the classroom door. Happy 1st grade year to my one-of-a-kind, Jonas Benjamin Seyfried.
Pump It Up…
Mommy was having a rough time of it and decided to take the boys to Pump It Up to burn off some energy on a rainy day. Â Tom, being the awesome husband and father that he is, dropped by to offer his wife moral support and encouragement and to roughhouse with his wild boys.
Music City Star…
This afternoon my dear and inspiring cousin, Heather, invited the boys and I to join her and her sweet children, Val and Annabella, on our greatest adventure of the summer!!!
We met up and rode the Music City Star, Nashville’s commuter train, downtown to play at the Cumberland Park Sprayground and back. Taking Heather’s advice, we backpacked it up, and it worked great (so well, in fact, that I’m going to look more into this kids-carrying-their-own-gear thing). Â I think I was even more excited about the train ride than the boys (which is saying a lot because they were super excited). They had fun playing at the spayground with their cousins, while Heather and I enjoyed catching up.
One of the things that makes traveling so interesting is the unexpected. The bus that carries people to the last train out of downtown was caught in car accident traffic, so we had to sit and wait for that traffic to clear and for the bus to arrive before we could head back home. Â The kids were all restless and hungry but ended up either entertaining each other or being entertained by other kids. Â We finally made it back to the station and enjoyed more time to play and catch up over pizza with Heather, Val, and Annabella at their house before heading home for the evening.
We’re looking forward to our next adventure together!!!
Cape Charles
Tom and I were so excited for our trip to Cape Charles, VA to celebrate his best friend Jim’s 40th birthday!!!  We are so grateful to Grandma, Grandpa, and Cousin Kaitlyn for coming down to stay with the boys so we could go. We had a wonderful time catching up with old friends and getting to know new ones…hanging out at the beach, going on boating adventures, enjoying good food together, and  listening to music and laughing on the back porch.  It was good times.  We love you, Jim!!!
Monster Truck Ride…
The boys and I had the unique opportunity to take a ride on a monster truck this morning! Â We went to a birthday party for one of Xander’s best friends from preschool, and his dad works on monster trucks for a living. Â How cool is that! Â I was probably more excited than the boys…especially thinking that I finally got to do something Tom hasn’t done yet…ha!
Fishing…
MeMe and PaPa bought the boys fishing poles a little while ago, and they were SO excited to put them to good use today!!!
After a worm search at every gas station in town, Tom ended up digging some up from our very own backyard. He’s been working on a water feature, so there were several hanging out in the mud. Â While he was working on that, sweet little Xander puckered up and started crying because he realized the worms that Daddy found were going to have to go on the hook and were eventually going to die so we could catch a fish (he’s so much like his Mommy). Â He recovered and had fun fishing with the best of them. Â We didn’t catch anything, but we had fun trying…
