We had such a blessed Thanksgiving weekend with Eric's family.  I had to work on Turkey Day, so Eric stayed home with the kids.  When I got off, I rushed back home so we could watch the parade and finish packing. Ellie was starting to get really fussy, so we left early for Hopkinsville.  It's about an hour from Bowling Green, so we knew Ellie would sleep on the way which meant that she would be in a good mood once we got there. We made it a few minutes early so Eli was able to play with his cousins before the meal started.  Then we ate, scoured the Black Friday ads, and enjoyed family time.  We left Hopkinsville and drove to Marion.  Emily, Colby and I stopped at Wal Mart while Eric and his parents took the kids back to the house to wind down.  It was a madhouse!!!  I checked a few things off my list but it was by no means the big shopping trip it usually is.  We made it back home before eight...crazy, huh? Ha!  The boys stayed up to watch a mov

I think it's safe to say that I have officially become the worst blogger ever!  This year has kinda gotten away from me.  I guess having two kids will do that you.  Anyway, I just wanted to say that we are still here.  We're just busy with life, work, and kids and I've sorta put this blog on the back burner, but that's about to change. I used to blog because I had this vision of tons of followers.  Now all that seems silly.  In fact, "how to" blogs annoy me.  I think they're somewhat arrogant, and whether or not it's intentional, I feel like they put a lot of pressure on the rest of us.  I read blogs and think "I should have more about my fitness journey on here," or "Maybe I should do a home tour," or  "Oh, how about giving readers some money saving tips."  Yeah, none of that is going to happen.  Heck - I don't even have my almost nine month old daughter on homepage. I'm letting that vision go, and I'm giv

This is an old picture, but my children would like to wish Nan and Grandad  HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!!!

Eric and I are big believers in road trips.  We rarely fly because we like seeing parts of the country we've never experienced, eating at local diners, and just being in the car.  It's much harder to enjoy the process with two kids, so there may be more plane rides in the future, but for now, we drive.  Obviously we had to drive to Gatlinburg, but what I'm getting at is this...we consider travel days part of vacation even if it's spent in the car because it can still be part of the fun.  Instead of Sunday being just "the ride home" we tried to make it part of the fun.  For example, the kids had a great time jumping on the beds (quietly) looking out the window, and riding on the luggage rack. After a continental breakfast and a trip to the Christmas Shoppe, we hit the road.  Normally we have a "no chain" policy when traveling.  We try to always eat local because it's so much fun to try new and unique places.  Chick-fil-A is usually th

Both of the kids actually slept really well in the hotel room which is just amazing considering they are not good sleepers by nature.  The hardest part was figuring out the logistics of Ellie getting up early and not disturbing the sleeping boys.   Traveling with kids means early mornings, so we were up, dressed, and fed well before the park opened.  We decided to drive into Gatlinburg so Eric could get some Taffy.  I'm not sure what was going on, but it was an absolute madhouse.  We ended up paying $20 to park, and we literally walked to the candy shop and back to the car.  We decided to eat brunch before heading to the park.  It was a place we both grew up eating when we traveled as kids, but we'd never been together.  Would you believe that we walked in and saw my cousin and her husband. Ha!  It's such a small world. It ended up being the most perfect fall day which meant larger than normal crowds.  After parking, riding the tram to the front gate,

The Lord blessed Eric and I with an opportunity to take our kids on a little get-a-way this weekend.  I didn't have any vacation time left since I had a baby earlier this year, and our money was even tighter than my vacations days. Ha!   So, when we were given a free trip to Dollywood, we jumped at the opportunity.  We booked our hotel through Priceline and saved up the rest of the money for eating out and gas.  Honestly, I was a little unsure as to whether or not we should attempt a hotel with two kids, but I am so very glad we did.  Eric took a half day off from work.  We packed the car, picked up the kids, and hit the road.  Naturally, we hit Nashville traffic.  UGH!!  We tried a detour, but it ended up being worse than sitting at a standstill on the interstate. We actually got into another jam east of Nashville, but eventually we did make it! Since it was later than we intended when we got there, we decided to let Eli burn off some energy and swim for a b

I'll be the first to admit that I love Pinterest.  I may or may not visit the site several times a day, and I've used it for great recipes, decorating ideas, and even some fashion tips.  The thing is, I always walk away with this weird complex that if I'm not sipping a Starbucks coffee and taking a "selfie" of my magazine cover wardrobe, I've failed for the day.   The thing is, that's stupid...and so are some of the ideas on Pinterest. 1.  No One In Their Right Mind Would Celebrate Divorce : what do you do wrap gifts and sing, "Happy Divorce Day To You" ?  2. You Can Not Ride A Bicycle During A Blizzard: besides who would actually document this?  I can just see a new trend in selfies. UGH! 3. No Man With Any Pride Would Take A Picture Like This: it's like pulling teeth to get a yearly Christmas picture with Eric.  Besides, this is clearly photoshoped.  At no time does it snow directly into your hands and no where el