Yesterday after we left the splash pad, we decided to check yet another item off of our Summer Bucket List.  The monsoon that forced us to leave the park was short lived, so we headed to the nearest Snow Cone stand.  Just before we pulled up, Eric called to say that he was getting off work early because he had to work through lunch.  He ended up meeting us for a sweet summer treat, so it was a nice family affair.   I was the one with the real treat because Ellie fell asleep on the way home and more rain meant a playdate for the boys.  I folded laundry and watched The Astronauts Wife's Club while everyone else was otherwise occupied.  It was heavenly.

My work contract runs through July 1, and I still had one day that I was required to take off.  I decided that today was the day, which was nice after a weekend out of town.   I spent the early part of the morning unpacking, doing laundry, and catching up on chores before running to the grocery.  After a quick but stressful lunch, I decided to take the kids to the splash park in town to tackle another item on our Summer Bucket List. Eli made a new friend and played ball while Ellie worked up her courage to get in.  Before long they were both having the time of their lives.  It was a far cry from the last time we came two years ago when Ellie was three months old, and Eli was too scared to get anywhere near the water.  I really think next year when they are three and six will be the perfect year. Out of nowhere a stupid rain storm popped up.  At first it was a little drizzle, so I let them play.  It wasn't long before it cleared off for all of five minutes

We just got in from the most delightful weekend in Lexington.  On Thursday, I went home on my lunch break to pack.  Then it was a quick trip through the drive-thru, and we were on the road as soon as I got off work.   We visited with my parents when we made it, then we went to see my sister's new house, which was super adorable.  Ellie threw fit to stay at Amy's house all night, so I let her.  Friday morning my sister called to say that she had done great! We lounged around all morning then went to my grandmother's house to visit and swim.  It was such a nice day, and the kids loved all the attention they were getting from family.  After an afternoon of fun in the sun, we headed back to my parent's house for dinner.  We settled down for a movie, and Ellie zonked right out.  Eli asked to go to bed before the movie was over, but he ended up playing in the bedroom for a few minutes On Saturday morning, I went to get doughnuts and drove past a

I turned 29 on Father’s Day, and for some reason people keep asking me how I’m handling it being the last year in my 20s.   An odd question if I do say so myself.   I mean, it’s not a death sentence! Now, I know the big three-oh is still a year away, so I could completely change my mind, but at this point, I’m not dreading turning 30.   In a lot of ways, I’m sort of embracing it. It seems really weird to still be in the same decade as I was in college.   When I rang in this decade I was single, living in a dorm, eating Ramen Noodles, and living for the weekend.   That’s a far cry from being a wife and mother of two with a career, mortgage, and mini-van.   Am I right?   Turning 30 (in a year) seems right.   I’m an old soul.   I can’t tell you a single Kardashian, but I enjoy a good political debate.   Instead of watching The Bachelor, Designing Women and Golden Girls are more my scene.   And forget pop culture and popular music because I’m much more likely to be listening The G

Ya’ll, we just wrapped up our fourth week of Summer Vacation, and I am just now posting our annual Bucket List.   Worry not, we have already started scratching activities off left and right.   I really want to get most of this checked off before we go back to school on August 11 th .   There may be a few items that we carry over into the first part of the school year, but I just want to be really intentional about making the most of our traditional summer break. With that being said, this list isn’t our attempt to have a “perfect summer” cause that’s just silly.   These are just some fun things that we would like to do as a family while our days are long and lazy.   It helps me to be accountable too by reminding me to be intentional with my time. Here’s to a great summer whether we accomplish two or twenty of these activities… 1.      Visit Marion 2.      Visit Lexington 3.      Visit Disney World 4.      Visit Friends (Adkins Family and the Pates) 5.  

Ellie has decided that sleeping is overrated, and twice this week she has reverted to her old ways of waking up for a few hours to hang out with mommy.  I have a hunch that it has to do with all the traveling and fun we've been having, but I plan to nip it in the butt as soon as we get back from our July 4th festivities. Sunday into Monday she was up from 1:00-5:00 so I called in to work a half day. She had really bad gas and was crying so I thought she might have the stomach bug that we've all been passing around. I ended up taking the entire day off after I looked online and realized that I had three days I had to use before July 1st.  Normally, Ellie's midnight social hour puts me in a crazy mood and leaves me sour for the entire day. However, when the kids woke up at 8:00 I made the choice to make the most of our day off.  I am so, so glad I did because we had the best day together with lots of quality time!  Ellie was on the mend, so around 10:30 we

In the spirit of maintaining my blog, I have decide to use Wednesday as a "dump day" to document the mundane moments that aren't post worthy, buy still memorable.  With that being said, we are having the best week around here, enjoying my summer hours, and spending lots of time together as a family.  Poor Eric is home sick with a bug today, so I'm certain that the kids and I will have a little date with the pool this evening.  I had to share this picture that I took of Eli earlier this week.  He and Ellie watched the Mickey Mouse version of the Three Musketeers, and then he came out of his room in this getup. Ha!  Nothing says, "Knight in Shining Armor" quite like Santa pjs, a breastplate, and a mine craft sword.   Also, I neglected to share this picture from Disney World, but it was too cute not to post.  Ya'll, we are already daydreaming (and possibly planning) our next trip to the happiest place on earth! And last but certai

Now that the Disney World recap is finished, I guess it's time to get back to reality.  Honestly, we kinda easied back in last week by having Eric's mom and dad watch the kids while we tended to the garden, unpacked, did laundry, and caught up at work.  We may or may not have snuck in a date night too! As long as I make up the hours at some point during the week, I can work half days on Fridays throughout the summer months, which is exactly what I did.  Then I skipped the gym to come home and nap while the kids were gone.  I did a little laundry after I woke up, and then it was time to go get Eli and Ellie. Eric and I ended up getting to the meeting spot a little early, so we went shopping.  He surprised me with the most beautiful pair of earrings as an early birthday present.  How sweet is that?!  We were so excited to see the kids and share a yummy dinner with his family before heading home. On Saturday I took the kids shopping for Father's Day gif

Friday was our last day in the parks, so we rounded out our trip with another day at Magic Kingdom.  I had planned a breakfast for us at Chef Mickey, which meant a late start. Eric and I had talked about canceling this meal because other than Pluto, our kids had met all the characters at some point during the week.  Well, I missed the window to cancel our reservations without being charged a fee, so we went.  It was the best decision.   The atmosphere was so, so fun, and the kids loved the meal.  In addition to the traditional breakfast spread, there was a whole buffet dedicated to pastries! I would highly recommend this restaurant if you are looking for a breakfast location. On a side note, this is where we ate when my parents brought us to Disney World as kids.  I still have the souviener cups they used to give out. I remember wearing a green and black polka dot romper with a side ponytail and celebrating my dad's birthday.  Ha! Our last day actua