Family and Parenting

Lake Day

July 11, 2016

Happy Monday, dolls! I hope you had a fantastic weekend! We had a great time at the lake with Ryan’s family on Saturday and spent the day yesterday recouping and recharging for the week. Meaning, we were super lazy. Lake days are so much fun and absolutely wear us out which is great because for our family, that means excellent naps. Thumbs up! Our lake day began at breakfast and we stayed for a while after dinner and it was perfect. Honestly, I think my favorite memory from the day was being caught on the boat in the rain a pretty god ways from the house. It was pelting us and we were all laughing so hard trying to get back. Our poor Pop Pop couldn’t hardly see through the ran so we paused under the bridge for a couple of minutes and then went the rest of the way. It was hilarious and we were soaked. Towels and all.

Lake Day boat Ride

Fourth of July Weekend 2016

July 6, 2016

Today, I’m going to share a few snaps from the last few days. Fourth of July weekend is always so special for my family. We celebrate 5 birthdays in our family and always get together for BBQ, a pool day and fireworks! It is a fun day. We even added in the parade of the little town that our family is moving to in November not too far away from where we currently live. My grandparents live out there and it is fun going to the little parade with our big family. My kids loved it – mostly for the candy that was constantly thrown at them. Hampton also loves seeing the firetruck every year. He even got a little tour of it this year and thought it was so cool. We may have a little firefighter on our hands…

fire truck

Preparing for a Holiday with Toddlers

June 29, 2016

We have a big holiday weekend coming up and all of our family is coming to town. We have plans to eat a big breakfast at my grandmother’s house, go to the 4th of July parade and then head back to my parent’s house to swim and cookout later that afternoon before everyone has to head back home. It is going to be a busy but fun weekend! If you’re like me, you are already thinking of how your toddler seems to know when it is a special day and decides not to nap, pitch fits, etc. Mine do it every Thanksgiving, Christmas, etc. I swear, they just know. I like to prepare ahead as much as I can for these big days to try and avoid as many toddler disasters as possible.

Preparing for a Holiday with a Toddler

Tips for Running Errands with 2 Kids Under 2

June 27, 2016

Okay, so Hampton is two now, but these tips held true before his birthday. I plan on incorporating them again once our baby boy is born in November(ish). Running errands with two young children – regardless of their age can be trying. We’ve all experienced toddler tantrums out in public probably more than we have smooth and successful errand runs, am I right? Is that just me? Okay…

Tips for Running Errands withe 2 Kids Under 2

Father’s Day Weekend 2016

June 20, 2016

Our Father’s Day weekend was full of lots of sweet memories this year! I have the best dad and husband and loved having a good excuse to celebrate them. We enjoyed lots of family time and I got in a good bit of extra rest which was a good thing. Last week was a little rocky and I’ll be honest, kind of difficult. After being put on partial bed rest and having another little scare on Thursday, I was told to take it very easy. No lifting, lay down as much as possible, etc. Ryan was out of town on Thursday when I had my second little scare, so it was a hard day with the babies. Thank goodness for my in-laws who kept our kids overnight for us on Friday which allowed me to get a lot of rest and we even got in a quick date to our favorite restaurant!

Father's Day

Memorial Day Weekend

May 31, 2016

This Memorial Day weekend was a special one! We spent the entire long weekend (and then some, because we are still here) with my grandparents and family in Florida. We have been here for 5 days and are going to be sad to go back home tomorrow. I could get used to going to the beach and pool every day! We were able to spend Memorial Day with our favorite Navy vet – my grandfather which was special. He told us old Navy stories and we ate tons of great food and laughed – a lot.

Memorial Day Weekend

A Fun in the Sun Kind of Weekend

May 23, 2016

First off, thank you so much for all of your love on last week’s post! We are getting so excited to welcome baby #3 and I honestly can’t believe I am already almost 16 weeks along! I am extremely happy to have kissed that first trimester goodbye because it was a doozy this time around. I’ve loved reading all of your comments throughout the weekend and it was so encouraging and sweet! Also, thank you for the car recommendations! 😉

Fun in the Sun Weekend

A Fun Family Weekend

May 17, 2016

This weekend was so much fun as we celebrated my nephew’s 4th birthday and Mother’s Day with my in-laws and had family pictures done! We went bowling for T-man’s party and it was Hampton’s first time to bowl. He loved it, but one game was plenty for him!

Family Weekend Tractor Ride

Yesterday, our “long weekend” continued. We went out to my grandparent’s house and my sister and I cooked with my grandmother while the kids played outside and went for rides on my grandfather’s tractor and their golf cart. I love cooking with my grandmother and learning her delicious recipes. She is the best cook I know and we always enjoy amazing food out at her house. We’ve already got plans to go out there again soon and make jelly! I love making these precious memories with such an amazing woman.

Family Weekend Bowling

What did you do this weekend?

How to Pack the Perfect Lunch for a Playdate

May 13, 2016

The weather has been beautiful the last couple of weeks and we have been spending many days at the park. If you are a mom of a little boy, you know why! 😉 Days that we stay at the house can be a little… crazy. I like to get out with my kids as much as I can, even if it is running to the grocery store for something. Sometimes that one little errand makes all the difference in keeping them from going stir crazy.

How to Pack the Perfect Lunch for a Playdate

We have been to the park twice in the last week and we love to pack our lunch and enjoy a picnic while we are there! As you know, park days are better with friends, so we met our friends their one day and played with the cousins another day. There are just a few tips I also remember when packing a picnic for a playdate:

Make sure none of the other kids have food allergies. If they do, don’t pack those things in your child’s lunch – just in case.
Pack plenty for everyone. I always overpack, but I’d rather do that than not have enough for everyone to enjoy. If another child wants some of our yogurt or fruit, I want to have plenty.
Take extra liquids – especially on a hot day.
Pack healthy foods and snacks.

So, what foods are my go-tos for picnic lunches? Well, your basic peanut butter sandwich (or turkey and cheese if a kid has a peanut allergy) crackers, fruit and Annie’s Organic Yogurt. I also like to bring juice and water so that we have both options for Hamp. When he is running around a lot, he likes to drink water.

Annie's Organic Whole Milk Yogurt

My family has been enjoying the adorable cheese bunny crackers by Annie’s for a long time now, so when I was at Publix the other day, I was excited to see that they make organic yogurt! Hampton loves yogurt and eats it almost every day, but I have noticed lately that a lot of other brands put artificial flavors or sweeteners in theirs. No, thank you! Annie’s yogurt tastes amazing and I feel so good about giving it to my kids (and myself). This is now a staple in our home. This organic yogurt comes in two new flavors – Summer Strawberry and Berry Patch. It has no artificial flavors, or sweeteners and has no hormones.

Annie's Yogurt

Publix is currently offering 2 Annie’s Organic Whole Milk Yogurt for only $5, so stock up! I am giving away $15 paypal cash to one lucky person who comment on this post to try this organic yogurt for yourself!

What do you pack in your picnic?

Mother’s Day 2016

May 9, 2016

This Mother’s Day was a special one for us, but it was also really different. A lot of things have been going on over the weekend that changed our plans. My mom was bitten by a brown recluse spider and has been in a lot of pain. You are welcome to google these spider bites, but I’ll warn you that they are a bit much and my weak stomach can’t handle seeing them. She has been in so much pain she can hardly walk AND she is doing a wedding this weekend, so we are all pitching in to help as much as we can (even though she is the decorating genius). So, we tried to make things as special as we could at home for her.

Mother's Day

Ryan was caddying in the LPGA tour last week and was not around for the Mother’s Day festivities this year. I was bummed but the extra money that he made was more than worth it! We are after all trying to close on our new house this month and will be spending quite a bit of money. haha So, this side job came at a very good time. Plus, he loved every minute of it! It was therapeutic for him to be out on the golf course all week and I am so happy that he got that opportunity. We are going to celebrate with my Mother-in-law next weekend and I am really looking forward to that!

So, while last week/weekend was a strange one to say the least, it was also filled with wonderful memories. I got to spend lots of time with my kiddos and I even woke up to beautiful roses and the sweetest card from Ryan that brought me to tears. I felt very special and loved and I hope my mom felt half as special as I did. She is a wonderful lady who is selfless and is such a peacemaker. She is a hard worker and loves all of us unconditionally – and trust me, some of us have definitely tested that! Not me, of course 😉 (haha! Love you, mom!)