Easter 2016

Considering the stressful week we had prior, our Easter Sunday was pretty close to perfect. Our day was filled with family, food, and lots of chocolate candy. Avery was the MOST excited she's ever been about finding her Easter basket, and she ran around our yard ecstatically later in the day collecting eggs in our little Easter egg hunt we set up for the girls. We made it to church in the morning and even arrived early in order to grab seats in the balcony...right outside the cry room which I utilized about half-way through. It was a great day, and we'll be eating leftovers for the next week, and chocolate for the next month!

The weather here was absolutely amazing. It was sunny and around 70 degrees...perfect for our Easter egg hunt. It was so cute watching them look for their eggs...even Kendall had a great time!

I took this last picture because it's so nice to see flowers blooming around here. Avery is back to school this week (she had spring break last week) and I'm happy to get back into our routines. Hope you all enjoyed your Easter weekend!

Easter Eggs

It's hard to believe that today is Good Friday, and Sunday is Easter. It's so early this year; although I think it fits because the weather here has been warmer than usual, and we already have some tulips blooming. It's been nice to have a longer spring this year, and a shorter winter.

Avery and I dyed Easter eggs this morning, although I didn't make a big production out of it. I hard boiled 10 eggs, and only made three colors, that I let Avery choose. She chose purple, pink and blue. To be honest, the pink and purple don't look too different, but they still turned out cute. I kind of let Avery take the lead this year and use more of the things in the kit. We used all of the egg wrappers, which I've never used before, and they turned out really good. She also put little stickers on most of them. 

I think keeping it simple was definitely the way to go. In past years, I've tried to do more, and she's bored halfway through. This year we only spent about 30 minutes on them, and we gave Kendall a few of the fake eggs that I also had on hand. She didn't really participate - she just carried her little eggs around the kitchen which was cute. 

We have some family coming over for Easter after church on Sunday, but I think after this week's circumstances, it will be pretty low key. We've already bought things for the girls baskets, and I'm glad I did my shopping early. I'm actually most looking forward to watching Ten Commandments on Sunday night, like I do every year. 

Have a great Easter weekend. 

Choosing to be Grateful

Yesterday, I was reminded that life is short. We had a very unfortunate death in the family (on my husband's side) and we are all grieving and trying to get over the shock. It is never easy hearing that type of news, or giving it, and my heart breaks for the parents, the siblings, the grandparents, and the child that are all deeply affected.

I often get caught up in the daily frustrations of life, but this is a definite a reminder for me to be grateful for all of the people in my life. I don't want to take anybody for granted, so I want to be more specific. I am grateful for my family - my husband, my children, my dog, my parents, my in-laws, my grandparents-in-law, my sisters, my brothers-in-law, and my nephew.  You all mean so much to me, and if I don't say it enough, I love you. Also - to my friends, I know that we may not always see each other as much as we would like, but I care about you all and am so thankful for you in my life. I've been hugging my little girls a lot yesterday and today - I always want them to know how much they are loved.  

It's not just people for which I'm grateful - I'm also so thankful for the things I've been able to do, our trips, our house projects, and even running.  The past few weeks I've been feeling a little frustrated with running, because I'm slower than I'd like to be, and it's hard to get motivated. I decided quit complaining, and just be grateful that I can run. This morning, I took Kendall for a run in the stroller;  Avery rode her bike alongside, and even Ranger came along. We went to the park and completed two miles - certainly not the farthest or the fastest, but it was something, and that's better than nothing. We ended up having a great time together.

A few weeks ago at a MOPS meeting, someone passed out "The Homemaker's Prayer" and I've thought about it a lot lately, and especially in the last few days. I am happy to share it with you, and remember that every day that we are given is precious.  

{House Tour} The Playroom

Oh the playroom....this room is constantly changing. It is continually a "work in progress" because we're always accumulating new toys, and I'm always working on new organization strategies. I actually love scouring Pinterest for playroom ideas.  However, no matter how much time I put into keeping it organized, it seems to (mostly) be a disaster zone. Sometimes I'm not sure how other moms keep areas like this clean, because it seems like it's the room I clean the most, and looks the worst.  I don't even think my girls are as bad as some. They actually hold their attention on toys for a good amount of time before moving onto something else. I have started working with Avery more diligently on putting away her toys when she is done with them, and before bedtime, but that is also a work in progress. 

To be honest, one of the reasons I took pictures of this room now is because we just bought some new seating for the room. We had a recliner in here before, but I wanted something that would allow more seating, and something I would enjoy more. Many times, toys end up all over the living room because that's where I was sitting, and it seems like my kids want to be near me most of the time. We chose a futon because it's practical - it can easily become an extra bed, and it's also faux leather, so it's easy to keep clean. We rearranged things a bit, and reorganized, and I vacuumed and cleaned. I already capitalized on the space underneath for extra storage, too. For now, this is as good as it gets! 

This room was Travis's office for a few years, before we turned it into a playroom, but you may notice we kept the deer on the walls. I think they add "character"to the room, haha. We also kept the  bookshelf in here for storage, and the bench in this picture is also for storage. 

I love having a little table and chairs, and they probably get the most use of anything in here. Avery uses the table for coloring, play-doh, and tea parties with Kendall. I took these pictures this morning, and I tried to do it when the girls were eating breakfast, and before they'd be in here, but I didn't quite make it. I captured a few pictures with some  of the cutest photo bombers :)

So that's it! I am actually pretty pleased with it right now, and I'm hoping it will look like these pictures for the next few minutes or so. Let me know if you like it, and have any other organization tips for me! Have a great Monday. 

Sanibel Island Part ||

One of the best things about going to Sanibel is the pool. We share a pool with everyone staying at the same place as us (Sanibel Beach Club II) but I actually enjoy that because there are always kids around for our kids to play with. It never gets too crowded, because most people only spend a few hours at the pool every day, and then go out to the beach or sightseeing. 

The pool is also very kid friendly because it has 4 stairs that go the entire width of the pool on one side, and they make it fun for small kids to play on. I remember learning to swim with my sisters on the same stairs, and "walking" on my hands all the way across. I also loved to make up routines and use the stairs as my "stage." Avery spent most of her time on the stairs, but by the second day she would swim out deeper (she wore water wings the entire time.) This year was much easier taking her and Kendall to the pool since Avery is a little more independent, and Kendall is more mobile. 

When we were at the pool, Avery spent the majority of the time in the water. Kendall, on the other hand, loved to sit in the chairs and climb on and off of them. She also enjoyed the cookies I brought down for a snack every day :) She would go in the water, but she liked to take her time and sit on the edge with me for awhile before I'd take her all the way in. Avery had a fabulous time, and now I'm thinking about getting her swimming lessons this summer, when she has a break from school, dance, and ice skating. 

Another thing we love about going to Sanibel Island is the restaurants. There are very few commercialized restaurants on the island, so there are lots of "one of a kind" places we enjoy. We eat breakfast and lunch most days in the condo, and then have dinner out a few nights, and in a few nights. This trip, we ate at Matzaluna, (one of our favorites), the Key Lime Bistro (on Captiva Island), and the Lazy Flamingo. They all had great food and I wasn't disappointed. We also had ice cream at Pinocchio's, which has been one of my favorites since I was a kid. It still has, by far, the best ice cream I've ever had!

Kendall and Avery also enjoyed seeing some talking birds at Jerry's plaza. The birds there have been there forever (since I guess these birds have a similar life span as humans) and it was cute hearing Avery saying Hello to the birds, and trying to get them to talk back. 

I think my favorite time was just relaxing at the beach. Travis bought a canopy to have some shade, and it was so nice to enjoy the beach breeze and sunshine.  

The week seemed to fly by, like vacation always does, but it was a great trip and I love going back there year after year. 

If you haven't read part I of our trip, click here. 

Sanibel Island 2016 - Part |

Sanibel Island, FL has a very special place in my heart because I've been going there since I was a little girl. We are so fortunate that my parents allow us to use their time share, which is right on the beach (on the Gulf of Mexico). It's amazing watching Avery and Kendall swimming and playing, and I can't help but be reminded of all the fun memories I have with my parents and sisters. 

It's also such a special vacation because my parents live in Ft. Myers, which is just a short drive away, and Travis's uncle and his family live in Naples, which is also a short distance away. It's great to spend a few days seeing family and a few days on our own. 

I'm focusing most of this post on our travels and time we spent with my parents and Travis's Uncle and Aunt. My next post will focus on the time we had to ourselves. 

We actually take two days to drive down, and two days to drive home, and while that may seem like a lot with two young kids, it actually went so well, and I almost can't even believe how well my girls did in the car - even better than me! We try to leave early in the morning and stop every few hours to let them run around. It's nice that Kendall is actually walking and she can really burn off some energy in just a few minutes. We stopped at Cracker Barrel on the way down and had to try out the rocking chairs!

Once we arrived in Florida, we spent one night at my parents condo in Ft. Myers. We didn't get in until 2 in the morning (and my mom waited up for us) and it was nice that she had things set up for us to quickly get the kids back to bed. I know I keep saying it, but these girls are such great sleepers. They have no problem sleeping in the car at bedtime, and then going straight to bed, whether it be at a hotel or in a separate bedroom (that they share.) They shared a room during the entire trip and we had no problems at all. 

We were able to go on a 4-mile walk that morning with my new Bob Revolution SE Duallie. It was great to get outside after being in the car for two days. We stopped at the playground so the girls could play and I just soaked up the sunshine. We headed out to the condo on Sanibel later in the afternoon, and had dinner in that night, because after traveling for two days, we were ready for a home-cooked meal. 

My mom came out to watch the girls on the second full day we were there, because Travis and I went on a fishing charter with his Uncle David. The fishing charter went extremely well, and we caught a ton of fish, and my mom enjoyed getting some one-on-one time with the girls. 

David's family came out to the condo that evening for a fish fry (very fresh - we ate the same fish that we caught earlier in the day.) David and Melissa's kids are 7 (Gabriel) and almost 6 (Olivia), so Avery loved spending time with her cousins and playing with them. This was the first year that our kids have really played together so it was great to see. I felt like my little Avery was getting so big! Of course, Kendall tried to keep up too. 

They stayed until almost 9 pm that night, and we let Avery and Kendall stay up a little late since we rarely see them :) Later in the week we met them again for dinner at Bass Pro Shops restaurant -  the Islamorada Fish Company  for dinner. It's one of our favorites because of the Grouper Reuben Sandwich, and of course walking around the store. Our favorite section this year was the camping section because they had about 7 or so tents set up, along with cots and chairs. We spent a good half hour playing there while Travis looked at fishing equipment.

Another day of our trip was spent with my mom in Ft. Myers. While Travis golfed with my dad, we took the girls to a park with a train ride, train museum, and playground. It was really fun, and my mom had taken my nephew there a few weeks ago so she knew they would like it. The train ride was just 15 minutes, and the museum was just one room with lots of model trains and information about the history of the railroad in Ft. Myers, and neighboring areas in Florida. 

After the train trip, we took the girls to the pool while we waited for the guys to finish golfing. Then my mom made lasagna for dinner and we spent the evening with them, before heading back out to Sanibel. 

My parents came out to Sanibel on the last day we were there as well, and we out to lunch and spent some time on the beach. Avery and my mom built some drip castles, and Kendall napped on the beach. 

I only had to walk around for about 15 minutes for this ^ to happen.  We also saw some dolphins and found some pretty shells. 

We really enjoyed getting to see both my parents and Travis's uncle and his family, and there will be more about our trip in my next post!

Sanibel Sneak Peek

Good morning! We are back from our beach trip to Sanibel Island, and I am busy sorting through a slightly overwhelming amount of pictures. We had a fabulous time on our trip, but I am happy to be home. 

I will post more details about our trip later this week, but we spent most of our time at the pool - which was Avery's favorite (that's what she told us.) Of course we also spent time on the beach, and we were lucky to have perfect weather every day! It was 80-85 and mostly sunny pretty much every day, and we definitely made the most of it. 

I took a few pictures of us out at the beach, and some of the ones of Avery turned out so cute. I can't wait to share more pictures like this one soon.

 I feel extremely blessed to have such a wonderful family, and there really is nothing better than relaxing in the sun with them. Have a great week!

Friday Five

It's the first Friday in March - spring is on its way! Here are some of my random thoughts for your Friday Five:

1.  We are currently on the road to Sanibel Island, Florida! Wish us luck on this 21-hour car trip with a 4-year old and a 1-year old. We left yesterday and are hoping to make it to Ft. Myers tonight. It's a long trip, but both girls do pretty well in the car.

2. After 15 months of debate (and more if you include my pregnancy) we decided to buy a double jogging stroller. I have really been going back and forth about whether this was something we really needed, and to be honest, I hadn't bought it up to this point because it's not something you need with two kids. We have been getting by fine without it, but I really miss running with my husband and I need some motivation to keep running right now. I bought the Bob Revolution SE Duallie in navy, because I have loved my single Bob Revolution SE. I also signed up with Amazon Prime, so I ordered the stroller on Tuesday, and it arrived on Thursday morning. We are taking it with us to Florida, and I am really excited to try it out! I think it will be nice if we go to the Naples Zoo, or even just for a day of shopping.

3.  I just recently purchased this foundation and it's definitely a new favorite of mine! I've been using a powder foundation for years, which I still like, and will continue to use when I only have a few minutes to put on makeup.  I wanted a liquid foundation for times when I want a little more coverage, and have more time to get ready. I've been using the liquid foundation for several weeks now, and it's so great. I haven't used a liquid foundation for several years, and I think I've been missing out. It really evens my skin tone, but it still looks like me. It stays on all day, and makes my skin look luminous. A big win.

4.  In some of my recent posts about Kendall, I forgot one of the cutest things she's been doing - pretty much all the time - DANCING! Honestly, it is the cutest thing ever, and she will dance to any music. She got this toy robot for her birthday, and she absolutely loves it. She will now dance to any toys that play music, or the TV, or even at church when we are singing. My favorite is when they are driving their Frozen Jeep, and Avery turns on the "radio" (music from Frozen.) Kendall immediately starts wiggling, and I absolutely love it!!

5. Random fact - Travis and I celebrated our 14-year dating anniversary on March 1. Can't believe it's been that long....feels like yesterday when he invited me to his dorm room to watch Dumb and Dumber. Love you honey!

And that's it. Have a great weekend!

Skating Lessons

Avery had her first group skating lessons last week, and her second lessons last night.  She has done really well so far. Kids that are three to five years old start in the Snowplow 1 group. They started off the ice, and then moved onto the ice after about 5 minutes of practicing how to stand up after falling. I could tell Avery was already at an advantage because she had been on the ice before, and she already knows how to march.

They do a lot of games with the kids and have some toys and stuffed animals out there with them too. Most of the lesson at this point is just having them learn how to balance on skates. 

The picture above is a pretty accurate description of how Avery looked during her lesson, and how the other kids looked. Also, I got her the cutest fitness clothing from Target, so she definitely looks like a little figure skater :)

Last night, she stayed in Snowplow 1 group for the first 25 minutes, but then they moved her to Snowplow 2 group for the last 15 minutes. I was so proud of her. I was glad to see them move her because I would have moved her too, if I had been coaching her. 

She has done great for the past two weeks, and I'm considering if she should be a part of the number for the spring ice show. I have a little time to decide while we take a vacation to Florida.