July Randoms…

- We made a little road trip up to see our BFFs for the day! I was so excited to see Adam & Carrie’s new home. Its so beautiful and Carrie already has the place feeling so warm and homey and totally put together. She has that gift and every place they’ve ever lived has been a beautiful home by the time she got finished with it- but this one takes the cake. It really is a dream house and she put so much thought into all the little details – it’s just perfect. The kids played inside and outside and we had the best day just sitting on the couch catching up. It never happens often enough. Caroline wasn’t so sure about another boy in the house… The boys however, were feeling good to be together – both having two sisters, it’s a lot of estrogen, I’m sure. Ha.

- Uncle Adam & Nen brought the kids back treasures from their week in Michigan. The girls’ favorite were the chocolate bars with the upper-peninsula shaped on them – Tucker’s were the rocks from the river.

- The best Daytona Dollar Bin find of the Summer has been this roll of “road” tape. It’s removable tape with a road printed on it. You can tape it to the floor or table or wherever, and it peels right up. Tucker has loved building roads while we’re out to dinner lately. I picked up a couple rolls for both the boys and I think if we make it back to the Super Target at the beach soon, I’ll grab a few more.

- We took the girls to their first concert! Annabelle has been obsessed with country music lately and Mamie loves any kind of music! They both LOVE the song, “You look good” and that’s where their love for Lady Antebellum started. AB downloaded all of their songs on her Ipad and knows them all by heart. When DW heard they were coming to Tampa, he decided to surprise the girls with tickets. Pop & Grammy went with us and we had the best time. Our seats were great and the weather was perfect for an outdoor summer concert – we were worried it might be too hot and humid, but it was really nice. It was such a great concert – the opening acts were Brett Young and Kelsea Ballerini, both of which were great and the girls knew their songs, too. They sang along and danced and loved every minute of it. It was late when it finally got over, but the girls hung tough and lasted the whole time. When it was over, AB was already asking which concert we could go to next! She was hooked! Ha. While we were having a blast, so was Tucker- who was having his first spend the night with Parker! Nen sent me this picture of the monitor at bedtime. I can’t even take the sweetness. 

- Mamie had her buddy Bristol’s birthday party. She was so excited to get to go to a party by herself. AB got to go to one in February, and Mamie has been just itching to get to leave everyone else at home and get to go to a party. Ha.

- We’ve done a little school shopping. We’ll do our big shopping day on a Friday with Grammy, but the girls are excited and wanted to start looking!

- Nen and I love meeting up at Pappy’s pool on summer weekdays to wear the kids out before nap time.

- Baby Brother has Spider-Man goggles and he thinks he’s Spidey when he wears them.. complete with web slinging.

- The girls and I were running some errands in Ocala, when we ran in Target. When we walked in, I noticed a long line and lots of Coke signs. Turns out, Coca-Cola was doing a promo day inside Target and you could print your own Coke can. Each person (even the kids) got to print two cans, so we came out with 8 personalized cans. Here’s the five we did to keep…

We did the other three to give away. They’re cute and the kids thought it was the greatest thing to have their names on a Coke can! Mamie just didn’t understand why we couldn’t drink it though.

-  I’m still working in the cattle company office on Fridays. Most days I have someone watch Tucker, but there are occasional times when he has to go with me. He loves to sit at his Pappy’s desk and play. But more than that, he loves the peanut M&M’s that Pappy keeps stocked in his office. Even if we just stop by during the week to run something in to DW or pick something up, Tucker thinks he has to go in and get a pack of M&Ms. ;) I didn’t notice it until I saw this picture again, but the picture that’s sitting on the desk, above his shoulder, is actually Mr. Tucker, where we got his name.

- Potty training our last baby might do me in. I just THOUGHT Mamie was hard. Tucker is completely in-interested and I know first hand nothing is going to happen until they’re ready. I’m hoping these construction undies from Gymboree and Carters will give us the motivation we need to kick diapers to the curb. They for sure slay me when I see those little man briefs running through the living room, and maybe they’ll at least be cute enough to keep me smiling when I have to wash 5 pair of his undies a day. Ha.  

We’re on the downhill slope of Summer. We’re so sad it’s almost over!

~amw~

A Week on the Run

The week at Blue Run is always one of our favorite traditions and highlights of the Summer.

I say it all the time, but it really is one of our most favorite places. Even a rainy day at Blue run is better than a sunny day anywhere else.

This year, like all the rest, the week was so much fun. We spent almost every night down there, which we haven’t done in quite a few years.

The kids all did great sharing a room (all FIVE of us!) ;) and I know they love waking up with their cousins at the river.

We had an exciting afternoon on Saturday, when someone fell out of the “jumping” tree across the river (insert eye roll here) and the ambulance had to be called. Of course along with the ambulance comes the fire truck and sheriff’s deputies. We get really tired of the people who stop at the tree and climb it to jump out. Mostly because they’re usually young and intoxicated and it’s not just a climb and jump and go on their way… they homestead right across from us and cuss and carry on and usually at least once during the summer, we end up having to call the ambulance for someone. Saturday was the day and at least two people in our crew were excited to see the firetruck pull up. The little boys were thrilled.

The firemen were so nice and beyond sweet with the kids. They showed them the truck, told them to climb in it and blow the horn… they even had them trying on the fire suits. Super nice guys and the kids thought it was the coolest thing ever.

During the week, Lauren & I planned dinners and cooked every night, so that the guys could just come straight from work, eat and hit the water or jump on the boat. We’re good wives like that. ;) We were trying to be extra mindful of our men this year, PLUS the fact that we have FIVE little kids made us really not want to have to drag into a restaurant every night to eat. Ha. ;) (& by ‘cooked’, I mean KFC takeout totally counts as cooking at the river) ;)

I was so happy when DW took a day off during the week to spend with us! He’d planned to take 3 when we were at the beach and since that didn’t work out, he ended up swapping it for a day while we were at the run. It was such a great day, too. We ended up taking the boat up to the head and stopping along the way to swim and walk down one of the spring fed creeks.

This year was another year of cute floats…

matching swimsuits…

games….

fishing…

Girls being girls…

and boys being boys…

This was also the week Mamie mastered her kayak! She was a pro by the middle of the week.

Another fun addition to the week was an RC speedboat DW found at Rural King. It was the best $20.00 he spent all week and he was kicking himself for not buying another one, so they’d have two to race and play with. The best was when we put this ginormous grasshopper on it and would sling it off in the middle of the river, then go back by and the grasshopper would jump back on for another ride. It was hysterical watching the grasshopper ride.

Another memorable moment was when Mamie lost her first tooth! It had been dangling for MONTHS, and on the last day at the river, she bit into an oreo and bam! It was out! She was so excited!

The last night we were there, we took one last boat ride, that ended up in a rainstorm. We made it back to the house and took cover, but it lasted for over an hour! It was well after dark before we could finish packing up and leave and by the time we pulled in with our loaded to the brim car, this is what the back seat looked like…

It’s always the best week and we’re always sad when it’s over.

~amw~